My Thoughts
The Belle
I have read and loved every Kristan Higgins book I have read before this and Good Luck With That is no exception. This book as part of the pseudo series that takes place in Cambry-on-Hudson has a different feel from her other romance books. They are definitely more women's fiction that romance, although romance does play a part, they are also much deeper and more emotional in my opinion. And wow, was this particular book emotional and hard to read at times. I know there’s been a lot of criticism of this book and it’s topic, I have to say in my opinion and POV it’s unfounded. But this is my opinion. Not to say it won't be hurtful for some readers but it's also not a story that shouldn't be told.
This book, to me, is not about fat shaming or how losing weight makes your life better, it’s about the very real struggle we as people (and not just women) face in regards to food, healthy eating habits, past hurts, and self-acceptance and love. This book was difficult for me to read at times because I was able to understand all too well, unfortunately, the emotional struggle our main characters dealt with. The mental berating of one’s self when you don’t feel good enough and the self-loathing that comes along with feeling a lack of control in your own life was very honest and real. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Emerson, Georgia, and Marley are best friends since meeting at a camp to help them lose weight as teenagers. Georgia and Marley ended up being roommates as adults with Emerson staying in touch but not as frequently because, as we find out, Emerson has gained so much weight it's difficult for her to leave her house and she's embarrassed by her weight. Emerson dies at the beginning of the book due to complications of her weight. Georgia and Marley are still struggling with food and weight related issues, one woman more than the other but in different ways.
Georgia and Marley and Emerson are all very different in how they approach food and their own weight. It was super interesting to read about how differently they saw food and body image and how much love they had for themselves. What I also loved about this book were the secondary characters. Georgia's nephew and Marley's client also struggle with their own versions of self-acceptance. I loved this. I loved seeing yet more angles and the different ways people struggle and how they overcome them.
While weight and relationships with food is a constant element, what I took away from this book was more about self-acceptance and self-love than anything else. I cannot discount the importance food and eating plays in this, though. A lot of people struggle with a healthy relationships with food and body image, I felt that Higgins talked about this in a brutally honest way which will be hard for some people to read. It was hard for me to read at times, too with my own personal history of food complications. But that didn't take away how raw and honest this book felt about a very complex topic. I really and truly commend Higgins for tackling the topic. If you’ve struggled with self-acceptance, control, or unhealthy eating habits this book will be difficult to read but not in a bad way per say.
What made it difficult for me was how much I could relate to the characters struggle of self-acceptance and how I had similar thoughts myself at one point in my life. But it was also such a good book to read in that I could see how far I’ve come and how much it broke my heart to read about intelligent, kind, strong, and compassionate women hate on themselves so much. This book was cathartic. It put me through a ringer of emotions but the triumphs of so many characters was beautiful to see. True love starts with yourself and I think this book was a great example of how hard it can be to get there.
The Belle
I have read and loved every Kristan Higgins book I have read before this and Good Luck With That is no exception. This book as part of the pseudo series that takes place in Cambry-on-Hudson has a different feel from her other romance books. They are definitely more women's fiction that romance, although romance does play a part, they are also much deeper and more emotional in my opinion. And wow, was this particular book emotional and hard to read at times. I know there’s been a lot of criticism of this book and it’s topic, I have to say in my opinion and POV it’s unfounded. But this is my opinion. Not to say it won't be hurtful for some readers but it's also not a story that shouldn't be told.
This book, to me, is not about fat shaming or how losing weight makes your life better, it’s about the very real struggle we as people (and not just women) face in regards to food, healthy eating habits, past hurts, and self-acceptance and love. This book was difficult for me to read at times because I was able to understand all too well, unfortunately, the emotional struggle our main characters dealt with. The mental berating of one’s self when you don’t feel good enough and the self-loathing that comes along with feeling a lack of control in your own life was very honest and real. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Emerson, Georgia, and Marley are best friends since meeting at a camp to help them lose weight as teenagers. Georgia and Marley ended up being roommates as adults with Emerson staying in touch but not as frequently because, as we find out, Emerson has gained so much weight it's difficult for her to leave her house and she's embarrassed by her weight. Emerson dies at the beginning of the book due to complications of her weight. Georgia and Marley are still struggling with food and weight related issues, one woman more than the other but in different ways.
Georgia and Marley and Emerson are all very different in how they approach food and their own weight. It was super interesting to read about how differently they saw food and body image and how much love they had for themselves. What I also loved about this book were the secondary characters. Georgia's nephew and Marley's client also struggle with their own versions of self-acceptance. I loved this. I loved seeing yet more angles and the different ways people struggle and how they overcome them.
While weight and relationships with food is a constant element, what I took away from this book was more about self-acceptance and self-love than anything else. I cannot discount the importance food and eating plays in this, though. A lot of people struggle with a healthy relationships with food and body image, I felt that Higgins talked about this in a brutally honest way which will be hard for some people to read. It was hard for me to read at times, too with my own personal history of food complications. But that didn't take away how raw and honest this book felt about a very complex topic. I really and truly commend Higgins for tackling the topic. If you’ve struggled with self-acceptance, control, or unhealthy eating habits this book will be difficult to read but not in a bad way per say.
What made it difficult for me was how much I could relate to the characters struggle of self-acceptance and how I had similar thoughts myself at one point in my life. But it was also such a good book to read in that I could see how far I’ve come and how much it broke my heart to read about intelligent, kind, strong, and compassionate women hate on themselves so much. This book was cathartic. It put me through a ringer of emotions but the triumphs of so many characters was beautiful to see. True love starts with yourself and I think this book was a great example of how hard it can be to get there.
Backstage Pass
If you love honest emotion, difficult stories, and triumph...this book is for you.
If you love honest emotion, difficult stories, and triumph...this book is for you.
Genre: Adult Contemporary, Women's Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 480
Publication Date: August 7th, 2018
Source: ARC provided by publisher
Find on: Goodreads
This absolutely sounds like it would be right up my alley. I like Higgins' books a lot -- especially recently via audio. I'm glad to see you enjoyed this one so much, given all the controversy. I feel more likely to give it a shot now.
ReplyDeleteI think you will love this, April! Especially if you've loved her other books and I think the controversy is ridiculous but again, my opinion. Keep me posted on when and if you read and love it!
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