I really liked the idea of this book but I just couldn't couldn't get through the back to back text scripts. So confusing.

This book explored topics which in my opinion need to be explored.
Bea is plus sized and after a drunken blog post, finds herself on a reality tv show to find love (Very similar to The Bachelor).
The book shows the up and downs of someone forced into the spotlight. I feel this is book relatable with the way Beas confidence was built up and knocked down by the men and producers on the show. I also found the back story of the “one that got away” VERY relatable!
A solid 4/5 stars for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

One to Watch is fun and feel-good whilst at the same time examining a lot of issues around body-image and relationships. This book is a great cultural commentary on what it’s like to be in the public eye when you don’t fit societies high standards, it has characters that are easy to empathise with, and just the right ratio of romance vs feminist ranting. I enjoyed reading it, in the same way to you enjoy watching The Kardashians and other trashy reality tv (which is fitting considering to story revolves around a reality dating show).

One thing that I really enjoyed about this book is that it is made up of various media texts around the story- text conversations, emails, blog posts, Instagram comments, tabloid articles, podcast transcripts, fan forums, the lot. I really loved piecing the story together through the views of different people, it helped me to get a more well-rounded opinion of the characters by telling the story from so many unique points of view.

'One to Watch' gets a solid 4/5 stars from me!

Bea and her would be suitors made me smile as I read the story of a reality tv dating show abs their “modern” idea of having a plus-sized lead. Bea was likeable, sassy and you wanted her in your real life she was written so well!

The suitors were likeable, relatable and well presented too. This tale of “will live conquer all- even a plus size lady” is funny, sad, exciting and a real good read- loved it!!!

This book was super relatable and I'm not even plus sized that's how good it is. It was so beautiful watching Bea find herself and proving that once more you can only love yourself first before letting others love you. She didn't conform to the rules of society. She was strong, she let herself feel and she came out even stronger than before.

I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading this book, most likely because I've been wary of reading any romance novels (for all manner of reasons!) I'm so glad I did because this book was such a joyous surprise. Although I've never watched The Bachelor, I know all about it through press coverage and the underrated tv series Unreal.
The book has a similar premises to Unreal as it focuses on the backstage carnage that goes on behind the scenes of structured reality tv, but it's way more charming with a main character you really root for! Bea is a plus-size influencer and blogger, she's empowered and independent when it comes to everything but her love life. She's spent almost a decade in love with her best friend, a man who may or may not realise or care that this is the case. Bea gets invited to take part in Main Squeeze as it's next star looking to find love - although really she's there to further her career and inspire young women. But it doesn't take Bea long to get up in a romantic whirlwind, maybe she's finally found her shot at a happily ever after?
The reasons that this book works so wonderfully are countless. There's Bea, who is a character that is impossible not empathise with - she's an everywoman who wants to finally find love and truly deserves for that to happen. There's the structure, almost epistolary with its blending multi-modal formats (there's tweets, emails, newspaper articles, podcast transcripts, group messages alongside the more expected storytelling). Doing so creates a truly immersive experience, akin to really watching something like Bachelor or Love Island - we become invested in Bea's life to an even greater extent.
I read this quickly as I was so desperate to find out what was going to happen, romance with an edge and I *loved* it.

This book was certainly an eye opener, I really enjoyed the story of it. Loved all rollercoaster of emotions it brings with it. All the wonderful characters make the story so too.

I really enjoyed this book, it definitely kept me interested. I loved the fact that it was more about Bea’s personal journey than the romance, in spite of the fact that it was set around a romance reality tv show.

There were many humorous moments, but the story was also very emotional. Bea was immediately an appealing and relatable character for me, and I thought her journey of self discovery was well shown (rather than just being written about). I really liked that fact that she struggled, but still (mostly) stuck up for herself. I loved the ending she chose for herself on the show.

Overall, this was a fun and emotional story, and I’d definitely recommend it.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

Ah what a lovely book. The premise of this drew me in immediately and I was dying to get my hands on it. It is about Bea, a plus-sized girl’s girl who is approached to star in a show which is basically The Bachelor. Bea is just so likeable as are her friends and most of the other characters (not Jefferson, ugh) and I found the whole premise of the behind-the-scenes of a reality show fascinating. The writing flows and there are text conversations and transcripts mixed in with dialogue and narrative so the book is just so pacy and smart, I devoured it. A firm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Please find review on my blog Carriereadsbooks

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7097801138930210722/8378983110229444566?hl=en

One to watch is a fantastic read about body confidence and finding love within yourself and other people! Such a great summer quick read that had me unable to stop turning the pages

WOW. This is it, people. This is FANTASTIC.
But let me start at the beginning: I absolutely love and adore when plus-sized girls get features in books. I do. As one myself, I always love to see myself in characters, you know?
BUT HOT DAMN: Never have I related so much as I did to Bea. She is plus-plus size. By that I mean that often, there is a girl in books and she's plus sized but you wouldn't know at ALL if you weren't told. But Bea? Her experiences? Her struggles with people and clothes and all of that? YES. 100% agree.

