Full Support has had a long journey to publication, which is still to come in the next few weeks. It is Natalee Woods’ debut memoir of her 10 years working in a fitting room in the lingerie section of a high end store. If you have ever worked in retail, you know some of what Natalee feels, but her job was much more personal to the women she fitted. We live in a world where 8 out of 10 women are in the wrong size bra, and this candid memoir is for every woman out there as it shows how society pressures us about our ‘imperfect bodies’ and influences us in every way possible.

We meet a variety of Natalee’s customers in many different situations. These customers (women, men, and transgender) give the reader a mix of emotions from hilarious (an entertaining and raucous bridal party) to the serious (women dealing with mastectomies to a widowed father trying to find his daughter a bra) to the anger-inducing (an over the top beauty pageant mom). And we see how Natalee handles each situation, as each customer has unique and specific needs.

It is a quick and enjoyable read. It is a memoir and Natalee also goes into her family situations, which includes a death, but for me it took away from the rest of the book. I was not attached to Natalee; I just wanted to read more stories from the fitting room.

Most of my bra shopping is done online as most stores do not carry the much larger sizes. I do remember when I was getting fitted for undergarments to wear under my wedding dress and I knew I was in the wrong size bra, but to find out my actual size was shocking. The bra fitter helped to put me at ease and made a nerve wracking experience pleasant. Every woman needs a positive fitting experience and Natalee helped to give her customers what they needed. If only more stores catered to the larger sizes and had some cute bras that were not over the top price wise!

Full Support is recommended for every woman out there! Special thanks to the publisher Amberjack Publishing for granting me an arc.

This book got better as if went, but I had a difficult time getting into it. The stories were interesting, but the recaps and summaries at the end of the chapters were too much. It’s nicer when the reader uncovers the purpose without being explicitly told what it is.

Thank you to Amberjack Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the stories the author told from her life as a lingerie saleswoman - her customer encounters were everything from heartwarming to shocking, and her tone was engaging. Although some of her comments on her customer's figures were a bit harsh, I did feel that the respect she treated each person with came through, and the harshness may well have been a coping mechanism. Anyone who has ever worked retail knows h0w draining this type of job can be! The author tried to link the stories with various life lessons - some of this worked, some did not. The ending was rather abrupt and I felt a lot was left hanging and unresolved.

Overall, an enjoyable read, but not especially memorable. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately was a little let down. The stories told from the dressing room were interesting for sure (and have me convinced I need to go for a bra fitting), but it felt like a stretch for the “lessons” to be all tied together. And I feel like the book didn’t have a very nice conclusion. I was waiting for the last chapter to tie things in a bow (because the book was building up to that) and I felt like it just ended.

Unfortunately, I will not be finishing this book. I wanted to like it so much and feel like it could have been great given that I’ve never heard of a book written from this perspective. However, I’m putting it away at 17% read. I found it incredibly hard to follow and the characters were not developed enough to hold your interest.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amberjack Publishing for the opportunity to read this. It was so enlightening and interesting. While I felt some sections were a little bit repetitive, hearing different perspectives of the lingerie dressing room was inspiring.

This was such an amazing read that I couldn’t put it down. It went everywhere with me. To the doctors office, the dentist, the eye doctor. IT WENT ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE. I was so sad when it ended that I immediately went and bought more books from this author!

I'm fairly certain I don't wear the correct size when it comes to bras. I'm not going to get professionally fitted for bras, because I neither the time, energy, nor money to handwash underclothes in fancy soaps and let them dry. It's no bother if you spend less than $15 on a bra at Walmart, toss it in with the rest of your laundry, and it comes out a little misshapen.

That doesn't mean I'm against bra fittings, or even that I'm saying 'never, ever.'

But did I know I needed to read the memoir of a professional bra fitter? No.

Did I need to read this book? Yes. And you do too, if you're a woman (or even a man) who cares about how society tells the female half of the human species to dress.

This book is feminist at it's core. It's about women and it's about the lives we lead. It's important and it's fascinating.

(I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest and original review.)

I enjoyed this book until halfway through. The romance part didn't interest me, but what did, were the stories of the women she dressed.

Bringing a bra as the focus for not only the foundation of a women’s wardrobe but the comparison of how women can feel that they are falling short of the standard. They want to be able to support and look good all at once while that isn’t always possible.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of Full Support by Natalee Woods in exchange for an honest review.
This book was surprisingly fun to read. It was hilarious through and through.
I really enjoyed all of the encounters the author had with her customers. Never thought a book on bra retailers would be fun to read.

Full Support: Lessons Learned in the Dressing Room

What a total delight this book is! I enjoyed every minute – I was stuck to it - even got up early to finish it.

Once I realized that I was going to be spending up close and personal time with Natalee and her customers, I began to remember all my own time in those tight places. Body sensitivities, awkwardness, feeling so very conspicuous, and watching myself age in that relentless damn mirror. . . . .she captured all of it. I was impressed with her characters, and the lessons she has taken away from those experiences with a wide range of people and body types.

