Book Review: Plus by Veronica Chambers

This is the unbelievable story of how I went to college, gained twenty-five pounds, got dumped by my boyfriend, failed physics and became a world famous supermodel.”

So begins the Cinderella story of Beatrice Wilson, whose life changes overnight when she’s discovered by a scout for the oldest, most prestigious modeling agency in America—for their plus-sized division.

Now she must find the confidence to vanquish skinny rivals, fend off sleazy photographers, and banish scheming frenemies in her rise to superstardom, all while trying to get her ex-boyfriend back. But Bea learns that to win prince charming, you first have to find a way to love yourself. (From Goodreads)

I thought that I'd review this one in a different format from my typical reviews. I had a lot of digesting to do after this one, and while I could rant about the topic of "plus-size" models, I really want my review to focus on the book.

What I liked: I liked how the book handled the issue of self-confidence. It gave me the impression that women shouldn't apologize for being plus-size, and that all women should embrace the bodies they have. Bee was given an exercise routine, which I thought also had a nice message (you don't need to be super-thin, but you should develop healthy habits). I liked Bee, to a point, and I loved Chela, Bee's closest friend. Chela became an important support for Bee, and encouraged her to get out of her comfort zone.

What I didn't like: Brian, and some of Bee's choices involving him. He was a horrible jerk, and I wish that Bee had realized what a disrespectful guy he was before he started to get in the way of her job. I also didn't like that Bee started bailing on her friends for her modeling pals. I'm a firm believer of being able to split time between friends. The story was also fairly predictable once Bee was recruited to model. This was a bit of a bummer for me, because I had enjoyed the first portion of the book. Finally, there was a scene in the book where a character gets drugged, and there aren't really any serious consequences for this. While this obviously happens in reality, I really wanted that character to find a way to get some retribution.

Overall, it was a decent read. There were a few things that bothered me over the course of the book, but Bee remained a fairly likable character.

Plus
By Veronica Chambers
Published by Razorbill
304 Pages
Rating: C

This review is based on the ARC edition, and the plot, etc is subject to change