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Beauty and the Bitch
Sofie Vincent is some piece of work. She’s a mean one. A nasty. Someone who doesn’t play nice because she frankly doesn’t care if you like her or not. She could blow your life apart if you crossed her, and quite often did that very thing. Very few braved her beastly exterior.
She liked it that way. It was what had made her one of the biggest names in TV. Everything was going along according to plan.
Then one day a handsome hospice nurse named Fletcher Sullivan popped up on her doorstep with one goal in mind: reunite Sofie with her estranged mother before it was too late.
Rose Thibodeau wasn’t just Sofie’s mother, she was a world-renowned author of the Pudgie books, all inspired by Sofie’s childhood mishaps and failures published far and wide for the whole world to see. For that, Sofie decided, she can never be forgiven.
However, Fletcher is as determined as she is, as headstrong as she is, and refuses to go away no matter what she does. Can this unusual, kind, beautiful man transform beastly Sofie back into a human again before it’s too late? Or will the Rose wilt and seal her bitter curse forever?
Be Ginger’s guest as she twists this tale as old as time around to answer the often unasked question: can a beautiful man fall in love with a beastly woman, particularly one our society deems the most unlovable? In true Ginger Voight fashion, she weaves an emotional tale of love, regret, bitterness and redemption, with characters that will stay with you long after you turned the last page.
CW/TW: Some sexual violence depicted.
She liked it that way. It was what had made her one of the biggest names in TV. Everything was going along according to plan.
Then one day a handsome hospice nurse named Fletcher Sullivan popped up on her doorstep with one goal in mind: reunite Sofie with her estranged mother before it was too late.
Rose Thibodeau wasn’t just Sofie’s mother, she was a world-renowned author of the Pudgie books, all inspired by Sofie’s childhood mishaps and failures published far and wide for the whole world to see. For that, Sofie decided, she can never be forgiven.
However, Fletcher is as determined as she is, as headstrong as she is, and refuses to go away no matter what she does. Can this unusual, kind, beautiful man transform beastly Sofie back into a human again before it’s too late? Or will the Rose wilt and seal her bitter curse forever?
Be Ginger’s guest as she twists this tale as old as time around to answer the often unasked question: can a beautiful man fall in love with a beastly woman, particularly one our society deems the most unlovable? In true Ginger Voight fashion, she weaves an emotional tale of love, regret, bitterness and redemption, with characters that will stay with you long after you turned the last page.
CW/TW: Some sexual violence depicted.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2018
62 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Ginger Voight
60 books709 followersGinger Voight is a screenwriter and bestselling author with over twenty published titles in fiction and nonfiction. She covers everything from travel to politics in nonfiction, as well as romance, paranormal, and dark, “ripped from the headlines” topics like Dirty Little Secrets.
Ginger discovered her love for writing in sixth grade, courtesy of a Halloween assignment. From then on, writing became a place of solace, reflection, and security. This was never more true than when she found herself homeless in L.A. at the age of nineteen. There, she wrote her first novel, longhand on notebook paper, while living out of her car.
In 1995, after she lost her nine-day-old son, she worked through her grief by writing the story that would eventually become The Fullerton Family Saga.
In 2011, she embarked on a new journey—to publish romance novels starring heroines who look more like the average American woman. These "Rubenesque" romances have developed a following thanks to her bestselling Groupie series. Other titles, such as the highly-rated New Adult series, Fierce, tap into the "reality-TV" preoccupation in American entertainment, which gives her contemporary stories a current, pop culture edge.
Known for writing gut-twisting angst, Ginger isn’t afraid to push the envelope with characters who are perfectly imperfect. Whether rich, poor, sweet, selfish, gay, straight, plus-size or svelte, her characters are beautifully flawed and three-dimensional. They populate her lavish fictional landscapes and teach us more about the real world in which we live simply through their interactions with each other. Ginger’s goal with every book is to give the reader a little bit more than they were expecting, told through stories they'll never forget.
Ginger discovered her love for writing in sixth grade, courtesy of a Halloween assignment. From then on, writing became a place of solace, reflection, and security. This was never more true than when she found herself homeless in L.A. at the age of nineteen. There, she wrote her first novel, longhand on notebook paper, while living out of her car.
In 1995, after she lost her nine-day-old son, she worked through her grief by writing the story that would eventually become The Fullerton Family Saga.
In 2011, she embarked on a new journey—to publish romance novels starring heroines who look more like the average American woman. These "Rubenesque" romances have developed a following thanks to her bestselling Groupie series. Other titles, such as the highly-rated New Adult series, Fierce, tap into the "reality-TV" preoccupation in American entertainment, which gives her contemporary stories a current, pop culture edge.
Known for writing gut-twisting angst, Ginger isn’t afraid to push the envelope with characters who are perfectly imperfect. Whether rich, poor, sweet, selfish, gay, straight, plus-size or svelte, her characters are beautifully flawed and three-dimensional. They populate her lavish fictional landscapes and teach us more about the real world in which we live simply through their interactions with each other. Ginger’s goal with every book is to give the reader a little bit more than they were expecting, told through stories they'll never forget.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
dnf
December 21, 2018Buddy read with Kiki
DNFed @56%
Hero was a manipulative asshole who emotionally abused and threatened the heroine to reveal her secret, he held it against her. But he sure was a pathetic little shit when it came to his ex wife. Every chance he got he threw “pudgie” in the heroine’s face!
There’s nothing else to say about this book. I hated everyone!
DNFed @56%
Hero was a manipulative asshole who emotionally abused and threatened the heroine to reveal her secret, he held it against her. But he sure was a pathetic little shit when it came to his ex wife. Every chance he got he threw “pudgie” in the heroine’s face!
There’s nothing else to say about this book. I hated everyone!
Want to read
February 14, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/14/2019)! 🎁
Blurb:
Sofie Vincent is some piece of work. She’s a mean one. A nasty. Someone who doesn’t play nice because she frankly doesn’t care if you like her or not. She could blow your life apart if you crossed her, and quite often did that very thing. Very few braved her beastly exterior.
She liked it that way. It was what had made her one of the biggest names in TV. Everything was going along according to plan.
Then one day a handsome hospice nurse named Fletcher Sullivan popped up on her doorstep with one goal in mind: reunite Sofie with her estranged mother before it was too late.
Rose Thibodeau wasn’t just Sofie’s mother, she was a world-renowned author of the Pudgie books, all inspired by Sofie’s childhood mishaps and failures published far and wide for the whole world to see. For that, Sofie decided, she can never be forgiven.
