Rebecca is a fitness instructor who has to take over the “Be your best you” 12-week gym class aimed at brides-to-be when her co-worker gets ill. Not thrilled by the idea, she decides to put her own spin on the class, moving it away from weight loss and more in the direction of health, fitness and strength. She takes an immediate dislike to Spencer when she announces that her fiancée signed her up for the class without talking to her about it first.

In spite of the infidelity theme I really enjoyed reading this. Beers dealt with it in such a way that I didn’t find myself judging or disliking the characters. Rebecca is an all-round nice person most of the time. Spencer is on a steep learning curve and I loved the realism of her journey. I was engaged from beginning to end by good writing, tight story line and characters with depth.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I actually can’t contain my excitement over this book… I stayed up all night reading The Shape of You and then lay for a hour afterwards going over the book in my head.

Rebecca is filling in for her colleagues “Be Your Best Bride” personal training class and she isn’t happy about it. She makes a plan to turn the class around and make it fun, that is until the beautiful Spencer walks into the class and informs her that her fiancé signed her up for the class without telling her. Now Rebecca and Spencer have a clear attraction to each other but Spencer is engaged to someone else. The question is, is she really happy? And Rebecca needs to find a way to avoid Spencer if she can’t keep her fascination hidden. Can these two keep their feelings for each other under wraps when temptations are so high?

I am so blown away by The Shape of You but more so I am impressed with the author for going down the route she has on this book, it was incredibly brave. Lots of readers don’t like when protagonists have feelings for other characters while in a relationship with someone else but this book is written very cleverly. At no point did I think that Spencer belongs with her fiancé and I knew from the beginning that underneath Rebecca’s frustration was fascination and she was the perfect match for Spencer. Now if only Georgia Beers would write a book about Marti, Spencers fiancé I reckon everyone would be happy.

Initially I worried that the amount of page time focussed on the gym would be too much but in fact it was actually the setting for some of my favourite moments. In saying that, I want to commend Georgia for her empowering portrayal of personal trainers not being all about body shaming, but instead emphasising that exercise is about overall health, not just about being skinny. Yay! Go Georgia!

I love books that poke at characters inner turmoil and really puts them through the emotional ringer before they can settle on what they really want and this book pushes that limit, especially for Spencer. I probably liked her character the best; she thought by keeping life predictable she would never get her heart broken but she really didn’t expect what Rebecca could do to her, emotional and physically.

I know I always say this about Georgia Beers’ books but there is no one that writes first kisses like her. They are hot, steamy and all too much!!! But the follow through with the amazing sex scenes was just icing on the cake, I mean…. Wow!

I really enjoyed the out of the box writing that Georgia Beers has pulled off in this novel, it’s fresh, exciting and ultimately another 5 star novel!

If you've read Georgia Beers' numerous books, you probably have a favorites list. You know, the list of her books that you re-read when you need a hit of her signature low angst romance, with well-developed characters you become attached to and want to relive their romance again. Well, The Shape of You is going to play all hell with your list, and make you rethink your favorite.  From the opening pages, and the books premise, a woman whose lover signs her up for an exercise class without her knowledge, this books catches you right in the feels and does not let go. It is a must for every person out there who has struggled with self-esteem, questioned their judgment and settled for a less than perfect but safe lover. If you've ever been convinced you have to trade passion for emotional safety this book is for you. The lead characters, Spencer Thompson and Rebecca Mcall are well developed and with believable charter arcs.

Spencer's ability to stand up to Rebecca and the growth of her character over the book made me want to cheer. Spencer is a gem of a character and reminds us all that gentle souls are not weak.  I appreciated Rebecca's humanity as she struggled with her conflicting feelings about Spencer, her own personal demon's and finding a way to deal with her insecurities around dating. The pacing was perfect as always. My only complaint: I am greedy, and  I want more of Spencer and Rebecca's story. So Ms. Beers if you're listening, please think about it.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my review.

