I disliked the dialogue in the book. These characters are much older than the dialogues portrays making them seem young and immature.

As a fellow “fat girl” the over the top portrayal of being hangry is ridiculous. You can be hangry and not let it affect the way you treat and speak to others around you.

I didn’t like the morning conversation with Cecily when Diana keeps trying to steal food and it being known every Sunday she grabs a piece of bacon even though she will burn her mouth each time. Diana being rude continuously trying to steal the food and being slapped with a spatula doesn’t seem cute or endearing but immature, does she not have any table manners because she is fat?

I understand this is a book that the major focus is on the main character being queer but the author overused gender/sexuality terms like cishet, niblings, sapphic, etc.

Diana comes off as really self centered and like she thinks she is above everyone else. She was extremely rude when she met Drew Williams the first time and when he called her about playing golf she immediately tried to get her way out of it and was rude then as well. When she finally goes out to putt putt she keeps thinking Drew is hitting on her and has to keep bringing up the fact that she likes women and hates cishet men and won’t date them. WE. GET. IT. We got it at the first mention no need to keep bringing it up.

Diana allows too much of her personal experiences affect her professional life. The way she overstepped when helping Alex with a suit when the mother clearly wanted a dress. While we can understand her wanting to help the child, “they” were obviously a child. I think the whole pronoun and putting a tux on the child was out of line. The parent should not have left the child alone with a store clerk. In the end, she doesn’t know what will happen to Alex once they leave so it’s wild to try and get into a situation where she doesn’t know the outcome.

Diana comes off as very anti-men and anti-straight/skinny people. Overall, Diana is not a likable main character in my opinion which led to me being unable to force myself to read the remainder of the book.

The title leaves a lot to be desired, but this book was fabulous! I could not put it down. It provides an excellent window into the life of a person navigating Hollywood as a queer person.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Interestingly, this is a lighter book in tone and plot but heavier when discussing the experiences of a fat, queer woman trying to make it in Hollywood. Most of the romance subplots I read tend to be sapphic but I appreciated that the reader's predicament is similar to the one Diana is facing in this book: as a queer woman who has primarily dated non-men, suddenly being interested romantically in a cis heterosexual man feels like losing the respect and support of her queer found family and hard-won place in the world to be loud and proud. Biphobia, particularly internalised biphobia, remains rampant in the queer community as well as the straight community, particularly for women who "go back to" a man after being with non-men. I appreciate the nuanced approach to this mixed in with the public criticism that will follow a happily fat woman being with a newly shredded action movie star in a public relationship. Fat-shaming is also sadly rampant in real life and especially in professions that are largely in the public eye.

If I had to call out anything, I feel like the subplot with the relationship between the two sisters and their unhealthy dynamic should have been explored a bit more. Unfortunately, this is often relegated to a subplot while the sweet but largely unproblematic romance subplot gets top billing in this book and I wish the focus was flipped. Grief over family skews relationships and sisters where one is conventionally attractive (Read: thin and straight) and the other is queer and fat going through their respective journeys and holding on to resentment about their current lives is meaty subject matter to explore and I'm sad that we don't get a great deal of it.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot for the things it had to say. It's important to consider the perspectives of someone looking to break into a deeply superficial industry like Hollywood and being fat and queer and okay with both, in addition to being a woman which results in less respect and pay in general. An important story and I wish the focus had been less on the romance subplot.

Book Review: Because Fat Girl by Lauren Marie Fleming

Rating this book was a bit of a challenge for me, but I’m giving it a solid 4.5/5 ⭐️.

As a petite, athletic cisgender woman, there were parts of Because Fat Girl that I didn’t personally relate to. However, as a woman of color who comes from a broken family, has worked hard to achieve my dreams, and is still rebuilding from life-altering loss and grief, there was so much in the story’s emotional landscape that struck a chord with me.

This book made me laugh, cry, and even get frustrated—especially with Diana, the main character. If she could just get out of her own way and accept that she’s deserving of love, success, and happiness, she could truly thrive. But that’s what makes Diana’s character so powerful—she’s written in a way that makes you feel something. And in doing so, Lauren Marie Fleming succeeded in creating a character who is deeply relatable and raw.

One of my favorite moments in the book was a piece of tough-love advice from Andy’s mom: “Either piss or get off the pot.” For me, that was a turning point in Diana’s journey—a moment where she begins to shift her perspective and realize what she must do to achieve her dream.

While the Hollywood glamor, behind-the-scenes politics, and societal labels add depth to the plot, it’s Diana’s vulnerability and broken humanity that made me love this story. It’s heart-wrenching in places, and yes, I cried.

