tw: fatphobia, bullying
"you don't have to do things by yourself anymore. that's the entire point of a relationship. you have me now. we're supposed to get through these things together. as a team."
~
i absolutely love crystal. she's an advocate of body positivity and we need that kind of energy and confidence. scott and crystal met at the gym and they didn't really have a good start. as much as i wanted to devour their love story, i think things have been too fast to my liking. i feel like it could've been executed and written differently.
~
there were some times that i liked scott and crystal, but the other times, i felt like they were just forced to have an interaction. i liked the other elements of the story than the romance itself. overall, this book's very easy to read and some parts were quite enjoyable. :)

Chrystal Chen is a curvy fitness Instagram influencer. She meets hot fireman Scott in the gym and fireworks spark. In this enemies to lovers tale, the author relies heavily on goofy jokes and unbelievable scenarios. While Chrystal’s message of loving yourself despite your fitness level, size or ethnicity rings positive and encouraging to read, her dialogue is eye-rollingly absurd. I mean, akin to your dad “dabbing” in front of your friends absurd. Scott, who is literally too good to be true, however hits the mark as handsome and loving, standing by her even when she is unreasonable. This at times steamy love story misses most marks, but it does get an “A” for effort in attempting to show a plus sized, minority protagonist.

This debut contemporary romance is full of positive messages and mostly extremely well-written characters. I loved that Crystal showed incredible growth throughout the story. She wasn’t just a perfect influencer that had body positivity all figured out–she was a real person with plenty of her own insecurities that she hid from her followers.

Scott didn’t have nearly as much personal growth as Crystal. His character was a little less well-developed, and I would have liked to see a little more of what makes him tick. I also feel like the way he was written contradicted itself a little bit: in some scenes, he was the smug, confident gym bro who wasn’t used to people telling him no, but in other scenes he was too awkward to even have a conversation with Crystal.

The beginning of the book had amazing banter between the two MCs, and I loved the scenes in the gym. Unfortunately, once they get together, the steam drops off. I wish the enemies-to-lovers trope played out a little more, as they seemed to go from enemies to friends really quickly, and eventually friends to lovers.

Overall I thought this was a really good debut, and I will certainly be looking out for more books by this author in the future.

This debut novel is an excellent romcom that tackles important topics around body positivity, the toxicity of body positivity culture, mental health, and the negative sides to being on social media.

Amy gives an excellent author’s note at the beginning of this book that provides content and trigger warnings, and even encourages readers to prioritize their mental and physical health before reading the book because even though 90% of this book is a very fun and light hearted romance, it does deal a lot with how we view ourselves and our physical bodies, and that can be very hard and triggering for many readers (including myself). I felt that this note and Amy’s willingness to include it at the beginning was appropriate and very admirable!

Set on You is your classic enemies to friends to lovers trope and one that I found to be really enjoyable to read! Our main characters are gym nemesis and it quickly turns into lust. But when they realize their respective grandparents are getting married, they have to call a truce. It’s hard because their chemistry and banter is off the charts, and each is healing from a breakup that has them vulnerable to trust issues.

The banter was wonderful and the steam was SO SPICY IN THE BEST OF WAYS! I absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a quick romcom and also has an added interest in what it’s like to be an influencer and navigating that world!

This book is a delight! I loved the romance and the characters. Set on You is my first Amy Lea book, but certainly won't be my last!

This title has a strong beginning using the enemies to lovers trope. I loved the run ins and gym interactions. The locker room barge in situation was everything!! I also loved how they began to know each other outside of the gym and the family connection.

Other aspects I love are the body positivity and social media references. I do wish the character would have grown more or asked for help in the social media blow up at the end. I think accepting help would have shown more character growth.

Overall, I enjoyed this title and would recommend!

A gym nemesis pushes a fitness influencer to the max in Amy Lea’s steamy debut romantic comedy.

Curvy fitness influencer Crystal Chen built her career shattering gym stereotypes and mostly ignoring the trolls. After her recent breakup, she has little stamina left for men, instead finding solace in the gym – her place of power and positivity.

Enter firefighter Scott Ritchie, the smug new gym patron who routinely steals her favorite squat rack. Sparks fly as these ultra-competitive foes battle for gym domination. But after a series of escalating jabs, the last thing they expect is to run into each other at their grandparents'' engagement party.

In the lead up to their grandparents'' wedding, Crystal discovers there’s a soft heart under Scott’s muscled exterior. Bonding over family, fitness, and cheesy pick-up lines, they just might have found her swolemate. But when a photo of them goes viral, savage internet trolls put their budding relationship to the ultimate test of strength.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I think the best romance novels are about more than "just" the romantic relationship between two (or more) people. In Set on You, we don't just get the (delicious, delightful) romance between Crystal and Scott, we also get to go with Crystal on her journey of self-discovery and the difference between body positivity and body acceptance. I love that Crystal is a plus-sized heroine who is into fitness, but the book is NOT about her wanting or needing to lose weight. She goes to the gym and lifts because it makes her feel good, and she loves seeing herself get stronger and stronger.