This has a good storyline and lovable characters. It took me a couple of chapters to really get into the book but once I did I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the storyline and I liked the characters. Spencer doesn’t like taking control of any situation and she has some issues from a previous relationship that she has to work out. Rebecca also has some issues. One minute she can be moody and not very nice and in the next minute she can be the nicest person that is a real sweetheart. Both characters are well developed and I also liked the secondary characters especially Nick.

This book will not be for everyone but I enjoyed it and think it is worth a read.

I didn't finish this book as it was not what I was expecting it to be. Does not mean that it was bad-- just not my cup of tea. Thank you for the opportunity. I'm sure many will enjoy it!

Well written story with an interesting mix of characters.

This was not me favorite book by Georgia Beers...I understood the process the author was going through with the characters and it flowed and made sense...maybe the characters hit too close to home, maybe the topic just bothered me. It's still well written, less humor than some of Ms. Beers books and while I didn't love this one, I look forward to more books from her.

This has been a quite entertaining story of this author. The two protagonists are Spencer and Rebecca. Spencer is a somewhat passive woman, who seems to have no personality and until the middle of the book we do not know the reason for this. This is why as a character it is a bit unpleasant, although not knowing why she acts in this way also makes her behavior incoherent in some occasions. The character of Rebecca is not presented as very nice, also, prejudging future assistants to her class of brides to be, and then despising Spencer without having real reasons to do so.

<spoiler>
It does not play in favor of this story the fact that there is an infidelity. Maybe Spencer's situation could have been treated differently, but she is always so undecided and always goes with the flow that even the outcome of her relationship with Marti she lets it go without getting honest. I do not think it's a good ending to a serious relationship.
</spoiler>

So without going into detail or moral dilemmas, this has been a book that I read quite easily, in which I thought that the role of the secondary characters could have been more important, with a controversial story that can make some people disinterested . It is not the best book by this author but it may be recommended.

<i>An ARC was sent to me from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley for an honest review </i>

I was given this book as an ARC by NetGalley and BoldStrokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

Georgia Beers is one of the most consistent and good writers that boldstrokes books has. Her books are always good and I always enjoy them. Until his one. One of my biggest pet peeves is cheating and then getting away with it. It’s not cool under any circumstances. I do not like when people cheat and then excuse it by saying they were unhappy and so that makes it okay. It is NEVER okay to cheat not even in a book. I hate cheaters.

So now that I’ve said that I actually liked the premise of this book until the cheating. I thought Spencer was a good character who had a fantastic character arc, but I thought Rebecca was a bit flat and one dimensional. She seemed very shallow. Like she was there, but there was nothing memorable about that character. I’m not sure where the chemistry between them came from, it just really didn’t seem like hey should be together. I couldn’t even enjoy the one sex scene because Spencer was cheating on Marti who seemed like she meant well. Like why should Marti suffer because Spencer had no backbone.

I like the idea of getting in shape and being healthier just for you, which is where Spencer got to eventually. I liked that. I did’nt like the Angina scene, it seemed forced and unnecessary. It didn’t add much to the story.

Not a terrible book but definitely not one of my favorites and I was so looking forward to a solid romance. This one really disappointed me.

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Grfb's review Jul 22, 2018
really liked it

