There were a lot of things I liked about this book. I loved that the story centered on a full-figured woman who finds herself in a fake relationship that ultimately turns into something more. I enjoyed Leah and Sam's developing relationship. It a treat to see how their connection grew and strengthened the more time they spent together. Their interactions ranged from the humorous to the more candid one.s Sam and Leah had great chemistry and I appreciated the author's effort in bringing it to the page. I also enjoyed the other characters that were brought into the mix. Valerie seemed like a great character and a perfect best friend for Leah. Unfortunately, I had a hard time with Leah. She wasn't an awful character to get to know, but she was very down on herself. I understand what the author was trying to do because it all relates to her relationship with her mother but it was exhausting at times, especially in the beginning. Which also happened with Sam. It was clear that he was attracted to Leah,, but he kept his inner monologue was whiplash inducing. Thankfully, the author eased up on both of those as the story progressed and I was able to enjoy the romance building between these two.

I gravitate to this author whenever I see she has written a book because of her talent for giving a scrumptious romance sprinkled with humor at times. This one is also on a bit of a different twist then her previous but still lures me in. Being I also work in retail I see all size all kinds with what matters is what is in the inside of a person. Mr perfect could be Mr douche but onward with this one. Leah I would say is just too hard on herself with plenty of programming from others that added fuel to that fire. One of those is her mom with me being one wanting to smack her a time or two myself. Sam now is my kind of guy but he also gets them in a pickle kinda but it goes on what he secretly desires anyways on his feelings. So deception is always fun to read to see who will cave first and who will devour the other one. It would not of started for either one if there wasn't some chemistry to begin with. It kinds is like the duck that turns into a swan because she denys her own worth with us getting to see her eyes open slowly with both filling with romance and love. Heart warming story with humor and feistiness too. Stellar moments too throughout where you crack up. Of course delivered with a HEA making it a bonus in my books.

I especially love romances that are body positive and Size Matters is an excellent one. Leah is an excellent heroine and the plot of fake engagement is great!

I’m such a sucker for the fake mates trope and this delivered all the yumminess. It had humor, heart, emotion, and heat and it hooked me from the start.

Here’s what’s going on. To save Leah from her mother’s criticism, Sam announces that they’re engaged. There’s only one little problem: it’s a lie. Leah and Sam barely know each other but now they’re stuck sharing a weekend with her parents and grandparents. To ‘fix’ his mistake, Sam agrees to use the time with her family to make them hate him so it will look real when Leah ends the fake engagement. Although the more Sam tries to make her family dislike him, the more he finds himself falling for Leah and her crazy family.

Sam and Leah were great together. . I really enjoyed seeing what they were going to come up with next. He’s a total alpha male, swoon worthy, good with his hands, and has a sweet tooth. Leah’s a baking genius, sweet, funny, and caring but she’s dealing some insecurities thanks to her mother

They both have some issues they have to work through before allowing themselves to fall, which added to the romance for me. It felt believable and I was rooting for them to finally get it together.

Overall, this was my first book from Alison Bliss and it was a great introduction to a new-to-me author. It was one of the laugh-out-loud books that also had the feels. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Our blog didn't rate this book high enough for a review.

4.5 stars - This was a sweet and spicy story that I very much enjoyed!

3.5 stars

Size Matters was a fun story about a plus sized woman who wasn’t comfortable in her skin and a man who was rumored to be...well, you’ll have to read to find out! ;) While I thought this story was enjoyable, I did have a few issues with it, so let’s get those out of the way first so we can move on to the good stuff. First of all, Sam ran way too hot and cold for me. He was so indecisive, and had it been just a few times throughout the book, that would have been fine. But in Sam’s case, it nearly gave me whiplash with all the times he changed his mind about where he wanted his relationship to go with Leah. Also, there was a lot of miscommunication here, which was followed by too many missed opportunities to clarify words taken out of context. Again, once or twice would have been fine, but this happened over and over again. Also, this was a fake relationship trope (one of my favorites,) in which Leah and Sam meet, and they immediately jump into this fake relationship. This wasn’t preceded by friendship, but one of the reasons Sam was hesitant to get into a relationship with Leah was because he was clinging so hard to their ‘friendship.’ It felt incredibly contrived. They were never friends! And my last issue was Leah’s mother - I thought things were wrapped up way too neatly, and she didn’t get her ‘just desserts.’ The woman was a monster, no matter her motivations, and she got off way too easy in the end.

