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Friday, July 12, 2013

My take on: Big Girl Panties

I loved and I hated Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich. Why? As a piece of fiction, I absolutely loved it. It was witty, sexy, and smart. But after finishing it, I've had some to time to think about the overall book. I'm not sure I liked the overall message.

Holly Brennan is still reeling from the death of her husband Bruce. In the year since his death, she's been hiding from the world. She's hiding from the pain. She only ventures out when she has to. Holly has also lost herself in food, resulting in a large weight gain. The extra pounds have made everything harder, including flying. The moment Logan Montgomery spots Holly coming towards him on the plane, he starts praying she will sit next to someone else. Logan, personal trainer to the world's top athletes, doesn't want to sit next to the "fat chick." He's used to socializing and dating with a certain type. Looks matter in his world. A person like Holly would never fit into Logan's world. Holly knows it too, but soon these two find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.

After chatting throughout the whole plane ride, both of them are pleasantly surprised. Why? They actually like each other. Logan wants to help her. He has to help her. Holly could be his greatest challenge. Holly decides to go for it, and begins working out with Logan. Their relationship isn't restricted to just the gym. When Holly is on the verge of a big eating binge, she calls Logan. To his surprise and hers, he comes over. Logan realizes Holly isn't just his client but his friend. Slowly, Holly works his way into his life and heart. Holly starts hanging out with Logan and his best friends Chase, a star baseball player, and his wife Amanda. Everyone can see there is more than friendship going on between Logan and Holly. But both of them are afraid to admit their feelings. But of course they give into each other, there would be no point to the book if they didn't.

Holly lives out every former fat girl's dream, she gets the hot guy!! She loses weight. She will never be a size zero, nor does she aspire to. But...she's certainly turning a few heads, including Logan's. She starts to feel better about herself. She starts to come out of her shell. She even forces Logan out of his comfort zone. He starts to wonder how a relationship with Holly reflects upon him. Is everyone staring at them? What are they thinking? Is he somehow ashamed of Holly? Even Holly has her doubts. Is this relationship even real?

I was very engaged in the story. I was rooting for Holly and Logan. I was really loving the book right up until the last page. But then I had a little time to think about the book. Why did the fat girl need to be fixed before the hot guy could see her in a different light? Why is the hot guy the savior for the fat girl? For health reasons, certainly people who are overweight should change but they don't need to change for the sake of a relationship. If this were real life, a shallow guy like Logan wouldn't give Holly the time of day unless she lost weight. It seemed a little cliche that it takes a chubby girl to show a shallow guy the light.

As I said in the beginning, I loved and I hated this book. If that makes sense!! I didn't care for the overall message of the book, but it is a light, funny, and sassy story. Put your big girl panties on and give it a try!!

Rating: O.M.G. !!! (As a piece of fiction, I really did enjoy the writing) For it's message, I would have to give it a thumbs down.

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher (HarperCollins) as part of a blog tour with TLC Book Tours

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