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Let’s start with Danielle Allen wrote this book down to the GRISTLE!!!!!

Russell Long & Nina Ford came out the gate SWINGINGGGG!!!! The chemistry between the two was instantly felt!!! I love the way they were both written & the way their story developed!

Nina is without a doubt among my all-time top five FMCs 🔥👏🏾👏🏾🥰! Although Nina was a force all by herself, Russell did not play around with Nina, okay!

I think it's a very original and brilliant writing style that the stories "Curvy Girl Summer" and "Plus Size Player" are sort of happening at the same time!

I could say a lot more, but I don’t want to give away the book. I’ll finish with, I'm eager to read Jazmin's story, especially in light of the recent happenings. Additionally, this audiobook being narrated by Wesleigh Siobhan…. TOOPPPPPP TIERRRRRRR, MMHMMMM!

****Recieved as an ALC from NetGalley****

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Audio version Review

Wesleigh Siobhan does a great job with the narration for this book. She changes her voice to ensure readers and distinguish the male characters from the female characters. The inflections in her voice on point within the storyline and keep the story on pace.

Note: I received an advanced copy from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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If you enjoyed Curvy Girl Summer, then Plus Size Player is a must read!

Danielle Allen gave us everything with Nina. Her confidence? Unmatched. I loved how she owned who she was—bold, curvy, and in control. I could relate to her in so many ways, especially her fear of choosing the wrong guy, so she kept her options open. That part hit deep.

And let’s talk about her friend group iconic. The way they gave the guys nicknames? I loved it. My friends and I do the exact same thing, which made it feel so real and fun.

This comedic love story has a couple OMG moments giving a sexy, empowering read full of pe

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I absolutely loved this sexy, empowering, & passionate story! From the first chapter, I was completely hooked. Nina’s journey felt both personal and powerful as she navigates relationships, exudes confidence, and dives into the complexities of dating. She was truly an inspiration to all women, and especially plus size women.

Per usual.. The narration was absolute perfection. Wesleigh Siobhan brought every flirtatious moment, internal thought, and sizzling scene to life with her usual infectious energy and authenticity. I could physically feel the chemistry between Nina & Rus, between Danielle Allen’s pen game & Wesleigh’s voice. She truly brought life to these characters!

The comic relief was a huge standout for me, I can’t tell you how many times I laughed out loud. Nina was hilarious and her energy was contagious. How can you read this and simply not be in a better mood afterwards? And the way she matched energy to those that spewed negativity her way, was unmatched!

Definitely.. Positively recommend this confidence boosting, extra spicy romance that will leave you swooning! The audiobook is a must listen, but even if you read it instead I recommend immersive reading, as this audiobook is simply an experience you don’t want to miss. Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.

Publication 🗓️ : 6.10.25

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🎧: Plus Size Player -Curve #2

🙏🏾 Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Danielle Allen for this ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

✍️ By: Danielle Allen-I read Curvy Girl Summer and gave it 4 ⭐

🗣️ Narrator: Wesleigh Siobhan voices all the characters. The narrator's voice fit the characters with standouts from Nina and Russ. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

🏃🏾‍♀️Run Time: 12:25

🗓️ Publication Date: 6/10/25 | Read: 6/7/25

Genre: AA Interests, Contemporary Romance, Adult/Women's Fic

Tropes: body positive/plus size h, workplace romance

🌎Setting: VA

⚠️ TW: fatphobia, bullying, misogyny, racism

POV: 1st person, single

💭 Summary 💭Nina is a plus-sized social media influencer that has a harem of men to fulfill all her needs. Russell 'the fun one" has something special that the others do not. She becomes a brand ambassador for RL Fashions and discovers Russ is the CEO. His company has a no fraternalization clause, so they have to cool off their sexcapades.


