3.5 stars

A couple minor content warnings:

Spoiler

fatphobia (throughout, but worst is at the beginning); negative body image; diet culture; one random HP reference

This was a super fun debut, and I enjoyed it! I read it in about two days and immediately want more from this author.

It had a really simple plot (Savvy gets dumped by a shitty boyfriend for being too fat and decides she wants to get in shape and get out of a rut) but I think it was done really well. The book could have turned into a story that was only about getting revenge on Jason, the ex (and for a while it did seem like it was going there with all the times he kept popping up), but along the way it changed into Savvy making changes in her life for her. The thing that kept me from rating it higher is that I felt like Jason showed up a couple too many times, and I think the "revenge body" concept went on a little too long. I like that those things didn't end up being Savvy's focus by the end of the book, but I thought they could have been dropped a little earlier.

I was not a huge fan of the overly detailed descriptions of Savvy's workouts (especially the tennis training) because that got repetitive very quickly. I did like that we got to see her starting to enjoy working out as the book went on, but those scenes could have been shorter. Also the "Spencer looks homeless!" gag went on a little too long, in my opinion.

Spoiler

ALSO honestly I really expected Savvy to leave her job by the end of the book?? She didn't seem to like it at all and it caused her to burnout. Yeah, she was really good at it but they fully took advantage of her there so I really wanted her to completely embrace the chef thing and move forward with that instead of taking a demotion. That specific plot point disappointed me the most.

HOWEVER. I really loved Savvy's friends, Maggie and Joan. The were really fun and had her back at every turn! But they also weren't afraid to call her out on things. And I liked that Beth, Savvy's tennis trainer, was welcomed into the group. With the addition of Beth and her friends, I could definitely see the potential for future books in this world!

I also loved the descriptions of the food! Savvy is an excellent chef, and there are some truly drool-worthy food descriptions in this book. I definitely recommend having a snack nearby when you're reading this.

I'm really excited to see what this author writes next, and will definitely be picking it up!