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Oakland Hills #2
This Time Next Door
Twenty-six-year-old Rose Devlin may shop in the plus-size department, but she’s never had a problem attracting men—with disastrous consequences. Recovering from her latest mistake, Rose has sworn off casual sex and moved to California to grow up, help her best friend, and make something of herself.
When Rose asks the cute-but-geeky Mark to help her land a job in high tech, she never expects to unearth his quiet strength, stunning accomplishments—and hidden talents. With a secret in her own past, Rose tries to keep her distance, but she finds that nerdy Mark isn’t so nerdy when the lights go out. And that maybe, just maybe, she’s not too grown up to risk one more disaster…
When Rose asks the cute-but-geeky Mark to help her land a job in high tech, she never expects to unearth his quiet strength, stunning accomplishments—and hidden talents. With a secret in her own past, Rose tries to keep her distance, but she finds that nerdy Mark isn’t so nerdy when the lights go out. And that maybe, just maybe, she’s not too grown up to risk one more disaster…
393 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2012
1181 people are currently reading
3855 people want to read
About the author
Gretchen Galway
27 books367 followersGRETCHEN GALWAY is a USA Today bestselling author who writes mystery, fantasy, and romance. She lives in Sonoma County, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews
July 3, 2013
Ya know, I really love it when I get surprised by a book.
I am going through books on my Kindle that I have just downloaded over the years because they were FREE or CHEAP. I have deleted a number of them just a couple of pages in. And since that is really why I am going through them, dumping the trash, I have actually enjoyed doing it.
But this book, I started reading right before bed one night, thinking I could quickly delete and go to sleep. Big mistake.
What a lovely surprise. A big woman with confidence and no problem getting dates. Well, maybe not as confident as she makes herself out to be in public, but still, not the stay-at-home-and-eat-more-cookies-until-Prince-Charming-happens-to-knock-on-my-door-to-borrow-sugar-and-intuits-how-fabulous-I-am type.
And how great is it to read a book where the female protag's legs don't go all the way to heaven, her waist is wasp thin, and, oh, gosh, she is just a darn good person. She wears thigh high boots, dresses to emphasize her boobage, and gosh, she really is a darn good person and doesn't have to be a size 2 to have a man who adores her.
Nope. This a good book with mature people and interesting situations. Okay, so the male protag is a reclusive, rich, computer geek who is a good person, has a great body and loves to pleasure a woman. While not totally believable, it is definitely a fantasy I can enjoy without too much guilt.
Well written, well edited. A couple of typos or just plain wrong words, but just delightful. Really, really delightful. Trying to hold off from doing a glom because those never end well, but my goodness, I am fighting the need to one click my little heart out.
The story has depth, humor, and humanity. There is some hot sex, but you have to wait for it. There are real world concerns and real world situations (excluding that whole secret millionaire situation) that are dealt with in believable, interesting language.
It is weird, but I found this book to be evocative of Attachments by Rainbow Rowell and Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, two of my all-time-favorite books.
I am going through books on my Kindle that I have just downloaded over the years because they were FREE or CHEAP. I have deleted a number of them just a couple of pages in. And since that is really why I am going through them, dumping the trash, I have actually enjoyed doing it.
But this book, I started reading right before bed one night, thinking I could quickly delete and go to sleep. Big mistake.
What a lovely surprise. A big woman with confidence and no problem getting dates. Well, maybe not as confident as she makes herself out to be in public, but still, not the stay-at-home-and-eat-more-cookies-until-Prince-Charming-happens-to-knock-on-my-door-to-borrow-sugar-and-intuits-how-fabulous-I-am type.
And how great is it to read a book where the female protag's legs don't go all the way to heaven, her waist is wasp thin, and, oh, gosh, she is just a darn good person. She wears thigh high boots, dresses to emphasize her boobage, and gosh, she really is a darn good person and doesn't have to be a size 2 to have a man who adores her.
Nope. This a good book with mature people and interesting situations. Okay, so the male protag is a reclusive, rich, computer geek who is a good person, has a great body and loves to pleasure a woman. While not totally believable, it is definitely a fantasy I can enjoy without too much guilt.
Well written, well edited. A couple of typos or just plain wrong words, but just delightful. Really, really delightful. Trying to hold off from doing a glom because those never end well, but my goodness, I am fighting the need to one click my little heart out.
The story has depth, humor, and humanity. There is some hot sex, but you have to wait for it. There are real world concerns and real world situations (excluding that whole secret millionaire situation) that are dealt with in believable, interesting language.
It is weird, but I found this book to be evocative of Attachments by Rainbow Rowell and Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, two of my all-time-favorite books.
January 8, 2015
Ah, this book. 2.5 stars.
I am a size 16. 14 on a good day... So I totally get the main character. I mean, okay, I was a size 4/6 when I got married, so trying to DATE at my size is not something I'm familiar with, but still. I felt like I could relate to the main character's insecurities and such.... And I TOTALLY LOVE that in this book, the main character doesn't lose weight and suddenly *magic* become attractive. I love that guys really love her curves and are attracted to her and her sorta innate sexiness. I really really get it. BUT OH MY GOSH. Her weight is mentioned in every paragraph! Okay, obviously not. That would be crazy. But it sure started to feel that way!
And then she's like confident one minute and crying and insecure the next and I'm a woman, I GET IT! I really do. (I'm the sort who should be prescription medicated when I'm PMSing...) But it was just too much. And the weird relationship between her and the roommate and the roomy's baby-daddy... Seriously. It was a bit too new adult for me. I thought the characters would be out of the phase by that age, but it had the angst and high drama of a new adult novel. I avoid NA like a drunk and sex-ridden plague.
But putting that aside, I didn't really buy into the romance. I felt the lust. But a lasting relationship? I dunno. The hero was soooo awkward. And I'm the type that goes for skinny nerds. I married a skinny nerd. (The guy has only put on 5 lbs since our marriage 11 years ago, too! JERK!) And she's outgoing and opposites attract and blah blah, but I dunno. The whole relationship felt really jerky... It was like stop go stop go stop stop stop STOP stop GO! I'm getting whiplash just thinking about it. I guess I just have a hard time buying the final GO with all those stops in the middle.