This book will resonate with anyone who has fought their way through life’s peaks and valleys, been broken, and yet found the strength to rise above.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing, LLC, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fat, queer woman trying to make her way in Hollywood sounds like an amazing premise to me. Unfortunately, I didn't like Diana. She was super rude to Drew for absolutely no reason just because she was hungry which feels like a mean thing to have a plus-size character do. DNF for me.

Starting this, I very quickly realized this was not going to be for me. There was more name dropping of brands and celebrities than there was characterization and build-up of the plot, which is just not going to be my thing. I'm sure there's an audience for this though, and I appreciate seeing a story like this with a fat MC! Because it's not for me, I decided to DNF.

Lauren did a good job of writing a heartfelt story of following your dreams and fighting for what you want out of life. I did think our FMC was a little much sometimes, getting in her own way a little more than what was believable, but in the end, I still really enjoyed the story.

Because Fat Girl is a perfect snapshot of pop culture today. With refreshing diversity and unique perspectives on what it is truly like to pursue your art as a fat, queer femme, this is the book that should be read by everyone regardless of identity. We read books to expand our understanding of people and experiences different than our own, as well as reading to feel less alone. So whether you identify with Diana or not, there is something priceless for you in this book.

This book is a romance, but it is also so much more than that. It is a genuine human experience captured between the pages like lightning in a bottle. The story is beautiful and relatable, each relationship Diana shares is unique and realistic. All forms of love are here: sisterly, friendship, sex, romantic, and self. Highly recommend.

Wowowowoowow I LOVED THIS. I wanted to read this book just because of the title and mannnn it did more than delivered. I am a fat girl myself so all the thoughts and feelings that Diana is going through is very relatable and accurate. The characters are all stars in my eyes, even ones you think you’ll hate grow so much on you and a good set of characters makes a book for me. This story will make you have all the emotions from laughing to crying (both of which I did). I cannot and will not be able to recommend this book enough.

A solid 4.5 ⭐️ read!

Diana Smith is curvy queer with big dreams for herself and for all those who are continually overlooked because of gender, race, sexual orientation and size. Her penchant for using stinging barbs of sarcasm and humor brings a level of levity to a fabulous story about LGBTQIA+ and curvy representation in the film industry. There is plenty of banter between Diana and Drew (Andy) to keep anyone interested in seeing how it all plays out!

I truly enjoyed the motley crew of characters and appreciated how even those who “had it all” still had insecurities and doubts.

Overall this was a great read and the only thing keeping it from getting 5 stars is that Diana stood in her own way for too much of the book. Otherwise, this is a wonderful story!

I really enjoyed Because Fat Girl. As a plus-size queer person, I related to many of the main character's challenges, struggles, and dreams. The romance between the main character and Drew was believable in my opinion and Diana went through a lot to get to where they ended up. A beautiful story featuring great side characters. The author wrote about tough topics in a way that made space for deeper conversations. I was given an ARC for my honest opinion.

Because Fat Girl is both a love letter to the plus size and queer communities and also a wish fulfillment fantasy: a struggling wannabe director falls into a relationship with a handsome famous actor and they make a movie together. There's even a meet cute where he spills his drink on her at a party.

Things I liked:
- the chemistry between Diana and Drew
- witty banter/dialogue
- great side characters. Chris in particular started out as an arrogant unlikeable celebrity and ended up as my favorite character. I also loved the pep talk Diana and her bff Janelle did whenever they went out
- Drew's lesbian mom. Not only was she cool, but she and her friends were older generation queers (yes, I'm aware that a lot of them dislike the term "queer" because they knew it as a slur, my own mother included), and I get tired of reading the same books about Young Hot Queers. There are gays out there who are older than millennials, folks!
- pointing out how prevalent and painful biphobia is even in the queer community

Things I didn't:
- about the sexuality discrimination - Diana is aware of how unfair that is, but she also initially refuses to date Drew because he's a cishet man. That's also unfair. He's literally Flawless, no ounce of bigotry in him, so for her to be so accepting of others yet flat out refuse him based on HIS gender identity is kind of offensive itself (to be clear, she IS attracted to him so her attraction level has nothing to do with it)
- she also refuses to date Drew because she's fat and they wouldn't match in the public's eyes. She's all about body positivity until she isn't
- social commentary/lecture. I hate writing that because this is a very sincere book (a queer author writing for queers and anyone who feels marginalized) and I am 100% the target audience, it's me, but some parts read preachy and self-righteous. Again, I feel like a selfhating fatphobic homophobe just writing those words, but it's true.
- I'm also aware that I'm apparently Diana's horrible ex gf Sam? because I also like talking about my gym classes and honestly I'd try a meal of avocado whipped mouse on quinoa cakes

I was kindly granted an ARC of this book from NetGalley for an honest review, and, well….honestly? I really did not like this book.

First of all I felt the synopsis was misleading. This was not the romance I anticipated reading, but I did think the two romantic leads had good chemistry and great banter. That is why this got 2 stars instead of one.

