Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a digital arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was cute! I loved the inclusiveness and body positivity in it-it was effective but wasn’t too on the nose. Cassie was a strong, vibrant, and engaging character, and I loved the plot of the book. The characters did fall for each other a little too quickly for me though at the beginning, especially after Cassie thoroughly disliking Reid in regards to her career, and the ending wrapped a little too quickly as well. But overall I enjoyed it and would definitely read another book by Jackson.

I really enjoyed this novel about a "larger" size photographer/model, her friends and her boyfriend. This book was easy and quick reading. I liked the characters. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy. #NetGalley #AccidentalPinup

Have you ever been super excited for a book, only to not love it as much as you hoped? If you have, you know that the feeling truly is a terrible one. And unfortunately, that's what happened to me with this book. To give some perspective as to how excited I was about this book, after seeing the cover and reading the synopsis, I reached out to the author to find out who the publicist was so that I could ask for an early copy of this book. Then, once I received said early copy, less than a month went by before I picked it up. My excitement was just that great! But like I said, this book didn't quite live up to my expectations, and so sadly, today I have to explain to you all why this book is not a new favorite.

To start with, let me tell you the synopsis that had me so hooked. Cassie is a boudoir photographer that plans on growing her portfolio by being the photographer for her best friend's upcoming lingerie line launch photos. But when her best friend can no longer be the model for the launch campaign, Cassie ends up being the one modeling the lingerie, with her professional nemesis, Reid, as the one taking the photos. Then, soon enough, sparks begin to fly between Cassie and Reid.

To me that premise sounded absolutely amazing, and technically, there was absolutely nothing misleading about that synopsis. However, what kept me from loving this book instead of merely liking it, was the fact that everything about this story felt like it was lacking in depth. Throughout the book I kept wishing that I was connecting more - to the story, to the characters, to the romance. I feel like there was a bit too much telling and not enough showing that kept me from being fully engaged with the story. I just never connected with this book, and because of that, I couldn't love it.

There were lots of things that this book handled very well on a technical level though. I liked how the plot played out. I thought the conflict was set up perfectly and had the ideal resolution. I appreciated the discussions of privilege and bias and such that Cassie and Reid had, and that this book explored in other manners as well. It really was the actual execution of how the story was told that I didn't mesh with. But that's okay, because I'm hopeful that this story will work for other people who read it, since it has such a great premise!

Because of my lack of connection with the story, I gave this book 3 stars. It really was a good book in many ways, just not one that worked for me, which happens occasionally. However, if the premise sounds good to you, I urge you to give this book a shot and hope that you enjoy it more than I did!

3.5

good, but nothing i really loved. original story that took on some common themes. the writing seemed kinda basic/simple-sounding to me, though.

#netgalley

Cute concept, needs another round of editing. The first part has a lot of info-dump. There were word usage issues that hopefully will be fixed before publication. And mistletoe berries are white, not red, so that was kind of irritating. And I would have liked to see the relationship developed more in the beginning, more detail on why these people like each other; there's some but not enough. Still a good pick for bigger public library collections, since it makes a fun and empowering read.

Such a fun read - perfectly flawed hero and heroine who are competitors. This contemporary romance brings all the characters - secondary as well as hero and heroine to life with beautifully balanced descriptions - just enough detail to frame the picture but not keep us from the action. One particular aspect I like is that they both make mistakes, but also both own them. The heroine's pride in her boudoir photography and body-inclusive approach are key for today's romance, and something readers will relate to. While this is an interracial romance, the story is universal, and anyone who likes the rivals to lovers trope will enjoy this tale...not to mention the lingerie and shoe descriptions!

It’s the world of lingerie fashion but with a twist: lingerie that is also made for plus sized women! Cassie is the black female photographer who empowers plus sized women as an integral part of her business and art. Reid is the white male photographer who goes after a lot of the same jobs as Cassie…and wins them over her. White male privelege, much? But they are both spectacular photographers.

Cassie is planning to shoot her best friend’s lingerie line launch which promises to launch her own business and career. However she finds that the sponsors of the launch have her and Reid competing for the shoot. In the end Cassie must become the model while Reid will be the photographer, though Cassie will be the art director.

Unbeknownst to Cassie, the firm has asked Reid ‘inform’ on her to make sure she’s doing things right. After all, they reason, they know and prefer Reid. The subtext is that it is largely due to white male privilege: they don’t trust that a black woman can do that job. White male privilege wins out.

Cassie is upset that she is to be the model not the photographer, even if she remains the art director but she doesn’t really trust Reid. In spite of that their attraction grows. Will their relationship turn romantic? And if so, will Cassie learn about Reid accepting money to keep an eye on her for the firm?

I loved the character development. The posse surrounding Cassie and Reid were quirky and fun. They became characters not caricatures. Cassie and Reid seemed like real people you might know. We see how they begin to fall in love and enjoy the photography scenes that get them there. It felt like I was privy to the back room conversations of a photo shoot. It was interesting to see how their ideas developed. The love affair juxtaposed with the tension about when/how Cassie would find out about Reid’s spying made for just the right balance in a love story. I would recommend this to my patrons