However, Fletcher is as determined as she is, as headstrong as she is, and refuses to go away no matter what she does. Can this unusual, kind, beautiful man transform beastly Sofie back into a human again before it’s too late? Or will the Rose wilt and seal her bitter curse forever?
Blurb:
Sofie Vincent is some piece of work. She’s a mean one. A nasty. Someone who doesn’t play nice because she frankly doesn’t care if you like her or not. She could blow your life apart if you crossed her, and quite often did that very thing. Very few braved her beastly exterior.
She liked it that way. It was what had made her one of the biggest names in TV. Everything was going along according to plan.
Then one day a handsome hospice nurse named Fletcher Sullivan popped up on her doorstep with one goal in mind: reunite Sofie with her estranged mother before it was too late.
Rose Thibodeau wasn’t just Sofie’s mother, she was a world-renowned author of the Pudgie books, all inspired by Sofie’s childhood mishaps and failures published far and wide for the whole world to see. For that, Sofie decided, she can never be forgiven.
However, Fletcher is as determined as she is, as headstrong as she is, and refuses to go away no matter what she does. Can this unusual, kind, beautiful man transform beastly Sofie back into a human again before it’s too late? Or will the Rose wilt and seal her bitter curse forever?
December 24, 2018
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own!!!!
BIG FAT THANKS to the author for providing a copy of this book via Netgalley, and thanks to BooksGoSocial for this copy, thanks to author!!!
Stong solid 4 stars. It was almost great till the end, 10% last ones were a bit longish.
First of all, its a story with a great message, messages.
There is one good hero, I mean “good people” hero... Amazing father, the best in his professional field (nurse), awesome friend, partner.... and so much more.
Strong heroine. I mean strong personality, she has built herself with nobody’s help. From bullied shy child and teen, she grew up in amazing strong confident woman. She accepted herself. She was a mean b*tch to many people?? I can live with that. She was good friend, fun “step-mother”, patient with kids, although she didnt have any experience with them. But i’m glad finally she had her HEA! She was too lonely in her kingdom.
Amazing second characters. Interesting plot. Good writing style.
I dont put any lines or words from books on my reviews usually... But this book has so many good lines worth put on. I’m not good with words, this highlights speaks for itself.
"Tell her time is running out. And regret makes a concrete pillow."
"Nobody has to help, Dad. We simply choose to do it. Right?"
"She looked a fright, but that had never really bothered her in the past. She decided a long, long time ago it wasn't her duty to be pretty. If someone couldn't handle the ugly, that was their tough luck".
“Secretly, Fletcher admired her. She was unbreakable. Unstoppable. Invincible. She had created worlds around her with nothing but her steely grit, from this set to her palace in Beverly Hills”.
BIG FAT THANKS to the author for providing a copy of this book via Netgalley, and thanks to BooksGoSocial for this copy, thanks to author!!!
Stong solid 4 stars. It was almost great till the end, 10% last ones were a bit longish.
First of all, its a story with a great message, messages.
There is one good hero, I mean “good people” hero... Amazing father, the best in his professional field (nurse), awesome friend, partner.... and so much more.
Strong heroine. I mean strong personality, she has built herself with nobody’s help. From bullied shy child and teen, she grew up in amazing strong confident woman. She accepted herself. She was a mean b*tch to many people?? I can live with that. She was good friend, fun “step-mother”, patient with kids, although she didnt have any experience with them. But i’m glad finally she had her HEA! She was too lonely in her kingdom.
Amazing second characters. Interesting plot. Good writing style.
I dont put any lines or words from books on my reviews usually... But this book has so many good lines worth put on. I’m not good with words, this highlights speaks for itself.
"Tell her time is running out. And regret makes a concrete pillow."
"Nobody has to help, Dad. We simply choose to do it. Right?"
"She looked a fright, but that had never really bothered her in the past. She decided a long, long time ago it wasn't her duty to be pretty. If someone couldn't handle the ugly, that was their tough luck".
“Secretly, Fletcher admired her. She was unbreakable. Unstoppable. Invincible. She had created worlds around her with nothing but her steely grit, from this set to her palace in Beverly Hills”.
October 19, 2018
I received a free copy of Big Fat Bitch from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
CW/TW--there is a scene with a graphic sexual assault in the book. It is part of a larger #metoo subplot, but could prove hard for victims of sexual assault.
Sofie Vincent has clawed her way to the top, and is now Queen Iron Britches, showrunner and writer of Vindication, the hottest show on television. Everyone jumps to do what she says out of fear of what will happen if they don't.
Fletcher Sullivan is a divorced single dad of Ava (12) and a hospice nurse. Together, he and Ava read to the residents of the hospice. One day, they read to a new patient with dementia, Rose, and she calls Ava "Pudgie." When Fletcher mentions it to Rose's nurse, she tells him that Rose is the author of a famous series of books about a girl named Pudgie. Fletcher decides to find Pudgie--her daughter.
Sofie ensures that Fletcher gets fired. Then ends up hiring him herself out of fear that he might spill her secret.
Big Fat Bitch is a romance, but it's a slow, slow, slow burn. There are no sex scenes.
I had considered giving Big Fat Bitch a 4/5*, but the complexity and slow changes that Fletcher inspires in Sofie earned it the 5/5. Sofie is smart, successful, and scared. So scared of being found out to be Pudgie--who she views as her mother's favorite child, the one who succeeded where she, Sofie, failed. Sofie has a huge mansion, a fat bank account, and very little else.
As a plus-sized woman, it meant a lot for me to see her be all of those complex things, and also a size fourteen. She doesn't lose weight to be happy and that's a big deal.
Fletcher is a less complex character--he wants to provide for Ava, and he wants to make the world kinder. He could have outed Sofie for revenge, but doesn't. He only takes the job Sofie offers because his ex-wife is threatening to take away more of his time with Ava. But being Sofie's assistant, and respecting her an employer doesn't mean he isn't going to go toe to toe with her.
This is a story of mothers and daughters, and of the kind of love that never dies.
I think the love story that really twisted my heartstrings, though, isn't the one between Fletcher and Sofie. It's the one between Sofie's parents. Her father has lived on a boat since her parents divorced when she was a tween. When Fletcher can't find Pudgie, he does manage to track down Rose's former husband. Rose and Vincent had a hell of a love story, and the end of it made me sob.
In another author's hands, Fletcher and Sofie would've sparked off each other and it would've been a concussive explosion. Which is what I kept expecting. But by keeping it slow, Voight gives us more time to get to know the characters and see why we should want them together beyond "the plot demands it." It means there's no magic kiss to wake the Beast from her slumber--instead, she has to make the changes herself. The changes are slow and there are several steps backward.