And to add insult to injury, the reason he's good in bed is because of the massive amount of porn he's watched???? *DEAL BREAKER!!!*
Anyway, I hate not liking books and I hate writing negative reviews... (Okay, I hate writing negative things about just-okay books... the REALLY bad ones I kinda enjoy ripping to shreds... but they have to be REALLY bad....) And anyway, this book was all right. It just didn't do it for me.... SORRY!
I am a size 16. 14 on a good day... So I totally get the main character. I mean, okay, I was a size 4/6 when I got married, so trying to DATE at my size is not something I'm familiar with, but still. I felt like I could relate to the main character's insecurities and such.... And I TOTALLY LOVE that in this book, the main character doesn't lose weight and suddenly *magic* become attractive. I love that guys really love her curves and are attracted to her and her sorta innate sexiness. I really really get it. BUT OH MY GOSH. Her weight is mentioned in every paragraph! Okay, obviously not. That would be crazy. But it sure started to feel that way!
And then she's like confident one minute and crying and insecure the next and I'm a woman, I GET IT! I really do. (I'm the sort who should be prescription medicated when I'm PMSing...) But it was just too much. And the weird relationship between her and the roommate and the roomy's baby-daddy... Seriously. It was a bit too new adult for me. I thought the characters would be out of the phase by that age, but it had the angst and high drama of a new adult novel. I avoid NA like a drunk and sex-ridden plague.
But putting that aside, I didn't really buy into the romance. I felt the lust. But a lasting relationship? I dunno. The hero was soooo awkward. And I'm the type that goes for skinny nerds. I married a skinny nerd. (The guy has only put on 5 lbs since our marriage 11 years ago, too! JERK!) And she's outgoing and opposites attract and blah blah, but I dunno. The whole relationship felt really jerky... It was like stop go stop go stop stop stop STOP stop GO! I'm getting whiplash just thinking about it. I guess I just have a hard time buying the final GO with all those stops in the middle.
And to add insult to injury, the reason he's good in bed is because of the massive amount of porn he's watched???? *DEAL BREAKER!!!*
Anyway, I hate not liking books and I hate writing negative reviews... (Okay, I hate writing negative things about just-okay books... the REALLY bad ones I kinda enjoy ripping to shreds... but they have to be REALLY bad....) And anyway, this book was all right. It just didn't do it for me.... SORRY!
April 28, 2013
I loved this book for two reasons. First, the hero was a software engineer who was kind of backward socially. He kept doing and saying the wrong thing to the heroine and was kind of oblivious as to what he was doing wrong, which was very endearing. Second, the heroine was plus-sized but instead of having a poor self-image and suffering from a lack of self-esteem as is common in romance when a heroine is a larger size, she was very well-adjusted, socially adept, had an active dating life, and didn't waste time wringing her hands over things. She wore bold clothes, loved to shop, and was girly, yet self-sufficient. I found her to be a refreshing change of pace. The story had a good balance of intensity versus lighter moments, and I had a hard time putting it down. I also loved the setting and since I live in the SF Bay Area, I can say that it was very realistic, right down to the atmosphere at the internet company where they worked. All in all a very enjoyable read.
April 11, 2015
Great start to book - I have lots of margin notes in first third of book enjoying dialogue between the Hero and Heroine. Her quirky, snarky but witty comebacks and Hero's shy awkwardness were endearing. It was sort of goofy and lighthearted at the start and I really liked it - probably 4 star at that point.
However, by the middle of the book weirdness began to creep in that created discomfort around getting her hired at his business and all these behind-the-scenes secrets started feeling off. Sex on his desk just felt icky and we don't actually see the Heroine completely address the nasty comments from her staff towards the end. There was a weird and uncomfortable relationship between her and the roommate and her and her Ex as well.
It got very dark in the last third as all the Hero's best moves to show he cared and loved her were manipulative and the big romantic ending felt awful to me as he hauled her friends and both their relatives into the mix to lie to her and manipulate getting her somewhere to create a happy ending moment - all those lies and secrets from people she trusted just felt uncomfortable and left a bad aftertaste as I finished the story.
Disappointing final third to what started out as a really good fun read. Last third 1.5 stars.
Final Rating 2.5 stars
However, by the middle of the book weirdness began to creep in that created discomfort around getting her hired at his business and all these behind-the-scenes secrets started feeling off. Sex on his desk just felt icky and we don't actually see the Heroine completely address the nasty comments from her staff towards the end. There was a weird and uncomfortable relationship between her and the roommate and her and her Ex as well.
It got very dark in the last third as all the Hero's best moves to show he cared and loved her were manipulative and the big romantic ending felt awful to me as he hauled her friends and both their relatives into the mix to lie to her and manipulate getting her somewhere to create a happy ending moment - all those lies and secrets from people she trusted just felt uncomfortable and left a bad aftertaste as I finished the story.
Disappointing final third to what started out as a really good fun read. Last third 1.5 stars.
Final Rating 2.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2015
Gretchen Galway is becoming one of my favourite authors. There are a few obvious typo's in the book, but nothing a good edit can't fix.
I loved the story line, socially awkward geek falls for sassy, curvy woman. The characters are true to life, and you can easily relate to them. This book made me laugh and gave me that warm fuzzy feeling. This is a cute, funny and very, very, very steamy read.
I would highly recommend this. Cannot wait to read the other books in this series.
I loved the story line, socially awkward geek falls for sassy, curvy woman. The characters are true to life, and you can easily relate to them. This book made me laugh and gave me that warm fuzzy feeling. This is a cute, funny and very, very, very steamy read.
I would highly recommend this. Cannot wait to read the other books in this series.
September 14, 2013
Rose Devlin moved to California to help her pregnant friend, Blair. (Blair slept with Rose's boyfriend, John.) Next door is geeky Mark Johnson, who lives with his mother (and is quite wealthy). It is obvious to Rose that Mark is attracted to her friend, Blair. But they form a friendship of sorts and Mark helps her get a job.
