The Curvy Girls Club

The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gormon

Synopsis

Where Confidence is the New Black. Fed up with always struggling to lose weight, best friends Katie, Ellie, Pixie and Jane start a social club where size doesn't matter. It soon grows into London's most popular club - a place to have fun instead of counting carbs - and the women find their lives changing in ways they never imagined. But outside the club, life isn't as rosy. "This is a delightful book of friendship, acceptance, and belonging for anyone who has ever wondered: "What if?""



Lisa's Review - 2.5 out of 5 stars

Katie, Ellie, Pixie and Jane are all friends who go to a slimming club together. Dis-heartened by the fact they have been attending the same group for years but none of them have lost much weight since they started, they break away from the slimming group and set up the Curvy Girls Club, a club which creates events and nights out for people of a larger size to attend.

While the book was okay and I liked the individual story lines of the main characters - an emotionally abusive relationship, a paranoid girlfriend, and a woman addicted to trying every fad diet and diet pill - there was so much that ticked me off about this book. Firstly, I was quickly annoyed with how much product placement there seemed to be throughout this book! I felt it should have one of the 'P' symbols on the cover of the book like Hollyoaks do at the start and end of each episode! I wondered for a while if maybe Channel 4 or Gok Wan himself had paid the author to write this book! And it didn't just end there, there were several instances throughout the book where I thought I had gone on an advert break! I don't know why but it really distracted me from the story.
There was also the fact that I really didn't like the main character, Katie. I couldn't sympathise with her, even though I am a big girl myself! At first I thought she might be a character I could really relate to but she seemed to turn into a whinging, self obsessed pain in the bum! It was obvious where her crush on her co-worker was going and I couldn't feel sorry for her, instead I just hoped she wouldn't get her happy ever after as I didn't think she deserved it!
I felt bad for Katie's friends throughout the book! I couldn't help but wish that the book had been written from one of the other girls points of view as they seemed much more likeable than Katie.

It wasn't a bad read, and I did enjoy a fair part of it, but felt the things I didn't enjoy overshadowed the parts that I did.

Links

Goodreads            Michele Gorman

Purchase Links

Amazon UK         Amazon.com          B&N         KOBO