I have to say, though, that right out of the gate I was uncomfortable. The explicitness of it. . .bits and pieces poking out of lacey, stringy body decorations felt more like it belonged in magazines that live under some peoples’ beds. But as I stayed the course, it became clear this was part of the job – helping ordinary (and extraordinary) people deal with the clothes-wrestle that is daily required of us to fit into our environments. The only real choice we have in what we wear – because we all have “uniforms” in our work lives – is in the unseen underwear we pull over our various parts and pieces. Ms. Woods captures that realistically, and often with asides that acknowledges the absurdity of it. And often, it is simply funny. Along with her observations on the job, she weaves in enough of her own path, family responsibilities, joys and sorrows, to show other aspects of her life.

A 5 stars recommendation from me – I’m getting a copy of this for my daughters and girlfriends!

A Sincere thanks to Natalee Woods, Amberjack Publications and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

Written as a memoir based on her time fitting women for lingerie, it's a period in her life that teaches multiple life lessons as some of the others I've read recently (and not so recently) like Trauma Cleaner, Maid, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, and numerous medical biographies.

This is a more personal story in that as a women, the fears, nervousness, excitement, and body (non)positivity that comes along with our undergarments is worth diving in to deeper and what better way to share the sentiments than with a English major with a knack already for words to write it in the context of interpersonal stories about fitting women for undergarments.

An enjoyable romp with layers if you dive deep enough to unpack.

This novel is about the different experiences of Natalee Woods as a lingerie sales girl in a big department store. She encounters all shape and sizes for bra fittings , all kind of personalities; some pleasant, some less so, and multitude of experiences that comes with it. It is not a book with character developemt or a storyline , it is more several vignettes of her experiences. The topic is covered with respect and careful wording. While it is an interesting read it I found it lacking on personal development.

DNF @ 20%

I'm just really not into the storytelling style; some of the prose feels awkward — to the point where I'm not sure what the author is trying to convey — and/or highly judgmental, and despite the feminist musings there's some body-shaming (mostly internalized and self-directed, but not all). The idea is interesting and I think the intention is laudable, but the execution doesn't work for me.

Full Support is such a great book" I loved reading about Natalee's adventures in working at fitting stores. I found it so interesting how many different women she met and how much wisdom each could give through their words and actions. Of course, she probably told us about more memorable clients but I still found it fascinating. I think a job like this truly makes you see how different we look on the outside, how different our bodies are but at the same time how we have similar issues and needs.
I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher.

No one supports a woman more than the women that measure her for a bra. Lingerie salesperson Natalee Wood shares with readers snippets of her time with customers from all walks of life that she has helped find the perfect fit. From the widowed father struggling to buy his daughter her first bra to the breast cancer survivor who shares her thoughts on life. Heartfelt and honest, Wood provides giggles and tears.

Would I have discovered this book if not for Netgalley? Probably not, but I am delighted that I gave it a chance.

Goodreads review published 25/08/19
Publication Date 03/12/19

Thanks to Netgalley and Amberjack Pubishing for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

An engaging memoir about the author's post-college years, working in the lingerie department of an unnamed, Seattle-based high-end department store (that is pretty obviously Nordstrom, at least to this Pacific Northwest-based reviewer). Woods' voice is warm, funny, and heartfelt. Each chapter begins with anecdotes from the people she met in her bra-fitting days, but she uses her retail experiences to talk about dating, friendship, female body issues, and grief over losing her mother. Every woman knows the potential stress and humiliation of bra shopping, and readers will wish they had Natalee's gentle, compassionate help to fit them.

This is author Natalee Wood’s memoir of how she opened herself to learning from her career as a professional bra fitter. She met many unforgettable women and young, rising girls in the dressing rooms of the high-end department store where she worked. Are you intrigued? I know I looked forward to reading about her job and I found this to be a satisfying read.

Ms. Woods was a young woman when she entered the retail world of ladies lingerie. I was impressed at how mature and understanding she was. She found that her job was more than just measuring a women’s band size and cup size. It was about understanding what the girls and women, young and old, were really feeling. As she noted to a customer, “not many women love bra shopping.” But they did love how Natalee treated them- how she really listened to their needs, whether they were worried about their size, too big or too small, or their husbands or their sexuality.

At first, I found some of Natalee’s observations about feminism hard to follow, and her timelines were a bit jerky, but as the book went on, I really did grow to like her caring and openness. Some of the dressing room stories are humorous or roll your eyes situations and some are sad and puzzling. Some women inspired Natalee, and me, as well. Natalee also shares the ups and downs of her own life.

I liked this book and enjoyed getting to know Natalee and her customers. I recommend this book if you like thoughtful memoirs and if you want to to learn more about French lingerie! Thanks to Net Galley and Amberjack Publishing for a digital review copy copy. This is is my honest review.

I enjoyed this memoir written by a reluctant professional bra fitter. Natalee Woods spends years in and out of the job of helping customers find a good fit and at times it feels like she's an amateur psychologist as well. Everyone has body issues to some degree and of course these come out when stripped down and trying on intimate apparel. There are funny stories as well as some heart-wrenching ones. It's not all about the job so we get to know Natalee in and out of the fitting room as she deals with the ups and downs of life. Having worked retail in the past, some of customer stories weren't too surprising, but others? Wow. Overall an entertaining read.

Thank you to Amberjack Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.