Alison Bliss once again shows us you can’t judge a book by its cover, and you can’t live in Granite, Texas without falling in love. I was so happy to see another book from this amazing writer, and she did not disappoint!
While the romance was what I came for, our heroines journey of becoming healthier mentally and physically is what really resonated with me. Finding her own self-worth, and getting over the traumas in her life, was a joy to read.
That’s not to say the romance wasn’t fun as well! And downright steamy at times! If Granite existed I’d be booking a flight there myself. I can’t wait to read more about the rest of the single men in this town!

3.5 but worth the round up.
I'm a sucker for a story about a girl with some self image and self esteem issues. So relatable. Through a supporting, encouraging man in the mix - I'm in!
Preslee receives a phone call from her dr - she needs to change her lifestyle or her health will decline. Shortly after, she joins a gym. Though the gym may not want her - Preslee falls and scraps her knee, literally body slams against the owner. While filming her antiquing vlog on the stairmaster, Preslee accidently ups the workout.
Adam rushes to her help- and offers his personal training services for free. Though he fails to mention he hopes Preslee keeps vlogging about his gym.
Great romantic story about two people attracted to each other, trying to stay professional and reaching their goals.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for an ARC of Out of the Blue by Alison Bliss in exchange for my honest opinion. This book comes out on Tuesday, 2/1, and it is the fourth book in a series (which I didn't realize when requesting/reading). I did not feel like I was missing anything by not having read the previous books in the series.
I was so excited to get this ARC that I started reading it right away. It's a quick read, centered around an antiques dealer named Preslee (yes, her parents were Elvis fans) who wants to start working out and losing weight for health reasons. She joins her small-town gym and the owner offers to train her. Her training leads to fake dating to make the coworker she's interested in jealous. She has a gym mishap that goes viral which is such a fun way to start the book!
There is an overarching theme of the dangers of prejudice, both known and implicit. I enjoyed how both main characters described how they had felt judged because of their outward appearance.
Overall, this is a cute romance with a few steamy scenes. As a girl whose weight has fluctuated over the years, a few of the scenes were a little hard to stomach in that I don't feel like they were portrayed in a positive way. The ending didn't jive with me, either - I think it was a little too unrealistic compared to the rest of the book.

I hate DNFing books, and this one was tough because it was cute with a promising romance. But, as a plus size woman who’s only just finding comfort in her own body, I found myself miserable reading about a fat girl focused on weight loss.

The reasoning behind her goals is fine, and I understand what the author wanted to do here by writing her own weight loss journey when the threat of diabetes became a reality. I just found myself in almost a panic by the time Adam was clearing out ALL the junk food from her Preslee’s cabinets because I’ve done that too many times to count.

I did love the beginnings of their romance though, so I’m going to look for another book by this author to read instead. I have a feeling I’ll love her writing with a different story!

This book had me in stitches. I read most of this on a plane and I am sure my neighbor probably thought I was crazy a few times. The steam also had me pulling my hood up to cover up any blushing. Truly a great mix of comedy, romance, steam & real life. Out of the Blue is the fourth book in The Perfect Fit Series. I had not read any of the previous ones (don’t worry, I’ll be fixing that) and it doesn’t seem like you need to have read them to enjoy this book.

One accidental viral vlog changed everything for Preslee. After getting health news that was concerning, Preslee decides to hit the gym and make a lifestyle change. The only issue is that she has never worked out in a gym before. However, her first session at the gym resulted in the stair stepper attacking back and having to be saved by the gym owner, Adam, which was all caught on her vlog. While Presley was mortified, so many could relate to her journey and while she didn’t want to go back, learning that Josh, her crush, also trains at the same gym, she decides to return. Only this time, she has Adam offering her training sessions. He also offers to flirt with her to get Josh’s attention and make him jealous. The only issue is the line of pretend and real flirting between Adam and Preslee becomes a little fuzzy as they continues on her training journey.

