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Chosen by: Kellie
WHY:
I have not watched The Bachelor or Bachelorette in years. Kate got me and Duckie to start watching with her this past season. Then I saw this book and I was like, we need to read this together! I wish that there was more size inclusion in not only The Bachelor, but all of reality TV. As a plus-size woman I would love to see more shapes, sizes, colors, and identities. I’m very excited to see how this book unfolds.
Summary of the book:
Bea Shumacher is a plus-size fashion blogger who’s drunken rant about the lack of body diversity on the reality TV romance show Main Squeeze goes viral and changes her life. She is asked to be the next Main squeeze and accepts to advance her career, not to find love. Self doubt, jerks and manipulative producers send Bea on a rollercoaster ride of emotions on her path to find self-love and happiness.
Kellie:
So many emotions! I laughed so hard and I cried even harder. For me this was a book of self representation. I saw myself in Bea. I’m very lucky that I do not harbor the ill will towards my body Bea has to work through. People feeling they have the right to comment on my body or my “health,” I get that. For Bea the main reason she goes on the show is to help her career, but also to prove that not only size twos deserve to be the main squeeze. Bea definitely goes through a dramatic journey with her time on Main Squeeze. She gets rid of monsters from her past she did not even realize were holding her back. I came for the tawdry Bachelor-like drama and I stayed for Bea getting her shot and “being picky about it.”
Katie :
The Bachelor, Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise are my favorite guilty pleasures. They are the only TV shows I watch. Romance! Drama! Beautiful clothes! Amazing dates! The show is just realistic enough for me to hope the bachelor/ette finds romance and unrealistic enough that I actually enjoy watching it. This book with the “Main Squeeze” show and all the plays on the Bachelor universe were fun to read. Bea’s fears and hopes were so relatable, and I was rooting for her. It was hard reading about some of the hate mail and rude comments she had to endure. Unfortunately based on what I see on Instagram and online in general, that part felt very realistic. Thankfully (spoiler alert), Bea got her happy ending and just like watching the show, I had fun guessing which guy she was going to end up with.
Jessie:
Okay, I just finished! I have to say, I had a cheesy grin on my face for most of the book. My husband will tell you, it’s the same goofy look that appears while watching the Bachelor, Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. It was definitely entertaining and of course, I was rooting for Bea. Being a Bachelor Nation fan, I completely appreciated the way everything was laid out. I definitely felt invested in who she’d end up with and who my favorites were. However, I struggled with a few things.
SPOILERS:
- Not announcing Bea was the leading lady. If they were really out for a happy ending for Bea, there’s no way that should have been kept a secret until filming. Obviously, I understand it was for shock factor and ratings. I just REALLY hated it.
- Even though I loved him, Wyatt’s storyline was a little far fetched. I get the book is trying to be all inclusive….but that went a little far for me. Not because I don’t accept it, but because why go on a show to find love? It just doesn’t make sense. I love him and Bea, though.
- Bea identified as “medium fat.” What the heck is that? Maybe I just missed it in the beginning, but I never really felt like they gave a great description of her. I had a hard time picturing her.
- At what point did she EVER mention the little shop where she got her velvet cape that started it all??????????????????????
All in all, I enjoyed the book very much. It was a fun read and I loved Bea’s character.
P.S. I love Luc, and I cannot lie.
Duckie:
I’m a very “online person.” I’m constantly on Twitter and Instagram. I listen to celebrity gossip podcasts. Hence even before I started actually watching The Bachelor, I was usually very aware of what was going on with the show. So I loved how the author formatted this book. The interludes of podcast dialogue, chats and articles covering the show was clever, fun and very true to how the show gets dissected in real life. My particular favorite was the podcast sponsor bits. So great. Overall, the book was very fun while delivering a great message. Let’s just hope the real Bachelor program starts taking some cues from this book.
Kathy: I really liked this book! Reading it at the same time as watching The Bachelor was a definite plus. It was heartbreaking to read some of the hateful comments and awful behavior, but at the same time, it was empowering to see how she handled it, and overcame her own self doubt. And let’s be honest, no matter who we are or what we look like, we ALL have self doubt at times. I’m glad I read this book, and I’m glad I had my girls to talk about it with.