I was so excited for another body positive rom com this year! Unfortunately, this one felt way too triggering and negative. The idea that Savvy decided to change her body for "revenge" was definitely not body positive or the kind of fat rep we want to see in our books. There's nothing wrong with getting healthy, losing weight, eating right... but that she did it "for a man" is sending the wrong message. After getting 20% into the book and feeling very uncomfortable with the fat rep, I went to the reviews - and it didn't look like it was going to get any better. So I've decided to DNF this one.

Loved the character of Savvy from her description in the book--always nice when I can actually relate to a character I am reading about, but this one is a no for me. I could not find the balance in this title, one minute Savvy is cooking up a storm in her kitchen and yes the descriptions of the dishes being made were incredible but then she would be on an exercise kick and make me feel like I should be UP getting in shape not sitting and reading a book. Liked the potential for romance from the two characters but I could not finish this one.

This one was adorable! Started off pretty slow but I’m glad I kept reading. Really ended up enjoying this sweet story!

Another one to add to the favorites pile! I loved Savvy and getting to be alongside her on her journey to self-discovery!

Savvy has two choices- wallow or work. When she chooses work, it feels authentic. The new workouts, the new food goals, the positive self talk, and respecting her limits works out in spades. It always felt like I was in the kitchen or on the tennis court with her but the storyline progressed nicely.

After reading multiple reviews about this book, mostly mixed, but all with mentions of fat phobia and weight loss for wrong reasons, I feel like this is not the book for me. I wish I didn’t have to leave a star rating on this book, because I didn’t read it. I have to protect my mental health above all else and did not feel like risking it based on trusted reviews.

I was expecting a rom com when I picked this one up but instead it was much more than that. I am not even sure I would classify it as a romance, there is a steamy scene or two but the romance was much more a side story to Savvy Sheldon's development. Having been recently dumped for putting too much focus on work and not enough on herself or her personal life, Savvy starts an overhaul of her perspective of what she wants. She does start a diet and workout plan, so please be careful reading this if those are triggers for you, but I do find that it was done in a relatively healthy way of focusing on yourself and how you feel rather than just pure weight loss for a revenge body, though that phrase is mentioned.
Savvy was well written and well developed over the course of this story but I do feel like it was mis-marketed and that did affect my enjoyment.

Loved the representation in this book and hope that there's a new one in the works to read! Definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell.

However, this is going to be another DNF for me; at least for now. I was excited to read this book because the way it's pitched as a plus-size heroine getting her happily ever after (or happy for now) ending. I did read the first 80-ish pages of the book and thought it was fairly good up to that point. Having said that, the more reviews I saw about this book the more I believe it has been very mismarketed. A lot (and I mean a lot) of reviews I've seen for this book state that is is not really a romance but more of a chick-lit/revenge body story and that just doesn't appeal to me at this time. Maybe one day I'll try it again, but for now it's a DNF.

DNF @ 33%
I hate not finishing books. But I'm honestly not sure what the point of this one is? And I just don't have the time right now for that.

Pros:
I'm assuming based on marketing that there's some body positivity later on?
And the cast is diverse.

Cons:
This reads like the author really wanted to write a recipe book, and really wanted to write a fitness book, and settled for writing an excruciatingly detailed novel instead. It gives every detail short of exact measurements for every meal prepared by Savvy, and everything short of exact rep numbers for her workouts.

The concept of losing weight to get a 'revenge body' after your SO breaks up with you is, in my opinion, problematic. And while maybe further on in the book she gets to the 'loving herself' phase, it's not a journey I feel inclined to follow her on. Also, aside from telling her she's great once or twice, her friends are shown throwing themselves into her new weight-loss regime with her, without really having any real heart-to-heart talks?? If there was more than that, it was glossed over so quickly it made no impact on me as a reader.

Also why in the year 2022 are we still describing love interests by their smells. Yes we get it you think he smells nice, I have learned ZERO OTHER THINGS ABOUT HIM except that you thought he was homeless and never let that go. His DOG feels like a more fleshed out character.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to the eBook ARC, apologies for not being able to finish it.