I invoke Beauty and the Beast because at its heart, this is a retelling of that story where Sofie is the beast and Fletcher the beauty. Which isn't an obvious retelling, but there are just enough breadcrumbs for the reader.
I think this is a great romance that subverts the expectations of what a reader might think a romance "should" be. I can't wait to read more by this author.
CW/TW--there is a scene with a graphic sexual assault in the book. It is part of a larger #metoo subplot, but could prove hard for victims of sexual assault.
Sofie Vincent has clawed her way to the top, and is now Queen Iron Britches, showrunner and writer of Vindication, the hottest show on television. Everyone jumps to do what she says out of fear of what will happen if they don't.
Fletcher Sullivan is a divorced single dad of Ava (12) and a hospice nurse. Together, he and Ava read to the residents of the hospice. One day, they read to a new patient with dementia, Rose, and she calls Ava "Pudgie." When Fletcher mentions it to Rose's nurse, she tells him that Rose is the author of a famous series of books about a girl named Pudgie. Fletcher decides to find Pudgie--her daughter.
Sofie ensures that Fletcher gets fired. Then ends up hiring him herself out of fear that he might spill her secret.
Big Fat Bitch is a romance, but it's a slow, slow, slow burn. There are no sex scenes.
I had considered giving Big Fat Bitch a 4/5*, but the complexity and slow changes that Fletcher inspires in Sofie earned it the 5/5. Sofie is smart, successful, and scared. So scared of being found out to be Pudgie--who she views as her mother's favorite child, the one who succeeded where she, Sofie, failed. Sofie has a huge mansion, a fat bank account, and very little else.
As a plus-sized woman, it meant a lot for me to see her be all of those complex things, and also a size fourteen. She doesn't lose weight to be happy and that's a big deal.
Fletcher is a less complex character--he wants to provide for Ava, and he wants to make the world kinder. He could have outed Sofie for revenge, but doesn't. He only takes the job Sofie offers because his ex-wife is threatening to take away more of his time with Ava. But being Sofie's assistant, and respecting her an employer doesn't mean he isn't going to go toe to toe with her.
This is a story of mothers and daughters, and of the kind of love that never dies.
I think the love story that really twisted my heartstrings, though, isn't the one between Fletcher and Sofie. It's the one between Sofie's parents. Her father has lived on a boat since her parents divorced when she was a tween. When Fletcher can't find Pudgie, he does manage to track down Rose's former husband. Rose and Vincent had a hell of a love story, and the end of it made me sob.
In another author's hands, Fletcher and Sofie would've sparked off each other and it would've been a concussive explosion. Which is what I kept expecting. But by keeping it slow, Voight gives us more time to get to know the characters and see why we should want them together beyond "the plot demands it." It means there's no magic kiss to wake the Beast from her slumber--instead, she has to make the changes herself. The changes are slow and there are several steps backward.
I invoke Beauty and the Beast because at its heart, this is a retelling of that story where Sofie is the beast and Fletcher the beauty. Which isn't an obvious retelling, but there are just enough breadcrumbs for the reader.
I think this is a great romance that subverts the expectations of what a reader might think a romance "should" be. I can't wait to read more by this author.
February 12, 2019
A two and half star read.
This was an Ok-Ok read for me. I like the story but there is too much happening, too many plot lines for it to have an impact.
The main issue for me is the overly perfect Hero. He goes through no changes through out the book. Has barely any negative traits and the ones that are there are not explored. Making him 2 dimensional.
He manipulates and Blackmails the MC but that's brushed off because he's got a mean wife and he is helping the MC and her mother reunite, so it's completely fine. (it's not!). Hence the 2.5 Stars.
This book was a free copy given by Netgalley for an honest review.
This was an Ok-Ok read for me. I like the story but there is too much happening, too many plot lines for it to have an impact.
The main issue for me is the overly perfect Hero. He goes through no changes through out the book. Has barely any negative traits and the ones that are there are not explored. Making him 2 dimensional.
He manipulates and Blackmails the MC but that's brushed off because he's got a mean wife and he is helping the MC and her mother reunite, so it's completely fine. (it's not!). Hence the 2.5 Stars.
This book was a free copy given by Netgalley for an honest review.
October 18, 2018
Big Fat Bitch
von Ginger Voight
BooksGoSocial
Cover:
Memorable, beautiful and esthetic
Review:
„Sofie Vincent is some piece of work. She’s a mean one. A nasty. Someone who doesn’t play nice because she frankly doesn’t care if you like her or not. She could blow your life apart if you crossed her, and quite often did. Very few braved her beastly exterior.
She liked it that way.
To her annoyance, this lovely routine was thwarted the minute a handsome hospice nurse named Fletcher Sullivan popped up on her doorstep with one goal in mind: reunite Sofie with her estranged mother before it was too late.
Rose Thibodeau wasn’t just Sofie’s mother, she was a world-renowned author of the bestselling and beloved "Pudgie" series of books, all inspired by Sofie’s childhood mishaps and failures. These were published far and wide for the whole world to see. For that, Sofie decided, her mother can never be forgiven.
However, Fletcher is as determined as she is, as headstrong as she is, and refuses to go away no matter what she does. Can this unusual, kind, beautiful man transform beastly Sofie back into a human again before it’s too late? Or will the Rose wilt and seal her bitter curse forever?
Be Ginger’s guest as she twists this tale as old as time around to answer a question we're rarely asked: can a beautiful man fall in love with a beastly woman, particularly one our society deems the most unlovable? In true Ginger Voight fashion, she weaves an emotional tale of love, regret, bitterness and redemption, with characters that will stay with you long after you turned the last page.“
In addition to being a full-time freelance writer, Ginger Voight is an optioned screenwriter who has completed eight feature length screenplays since 2002. This prolific novelist has several ebook and print editions of her work available, including the edgy, coming-of-age drama DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, and the fun family adventure for kids of all ages, COMIC SQUAD.