And then, this book didn't just give me a fantastic, fabulous, lovely, showstopping protagonist to adore, but she also got all the love. I loved laughing and crying and doubting these men with Bea because again - her doubts and issues? Way too real. But I loved it. The main characters are absolute darlings and I was so torn between the top guys. I couldn't put this book down because I couldn't have chosen between them, honest to god.

I did not see either the end of the show or the end of the book coming but oh my god, both made me so, so happy.

So please, if you guys read one book this year, make it this one.

I simply loved this book!

My last four reviews have not been good, I was starting to think maybe it was me? Maybe I didn't like reading anymore (let me just question my entire existence with that one sentence!)
By God I was so happy to realise that it wasn't me, it was the books!

This reeled me in quickly and kept me awake late into the small hours, when I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it!

I didn't know who I wanted Bea to be with, three in particular were the main runners and I would have been happy with either of them.

This book was just what I needed, a breath of fresh air and an easy five stars.

Thank you to the publishers who provided me with a copy of One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London in exchange for an impartial review.

This novel is the story of Bea, a plus size woman who use to hide in the shadows. Thanks to a pivotal moment in her past she has shaken off her self doubts and now celebrates her love of fashion. Bea has a successful social media presence and her many followers look forward to her most recent words of wisdom and fashion advice. There is one thing missing though. Bea is still single.

When Bea's best friend from high school comes to visit she realises her long lasting crush on him has never gone away. Despite him being engaged to another woman, Bea can not ignore the sparks that seem to fly. When he disappears the next morning Bea is left heart broken and confused.

Then the opportunity to star on a reality love show presents itself to her, but she isn't keen. After all, it has historically represented all the things she despises - that love is meant for the thin and beautiful. She hasn't exactly been silent about her opinion either.

Bea is now faced with a dilemma. She could accept the chance to be the first plus sized person to star on the hugely popular reality show, proving that love is for everyone. However, it isn't as easy as that. Will her followers and fans feel she is abandoning her principles? Or will she be making history by bringing body inclusivity to main stream reality television? There is also the chance that she will be made to look like a laughing stock. After all, even Bea has her doubts about whether the sort of men that are the usually on the show would ever settle down with someone like her. Also, the producers have not made a name for themselves because of their morals.

When Bea finally does accept the offer, is she doing it for the right reasons? What is Bea getting herself into, and will she ever recover afterwards? Is it too much to hope for that she might actually find true love?

This novel may appeal to adult fans of Julie Murphy's Dumplin' series. Despite the important messages this novel carries, the writing is light and the story has momentum. How surprised will you be with what happens in the end?
At 4/5 stars, The paperback of One to Follow is now available to pre-purchase. Alternatively, read it now on.
Kindle.

Definately a great book to read. One to get lost in funny, emotional, loved reading found it hard to concentrate on work in between.
Loved the characters, the story
The text parts were real, as you would get on daily basis. Loved it and would recommend to everyone

Thank you for the oppurtunity to review this novel.

I'm very sorry to say that I put this down. I had very high hopes but I had hard time varming up to Bea. She was very secure and had a great attitude in the beginning but that faded away. I was probably not the right reader for this novel.

There are few things I love more than an empowering romance, featuring a woman who looks a little like myself and that’s exactly what I knew I’d be getting with this book.

Bea Schumacher is a highly successful fashion blogger who is madly in love with her best friend -a man she can’t have. When she writes a post damning the lack of diversity in dating show Main Squeeze, the producers of the show contact her and recruit her as the star of the next season. As the first ever plus-size addition to the show, Bea is ready to use this opportunity to boost her career and smash America’s presumptions of fat women but could she also find love in the process?

Bea discovers her love of fashion during a gap year trip to Paris and it changes her whole life. Fashion and its importance to her as a plus size girl continues to crop up throughout the book and it’s something that I could fully relate to. It’s easy to think that the skinny-obsessed fashion world alienates many bigger people but I’ve been obsessed with clothes and cultivating my own style, since I was a tween. When you don’t look like the models wearing the beautiful dresses you want to buy, finding what looks good on you becomes a whole experimental process and that’s something that I’ve always really enjoyed.

There is a lot of exploration of how it feels to be fat in a predominantly skinny world and how fatness, particularly in women, is perceived by society. Of course, this isn’t news but it really hammers home the othering of those whose looks fall outside of the very small criteria that qualifies as conventional beauty. Bea feels slightly out of place and unwanted in any given room and I know that’s a feeling that will resonate with anyone whose physical appearance stands out.

Amidst the relatively recent trend for female empowerment, particularly on social media, it’s sometimes hard to believe that everyone who is lifting you up is genuine. This is something that Bea struggles with and it comes from a lifetime of being overlooked and/or marginalised. The disbelief that anyone could honestly believe you’re beautiful is so strong that it can sabotage any potentially positive relationships. This becomes a running theme in the book and it becomes apparent that self-love is the key to Bea finding her happy ending.

I wasn’t expecting to have some ace/aro representation in this book but I did the biggest smile when it showed itself! I won’t say which character is ace but when they reveal themselves, a lot of things make sense. There is also some genderqueer representation that I would love to see developed, should there be any future Bea novels. Both representations are done in such a sensitive wonderful way too, so props to Stayman-London for that.

