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.)