DNF @13%
2020; Dial Press Trade Paperback/Random House Publishing Group

One summer I was bored and was sucked into the last half of Bachelor in Paradise. I have never really tried to watch the Bachelor before then. I never liked the premise of the show...group dates just makes me uncomfortable. Not that there is a few people on a date with one person, but that these few people were vying for the number one spot. I am not competitive, and especially for someone's attention. I would never want to be an option. Anyway, after watching a few shows of BIP I did wonder if maybe my tastes were changing...and spoiler alert, they haven't. I forwarded the cringey parts, which end up being the whole episode. As I follow some celebrity news accounts on my IG, I unfortunately know way more about the Kardashians and Bachelor franchise than I really want to know. Honestly, many of the contestants look a lot alike, except in skin shades. It seems for fame, money and sport, instead of love. Maybe I am too much of a romantic. 

My rant there does have to do with this review, shockingly enough. One to Watch takes a plus-size influencer and puts her in a Bachelor-like show. Other than being plus size, Bea seems like every other contestant on The Bachelor. Men, like those on the Bachelorette, are pitted against one another for her attention and to win. Bea struggles with her looks and being plus sized, and I do hope that she does gain more confidence towards the end. I felt like Bea lacked body positivity inwards and outwards. I know some loved this novel, and from reviews those readers it seems like they are fans of The Bachelor. I would say if you enjoy the show, you have a better chance of enjoying this one. Definitely check out other reviews to see how other readers felt about this one. I do bring my own biases.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

A fun and darling romance that I will recommend to those who like Jasmine Guillory and Emily Henry. It will definitely be interesting for my stores based in LA!

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light and fun read that also touches on important social issues that we face today. Great for anyone who is a fan of pop culture.

I love the Bachelor franchise and was really in the mood for a comedy but this book fell flat for me and I had a really hard time making myself read it.  I didn't really relate to the main character and she didn't feel authentic.  Perhaps I'm just the wrong audience.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview! 

I really loved this book! I never watch dating shows but reading about one sure was fun! Bea was smart and sassy, sure she could have been more confident but who can fault her.  Everyone has things that drive them crazy! Sure I was a lot disappointed in the suitors nasty comments and bad behavior but again it's reality tv.  Bea grew so much over the course of the story and I was happy she got her happy ending.  I want to avoid spoilers but seriously pick up this book!  There is adventure and scandal and you will not be able to put it down!

Oh my, my, my. This book gave me sighs of happiness at the end. This entire book filled me with so many emotions that I have just fallen in love with this story.  I laughed, I cried (several times), I got angry and characters and found some characters that I would like to have as best friends. 

A plus-sized fashion blogger, Bea,  is invited to be the lead in a bachelorette-style TV Show where she is paired with twenty or so men who will all compete for the ultimate prize – her affection and her hand in marriage.  Or will they?  Will having a plus-size leading lady be a good fit for all?  I’ll tell you right now - the answer is no.

This book doesn’t shy away from characters who are total jerks, who fat-shame women and who are basically dumb-neanderthals.  Oof, some of the comments hurled at Bea are really hard to hear, especially since we probably all know people in real life who fat-shame women.  

The book also doesn’t shy away from discussing the realities of being overweight in a world that celebrates skinny. The challenges in finding clothes that fit, find self-confidence, finding a partner who appreciates curves and finding true happiness and self-acceptance.

The dating game show is a fun setting for this story and I had flashbacks of watching the first season of The Bachelorette and became totally engrossed in this book.  I couldn’t wait to get back to the story to see what would happen on the next episode (chapter). 

Beyond the romantic dates and fabulous locations though, this story is about a woman who seeks to find acceptance, not from a man but from herself.  And as is the case in most romantic stories, knowing who you can trust and who you can’t, is an important theme as well. Loved, loved, loved this book!

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing this book. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy and all views expressed are only my honest opinion.

ONE TO WATCH is quite the debut novel from Stayman-London. It is a smart and honest look at dating and finding true romance. Though the book is completely enjoyable, it does push past stereotypes and gives its main character dimension.

I confess - I've never watched a full episode of The Bachelor or anything similar. I watched part of one episode once, just enough to know it wasn't for me. Of course, I've seen plenty of previews, and I have to say that I agree with Bea, there's a noticeable lack of 'body diversity' on those shows. I think that's why this book appealed to me. I was hoping for a witty story that maybe even poked a little fun at some of those shows. And it is certainly entertaining. Bea is a terrific character and so easy to like. The story is very well done, and I really think Kate Stayman-London has done a great job of making this one something that will appeal to those who love the dating shows as well as those who don't, like myself. I wasn't all in with romance. I feel like the potential was there, but something just didn't work for me. Nevertheless, the story is engaging and funny, and there are plenty of feels thrown in to get us invested in Bea's journey, so I really didn't need a big dramatic love story to keep me turning the pages. Bea does that all on her own.

