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Big Girls Book Club #1
Something on the Side
Meet Tammy, Egypt, Isis, Nikki, Coco, and Tiny-the bodacious women of the Big Girls Book Club. There's only one rule to being a member. You must be at least a size 14. . .
BGBC president Tammy loves everything about her life-especially taking care of business for her husband, Tim. This year, she intends to top all his past birthdays by having a threesome with her best friend, Egypt. Now, if only Egypt will agree . . .
And then there's Coco, who has a habit of messing around with married men. But now that she's hooked up with a man who makes his living being every woman's fantasy, all she cares about is making sure he doesn't stray.
As insatiable about books as they are about love, these friends are about to discover how tough it is to keep it real when they all have something on the side.
BGBC president Tammy loves everything about her life-especially taking care of business for her husband, Tim. This year, she intends to top all his past birthdays by having a threesome with her best friend, Egypt. Now, if only Egypt will agree . . .
And then there's Coco, who has a habit of messing around with married men. But now that she's hooked up with a man who makes his living being every woman's fantasy, all she cares about is making sure he doesn't stray.
As insatiable about books as they are about love, these friends are about to discover how tough it is to keep it real when they all have something on the side.
470 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2008
151 people are currently reading
2482 people want to read
About the author
Carl Weber
91 books2,093 followersCarl Weber is a New York Times and #1 Essence® bestselling novelist.
In addition to his writing, Weber is the founder and publisher of Urban Books and in 2005, he was named Blackboard's Publisher of the Year. He is the owner of the Urban Knowledge chain of book stores and a past recipient of Blackboard's Bookseller of the Year award.
Weber graduated from Virginia State University and holds an MBA in marketing from the University of Virginia.
In addition to his writing, Weber is the founder and publisher of Urban Books and in 2005, he was named Blackboard's Publisher of the Year. He is the owner of the Urban Knowledge chain of book stores and a past recipient of Blackboard's Bookseller of the Year award.
Weber graduated from Virginia State University and holds an MBA in marketing from the University of Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
February 23, 2008
I don't know about you, but it seems that each time Carl Weber writes a new one, he pushes that envelope a little further and further until you can't help but either love it or leave it. In this latest offering, Carl gives some love to the BBW (Big Beautiful Women) by having a book club of them located in Queens. Tammy, the President, is a wife and mother who pushes her own envelope by having her best friend Egypt become a threesome to her loving husband Tim for his birthday. Sounds good and kinky huh? well, after the deeds done, Tammy's mind goes in overdrive and feels Egypt and Tim hooked up behind her back. hmm. Then you have Nikki, the mother of a young son, and the other half of a lesbian partnership with Tiny, who is anything but and good for a beat down in one minute flat. Things get a bit complicated when a fella from work gets on the scene. Isis,sister of Egypt has a great man in Tony, but then things get funkier when her old flame Rashad comes to his senses and wants her back. Aww which one to choose? Then you have Coco, the one ladies love and can hate for her whorish ways. Not afraid to screw your man and have you listen to it if you cross her. Just as she gets to win the jackpot, something on the side happens. This book won't disappoint, and the sex scenes are nothing to play with.
April 3, 2008
Sex in the City!!!
Carl Weber really put it down with this one. All of the characters were colorful and completely developed. Nikki, Tammy, Isis and CoCo take readers on a rollercoaster ride into their marriages, friendships, marriages and affairs. I was drawn into this book from page one! You'll never believe some of the things these women did and went through. On more than one occasion I was laughing out loud and screaming at the characters. Carl Weber made me feel like I was fly on the wall with each page I turned in Something on the Side. LOVED IT!!!
Carl Weber really put it down with this one. All of the characters were colorful and completely developed. Nikki, Tammy, Isis and CoCo take readers on a rollercoaster ride into their marriages, friendships, marriages and affairs. I was drawn into this book from page one! You'll never believe some of the things these women did and went through. On more than one occasion I was laughing out loud and screaming at the characters. Carl Weber made me feel like I was fly on the wall with each page I turned in Something on the Side. LOVED IT!!!
