I really liked this! While it isn't groundbreaking, it has very good bones and is the perfect start for a small-town interconnected standalone series!
It touches on serious topics in a positive way, and I believe this to be a good representation of fatness and the fat life experience, it briefly mentions veterans and their struggles, money issue and cancer.

This wasn't for me. It was a bit all over the place.

My main issue is the MMC. He was a counsellor and a contractor who excels at making giant leaps of assumptions. It frustrated me and I did not like him.

I didn't like the ending, I feel like it would have been better if the romance wasn't a focus (and I know others have said the same). The romance may have been less of a distraction if it was better thought out.

Was this the most amazing thing I have ever read? No not really. Did it pass the time and was fairly enjoyable? Sure! Average plot with average characters. The romance was okay. I don’t think I will remember this book in a couple of days.

Rose finds herself alone in the world after her mother dies. She's never known her father and has no other family that she knows of. But all that changes when she wins the lottery. Suddenly, everyone thinks they're her best friend and that she's a wonderful person to spend time with. Yet these are the same people who wouldn't give her the time of day before her lottery win because of her weight.

In search of a new life, where people don't know about her newfound money, she sets off on a road trip and ends up in an enjoyable small town out in the middle of nowhere. The people there are warm and welcoming, and Rose buys her first real home. The problem is, it's a fixer-upper and the best handyman in town is the one man she'd prefer to avoid. Mr. McGrumpy himself, otherwise known by regular folk as Angus Drummond.

Angus pays his way in the world. No favors for him! It's his way of dealing with his PTSD and justifying why he lived when so many others he served with never came home.

But when Angus meets Rose, it's like oil and water. She's sassy and the sparks fly between them from their very first meeting when she pinged him in the back of the head with a Snickers bar to "thank" him for getting her car out of a ditch. No good deed goes unpunished...

Where there are sparks, though, fire is soon to burn. And it's no different for Angus and Rose in this heartwarming romance between a misfit who's never been loved and a grump who refuses to be hurt ever again.

I really enjoyed the entire story! It was one of my favorites so far this year.

Thank you to Laura Moher, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

After winning the lottery, Rose moves to a new town for a fresh start where no one knows she won. Part of that fresh start includes renovating her new house with the help of Angus, a local man. While they seem like complete opposites at first, as Rose and Angus get to know each other, and spend time together, they become friends and then even more. But Rose is still keeping a huge secret, and that might be enough to tear them apart just as they are starting to build a life together.

If you enjoy sweet small-town Hallmark movie vibes, this is the book for you. This book has all the tropes to make you smile - a little grumpy vs. sunshine, a little home renovation partnership, two plus size main characters, and the cutest small town that I want to visit immediately. Add in some heavier topics like sexual assault, death, PTSD and mental health resources and we’ve got a winner here. To make it even better we have two reasonable and kind main characters and the conflict is realistic and not-overly dramatic. I loved the dual POV so the reader could really understand both characters. To make it even better, there were multiple narrators of the audiobook making it easy to follow!