This book is really great. The author lets the reader share the story of a very successful Hollywood woman. This woman is shaped by her past, the opinion of others about her appearance, who has drawn a wall around her heart, in order not to be vulnerable and vulnerable. Being successful in show business, in a male domain, gives her the outer strength, but what about the inner? She has to find her to really show her soul openly and to accept herself as she is. At the moment she is hiding behind hardness, cold and the iron hand with which she rules the film sets. Only when she meets sexy nurse Fletcher will her life and attitude change. He is exactly the man she needs without actually knowing it herself. He gradually strips all of her built-up layers and this is not always an easy process, no it hurts. Even her attempts to burrow even deeper in succeeds Fletcher to stop. He is not afraid of her, the big fat bitch, he messes with her in a way that in time makes it impossible for her to hide behind her rough shell. It's about showing her to accept herself as she is and to accept things that she can neither influence nor change. Including the relationship with her mother, to whom she owes much of her hard shell. The pain deep inside her caused by her mother. Sofie is in search of her soul, in which there was always only a NO, an opinion of her environment that influenced her when she was young and simply accepted how they were stamped and made those views and opinions her own. In order to create a connection between the old self of Sofie and the new self, the author quite cleverly uses Sofie's daughter. She played with the pride we carry in our hearts, our pride in our family and our origins. Sofie's way is not easy and she also makes some detours and stops until behind the woman she is currently, finally the woman who she always was and wants to be appears.
On her journey to herself, Sofie is surrounded by many simply wonderful characters that give this story a tender and loving side. It is beautiful and yet one breaks the heart while reading. One has the impression that the author lets parts of her self flow into the figure so authentically this is all described. In this way, she creates people who are simply gorgeous from inside and out, taking the time to reflect.
I love how the author writes in this book, touches the reader and takes her on a search for herself. Intoxicating, sensitive, disturbing and intense. Writing her style and breathe life into her characters is wonderful and you realize her experience as a scriptwriter.
I am excited about this book and give it 5 big fat stars.Thank you BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for the free copy of this book.
von Ginger Voight
BooksGoSocial
Cover:
Memorable, beautiful and esthetic
Review:
„Sofie Vincent is some piece of work. She’s a mean one. A nasty. Someone who doesn’t play nice because she frankly doesn’t care if you like her or not. She could blow your life apart if you crossed her, and quite often did. Very few braved her beastly exterior.
She liked it that way.
To her annoyance, this lovely routine was thwarted the minute a handsome hospice nurse named Fletcher Sullivan popped up on her doorstep with one goal in mind: reunite Sofie with her estranged mother before it was too late.
Rose Thibodeau wasn’t just Sofie’s mother, she was a world-renowned author of the bestselling and beloved "Pudgie" series of books, all inspired by Sofie’s childhood mishaps and failures. These were published far and wide for the whole world to see. For that, Sofie decided, her mother can never be forgiven.
However, Fletcher is as determined as she is, as headstrong as she is, and refuses to go away no matter what she does. Can this unusual, kind, beautiful man transform beastly Sofie back into a human again before it’s too late? Or will the Rose wilt and seal her bitter curse forever?
Be Ginger’s guest as she twists this tale as old as time around to answer a question we're rarely asked: can a beautiful man fall in love with a beastly woman, particularly one our society deems the most unlovable? In true Ginger Voight fashion, she weaves an emotional tale of love, regret, bitterness and redemption, with characters that will stay with you long after you turned the last page.“
In addition to being a full-time freelance writer, Ginger Voight is an optioned screenwriter who has completed eight feature length screenplays since 2002. This prolific novelist has several ebook and print editions of her work available, including the edgy, coming-of-age drama DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, and the fun family adventure for kids of all ages, COMIC SQUAD.
This book is really great. The author lets the reader share the story of a very successful Hollywood woman. This woman is shaped by her past, the opinion of others about her appearance, who has drawn a wall around her heart, in order not to be vulnerable and vulnerable. Being successful in show business, in a male domain, gives her the outer strength, but what about the inner? She has to find her to really show her soul openly and to accept herself as she is. At the moment she is hiding behind hardness, cold and the iron hand with which she rules the film sets. Only when she meets sexy nurse Fletcher will her life and attitude change. He is exactly the man she needs without actually knowing it herself. He gradually strips all of her built-up layers and this is not always an easy process, no it hurts. Even her attempts to burrow even deeper in succeeds Fletcher to stop. He is not afraid of her, the big fat bitch, he messes with her in a way that in time makes it impossible for her to hide behind her rough shell. It's about showing her to accept herself as she is and to accept things that she can neither influence nor change. Including the relationship with her mother, to whom she owes much of her hard shell. The pain deep inside her caused by her mother. Sofie is in search of her soul, in which there was always only a NO, an opinion of her environment that influenced her when she was young and simply accepted how they were stamped and made those views and opinions her own. In order to create a connection between the old self of Sofie and the new self, the author quite cleverly uses Sofie's daughter. She played with the pride we carry in our hearts, our pride in our family and our origins. Sofie's way is not easy and she also makes some detours and stops until behind the woman she is currently, finally the woman who she always was and wants to be appears.
On her journey to herself, Sofie is surrounded by many simply wonderful characters that give this story a tender and loving side. It is beautiful and yet one breaks the heart while reading. One has the impression that the author lets parts of her self flow into the figure so authentically this is all described. In this way, she creates people who are simply gorgeous from inside and out, taking the time to reflect.
I love how the author writes in this book, touches the reader and takes her on a search for herself. Intoxicating, sensitive, disturbing and intense. Writing her style and breathe life into her characters is wonderful and you realize her experience as a scriptwriter.
I am excited about this book and give it 5 big fat stars.Thank you BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for the free copy of this book.
September 23, 2018
Big Fat Bitch is utterly fantastic! Ginger Voight truly digs deep for this story of a powerful woman in Hollywood who needs to find her inner strength to be just as mighty in her personal life. Sofie Vincent is a force to be reckoned with, show-runner extraordinaire on the set of Vindication, everyone shaking in their boots should they miss a line or come to work not their best. I was even scared for them at first since she rules that set with an iron fist. But then we get the backstory. The reasons behind Sofie's actions and slowly but surely that brick wall around her heart, her soul and her size 14 body finally start to crumble.
At the center of her new outlook on life, albeit a painful one, is the unassuming but very sexy nurse that is Fletcher Sullivan. Voight gives Sofie just the kind of man she never even knew she needed when Fletcher comes waltzing into her life, threatening to expose her alter ego and peeling back the layers of her hardened heart. I just love him. The way he isn't afraid to go toe to toe with the big fat bitch and show her a world that doesn't have to exist on hiding her true self under a coat of armor. I could sense the electricity right from the start. And it is very slow burn kind of romance. And this is ok because this book is not about their love affair. Instead it is Sofie's journey to accept what she cannot change and embrace what is the inevitable. Her less than stellar relationship with her mother is at the core of this story and I found myself tearing up over and over again at the pain that Sofie felt at the hands of her mother's words. And not to give anything away but it's not the spoken word but the written one.