** provided from NetGalley in exchange of a honest review ** Probably a 3 1/2 but I'm biased as I'm a fan of Georgia Beers and her books. I was pretty sure that I would like this one as well but it just felt less intense especially in comparison with "Blend".
The main characters are interesting and complex even though Spencer irritated me at some point especially because she didn't have the guts to confront and break up with Marti and we never really got an explanation about whether she told Marti that she cheated on her.
Georgia Beers can create sexual tension so deliciously and this book is no exception even though the sex scenes are not many (in fact there is only one) but I think Spencer especially had so many unresolved issues so it felt right that the main focus of the story was not on the sex.
The end felt a a little bit underwhelming, I think this story needed at least another chapter or two, at least to see how the main characters interact when they start dating without any obstacles of the past.
Overall a nice read, I started and finished this book in one session! Now I cannot wait for "Calendar Girl" as I love the office romances!
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I did not get why she became a follower really but I enjoyed the rest specially the humor in this book and all of the authors books. I'm not that comfortable around cheating yet it did not feel that way only because i felt like the author "intentionally or not" made us read the minimum when it comes to her real relationship and from the get go she was so distance not even trying. Around the end there was a moment where it did not make sense to me I really was saying " what ! why now !! Where did this come from !" out load. Otherwise I think everything was quite enjoyable and nice. As usual I find the writing beautiful but I'm used to Georgia so I always find her writing that way.

5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. This book is about Spencer, an assistant in a real estate office, who starts to take a bride fitness class that her fiancee, Marti, had signed her up for. Marti did not even ask Spencer if she wanted to take this class, she just signed Spencer up since she though Spencer could use a workout. She goes to the class where she meets Rebecca, the trainer who is teaching the class. Rebecca is replacing the trainer, Kara, who normally teaches it as Kara is sick. Rebecca does not treat Spencer well, as she is upset the Spencer's fiancee is the one who signed her up for the class. Spencer notices that Rebecca treats her poorly and she in turn, quits the class in a week. Rebecca gets her to come back and their relationship changes as well. Their relationship evolves and changes and both of them are unsure what to do with the change.

This book had a good evolution of story and character development. Both Spencer and Rebecca changed throughout the book with their feelings and actions for each other. You could feel their relationship changing and evolving as the book goes on. There was a point in the book where I could not stop reading and read late into the night because I did not want to put it down, which is typical for Georgia Beers novels. This book felt a little like another Georgia Beers novel I read, Thy Neighbor's Wife. I also enjoyed that book a lot so I will happily make the comparison. It's a great novel with a lot of great tension between the two characters. I love the tension.

The only criticism I could give is that I wished there was more of it, it ended in a good way. I would have liked to see more of the ending and what happened, but even with the current ending, I loved this book.

This book I would definitely recommend. Another great one by Georgia Beers. I love her books.

Yikes, just the book synopsis gives you a hint that it is going to touch a not-so-comfortable topic like infidelity, which I think the author handled very well, or as well as it could be handled in a romance novel I guess.

I really liked the story and the characters who felt like real people to me.

Another great book from Georgia Beers. Even with the subject of infidelity playing a major part in the story, I would still recommend this to any lesfic fan.

Georgia Beers is one of my favorite authors so I was really looking forward to read this one. Now, I liked the book overall speaking, but I’ve been having some issues with it while reading it. Firstly, I haven’t really felt any chemistry between the characters until about 40% of the book, nor was the book especially interesting up until that point- and that’s where it all goes better in my opinion. Things really got much better after Spencer and Rebecca started conversing more. I have to admit, even though it’s a good book, I definitely have other favorites of Georgia Beers.

Gloriously messy lives, no characters here that have it all.

This had the potential to go very wrong on several levels, but I hoped Beers could contain annoyances, I didn't expect to really, really like it.

Delightful lack of forced conflicts, well-developed characters, fun set of secondary characters. All in all very relatable.

4.5 stars

A wonderful story by Georgia Beers. It was simple yet interesting and well written. This author hates writing epilogues or any sort of chapter where the readers get an indication of what the couple did after finding domestic bliss. So yes, this one ends leaving you wanting more.

Ms. Beers’ recents books have either been a hit or a miss. This latest one, unfortunately, was a definite miss…mainly because the main character, Spencer, seemed to be so self absorbed. It was very difficult to like this character. At times, she took on the persona of a teenager complaining that the workout was hard, the instructor was mean, the instructor didn’t make eye contact with her, the instructor didn’t like her. It felt like teenage drama! Then a short time later, Spencer morphed into a hormonal teenager with lustful thoughts, acted on those thoughts, and caused the ultimate betrayal of her commitment to Marti, her hardworking lawyer fiancé, when she initiated sex with Rebecca.

