Excellent narration, stand alone story

Peyton James is a new-to-me author, but I will read more of her books in the future. I love that the story started and ended with a really positive body image message, even though it showed the struggles that can make even someone really comfortable with their body type question their image. It was really disappointing that the subject of a diet came up with a 5'7" person wearing a tight size 6, but that's more of a reflection on society than on the book itself.

I listened to the Audible version. Lynn Devereaux was a new narrator for me, but she did well and I would listen to her again.

#AudiobookObsession

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Very enjoyable storyline

I really enjoyed this book. It has a diverse storyline, something that is close to my heart. It highlights that not all beautiful women come in size zeros. With likeable characters and some very funny moments this book is a great listen.
#audiobookobsessionreviewer

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Story well written and great narration

I was given this free review copy at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Story well written and great narration.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Fun! Fun! Fun!

Peyton James has a winner on her hands with this first book in her Naked in New York series! This book has a fun premise with realistic problems we can all relate to! Henry's company has had some bad press due to a viral video criticizing his clothing line. Hannah, the new girl in the wrong meeting, gives her opinion as to why the video has some merit. Now Henry has taken an interest in her, not only for her brains but romantically. But Hannah holds a secret that can unravel their relationship! Will things go south quick? Will Hannah win the heart of the boss? It's a fun office romance, but the topic of clothes is what really caught my eye. The truth is in the text! There is more than one shape to a woman! Hannah is bright and I love her spunk. She has great ideas, and she represents the normal, average woman. I enjoyed Henry too. He never looked down at Hannah because she was not model perfect. He was much deeper than that! Add in the fun friends of Tess and Violet and the story is filled with humor, good friends and good advice. Love the photographer too, what a hoot he is! It's a fast moving, fun listen!

Narration by Lynn Devereux is spot on. She adds so much value to the listen with her amazing story telling skills. Fabulous voices, including accents lead us through with great comedic timing and emotional tugs. I enjoyed her performance.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Sexy and saucy

Sexy and saucy with some drame and laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed this fast paced girly book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Losing Manhattan

The story started out well written and interesting. After a while, the strong theme of weight and being called overweight and unhealthy behaviors related to dieting got to be too much.

*Note: This review does not contain spoilers, but does mention parts of the story in detail, which some may consider spoiler-ish. Proceed with caution.

I had trouble staying connected with either of the MCs. What do they see in each other? I dont find either of them to have particularly attractive personalities. (And if a man initiates sex like Sloane does, he needs some serious romance lessons.) There is very little chemistry or sexual tension between them, so the story is more about the weight issue than the romance.

All women have self image issues, regardless of size, and I think it's fair to say readers put themselves in the position of the heroine as they read. Hannah is 5'6, a size 8-10, curvy, 34C. (Sounds pretty average to me, but today I could almost fit 2 of her in my pants, so there's that.) I had to look up the statistics just to see if I had a misperception. A quick Google search says a 5'6 woman size 10 would weigh 140 pounds and have a BMI of 22.6, which is average weight (18.5-24.9). In the story, Hannah defends herself to others as not being overweight, but her internal monologue and maybe more importantly, the entire story is a little different. She can't fit into the clothing line's max size, there are protestors demanding the company be more inclusive in their sizes, Eleanor is a snobby character that outright calls her fat to her face and in front of Sloane, she diets in an unhealthy manner, and I could go on... It's not just an issue of "this character is described this way and another character calls her fat one time." The whole story is about weight and society's perception and reaction to it. It was too much for me, especially when I don't consider the MC to be overweight at all!

Now about Sloane. Hannah comes across knowing more about business than he does. He makes public promises and she points out the problems to him. He's a millionaire CEO! Sloane gets in a verbal argument with the designer who works for *him*. Everyone tells him how to run his business, including the activists, and he does it.

At 68% I would have DNF'ed the book if I had not received a review copy from the author.

The narrator is a little slow, so I listened at 1.15x. She could use a little coaching to loosen up into the performance, but she was good. The chapter numbers are a bit jarring, too, but her French accent was excellent.

I didn't dislike the book at all, I just found some faults with it that put it solidly in the "It was OK" category for me.

I received a free audio review copy in exchange for an honest review.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful