I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book and wish there were more like it. I sped through it in a day, that's how much I enjoyed it!

I'm a sucker for reality TV shows centered around love (Love Island over The Bachelor any day, though) and I enjoy the "behind the scenes" aspect of this, it reminded me a little of the show UnReal in the best ways.

Kate Stayman-London gave us a relatable, enjoyable and thoroughly inclusive cast of characters and more writers should strive to do as she has here. I enjoyed the way the relationships were crafted and portrayed and I found it easy to imagine all of them, which to me speaks to how well written it is.

I would definitely read more by Kate Stayman-London and this was a really sweet, witty debut.

This book is the ultimate guilty pleasure!! I was so invested in all the characters and how it was going to play out. Would be a great buddy read to discuss the drama with others as it unfolds, just like a reality show. I also loved the mixed media involved in the book and think it would make a great audio book with a full cast, would defiantly re read (listen) to that.
Thanks to Netgally for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I liked the idea of this book very much and I liked the characters in it. I think the main character being plus size was a fab idea but then the author spend the whole time with her obsessing about food which really went with the against what the aim was. I enjoyed it but wasn’t totally thrilled by it x

One To Watch follows fat fashion blogger Bea . After she goes on a drunk rant post commenting the show "Min squeeze" which is the equivalent Bachelor of the author's universe , she is asked to star in the next season's Main squeeze.

Lemme start with my truth , I don't like reality tv shows. Never even watched any singing / dancing ones much rather bachelor. So this review of One to Watch comes from your Bachelor Virgin , but if you wanna read a review of this book from a bachelor veteran Shruti here.

I had the opportunity of buddy reading this with her and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have survived or (lemme be frank , understood) most of what's going on . I'm not saying it's hard to read , nope. But there are conversations from chats and fan podcast and I'm literally never even knew these existed. (If you do wanna skip those , it will not be an issue . But they're entertaining)

Let's get into the review.

The stuff I loved most about the book was showing us the ugly side of yearning. Most of the entertainment focusses on yearning as double sided and when one of them confesses , it turns out both of them have feelings and BAM! you have your happy ending. But you know what's the other possibilities are? Humiliation , Heart break , and even another one , the person turns out to be a massive asshole.

Fatphobia :

We all know what happens when fat women exist much rather be a famous fashion blogger. Now Bea also stars in a reality show finding love. Bea gets the rough end of it and it just keeps getting worse with the reality twists the producers throw at her (ratings Yes! Humanity eh who cares?)

Romance :

Ah yes , after reaching this part , I got to understand the hype behind bachelor type shows. When Bea had to choose from four men and how the four men were written was just..

Representation :

Obviously , the fat rep. While Bea actually asks for more diverse cast , we get one (1/25) plus sized male , one black person and an Asian male. Yep. That's reality tv rep for us.

I thank Jean Murray press and Netgalley for approving me this title. All opinions are mine

This was a fun book and it made a lovely change for the main character to be a plus size lady. Bea is lovable but she has other ideas of herself. This is a different type of chick lit but very enjoyable to read.
4 stars from me.

This is a fresh, fun and sassy book with a great body positivity message throughout. I really enjoyed the friendships in the book and the use of the reality TV concept throughout. Although I liked the main romantic interest, I felt it wasn't the best developed relationship, though in fairness, this was due to the sheer amount of romantic interests that had to be siphoned through.

I loved Bea and will recommend this as a fun read to friends! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a light-hearted book with a big message about body positivity and loving yourself. Our protagonist is a successful plus size blogger who is outwardly happy with her life. However she is concealing her heartbreak that the live of her life is ghosting her. She is persuaded to take part in a reality tv show that lines up eligible bachelors for her to chose from. Will she find true love? ’

As someone for whom Bachelor Nation has long been a guilty pleasure, even if only to scream at the television in frustration, this book jumped straight out at me as a must read for the summer. Bea is a plus-sized blogger and when she criticises a Bachelor type programme called The Main Squeeze for lack of diversity, she is invited by the production team to become the star of the next series, with 25 men for her to choose from as her future husband.

What the book does very well is combine a fun, heartwarming romance with a very cute ending with some serious thought-provoking issues around body image, positivity and gender identity. The two are combined without ever taking away from the entertainment or feeling like the issues are being pushed down your throat. The writing style takes a little getting used to - it is told through a variety of mediums and combines a narrative told through episodes of the show with emails, texts, blogs, social media posts, website articles and transcripts of the show - but ultimately for me it added to the book's appeal.

