Book Review - One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London

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Title: One To Watch

Author: Kate Stayman-London

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Two Roads

Publication Date: 7th July 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

25 DATES. 8 MEN. A NATION WATCHING.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL SHE FALL IN LOVE.

OMBEA! Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger with amazing friends, thousands of Insta followers - and a massively broken heart. Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Ben! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since whenis being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?

Although Bea has sworn off men altogether, when Main Squeeze ask her to be its next star, she agrees on one condition: under no circumstances will she actually fall in love.

But when the cameras start rolling, Bea finds herself in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Twitter wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale. Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men - and herself - for a chance at her own happily ever after.

Easily one of the my favourite books I've read this year so far!  You know you are reading a good book, when your first thought on waking in the morning, is what are the characters up to now, and just who is Bea going to pick! 

And what a wonderful character Bea is, and this is a book in part all about body positivity, and how it is very much possible be loved and fall in love when you are a larger woman, which as one myself is a message I can very much take to heart. 

Bea is a plus sized fashion blogger who after blasting reality show Main Squeeze for their lack of diversity, is asked to be the lead on the new series, and apprehensively she agrees. 

She has after all been in love with a man who clearly isn't interested for ages and thus this may give her a way of getting over him, or of finding new love, or just raising her profile and getting more followers.  All of which are outcomes that Bea would quite like! 

Between the main narrative we also see press reactions, public reactions to each episode, fan groups, pod casts discussing the programme and even transcripts of various conversations.  Everything seems like it moves at a really fast pace, and once the initial jerks have been kicked off the programme, I enjoy getting to know the main front runners for Bea's love and just how different the men all are. 

I could just imagine Main Squeeze as a real life dating programme, and I loved this look at how such a reality programme would be made with some of the ways it causes drama! 

This is a real celebration of learning to love yourself, and I loved every last moment of this book.  And I can't get over the fact its a debut! Can't wait to see what the author will write next. 

Thank you to Two Roads and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,