One To Watch is a cute, heartwarming love story with an inspirational powerhouse of a protagonist who you can’t help but root for. There are even a few jawdropping twists to keep readers on their toes and a fantastic cast of side characters to fall for. It’s a refreshing and thoroughly entertaining book that champions body positivity and self-love while villifying the narrow-minded bigots.

Fabulous book every Woman needs to read this summer which so far has been very different from any other
So the story follows a gorgeous fabulous fashion blogger did I mention she is also plus sized and so thinks she is not worthy of a decent good looking guy she is rolling round with her best friend Ray whenever he can fit her in
Then along comes a show she has watched and wrote a stinging article about a show that shows skinny girls compete for men’s love
Then the new female producer approaches Bea to appear on the show Bea thinks it’s a joke but the producer convinces her it’s not and the show begins
Some of the guys are complete douchebags and one even walks off the show at the start but eventually after many weeks and many dates Bea is down to last three Sam ~ skinny gorgeous black man who is younger than Bea but adores her, Luc ~ a womanising french chef but Bea loves his charm and Asher who has 2 children already and lots of issues about his ex
Then after kissing Luc she thinks it’s down to two but Asher is furious she slept with one of the others and walks off leaving Sam alone then producers notch it up and bring on a surprise guy
Ray will she go for him who has broken and trampled on her heart repeatedly or will she pick Sam ?.????

Thank you, Netgalley and John Murray Press for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

One To Watch is the debut work of Kate Stayman-London. The story follows Bea, a successful plus-size fashion blogger who has a massive following on her platform. She candidly criticizes and scrutinizes the lack of diversity in media and the very famous reality dating show called Main Squeeze. Main Squeeze is the fictional version of the most popular Bachelorette franchise. Because of her criticisms, the show is being called out by the public and they decide to cast her as the next lead on Main Squeeze. She goes on this adventurous journey filled with glamorous locations, swoon-worthy dates, and handsome suitors vying for her attention. The fantasy worthy journey is not all she expected and as she struggles to navigate the complicated world of dating on TV she has to be fearless and take risks to achieve her goals. The story is perfect for the Bachelor and Bachelorette fans. There are a lot of similarities and the way the fictional show was designed was a lot of fun to read about. A lot of the over-the-top dates, model-like suitors, glamorous locations, and the entertaining scenes were all just perfect. I loved how the author captured the very essence of the reality show. Bea was very much a believable character. She did struggle with her body, identity and her insecurities regarding her body stemmed from the reactions of the opposite sex. Often she let her insecurities dictate her actions and drive people away without giving them a chance. The book was filled with cute, dreamy dates, some great sequences, a lot of drama that one can expect from reality TV. This was such a fun, entertaining ride with lots of humor and messy emotions. I loved this book. If you are looking for an entertaining, quick read with a lot of excitement, fun, and drama, this one will be for you. I gave the book 4.5 stars and highly recommend checking it out. It 's also a great slump-buster in my opinion. Don't forget to get your own copy of this book to go on a drama-filled glamorous journey of a fictional dating reality show with Bea.

This book is by far the best I’ve read in years. As a fan of romantic trashy tv I relished every high and low, love found and love lost with the positively modern twist of a female lead who looks and feels just like the rest of us.
This book is written with real feeling and combined with the lavish outfit changes makes it an utter page turner

3.5 Stars

Chicklit is my happy place - every time things get a bit too much, I just dive into some uncomplicated fun and cuteness to give my brain some peace. The problem is that lately most romantic fiction books are carbon copies of each other, with the same tiny, quirky and oblivious female protagonists and the same possessive alpha douches as love interests, and although this is kind of ruining the genre for me, I don’t give up because sometimes you find the odd gem that makes up for the bad stuff. I’m happy to say that One to Watch is one of those books!

Bea’s journey to self-acceptance and discovery was awesome, funny and uplifting at times and heartbreaking too. Bea’s emotions were a rollercoaster and it got tiring sometimes but overall, I’d say the author manages a good balance between the great and the not-so-great moments during Bea’s gig at Main Squeeze. The whole setting at the reality show was brilliant and offered plenty occasions for swoony moments – and also some cringe-worthy situations. I have never watched The Bachelor, but I was totally hooked to Main Squeeze and I was absolutely outraged when Bea rejected my favourite. Bonus points for all the hilarious pop culture references (yes Bea, you should have called Chris Evans) and the very dynamic format, mixing Twitter threads, Instagram posts, phone texts and more with regular text.

On the not so positive, the story dragged a bit every now and then, making the pace uneven, and the first episodes of Main Squeeze were very confusing until Bea started to get rid of suitors (the program starts with 25 candidates!!). But the weakest point were the guys themselves. I think in trying to offer Bea a wide variety of personalities the author ended up making the guys bland and generic. We have the Good Guy, the Sexy Guy, the Smart Guy and the Funny Guy, and I couldn’t really care about any of them. I wish I had been more invested in the relationship part of the book, but honestly, Bea alone was enough for me to love this. I’ll definitely be reading anything Kate Stayman-London writes in the future.