Savvy (love that nickname) feels like a good friend (or yourself, perhaps) who needs a good shot of self-confidence, thanks to a denigrating boyfriend and lack of appreciation at work. Fortunately, she's got a wonderful support group of family and friends that see all the best in her...no matter her size.

I appreciated that Savvy was not "fixed" just by losing weight, as that would only reinforce the ex-boyfriend's opinion that that was the root of all of her issues.

Okay….let’s get down to the nitty gritty of this book. It was an okay read. Nothing spectacular or amazing. I went into this book completely blind without reading the synopsis and just decided to enjoy the book for what it was. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver the way that I expected. Savvy is in a horrible relationship and after their breakup she decides to work out and eat better to get a “revenge body.” While I don’t typically like elements like this, it did help Savvy realize how much she lost herself in the relationship and I’m not talking about physically but also mentally and emotionally. And honestly, it’s her amazing support system that reminds her that no matter what she’s an amazing person and that this weight loss journey should be for herself and her health.

Nevertheless, I think that this book was marketed incorrectly. It definitely read more like women’s fiction than a romantic comedy. Yes there was a romance with an HEA but it wasn’t the center of the book. Let’s not even talk about the constant references to the LI as being homeless. That was done in poor taste. But first and foremost, this book is about Savvy’s journey, the progress she makes in loving herself. It didn’t need the romance to be honest. He felt like a stand in for the book when it was convenient. And to be completely honest, Savvy didn’t need to be in a relationship. She realizes how consuming her last one was. She realizes how much her job uses her. She needed time to be alone and to grow. I also didn’t understand why her ex was everywhere after they broke up. I can understand one run in but after the 3rd time I felt like it got a little ridiculous.

There was just so much more that I was hoping for in this one that I didn’t get. I loved Savvy’s passion for cooking though! Every time she described food that she was making, I swear my stomach would grumble. And I love the passion she gets for living a well balanced life especially because this is something I struggle with greatly. Overall, I think that this book was okay. The writing was good but I found parts of the plot to be repetitive which made those sections feel like filler. This is definitely one of those books that has a great cover but fails to execute the story in a way that readers would draw readers in. 3 stars.

I had to DNF this one unfortunately.

I just wasn’t vibing with it, but honestly, I’m going to blame the audiobook here because it definitely didn’t do the book and favors. Ultimately, I think I just had my expectations set in the romance genre, that I didn’t back up a bit and let this book just be the contemporary it was. I enjoyed getting to know Savvy and follow her on this journey, but something just took me out of it and I’m sad I couldn’t see it through to the end.

Savvy Sheldon really got on my nerves and I didn't connect with her at all. Savvy had a crappy boyfriend who broke up with her because of her weight and that she prioritized her career over his. Like I said, he was a jerk! However I did love the supporting characters such as her best friends Joanie, Mags and especially Spencer.

Savvy was surrounded by people who poured into her and provided encouragement but she was really stuck on all of the crappy things her ex Jason said to her. I understand how hurtful it could be but she definitely needed therapy and that was never considered or introduced. Savvy was so confident in other areas of her life such as her cooking skills and her job performance but her self-esteem was in the toilet for most of the book. That didn't compute to me. There were some laugh out loud moments but then there were some instances where things were dragged out way too long. Once Savvy decided to work on herself and wanted to achieve a "revenge body" and she started tennis lessons. I got so tired of the play by plays of the volleying, backhands and services. Girl this wasn't Wimbledon!

Overall it was just okay for me and the story was missing that one piece to take it over the edge. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I really wanted to like this book, but ultimately was disappointed. I came into this expecting a body-positive romance. However, the romance fell flat for me; I'd consider this more women's fiction. More importantly, Savvy's self-doubt and internalized fat-phobia were not it. I will say that I enjoyed the writing style and her supportive family and friends. I also loved the cooking descriptions. But ultimately, the toxic diet culture, fatphobia, and lack of romance made this a bit difficult for me to read.