I actually started this a few days ago and put it aside for another book because it wasn't grabbing me like I wanted it to. But I came back to it and it got better and I started to appreciate it more. Elevating it from 2 stars to 4 stars. It turned out to be a fun and entertaining read.
I actually started this a few days ago and put it aside for another book because it wasn't grabbing me like I wanted it to. But I came back to it and it got better and I started to appreciate it more. Elevating it from 2 stars to 4 stars. It turned out to be a fun and entertaining read.
July 28, 2018
*SBTB Numbers Challenge - Four Letter Word: Read a book with a four word title.*
I was excited to read this one - actually plus-sized heroine and geeky hero. But it ended up making me so mad on the heroine's behalf for how badly everyone treats her.
Firstly she moves to California to get away from her creepy stepdad (her mother sides with him) and to look after her knocked up BFF who got ditched by her fuckboy baby daddy. Well come to find out When the fuckboy shows back up, the BFF doesn't even bother to tell her, just expects her to find a new place to live. With friends like that you don't need enemies.
Then the so called hero starts off crushing in the BFF and can't understand why the heroine is pissed later when he pretends he doesn't like her to avoid his family knowing about them. He gets her a job, but then risks her job because he's horny. After she tells him to fuck off, he messes with her living arrangements, and then further manipulates her to come away with him to his redemption cabin. And then there's no grovelling. At all. Shithead.
Neither of these characters had any real growth or arc. Neither communicate well with each other. I just don't see it lasting.
The writing wasn't bad, but I'm avoiding this author in the future with bullshit themes like this.
I was excited to read this one - actually plus-sized heroine and geeky hero. But it ended up making me so mad on the heroine's behalf for how badly everyone treats her.
Firstly she moves to California to get away from her creepy stepdad (her mother sides with him) and to look after her knocked up BFF who got ditched by her fuckboy baby daddy. Well come to find out When the fuckboy shows back up, the BFF doesn't even bother to tell her, just expects her to find a new place to live. With friends like that you don't need enemies.
Then the so called hero starts off crushing in the BFF and can't understand why the heroine is pissed later when he pretends he doesn't like her to avoid his family knowing about them. He gets her a job, but then risks her job because he's horny. After she tells him to fuck off, he messes with her living arrangements, and then further manipulates her to come away with him to his redemption cabin. And then there's no grovelling. At all. Shithead.
Neither of these characters had any real growth or arc. Neither communicate well with each other. I just don't see it lasting.
The writing wasn't bad, but I'm avoiding this author in the future with bullshit themes like this.
May 20, 2013
because of the ibook description, i thought this would be a different, more mature love story
the female lead was just as predictable - evasive, insecure, with a horrible best friend
the male lead was predictably tall, buff, rich and sometimes dominating
the overbearing but loving family completed the cliches
there are so many holes in the story, things introduced and not explained
character development was all over the place
relationship problems were address in immature, sneaky, unrealistic ways
with the premise, this could have been a great story; i was disappointed
BUT
i'm really glad i read it. it was fun and very funny!
some parts were sweet and charming
i loved mark's vulnerability when he was trying to be the right kind of man for rose
and his innocence - very endearing
the female lead was just as predictable - evasive, insecure, with a horrible best friend
the male lead was predictably tall, buff, rich and sometimes dominating
the overbearing but loving family completed the cliches
there are so many holes in the story, things introduced and not explained
character development was all over the place
relationship problems were address in immature, sneaky, unrealistic ways
with the premise, this could have been a great story; i was disappointed
BUT
i'm really glad i read it. it was fun and very funny!
some parts were sweet and charming
i loved mark's vulnerability when he was trying to be the right kind of man for rose
and his innocence - very endearing
July 23, 2018
I had several quibbles about this book. The premise is fine, but the actual story seems to lose its way towards the end and really should have been done and dusted much much sooner. By the last 25% I was losing interest.
and to be honest - did the relationship between Blair and Mark really have to be so stupidly complex? Could it not just have been a friend? I don't know about other readers, but I felt my brain wince when I read this:
{How did he acknowledge the potential connection between them without being rude? By the way, my brother is marrying the cousin of the father of your unborn baby.}
That cost it one star ;)
It was okay. It could have been good, but for the draggy ending which bored me.
2.5 stars rounded up because I read to the end ;)
and to be honest - did the relationship between Blair and Mark really have to be so stupidly complex? Could it not just have been a friend? I don't know about other readers, but I felt my brain wince when I read this:
{How did he acknowledge the potential connection between them without being rude? By the way, my brother is marrying the cousin of the father of your unborn baby.}
That cost it one star ;)
It was okay. It could have been good, but for the draggy ending which bored me.
2.5 stars rounded up because I read to the end ;)
Read
May 10, 201813%, transphobic joke, not that interesting anyway. Bye. DNF
November 2, 2018
Reading it I had a nice time. Especially at the beginning.
The main idea for a romance, geeky IT-guy and funny (rather) confident girl was really promising. And I took from this story as much fun as I could.
Nonetheless, I agree also with some reviewers that somewhere in the middle something weird kept showing. Like the relationship (past and present day) between Rose, Blair and John. I have doubts also considering the way Mark won Rose in the end. Couldn't Gretchen Galway imagine/write something else?
I don't want to complain more, so I just repeat, it was worth reading (especially as a free pick). For more complaining I recommend review by Sara ♥ and Carole's review (warning, in Carole's are spoilers).
The main idea for a romance, geeky IT-guy and funny (rather) confident girl was really promising. And I took from this story as much fun as I could.
Nonetheless, I agree also with some reviewers that somewhere in the middle something weird kept showing. Like the relationship (past and present day) between Rose, Blair and John. I have doubts also considering the way Mark won Rose in the end. Couldn't Gretchen Galway imagine/write something else?
I don't want to complain more, so I just repeat, it was worth reading (especially as a free pick). For more complaining I recommend review by Sara ♥ and Carole's review (warning, in Carole's are spoilers).
August 21, 2015
Bad characters have a way of ruining a book. Fully review to follow.
September 10, 2018
So cute ❤️
August 3, 2018
At first I was intrigued, but then I felt the two main characters just lusted after each other. You never saw the progression of it to become love. And call me prude and old fashioned, but there were some sex scenes in there that I felt like weren’t needed.