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

4.5 stars
~~~~
This was a book that is 1000% written for me! I adored it nearly completely and identified with the FMC (female main character) Rose. Rose is plus sized and this is just a feel-good book with a great deal of body positivity and women of all sizes need that!

Rose is extremely relatable (I think any woman who is of a larger size in any end will identify with her). She is also friendly and helpful, and some women will love that she has a mouth on her and will use any and all the expletives she feels she needs, intended or not! She has a quarter jar and puts a quarter in it every time an expletive is said. She would be a rich woman if that jar was full but…. This isn’t a spoiler as it is mentioned in the first few lines of the novel, Rose actually is rich due to a winning $80 million lottery ticket left to her!

Due to her circumstances Rose has trust issues and a past with a traumatic experience, she finds herself in Galway, North Carolina and decides to start over there. She meets Angus who is Mr. Grumpy who ends up working on her new-to-her house. We have the sweet and grumpy trope here! This book is a slow burn with some steam to it! And dang, it was steamy enough for me! It was probably a level 2 of 5 for the steamy scenes. I don’t think I would be much steam-wise for the serious romance reader, but we do have open bedroom scenes.

I really enjoyed the growth of the relationship between Angus and Rose. Even though he is grumpy he is also a Mr. Softy at heart. They both have issues that have to be worked out. Curves for Days is a bit deceptive with the cover as there are many serious issues brought up, and this would be the trigger warnings:

Body Shaming
Rape
Veterans’ issues including PTSD and suicide

The veteran’s issues that Angus deals with and his work with veteran’s is very important and going in I had no idea this was going to be a romance with serious issues throughout. These issues that veterans experience and are unable to get help are really brought to the forefront of this book. Our veterans’ really need so much more done for them than what is done now. Bravo to Moher for bringing attention to this.

The only thing I didn’t really like was the given ‘third act conflict where I was becoming less of an Angus fan. I am totally #TeamRose and adore her! By the end of the novel, I was very happy!

Both Paul Bellantoni and Michelle Price did a fantastic job with their narrations as Angus and Rose. They really brought both of those characters to life for me. And I really liked Bellantoni’s voice!

I really enjoyed this first in the series and look forward to the next book that comes… Next April! It seems so far away now, but will be here before I know it!

Many thanks to the publisher for granting me an alc (advanced listening copy) to listen to and review. I really enjoyed this one!

I 100% requested this book because of the cover featuring a plus size character! Rosie the main character has had a rough life and after surprisingly coming into a large amount of money she leaves her town and hits the road to find a new town to start over in.

The audiobook was fine but I’d personally probably recommend print or ebook over audio because I didn’t think the male narrators voice fit very well. It stuck out, like he could voice Batman or something not this character? Idk I’m probably just being judgy but it wasn’t right for me. The female narrator was fine and worked for the character.

It’s a pretty standard small town romance imo. Grumpy x sunshine vibes. Home renovation. The heroine Rosie used to be a waitress before she started over. Angus is a therapist / contractor, he is a vet and works with other vets. Tbh when I read he was a vet before I started the book I thought it meant veterinarian not veteran, oops.

If I’d known that ahead of time or paid better attention I might not have picked this up. Main characters that have been in the military just isn’t my jam. If you’re on the fence about that I’d say that this book doesn’t get specifically political. The only discussion of the military is that veterans don’t have the support they need when they come home and discussions of PTSD.

I dropped this from 4⭐️ to 3.5⭐️ because of the conflict. I didn’t like it. They both made mistakes but his POV just made me mad. The male ego of it all just annoyed me. Happy to discuss further if anyone wants to chat but I don’t want to spoil anything by saying too much.

When a big change turns life upside down for Rose Barnes she decides to get out of Indiana and start fresh. She isn’t expecting a snow storm in North Carolina to point her to the perfect town of Galway or the grumpy giant who helped her with car trouble to be in her new contractor, Angus Drummond. With a troubled past, Angus doesn’t like to let people get close, especially a sassy, smart and beautiful woman like Rose Barnes. But when working in close quarters and getting to know each other will the each let down their walls? Or will the secret that drive Rose to Galway in the first place cause everything to come crumbling down?

I found this audiobook to be an enjoyable listen. It was a good dual perspective, with both a male and a female voice actor narrating their corresponding parts of each chapter. While I found it to be an interesting story, there were lulls at time that seemed to drag things out. In terms of spice level it was definitely a slow burn turned mild/medium by the end. The biggest problem with the writing would be the choice of the words “her petals” being used in a sex scene, thankfully it only occurred once.

For this book I would put forward the following content warnings: rape and sexual assault (discussed in past), suicide (off page)and suicidal ideation, fatphobia and internalized fatphobia, and military PTSD.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy of this audiobook to review.

Okay, so I really really wanted to love this, and parts of it I did. The heroine, Rose, was the highlight for me, and I found her incredibly likable (and at times, relatable). At the start of the story, she's just won the lottery and is sick of people who never previously cared about her harassing her now that she's rich. So she packs up a few belongings and randomly moves to a small town where no one knows about her or her new fortune. It's here that she meets the hero, Angus, who is a war veteran turned counselor who helps other war veterans with PTSD.

