What a great debut novel!! This book gave me all the small town romance feels! I loved that the main character wasn’t your typical tiny girl, but that the whole book didn’t just center around her weight issues. It was a super cute romance with some depth and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was so prepared to love everything about this book. It has a lot of things I love to see in a rom-com —a plus-sized protagonist, a grumpy/sunshine relationship, a small-town, southern romance— yet there were also a couple things I didn't like.

Alice "Rose" Barnes is ready to put her past behind her after winning the lottery, so she packs up her newfound millions and moves to a small town in North Carolina. In this small town, she meets a community of people and a cute, if not a little grumpy, behemoth of a man named Angus that starts to challenge her misconceptions of forming relationships. As Rose and Angus grow closer, Rose is determined to make the best of her new life, if Angus will let her.

Rose is a compelling main character and one that I felt like I couldn't get enough of. Some of her interactions with other characters didn't seem like it would happen in the real world (not sure if I completely understood the Miz Ames subplot), but a lot of these romances aren't necessarily realistic.

Angus, on the other hand, was a little more of a mixed bag for me. He started off as a character I really liked, but then devolved once the book hit the awful 3/4 crutch, where the couple has to experience some 'issue' that drives them apart before getting back together again.

Needless to say, this book did not stray far from the so-far successful romance narrative. Was it still cute? Absolutely. Did I read it in less than a day? Also yes. Do I feel compelled to read it again? Ummm, I'm good.

Okay, so first of all, thank you to NetGalley for the chance to check this one out before its release!
Hmm. So, for the first 2/3rds of this book, we were headed for a solid four star rating. Likely not a five, just because there were some descriptions of assault and other heavy topics, and that’s not really five star topics for me (although I do think they’re worth exploring!).
Then it happened.
Our MMC completely dropped our FMC once he found out she wasn’t the struggling princess he thought she was, with NO opportunity to talk out the situation. He, a licensed THERAPIST, refused to even have a conversation to discuss why she withheld information about her financial status.
And then, once they do finally hash everything out, she IMMEDIATELY forgives him. It gave me whiplash, how quickly she went from supposedly pissed at his sexist response to initiating make-up sex!
Yeah, that was frustrating.
There was a lot to love in this book, I enjoyed the found family elements, the spice was great, but that last 1/3 was a bit of a bummer!

Curves for Days by Laura Moher

When I see a book that has a curvy woman on the front, I pick it up straight away, so happy for the representation! I signed up for the NetGalley ARC copy of the book Curves for Days by Laura Moher which Sourcebooks Casablanca will release on August 22, 2023. And y’all I can’t be happier about my choice. And I want to thank NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Laura Moher for allowing me to read this wonderful novel.
This romance book is told in two perspectives, so we’ll start with the first one.
The story is about a thirty-something young woman Rose Barnes, who has had a kind of life that is easy to leave behind. No one to care for her or worry about her. She’s lonely and wants more out of life. I’m not going to ruin how, but it’s in the books description so I’ll say this part… she has also won the lottery. When people come out of the woodwork freaking her out. Begging, and being mean, all the things that happen when money gets involved. She leaves in the middle of the night to find somewhere else to go. Somewhere where no one knows who she is.
And soon she meets Angus.
Angus is a tall fella, who has a lot on his mind all the time. He is a contractor and an army vet, and he also works with other vets, doing special PTSD therapy with them. He’s a bit cranky, and rough around the edges. But in general, a good man. The way Angus helps vets … my heart for Angus!
Rose ends up in a small town in North Carolina and decides to settle there, where no one knows her. She buys a fixer upper, and someone recommends the local contractor Angus.
Rose & Angus y’all… What an adorable story. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down.
As someone who can 100% understand everything about Rose, I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
Angus, so stubborn, and judgmental (but for good reasons.) He was just as abused by others as Rose was in high school and has to deal with constant judgment from others about his size.
The way their attraction blossoms is adorable. All starting with confusion and angst, and just turning into something more through everyday life. Beautiful.
They both keep getting in their own way. Thinking all these crazy thoughts that just aren’t true. But it’s kind of adorable. Their own insecurities get them into some trouble, but I loved every second of this novel.
This book has so much more in it too. There is so much diversity and truly a wonderful read. No critiques at all. Never once felt like an editor while reading. The prose is phenomenal!
Also found out that Literary Agent Sara Megibow with KT Literary was the agent for this novel– Sara has given me some great advice in the past, and I had no idea until the acknowledgements that she had anything to do with this novel, but I smiled when I saw her name. Then I found out that the author grew up in Louisville KY! Which is where I live, I had no idea, so more smiles!
Five Star read all the way! I also did a BookTok review of this book, too, if you want to check that out.