August 8, 2021
Favorite Quote: "I want to be with you, Coco, not just f**k you."~ Mac
Whenever I start to read a book that is similar in style of Terry McMillan's "Waiting to Exhale" I get nervous that it won't live up to be the same. However "Something on the Side" did a decent job honestly. I enjoyed it and never thought my favorite characters would be Coco and Nikki, I will say that Tammy and Egypt got on my very last nerve though. I will check out more of Carl's books and I'm happy that he wrote about full figured women. I was a little nervous reading a book about women written by a man because all of the women did have some very rough stories and I was just waiting for one sista to be happy. However there are women who exist just like the women in the book, I'm just not use to most of their lifestyles but a few of them did stick with me like Coco and Nikki. Definitely a page turner that will work your last nerve lol.
Whenever I start to read a book that is similar in style of Terry McMillan's "Waiting to Exhale" I get nervous that it won't live up to be the same. However "Something on the Side" did a decent job honestly. I enjoyed it and never thought my favorite characters would be Coco and Nikki, I will say that Tammy and Egypt got on my very last nerve though. I will check out more of Carl's books and I'm happy that he wrote about full figured women. I was a little nervous reading a book about women written by a man because all of the women did have some very rough stories and I was just waiting for one sista to be happy. However there are women who exist just like the women in the book, I'm just not use to most of their lifestyles but a few of them did stick with me like Coco and Nikki. Definitely a page turner that will work your last nerve lol.
December 27, 2024
2.5⭐️ This book was a bit of a wild ride. Drama at every turn. All my good sistas were TOXIC as hell in the BGBC. I enjoyed it though when reading it with my book club. When I read it alone though… meh
We got to see a sex worker displayed in a way where she is a proud woman, love this. We got to see her fall in love… kinda.
We got some lgbt+ rep, lesbian, bisexual, and trans rep.
We got to watch a woman travel through like 7 different types and levels of obsessive behaviors. The one that loves her life seems to love far too easily.
We got to watch a woman leave an abusive relationship… twice.
We got a pair of twins that are nothing alike. One is traditional, the other breaks girl code left and right.
This was all good and interesting, however:
The whole book was drama and the dialogue had me cringing. Sex scene descriptions were awful! The names of the genitalia were just terrible. The way that lesbianism was described is written in a way that was clearly written by a man. The way the trans-person was described was SUPER dated. And every last character in this book is unlikeable one way or every other. Coco was the only character I liked fr and Isis was the only one who I truly sympathized with.
We got to see a sex worker displayed in a way where she is a proud woman, love this. We got to see her fall in love… kinda.
We got some lgbt+ rep, lesbian, bisexual, and trans rep.
We got to watch a woman travel through like 7 different types and levels of obsessive behaviors. The one that loves her life seems to love far too easily.
We got to watch a woman leave an abusive relationship… twice.
We got a pair of twins that are nothing alike. One is traditional, the other breaks girl code left and right.
This was all good and interesting, however:
The whole book was drama and the dialogue had me cringing. Sex scene descriptions were awful! The names of the genitalia were just terrible. The way that lesbianism was described is written in a way that was clearly written by a man. The way the trans-person was described was SUPER dated. And every last character in this book is unlikeable one way or every other. Coco was the only character I liked fr and Isis was the only one who I truly sympathized with.
December 19, 2021
This book was GREAT! It is very erotic might I add, however Something on the Side had a great storyline and superb character development. It’s about these 4 girls: Tammy, Egypt, Isis and Coco in the Big Girls Book Club( BCBC), discussing not only the book but their intimate lives. Each character has their own situation they’re dealing with. It’s steamy in more ways than one. I needed something different from all the YA I was reading and this was definitely different. I will be reading more from Carl Weber.
July 17, 2017
It started off kinda slow but when it picked up ooou child let me tell you... this book made me laughed, smile, cried, crenged and horny. I think the author was able to captivate his audience. Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.