This soul-searching odyssey for Sofie Vincent is one filled with an all-consuming denial based on what she perceives as the world's opinion of her when she was young. And I loved that the Author used Fletcher's daughter as the bridge between the old Sofie and and the new Sofia. One proud to carry her family's name and one proud of her lineage. This is not an easy road and Sofie has many stops and starts as she emerges from the ball-busting tyrant to the woman she has secretly always wanted to be. Along the way, she is surrounded by the most wonderful characters with Fletcher, Ava, Davina, Vincent and Rose adding the perfect touch to this tender story. And it is tender. It is heartbreaking. But it is beautiful and as usual, the Author puts a bit of herself into her heroine and gives us her take on what it is like to be a bit zaftig but still take the world by storm. Ginger Voight does that with each of her books, always providing a heroine who is much more worthy of true happiness than she thinks. Heroines who are gorgeous inside and out if they just take the time to look.
Big Fat Bitch is one of Voight's best to date with what feels like a zillion easter eggs for the taking. I love that she extends her fictional worlds to include the new kid on the block (so to speak) with each new story and how they continue to make me sigh with their random acts of kindness and sure smiles.
Ginger Voight always delivers and Big Fat Bitch is no exception. I'm thrilled she is back and happily give this latest of hers a Big Fat 5 Stars!
At the center of her new outlook on life, albeit a painful one, is the unassuming but very sexy nurse that is Fletcher Sullivan. Voight gives Sofie just the kind of man she never even knew she needed when Fletcher comes waltzing into her life, threatening to expose her alter ego and peeling back the layers of her hardened heart. I just love him. The way he isn't afraid to go toe to toe with the big fat bitch and show her a world that doesn't have to exist on hiding her true self under a coat of armor. I could sense the electricity right from the start. And it is very slow burn kind of romance. And this is ok because this book is not about their love affair. Instead it is Sofie's journey to accept what she cannot change and embrace what is the inevitable. Her less than stellar relationship with her mother is at the core of this story and I found myself tearing up over and over again at the pain that Sofie felt at the hands of her mother's words. And not to give anything away but it's not the spoken word but the written one.
This soul-searching odyssey for Sofie Vincent is one filled with an all-consuming denial based on what she perceives as the world's opinion of her when she was young. And I loved that the Author used Fletcher's daughter as the bridge between the old Sofie and and the new Sofia. One proud to carry her family's name and one proud of her lineage. This is not an easy road and Sofie has many stops and starts as she emerges from the ball-busting tyrant to the woman she has secretly always wanted to be. Along the way, she is surrounded by the most wonderful characters with Fletcher, Ava, Davina, Vincent and Rose adding the perfect touch to this tender story. And it is tender. It is heartbreaking. But it is beautiful and as usual, the Author puts a bit of herself into her heroine and gives us her take on what it is like to be a bit zaftig but still take the world by storm. Ginger Voight does that with each of her books, always providing a heroine who is much more worthy of true happiness than she thinks. Heroines who are gorgeous inside and out if they just take the time to look.
Big Fat Bitch is one of Voight's best to date with what feels like a zillion easter eggs for the taking. I love that she extends her fictional worlds to include the new kid on the block (so to speak) with each new story and how they continue to make me sigh with their random acts of kindness and sure smiles.
Ginger Voight always delivers and Big Fat Bitch is no exception. I'm thrilled she is back and happily give this latest of hers a Big Fat 5 Stars!
May 21, 2019
Amazing characters
I started reading this book because of the title. Who wouldn't?! I love the tributes to Angela Lansbury. The main characters were wonderfully real, the secondary characters and subplots were gripping, and the introduction to hospice care and dementia was well done. I highlighted a bunch of pearls of wisdom. This book is amazing and I recommend it to everyone.
Stand alone HEA.
Contains no sex scenes, swear words (mostly the Lord's name in vain and the F bomb), and violence (bullying, overdose, attempted rape, assault).
I started reading this book because of the title. Who wouldn't?! I love the tributes to Angela Lansbury. The main characters were wonderfully real, the secondary characters and subplots were gripping, and the introduction to hospice care and dementia was well done. I highlighted a bunch of pearls of wisdom. This book is amazing and I recommend it to everyone.
Stand alone HEA.
Contains no sex scenes, swear words (mostly the Lord's name in vain and the F bomb), and violence (bullying, overdose, attempted rape, assault).
December 8, 2020
Another Great Read by Mrs Voight!!!
Another great story by Mrs Voight!!! BATB is such a positive read for a woman with image issues. This story is touches your soul and gives the true meaning of the word “family “.
Oh! As a Louisiana cajun girl, I loved all the Louisiana references. They are positively true!! Many have tried using our culture in books and failed miserably. You did a wonderful job.
Another great story by Mrs Voight!!! BATB is such a positive read for a woman with image issues. This story is touches your soul and gives the true meaning of the word “family “.
Oh! As a Louisiana cajun girl, I loved all the Louisiana references. They are positively true!! Many have tried using our culture in books and failed miserably. You did a wonderful job.
June 6, 2019
A beautiful story that will make you mad, smile and eventually feel good ,
I don't often write reviews but this story touched my heart. The hero is such a great guy that you really want him to get what he wants. The bitch is a little harder to like but you finally get there . A well written story. You might need some tissues at the end.
I don't often write reviews but this story touched my heart. The hero is such a great guy that you really want him to get what he wants. The bitch is a little harder to like but you finally get there . A well written story. You might need some tissues at the end.
August 18, 2019
Beautiful
I really get to grips with a Ginger Bought book, she writes about curvier women and true life difficulties. The story is written well and sensitively. There's so much depth to the characters and story, really enjoyed it.
I really get to grips with a Ginger Bought book, she writes about curvier women and true life difficulties. The story is written well and sensitively. There's so much depth to the characters and story, really enjoyed it.
December 26, 2022
— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Big Fat Bitch
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Ginger Voight
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Feminist Romance
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 25th September 2018
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5
This powerful book completely surpasses the breaking of boundaries, smashes them to smithereens with a size 10 heel, sets fire to the debris and casually walks away as the pile of broken boundaries explodes behind.
Controversial topics are the main theme focused on in this book, and Ginger Voight does it well. There's racism, sexism, homophobia, sexual assault and drug addiction to name a few. The author is unapologetic in her narrative of the worst of human nature. However; this book isn't full of resentment, it's full of the joys of rising above bigotry, bullies and your own self-doubt.
