Goodreads
Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich is a rollicking and poignant romantic comedy about a young widow who decides to get in shape...and winds up getting her groove back--and a whole lot more! Holly Brennan used food to comfort herself through her husband's illness and death. Now she's alone at age thirty-two. And she weighs more than she ever has. When fate throws her in the path of Logan Montgomery, personal trainer to pro athletes, and he offers to train her, Holly concludes it must be a sign. Much as she dreads the thought of working out, Holly knows she needs to put on her big girl panties and see if she can sweat out some of her grief. Soon, the easy intimacy and playful banter of their training sessions lead Logan and Holly to most intense and steamy workouts. But can Holly and Logan go the distance as a couple now that she's met her goals--and other men are noticing?
Review
I have very conflicting feelings about this book. Like.. I was not even sure if I wanted to actually review it, but I think I owed it to the main character, Holly, to get my thoughts out.
On one hand, I absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, adored Holly. She reminded me so much of myself with her struggles with weight. And I think a lot of women can relate to her as well. She was funny. and honest. And sincere. and sweet. and insecure. and sweet. and courageous. and loyal. I could not find anything at all to fault her on- she was an absolute joy! :D Her humor and journey pretty much carried the entire book for me.
On the other hand, Logan just made me want to curl up in a ball and eat ice cream while screaming very negative things about myself. I am finding it very difficult to feel good about myself after being inside that man's head. Even when Holly had achieved HER preferred level of fitness, he still did not think she was good enough. He always felt guilty and hated himself for his attraction to her because she still did not meet his standards of beauty, even when she met her own standards and became more confident. That leads me to wonder what kind of message that sends across to the reader. Even if you believe you have achieved your goals and find yourself beautiful, you still may not be good enough because there is always something more about yourself that may not be perfect. Yeah, way to sugarcoat the story in rainbows. In any case, I thought Logan was a bit of a harsh and conceited character that I had a very difficult time with. I actually felt that Holly deserved better. Even though the whole book he is trying to make holly into someone he believes he deserves.
However, for the sake of being honest, his character seemed real. No, life is not made up or sunshine, unicorns, rainbows, candy, and happily ever afters. Yes, I am sure his character accurately portrays more than one person in existence- male or female. So I have to give the author some credit for making such an un-likeable character and taking that chance. Because while his character pretty much destroyed my soul, he was raw and real and very accurate. I am not going to lie and say that I don't judge other people initially. I hate that I do it sometimes and I try very hard not to, because I hate it. But it happens. I am not making excuses for Logan's behavior. He had some parts where he was sweet and thought about someone other than himself.
Anyways, Holly was marvelous. Logan was real- depressingly so. BUT, I shall give the author credit for taking a change. She obviously wrote him that way on purpose. I just wish he had been a wee bit more redeemable. (:
Loved Holly, though. And the side characters made me chuckle a few times. I don't really enjoy side stories in my romances, because I like to focus on the couple, but they were entertaining enough. (:
So.. I would say 2.9/5 to 3/5. Holly was divine and Logan was.. Logan. lol
On one hand, I absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, adored Holly. She reminded me so much of myself with her struggles with weight. And I think a lot of women can relate to her as well. She was funny. and honest. And sincere. and sweet. and insecure. and sweet. and courageous. and loyal. I could not find anything at all to fault her on- she was an absolute joy! :D Her humor and journey pretty much carried the entire book for me.
On the other hand, Logan just made me want to curl up in a ball and eat ice cream while screaming very negative things about myself. I am finding it very difficult to feel good about myself after being inside that man's head. Even when Holly had achieved HER preferred level of fitness, he still did not think she was good enough. He always felt guilty and hated himself for his attraction to her because she still did not meet his standards of beauty, even when she met her own standards and became more confident. That leads me to wonder what kind of message that sends across to the reader. Even if you believe you have achieved your goals and find yourself beautiful, you still may not be good enough because there is always something more about yourself that may not be perfect. Yeah, way to sugarcoat the story in rainbows. In any case, I thought Logan was a bit of a harsh and conceited character that I had a very difficult time with. I actually felt that Holly deserved better. Even though the whole book he is trying to make holly into someone he believes he deserves.
However, for the sake of being honest, his character seemed real. No, life is not made up or sunshine, unicorns, rainbows, candy, and happily ever afters. Yes, I am sure his character accurately portrays more than one person in existence- male or female. So I have to give the author some credit for making such an un-likeable character and taking that chance. Because while his character pretty much destroyed my soul, he was raw and real and very accurate. I am not going to lie and say that I don't judge other people initially. I hate that I do it sometimes and I try very hard not to, because I hate it. But it happens. I am not making excuses for Logan's behavior. He had some parts where he was sweet and thought about someone other than himself.
Anyways, Holly was marvelous. Logan was real- depressingly so. BUT, I shall give the author credit for taking a change. She obviously wrote him that way on purpose. I just wish he had been a wee bit more redeemable. (:
Loved Holly, though. And the side characters made me chuckle a few times. I don't really enjoy side stories in my romances, because I like to focus on the couple, but they were entertaining enough. (:
So.. I would say 2.9/5 to 3/5. Holly was divine and Logan was.. Logan. lol
Holly sounds like quite a fabulous character - I can see why you loved her so much!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour!
She was great. (:
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