Because fat girl

Fleming (Bawdy Love) delivers an appealing body-positive romance set against the dazzling lights of Hollywood. Diana Smith longs to be a world-famous filmmaker, but in the interim, she's a personal shopper at a high-end L.A. department store and lives with her sister's family in the suburbs. Diana is plus-size and genderqueer, making it challenging to navigate the notoriously looks-oriented film industry. After Hollywood star Chris Stanson, a regular customer, invites Diana's colleague Emmy to a party she has no interest in attending, Diana and her film-school bestie, Janelle, decide to crash. There they meet a man who will change Diana's life forever: down-to-earth action star Drew Williams. While it's been a while since Diana dated a cis man, she soon falls for Drew. When Drew and Chris option Diana's script for their new production company, Diana is over the moon, but is she ready to be thrown into the deep end of Hollywood's toxic culture? Fleming's leads leap off the page, and her fearless embrace of love in every guise will endear her to readers. Sparkling prose and quirky supporting characters--particularly Drew's zany mother--bolster this tale of love and personal growth. Romance fans will be swept away. (Nov.)

Aspiring filmmaker Diana Smith is plus-size and queer and doesn't fit the media's image of a Hollywood darling, but she's not going to let that stop her from dreaming of winning an Oscar. Right now, though, she's working as a personal shopper and living in the suburbs, where she helps her sister care for her kids. When she gets an unexpected invitation to a gala, she jumps at the chance to make her dream come true. There she meets action star Drew Williams and hits it off with him; soon, the two begin dating, and Diana finds herself in the spotlight. With new opportunities before her, she must decide how much she is willing to risk in order to have the life she's always wanted. In this self-narrated novel, Fleming (Bawdy Love) celebrates the joy of loving oneself and finding positive space in a world that is not always welcoming or kind. Fleming sparkles in voicing the upbeat, fearless Diana as she contends with newfound fame, navigates family issues, and struggles to craft a life where she can be true to herself. VERDICT A fun, flirty, and utterly charming romance that tackles issues such as fatphobia, anti-queer rhetoric, celebrity, and self-love.--Elyssa Everling