🚺Heroine: Nina Ford-30, a content creator and an internet model

🚺 Hero: Russell "Russ" Long-travelling businessman, CEO of RL Fashions

🎭Side Cast

*Aaliyah James + Jazmyn Payne-Nina's BFFs
*Charlotte-Nina's friend and co-worker at her lingerie boutique
*Nina's parents-Di and Michael Ford
*Nina's dates: Russ -the fun one, James -the funny one, Dru- the romantic one, and Tyrell- the smart one.

🤔 My Thoughts: I wanted to read this just for the cover, gorgeous! Anything featuring AA rep I'll read because I rarely get good ones. Nina had the added plus of being very confident as a curvy girl who dated who she wanted. As a curvy girl, I still get same treatment Nina did from the weight- police helicopter pilot and the disrespectful waitress who name-called Nina. I loved the passion between Nina and Russ and how he stood up for her.

🌶️: Spice 5/5 dirty talk, explicit
🎧: Narration 5/5
😭: Emotion 3/5
❤️: Couple 4/5
⭐️: Rating 4/5

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One of my most anticipated read of the year and I knew it was going to be a hit, and I was not disappointed. Also you can guarentee that anything with Wesleigh Siobhan narration is going to be gold so I had zero doubts here.

And I had a really great time. Danielle Allen has always been a very funny writer, so the comedy was on pointe, Nina being the character playing the field in this plot was a nice turn of events. It's always the dudes out there doing whatever they want with women on rotation, so it was really refreshing and real to have someone who is plus sized enjoy and use her roster to it's full potential. I loved that Rus was fully into it. That he was always going to be 100% behind her, and clock whatever bullshit was moving behind her. And I knew that she could handle the bullshit that was coming, because she had been dealing with it, but it's always nice when someone can pick up that burden sometimes. Absolutely everything Nina is. *heart eyes*, and I wanted nothing but the world for her.

I think my only gripe with book is maybe how things were resolved, but thats a personal feeling and thats a I can understand that there are others that are going to love it.

All in all, it was an excellent time, and I'm happy that one of my most anticipated releases of the year was a total winner.

Thank you to Danielle Allen, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an early copy.

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The story 4 stars and the narrator 5. Wesliegh did her thing with this narration. The way she would switch her voice up for each character is unmatched.

Overall the story was really good. Nina and Russ had instant chemistry and it could be felt through out the book. I had so much fun listening to the interactions between these two, the banter and my goodness the spice was there. Russ last name definitely fit him 😂😂😂


I love the friendship between Nina and her girls and getting to see a glimpse of the stories unfolding from book 1. Nina’s relationship with parents especially her mom was beautiful.


One downside to me , in the first couple of chapters too many times Nina was in situations where people commented on her weight. Now as a big girl, I know this does happen but not as much as it did to Nina. It was like every event, someone made it their business to address her weight, it felt unrealistic.

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I loved this book. Nina is a content creator and model looking to make her way in the fashion world. We follow along as she is dating and finds her perfect fit. Danielle Allen does an amazing job of crafting fun lovable characters. They feel like friends or people you know if your life. The book is sweet but filled with laugh out loud moments.

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I received an advanced copy of this audio book, and it was a cute read. Wesleigh did a great job reading this story, and capturing Nina’s character.
As the 2nd book in this series, I think it was great how they connected the characters and tied the story line together until the end. I didn’t completely realize the connection until the end.

The story line was typical for a romance novel, but the romance scenes where very spicy! That was one of the better things about the book, that set this book apart, and resulted in me giving this book an average rating. Just like Curvy Girl Summer, I found the beginning of the story very slow, and often times hard to follow.

I enjoyed that I was able to get lost in the story, but honestly it was only because of the spicy scenes. I hate when people get technical with the story lines and point out the all of the things that make it unrealistic, but I found myself doing that with this. Specifically, with the non-fraternization policy and the huge emphasis on this between an employee an independent contractor — especially for such a short business relationship. Again, it was a cute story — but I often found myself rolling my eyes at the “drama” of Russ and Nina dating in a situation that was perfectly fine and would typically not result in any unethical circumstances or with any legal ramifications. Considering how short of a timeframe they knew each other, the reality is, they moved way to fast in the beginning (as Nina seemed to do with several others), and if their business relationship was an issue, they could have utilized the time of their short business relationship to get to know each other.