December 15, 2024
MESSY, MESSY, MESSY, MESSY. But sooooo good 🤭🤭🤭
July 25, 2012
Honestly, the end of the book, bored me just a little bit but other than that it was pretty good.
To me, Tammy was not really meaning what she said until she was about to lose it all. No matter how tempting a man was in bed the first time doesn't mean, you should throw away your marriage thinking you wouldn't get caught. She finally learned that Tim isn't the one to play with and Tim learned maybe giving up on something 'You don't feel comfortable with, without giving it a try' was a little on the bad side but I do think Tim had a little something on the side because as Tammy said she had 3 orgasms on his first try or maybe hes been doing some research and exercises to spice it up.
Coco, she was my favorite character, just because she knew how to get what she want. Not saying I do agree with her ways of getting and her way of sleeping with different men every day of the week. I was happy that she found love at the end. I'm glad she opened her eyes and saw that
To me, Tammy was not really meaning what she said until she was about to lose it all. No matter how tempting a man was in bed the first time doesn't mean, you should throw away your marriage thinking you wouldn't get caught. She finally learned that Tim isn't the one to play with and Tim learned maybe giving up on something 'You don't feel comfortable with, without giving it a try' was a little on the bad side but I do think Tim had a little something on the side because as Tammy said she had 3 orgasms on his first try or maybe hes been doing some research and exercises to spice it up.
Coco, she was my favorite character, just because she knew how to get what she want. Not saying I do agree with her ways of getting and her way of sleeping with different men every day of the week. I was happy that she found love at the end. I'm glad she opened her eyes and saw that
November 14, 2015
I was going to review this but there's nothing new to say. I was a little surprised by the weakness of the lead women and the uninhibitedness of their irrational behavior. All to be expected of course.
I did have a few LOLs here--mostly in the many MANY sex scenes. The subject of homosexuality and even transgenderism is discussed here--as expected the author opts to encourage more ignorance and stereotypes into his already predominately homophobic readership.
Bonus 1/2star for great narrators.
I did have a few LOLs here--mostly in the many MANY sex scenes. The subject of homosexuality and even transgenderism is discussed here--as expected the author opts to encourage more ignorance and stereotypes into his already predominately homophobic readership.
Bonus 1/2star for great narrators.
March 19, 2009
What can I say about this book, it was excellent. It was easy to follow, even thought there was four main characters. Their stoylines really kept my interest. Mr.Weber did well on his concepts of the sequence of events. I really enjoyed this book. This was the first book of his I have read and I believe it won't be the last.
Read
January 30, 2011I really enjoyed reading this book the story lines were great and the way the unfolded made for a good read. And I woulda never guessed the way it ended.
November 19, 2019
I actually enjoyed a book based on plus size women. It is also a bonus that the plot was different. Overall, I liked it.
April 29, 2014
Love Carl Weber books, never dissapoints
July 26, 2014
Loved this book but tammy irritated me...dint sign up for something on the sign if you cant handle it!!!
January 30, 2017
So much drama!! Loved it!
June 4, 2009
Awesome Book! Need to be a movie!!
February 15, 2025
This was a ride for me...a ride I didn't think I would enjoy, but I did.
Tammy wanting a threesome with her husband and her best friend Egypt threw me off a bit. I had a feeling that she was going to regret it, but then things started to get weird when Tammy started getting paranoid about her husband Tim sleeping around with Egypt and regretted even doing the threesome. But one night, her husband decided to get her to sleep with someone else, to get it out of her system. Unfortunately, that sparked an affair that made Tammy regret and think about her husband and she broke it off after Tim discovered that she was cheating on him...oof.