Overall a great read that I galloped through and stands out in its genre for an original, well-written clever slant on a familiar story. I look forward to reading more from Kate Stayman-London

Thank you to NetGalley and John Murray Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not being a fan of reality tv I wondered whether I’d like this book. However, the description peaked my interest as
It sounded a little different.
The characters are great and it’s a really
Good page turner whilst being a little thought provoking at the same time.
A fab easy to read book ideal for holiday time.

I routinely hate-watch reality shows and I love reading books with fat MCs, but I never expected these to vastly different interests to clash this spectacularly. But One to Watch really did that. And it gets all the stars!

This is a story that needs to be told: there is something really wrong with a world that judges women by their size and struggles to see the real person beyond this so that it forms a significant part of their identity. I really enjoyed the first half of this book which explored this prejudice in a really fun way, putting the plus-sized protagonist in a reality TV show about dating and giving us glimpses of social media hysteria and judgemental behaviour that surround modern culture. The main character was also fun, sassy and very relatable. However, I could have done with the book being a bit shorter as it started becoming a bit repetitive towards the end. Nonetheless a fun, relatable read about very contemporary issues written in a fresh, lively style. The backdrop of glamorous locations around the world was also a definite bonus.

‘One to Watch’ is about plus size fashion blogger/influencer Bea, who after a blog post about the lack of diversity on hit reality TV show ‘Main Squeeze’ goes viral, then gets the opportunity to become the lead on the show where she has to date 25 men and choose to get engaged to one of them during the finale episode of the show. This book gave a behind-the-scenes look into the making of a reality TV show and how a lot of it is scripted or manufactured by the writers and producers of the show.

I loved how this book was so fat positive and how Bea never let the negative views and the fatphobic comments people were saying about her affect how much she loved her body. I loved how she chose to do the show to help diversify it as it was so important to her.

‘One to Watch’ was such a fast-paced book that I flew through so quickly as I was so addicted to reading it and needed to know what was going to happen next. The romance and who Bea chose at the end of the book was predictable but I still enjoyed reading the cute moments between Bea and the guy she chose. However, this book still had me on the edge of my seat as I could not guess what new twist was going to happen in Bea’s life on the show.

‘One to Watch’ was an amazing debut novel and I loved reading it. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves reality TV show because reading this book felt like watching an actual reality TV show. I definitely want to read more books by this author.

This book was such an absolute joy to read. I wanted to both devour and savour it, which is impossible.
I found myself putting off reading it, because I wanted it to last longer but then when I picked it up I would read huge chunks of it and couldn't put it down.

One To Watch is a story about a plus sized fashionista and blogger named Bea. Despite her great career, Bea has been unlucky in love, and after a broken heart, swears off love altogether. That's when she gets picked up to be the next 'Main Squeeze' in a hit reality dating show, as the first ever plus sized woman, with mountains of men competing to date her. Bea decides to take on this venture, on the condition that she doesn't have to actually fall in love.

So, one thing about me is I am a sucker for a cheesy rom-com, and also a sucker for a trashy dating show. This book combined the best parts of those things into one unputdownable masterpiece of a book. It was told in a mixed media way, which fully encompassed everything about how media and entertainment is consumed nowadays and gave us so much more because of it. I both felt like I was going on this journey with Bea, and watching it all unfold on a trashy TV show that I couldn't help but watch.

It was entertaining, endearing and dramatic all at once. I loved Bea, I loved her fierceness, her insecurity, how she showed her confidence and self-consciousness simultaneously; embracing her body, taking charge of it, but also feeling uncomfortable with how the world felt around it. I both loved and hated all the contestants, and I kept flipping between who I thought she would end up with, certain I knew who it would be, to change my mind in the next chapter or paragraph.

I could gush about this book all day, but I don't want to give too much away or write an essay on this. But I will say that I think it's such a heartwarming, kind and brutal book that gave me so much joy in a time of high anxiety. It helped me get away from the world for a while and I adored my time with it. I can't wait to see what Kate Stayman-London comes up with next, and I am for sure going to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book for an honest review. And thank you Kate for writing, what I am going to say, is a favourite book of the year for me.

5 Stars.

One to Watch is the type of chick lit that you simply devour, page after page after page. I read this book in about 3 hours over a few sessions and simply couldn't put it down.