This book produced great imagery for me, concoctions of detailed descriptions are found in force, lending a strong hand to the emotional pull of the story. The characters are realistic, highlighting the good and the evil of the more prominent traits found in people.
I think my own gripe is that it is a little bit fairy-tale-esque. I am the first person to fan over a happily ever after, but I'm not sure that this one was done in necessarily the most impacting way. Entertaining, yes. But I got a bit bored of the drawn out process of the romance between Sofie and Fletcher. If anything, I was more emotionally invested in the long lost love of Sofie's parents. I think that because Sofie is such a positive role model, for girls especially, and encourages people of all kinds, sizes and ages to accept themselves for who they are and validates their feelings, that she shouldn't have been so quick to abandon not just her own feelings towards somebody else, but their feelings towards her. I think that sends the wrong message and reality is more give-and-take than that, and any kind of one sided romantic perseverance isn't necessarily a good thing to want.
Overall, this story was engaging, ground-breaking, and Sofie is a worthy big, fat heroine.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
🧚🏻♀️
♡ my bookstagram • my twitter ♡
↑ follow my socials for more bookish content. ↑
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Big Fat Bitch
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Ginger Voight
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Feminist Romance
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 25th September 2018
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5
"Even with more awareness and the #MeToo movement, a lot of men held onto their jobs despite shocking allegations because it all boiled down to a matter of he said/she said, and society was hard-wired to defer to whatever he said as truth."
This powerful book completely surpasses the breaking of boundaries, smashes them to smithereens with a size 10 heel, sets fire to the debris and casually walks away as the pile of broken boundaries explodes behind.
Controversial topics are the main theme focused on in this book, and Ginger Voight does it well. There's racism, sexism, homophobia, sexual assault and drug addiction to name a few. The author is unapologetic in her narrative of the worst of human nature. However; this book isn't full of resentment, it's full of the joys of rising above bigotry, bullies and your own self-doubt.
This book produced great imagery for me, concoctions of detailed descriptions are found in force, lending a strong hand to the emotional pull of the story. The characters are realistic, highlighting the good and the evil of the more prominent traits found in people.
I think my own gripe is that it is a little bit fairy-tale-esque. I am the first person to fan over a happily ever after, but I'm not sure that this one was done in necessarily the most impacting way. Entertaining, yes. But I got a bit bored of the drawn out process of the romance between Sofie and Fletcher. If anything, I was more emotionally invested in the long lost love of Sofie's parents. I think that because Sofie is such a positive role model, for girls especially, and encourages people of all kinds, sizes and ages to accept themselves for who they are and validates their feelings, that she shouldn't have been so quick to abandon not just her own feelings towards somebody else, but their feelings towards her. I think that sends the wrong message and reality is more give-and-take than that, and any kind of one sided romantic perseverance isn't necessarily a good thing to want.
Overall, this story was engaging, ground-breaking, and Sofie is a worthy big, fat heroine.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
🧚🏻♀️
♡ my bookstagram • my twitter ♡
↑ follow my socials for more bookish content. ↑
October 18, 2018
Big Fat Bitch
von Ginger Voight
BooksGoSocial
Cover:
Memorable, beautiful and esthetic
Review:
„Sofie Vincent is some piece of work. She’s a mean one. A nasty. Someone who doesn’t play nice because she frankly doesn’t care if you like her or not. She could blow your life apart if you crossed her, and quite often did. Very few braved her beastly exterior.
She liked it that way.
To her annoyance, this lovely routine was thwarted the minute a handsome hospice nurse named Fletcher Sullivan popped up on her doorstep with one goal in mind: reunite Sofie with her estranged mother before it was too late.
Rose Thibodeau wasn’t just Sofie’s mother, she was a world-renowned author of the bestselling and beloved "Pudgie" series of books, all inspired by Sofie’s childhood mishaps and failures. These were published far and wide for the whole world to see. For that, Sofie decided, her mother can never be forgiven.
However, Fletcher is as determined as she is, as headstrong as she is, and refuses to go away no matter what she does. Can this unusual, kind, beautiful man transform beastly Sofie back into a human again before it’s too late? Or will the Rose wilt and seal her bitter curse forever?
Be Ginger’s guest as she twists this tale as old as time around to answer a question we're rarely asked: can a beautiful man fall in love with a beastly woman, particularly one our society deems the most unlovable? In true Ginger Voight fashion, she weaves an emotional tale of love, regret, bitterness and redemption, with characters that will stay with you long after you turned the last page.“
In addition to being a full-time freelance writer, Ginger Voight is an optioned screenwriter who has completed eight feature length screenplays since 2002. This prolific novelist has several ebook and print editions of her work available, including the edgy, coming-of-age drama DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, and the fun family adventure for kids of all ages, COMIC SQUAD.
This book is really great. The author lets the reader share the story of a very successful Hollywood woman. This woman is shaped by her past, the opinion of others about her appearance, who has drawn a wall around her heart, in order not to be vulnerable and vulnerable. Being successful in show business, in a male domain, gives her the outer strength, but what about the inner? She has to find her to really show her soul openly and to accept herself as she is. At the moment she is hiding behind hardness, cold and the iron hand with which she rules the film sets. Only when she meets sexy nurse Fletcher will her life and attitude change. He is exactly the man she needs without actually knowing it herself. He gradually strips all of her built-up layers and this is not always an easy process, no it hurts. Even her attempts to burrow even deeper in succeeds Fletcher to stop. He is not afraid of her, the big fat bitch, he messes with her in a way that in time makes it impossible for her to hide behind her rough shell. It's about showing her to accept herself as she is and to accept things that she can neither influence nor change. Including the relationship with her mother, to whom she owes much of her hard shell. The pain deep inside her caused by her mother. Sofie is in search of her soul, in which there was always only a NO, an opinion of her environment that influenced her when she was young and simply accepted how they were stamped and made those views and opinions her own. In order to create a connection between the old self of Sofie and the new self, the author quite cleverly uses Sofie's daughter. She played with the pride we carry in our hearts, our pride in our family and our origins. Sofie's way is not easy and she also makes some detours and stops until behind the woman she is currently, finally the woman who she always was and wants to be appears.
On her journey to herself, Sofie is surrounded by many simply wonderful characters that give this story a tender and loving side. It is beautiful and yet one breaks the heart while reading. One has the impression that the author lets parts of her self flow into the figure so authentically this is all described. In this way, she creates people who are simply gorgeous from inside and out, taking the time to reflect.
