Set in the Day Stellar Reading Challenge – 2010s
Set in the Year 2019/ Published in 2020
Trigger Warning – fatphobia/ fat shaming/ toxic relationships/ misogyny/ cheating/ doxxing
3.7/5 As I anticipated offering the Set in the Day Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC), I imagined the easiest books to find would be those Set in the 2010s (also known as the Tens). Gnomies, I doubt I could’ve been more wrong! I even eased up on the rule a bit for the last decade of this SRC. Yet, somehow, I discovered Kate Stayman-London’s One to Watch, a book set in 2019 and published in 2020. While some reviewers offered less than stellar opinions on One to Watch, I decided to read this book as it focused on some rather Twenty-first Century, even Tens themes.
Click here for more information on this SRC.
“Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers–and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?… Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition–under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She’s in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That’s it…. But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She’s in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale.”
My favorite part of One to Watch happens to be the beginning when Bea makes friends with a Parisian shopkeeper. I wished the narrative, text correspondence and all, remained with this promising start. I must say Stayman-London nails all the tropes of dating reality TV as far as I’m concerned. In fact, she illustrates how “unreal” this television can be. Bea and other characters, all with their own agendas rather than actually finding true love and a happily ever after (HEA), seemed most authentic. The book left me wanting, however, some more likeable characters. I felt Stayman-London wanted readers to have certain opinions of different characters that I never quite managed. Also, I found most of the characters undeserving of their respective endgames. Nonetheless, I commend this book for being quintessentially 2010s.
Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.
Starry Night Elf 