OK - onto the good stuff. I really liked Leah. I felt bad for her, because she had a lot of self-loathing going on inside her head. I was glad she had her friend Val who, though she wasn’t often successful, tried to put things into perspective for Leah and show her how beautiful she was. Her inner dialogue did get tiresome sometimes, and she was so down on herself so often that I think she is the kind of friend who might make you feel drained at times. Now, aside from her mother and the father who didn’t stand up for her, I really liked Leah’s family. They were a fun bunch, and the way Sam ribbed Leah’s brother Ethan was freaking hilarious! I love that Sam liked and wanted Leah as she was, and that he made sure everyone knew it. (Of course Leah didn’t pick up on this. The voice in her head listing all her flaws drowned out any compliment he gave her.) Sam was very sexy (I do love a man who works with his hands,) and he was so good-natured. He was Leah’s champion when no one else could be bothered. They had great chemistry, and I loved their sexy-times and how considerate Sam was of her insecurities. The pacing was nice and steady, and while Sam and Leah fell for each other fairly quickly timewise, the events of the story were presented in a way that didn’t make it feel rushed.

While Size Matters wasn’t without its faults, I enjoyed the story overall and am looking forward to the next installment of A Perfect Fit. It's Val's story, and I am excited to see how she'll nab her man!

The first in a new romance series that I was excited to try. Not only a new series, but also a new author and by the time I started I was even excited that there were two books to get me into the series.

I will start by saying the first book was hard for me - from almost the first page I was uncomfortable and not a good uncomfortable by the main character. Leah the star of this story was the complete opposite of self confident and instead the most self deprecating character I may have ever read and she made me cringe often. It was weird, it seemed as though she dressed confident about her weight and size but all the words coming out of her mouth were the opposite and I wasn't enjoying her. There were a few times where I hesitated continuing, but I did. In the end, the book was fine, but I can say I really enjoyed it because it was the springboard for book two. (review live tomorrow on book two)

Let me continue to say, I am not a skinny minny lady. I am average if a little above and a gym goer and working on my own confidence, but the way Leah spoke was hard to read, to be honestly frank if I had read this last summer when I wasn't on the fit journey (not there yet) that I am on, I probably would have put it down faster because I couldn't have handled it. I want a series about larger main characters to exist, but I am not sure I would have started the series with this character, if she had been book two, I actually think I would have liked her better.

So start here because there is some back story that will help with book two, but beware you may want to nudge Leah a few times during the book and just quietly roll your eyes at her!

Side note - the amount of sexy times and sexy talk were above what I usually enjoy in romance. I am not naive that romance obviously includes romance, but compared to other romance readers that I read often, this one was a little over the top.

Size Matters by Alison Bliss is the book for you, if you enjoy steamy romance and humour. Insecure, voluptuous bakery owner, Leah Martin meets contractor, Sam Connor at Rusty Bucket, the local watering hole.

Many misunderstandings between them, caused by their insecurities and hang ups, lead to humorous moments, especially for the reader. 3⭐️.

Thanks to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Alison Bliss for an ARC of this book.

I appreciate when authors break out of the norm in romances. Most women (myself included) are size 16, so to have stereotypical heroines be portrayed over and over again, well, it's nice to have a option. Leah Martin seems like she could be a super fun character. Someone who'd laugh with you, someone who is a perfect baker, someone who would be an all-around awesome friend.

If only Leah would be a friend to herself!

Size Matters was a easy read, literally perfect for an afternoon escape. Unfortunately, there were a LOT of BIG MISUNDERSTANDINGS between Leah and Sam, starting with the night they met. And the misunderstandings -- or lack of communication -- continue until the end of the book. I was very surprised by the ending.

Leah's mother plays the role of villain, but Leah does a lot of self-harm as well through her negative thoughts. Between Leah and her mother, it's a wonder Leah is a functioning member of society!

I do plan to read the second book of the series, On the Plus Side, which features Leah's friend and co-worker, Valerie.

Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was just a fun read. There were a few times that I was chuckling as I read, and I love authors that can make me do that. If anything, I would probably dock this book half a star because Leah got SO down on herself about her size. I get it, she thinks she's large, but my goodness, there were a couple of times there I wanted to smack her for talking about herself like that. Also, I really wanted Sam to wise up and help her self-esteem, but he was struggling with the best way to do that.

I loved the dynamic and report that Sam and Leah had...they flirted, but it was clearly coming from a place of fun. Her family was a great addition...even the mother who was kind of terrible.