One thing I loved about this book is that it was relatable. I’ve been the “heavier” woman at the gym feeling uncomfortable so many times. I appreciated how her entire journey was presented. The author touched on mental health, diet and strength/cardio. This honestly was a 5 cat book until the very end. Without giving away too much, I just didn’t like how everything just magically seemed okay. Of course we always want that HEA, but the ending was the one part just that just seemed a bit rushed and took away a bit. Otherwise, I very much enjoyed this one and highly recommend it!

This book is out on February 1st, so you don’t have to wait long before you can snag it!

Thank you to Net Galley, Forever Publishing and Alison Bliss for this advanced copy in exchange for my review.

On the Cat Scale:
😸😸😸😸

True Rating: 2.5 stars

Alright, so I have read all 4 of the books in this series from this author. 2 have been hits, and the other 2 have been misses. Sadly, this one was a miss for me. The way that this one has on page disordered eating that is never truly discussed hurts me a lot. As a plus sized woman, who has disordered eating, this was somewhat triggering, so please tread carefully.
Now, I did appreciate the hero trying to help her do things in a healthier way, because he actually cares about her. I still struggled with all of the weight loss being centered on getting a guy. So sadly, this is not a new favorite for me, and that makes me sad. Books 2 and 3 in this series were truly amazing for me though, so I would recommend checking those out.

I feel this is like a 3+ book. It's a nice, feel-good romantic comedy that offers a plus as a social critic against prejudice as well as a good story about finding the balance between being active in losing weight and doing it healthily—with a great incentive of a hottie for a personal trainer.

The story is told in third person from two alternating points of view, Preslee and Adam. Preslee needs to lose weight for her health, and Adam needs to save his gym. When Preslee's video in his gym goes viral, Adam's friend convinces him that making her do more videos while showing her progress in weight loss could be the solution to his problems, and they bet on whether Preslee will achieve her goal. However, Preslee doesn't know that when she agrees to having Adam as her trainer and vlogging her progress.

There is a lot of information and the way it's written even made me considering going into a gym, even if the possibility of catching an Adam is very slim. That much is fun. The two are also a good match and Adam's flaws aren't unforgivable (I mean, him making the bet) as it's very clear that's the last thing he's thinking about and the bet sounds more like an excuse for him to get closer to Preslee, which I found a clever way to use the bet trope without making your better into a jerk.

My problem with the book was that it dragged. We knew where it was going and it was easy to see all the stops along the way. Maybe it needed more excitement? More challenges to their romance? I can't point out, but while I approve of the couple, I didn't feel invested. They liked each other from day one, and that was it, no thrill.

I recommend this to anyone who likes romance. It does have a lot to offer that goes beyond what you'd expect from a romance, even if it could have been more exciting.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Out of The Blue is book 4 in the A Perfect Fit series . Alison Bliss has a way of tugging on your emotions and also making you laugh all at the same time.
When Preslee learns she is prediabetic she is determined to make healthier choices. She joins a gym in hopes of losing weight and immediately meets Adam, the gym owner. Adam offers to train her as a bet but finds himself really falling for Preslee. Preslee thinks that since she is a bigger girl that she has no chance with the hot trainer.
Alison does a great job reiterating that Preslee is working out and losing weight to better herself . Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC for my honest opinion.

Preslee has just gone to the doctor and he's advised her that she is prediabetic and that she needs to make some lifestyle changes or there is a good chance she's going to become diabetic. He advises her to start eating healthier and live a more active lifestyle. Preslee decides she is going to join the local gym to get fit which she is dreading. She starts her health journey with the personal trainer who owns the gym who is supportive and kind. She has a hard time believing that he is really that caring and kind. Preslee is self-conscious and struggles with her self esteem and keeps everyone at a distance.

The book was paced well and had a cute story about a plus-sized woman who is struggling with her self esteem and her body image. The story revolves around Preslee's journey of weight loss and fitness on this path she begins to open up and develop friendships. The story is a bit corny as many romcoms are but a good distraction that will make you feel warm inside as the story moves forward and Preslee faces her challenges as we all do. I would rate this story around 7/10. This book would be such a cute Hallmark movie.

Preslee and her journey!

Preslee Owens never intended to set foot inside a gym but that changed when she found out that she was prediabetic during her last doctor’s appointment. Preslee decided to join the Body Shop owned by Adam Caldwell, but everything went wrong when she decided to do a video for the antique business on the stair-climber that accidently went viral increasing the membership.