August 6, 2018
I really wanted to like this book, especially because there aren’t enough authors writing about plus size women, but I almost gave up very early on in the beginning. Boredom brought me back and I hate starting a book and not finishing. However, it wasn’t entirely worth my time to read it all. Our heroine was combative and sarcastic and annoying. I wanted to like her at first with her positivity and happiness but it was just a cover for some image and acceptance issues. I can relate to that but the way it was presented was awful. Not to mention the whole issue with her friend sleeping with her boyfriend and sticking around to help her and the guys horrible attitude and how she handled it. It was like reading a very young YA story! And our hero? One second he’s a complete bumbling genius and the next, he’s model hot with muscles and narrow waist - at least that it was how it seemed described to me. He was your stereotypical nerd and then the author started describing him like a model to get out attention? I don’t know, but it felt so odd.
July 26, 2015
This was an alright story. I honestly couldn't figure out why Rose would have moved with Blair. Yes, they were friends but come on! She slept with Rose's boyfriend. It doesn't matter if Rose was planning on breaking up with him. To me, that would have been the end of the relationship for both of them.
At the end, the whole, 'everyone was in on it', kept popping up. I figured it involved the scheme to get Rose to the cabin, but I started getting the feeling the author meant something more. But I'm clueless.
The ending was horrible. It's like Rose's mom arrives at the cabin, Rose is like a child with the 'he loves me and I love him', spiel. She finds out The Slug didn't come and...nothing.
Questions/Comments:
If Mr. Roche had owned the house that Blair and Rose were living in, how did John's mother end up with it?
I still don't get why Mark thought, in the beginning, that Rose was gay. Or better yet, why Rose thought Sylly was sexually interested in Mark.
So Blair ends up moving to CA because John's mother was going to provide for her? What was she doing before she moved? Where was her family?
Why do people always feel like they need to get married when they find out a baby is on the way? Especially in John and Blair's case. They slept how many times together? I think once. Yes, she's pregnant but so what...
Why didn't Rose like oral?
Why was Rose so upset when she found out Mark had $$$? It was obvious from the beginning that he was a private kinda guy. They'd only known each other for a few months.
Rose ends up saying prior to Blair going through the induced labor, how she "was already so far along..." Huh? Later on, we learn she'd just been barely 3 months pregnant. Sorry, but I wouldn't consider that very long.
More important question: How was Blair already feeling the baby move, when you usually don't feel it till around 4 months?
So Laim and Rose are talking, after having just been introduced to each other.
Liam: "You work at WellyNelly?"
Rose: "'Just started', she said."
"Liam raised an eyebrow. 'How did my mother know to call you?"
HERE'S THE STRANGE PART:
"Bev waited a moment for Mark to explain." How do you not notice that you've used the wrong name in a situation? Especially if the story had been edited?
AND AGAIN. Mark is leaving a long message on Rose's phone. At the end is, "this is John." Um, sorry author, but again, wrong name.
I was confused when Sylly called Mark, telling him about everything in the house having been taken. Even Rose's clothes and whatnot, and how she was most worried about her shoes. Then afterwards, Rose finds out and she calls Sylly, who acts clueless. It's like the author got the two phrases switched or something. Am I just missing something here?
They arrive at the cabin. Mark is already out of the car. Rose gets out and basically sinks down several feet. What were they parked on exactly? I mean the car is stable, yet, she's probably less than a foot from it and sinking.
Mark has just bandaged Rose's stomach and all. Rose ends up pulling "back the towel to flash her well-bandaged midsection." Now how did that work? Considering she's naked under the towel. Yet, only showing her stomach?
The one sex scene that really me...as in the most unflatteringly detailed situation. "...She should worry about crushing him, knowing she shouldn't. She spread her knees, inviting his hand deeper. His cock was hard, poking her stomach; she reached down, fisted him, pumped up and down as she licked his face." Yeah...the image that popped into my mind...let's just say it wasn't very pleasant. Nope.
There were several questionable things...sentences, that were said that I didn't get.
1. "He'd gone to a lot of trouble today to prevent girls from vomiting at the sight of him." This is when Mark's talking to Blair, while he's eating cheese and drinking wine. But I still don't get it. It wasn't worried about girls vomiting because of what he ate or anything....
2. "He had to get her into the bedroom and show her about that." That was when they're about to have sex.
3. Rose overhears her coworkers talking about her at the x-mas party. "She pushed away from the wall, took a step into the room. THEIR shoes. Because she was going to have a little word with these assholes." HUH?
At the end, the whole, 'everyone was in on it', kept popping up. I figured it involved the scheme to get Rose to the cabin, but I started getting the feeling the author meant something more. But I'm clueless.
The ending was horrible. It's like Rose's mom arrives at the cabin, Rose is like a child with the 'he loves me and I love him', spiel. She finds out The Slug didn't come and...nothing.
Questions/Comments:
If Mr. Roche had owned the house that Blair and Rose were living in, how did John's mother end up with it?
I still don't get why Mark thought, in the beginning, that Rose was gay. Or better yet, why Rose thought Sylly was sexually interested in Mark.
So Blair ends up moving to CA because John's mother was going to provide for her? What was she doing before she moved? Where was her family?
Why do people always feel like they need to get married when they find out a baby is on the way? Especially in John and Blair's case. They slept how many times together? I think once. Yes, she's pregnant but so what...
Why didn't Rose like oral?
Why was Rose so upset when she found out Mark had $$$? It was obvious from the beginning that he was a private kinda guy. They'd only known each other for a few months.
Rose ends up saying prior to Blair going through the induced labor, how she "was already so far along..." Huh? Later on, we learn she'd just been barely 3 months pregnant. Sorry, but I wouldn't consider that very long.
More important question: How was Blair already feeling the baby move, when you usually don't feel it till around 4 months?
So Laim and Rose are talking, after having just been introduced to each other.
Liam: "You work at WellyNelly?"
Rose: "'Just started', she said."
"Liam raised an eyebrow. 'How did my mother know to call you?"