Angus and Rosie meet over snow and a Snickers bar, kicking off a romance that is as nutty and sweet as the aforementioned chocolate bar. I quickly fell in love with Rosie and Angus as their relationship developed and was dreading the inevitable obstacle that would get in their way. As I read, I found myself wanting to visit Galway and hang out with all of its citizens. I definitely hope that Laura Moher continues to build out this universe because I want to spend more time there. A sweet, sassy and steamy romance with a heart of gold!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the ARC.

⤷‧₊˚2.25⭑
„You be in charge. You want a hug or a kiss, you let me know. I'lI only do what you want. I promise."

i’m a person if i like a cover i start the book straight away and i mean the cover is beautiful, unfortunately the book was boring. i only liked the main characters and the story of rose but anything else was uninteresting for me which is sad because i was really hoping i would enjoy this. but i still have to say not everything was bad about this book because i really liked the plus size representation also the fact that it‘s grumpy x sunshine because i can never get enough of this trope.

This was my first book I had the privilege to read on NetGalley and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the grumpy vs sunshine love the two had. This book touched on many topics like sexual assaults, PTSD, grief, plus sized woman, judgements etc. I thought these were well done. One of my favorite parts about Rose in this book is she grows in the book to such a strong woman and it has nothing to do with her losing weight. The steamy scenes were well done.


I would like to know what is going on with July though! We didn’t get to figure this out. I did feel like somethings were a little rushed, but still really enjoyed this book!

I'm a big reader and a bigger lady. But I never read anything that directly acknowledges the MC being plus-sized. So books like Curves for Days, with great writing and non-offensive representation, get huge brownie points from me.

I love Rose. I also love that I can see myself in her.

This book gives me a grumpyxsunshine, Virgin River vibe. It's a comfort book in the best ways. I also love a tall, hunky lumberjack dude with big feelings. ;)

Overall, I give the book 4.25/5. Thank you Net Galley for the chance to read this as an ARC, and thank you to Laura Moher for telling a great story.

Oh my gosh! Curves for Days is a great summer read that is sweet and romantic with great body positivity! I adored this book and read it in two sunny sittings.

After being targeted for bullying and harassment for her weight all her life, Alice Rose Barnes just wants to live invisibly. So winning the lottery turns into her worst nightmare, the spotlight of national attention. Fleeing the grasping harassment and demands of the people who ignored and bullied her before she was filthy rich, she arrives in a small North Carolina town in a snowstorm, determined to start her quiet, anonymous life all over again. But none of her plans include the burly, sexy, empathetic veterans counselor and contractor, Angus. As they fall head over heels in love, Rose is torn whether to reveal her eighty million dollar secret and risk having to flee the only real home and friends she’s ever found.

This was a perfect reading slump break for me. I loved Rose as a positive fat character struggling to blossom in her sexy, confident, competent self. I liked how the book called out Angus’s struggle to accept not being the financial support in a relationship as being rooted in sexism. That was neatly handled as a complex cultural issue instead of personal misogyny. And I liked how the book addressed mental health support gaps for veterans and the consequences of that neglect.

If I had a complaint, it would be that the story shifted POV too often for me. That’s a matter of personal taste, but some scenes seemed to shift POV every few paragraphs and I found it distracting and unnecessary.

But overall it really kept my attention, and I read it straight through in a single day. There are moments of laughter and tears, along with excellent spice. It’s a great escapist beach read, leaving me dreaming of winning the lottery and running away to a small mountain town full of diverse queer characters, where little shops sell plus size lingerie and indie books, and I can fix up an antique house with a brawny soft-hearted grump who steals my heart forever. ❤️❤️

Content warnings for fatphobia and childhood bullying, suicide, and SA.

