One to Watch: A Novel (Dial Delights)
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Real love . . . as seen on TV. A plus-size bachelorette brings a fresh look to a reality show in this razor-sharp, “divinely witty” (Entertainment Weekly) debut.
“Effortlessly fun and clever . . . I found the tension impeccable . . . and that made my reading experience incredibly propulsive. Read it in a day and a half.”—Emily Henry, #1 bestselling author of Beach Read and The People We Meet on Vacation
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • NPR • Marie Claire • Mashable
Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers—and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, 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 Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?
Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition—under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She’s in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That’s it.
But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She’s in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture 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. In this joyful, wickedly observant debut, Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men—and herself—for a chance to live happily ever after.
“Effortlessly fun and clever . . . I found the tension impeccable . . . and that made my reading experience incredibly propulsive. Read it in a day and a half.”—Emily Henry, #1 bestselling author of Beach Read and The People We Meet on Vacation
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • NPR • Marie Claire • Mashable
Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers—and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, 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 Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?
Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition—under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She’s in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That’s it.
But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She’s in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture 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. In this joyful, wickedly observant debut, Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men—and herself—for a chance to live happily ever after.
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
So So So goooood
Read my full review on The Lit Buzz
https://thelitbuzz.com/2020/07/one-watch-kate-stayman-london
Read my full review on The Lit Buzz
https://thelitbuzz.com/2020/07/one-watch-kate-stayman-london
This one just... didn't do it for me. I was so excited to get a cute plus-size romance but... Honestly, I think the bachelorette-esque reality show set up but the fact that there were so many romances it made it kind of hard to root for our leading man. I genuinely didn't see the chemistry or connection they supposedly shared - all of their first interactions were genuinely shitty and it just didn't work for me that the narrator kept saying over and over again how in love with him she is when none of their scenes together suggested it.
I think maybe this book would've honestly better pitched as something other than romance, as more about Bea's journey to self-acceptance. Maybe should've stayed single or started dating someone off the show. The proposal just didn't seem like good closure for her story.
I think maybe this book would've honestly better pitched as something other than romance, as more about Bea's journey to self-acceptance. Maybe should've stayed single or started dating someone off the show. The proposal just didn't seem like good closure for her story.
This was such a fun book! Exactly what I needed. I listened and read an just loved the style of writing. I felt like I was actually watching The Bachelorette back when I belonged to a fantasy league.
I walked into this thinking it would be much more body positive than it was. It was written with a fun voice and had a wonderful premise, but I struggled to connect with any of the characters, including the heroine. While I am thrilled to see 1) a plus-sized heroine 2) POC love interests 3) an asexual character 4) a non-binary character, 5) a gay character, the characters didn't feel real and felt more like a checklist than real, organic characters. Still, the dialogue was enjoyable and I enjoyed the fashion aspect of the book.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.