HERE'S THE STRANGE PART:
"Bev waited a moment for Mark to explain." How do you not notice that you've used the wrong name in a situation? Especially if the story had been edited?
AND AGAIN. Mark is leaving a long message on Rose's phone. At the end is, "this is John." Um, sorry author, but again, wrong name.
I was confused when Sylly called Mark, telling him about everything in the house having been taken. Even Rose's clothes and whatnot, and how she was most worried about her shoes. Then afterwards, Rose finds out and she calls Sylly, who acts clueless. It's like the author got the two phrases switched or something. Am I just missing something here?
They arrive at the cabin. Mark is already out of the car. Rose gets out and basically sinks down several feet. What were they parked on exactly? I mean the car is stable, yet, she's probably less than a foot from it and sinking.
Mark has just bandaged Rose's stomach and all. Rose ends up pulling "back the towel to flash her well-bandaged midsection." Now how did that work? Considering she's naked under the towel. Yet, only showing her stomach?
The one sex scene that really me...as in the most unflatteringly detailed situation. "...She should worry about crushing him, knowing she shouldn't. She spread her knees, inviting his hand deeper. His cock was hard, poking her stomach; she reached down, fisted him, pumped up and down as she licked his face." Yeah...the image that popped into my mind...let's just say it wasn't very pleasant. Nope.
There were several questionable things...sentences, that were said that I didn't get.
1. "He'd gone to a lot of trouble today to prevent girls from vomiting at the sight of him." This is when Mark's talking to Blair, while he's eating cheese and drinking wine. But I still don't get it. It wasn't worried about girls vomiting because of what he ate or anything....
2. "He had to get her into the bedroom and show her about that." That was when they're about to have sex.
3. Rose overhears her coworkers talking about her at the x-mas party. "She pushed away from the wall, took a step into the room. THEIR shoes. Because she was going to have a little word with these assholes." HUH?
June 4, 2013
So my first impression of Mark, is that he's a creepo. He's not only still living with his mother, which is debatable, but lacks social skills. And I'm supposed to like him? Because unless he spits rainbows not only am I not interested, but I'm freaked out.....what a creep.
He likes the one roommate but is lusting after the other. Jerk? But the you learn that the guy who got the one girl pregnant was dating the other at the time.
So basically it's just one big trashy novel - and not in a good way!
The whole book is extremely slow moving, but I will admit it does get slightly better. And that's only because the Mark in the beginning is not the same Mark throughout the book. It felt like two different characters. He actually redeemed himself and had some semi-cute moments. Rose was likable but very much one dimensional and "your typical fat girl."
Overall I give it an okay - not horrible for a free book.
He likes the one roommate but is lusting after the other. Jerk? But the you learn that the guy who got the one girl pregnant was dating the other at the time.
So basically it's just one big trashy novel - and not in a good way!
The whole book is extremely slow moving, but I will admit it does get slightly better. And that's only because the Mark in the beginning is not the same Mark throughout the book. It felt like two different characters. He actually redeemed himself and had some semi-cute moments. Rose was likable but very much one dimensional and "your typical fat girl."
Overall I give it an okay - not horrible for a free book.
May 5, 2020
Re-read. I enjoyed the first half of this book very much. Great humour and the two main characters were pretty cool. Loved that the heroine was plus size and confident in herself. Also love me a geeky, awkward hero. The ending - not so much. I also never really understood her relationship with her best friend and baby-daddy (best friend slept with heroine's boyfriend and got pregnant). That felt icky, even at the end. By the way - how could you possibly get great at sex from watching porn? I don't see how that would help you develop 'special skills' (yes, the hero actually calls it that) in bed. More like it would give you nasty, unrealistic expectations. Just sayin.
Re-read April 2020.
The setting at the opening of the book was really neat - a curvaceous woman who is confident in herself. I really enjoyed the witty banter between the hero and heroine. I hated John though and disliked Blair. That put me off the story a bit.
Re-read April 2020.
The setting at the opening of the book was really neat - a curvaceous woman who is confident in herself. I really enjoyed the witty banter between the hero and heroine. I hated John though and disliked Blair. That put me off the story a bit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2024
"I know you. You need an alpha male. A top dog. A leader." He exhaled and looked back at his house. "Somebody who can go out into the world and take change."
It was here that everything began to fall apart.
I was having a wonderful time with this book, truly! So what in the ever living life went wrong?
Not only whatever that string of words was and the realization that we were talking like that in 2012 (I actually finished this book 12 years to the day after it had been published. What can I say? I enjoy the sentimentality).
Let's talk characters:
Rose: Our main curvy, plus size, confident, blonde fmc. She's confident like half the time, which I get. Truly. But anytime Mark would do anything she'd blame it on her being fat. His crush on Blair and apparent disinterest for her? "You mean, I'm fat and obnoxious and you thought I was a lesbian." But you know what- I understand as a real person with similar anxieties. But she does this quite a lot and you cannot characterize a character as confident and then show us a character who obviously struggles with her confidence especially. And add the confliction of her wanting to be shown off and viewed as pretty after being cheated on with a guy who was embarrassed by her. And even settles for whatever tf Mark is. I mean she thought the only reason he'd want to be with her is because she was like a cozy fluffy couch...
Mark: The Hobbit who left his cave to jump a car and then stand there uselessly and falsely assume a woman is a lesbian because they're wearing a tank top and a rainbow hair tie. Ally ig? He's a multi millionaire who started some great tech company to help his dad who didn't end up using it and never loved him. He not only uses this money and influence he has to extort but also manipulate. Just how I like my men! He's inexperienced and very awkward but with Rose she's just not like other girls ig.
John: A literal prick who should have never come back. But you know what sure, for plot reasons let's say go crazy go stupid. HE SHOULD HAVE LEFT. BLAIR SHOULD HAVE LEFT. SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE LEFT HIS SORRY ASS TO BE ALONE.
Blair: Literally a backstabber and the gull to ask Rose to move states with her after sleeping with her boyfriend is insanity. And staying with John was crazy. All that "I'm a big girl" bs was crazy- you're a pathetic excuse for a friend and don't have the balls to speak for yourself so take it down a peg babe.