I loved how the author shows how self-conscious people can be in a new place especially a gym when they feel that they are not the usual clientele, but Preslee did return to the gym continuing her journey for herself getting the cute gym owner in the end that they both had to work for.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Preslee is sharp and quick witted yet she struggles feeling confident in her own skin. After a recent heath scare she joins a gym where she unintentionally live broadcasted her disastrous first meeting with the stair climber and her rescue by gym owner Adam. Determined to throw in the towel, Preslee is persuaded by Adam to allow him to become her trainer to meet her fitness goals and help her attract her crush’s attention. While Preslee loses the weight she gains confidence in herself and her ability to follow through with her goals all well unknowingly falling for her trainer. Preslee is certain Adam could never feel the same way but she’s in for the surprise of her life when Adam shows his truth.

Preslee is so relatable. Whether you struggle with your weight or not, there’s always something that weighs on our conscience that makes you doubt yourself or others. Preslee’s desires to improve her own lifestyle for herself is the right reason for everything and it helped her so much to have Adam in her corner giving her support. Adam enlightened Preslee by showing her that no matter what you look like there are always going to be people who will judge you before getting to know you and when they do that it’s their loss. Everyone has struggles and having friends and family who love and support you makes all the difference.

Thank you @readforeverpub and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for an arc of Out of the Blue. I really enjoyed the first half of this book, but a lot of elements just didn't quite work for me.

I love books with plus size female leads (Olivia Dade and Denise Williams, are two favorites) but somehow this wasn't on their level for me. I'm not sure quite what it was. I realize this is the fourth in a series so maybe I'm missing something. Preslee seemed down on herself for always being left and not having any friends, but it seemed like she did?

When Preslee and Adam finally got back together and he asked her to propose, it seemed random and really out of place. There were so many double standards (which Adam called out) about fit men only liking/dating a certain type of women.

I liked Adam and Preslee's connection and their friendly banter. They seemed to genuinely care for each other.

I enjoyed the concept of this book and really wanted to love it. For me though Preslee had an overwhelming amount negativity and self-esteem issues that sometimes took me out of the story. Also, I really wasn’t a fan of the bet that was placed between Kurt and Adam. I felt Preslee was in an already vulnerable place and it was a complete violation of her trust.

I like the authors writing style and the fact that she writes about plus sized characters. I will be looking into her previous books to see if maybe one of her other books resonates with me better.

I want to thank NetGalley, Alison Bliss and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

I stayed up a long time thinking about how I wanted to review this book, and the answer is, I'm still not sure. I didn't dislike to book, but I struggled with a bit of the content. As the story goes, Preslee is "curvaceous" and prediabetic so she joins a gym... as luck would have it, her trainer is hot.... I think you can fill in the blanks.

As a plus -sized woman I liked the idea of a gorgeous guy falling for a curvy girl. But as the book addresses (in detail) about how this is a legit thing that happens, I struggled to believe it. But I realize that's MY issue. Not the books. Society has been forever placing these demands on what a women must look like in order to get the guy, and quite frankly they're ridiculous. And because of it, women like me don't always feel comfortable in their bodies. However, I must have done something right, because as my husband and I went to bed last night, he blurted out, "I love your curves!" I don't know how he knew that I needed to hear that... but that's my man!

So I guess, overall, I did enjoy the book. It gave me lots to think about and challenged my thinking and my self-esteem issues. Personally, I think that's a sign of a well written book.

If I were to have one real complaint about the book, it would be that the title and cover don't seem to match the actual content of the book. But that's just my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

3.5/5 stars.