Spencer also exhibited minimum commitment to her relationship with Marti. When her partner had to work late on a case, Spencer was overjoyed to have her alone time. She didn’t want to be around Marti, have conversations with her, or enjoy her company. Yet, despite her indiscretions with Rebecca, Spencer thought she had made a commitment to Marti and it was only right that she should honor it by going through with their marriage. Spencer seemed to be living in two different realities! She long ago tossed away commitment and honor by the wayside, with only a slight afterthought, by getting involved with Rebecca in the first place.

Even though the author kept pushing the reader to see her main character as being the victim of her past relationship and current one, I saw Spencer as someone who needed to grow up, be responsible for her actions, and own up to the truth to Marti about her infidelity, and lack of commitment to their two year relationship. If I saw this growth throughout the story, I might have felt differently about Spencer. However, there was not, except of course, she liked going to the gym, ironically thanks in part to Marti. I might be in the minority, but after reading this story, I felt it was Marti who deserved someone better than Spencer.

I found this book to be very drawn out and boring. There was too much dialogue, but internal and out loud. It took a lot for me to finish this book,

'ARC generously provided by NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review'

**'Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing..'

Moderate read!
2.5stars
Who needs to try reading a novelist's "major works" or "when to get married fast" when you have a book that gets deep into your head? Well,'THE SHAPE OF YOU' is not only a little bit entertaining,gym-rat readable for anyone who might be willing to also accept some snarky,criticism,little nostalgia,frustrating storylines,blah chemistry and do not mention the sad romance. Throughout the book,Ms.Beers offers practical ideas and her views during her storytelling about many women,she believes wrestles with their partner being uncommitted,unemotional or insensitive which really reflected on both Spencer & Marti's relationship. Another section in the story she also wrote as a viewpoint: misstep common to most couples is assuming that one partner should demonstrate care to her fiance in the manner she most appreciates.A woman wants a partner who is willing to put all her emotions on the table & talk straight from the heart,a caring companion,want her to risk as much as you do with intense interest in only you and not an insultated robot. Her assumption i think undervalue most women in this story because they are dealing with self-esteem,body shaming etc in their relationships. At least Rebecca did admit that she had her own lifelong battles with a fear of commitment and emotional vulnerability towards other women in her past. Some readers may feel put off with a few sudden changes or the abrupt switch of the storyline because i was. Yet the overall tone of the book is one of optimism and hope for both Rebecca & Spencer.

I really liked this one. I was hooked into the story from the beginning and found myself really caring what happened. I do want to mention though, I’m not sure this book will appeal to everyone. For one it deals with infidelity, which is not always a subject people want to read about. Also, there were some character traits that might bother some people, heck they would normally bother me, but it worked for me in this instance anyway. My point, while I really enjoyed this personally, I can see this book being a hit or miss with other people.

Spencer is getting married. When her fiancé signs her up for a bridal work-out class, Spencer goes along even though she is dreading it. At the gym, Rebecca is the trainer in charge of the class. She believes in making women strong and healthy. Spencer and Rebecca immediately get off on the wrong foot due to some of Rebecca’s personal prejudices. Rebecca can’t get over the fact Spencer is such a pusher over to go to this class when it clearly wasn’t her idea. While they continue to butt heads a spark of attraction develops; a spark that is clearly off limits with Spencer being engaged. Will these two women follow their hearts or remain only friends?