The relationships were so unnecessarily complicated, which was fine until it made for the stupid conflict.
Mark lusting after Rose and Blair, with his attraction for Rose being all lust and Blair being a weird macho 'I must take care of smoll tiny omega.' (honestly simply saying that would have been less painful). Marks relationship with Blair in general too-
"By the way, my brother is marrying the cousin of the father of your unborn baby."
That was so unnecessary. He liked her, call it that and nothing more. So get rid of the now being into your somehow family member and focus on the fmc? Especially considering for a while our mmc was hoping baby daddy would just stay out of the picture (again: he should have) so he could swoop in and save the day.
Rose's relationships are also bonkers. She moved to California to live with her best friend who slept with her boyfriend???? Now I understand she was going to break up with him but she hadn't and was never over him! Infact John wasn't either considering he spent the whole book flirting with her, judging her, and talking about how she needed a real man. So we all can thank him for the physical repulsion of the first quote in this review.
The romance:
It was very believable until it just suddenly wasn't. Mark fettishized her size and didn't truly like her. The lust was there for sure, the smut was fine, nothing grand but you could feel the connection.
The timeline was crazy, they'd known each other about... two maybe weeks before hooking up. A week of her living there unemployed and then a week of her unknowingly flirting with the guy who's her boss and who pulled hella strings to get her a job she wasn't qualified for. So then they smash in the office and get caught by the real boss (who's name is Sylly pronounced as silly? That was a strange choice but so many were made we may as well add to the pile!) and Mark is back to working at home to avoid a scandal. Then they have some stupid argument and they "break up".
So he spends a month working to get her back because apparently he loves her? And so it includes buying her house, effectively evicting her. Then trapping her in the mountains with his family because Christmas and John and Blair are going and the backstopping ex and best friend are sad. So then they flirt, he kisses her, she almost dies or something. It didn't seem that serious tbh. They're a tad dramatic.
And then she confesses and they live happily ever after because he's just different! She let him break her boundary and let him go down on her so they can 69 despite having said multiple times it made her uncomfortable and it wasn't something she was interested in. But hey he's a sex god! May as well!
But how is this hermit who spends his days in the darkness of his room and lives with his mom for shits and gigs a sex god? Now you may assume it's because he had a really out there girlfriend- hm? What was that? No? It couldn't be a normal reason that made sense but instead it was because he watched a lot of porn? Cool! I love promoting bad mentalities and affirming bullshit!
"With the bedroom skills only an obsessive engineer with access to unlimited porn could hone to perfection."
I got this book for free a year ago so I'm glad that I lost nothing other than my time and mind. But maybe it was just a book from 2012 standing in front of me asking a girl to love her.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
It was here that everything began to fall apart.
I was having a wonderful time with this book, truly! So what in the ever living life went wrong?
Not only whatever that string of words was and the realization that we were talking like that in 2012 (I actually finished this book 12 years to the day after it had been published. What can I say? I enjoy the sentimentality).
Let's talk characters:
Rose: Our main curvy, plus size, confident, blonde fmc. She's confident like half the time, which I get. Truly. But anytime Mark would do anything she'd blame it on her being fat. His crush on Blair and apparent disinterest for her? "You mean, I'm fat and obnoxious and you thought I was a lesbian." But you know what- I understand as a real person with similar anxieties. But she does this quite a lot and you cannot characterize a character as confident and then show us a character who obviously struggles with her confidence especially. And add the confliction of her wanting to be shown off and viewed as pretty after being cheated on with a guy who was embarrassed by her. And even settles for whatever tf Mark is. I mean she thought the only reason he'd want to be with her is because she was like a cozy fluffy couch...
Mark: The Hobbit who left his cave to jump a car and then stand there uselessly and falsely assume a woman is a lesbian because they're wearing a tank top and a rainbow hair tie. Ally ig? He's a multi millionaire who started some great tech company to help his dad who didn't end up using it and never loved him. He not only uses this money and influence he has to extort but also manipulate. Just how I like my men! He's inexperienced and very awkward but with Rose she's just not like other girls ig.
John: A literal prick who should have never come back. But you know what sure, for plot reasons let's say go crazy go stupid. HE SHOULD HAVE LEFT. BLAIR SHOULD HAVE LEFT. SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE LEFT HIS SORRY ASS TO BE ALONE.
Blair: Literally a backstabber and the gull to ask Rose to move states with her after sleeping with her boyfriend is insanity. And staying with John was crazy. All that "I'm a big girl" bs was crazy- you're a pathetic excuse for a friend and don't have the balls to speak for yourself so take it down a peg babe.
The relationships were so unnecessarily complicated, which was fine until it made for the stupid conflict.
Mark lusting after Rose and Blair, with his attraction for Rose being all lust and Blair being a weird macho 'I must take care of smoll tiny omega.' (honestly simply saying that would have been less painful). Marks relationship with Blair in general too-
"By the way, my brother is marrying the cousin of the father of your unborn baby."
That was so unnecessary. He liked her, call it that and nothing more. So get rid of the now being into your somehow family member and focus on the fmc? Especially considering for a while our mmc was hoping baby daddy would just stay out of the picture (again: he should have) so he could swoop in and save the day.
Rose's relationships are also bonkers. She moved to California to live with her best friend who slept with her boyfriend???? Now I understand she was going to break up with him but she hadn't and was never over him! Infact John wasn't either considering he spent the whole book flirting with her, judging her, and talking about how she needed a real man. So we all can thank him for the physical repulsion of the first quote in this review.
The romance:
It was very believable until it just suddenly wasn't. Mark fettishized her size and didn't truly like her. The lust was there for sure, the smut was fine, nothing grand but you could feel the connection.
The timeline was crazy, they'd known each other about... two maybe weeks before hooking up. A week of her living there unemployed and then a week of her unknowingly flirting with the guy who's her boss and who pulled hella strings to get her a job she wasn't qualified for. So then they smash in the office and get caught by the real boss (who's name is Sylly pronounced as silly? That was a strange choice but so many were made we may as well add to the pile!) and Mark is back to working at home to avoid a scandal. Then they have some stupid argument and they "break up".
