Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion
2021 Read Harder Challenge
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Task 7: Read a fat-positive romance
Last year I read Size 12 Is Not Fat and so this year I'm going to read :Size 14 Is Not Fat Either - I really enjoyed the first and though it was more of a mystery there was definitely a romance involved.
I have Act Your Age, Eve Brown on my most anticipated books for the year already, so I will be reading this one for sure.
The writing is not amazing, but I rather enjoy this series, and the third one has a curvy main character. Sought
I will read "One to watch" as well. So excited about it. :)
Prepare, everyone: It's time for....... the people who hate romances to complain about there being two on the list
.... people to complain about "fat" as a culture/lifestyle/identity
.... people to complain about the word "fat."
(I'm laughing to keep from crying)
I started Romancing Mister Bridgerton as the “fat-positive romance” entry for and am disappointed to inform you that it doesn’t qualify as there are multiple references to Penelope “slimming down” as a reason for her to be more attractive.
〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "Am I the only person that thinks Book Riot could have phrased this challenge better? Either using body conscious or body positive?"This is actually the BEST way to phrase it! FAT is not a bad word, it’s a value-neutral description. This is only offensive if you think fat is bad, which spoiler alert, it’s not.
I just read " Spoiler Alert" by Olivia Dade for this task.Great book, couldn't put it down. I loved it!
Liza wrote: "〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "Am I the only person that thinks Book Riot could have phrased this challenge better? Either using body conscious or body positive?"This is actually the BEST way to phrase it! FAT..."
"which spoiler alert, it's not" is a) accurate and b) amusing given how many of us are reading Spoiler Alert for the prompt.
Just wanted to note on this subject that the Popsugar challenge this year has "a book that discusses body positivity" as a prompt and, indeed, the FB group has been full of suggestions/requests for books that have nothing to do with fatness/fat positivity or the body positivity movement, such as Jane Eyre (because she's described as plain), and books that frankly end up being the exact opposite of what fat-positive books strive for, like weight loss/diet-promoting books, justified as being...positive about what bodies can do, I think? So I for one am super glad that this challenge's prompt is less nebulous and more clear about the intent.
And I'm probably going to read some more Olivia Dade to fill the prompt myself, since I loved Spoiler Alert last year. :)
I was going to read Get a Life, Chloe Brown, but I was already reading Talia Hibbert's back catalogue and a bunch fit! I read The Princess Trap instead.
I'm going to pick The Spotted Dog by Kerry Greenwood, which is the latest in her Corina Chapman series. Technically these are cozy mysteries, but I really like the romance side plot with Corina and her boyfriend.
I'm going with Curves by Tessa Vidal, which is a sapphic romance
I just finished One To Watch in one day :D
Finished ' Romancing Mister Bridgerton', and it is definitely not fat-positive. Even if you disregard the other characters' opinions, the protagonist does not have a positive body image. She mentions several times she is not as svelte as the rest of the girls she knows and is frequently thinking back on how 'pudgy' she was as a debutant. The only person who sees her as beautiful is her love interest. What she fails to see is that it was and is not her 'pudginess' that kept boys at bay, but more her lack of self confidence, which keeps a wall up and shielding her true self from others.
Meghann wrote: "I started Romancing Mister Bridgerton as the “fat-positive romance” entry for and am disappointed to inform you that it doesn’t qualify as there are multiple references to Penelope “slimming down” ..."I agree!!
I just finished Teach Me by Olivia Dade, and it was great. The couple was in their 40s and they were very likable folks, history teachers at the high school. The guy was nerdy and gentle and the woman was smart and her body was celebrated and enjoyed. I’m not really a romance reader and I enjoyed this a lot.
I’m going to go with ONE TO WATCH...because it is the best I have seen this far. Which I got off of here..I knew this would be challenging but my God..that was an understatement!
I heartily recommend One To Watch. 5 stars and I couldn’t put it down.
I’m reading From Scratch by Katrina Jackson for this prompt.
This is a rough one for me. I'm not into romance novels. I tried Spoiler Alert but just could not force myself to continue reading it. I know it sounds terrible but does anyone know a really short one I could read? There was one by Xan West that looked good (about 99 pages) but is only available through Kindle.
I love romance, but really did not like One to Watch. Its not short, but one I did like, a historical, is Brazen and the Beast by Sarah McLean. Maybe it will work better for you? There is also a comic book series, so super fast read, called Faith by Jody Hauser. The first comic in the Faith series is called Hollywood & Vine.
I found it! It's called Their Troublesome Crush, available free or for $2.99 on Kindle, 99 pages, and it fulfills both romance requirements. And it's enjoyable, if you don't mind kink. Wheeeeee!
Candace wrote: "Ooh Troublesome Crush sounds good!!"It's actually really good and I don't like romance. It's different. But you have to be openminded.
Bonnie G. wrote: "I love romance, but really did not like One to Watch. Its not short, but one I did like, a historical, is Brazen and the Beast by Sarah McLean. Maybe it will work better for you? There is also a co..."I was looking for a graphic novel but I found a short romance Their Troublesome Crush which works for both prompts. It does include kink, if that's an issue.