I got a few chapters into this and couldnt continue. I didnt enjoy a lot of the fat-shaming the MC did to herself, it could and may be realistic but it felt overdone and i lost interest

Preslee is determined to get her health under control and decides to go to the gym for the first time... ever. Her extreme klutziness doesn't help matters as she injures herself before she can even get in the door. When she accidentally sets the stair stepper machine on high while trying to post a vlog for her job, her humiliation is complete when the video of her running for her life and subsequent rescue goes viral.
Adam quit medical school to live his dream of becoming a personal trainer and owning his own gym. But his business is struggling in this small town and he's in need of some new clients. When his rescue of the pretty new client goes viral, he starts seeing new people coming into his gym, mostly women. He's determined to keep it going, and to see Preslee again, so he makes her a deal... free training in exchange for her continuing to vlog about her weight loss journey. The only problem is his own rule about dating clients.
While I like hot guy/curvy girl books, I think her size and the fat shaming was overemphasized in this one. The klutzy gym accidents were hilarious, the banter during training was fun, but overall just an ok read for me.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

After receiving some unsettling news at the doctor, Preslee decides it’s time to make some changes in her life. She lives a pretty sedentary lifestyle working at her father’s antique store + sharing her antique focused vlog, so she joins a gym to drop a few pounds.

Adam, a med-school dropout, opened his own gym and never looked back. But his gym in facing financial trouble and he’s looking for ideas to keep it afloat. In walks Prelsee, whose latest vlog at the gym went viral. On a whim, he decides to make a bet with his business partner that involves training Preslee while getting exposure for the gym.

Preslee wonders why Adam is so helpful, but brushes it off as him being a nice guy. I mean, he even offered to help her attract the attention of her crush, Josh. But of course, feelings start to get involved, and it’s not just Preslee’s feelings for Josh…

This was a fun read and I liked how Adam always saw Preslee’s beauty, no matter her size.

Thank you to Forever Publishing & NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to like this one. As someone who has struggled with her weight and who has also worked with a person trainer and a nutritionist for health reasons, the premise of this book really spoke to me and I had so much hope that would be a book I could connect to. But sadly, I had some major issues with this book.

My primary issue was with the "bet" that the MC Adam and his employee Kurt enter into which is the impetus for Adam deciding to convince Preslee, the female character in the book to train with him. The bet bothered me this whole book. It felt underhanded and really bothered me. I also remembered when I worked with a personal trainer and thought how I would have felt if I had learned that my trainer had convinced me to work with him for reasons that were untruthful like that. There is such a power differential and vulnerability in the trainer/trainee relationship that I felt this would have been such a huge betrayal. It made it hard for me to enjoy the banter and other parts of this book because I kept thinking about how that bet was looming over them.

The banter between Adam and Preslee was fun and sweet and I enjoyed that Preslee was such a strong female character and was able to verbally spar with him. But it was hard to truly enjoy it with the underlying bet which was such a violation of an already vulnerable Preslee.

Overall, the premise of this book was great and I could tell the author connected with the story, as did I. I just had a hard time with some of the elements of the story which took the author's true to life experiences and made them a romance story. I felt that a betrayal like that from such a vulnerable position would be very hard to overcome.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this one in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I recently read an ARC of Out of the Blue by Alison Bliss. I found the characters and the storytelling enjoyable, but I thought the fat representation really missed the mark. It was about Preslee who is trying to make some health improvements, but her goal is to lose weight and the focus is looking better in clothes, and also the attention of a man. I think if you are truly focusing on health those wouldn’t be the primary objective. This book also had disordered eating and over exercising that needed medical intervention and I didn’t think that there was enough push back on just how dangerous it can be. I was also disappointed by the sentiment that fat people are fat because they do not work hard enough. If only fat people ate right and exercised they too could be desirable, that was a strong sentiment in this book. It failed to acknowledge the recent research that shows fatness to be largely genetic and hormonal. Weight loss is not a cut and dry issue, it requires nuance, and sometimes books about “health” are just coded terminology for the age old tale of losing weight so you can win the guy which is a tired cliche.

I really wanted to love this one. I was SO excited for it, but it all just rang a bit false for me. It's a story about a woman trying to lose weight and be healthy, and I didn't love the romance angle as much as I thought I would. I would have really enjoyed the story to be more about her and relationship...maybe loving herself more than making others love her? She is so self-conscious and worried about what others think, and it would have been a wonderful journey to focus on that and her health. BUT this was a romance, and I get that. It just felt forced, and I didn't love it.

I do think there are going to be many readers that really enjoy this one!