Bea is a plus size fashion blogger who has been in love with her best friend for most of her adult life, and after a fantastic night together, she finally thinks they're going to be together. Until he leaves the next morning without saying goodbye, and promptly ghosts her. After getting a bit sloshed and writing a scathing blog post about a reality romance show called Main Squeeze (aka the Bachelor) and the lack of body positivity and diversity in TV (which is a problem I definitely agree with), she gets offered the star role, where 25 guys will compete for the chance to propose to her at the end of the series. There are ups and downs as she has to deal with haters and trolls, but what holds her back is mostly herself. Despite her outward confidence and sass, deep down she is insecure and believes no man will ever really love her for who she is. She has to work through that, with these men and find out if she can really believe in herself and others enough to find love. It's a tough emotional journey.

At first I found the blog post, twitter threads, text message conversations and podcast transcripts quite disconcerting, but it really works well in the setting of a book set around a reality TV show, and it allowed the author to introduce lots of different voices in very small doses, which set the tone extremely well.

I'll admit, I was a bit worried about where the story was going when a twist was introduced, but the end was perfect, exactly what I wanted. Completely feel-good.

Frothy and fun but with a conscious diversity and body-positive spin on the usual rom-com. Bea is a cute heroine but the men are paper-thin apart from sexy, French Luc so it's hard to root for any of them. The setting of a dating reality show ramps up the entertainment value but also seems to work against the premise of the book because it's hard to accept that twenty-six people, including a university history lecturer, are ready to fall in love and *actually propose marriage* in the final episode of a 10 week series! As much as I liked Bea, it's hard to believe that she finds it so easy to conduct simultaneous love relationships with a handful of men at once: I mean, she's not out for flirty fun, but is seriously thinking about who will make a life partner - and even though she thinks she knows who that will be, she happily has sex with someone else... and then judges Mr Right for calling her out! So lots of mixed messages in this one which leads to inconsistencies in the narrative arc. Still, I like the way it tackles important issues of media representation of women - and Linus is just adorable!

3.5 stars.

I enjoyed the start of this novel. I've never been a Bachelor watcher but I like fictionalised versions like the TV show Unreal.

But, in the end I thought this was a little too long and the same plot point played out too many times. Bea wasn't quite as confident in her own skin as she thought she was. This made her question everyone's motives and affection for her.

I also don't think any of the men felt fleshed out enough. Probably because there were so many of them and just one Bea.

I also felt as if the connection she felt with some of the men was a bit forced, and I understand why the show had to be interesting to viewers but I think she needed to be clearer in her own mind what and who she wanted.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bea is simply a woman who has been taken advantage of in a friendship which she believed to be something more but not reciprocated in the same way. However, it seems like Bea is not a woman who is completely unlucky. Making a big break in fashion blogging, writing in the style of how it is for a plus-sized woman and how difficult it is to find amazing designer clothes to wear has enraptured many readers.

I don't think that I have every truly read a book like One to Watch. It truly lived up to its name of being something that must be watched, not just read. Seriously, this book should be made by Hollywood in some capacity. Everything felt as though I was reading more of what happened in a film, rather than a book. Even the epilogue felt more like a resolution from a film and how the end credits roll and they have those little videos that keep you watching to the end. Every part of this book is an event, there is nothing that sticks out to be better than the others, because they are all good in their own right.

Her relationships with certain people, such as family were hilarious, such as how protective her brothers were, to the relationship that she has with her stepdad, that would make any dark-heart melt.

The author seemed to touch upon subjects which were also very interesting. Societal responsibilities that we all seem to have on one another and how this could affect the next person. For instance, Bea puts herself out of social media, which even though there are good aspects to social media in general to help with your reputation and profile, there is also the problem of trolling. But what I found to be most profound is how you see this piece connecting together to question how society should function and if so, does this make it right? It also evokes how we can be seen to be more animalistic in regards to appearance, rather than being the rational beings that we are, by looking for a deeper connection within our partners. However, it also picks on problems that are possessed by reality tv itself, such as how things are edited in such a way that does not show the complete truth. Thus, what can we truly get out of the media if they are editing out information that is clearly important to the whole of the narrative.

So yes, I did enjoy this profusely and more than I thought that I would. So thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to have a copy to review. I don't think that I will be able to read in the same way again. Five stars from me - easy!

I got a free copy in exchange for a review.

I ate this up with relish. I'm a sucker for a fat protagonist and this did not disappoint. At first, I was a bit sad because Bea was so down on herself. But without adding how she feels about societal pressures to feel bad about her body. In the beginning, I would have wanted the balance to see the more confident Bea. I didn't see why she was so great, because her voice could only focus on the negative as she got to the tv show.