I can see why some would really get into this book, but if it wasn’t for the extreme spicy scenes, not sure I would have been able to give this book 3 stars. I will likely check out any future books in the series, specifically for the spicy scenes, but knowing that the story line may not be that realistic.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5 rounded up to 5)


Danielle Allen does a wonderful job weaving spicy scenes into the story without letting them overpower the plot or the emotional evolution of the romance. The chemistry feels natural, and the relationship development is just as rewarding as the heat.

Nina, our plus-size heroine, is confident, takes care of herself, and leads with a big heart. She’s the kind of character you genuinely root for from beginning to end—her strength, vulnerability, and self-assurance truly shine.

This contemporary romance strikes a great balance between the realities many millennial women face—career ambition, self-worth, and the refusal to settle for less in love. One plot point I felt somewhat indifferent about was Russ’s decision regarding his career and the choice he made for their relationship. It didn’t feel entirely realistic, and I found myself wondering if there might have been a more plausible option. Still, it made for a compelling story and an overall enjoyable read.

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3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy.

I read the first book in the series and while it wasn’t my favorite; I like Nina’s character and was excited to see what kind of time she would be on. Nina is the main character in this book and has a better sense of self in this book. I felt as odd as she did when she fell into a relationship if I’m being honest. I like Russ and her together. For a while it was a lot of back and forth that made it seem like he wasn’t end game. She said she would commit if she could get something like her parents. I just never felt she was ready to commit to that. And I mean even past the halfway point and since she was actively dating that didn’t seem far-fetched. I enjoyed Russ and Nina together some things were clunky, but they were overall cute.

What I did not enjoy was how much of the story relied on external fatphobia to create conflict. But I also didn’t love the language around the characters narrative wise that at time unnecessarily enforced fatphobia among other harmful isms. Nina’s size as a plus size model could have stayed ambiguous. Putting a number on it made her an “acceptable fat”. And later on, unnecessarily saying she goes to the gym 5 times a week after someone implied something about her weight. It is an unnecessary metric of worth. People are fat there is nothing wrong with her being fat and it shouldn’t have to be explained away. Whether she goes 3 times a week, 5 times, or not at all. I feel like we spend more time explaining fatness to readers. The whole point of the series is allowing Fat Black Women to be at the for front of a romance story and be loved on out loud. Fat Black Women who read this don’t get a chance to escape because of the constant fatphobia as a plot device. I am glad she mouths off the people that say stuff unlike Aaliyah in the first book with her family and uncle. But I also would just like not to have to explain and see all kinds of blatant and over fabricated examples of fatphobia that were often surface level being brought up. I did start counting while in the first 30 percent the number of incidents that happened. I had to take breaks from this book. And I didn’t think this book would have to warrant that. I tend to read a book quickly plus I was trying to get the review out.

I would have liked that time being used to develop characters and maybe see Nina going on more dates in the beginning. Or just seeing Nina doing more things that made her happy or even shorten the beginning and get into the swing of the plot which was the conflict of Nina being involved with Russ at the most inconvenient time and becoming a forbidden (because of the contract Nina signed) company romance.

Them sneaking around had me stressed even before it’s revealed who Russ is. I could go on and on about Russ. I am not sure what more I could had wanted besides him to be more outright in discussion about Nina being a fat Black woman and their being nothing wrong with that. She was perfect just how she was. And him saying that to others. And maybe that wouldn’t had been a need if the scenarios in the book hadn’t been so outright. I would have like for there to be more affirming of the fat people in this book. That may had helped balance it out if was going to be in there at all. One conversation that felt helpful and warranted was the way people conduct themselves online. We were literally dealing with the fallout outrage from a 12 fat Black woman sculpture being in Times Square. And this was just what I saw within our community. Didn’t need anyone else to chime in the damage was done.