“That was the single largest human I have ever seen. A skyscraper, with shoulders like boul-ders. A curlier haired Jason Momoa if Jason weren't such a delicate little fella.”
“I follow, still laughing, forcing away the sudden impulse to scoop her up and kiss her until she's laughing too.”
These two people … made me believe in love again !!!!!
Rose’s story is not an easy one. It seems like cruelty was something she had to deal with on a daily basis. Especially once she wins a lottery, thanks to a very good old man she met at work, and her life turns upside down. But when she decides to move to a small town, where no one knows her or her money, the last thing she was probably expecting was to fall in love with grump, ex-military man, Angus !!!!
With forced proximity, a difficulty in putting trust into others considering her past, and some trying to deal with ptsd from him, Angus and Rose made their romance once to love endlessly and being in awe of until the end of time.
I don’t think I have ever loved more a sweet romance. Rose is plus size and since she was a young girl she has been bullied because of it. Angus is such a perfect man. But not because he is flawless. Simply because he is constantly in awe of her and he loves every shade, every part of her without reserve and he doesn’t have a hard time showing it!!
The growth they both had to go through in this book is wonderful to read and their process of learning to trust and rely on each other is nothing short of incredible and remarkable !!!
This story was really amazing and I can’t wait for this book to be out !!
"You be in charge. You want a hug or a kiss, you let me know. I'lI only do what you want. I promise."
"I gotta get to work, devil woman. Go cast your spells somewhere else."
"There's not a damn thing missing from you, Rosie. You're one of the most complete people I know."

This book was provided as an ARC to me by NetGalley. Rose is an absolutely lovely main character. Angus is the grumpy to her sunshine. I enjoyed this book very much, I couldn’t put it down. A sweet romance with an amazing plus sized main character and mental illness representation, a fun spring read!

Rose is a lottery winner in hiding. She’s learned the hard way that you can’t trust when it comes to money. Especially not this much.
Angus is a military vet trying to help others and do good. What starts off as a disastrous meeting morphs into so much more between them. But what happens when secrets are kept and not everything is what it seems?

This is such a sweet and beautiful story! I absolutely adored watching the relationship between Rose and Angus grow from the horrendous meeting to a loving partnership. The understanding that you have for the characters and their backgrounds just makes the story so much better.

I am obsessed with Rose. As a plus sized woman myself I really resonate with her and her personality. Her I don't give a crap attitude was refreshing without it being her entire personality.

The dialouge and the quips back and forth had me at some points cackling so much my husband looked concerned. Grumpy/sunshine trope AND they're hilarious? Perfection.

My only complaint was the book seemed a smidge rushed in spots. I would be thrilled if it was another hundred pages or so but I am absolutely in love with it. Would very highly recommend.

This reminded me of a plus size / plumber love story. Where it was slow burn she really liked him but look like she was a virgin never really had a man in her life an really fell for this man and they fell in love. I love how she moved to this b & b in the story it was in a attic and he came to help fix it for her and thats how their love story started. I was so invested on the pages and keep reading about what would happen with their relationship together. I also loved the book cover.

The way I absolutely fell in love with this story! This book was not only steamy but it was also so cute & charming. I absolutely loved the plus size rep! The grumpy sunshine trope was done so well & who doesn’t love a good southern romance. Will definitely be reading more by this author in the future!

This is one of those books I literally couldn't stop reading. Curves for Days follows a woman who leaves everything behind to start over in a small town, while she hides the fact she's a lottery winner. The book covers so many important topics like veteran's mental health support, sexual assault, body image, poverty, food insecurity, housing availability, and the importance of friendships. While it's not a light read, it's also not heavy. Laura Moher balances this story beautifully.

Overall, I would say I enjoyed Curves for Days. Rose and Angus are both enjoyable in their own right, and they both have their own issues.

There were a couple of heavy topics in the book that I appreciated being there, too.

That being said, the book at times felt a little hurried and rushed in pacing. I would have liked to see it slow down, define the timespan in the book more, and take the time and attention the story (and the heavy topics) deserve. This is a roundabout way of me saying I wanted the book to be longer.

Also: WHAT IS GOING ON WITH JULY?! I HAVE TO KNOW!!! I love her.

This is a cute, cosy romance story with a sassy plus size woman and the man who falls in love with her.

It’s a great wee read for when you just need a cute break from other more strenuous reads.

A catchy title and cover grabbed my attention. I needed to know more about the woman on the cover! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review. I'm giving it three stars. I liked the story and the idea of the plot but at times the dialogue between the characters seemed off to me for some reason. Perhaps it was the language or sentence structure? I'm not sure but it did distract a bit from the overall book.