Nikki went through so many things in her life that she's in a happy relationship with her girlfriend, Tiny. She has a son with her baby daddy Dewayne who used to put his hands on her, but once she left and got with Tiny, things were good...until a new guy named Keith appeared and all Nikki could think about was Keith, which made Tiny weirdly jealous. Tiny tried everything to make sure Nikki was still her girl, even though Nikki was walking on eggshells around Tiny. When she starts to sneak around Tiny and be with Keith and starts to eat right, things are going well...until Nikki freaks out over Keith's ding-a-ling not being real and tells them to leave, only to read the letter and find out that Keith is transitioning, and she talked to him and decided that they should take it slow and be friends.
Coco was a straight-up freak- no pun intended. She uses men to get the most expensive things and also gets some on the side, until she meets Jackson Barneshill or something like that and becomes his mistress--the only thing is, she can't see other men. That was the case--she got her Mercedes, she shopped everywhere she wanted in NYC and lives in a bomb-ass apartment. It seemed like Coco had gotten everything she could ever want...until she met Mac Reynolds at a poetry contest and fell deep in love with him. She left Jackson to be with him, and then turns around and leaves him after finding out he was a porn star, thanks to Tammy's gift when she went to see her one day. Coco broke up with him and got back with Jackson, only to turn around and get back with Mac after they met and talked about it.
The reason why I'm putting Isis last is because good lord Isis got on my last damn nerve. Isis is in love with a man named Tony and wants to marry him. She kept pushing it and pushing it, until one day when she was about to smash him after a book club meeting, she got a phone call from Rashad who called her "Pooh". Isis tries to ignore him, tells him to leave her alone, and that she's with Tony now, and that's when things start to go downhill for her. One, when she's in Vegas she finds out that Tony is a married man with kids and decides that she's gonna go to his wife and tell her that she's been with Tony and they've been sleeping together. Did the wife freak out about that? Yes.
But wait--there's more to Isis's madness that even I couldn't even write.
Tony and Rashad do meet and Tony does kick Rashad's ass, but after all of that, Isis thought that she could crawl back to Rashad after choosing Tony...but it turns out that Rashad is with Egypt now, and that sent her into depression to the point that she tried to kill herself, and it took Rashad and Egypt to take her to the hospital to get her stomach pumped and to save her life.
All in all, this was a VERY wild book and I did enjoy myself reading it.
Tammy wanting a threesome with her husband and her best friend Egypt threw me off a bit. I had a feeling that she was going to regret it, but then things started to get weird when Tammy started getting paranoid about her husband Tim sleeping around with Egypt and regretted even doing the threesome. But one night, her husband decided to get her to sleep with someone else, to get it out of her system. Unfortunately, that sparked an affair that made Tammy regret and think about her husband and she broke it off after Tim discovered that she was cheating on him...oof.
Nikki went through so many things in her life that she's in a happy relationship with her girlfriend, Tiny. She has a son with her baby daddy Dewayne who used to put his hands on her, but once she left and got with Tiny, things were good...until a new guy named Keith appeared and all Nikki could think about was Keith, which made Tiny weirdly jealous. Tiny tried everything to make sure Nikki was still her girl, even though Nikki was walking on eggshells around Tiny. When she starts to sneak around Tiny and be with Keith and starts to eat right, things are going well...until Nikki freaks out over Keith's ding-a-ling not being real and tells them to leave, only to read the letter and find out that Keith is transitioning, and she talked to him and decided that they should take it slow and be friends.
Coco was a straight-up freak- no pun intended. She uses men to get the most expensive things and also gets some on the side, until she meets Jackson Barneshill or something like that and becomes his mistress--the only thing is, she can't see other men. That was the case--she got her Mercedes, she shopped everywhere she wanted in NYC and lives in a bomb-ass apartment. It seemed like Coco had gotten everything she could ever want...until she met Mac Reynolds at a poetry contest and fell deep in love with him. She left Jackson to be with him, and then turns around and leaves him after finding out he was a porn star, thanks to Tammy's gift when she went to see her one day. Coco broke up with him and got back with Jackson, only to turn around and get back with Mac after they met and talked about it.