The smut in the book was fine I only had a small critique that Russ’s length wasn’t constantly brought up. We get it he’s 9.5 inches, he’s big. It gets to a point and lends to “BBC” f*tishzation Black men deal with. It’s similar to the Nina being 250 lbs, and apparently a gym girlie. I’m going to need us to find something else to describe these people. Shucks, it wasn’t until almost the end we find out Russ not the complexion of the man on the cover. Which isn’t a major issue but also, it’s wild his complexion which is part of his appearance is discussed once when he was at the airport and almost caught. We don’t know what people look like and just would like to know more about the people. It felt distant if that makes sense.

I will say while there are things I don’t love in this book if you handled what maybe was 30 percent of the book, I think the book is a solid 4 star read. The narration also was enjoyable with Wesleigh Siobhan being one of my favorite narrators because she can do an entire cast no problem. And she does romance really well too. The spicy girls will enjoy that in the book.

Overall, I would have liked to fall in love with the characters not just like what they were to each other. The dates were fun though. I was sure whoever took Nina to the amusement park would be our guy, but I was feeling less sure as the story went on expecting someone else to swoop in. I was nervous for Russ. The ending was a little anti climatic when Russ solution was to just step down as the face of the brand. He could had just done that but then we wouldn’t have a plot. The story could had been stronger if we trimmed some stuff off. Maybe got closer to some friends (not just over phone calls and the summary of Aaliyah birthday party) and Russ family. Nina introduces Russ to her parents maybe. Just felt too much too fast but also not close enough.

I will read other work from Danielle Allen in the future this series is hard to get through.

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Nina Ford is a plus size fashion influencer. She has no interest in commitment and enjoys dating different men for different purposes. Just when "the fun one" starts to make Nina question her approach, she learns he is the new CEO of the company she just signed with. A company that doesn't tolerate fraternization.

In classic Danielle Allen fashion, this romance is messy and morally grey in places. Also in classic Danielle Allen fashion, I adore this heroine's confidence and body positivity. I loved Nina's family and their banter. This was also hot. Definitely worth the read or listen!

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This was such a fun read! It was refreshing to see the female character as the player, a perspective we often don’t get. Nina is a plus-size fashion influencer with a very active dating life. She has a man for every mood and enjoys this setup, believing there isn't one person who can meet all of her needs. Her roster was top tier and honestly it was refreshing to see the fmc having several men at her beck and call but Russell? He was special and their chemistry is out of this world!

Weisleigh Shoban on the narration!! She never disappoints.

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3.5 Nina has never met the perfect man that has all of the traits she wants, so she...dates them all! Why settle for 75% when you can get the full 100% out of 4 or more guys?! But then, if you have one who is foine, has money, is fashionable, shows you the time of your life and takes you to pound town, what more do you want?!

I've got to say that this book didn't necessarily draw me in, but I'm glad that I gave it a listen. It was hilarious! I had several LOL moments, esp when Nina checked the guy at the airport about his hips and when Aaliyah (from Cur Girl Summer) said, "it was a scheme that Todd set up"...iykyk I couldn’t stop laughing 🤣

The story was good and funny, but a tad too long for MY liking so it became draggy at times. And some situations were repetitive. And if she squeezed her thighs together one more time I was going to scream, but, looks at my man and, yes, I get it 😝 I also would’ve liked more intimacy and touching moments over multiple sexcapades.

I love Danielle's books and how she creates fun dates, friendship goals and a lively reading experience! I love her wise cracks and humor sprinkled throughout. Wesleigh’s narration makes you feel as though you’re listening to her rave & cackle about her own fun curvy girl modeling moments and incredible sexy exploits!
--

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I'm going to be completely honest. I had to pause the audiobook while driving because I kept getting distracted during their spicy scenes! Whew! The hero can get ittttttt.