I love how the author writes in this book, touches the reader and takes her on a search for herself. Intoxicating, sensitive, disturbing and intense. Writing her style and breathe life into her characters is wonderful and you realize her experience as a scriptwriter.
I am excited about this book and give it 5 big fat stars.Thank you BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for the free copy of this book.
von Ginger Voight
BooksGoSocial
Cover:
Memorable, beautiful and esthetic
Review:
„Sofie Vincent is some piece of work. She’s a mean one. A nasty. Someone who doesn’t play nice because she frankly doesn’t care if you like her or not. She could blow your life apart if you crossed her, and quite often did. Very few braved her beastly exterior.
She liked it that way.
To her annoyance, this lovely routine was thwarted the minute a handsome hospice nurse named Fletcher Sullivan popped up on her doorstep with one goal in mind: reunite Sofie with her estranged mother before it was too late.
Rose Thibodeau wasn’t just Sofie’s mother, she was a world-renowned author of the bestselling and beloved "Pudgie" series of books, all inspired by Sofie’s childhood mishaps and failures. These were published far and wide for the whole world to see. For that, Sofie decided, her mother can never be forgiven.
However, Fletcher is as determined as she is, as headstrong as she is, and refuses to go away no matter what she does. Can this unusual, kind, beautiful man transform beastly Sofie back into a human again before it’s too late? Or will the Rose wilt and seal her bitter curse forever?
Be Ginger’s guest as she twists this tale as old as time around to answer a question we're rarely asked: can a beautiful man fall in love with a beastly woman, particularly one our society deems the most unlovable? In true Ginger Voight fashion, she weaves an emotional tale of love, regret, bitterness and redemption, with characters that will stay with you long after you turned the last page.“
In addition to being a full-time freelance writer, Ginger Voight is an optioned screenwriter who has completed eight feature length screenplays since 2002. This prolific novelist has several ebook and print editions of her work available, including the edgy, coming-of-age drama DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, and the fun family adventure for kids of all ages, COMIC SQUAD.
This book is really great. The author lets the reader share the story of a very successful Hollywood woman. This woman is shaped by her past, the opinion of others about her appearance, who has drawn a wall around her heart, in order not to be vulnerable and vulnerable. Being successful in show business, in a male domain, gives her the outer strength, but what about the inner? She has to find her to really show her soul openly and to accept herself as she is. At the moment she is hiding behind hardness, cold and the iron hand with which she rules the film sets. Only when she meets sexy nurse Fletcher will her life and attitude change. He is exactly the man she needs without actually knowing it herself. He gradually strips all of her built-up layers and this is not always an easy process, no it hurts. Even her attempts to burrow even deeper in succeeds Fletcher to stop. He is not afraid of her, the big fat bitch, he messes with her in a way that in time makes it impossible for her to hide behind her rough shell. It's about showing her to accept herself as she is and to accept things that she can neither influence nor change. Including the relationship with her mother, to whom she owes much of her hard shell. The pain deep inside her caused by her mother. Sofie is in search of her soul, in which there was always only a NO, an opinion of her environment that influenced her when she was young and simply accepted how they were stamped and made those views and opinions her own. In order to create a connection between the old self of Sofie and the new self, the author quite cleverly uses Sofie's daughter. She played with the pride we carry in our hearts, our pride in our family and our origins. Sofie's way is not easy and she also makes some detours and stops until behind the woman she is currently, finally the woman who she always was and wants to be appears.
On her journey to herself, Sofie is surrounded by many simply wonderful characters that give this story a tender and loving side. It is beautiful and yet one breaks the heart while reading. One has the impression that the author lets parts of her self flow into the figure so authentically this is all described. In this way, she creates people who are simply gorgeous from inside and out, taking the time to reflect.
I love how the author writes in this book, touches the reader and takes her on a search for herself. Intoxicating, sensitive, disturbing and intense. Writing her style and breathe life into her characters is wonderful and you realize her experience as a scriptwriter.
I am excited about this book and give it 5 big fat stars.Thank you BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for the free copy of this book.
October 18, 2018
A heart hardened Hollywood woman and a sexy male nurse that melts her heart. Ginger Voight has written an emotional book that pulls you into the story of Sofie and Fletcher. You really understand why these characters tick and the story is so well written. Sofie can be a nasty woman, but Fletcher can be a really sweet man. What will happen with this romance? Why is Sofie nasty? I can't wait to read another from this author. I am hooked.
October 28, 2018
This is one of those unapologetic books that markets for women. I'd dare say it would be shelved as chick-lit, but I loathe that phrase and dislike writing off a genre as 'for women'.
However! This book is for women, and for men, and for those who are neither, or both, that enjoy a fierce and fragile heroine that damn well gets the job done, and who has walls that are a mile thick, and freaks out when cracks appear in those perfectly maintained walls.
Ginger Voight writes characters that are so relatable. I saw myself in Sophie, although I'd raise an eyebrow at a size 14 being considered fat. It teeters on the edge of the plus size but sort of falls into the trap of being fat-but-not-really, the swimsuit models that are "plus size" but kinda look like slightly stretched regular models. I'd argue if you're going to make a character fat, then do it. Fat doesn't mean unloveable, as she proves in this book, and I'd argue people that are fatter deserve the same treatment.
It's a sweet and moving story of a woman who has to confront her past, of the aging process and the ravages of dementia, and of love, of course. Who doesn't love to read about love?
Recommended for lovers of Jennifer Weiner.
However! This book is for women, and for men, and for those who are neither, or both, that enjoy a fierce and fragile heroine that damn well gets the job done, and who has walls that are a mile thick, and freaks out when cracks appear in those perfectly maintained walls.
Ginger Voight writes characters that are so relatable. I saw myself in Sophie, although I'd raise an eyebrow at a size 14 being considered fat. It teeters on the edge of the plus size but sort of falls into the trap of being fat-but-not-really, the swimsuit models that are "plus size" but kinda look like slightly stretched regular models. I'd argue if you're going to make a character fat, then do it. Fat doesn't mean unloveable, as she proves in this book, and I'd argue people that are fatter deserve the same treatment.
It's a sweet and moving story of a woman who has to confront her past, of the aging process and the ravages of dementia, and of love, of course. Who doesn't love to read about love?
Recommended for lovers of Jennifer Weiner.
October 28, 2018
I received a free copy of Big Fat Bitch from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
CW/TW--there is a scene with a graphic sexual assault in the book. It is part of a larger #metoo subplot, but could prove hard for victims of sexual assault.