At first, I adored their banter and Angus' grumpiness. However, as the book went on, I liked Angus less and less. By the end, he had ruined my enjoyment of the novel. I wasn't always a huge fan of his POV and internal thoughts, but could appreciate that he was far from perfect and had gone through a lot in life (as had Rose). But when the third act conflict hit, he was HORRIBLE.

Before he knew about Rose being rich, he assumed she was quiet about money issues and had financial help books lying around because she was in debt and struggling. And he had NO issues with that, even thinking of ways in which he could help her out and lessen her financial burden. But when he finds out that she's actually rich as hell and didn't tell him? Oh, heaven FORBID. Immediately, he says he doesn't know this "stranger" and isn't sure if he can be with her anymore, because apparently a woman has to "need" Angus and not just "want" him. His savior complex was so rooted in misogyny that I was wondering why his ass wasn't still actively in therapy, especially as someone who was a counselor for others!

I was so glad when one of the side characters straight up told Angus that his hangup with Rose's money was "sexist bullshit" but he got defensive and tried to explain away how that wasn't it...by then giving explanations that were still indeed rooted in internalized misogyny. I wanted this man to grovel, and I mean GROVEL, for the way he hurt Rose (and proved that her fear of being treated differently if he knew about the money was true) but he honestly didn't. At all. Add in the fact that she just GAVE AWAY ALL THE MONEY?! at the end and I was left scratching my head. Honestly, Rose deserved better than Angus, and I wish she had kept a small chunk of the money to life her best life with, and told him to eff off.

One silver lining to the ending was that Rose was very upfront about not wanting to have children (her trying to interact with a lost toddler earlier in the novel was hilarious and incredibly relatable). Thank god Angus didn't have a problem with that, or I might've been ready to take him out with the nearest blunt object. I'm always thrilled to see authors giving characters a romance with a childfree-by-choice ending, so that alone won this book an extra star for me.

I know this is a debut, so I hate to be harsh with my rating, but I also see a lot of potential with this author and will be curious to see what she writes next. I just hope we get a hero who has more character growth and maturity in the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This book provided in exchange for an honest review.

After coming into a significant amount of money, Rose picks up her life and leaves her hometown to start fresh. She stumbles upon the small town of Galway, finds a cute house she wants to renovate and settles in. Unfortunately, the contractor she hires is a grouch and they enjoy antagonizing each other. Throughout the renovation, they begin to form an unlikely bond, but Rose is harboring a secret. Only time will tell if they can survive the renovation and the secret.

While the storyline was a bit far fetched,I did enjoy this one. Heavier topics were discussed, please check trigger warnings. A plus-sized heroine is always a plus for me and I think it was done fairly well. Female friendship played a large role; Rose developed healthy friendships with ladies at the diner as well as Meg. Angus having two jobs threw me a bit. I know people can have hobbies, but a part-time therapist/contractor was strange. Rose and Angus had lively banter, which I always enjoy.

Overall, this was a solid debut, and I enjoyed it. Hope to see more from Laura soon.

I really enjoyed this book! Loved having plus sized representation, and the story was cute. The male narrator didn't quite work for me, especially in the "spicier" scenes, but overall, I really enjoyed this one and will 100% check out the next book!

I wasn't able to listen to this one in time before it was archived. I do have this book downloaded so once i read it I will be back with a full review.

*3.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"In my head we had a certain kind of relationship and I knew my role... what I had to offer. I felt... valuable."

"It changed everything. Changes how I feel about you, how I feel about us...how I feel about me."

I was upset by Angus, our giant grumpy veteran-contractor-part time PTSD therapist's reaction to our selfless plus size sunshine Rose's secret; but appreciated his honesty in the emotional slow burn romantic comedy Curves For Days by romance author Laura Moher.

Rose has no family, no friends. After being harassed in her hometown she finds her way to small town Galway where, with the exception of fat shaming Miz Ames, she finds kindness, friends and a handsome burly contractor to help with her new home.

Angus has scars, seen and unseen from his military career. He feels he owes the world for being saved when so many of his fellow soldiers never made it home.

As Rose and Angus spend time together they breakthrough each other's proverbial walls. They go from enemies to friends to lovers at a realistic pace. Their lovemaking is not so much spicy as sweet and honest. But Rose has a secret that is actually pretty awesome but keeping it from Angus and what it means for their dynamic causes him to back away.

Narrator Michelle Price gave Rose her genuine sensitivity. The reasons for her body insecurities and sexual hesitancy that she endured alone will break your heart. Narrator Paul Bellantoni does grumpy perfectly. My image of Angus didn't always match his tone but as I listened I heard the subtle vulnerability behind Angus' often alpha male entitlement.

Funny and sweet, Curves For Days deals with some serious issues so please check the trigger warnings. I can promise reading and listening to it has left me emotional for days.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair & honest review. All opinions are my own.

Curves for Days is a feel-good romance that addresses some tough topics. Our main character, Rose, is so great. She's brave, kind, thoughtful, and capable. Her story is believably influenced by her being fat without it being centered around her being fat, which is so refreshing. The narration was a good match for Rose, and the Angus narrator was unexpected but still worked. Aside from a few moments between the two main characters, I enjoyed their relationship development and the story overall.