So he spends a month working to get her back because apparently he loves her? And so it includes buying her house, effectively evicting her. Then trapping her in the mountains with his family because Christmas and John and Blair are going and the backstopping ex and best friend are sad. So then they flirt, he kisses her, she almost dies or something. It didn't seem that serious tbh. They're a tad dramatic.
And then she confesses and they live happily ever after because he's just different! She let him break her boundary and let him go down on her so they can 69 despite having said multiple times it made her uncomfortable and it wasn't something she was interested in. But hey he's a sex god! May as well!
But how is this hermit who spends his days in the darkness of his room and lives with his mom for shits and gigs a sex god? Now you may assume it's because he had a really out there girlfriend- hm? What was that? No? It couldn't be a normal reason that made sense but instead it was because he watched a lot of porn? Cool! I love promoting bad mentalities and affirming bullshit!
"With the bedroom skills only an obsessive engineer with access to unlimited porn could hone to perfection."
I got this book for free a year ago so I'm glad that I lost nothing other than my time and mind. But maybe it was just a book from 2012 standing in front of me asking a girl to love her.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
March 6, 2013
There were certainly elements of this book that I enjoyed, and I was excited to see both a hero and a heroine that didn't fit the usual molds. I found it entertaining, but sometimes the situations or the events seemed a little over-the-top and tested my credulity (I do lead a fairly sheltered life, so maybe that's the problem?). I was also a bit disappointed because the romantic lead started out seeming like a dorky, interesting guy--but by the end he bore more resemblance to your typical romantic hero. This is great if you knew you were getting a version of the ugly duckling who becomes a beautiful swan story...but when you wanted to see how the leading lady could fall in love with a truly dorky guy, it might fall a bit flat on that measure.
January 21, 2014
It started off so WONDERFUL! It was clever. It had humor. I didn't hate the characters.
But then near the end it just kind of rushed everything. I never really bought that the characters were really in love. And several small plot points just sort of vanished.
Ex: What happened to Mark's concern that Rose was an extrovert while he was an introvert?
And then there's the matter of the family.
Romance writers always have a way of shoving the hero or heroine's family into their lives in a very intrusive way.
Maybe it's just because my family isn't very close, but this always puts me off of the story. And this one took it to the extreme. The families are always so cheesy and loving and it pisses me off.
But then near the end it just kind of rushed everything. I never really bought that the characters were really in love. And several small plot points just sort of vanished.
Ex: What happened to Mark's concern that Rose was an extrovert while he was an introvert?
And then there's the matter of the family.
Romance writers always have a way of shoving the hero or heroine's family into their lives in a very intrusive way.
Maybe it's just because my family isn't very close, but this always puts me off of the story. And this one took it to the extreme. The families are always so cheesy and loving and it pisses me off.
January 24, 2016
I honestly enjoyed this book; however I did have a few problems with it. A few errors threw me off, such as the author meant to write Rose at one point but said Bev instead, along with other countless errors like this one. The other thing that bugged me the most was her shitty best friend and how Mark was so demanding to the point where I was disgusted to read what was going on. But I will say that he had his sweet moments where the reader can tell that he was just trying to be the perfect man for Rose. Overall it was an okay book and wasn't terrible enough for me to abruptly stop reading it.
June 3, 2018
I was enjoying the first half, as the main characters were funny and having fun. But the more I got to know them, the less mature they seemed. The Rose-Blair friendship storyline was undeveloped from the start (why were they ever friends in the first place?), and Rose and Mark started their relationship on shaky ground-- no communication, with a glaring power imbalance. I skimmed the last half of the book and didn't see anything that convinced me either character had a personal growth spurt that would make them ready for their Happily Ever After.
May 3, 2013
Free read on amazon and I'm glad I got it - very sweet love story with two interesting characters with good chemistry. I liked that the romance built in a very believable way. BBW books can be OTT about the heroine's size, and I didn't feel that here - in fact, she may have been a big girl, but it wasn't an obsessive thing, and she was believably confident and willing to stand up for herself without being preachy. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for more from this author.
September 29, 2013
Sweet story, but the ending didn't feel like it should have been the ending- not sure if it is left open for a sequel or not. It felt like there were too many loose ends that should have been resolved. Also, as much as I liked the story, sometimes it was hard to follow the POV or who she was talking about would change mid paragraph, the scene would also sometimes change mid paragraph which was confusing.
August 25, 2014
reviewed for AudioGals. Link http://www.audiogals.net/2014/08/this...
Narrated by Tanya Eby.
Narrated by Tanya Eby.
July 16, 2023
DNF’d at 63%.
December 12, 2018
How broke would you need to be to try out for a modeling gig? Well, as long as I'm not getting naked, I wouldn't mind at all. But it's pretty sad when you're trying out for a plus-sized model and they tell you you're too fat for it. What!?
Rose is 200 pounds, unemployed, and barely has a roof over her head (she's staying at a fancy home in Oakland rent-free because her roommate got herself knocked up.) She lives next door to Mark, a computer whiz-geek that doesn't get out much. At first, the two clash, but they seem to mellow out when she suspects that he has a crush on her prettier, thinner (yes, even pregnant, she's still thinner than Rose) roommate and he thinks she might be a lesbian. Funny!
Mark is a little shy, but he's so adorable, even though he gets a little creepy obsessing over Rose's large, voluptuous breasts--an element that works in favor of fat women. Rose is a sassy, outspoken, and abrasive broad. The two make a fantastic pair, a dynamic duo. I like that they help each other out.
Along with a cast of zany characters, the story dives into a strange and messy love triangle (or square). You see, Blair is the roommate that got knocked up by Rose's ex, whose mother owns the house they live in. ??? Although wildly convoluted, story is a tantalizing recipe of unconventional chaos.
For Rose, being so big has never stopped the men wanting her for sex; they just would rather not be seen with her. That's sort of flattering and sad.
A comical and romantic tale of Fatso and the Geek. It'll prove that shy nerds can rock your world like no other. You want to see how this sweet story unfolds for luckless Rose.