The reason why I'm putting Isis last is because good lord Isis got on my last damn nerve. Isis is in love with a man named Tony and wants to marry him. She kept pushing it and pushing it, until one day when she was about to smash him after a book club meeting, she got a phone call from Rashad who called her "Pooh". Isis tries to ignore him, tells him to leave her alone, and that she's with Tony now, and that's when things start to go downhill for her. One, when she's in Vegas she finds out that Tony is a married man with kids and decides that she's gonna go to his wife and tell her that she's been with Tony and they've been sleeping together. Did the wife freak out about that? Yes.
But wait--there's more to Isis's madness that even I couldn't even write.
Tony and Rashad do meet and Tony does kick Rashad's ass, but after all of that, Isis thought that she could crawl back to Rashad after choosing Tony...but it turns out that Rashad is with Egypt now, and that sent her into depression to the point that she tried to kill herself, and it took Rashad and Egypt to take her to the hospital to get her stomach pumped and to save her life.
All in all, this was a VERY wild book and I did enjoy myself reading it.
April 4, 2025
5 out of 5 stars
I don’t usually find myself yelling at, laughing at, or fussing at characters in a book—but this one had me doing all three! Something on the Side had me so engaged, I was talking to the characters like they were real people I actually knew. Carl Weber’s storytelling is sharp and compelling, and the plot kept me completely engrossed from beginning to end.
I listened to the audiobook version, and that made the experience even better. Patricia R. Floyd, who voiced the character Tammy, brought her to life in such a powerful way. I’ve enjoyed her narration in other stories, so her familiar voice immediately drew me in. Tammy quickly became my favorite character—not just because of the narration, but because she showed the most growth throughout the story. Her journey felt authentic, and Patricia R. Floyd’s performance made her stand out even more.
Well-written, entertaining, and unforgettable—I absolutely recommend it!
I don’t usually find myself yelling at, laughing at, or fussing at characters in a book—but this one had me doing all three! Something on the Side had me so engaged, I was talking to the characters like they were real people I actually knew. Carl Weber’s storytelling is sharp and compelling, and the plot kept me completely engrossed from beginning to end.
I listened to the audiobook version, and that made the experience even better. Patricia R. Floyd, who voiced the character Tammy, brought her to life in such a powerful way. I’ve enjoyed her narration in other stories, so her familiar voice immediately drew me in. Tammy quickly became my favorite character—not just because of the narration, but because she showed the most growth throughout the story. Her journey felt authentic, and Patricia R. Floyd’s performance made her stand out even more.
Well-written, entertaining, and unforgettable—I absolutely recommend it!
December 23, 2019
This book was a tough read for me. I mean these characters did some crazy stuff from the beginning to the end. One thing I can say is that Carl Weber did provide me with a wild drama filled ride throughout this book. The characters are true to form... but I can honestly say that there was a lot of questionable decisions and not a lot of rationality behind their decision making. From attempted suicides, to staging an "I caught you having sex with someone else moment", to chasing a man out of her house with a butcher knife. This book kept you on your toes. I'm only giving it 4 stars because I feel that the characters were a little out of whack with their intentions, but it made for a great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2020
I thought I'd read this before, and I had, but it was a good 11 or so years ago so it was like reading it for the first time. Now the first time I read it, I probably really enjoyed it because I enjoyed this style, but I've read many more works of Carl Weber's since then and he has REALLY grown as an author. I was so damn tired of reading about sex. All of the relationships were based on how good the sex was blah, blah, blah. No substance whatsoever. It just got really goofy and basic after a while. Not bad enough that I didn't want to finish it, but if I'd been reading a physical copy and not on my Kindle, I would have skimmed that last few chapters to find out the ending and moved on. I could not wait for this book to be over with.
January 29, 2024
I'm going to just say it... Tammy got on my last nerves with this book! I kept saying "this girl is delusional!" All of her problems started with her and she wanted to blame everybody else.
Nikki and Isis were my favorite characters but then Isis started going crazy and she lost me.
Egypt... I guess Egypt was just gone sleep with everybody man now that she sleep with her BFF husband.