I believe I saw that this will be part of a series of standalones all set in the same town, and I'll definitely be picking up the next one. I'd recommend this to anyone that is interested in fat-positive romance with well-developed characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I listened to the audiobook of Curves for Days to about 40% but I couldn’t keep listening. Unfortunately I struggled to get over the voice actor for the male main character, Angus. I don’t know if we learn Angus’ age like we do Rose’s either at all or as early or maybe I missed it. But the issue I have is that the voice for Angus sounds entirely too old. And I have nothing against an age gap, or an older man as a love interest. That’s not it. It’s that he sounded more like a full on middle aged to senior man. And with the little southern accent and the way the character spoke, it was just all wrong. And by the time I got to where I stopped, he was saying something as an internal monologue about wanting to be able to just grab Rose and hold on to her and the last straw for me was that in that voice, that character sounded like an actual creepy old man. It wasn’t sexy or cute it was uncomfortable. The book itself also wasn’t very intriguing in itself. I have no desire to want to pick up an ebook or physical copy to finish it. It’s rare that I DNF an audiobook but this had a combination of content issues that didn’t seem smoothly written together, and then the audio. It just really made this unfinishable which is sad because I was excited to get to review my first advanced audiobook. I won’t be putting a review up online anywhere since I’m really mostly reviewing the audiobook itself and though the story was lacking I don’t feel like I got enough of it to give a fair full review if the book itself. Thank you for the opportunity to give a review and access an advanced audiobook. I just wish it had been cast better.

Oh my gosh, I absolutely adored Laura Moher's Curves for Days! Moher is a new author for me, but I'm a fan! Hopefully there will be many future episodes of the Big Love From Galway series.

Curves for Days is a delightful feel-good story, with plenty of positive messages and a heaping dose of romance. I enjoyed Moher's descriptions of this charming town, as well as all the characters who live in Galway. Marvelous.

The audio version of Curves for Days is beautifully performed by Paul Bellantoni and Michelle Price. Both narrators found voices which truly fit these characters, and I especially liked Price's Angus. Very nicely done!

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrators were great! I love the sassy, confident plus size main character and thought this would be a cute, light, romcom. It was not. Way too heavy for the type of book the synopsis claimed it to be.

This book is marketed as a romcom, but it is really more of a trauma drama. There are many triggers in this book, so please read the content warnings carefully before reading.

The main male character, Angus, is a retired army veteran with PTSD. He is grumpy and rude to the main female character, Rose, for no apparent reason. Rose is a multimillionaire who inherited her wealth after her friend died. She is also traumatized by her past, which includes being raped and bullied in high school.

The author seems to be trying to address a lot of different issues in this book, but it doesn't do a very good job of it. The plot is slow and meandering, and the character development is shallow. The only thing that really happens in the book is that Rose and Angus fall in love.

The book also has some problematic fat representation. There is a cranky old lady who tells Rose that she is too fat and needs to lose weight. This is not only insensitive, but it is also unrealistic. Rose is a beautiful woman who is confident in her body.

Overall, I was disappointed with this book. It had the potential to be a good story, but it was weighed down by too much trauma and not enough plot or character development. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc

Curves for Days by Laura Moher
Contemporary romance. Alternating POV. Grumpy Sunshine, friends to lovers, slow burn.
Rose has had a working class life. Often exhausted from hard work, with some trauma in the past that makes her a bit skittish to open up and make friends. With constant harassment from people about her newfound wealth, she leaves her apartment under cover of night and ends up in the small town of Galway, North Carolina.
Angus served in the military, has PTSD as well as the need to help people to pay a debt. He spends time both as a counsel for military vets and construction work. He agrees to help rebuild the new home that Rose buys and is intrigued by her sunny disposition though he doesn’t understand it himself.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook copy and an audiobook narrated by Michelle Price and Paul Bellantoni. The ebook helped with transition between Rose/Amy and Angus. I was glad to have the ebook copy because the first time hearing his name I didn’t get it and backed up a couple of times to try to hear it clearly enough to understand. I then referred to the book to find “Angus” with an “oh, that’s what he said”. Don’t get me wrong, the narration was well done between the two and easy to listen to. The author used both chapters to change POV as well as mid way POV changes within a chapter, so having male and female narratives was extremely helpful listening to the audiobook.
I listened to this at 1.5 which is my preferred speed.

Entertaining and heartwarming. Two souls in need of love, find happiness in each other.
The heroine has curves and some body insecurities. The hero is a big man with PTSD and needs to contribute. Together they learn to be happy as they are with their best selves.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley, the publisher and Dreamscape Media.

I received a copy of the audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I loved Rosie! She has such a hard life which has been blessed with change but it hasn't always been easy. Angus is the guy every girl dreams about. They are perfect for each other we just have to get past Angus's scoreboard. I haven't read anything by this author before but I will be sure to read whatever she writes next!