I'm looking forward to more books in this series. Bliss has real talent.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

A truly fun read. It had me laughing so hard at times, I thought tears would fall. It also had me take a look at how a person can be self-deprecating in small doses and do extensive damage to one’s self-confidence. I can relate partially to Leah….I am a petite but overweight woman.

Leah has been struggling with her weight all her life. Leah is frequently reminded by her mother that she needs to lose weight (this constant reminder by her mother is actually a pet peeve of mine, it annoyed the heck out of me!). This of course only plays on Leah’s self confidence. One evening Leah is in a bar with her bestie Valerie and notices Sam (a hunk); but, of course with her negative self talk, figures he could never be interested in her. Little does she know, but Sam has his own issues with relationships and the opposite sex. Sam and Leah meet in the bar and might I say, the rest is history? Well, not as you would think actually and this is the first sign that I took to mean that while Sam seems to step in his own way a lot…he is a nice guy. Leah was too drunk to drive, she then joined Sam in his truck to talk and then passed out. Sam did not know what to do with Leah nor where she lived, so he took her home. Now I can say…and the rest is history.

Through miscommunication and wanting to help a bad situation, hilarity ensues. Leah must deliver a wedding cake, her ex’s to be precise. And at this time, her car breaks down but as luck would have it, Sam is driving by and lends a hand. Once the cake has been delivered and set up at the wedding, things turn odd and at one point, when Leah talks with the groom (Gavin) Sam ends up introducing himself as Leah’s fiancé in an effort to help her. Trying to explain himself:

“Look, I was trying to help. You were saying such awful things about yourself. I didn’t want him to—“

“To what? Think I’m pathetic? I’m not your charity case. And what about tomorrow when he learns I’m suddenly no longer engaged? What then, huh?”

“I guess I didn’t think it through that far.”

“Leah sighed. “Look, I know you were trying to help, but Gavin’s mother is the town gossip and sits on the City Council with my mom.”

……

Sam cringed. I’m sorry, I just didn’t want him to make you feel bad about yourself”.

She shook her head. “That’s funny seeing how the only guy who keeps making me feel bad about myself is you!”



Now, how to extricate oneself from this situation and still save face? Much mayhem ensues and this is where a LOT of laughter takes place. These two are both so socially awkward. Yet they both have such caring and loving hearts…never want to hurt anyone if possible.

I love how Sam’s feelings grew and evolved. You could see his appreciation of Leah grow and evolve. Sam’s thoughts:

“She was warm, genuine, kind, and al all-around decent human being. Her easy charm, laid-back personality, and remarkable sense of humour were some of his favourite things about her. Leah always went out of her way to keep from hurting other people’s feelings, even if that meant taking a lot of flak in the process.”

The weekend away with Leah’s family was funny. Getting themselves into this situation as a result on not wanting to hurt others did afford them the time to actually get to know one another. The scene along the beach (when Leah gets hurt as a result of crashing waves) definitely had me see that they were actually developing true feelings for each other.

“Leah’s limp body stopped abruptly when her pelvis banged against a piling….”

“Damn it, Leah. Answer me. Are you all right?”

“Yes”, she whispered breathlessly.

I’m fine. I’m pretty sure I took out an ovary though.”

“But you didn’t hit your head or anything important, did you?”

She scowled at him. “I have news for you. I consider my ovaries very important, thank you very much.”

Sam grinned. “Well, if you lose one, it’s not necessarily considered life-threatening.”

“Oh really? Do you want to be the one to tell my grandma I can’t conceive your children? Trust me, it could be life-threatening.”

I liked the fact that even when things were tough, they could find humour in the situation. Even through the self denial of feelings, you could see that they both were truly falling for each other. The question is….could they make it work? You will just have to read the story to find out yourself.

As an introduction to the writings of Alison Bliss, I could not have found a more enjoyable first read. I can hardly wait for the second book in this series “On The Plus Side”.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

I thoroughly enjoyed this read! Full of whit and hilarious moments that had me crying with laughter, and finally a book about curvy women! It's so nice to read a book written about a woman with curves, and bringing to light some of the feelings and issues that women with curves deal with. All in all a sweet romance that I would highly recommend!

Unable to review due to being unable to open the book. Thank you for the opportunity otherwise!

Fun story, great dialogue and great one liners but still had a well developed story so it wasn't just a series of one liners. I look forward to more from this author!