Title: The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman
Publisher: Notting Hill Press
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 386 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher
Summary:
A funny, heart-warming story about overcoming the prejudices we hold, no matter where we tip the scales.
When the pounds start falling off Katie, founder and president of London’s most popular social club for the calorie-challenged, it seems like a dream come true. But as the overweight stigma recedes and her life starts to change, she faces losing more than the inches around her waist. Everything that’s important to her – her closest friends, boyfriend, and acceptance into the club itself – are at stake in a world where thin is the new fat.
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Purchase Links: Amazon US * Amazon CA * B&N * Kobo * Indigo Bookstore Canada
The Review:
Insightful and thought-provoking, The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman is a heartwarming novel of friendship. It is a also an incredible story that provides an honest look into body image that is humorous but also quite poignant.
Katie, Ellie, Jane and Pixie’s are at different places in their lives, but the one commonality between them is their struggle to lose weight. The novel’s narrator, Katie, and her co-worker and friend Ellie have been overweight all of their lives while Jane and Pixie have been unable to shed the weight they gained after childbirth. Discouraged by their lack of progress at their weight loss support meeting, Katie suggests they get together outside the group and do something fun and uplifting. When word of their extracurricular activities spreads, the four agree to formalize their events and The Curvy Girls Club is born. As their membership grows and the workload increases, Katie and Pixie earn a small salary but when Katie suddenly begins to lose weight, the four friends are at odds over her role in their enterprise.
All of the women are well-developed and they each face difficult obstacles over the course of the novel. Katie’s career is threatened by the downturn in the economy and her crush on a co-worker has unintended consequences on both her professional and personal lives. Ellie is in the throes of a new romance but her insecurities threaten the promising relationship. Pixie’s marriage has been troubled for quite some time and the women are growing increasingly concerned for her safety. Jane will do anything to regain her pre-pregnancy figure, even if it means endangering her health.
With The Curvy Girls Club, Michele Gorman tackles a difficult subject with sensitivity. The plot is well-executed, realistic and refreshingly honest. The characters are three-dimensional with imperfections and uncertainties that are sometimes achingly painful but easy to relate to. No matter where you fall on the weight spectrum, I highly recommend this warm and witty novel of friendship and self-acceptance.