Rose is 200 pounds, unemployed, and barely has a roof over her head (she's staying at a fancy home in Oakland rent-free because her roommate got herself knocked up.) She lives next door to Mark, a computer whiz-geek that doesn't get out much. At first, the two clash, but they seem to mellow out when she suspects that he has a crush on her prettier, thinner (yes, even pregnant, she's still thinner than Rose) roommate and he thinks she might be a lesbian. Funny!
Mark is a little shy, but he's so adorable, even though he gets a little creepy obsessing over Rose's large, voluptuous breasts--an element that works in favor of fat women. Rose is a sassy, outspoken, and abrasive broad. The two make a fantastic pair, a dynamic duo. I like that they help each other out.
Along with a cast of zany characters, the story dives into a strange and messy love triangle (or square). You see, Blair is the roommate that got knocked up by Rose's ex, whose mother owns the house they live in. ??? Although wildly convoluted, story is a tantalizing recipe of unconventional chaos.
For Rose, being so big has never stopped the men wanting her for sex; they just would rather not be seen with her. That's sort of flattering and sad.
A comical and romantic tale of Fatso and the Geek. It'll prove that shy nerds can rock your world like no other. You want to see how this sweet story unfolds for luckless Rose.
January 4, 2025
Because Rose is staying with her best friend Blair to help her while she’s pregnant, she’s looking for temp work and they’re living in Blair’s ex boyfriend’s Mom’s house. Mark is the guy next door, living with his Mom temporarily, working from home.
Mark is tongue tied with pretty, quiet Blair, and Rose is longing for her ex, who’s actually the father of Blair’s baby and left her. Neither of them is happy, so they forge a friendship knowing all about their feelings.
What they don’t expect is for their focus to change to each other. Mark stops thinking of Blair, and when John shows up, Rose just wants to make sure he makes Blair happy.
Rose moves out to a house up for sale, Mark gets her a job at his startup without her knowing he pulled the strings, and things go well. Until she feels he doesn’t want to be seen with her in public because she’s a large woman. In fact, he doesn’t want her to get fired if the CEO catches them together, and doesn’t want her harassed by his Mom.
They part because things start to become obvious for all to see between them, but Mark figures out a plan to make Rose see he loves her and wants to show the world.
A fun story with misunderstandings and some white lies, in the end things all make sense. Rose is a real character, beautiful, powerful, but sometimes vulnerable. Mark is the same, shy, geeky, but capable and determined. John is a jerk who redeems himself, but his treatment of Rose isn’t fully resolved, I think.
I like these books and will read on, but the Blair/John secondary story had lots of holes that impacted Rose in particular.
Mark is tongue tied with pretty, quiet Blair, and Rose is longing for her ex, who’s actually the father of Blair’s baby and left her. Neither of them is happy, so they forge a friendship knowing all about their feelings.
What they don’t expect is for their focus to change to each other. Mark stops thinking of Blair, and when John shows up, Rose just wants to make sure he makes Blair happy.
Rose moves out to a house up for sale, Mark gets her a job at his startup without her knowing he pulled the strings, and things go well. Until she feels he doesn’t want to be seen with her in public because she’s a large woman. In fact, he doesn’t want her to get fired if the CEO catches them together, and doesn’t want her harassed by his Mom.
They part because things start to become obvious for all to see between them, but Mark figures out a plan to make Rose see he loves her and wants to show the world.
A fun story with misunderstandings and some white lies, in the end things all make sense. Rose is a real character, beautiful, powerful, but sometimes vulnerable. Mark is the same, shy, geeky, but capable and determined. John is a jerk who redeems himself, but his treatment of Rose isn’t fully resolved, I think.
I like these books and will read on, but the Blair/John secondary story had lots of holes that impacted Rose in particular.
March 11, 2019
This book started out so strong, but the flaws ended up being too many about halfway through. Hoping it'd redeem itself by the end, it never happened. In fact, I think it just got worse.
Rose and Mark are both completely unlikable. Between the mention of Rose's weight every time she spoke, to Mark's alpha-macho tendencies, I didn't care about either one of these character or whether or not they got together. Which brings me to...
Mark. He's 29-30 years old and behaves like a 16 year old child. He gets jealous and broody and pulls the silent treatment, yet he's described as a lovable nerd? No. He's not. He's just a quieter alpha male douchebag. Seems more like the author tried to write his nerdiness into existence by constantly mentioning it (like Rose's weight) but never actually delivering it.
Rose. Slightly more tolerable than Mark, she had potential to be a pretty good and likable character. But she was written in such a cliche way. The "fat girl" that had to use humor and sarcasm to hide her insecurity. Can we just have a girl that's comfortable with her weight that's also witty and charming? A girl doesn't have to be borderline mean, and that's what Rose was.
Um and can we talk about the author's use of the word "feelingly"? Why? I don't think that's even a word. Ick.
And finally.... Mark's good in bed because he watched a lot of porn. Are you kidding me? I mean, are you really kidding me? Ugh. I can't even put into words how cringey that is.
Rose and Mark are both completely unlikable. Between the mention of Rose's weight every time she spoke, to Mark's alpha-macho tendencies, I didn't care about either one of these character or whether or not they got together. Which brings me to...
Mark. He's 29-30 years old and behaves like a 16 year old child. He gets jealous and broody and pulls the silent treatment, yet he's described as a lovable nerd? No. He's not. He's just a quieter alpha male douchebag. Seems more like the author tried to write his nerdiness into existence by constantly mentioning it (like Rose's weight) but never actually delivering it.
Rose. Slightly more tolerable than Mark, she had potential to be a pretty good and likable character. But she was written in such a cliche way. The "fat girl" that had to use humor and sarcasm to hide her insecurity. Can we just have a girl that's comfortable with her weight that's also witty and charming? A girl doesn't have to be borderline mean, and that's what Rose was.
Um and can we talk about the author's use of the word "feelingly"? Why? I don't think that's even a word. Ick.
And finally.... Mark's good in bed because he watched a lot of porn. Are you kidding me? I mean, are you really kidding me? Ugh. I can't even put into words how cringey that is.
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