Fashion design major Cat Mitchell has a closet full of gorgeous clothes - and not a single thing fits. After two years of runway modeling for easy cash, an accident shattered her lower leg bone and her self-esteem in just one swift fall. Ten months of no exercise, prescription steroids, comfort eating and yoga pants meant returning to campus as a size twelve instead of her former size two.
When her gorgeous long-time friend with benefits sees her for the first time after her accident and snubs her in front of all her friends, Cat’s self-image hits rock bottom. Her sorority sisters all insist that she looks gorgeous, but all Cat sees is the roll of her stomach when she sits down, or the dimpling at the back of her thighs that wasn't there last year. Cat’s therapist prescribes something radical to stop the downward spiral - nude modeling for a nearby college's human form drawing classes.
When Cat faces her fears and bares it all for the class, she realizes that she's posing naked in front the most gorgeous, buffest guy she's ever seen in her life. He asks her out after the class, and after one steamy night together, Cat's absolutely smitten.
Nate’s pretty close to perfect – he takes Cat rock climbing when he discovers that it makes her feel strong and becomes a great chef after he learns that the perfect pesto sauce makes her swoon. Cat starts to feel like her old self again - confident and beautiful - as long as Nate's around. Even when he discourages her from entering the Real Woman Project, a design competition for plus-sized apparel, she reasons that he's just trying to prevent old body image wounds from splitting wide open again.
But when Cat goes home with Nate for Thanksgiving, she discovers something shocking from his recent past that proves that he hasn’t always been so encouraging of women of all shapes and sizes. Cat has no idea what to think, but she does know one thing - this might destroy their relationship before it's even had a chance to get off the ground.
Before Cat can figure out whether the real Nate is the sensitive, adoring guy she fell in love with, or an undercover asshole, she'll have to finally feel comfortable in her own skin - even if it means leaving him forever.
(This book contains sex and adult language.)
3.25 Stars
I am real. I am beautiful.
I was so freaking excited for this book and for it to come out early made me just giddy. I was so amped up to read this. The description of the story was something right up my alley, as well very relatable to a lot of women with body issues. With that said, once I started to get going, I was starting to feel slightly disappointed.
“My whole identity was wrapped up in being a model. In people thinking I’m beautiful. I loved that feeling. I don’t know how to get it back.” ~ Cat
The majority of the book, at least to me, was Cat going off on how awful she looks. How she will never bet that “model” thin ever again and that no one will ever date her again. COME THE FUCK ON, CAT!! You are tall, blonde and a size twelve, maybe fourteen at most. I don’t know about you, but that is NOT fat. She kept going on and on about her “bulges,” and how she had to hide it constantly….yada, yada yada blah blah blah. It got repetitive and old fast. I get it. I’m empathetic believe me, but it’s like she was non-stop whining. PLUS, she had everyone (with the exception of one asshole named Jake) telling her she is gorgeous. Ugh. Just frustrating. I’m just happy she decided to get some professional help and that Nate entered her life.
“But the truth is, from the moment I saw her again, I realized that not only do I not find the thinnest bodies the most attractive, but that what our bodies look like doesn’t even factor into the equation. I love her just as much meeting her now as I would have if I met her two years ago, when she looked different.” ~ Nate
Nate is sweet, caring, wonderful, crazy sexy gorgeous and he has the hots for Cat. Cat of course constantly doubts a guy like him would like a girl like her. As if!! Yea, she got on my nerves a bit. He definitely helps Cat get her confidence and self worth back, but is tying all your happiness to one guy really a good idea, Cat? Apparently her therapist doesn’t think so. Nate does honestly love her, but if she ever found out about his past, will Cat just spiral downward again?
Like I said, I was a little disappointed in this book. It was good, yes, but it just didn’t give me that swoon/wow factor I was hoping to get. Cat’s whining didn’t help the cause either. Please don’t hate me for this review. I understand her lack of self-confidence, but having her say she’s fat, unwanted, unlovable, when she TOTALLY isn’t ,was starting to give ME a complex. That was my biggest beef about the story. I realize that the story is trying to send a positive message and I commend that, but I just didn’t mesh with Cat’s character.
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