I think i'm gonna listen to I'll Be the One. As an added bonus, the main character is bi. Plus the cover is so darn cute.
I read Untouchable by Talia Hibbert and while the characters were described as far, I wouldn't call it a fat-positive romance. I'm reading Puddin' by the author of Dumplin' (which was not available at the library).
I read Knit One, Girl Two for this challenge as recommended in this thread, and I'm counting it, but it's not really -that- fat positive, and I didn't end up enjoying it much. Heads up for those also considering it!
Dani wrote: "I read Knit One, Girl Two for this challenge as recommended in this thread, and I'm counting it, but it's not really -that- fat positive, and I didn't end up enjoying it much. Heads..."Can you explain why it is not as fat positive as you thought it would be?
Would Big Summer work for this challenge? Is it a pretty good read? For reference, I really dislike the romance genre. I tried both The Flatshare and Spoiler Alert and both were vapid nonsense, in my opinon. I found In Five Years to be a 3 star read, enjoyable if forgettable, but that's fine!
Soulmate Summer -- A Sandhya Menon Collection: When Dimple Met Rishi; From Twinkle, with Love; There's Something about Sweetie; 10 Things I Hate about Pinky I just finished There's Something about Sweetie by Sandya Menon and it was brilliant!!!! I loved it so much that I want to tell everyone to read it. It is so cute but it also really highlighted what I and a lot of girls went through growing up with a parent obsessed with their child loosing weight. It's just perfection from start to finish.
While browsing, I came across f/f novella, "Get It Right" by Skye Kilaen which sounds like it might count. For some reason can't add the link to the book here.Not read it yet, but it has a fuller figured heroine on the cover and some of the reviews suggest it as fat-positive.
I read Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade. I confess: I almost never read romance novels because oftentimes my assumptions and criticisms about them are confirmed rather than proven wrong.This novel surprised me. It's funny, witty, charming, and it doesn't turn its characters into cardboard cutouts of the typical romantic tropes. My full review can be found on the Goodreads page for the book.
One to Watch was fun. I also loved Dumplin by Julie Murphy if you want a YA book for this task
Mercedes wrote: "Any suggestions for a graphic novel for this prompt?"Here are some graphic novels that should fit this task:
Bingo Love
Juliet Takes a Breath: The Graphic Novel
Taproot
Pumpkinheads
Mercedes wrote: "Any suggestions for a graphic novel for this prompt?"California Dreamin' -- graphic memoir about Cass Elliot
Moonstruck, Vol. 1: Magic to Brew
Faith, Volume 1: Hollywood & Vine
ODY-C, Vol. 1: Off to Far Ithicaa
Karen wrote: "Mercedes wrote: "Any suggestions for a graphic novel for this prompt?"California Dreamin' -- graphic memoir about Cass Elliot
Moonstruck, Vol. 1: Magic to Brew
[bo..."
Faith is a fantastic series, but I wouldn't classify it as a romance.
I listened to “I’ll Be The One” by Lyla Lee. (on a related note, does anyone know how to link books when using the app?) I liked it. I’m here for the fat positive lead, i’m here for the friends-supporting-friends, i’m here for the queerness. It was cute, predictable, and felt like it was intended for a young teen audience.
Anna wrote: "I listened to “I’ll Be The One” by Lyla Lee. (on a related note, does anyone know how to link books when using the app?) I liked it. I’m here for the fat positive lead, i’m here for the friends-sup..."I think you can only link to books from a computer, but I would love to be wrong, have someone correct me and share instructions.
You can link books on mobile, but it is sort of a pain. It's method 2 on this wikihow page. Also worth noting and slightly easier, if you follow this method but don't bother finding the specific page ID to add to the end it will still sort of work, it will just link to the search page for the title you type.https://www.wikihow.com/Insert-a-Book...
I was surprised to find a Women's Prize for Fiction winner that fits this task, in case folks are looking for a more "literary" option!The Idea of Perfection, by Kate Grenville
I read Take a Hint, Dani Brown. I liked the first book better, but this was still a fun read. I'm hoping to finish the trilogy this month.
I read It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake. Before reading, I didn't realize it fit this category. I gave it 4 stars.
For this challenge I’m reading One To Watch..that work doesn’t it?
I'm sort of struggling in this category. I tend to get bored and/or frustrated with romance plots as often as not, and I would really like to avoid anything that could be described as "steamy" which seems to be a whole lot of the books in this category. Does anyone have any recommendations for books that have some other plots going on in addition to the romance?
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega (other topics)Spoiler Alert (other topics)
One to Watch (other topics)
Grin and Beard It (other topics)
When Dimple Met Rishi (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Skye Kilaen (other topics)Talia Hibbert (other topics)
Ava Catori (other topics)
Penny Reid (other topics)
Becky Albertalli (other topics)
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As an obese woman, it's phrased fine. Not every..."
Yep, nothing wrong with "fat." I find its people who think being fat is shameful who want to use euphemisms and they lower their voices when they say "heavy" or "big" or whatever is the word of choice. Also, body conscious means something clings to you and anyone can be body positive or negative, it has nothing to do with size. I know plenty of size 2 people who are more negative about their bodies than size 16 me.