Definitely read this if you're into:
*enemies to friends to lovers
*plus-sized heroines
*fitness fun and sexy gym-times
*Hemsworth look-a-likes
*secret cinnamon rolls
*elderly folks in love

Set on You made me laugh. The banter between Crystal and Scott is hilarious and I enjoyed their "enemies" phase at the gym. Scott is pretty dang great and I was disappointed at how Crystal handled some situations with him, but of course we can't have a romcom without conflict. I love a good flirt and these two were pretty cute. As a curvy fitness influencer, Crystal's perspective about her body and her place in the fitness world was pretty interesting. I liked that she was a social media influencer because the content felt relatable even though most people don't have the social media following that she has. I was a bit surprised by how she handled the major problem but I guess it made sense for her character. Overall, I think the humor and the dialogue is what hooked me into this book. I started the book with the audio and then finished by reading the digital copy because I was too impatient to wait for the next time I could listen.
Thank you to Berkley Romance for the digital ARC and to PRHAudio for the free audiobook. All thoughts are my own opinion.

Set On You was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and I'm so glad to say that it delivered!

I really loved this story. The characters were great, the romance was swoonworthy, the enemies-to-lovers storyline worked perfectly and the body positivity was on point. Everything about this story just worked for me, and I'm so glad that it lived up to my expectations. Plus, the Chris Evans vibes were just pure perfection!

The writing was also so enjoyable in this book. Amy Lea's writing style just flowed for me, and I loved every second.

I'm super excited to see what comes next for Amy Lea in her next book, Exes and Oh's. If it's anything like Set On You, I know that I'm going to love it.

*4.5 stars

This was just what I wanted. It’s sweet, romantic, important and funny. Crystal and Scott are such real characters and perfectly shine on the page. They are so real and flawed but work together to find their way to one another. The themes and messages of the book are so important in this day and age. I love that both Scott and Crystal have their flaws and miscommunications but don’t let that stop them and their love. The passion and romance are perfect in this book, I wish I could have more!

Set on You is Amy Lea’s debut. This romcom is an enemies-turned-friends-turned-lovers trope and explores themes of fitness, family dynamics, self love, and social media influencer life. The author touches upon heavy subjects (body shaming, cyber bullying, racism, cancer) throughout the story and I appreciated her author’s note in the beginning. I loved the slow burn romance between Crystal and Scott and their banter. The side characters especially Crystal and Scott’s grandparents are adorable and love their subplot. I also really loved how the author portrayed Crystal. Not only is Crystal confident and self loving, but she also has her doubts and insecurities as well. The only part that I wish we had was Scott’s perspective so we could dive more into his outgoing introvert personality. Overall, I enjoyed this one and would recommend to anyone who loves reading romcoms!

Loved it!! Solid debut and can't wait for more from Amy Lea. Almost made me want to go work out...almost 😆

I love nothing more than an author smashing their debut! Have you heard me say this before? Yes, yes you have!

This was such an amazing read. I loved the banter, the amazing characters, the friendships, the diversity, the messaging of self love and acceptance and the positive positioning of therapy. This is another one to add your list of body positive romcoms.

Set in You is enemies to lovers done right. Loved Scotty after those layers were peeled away 🥰

Another thing I loved? The mentions that Bookstagram got in the story because fun fact...Amy Lea herself is a Canadian Bookstagrammer 😀

This one is steamy for those who likes to know this information.

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the US...add this to your tbr list and celebrate this amazing author and characters.

Thanks to Berkley Romance for an eARC.

A curvy fitness influencer and a firefighter are gym rivals in this excellent debut book. Crystal and Scott's chemistry? Unmatched. I loved their journey from being bitter gym rivals to falling in love - it felt really organic and natural. I also really enjoyed Crystal's journey to self acceptance and away from toxic influencer culture. If you're looking for a new autobuy author, Amy Lea might just be the one.

Many thanks to Berkley Romance for gifting an advanced review copy of this book!

Romance Tropes: Enemies to lovers with a smidge of miscommunication

Steam Rating: PG13: definitely a romance but leans more towards a sweet/clean romance with a smidge of steam. There’s tension and romance but does not contain overly descriptive bedrooms scenes.

Review Notes: I loved the complexities of the characters and loved the way the author addresses important topics of health and wellness with a focus on self acceptance rather than self love. You can’t always love yourself 100% of the time and you shouldn’t be made to feel bad about yourself for it. You do need to take care of yourself, but it’s up to you to determine what that is and how that looks. Everyone has rough days and moments of doubt. It doesn’t mean you’re weak. You have to allow yourself those moments for reflection. Therapy is great too! We need to continue to destigmatize the taboo around talking about mental health and wellness.

I enjoyed the dynamics in the relationships in this book. I liked the conversation brought up that it’s not just about her. Relationships involve two people and they have to be able to communicate and be on the same team, supporting one another.

Theme: The idea that being healthy isn’t just about someone’s size and weight. It’s about mindset and mental health and the things you do to be healthy. Eating and living a healthy lifestyle to help avoid preventable illnesses is a big one. Body positivity is great but you have to have a healthy mindset and allow yourself to accept and love yourself. Take care of yourself!

Theme: Destigmatizing and demystifying the gym for people who don’t feel like they belong.