When I realized the majority of this story would be about working out in the gym, I did a little eye roll. Not that I am against exercise or being healthy, I just honestly thought I would be bored. Beers has a tendency to write about some jobs that are a little boring. In her book Right Here, Right Now, it was all about an accountant at tax time. I must admit that book really bored me at times. I have to say I was surprised how much I didn’t mind the mildly repetitive gym scenes. I was so into the story I didn’t care. I liked seeing the progress Spencer made and how the relationship between Spencer and Rebecca was changing. Heck, I’m even tempted to go sign up for a cycling class now.

When it came to the characters this is where I found a surprise. Spencer is a real pushover. Due to her life experiences she is a follower and doesn’t like to take control. She would rather appease someone than fight. Spencer is the opposite kind of person I am. And because of this I normally do Not like characters like this. But again for whatever reason her character worked for me. I understood why she was the way she was. Yes, I yelled at her multiple times while reading, but I understood her. And frankly if we only read or care about character like us, we would end up not liking stories about more than half the population. Rebecca had her own issues. She would go from moody to a sweetheart. I didn’t like these shifts but it was because she could not deal with her feelings for an engaged woman. It made sense to me and I grew to understand her character.

I can be real up or down on stories about infidelity. I just don’t always think it is handled well. Either a character that cheats is this evil character or they cheat and it is just swept under the rug. I don’t like cheating but we all know it happens and it isn’t always black and white why. I felt this book really hit that grey area. The character that cheats in this book is far from any cheating character I have read about before. And trust me as crazy as it sound, her choosing to cheat almost felt like her character was taking a step forward. Since I’m personally very against infidelity it was a little shocking the book made me feel like this.

The whole dislike to potential lovers storyline the characters went through in this book really worked for me. I enjoyed this unusual romance. I liked how the chemistry built and built. The sparks and connection were heavy at times. The first major sex scenes was pretty intense and hot because of it. The conflicted feelings I had as a reader, the whole this is wrong but it’s right, just worked for me.

Sorry this review was a little long. I know this book won’t work for everyone, but it will some. I really wanted to try to explain so you reading this can make an informed decision for you. Beers pushed the envelope a bit on this one; infidelity and not always the most likeable characters. I’m happy to say for me it worked.

I love Georgia Beers last book. Loved it! This one I was a little more skeptical of. Infidelity is a super duper hard subject for a romance novel. You know going into this book that one of our leading ladies is in a fitness class to prep for her walk down the aisle. Red flag, dangerous waters ahead! Ruh-Roh!

Spencer Thompson is just going through the motions of life. She is unhappy but unmotivated to do anything about it. Not endearing qualities, I must say. When her fiancée tells her she enrolled her in a 12 week, three times a week, bridal boot camp, Spencer is pissed, hurt and annoyed. She internalizes all of her emotion, buys a pair of sneakers and goes to class. Come on Spence, yell a little.

Rebecca McCall is the personal trainer who gets handed the 12-week bridal class after another trainer falls ill with mono. She loathes the creator of this program and is not a huge fan of the concept of the program. No matter what she is stuck with it and it's five brides-to-be. Rebecca is headstrong, confident and it totally throws her for a loop when she finds out one of the brides, Spencer, was told to take the class by her future wife. Throws her for a loop so much, she asks like a jerk for a third of the book.

Needless to say, Spencer and Rebecca totally get off on the wrong foot. They both think the other is smoking hot but Rebecca cannot get past Spencer being a doormat on taking this class. Therefore, Rebecca is overtly hostile to Spencer and everyone notices. Another endearing quality by a leading lady, yeah not so much.

While the book is good and it holds your attention, there is a spark missing. At times you feel like you're in Groundhog Day because the majority of the time the two leads interact in a fitness class. Lots of gym talk, lots of she's off-limits, plank here, a plank there and off to do it again. Plus Spencer is engaged and she is too lethargic and apathetic to stop the train wreck of a marriage. I like Spencer but at times you as the reader wanted her to wake up. I needed more passion, more heat and more qualities to endear the two characters to my heart. It just wasn't there this time. A good book, I enjoyed it, I am glad I read it, but it is not one I will come back to.