Once she started the tv show, I was into every twist and turn. I absolutely loved it. I was up all night reading it. And my little heart would be jerked all over the place. It's totally relatable content if you grew up thinking you weren't thinking you looked good enough. I loved mentally cheering on Bea in her quest. I loved Luc. I loved how I didn't know what was real or not. I liked all the little emails and side bars and of course, glad with who she ended up in the end. I liked the way it mentioned abortion and the gender non binary person. A must read. I wish it every ounce of success.

If you are a fan of reality tv, particularly those shows where love, romance and a happy ending are on the cards for the (un)lucky participants then this novel could be just your cup of tea.
Having watched snippets of this type of programme, thanks to a daughter who finds them highly addictive and watchable, I was sufficiently intrigued by a storyline that promises to turn the whole idea of society’s perceptions of the body beautiful upside down and inside out. How many woman are sick and tired of feeling the pressure to conform to a certain body image, one that is unrealistic but favoured above all else, especially by the media? We are force fed images of beautiful glamorous young size zero women as the epitome of all that we should aspire to and that anything less is a sign of failure. All too often we are led to believe men will only ever fall in love/want to have meaningful relationships with this one body type. Whatever happened to body diversity and loving a person wholly and not simply for being aesthetically pleasing??
Then welcome to Bea Schumacher’s world, a plus size fashion blogger with a huge following but who surprise surprise is failing miserably in the love stakes. Her heart is lost to Ray, a character you will simply love to hate for his callous treatment of Bea’s feelings. So despite celebrating her body image with her many fans, she really is as insecure and unhappy as the next woman, making her so very relatable. Plus she is a target, especially on social media for all the trolls and haters who take pleasure in humiliating her. When she is approached by the producers of Main Squeeze (think The Bachelor) to be the star of the show, having her pick of potential suitors, all she sees initially is the possibility of raising her profile rather than the real aim of finding love.
Nursing a broken heart I could understand why Bea has no intention of even trying to fall in love with some of these men but deep down she knows she’s as susceptible to falling for the ‘right’ man since who doesn’t like to be flattered or wooed or charmed? Her problem is deciding whether any of these suitors are sincere in their intentions, making this brilliant car crash tv. She has plenty to choose from, and some of these men do make you believe they have something worthwhile to offer (Wyatt, Asher) but can Bea put her heart and trust in their hands? I think the author has created the right mix of fictional men, albeit often cliches, which perfectly suits the premise of this novel. With an insight into how scenarios are manipulated to improve viewer ratings thanks to Lauren, the executive producer, my impressions of this type of show as shallow beyond belief were confirmed. Why anyone would want to expose themselves in such a way defies logic. The use of twitter dialogue interspersed throughout the narrative is testament to the hype and frenzy and hate fuelled comments that Bea has to endure. If I’d been in her shoes, I’d be running away as fast as my legs would carry me!
I suppose this novel will appeal more to younger generations who perhaps gravitate more naturally towards reality tv and the use of social media to raise their profiles, pass comment on all that is going on in the world and potentially have their five minutes of fame. However I was still expecting to find this an uncomplicated but guilty pleasure kind of read and I totally appreciate what the author is trying to achieve here. Unfortunately reading about Bea and her potential suitors felt akin to laying prone on the sofa mindlessly binge watching an entire series all in one go until I felt queasy. By the end I was left feeling overly full yet at the same time completely empty knowing that it’s highly unlikely tv producers will ever go down the path that is imagined in this book. I failed to feel invested in Bea’s experiences, having her life and heart so brutally exposed on national television which I don’t think is the the fault of the author’s writing. Certainly I found the storyline repetitive and entirely transparent but I think you have to expect that with this type of novel. Maybe I took it all too seriously, rather than enjoying this as a piece of lighthearted fun? On this occasion The One to Watch didn’t manage to ignite any passion in me for the inevitable ending and Bea’s future yet I believe the discussions around body image/diversity are valid and important so for that reason alone it’s a worthwhile read.
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and I’d like to draw attention to my actual rating of 3.5 ⭐️

A good enjoyable read. Bea is a wonderful likeable character. I enjoyed reading about her life. Her point of view is refreshing. My only gripe is that the book was too long. I would have enjoyed it more and I think it would have had more of an impact on me if it was shorter.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.