Big Girl Panties
Publication Date: July 9, 2013
Pages: 336
I know that many out you are very familiar with the prolific Janet Evanovich, but I would like to introduce you to her niece, Stephanie Evanovich. Stephanie has hit the literary scene with her debut novel,
Big Girl Panties.
When thirty-two year old Holly Brennan books the last seat on the flight from Toronto she is dismayed to find out it is in coach. She knows that the seats in coach are not comfortable for someone of her size, or the people sitting next to her, so she does what she always does, she cracks jokes about her weight to the extremely hot man sitting next to her. On the flight they strike up a conversation and Holly discovers that the very handsome Logan is a Personal Trainer. Logan hears about the tragic death of Holly's husband after nearly two years of illness and it strikes a chord with him. Even though his clientele is made up of mostly successful professional athletes, he offers to train Holly at a reduced price. What starts out as a friendly, professional relationship transforms into more as Holly's body is transforming into less. Their professional relationship has grown into a close friendship and it pains Holly to realize that she has fallen in love with a man who, as a rule, only dates blond hair, blue eyed, models. Will he ever be able to see past her "big girl panties" and see her for the beautiful woman she really is, no matter what her size.
I LOVED this book! I read
Big Girl Panties from the viewpoint of a fat woman who has been trying to get in shape and lose weight for the last six months and is married to a man who loves me no matter what size I am, but also willing to support me in my efforts. But I also read this book as a once previously single woman with a disability who dated men who hesitated being seen in public with me because of my disability. I know firsthand what those insecurities are like and how they influence your actions and reactions. So I could really, really empathize with Holly. I could empathize with her feelings of inadequacy, especially after she saw Logan's ex girlfriends. I could empathize with her trying to laugh off what happened between them, even though it killed her inside. I loved everything about Holly, her spunk, her determination, her easy going ways. And Logan, Logan scored big points with me when he got the call from Holly in the middle of the night, but I wanted to smack him senseless later in the book and at times his ego was almost too big for the pages. And I loved the way I found myself wiping my eyes when things go south, I cared so much for Holly that her story made me cry.
Bottom line, any book that makes me care so much for it's characters that I cry like a baby gets a "Best of" from me. I was able to relate to Holly more than any character I have read in a long time and that really struck a chord with me. I am anxious to see more from this debut author, she has set the bar high with
Big Girl Panties and I hope it only goes up from here.
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