I haven't been reading contemporary romance in a long while, but this one quickly caught my attention. I loved the FMC so much. Cassie is warm and strong, smart and confident. And so, so capable. I just kept wanting nothing but the best for her and would love to be her friend.
What really struck me about this book is the way it didn't shy from contemporary issues facing women, and particularly Black women. The Accidental Pinup is full of inclusiveness and awareness and I love how it doesn't shy away from hard topics.
There's a line in this book about how being the moral compass for your friend group is exhausting, and honestly being a moral compass at all in this day and age is exhausting, but even more so here. I like that it's addressed and the people surrounding Cassie listen and care and try to do better.
Greatly satisfying romance and I'll be looking for more from Danielle Jackson to read soon.

What a great read! I loved the way the characters were developed and the different representation among them. I found myself not wanting to put this down. And body positivity FTW! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

In a home run of body positivity and confidence this author brings us the very definition of pride and confidence. When plus size photographer Cassie must save the day for her bff’s daredevil, jaw dropping lingerie line Cassie steps out from behind the camera and becomes the model. The only problem, the on set photographer Reid brings nothing but his camera, and chemistry.

This was a great book, especially since one of the influencers I follow on social media is a body-positive photographer. This was definitely right up my alley and the cover is BEAUTIFUL.

I love love loved this title -- it was very much a grumpy meets grumpier enemies to lovers and the city of Chicago was its own character. Very much enjoyed this journey and the slow burn of the central relationship. Looking forward to more entries in this series!

NOTE: Although I am moots with the author, that in no way affected my review.

I love plus-size rep in romances - all the yes! I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I just couldn't get past the ick factor of how Cassie winds up in front of the camera instead of behind it - talk about a violation of privacy! I liked Cassie, but wasn't into her relationship with Reid.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me advance access to this title. I really enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading more from this author. As a reader, I am really motivated by character driven stories and I found myself quickly becoming immersed in these characters’ lives. Full review to come.

I should have looked up triggers for this one before requesting it. I was assuming it was a fun romcom, but the best friend's pregnancy plotline was too triggering for me to enjoy. I was really stressed out about how she was doing the whole time, and even when my friend finished it and told me it was all going to be ok I just couldn't bring myself to dive back into the story.

If it hadn't been for that element, I think I would have really liked the book!

Plus-sized Black photography Cassie has to get out from behind the camera when her very-pregnant bestie selects Cassie to take her place as the model for her new lingerie line. Hottie competitor Reid will be behind the lens for the photo shoot. Cassie thinks she is still positioned for a credit on the gig, but behind the scenes, it’s all going to Reid…

The diversity of the cast was a plus, but ultimately, Cassie, a person of color, is pushed into doing something she doesn’t really want to do, and a white guy gets a lot of privilege and credit, and Reid’s deceitfulness was hard to get past. The supporting characters are great, the descriptive writing was excellent, and the Chicago setting comes through strongly.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheAccidentalPinup from #NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

I'll be honest, I picked this one up because I loved the cover. The body positivity and representation were fantastic, but... the romance fell a little flat for me. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't quite feel the chemistry between the two main characters or because the pacing was a little weird. Either way, I would read more from this author in the future because even though this particular book wasn't a huge win for me, I think it had a lot of potential.

DNF.

I wanted to love this book, but it just wasn't for me... and I can't seem to put my finger on why.
As someone who has been labeled "overweight" my whole life, I really like reading about a character I can relate to. I may not have given it enough time to catch my interest.

Loved this book so much! Cassie is a badass, and Reid wanted to do the right thing. Together, they were absolutely wonderful!

I had a difficult time getting into this book. I will not be reviewing it on my platform since I will not be reocmmending it. The male character ruined the book for me.

When photographer Cassie gets talked into modeling for her best friends lingerie company, Reid is the chosen photographer. Their chemistry is undeniable...

I did not expect to like this as much as I did! I liked that Cassie was plus-sized, but it wasn't the only thing about her. I thought the chemistry between Cassie and Reid was super cute. Read it!

This had a great set up and goa, enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, but it didn't work for me.

This book sounded right up my alley, I’m always excited to see a body positive romance. Unfortunately, it fell flat. The romantic interest kind of sucked (complicated loner white guy needs saving from himself because he really does have feelings buried deep down) so I just couldn’t root for the romance. I also hated how hard the main character was punched into doing something she was clearly uncomfortable doing. That really takes the fun out of what should be a light, fun romance.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced review copy! I really wanted to love this book but it wasn't my cup of tea.

I really wanted to like this book because I love romances with body positive main characters. However I felt we were told more then felt the chemistry between these two characters. Also its just sad and kinda icky that a white man is getting all the credit of a poc characters work. Although there was diversity in the book the main trouble of the plot could be very triggering for some people. I actually didn't finish this because I didn't care for the relationship of the two main characters. I would rather read about the friend group and the lingerie line launch.

Such a lovely story about self-discovery and love. I enjoyed reading and enjoyed the characters. Danielle Jackson is a wonderful writer.