Coco was cool, I liked that she went after what she wanted even though she was only doing it to protect her broken heart. I am glad that she got a man that could give her what she needed. Even though her revenge scene was a bit much.
Overall I think the book was good and it definitely held my attention from beginning to end.
Nikki and Isis were my favorite characters but then Isis started going crazy and she lost me.
Egypt... I guess Egypt was just gone sleep with everybody man now that she sleep with her BFF husband.
Coco was cool, I liked that she went after what she wanted even though she was only doing it to protect her broken heart. I am glad that she got a man that could give her what she needed. Even though her revenge scene was a bit much.
Overall I think the book was good and it definitely held my attention from beginning to end.
December 16, 2020
It all starts with a indecent proposal, which we usually know never ends well. The five ladies in this book get together to have drinks and discuss,as well as have a book club. Tammy's the president of the club,and it appears she has the ideal marriage, but does she? Coco has a bad habit of messing with married men,and hasn't been caught yet, but how long will it last? Egypt is Tammy's best friend, and she doesn't know it, but she's about to be pushed to her limit. The other two women? They've also got drama. What happens next? Read it and find out!
April 5, 2024
Mr Carl i love your writing! How you’ve managed to tap into a woman’s mind is beyond impressive. I laughed, smiled, & cringed. The character development was on point. I was entertained from beginning to end!
I took away a star bc i predicted a lot of the scenarios
After the threesome i skipped over a lot of Tammy’s parts bc she was working my last
Nerves with her foolishness🙄 !!!
Tammy Tammy tiss tiss tiss, silly rabbit, tricks are for kids….in your case clowns. You don’t deserve happiness 🤡
Listened to the audiobooks and it was 🤣🌟🔥
I took away a star bc i predicted a lot of the scenarios
After the threesome i skipped over a lot of Tammy’s parts bc she was working my last
Nerves with her foolishness🙄 !!!
Tammy Tammy tiss tiss tiss, silly rabbit, tricks are for kids….in your case clowns. You don’t deserve happiness 🤡
Listened to the audiobooks and it was 🤣🌟🔥
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2018
This book was amazing. It took me forever to find it but when I did, I couldn't put it down. The story focuses on the women of BGBC and their relationships. Tammy and her husband Tim. Nikki and Tiny. Coco and her numerous amount of men then later Mac. Isis with Tony and Egypt with Rashad. This book was an eye opening to the struggles of single middle age black woman. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the rest of the series.
June 18, 2020
This book is so good!!!! I’ve read other Carl Weber books and they ALWAYS leave me wanting more!!! I started this book and had no idea it was apart of a 3 book series! I was sooooo happy!! I found the rest of the books on audible or library apps. I finished the book so fast!! I finished the others FASTER!!
February 11, 2025
Tammy really pissed me off! She opened their bedroom up and then was insecure afterwards! No matter how much money she offered Egypt she should’ve said no! Tiny was another one that pissed me off too! I’m glad Coco found love and came to her senses! Tim was a good man he definitely dibbled after that threesome with Egypt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2020
The drama. The drama. The freaken drama! This book took me through it. The only sensible people in this book was Egypt and Coco. Everyone else is just chilling in denial, lost in lala land. I need to find number 2 cause Tammy ass got off to easy for causing so much shit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2022
This book was hilarious and a fun read. It follows the lives of four women in a book club for big girls. It really was more about their dysfunctional relationships than anything to do with their book club.
I laughed many times reading this.
I’m a fan of this author
I laughed many times reading this.
I’m a fan of this author
March 6, 2024
A re-read from over a decade ago, chosen for a book club read. The book was just the type of salacious, steamy, twisty read I needed. The story follows five lovable, relatable, and sometimes annoying women as they navigated love, relationships, and lust. Enjoyable reading.
May 8, 2024
It was entertaining and had some decent spins, and I was able to see myself in Isis. It made me take a hard look in the mirror. I can’t say that any of the characters really “grew” or “evolved.” But there were some lessons to be learned about self awareness for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews