Overall, I really wanted to love this book but I'll have to categorize this as a like. It was a lovely idea just lacking a little in the execution. I really, really loved Cassie but I wasn't the biggest fan of Reed. I kind of view this book as fine but it could have been excellent which is a little disappointing. Things I loved: the body positivity in this book and how she loved and appreciated herself was refreshing to witness. Things I didn't like: the pacing felt off unfortunately, In just a couple of sentences we would skip two months. I think this is something the author will get better at the more time she has to write more. I'm still excited to see more of what Danielle Jackson has to author.

This was a DNF for me. The premise is super cute, but I could not get invested in theses characters and the storyline. I would love to try another of Danielle's books, but this one didn't work for me.

I really wanted to love this title but for some reason, it didn't really click with me. I don't know if it was just an example of it not being the right time for me when reading or if it was just the writing style so, I honestly would like to read it again at a later point.

Pros: I liked the characters and I thought that the clash of both of their photography careers made for an alluring plot-line. I liked the instant interest they shared in each other, despite the obvious conflict.

Thank you @netgalley and @prhaudio for my gifted copies.

The first thing that drew me into this book is that stunning cover! Once I started reading, it was the MC character, the body positivity, and the representation that took over and had me flipping through the pages of this story.

However, when it came to the actual romance of this book, that is where it all fell a bit flat for me. I did not feel any of the chemistry between these characters and in all honesty, the romance just seemed a bit boring to me. I was way more invested in the side characters and not so much on the romance.

With all that being said, this was a quick read with great representation, that I am sure many will enjoy!

This is a tough review for me, because I loved so many things about this book. For one thing, the cover!!! The characters were so fun, and I loved the body positivity aspect. But...the romance wasn't clicking for me at all, as much as I wanted it to.

A very cute premise and a stunning cover! Love the representation in this one but it just didn’t hold my attention. I don’t like when the couple gets together so soon.

This was a fun book. Cassie, our main character is so headstrong and amazing. She also had such growth throughout the book. While she was a confident photographer, eventually she realizes that she is also a hot, freaking fire model. Reid was an okay guy, he has a brother who needs help so he has no problem swooping in and taking photography jobs for the extra money. I am happy though that he immediately saw how badass and gorgeous Cassie is.

The side characters in The Accidental Pinup were actually interesting. I think it's been a while since I've read a book where the side characters were just there to progress the plot but Jackson made sure they had depth. I absolutely adored Sam and Kit. Also, finally, a book where the third-act conflict actually made sense and wasn't just mindless drama to split up the two leads. Jackson also did a good job promoting body positivity, as Cassie is plus size but wasn't her whole personality.

Overall, an enjoyable romance.

The Accidental Pinup - Danielle Jackson
In The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson, rival photographers are forced to collaborate on a body-positive lingerie campaign, but they might have to readjust their focus when sparks fly! Based upon the description, I thought I was going to love this book. Unfortunately, it wasn't my favorite. I did love the whole inclusiveness of the characters, that Cassie is a strong, independent black woman and photographer but that's about it. The whole romance aspect felt pretty boring and just not-so-great.

I loved the premise of this book, and was happy with the diversity of characters and representation. I found it harder than expected to lose myself in it however. The big miscommunication issue was too hard to get past and I found myself waiting for her to find out and had trouble enjoying the ride along the way. I enjoyed the steamy scenes.

I wanted to love this one so bad- body positivity and diversity rep? Sign me up!! However, I had so many issues with how the main character was treated by her friends and love interest. She was completely undermined as a professional and I felt her best friend took so much advantage of her. Then I couldn't believe how the love interest betrayed her- I couldn't recover from that or connect with their romance at all. I ended up DNF and would not recommend. These issues made reading this so uncomfortable.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for my copy.

I wanted to like this one so much - as a photographer and a former model, I felt this may be up my alley, but I was wrong. There were so many different things that irked me within the pages of this story that I had a really hard time pushing through. I went days in between reading only a few chapters at a time because I just couldn't completely get into it. It's not that it's a bad book, it's just not a book for me - and that's okay, because this could end up being someone else's favourite book of all time.

This was a sweet romance with lots of heart, but these characters fell a little flat. So much of the book is spent explaining situations and character motivations rather than simply letting them play out.

I loved that the MC was a BIPOC plus-sized model! Body positivity is important to me so I loved how that theme was included in the book. Unfortunately, however, one of my least favorite tropes is miscommunication and there was much of it in the book. I cute premise for sure, but I felt that it could've been executed differently.

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Pub, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was ok, but it just didn't click with me, which was a shame. I feel like it was missing a lot of the tension I really love in romance novels.

I was interested in this book because of its gorgeous cover! It’s nice to see a beautiful brown plus sized woman!

I really loved the diversity and representation in this book. In particular the plus size rep.

I did have some issues with the story though.
While I liked our MC Cassie, I have issues with the other characters.

I was not a fan of how Cassie was treated by her best friend, Diana, and love interest Reid. It was hard for me to see the romance when we knew what the love interest was up to. It ruined the whole thing for me honestly.

Im really starting to realize that the miscommunication trope is not for me.
I think other people will enjoy this one, it’s a pretty quick and light read.

I love this cover and that the characters are plus size and plus size in the lingerie space! There is enemies workplace rivals set up.

Cassie is an amazing photographer but gets second pick to a male photographer, typical right. They have the same style and are both talented but they pick him and she barely gets jobs.

They both get hired for an important job that she thought she would be leading. And she’s asked to model the lingerie.

These two had chemistry but Reid had so many secrets that he wasn’t sharing with her. At first cause they were rivals then cause he didn’t touch it was a big deal and he could fix. But then it just became a huge obstacle in their way.

Loved the body positivity and the plus size lingerie campaign! Also that she could stand on her own without him but she did enjoy being partners with him.

Thank you berkleyromance and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

There was just absolutely too much miscommunication in this book for my taste. The love interest was lying to the MC the entire book and it just felt so gross.

2.5 stars.

I realllllly wanted to like this book, but found it a bit unrealistic, and quite boring, unfortunately. I feel like Reid taking the deal (even before he knew Cassie) was super shady in the first place. Dana didn’t feel like a real person, she felt more like an idea. She was pretty flat and dimension-less. I think other people may enjoy this book, it just wasn’t for me.

Super cute and just the right book to recommend when someone wants something that simmers and sizzles, but also features BIPOC creative and living experiences and grounds the sizzle with angst and complications.

Our heroine in this novel, Cassie, is an up-and-coming boudoir photographer. When her BFF, Dana releases a new lingerie line, Cassie is a shoe-in for art director and photographer on the campaign. Except the brand has other ideas, instead hiring her rival, Reid, and making Cassie the model. While the two get off to a tumultuous start, Reid's acceptance of her ideas and eyes for her body bring the two closer together.

All I can really say is that Cassie really got screwed over, here. How can she call Dana her BFF when she let her friend get pushed out of the job she had hired her for? It makes no sense and I'm not sure why either Dana or Cassie accepted the switcheroo so easily. It's not like Cassie was hoping to enter modeling and this could build her brand that way. She's a photographer, and this was not the way to gain traction in her profession. While the rest of the book was fine--good, even--I couldn't get over this major point and bring this book into five-star territory for me.

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 6/10