I think my main problem with this book was that it felt like a lecture in this author’s views (told through her protagonist) about sexuality and gender. I didn’t really feel like the main character had much of an arc besides good things happening to her and being in the right place at the right time - and her preaching about being plus sized. Which, as a plus sized woman myself, I’m all for it - but while the plus-size preaching was trying to be uplifting, to me it came across as condescending. Talking about how much this plus sized girl loves food felt offensive to me. Her generalizations about fat women felt rude and at times really extreme. Not to discredit anyone’s experiences, but I just felt like this book did the opposite of its intention.

But, I am merely just one person and opinions are personal! Thank you NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC :)

This book really didn’t resonate with me.
It’s no reflection on the author or their ability, more so personal preference.

As a lesbian and self identified lifelong fat girl, I found the MC to be way too hung up about her size. It’s like an obsession. Literally everything in Diana’s life is related to her view of her size. It creates a vicious cycle of hate. It gives impetus to the haters if you see yourself as someone worthy of that hate. And, it became very boring. In fact, I had to keep putting the book down and forcing myself to come back to it. Diana just frustrated me so much!

Look, I know its not easy to overcome, I know from personal experience. But at some point you have to let it all go and just accept yourself. Otherwise you’re never going to get the confidence in yourself that allows you to build that armour that deflects the haters.

The relationship with Drew was sweet. And the supporting characters like Chris, Cecily and Janelle were value added.
Some characters felt like they were just there out of token representation to add another colour to the rainbow and the feel good vibes.

I am only giving 3 stars.
I feel terrible doing this as it feels like disrespecting the author. That is not my intention. A lot of painstaking work has obviously gone into this book and should be acknowledged.
I do encourage you to read it, it is well written and the plot itself is interesting. You may just love it

I thought this story was entertaining and authentic. I found Fleming's writing to be spot on with most of the dialogue between the main character and the people in their life. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this book! It had me laughing and then crying in the best way possible. The characters are so relatable! And the heavier topics are handled well. I enjoyed seeing so much representation. Being a plus size woman I felt very seen while reading this story. It sends a powerful message that I hope other readers can take to heart. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read this book ahead of release in exchange for my honest opinion.

Yesterday, I read the first 80% of this book, and had it pegged at 3 stars. I couldn't rate it lower, because it was holding my attention. The writing was good and entertaining. But I was so uncomfortable reading it, and reading the last 20% this morning really highlighted that discomfort.

The protagonist is loud and proud about being fat, queer, and gender nonconforming. As a fellow fat, queer, and gender nonconforming person, I do not tend to be loud and proud unless I'm surrounded by safe people. I think this book was an uncomfortable read for me because it highlighted how often I opt to hold back my authenticity and slide by in my life cosplaying a mild mannered apologetically-fat woman, who doesn't speak about her queer identity in spaces like work, let alone gender identity, when its easier to she/her my way through life than explain the neopronouns that make eir heart sing.

I think more of us - the scared fat queers who fat-shame themselves and are still learning their bravery - should read this book and feel uncomfortable by it, because its not the discomfort of a bad book, its the discomfort of having a piece of media cause you to stare down visceral insecurities and consider, maybe, being more bold and outspoken. Or maybe at least trying.

The writing was solid, the cast was believably flawed and human, and at times I got angry at the protagonist for making stupid interpersonal mistakes, but also, those mistakes made her very human, and I think my anger was in how easy it would be to see myself in the same position.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing me with an E-Arc of this book! This book was a fun ride of giggles and blushing. The chemistry between Andy and Diana was scrumptious and I ate it up. I had so much fun reading this and so will you, especially if you like fashion and Hollywood actors. There are many references to actors, movies, and fashion brands. Personally, I really related to some of the more touchy subjects within this book. This read had a wonderful viewpoint and descriptions on the struggles of being part of a minority group, being in the LGBT+ community, and being overweight. It really hits close to home.

This book CONSUMED ME! I had things to do and I would put it down and 20 minutes later I was reading it again. Just one more chapter. This book was so refreshing. I cried for the inclusion of EVERY human in this story. Ultimately this book is simply about loving every human being as they are. That we do not need hate when love, understanding and acceptance are more powerful. Just love yourself as you deserve to be loved.

Lauren, oh Lauren, THANK YOU for this book! I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, but thank you Lauren! This book is for my 5 and 3 year old. To show anyone they can do and be whatever their dreams are and to go after whatever they want.

Thank you Brittany Zimmerman and NetGalley for allowing me the BEAUTIFUL GIFT to read this ARC. I was not paid for anything that I said. At 30% in I told my local library to order it and told 5 friends they needed to read it asap!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I enjoyed this. It made me feel many things as someone who also has a body that society can be harsh on. I was inspired by our heroine.