I really loved this book. I devoured every morsel and didn't want it to end. Does it have delicious dirty talk? Yes. But it also has a pretty damn good storyline. The heroine Nina was a breath of fresh air. She's cool, confident, and handles her business every day. She has a healthy dating roster and never leaves herself unsatisfied. I want to be Nina when I grow up! One of her guys, the "fun guy" Russell, always seems to have a bigger effect on her than the others. There's something about the way that he takes care of her in every way imaginable that she can't help but love. She knows she'll laugh, will experience something enjoyable, and will be left sat-is-fied by him.

Russ and Nina's story was a fun, sexy, easy read. The easy connection and sensuality between these two had me in a chokehold. Nina is independent but Russ didn't have to work very hard to break down her walls. He is the epitome of a man who knows how to show a woman that she's wanted and needed. Even though they're "casual" for a good chunk of this story, I never felt like their relationship was at risk of not going all the way. They just clicked together that well.

There is a little gut-wrenching decisions in this book, but I absolutely love how this author handled it all. I'm immediately going to read book 1 because I enjoyed this one so much!

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Plus Size Player is a fun, quick read. It's full of steam and chemistry, yet has a great story line and will developed characters.

Nina is a plus sized woman who is farting around has no intentions of settling down. She's a fashion influencer and recently found out one of the men (who she may be falling for) is the CEO of the business she just contracted with. Will they continue the fun, even tho she signed an agreement of no fraternizing, or will the hot, steamy chemistry of the two come to an end?

I loved this book of a plus size woman loving herself and being successful. I listened to it on audio and the narrator was on par. While Plus Size Player is book two in the series, I hadn't read book one, but thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley for the audio ARC of this book!

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“I might be fat but I will never be the bigger person”

Plus Size Player is a story about a plus-size a woman being an unapologetic badass star of her own story. Listening to this story was like eating dessert and hungering for more(and boy did i not want it to end). The story celebrates self-love, hilarious mishaps, body positivity and steamy moments that will leave you needing multiple cold showers.

As usual Wesleigh Siobhan was phenomenal in bringing this already amazing story to life.

I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Story: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration: 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat Level: 4 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️


PS: Only reason i did not rate this a 5 star was because of what the MMC gave up so they can be together(almost ruined the story for me). It’s a pet peeve of mine and i personally do not find such acts as romantic(I believe there's always a better way).
Aside that this was an amazing story.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC!

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I thought this was going to be totally my jam because I love fat women owning their sexuality and I love the cover and I love Wesleigh Soibhan, but for whatever reason I just didn’t get into it. Definitely a case of my tastes ultimately not aligning with the story telling.

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Nina is a plus size fashion social media influencer. She has a very active dating life. She has a man for every mood she is in. She likes this set up. She doesn’t think there is one man out there who can meet all of her needs.

Russ was just one of Nina’s many men. He was the fun one. As time went on, he was the one she would drop everything for. She gets an opportunity to model for a brand, and signs the contract, only to find out that he is the CEO of the brand. He was forced to break things off with her because of a clause in her contract. She really needed this break. He really needed things to go well with his company. But it turned out that their feelings for each other was far more than either of them expected. They couldn’t stay away from each other.

While trying to live his best life with Nina, Russ does what he can to find a way for them to be together and it not affect their careers. The whole time Nina is realizing that Russ really is the only man she needs.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The narrator was one of my favorites. I hadn’t read the first book in this series but I plan on going back and reading it.

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I really enjoyed this audiobook. The quality was perfect and you cant go wrong with Wesleigh Siobhan in my eyes.

I loved the relationship between Nina and Russ. Nina was a woman I could definitely understand. Why have one man when you can have multiple to fulfill your needs?? Russ was everything and more. The way he paid attention and made sure everything was handled for Nina was refreshing to see. Following the first book I loved the family dynamics in this one. The banter between Nina and her parents was super funny and I enjoyed the openness the had with one another.

In terms of the comments and situations that were made about Ninas weight, I feel like some were a little over the top and others were spot on.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillian for my ALC!

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