Sofie Vincent has clawed her way to the top, and is now Queen Iron Britches, showrunner and writer of Vindication, the hottest show on television. Everyone jumps to do what she says out of fear of what will happen if they don't.
Fletcher Sullivan is a divorced single dad of Ava (12) and a hospice nurse. Together, he and Ava read to the residents of the hospice. One day, they read to a new patient with dementia, Rose, and she calls Ava "Pudgie." When Fletcher mentions it to Rose's nurse, she tells him that Rose is the author of a famous series of books about a girl named Pudgie. Fletcher decides to find Pudgie--her daughter.
Sofie ensures that Fletcher gets fired. Then ends up hiring him herself out of fear that he might spill her secret.
Big Fat Bitch is a romance, but it's a slow, slow, slow burn. There are no sex scenes.
I had considered giving Big Fat Bitch a 4/5*, but the complexity and slow changes that Fletcher inspires in Sofie earned it the 5/5. Sofie is smart, successful, and scared. So scared of being found out to be Pudgie--who she views as her mother's favorite child, the one who succeeded where she, Sofie, failed. Sofie has a huge mansion, a fat bank account, and very little else.
As a plus-sized woman, it meant a lot for me to see her be all of those complex things, and also a size fourteen. She doesn't lose weight to be happy and that's a big deal.
Fletcher is a less complex character--he wants to provide for Ava, and he wants to make the world kinder. He could have outed Sofie for revenge, but doesn't. He only takes the job Sofie offers because his ex-wife is threatening to take away more of his time with Ava. But being Sofie's assistant, and respecting her an employer doesn't mean he isn't going to go toe to toe with her.
This is a story of mothers and daughters, and of the kind of love that never dies.
I think the love story that really twisted my heartstrings, though, isn't the one between Fletcher and Sofie. It's the one between Sofie's parents. Her father has lived on a boat since her parents divorced when she was a tween. When Fletcher can't find Pudgie, he does manage to track down Rose's former husband. Rose and Vincent had a hell of a love story, and the end of it made me sob.
In another author's hands, Fletcher and Sofie would've sparked off each other and it would've been a concussive explosion. Which is what I kept expecting. But by keeping it slow, Voight gives us more time to get to know the characters and see why we should want them together beyond "the plot demands it." It means there's no magic kiss to wake the Beast from her slumber--instead, she has to make the changes herself. The changes are slow and there are several steps backward.
I invoke Beauty and the Beast because at its heart, this is a retelling of that story where Sofie is the beast and Fletcher the beauty. Which isn't an obvious retelling, but there are just enough breadcrumbs for the reader.
I think this is a great romance that subverts the expectations of what a reader might think a romance "should" be. I can't wait to read more by this author.
CW/TW--there is a scene with a graphic sexual assault in the book. It is part of a larger #metoo subplot, but could prove hard for victims of sexual assault.
Sofie Vincent has clawed her way to the top, and is now Queen Iron Britches, showrunner and writer of Vindication, the hottest show on television. Everyone jumps to do what she says out of fear of what will happen if they don't.
Fletcher Sullivan is a divorced single dad of Ava (12) and a hospice nurse. Together, he and Ava read to the residents of the hospice. One day, they read to a new patient with dementia, Rose, and she calls Ava "Pudgie." When Fletcher mentions it to Rose's nurse, she tells him that Rose is the author of a famous series of books about a girl named Pudgie. Fletcher decides to find Pudgie--her daughter.
Sofie ensures that Fletcher gets fired. Then ends up hiring him herself out of fear that he might spill her secret.
Big Fat Bitch is a romance, but it's a slow, slow, slow burn. There are no sex scenes.
I had considered giving Big Fat Bitch a 4/5*, but the complexity and slow changes that Fletcher inspires in Sofie earned it the 5/5. Sofie is smart, successful, and scared. So scared of being found out to be Pudgie--who she views as her mother's favorite child, the one who succeeded where she, Sofie, failed. Sofie has a huge mansion, a fat bank account, and very little else.
As a plus-sized woman, it meant a lot for me to see her be all of those complex things, and also a size fourteen. She doesn't lose weight to be happy and that's a big deal.
Fletcher is a less complex character--he wants to provide for Ava, and he wants to make the world kinder. He could have outed Sofie for revenge, but doesn't. He only takes the job Sofie offers because his ex-wife is threatening to take away more of his time with Ava. But being Sofie's assistant, and respecting her an employer doesn't mean he isn't going to go toe to toe with her.
This is a story of mothers and daughters, and of the kind of love that never dies.
I think the love story that really twisted my heartstrings, though, isn't the one between Fletcher and Sofie. It's the one between Sofie's parents. Her father has lived on a boat since her parents divorced when she was a tween. When Fletcher can't find Pudgie, he does manage to track down Rose's former husband. Rose and Vincent had a hell of a love story, and the end of it made me sob.
In another author's hands, Fletcher and Sofie would've sparked off each other and it would've been a concussive explosion. Which is what I kept expecting. But by keeping it slow, Voight gives us more time to get to know the characters and see why we should want them together beyond "the plot demands it." It means there's no magic kiss to wake the Beast from her slumber--instead, she has to make the changes herself. The changes are slow and there are several steps backward.
I invoke Beauty and the Beast because at its heart, this is a retelling of that story where Sofie is the beast and Fletcher the beauty. Which isn't an obvious retelling, but there are just enough breadcrumbs for the reader.
I think this is a great romance that subverts the expectations of what a reader might think a romance "should" be. I can't wait to read more by this author.
November 23, 2018
You immediately want to hate Sophie but you can't blame her for the way she is. She has worked hard to get to where she is. She is a ball - breaker. She is hiding from her past for reasons only she knows why. She is running from her past yet she really has no reason to. It is only in her mind.
Then she met Fletcher and her whole life turned upside down. He ended up bringing out Pudgie. This was one girl who she never wanted to hear about again. This meant she would have to face her mom and that would be a difficult thing to do because her mom was lost in her own mind.
There are parts of this book that are just silly but for the most part this book is absolutely fantastic. I would recommend it to everyone I know. You will not be disappointed.
Then she met Fletcher and her whole life turned upside down. He ended up bringing out Pudgie. This was one girl who she never wanted to hear about again. This meant she would have to face her mom and that would be a difficult thing to do because her mom was lost in her own mind.
There are parts of this book that are just silly but for the most part this book is absolutely fantastic. I would recommend it to everyone I know. You will not be disappointed.
December 27, 2018
This book was an ok read. Typical woman scorned by her childhood and has become a great bullying git. OK story line. Could have used a bit more depth.
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