The Influencer Series, Book 1
From the publisher:
One of…
Amazon’s Best Romances of 2022
Bustle’s Most Anticipated Books of May
Goodreads’ Most Anticipated May Romances
SheReads’ Best Romance Books Coming in 2022
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, they 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.
“Lea’s steamy debut romance features well-developed, likeable characters with slow-build chemistry…Hand this one to fans of Helen Hoang and Talia Hibbert.”—Library Journal
https://amzn.to/43RMLHp
“Lea debuts with a heartwarming rom-com centered on body positivity…Lea’s prose is clear, witty, and powerful, delivering an ode to all those who struggle with self-acceptance…Lea is a writer to watch.”—Publishers Weekly
“Lea’s debut romance is a terrific rom-com that offers an essential message about accepting oneself, and it is a pleasure to read…Fans of Jennifer Weiner may enjoy this, and all who read it will look forward to more romance from Lea.”—Booklist
I started reading this series last year with Exes and O’s and the third book, The Catch, came out earlier this year so I figured it was time to find the first book in the series, and I’m glad I did! Even if I didn’t understand half of the gym talk.
Yes, most of this book is set in a gym, which is not my native habitat, to say the least. The main character, Crystal, is half Asian and curvy, and she is a social media influencer in the realm of body positivity. Her family can’t understand how she makes a living that way, but she is very successful, and that means lots of followers. And when there are lots of followers, there are lots of comments and while the positive outweighs the negative, sometimes it is hard not to take the criticism to heart.
When a rather fit young man takes her squat rack (whatever that is) even though she left her stuff on it, she is incensed, and he becomes the “squat rack thief” in her mind. They butt heads all over the gym and this continues for weeks, until they find themselves alone in the gym one day. Crystal is sure the squat rack thief has taken her phone, and she follows him into the men’s locker room to get it back. She doesn’t get her phone back, but she does get a makeout session that leaves her breathless.
Crystal is very close with her family, and when her widowed grandmother brings a man to meet the family, Crystal is very happy for her. Until the grandfather-to-be’s grandson shows up. He is none other than squat rack thief, only now he has a name, Scott Richie. He is a firefighter and he’s built like he belongs on the firefighters’ calendar. They have to get along for the family’s sake, difficult as it may be. But it becomes even more difficult when they start spending time together.
Crystal and Scott are trying to things quiet until after the wedding, but she can’t resist posting a picture online of the two of them at the beach. The vitriol that she takes after that picture goes viral is really upsetting, and Crystal pushed Scott away to try and figure how to move forward.
A health scare in the family brings them back together, but they have a lot to work out before they can really be a couple again. Fortunately, there is a happy ending but as usual, it’s the journey that is the most fun. This book stands alone as do all the books in this series, so they do not need to be read in order – but they should be read! This is a fast, fun read with a little more depth than a lot of romcoms, and it’s the emotional pull that really makes this a worthwhile read.
4/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
SET ON YOU by Amy Lea. Berkley (May 10, 2022). ISBN: 978-0593336571. 384p.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 