I received an ARC through Netgalley. Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I didn't finish this book. TBH, I'm not even sure I read enough to give it a fair shot... it's just that I put it down and I could NOT force myself to continue. Hopefully I will try again in a few months (or years) and complete the book.

So why didn't I finish?? Savvy is still with her "ex" at the beginning of the book. It's a struggle to watch her shape-shift to fit her partner who seems to low-key despise her because of how she looks. In fact the author did such an excellent job of making him look like a loser that I thought a lot less of Savvy for sticking with him. It might have been different if Savvy had left him rather than the other way around.

Savvy is working hard to keep her life on track. She's going to get the promotion at work and be secure enough in her finances to take care of herself and support her family. But then her boyfriend tells her he's breaking up with her because he needs an upgrade.
Devastated Savvy has to decide if working hard and climbing the corporate ladder is really what she wants to focus her life on.
I loved Savvy. Her drive and dedication to work and her family were admirable, but what I really loved about her was the way she struggled with relating to herself. She was such a real character and it felt like a privilege to go on her self discovery journey with her. But it was more than just a fun read, it was like holding a mirror up to my own life, making me consider the way I saw myself and how I chose to prioritize things in my life.
I loved this book and I would love to see more romance novels like it.

Savvy Sheldon is used to helping everyone in her life, but she doesn’t look after herself. Once her boyfriend breaks up for her because of her appearance, Savvy realizes it’s time for a change. She works hard at her job as an underwriter to get a promotion. She starts working out with her friends and goes to cooking classes which she loves. Savvy finally decides to give her house a much-needed renovation after meeting Spencer, a hot contractor. Savvy tries to excel at each of these new activities in her life, but then she starts to burn out. Her original motivation was to get revenge for her boyfriend breaking up with her, but then she realizes she has to make these positive changes to improve her lifestyle.

This was a fun story! Savvy was a strong woman but she didn’t always realize that. She started out wanting revenge for her boyfriend, but she quickly realized that she didn’t want him back so she wanted to improve herself for her own good. Savvy had a great support system behind her, with friends who stood by her side and family who wanted the best for her.

Though there was some romance, that wasn’t the main part of the story. This was almost a coming-of-age story for an adult because Savvy learned to improve her life throughout the story. She changed the way she ate, worked, had fun, and worked out, all things that improved her overall life. I liked that this was a revenge story that turned into Savvy improving her life for herself, not an awful ex-boyfriend.

Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell is an empowering rom com!

Thank you MIRA for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When blindsided with a breakup that is presented as being “it’s not me, it’s you”, Savvy Sheldon decides it’s time for a change. A dedicated employee and hobby home cook, Savvy realizes that she has lost herself in herself. Spurned by a need for revenge, she decides this is the perfect time for a makeover and to work for her “revenge body”. With the help of her spirited friends, Savvy gets back into tennis and is a frequent flier at her local hot yoga studio. When she decides to give her home a bit of a facelift, she meets Spencer, a handsome contractor (who Savvy previously thought was a friendly homeless man in her neighborhood). Spencer and his irresistible pup Teddy help Savvy navigate through the tough breakup, work troubles, and learning to fall in love with herself.

The premise and the story were cute, but there were some awkward holes in the storytelling that left me wanting more. The dialogue between characters often felt a bit forced. I appreciate the fact that the main character is a plus-sized woman, but it breaks my heart that much of her story is focused on feeling like she needs to change her body to be lovable. In the end she does find the love and confidence within herself, but only after she sees her slimmer and more muscular figure in the reflection. I would have loved for Savvy to find the love and validation that she sought and given up on the idea of a “revenge body” earlier on.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA and NetGalley for allowing me to read the digital ARC of this book!

First off, I requested to read based on the cover - something about it really caught my attention! However, I was not sure I enjoyed this book even though I finished it. The amount of Fat shaming and the suggestion that the way to better yourself is through changing your body did not resonate well with me. Plus the boyfriend was a jackass!)

Its great thats Savvy was about to workout and improve but by no means is this a message that supports women feeling comfortable in their own body

On the flip side the book had a great steamy side - but it was a bit unrealistic too