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A gym nemesis pushes a fitness influencer to the max in Amy Lea’s steamy debut romantic comedy.
Curvy fitness influencer Crystal Chen built her career shattering gym stereotypes and mostly ignoring the trolls. After her recent breakup, she has little stamina left for men, instead finding solace in the gym – her place of power and positivity.
Enter firefighter Scott Ritchie, the smug new gym patron who routinely steals her favorite squat rack. Sparks fly as these ultra-competitive foes battle for gym domination. But after a series of escalating jabs, the last thing they expect is to run into each other at their grandparents' engagement party.
In the lead up to their grandparents' wedding, Crystal discovers there’s a soft heart under Scott’s muscled exterior. Bonding over family, fitness, and cheesy pick-up lines, she just might have found her swolemate. But when a photo of them goes viral, savage internet trolls put their budding relationship to the ultimate test of strength.
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TLDR; an engaging contemporary rom-com featuring a well-developed and relatable pair of main characters. Perfect for anyone who likes enemies to lovers trope and IRL tie-ins.
Chrystal Chen is a curvy, body positive fitness influencer with a massive following. Her online persona reminds me of Cassey Ho, better known as Blogilaties. After a recent break-up, Chrystal refocuses on herself at the gym. Everything was going fine until the new guy, Scott, takes up residence at Chrystal’s favorite squat rack. Unforgiveable! I love Chrystal and Scott’s dynamic. There was an initial spark, but not enough to be considered “insta-love.” There is some attraction between the two, but most of the story was focused on developing both characters as people and diving into their motivations and personal histories. This steady pace is something I appreciated. While I do enjoy fast-paced writing in other genres, for rom-coms I prefer a steady build-up. Amy Lea’s writing is equal parts humorous and realistic. There were times when I thought the story was somewhat predictable, but the character development and the real life tie-ins, e.g., racism, cyberbullying, impossible beauty standards, etc. tipped the scales in Ms. Lea’s favor. Overall, it was an enjoyable and delightful change in pace for me.
4 stars
About the Author
Photo Credit: Amy Lea
Amy Lea is an Asian-Canadian government analyst who runs the “Bookstagram” account @amyleabooks, where she promotes and reviews contemporary romance novels. Set on You is her debut novel. Learn more online at amyleabooks.com.
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