Side note: I recently read Healthy As F*ck and this book resonated with some of my takeaways from that book. You get to choose how healthy you want to be and what that looks like. We don’t all need to be a size zero but we also do still need to give consideration to our health/nutrition and how we move our bodies.

Recommendation: Set On You is a wonderful rom-com debut and I highly recommend it: Amy Lea should be on your authors to watch list! If you get the feels reading sweet author dedications, make sure you read this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for this review copy. This review will also be posted to my Goodreads page. Crystal Chen is a fitness enthusiast and social media influencer. When a new user of the gym rudely steals her favorite squat rack, she has a new gym foe. Then she runs into her new nemesis at her grandmother's engagement party. It turns out he's related to the man her grandmother will be marrying. The two become closer and develop a bond. I enjoyed this novel- and I enjoyed reading about a person with a healthy relationship to working out and personal fitness. Overall, I liked the cute story. It was unique in the offerings of romance novels that are out there.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Chinese-American curvy fitness influencer Crystal Chen has built her career shattering gym stereotypes and promoting body positivity to her thousands of followers. The gym is her sanctuary, until the hunky new patron, firefighter Scott Ritchie, commits the ultimate faux pas: he steals her favorite squat rack. Sparks fly as their feud reaches new heights, and when they discover that their grandparents are engaged, they unexpectedly start to bond over fitness (duh), family, and being homebodies. But when a picture of them on Crystal’s instagram goes viral, strangers suddenly have all sorts of opinions, good, bad, and ugly, about their relationship, putting it to the ultimate test.

This book is so very special to me because Amy was one of the first people that I followed on bookstagram *before* she announced her book deal, and gosh, now I get to gush about her 👏 debut 👏 novel 👏 This little corner of the internet is truly special 😍 I loved everything about this contemporary rom-com: the heart-pounding slow-burn tension, the swoonworthy enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance, and the depiction of diverse characters that don’t conform to mainstream beauty standards. I loved that Amy wrote a book that celebrates body acceptance and self-love, while also acknowledging that “self-love” isn’t the end-all be-all. She depicted a beautiful heroine that loves and respects herself, but also sometimes struggles with these very things. She reminds her us that we are all imperfectly perfect and are all deserving of love, from ourselves and others.

Have you ever struggled with your weight?

Have you ever felt intimidated by the gym?

Have you ever been dissatisfied with how you look and feel about yourself?

Have you ever felt judged by your appearance?

Have you struggled with the concept of body positivity in a society that worships size zeroes?

Get. This. Book.

Crystal Chen is a curvy fitness influencer with a large following on Instagram. She believes strongly in her message of body positivity and does her best to focus on her loyal followers and not be bothered by the rude
comments of Internet trolls.

When she meets Scott Ritchie at the gym, it's definitely not love at first sight. He's a smolderingly hot firefighter with an entitled attitude. They spar with each other over gym equipment, proper machine etiquette, and everything else.

However, when they realize that Crystal's grandmother is engaged to Scott's grandfather, they are thrown together in social situations and their "enemies to
lovers" trope becomes a real romance.

When Crystal posts a beach photo of her and Scott to introduce her relationship to her followers, she's jolted by the negativity that comes her way and Scott's.

Strangers call Scott a "chubby chaser" and assure Crystal that there is no way a hot guy like Scott could truly be into her.

Paralyzed by self-doubt and low self-esteem, Crystal must decide how to navigate this viral moment and if she and Scott have the stamina to withstand this very real test of their relationship.

Lea tackles these important themes with insight and heart, never shying away from these challenging issues of weight and worth.

Crystal and Scott's romance unfolds into a beautiful and reflective love story, definitely deserving a spot on your TBR!

I really wanted to love this book! An AAPI author, the main character is half-Chinese, plus size, and a fitness influencer. I enjoyed this but just didn't love it. This may very well be a not the right book at the right time. I also just don't love influencers as main characters and may be burned out from this type of character. I can't pinpoint it but also felt the enemies part was so forced and disingenuous. There is also a LOT of Lululemon mentioned in this book. The main lead character was very quick to believe the worst of him and her dismissal of him was off putting as well.

Not going to lie I'm conflicted on this book. I really, really wanted to like it. I mean a plus size fitness influencer?!? Yes please! And she's half Chinese, so there's even more reason to love this book. There's so many layered elements to this novel that it's phenomenal.

However, I just couldn't get into it at all. I think this is more because it was not the right book at the right time situation. I'll be completely honest. I do want to try it again, but I think in a few months when perhaps I'll be in a better headspace for this kind of novel.

I think where I had issues with it is that it's in first person POV of just Crystal and honestly I couldn't get into the flow of Lea's writing. I so badly wanted to. And I'm not saying that it's bad writing at all, I just think it wasn't right for me right now. I hope to come back and rewrite this review because it deserves a better one. Plus the whole setting up of the enemies part felt weird? Like who does that and it took time to like Scott. I don't know.

And I am so looking forward to Lea's future novels as well. While right now wasn't the time for me, I think that her writing and these stories are phenomenal to have and I cannot wait for that moment when I can enjoy them.