I'm not really a fan of  The Bachelor but I enjoyed this book! It was such a fun, hard-to-put-down, quick, rom-com read!

Such a fun read with inclusive messaging. I loved the way the author included blog posts, texts, and emails to round out the story. The dialogue and those extras made it a dynamic read, rather than all one POV.

4.5 stars. 

For someone that’s not even a fan of The Bachelor, I REALLY enjoyed this book! It was such a fun, hard-to-put-down, quick, rom-com read! Absolutely loved Bea, from start to finish & how honest and realistic she was. The writing was superb - witty and hilarious - and the way the story itself was written kept me reading and reading and reading. Definitely look forward to more from this author - I love her so much already! 

Thank you so much to Dial Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely love this book. The characters and the plotline were so good. I highly recommend this book.

Fun, but nothing memorable. Recommend this one on audiobook! If you're a bachelor fan, you'll definitely like this one. I appreciate books that have the "not so typical" leading lady. Bea was a character that I appreciated reading about!

I at one point received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. So thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review! 

This book had two things it tried to accomplish - a fun slightly different look at a romcom, and that newish genre of body positive romance. Overall, I'm not sure if it did either too much justice. Overall, I'd give it a 3.5/5 stars because I am a sucker for happy endings.

I always enjoy Bachelorette type media, especially as someone who doesn't like the Bachelor/ette. I really enjoyed how easy and quick it was to read?

But here's the thing that bothers me so much: body positivity has to start internally. And our lead, Bea, is incredibly insecure! And has always been! And I get that, I really do. But it's too cliche for me in the end. I want a different kind of insecurity - I don't want afraid to have sex with the lights on, I don't want didn't go to prom because she couldn't find a dress (you could, Bea. We're the same age.) If anything, this book seemed to try to reaffirm these insecurities I've moved past in life? Like Bea, I'm next level insecure. Get up here. 

There's a lot of diversity presented here, more as if the author is looking to secure some points by being diverse, rather than actually creating well rounded diverse characters? Like I read through a summary of this book since it's been a minute since I've finished this book, and I had forgotten the gender fluid kid character. I DID remember the token black guy that you forget is black until you're told again he's black. I also did remember the asexual character, mostly because I thought it was a cool twist? 

Overall, I am not likely to read this again, but it did its job in 2020 of distracting me from the world falling apart.

I adored this funny and insightful romantic comedy. Playing off the Bachelor, this novel sitll felt new and exciting to read. Highly reccomend.

What a terrific book. Confession: Watching The Bachelorette and The Bachelor is my guilty pleasure. This book about a larger-sized blogger becoming "the bachelorette" was great chic lit! I am not a chic lit reader but I needed something light to read and this book perfectly fit the bill. I will be recommending this to my friends! What a fun ride!!

I really enjoyed this book! It was very reality tv, funny, smart, and exciting. I loved seeing a plus sized woman struggle with nearly the exact same things I do. Even after working on self-love! I can understand some of the criticism, that Bea wasn’t more confident, was pretty terrified at times actually, but I totally felt that. It’s like, we are women both pushing back against the societal expectations of size and beauty, and learning we are equally as deserving of love and respect. I’m sorry, but sometimes that is just hard! At 30, the age of the main character, I felt really good about myself, but I definitely still had insecurities. Those things don’t just go away forever, especially if you’re a character on a reality show, where you don’t know the true intentions of the others, which is being watched by literally millions of people, but then also being subjected to dudes treating her like shit to her face?! Yeah, that might be triggering. Of course there was some cheesy/cute lovey dovey moments, but what did you expect? She’s there to find love!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC!

I am newly addicted to reality TV, and I enjoy books that kindly portray underrepresented women. I laughed out loud so many times reading this heartwarming book, which was the perfect complement to hours of The Real Housewives of (EVERYWHERE tbh) that brought me through the COVID epidemic.

3.75, bumped up to 4 solely because there were no less than 3 taylor swift references and I respect that.

This was a cute, bingey romance. I liked the structure of it and i really liked Bea as a protagonist. Watching her slowly let her guard down and open herself up to being vulnerable was really nice. 
A criticism: I get that Bea’s fatness is essentially the point of the plot, but I wish it wasn’t the WHOLE plot if that makes sense. I felt like every conversation just kept circling the drain and reiterating that she’s fat. I also wish we got more Marin because best friend shit is the best.

The first thing that grabbed me in wanting to read One To Watch was the concept of body positivity combined with a Bachelorette type reality show. Sold!

It was such a fun read, and everything I hoped it would be. Bea Schumacher, popular plus-sized fashion blogger is true perfection when it comes to characters. She’s confident and genuine and overall likeable.

I loved seeing the message of self worth woven throughout, and this was just such a fun, enjoyable read!

*many thanks to Dial Press for the gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own