Book

Good Luck with That

📖 Overview

Three lifelong friends made a pact as teenagers at weight loss camp to complete a list of life goals once they reached their "ideal" weights. Twenty years later, tragedy brings Georgia and Marley face to face with this promise and their complicated relationships with food, self-image, and each other. Georgia works as a teacher while managing her brother's chaotic household, using food as both comfort and punishment. Marley runs a successful bakery but struggles with guilt over indulgence and a history of family pressure about her size. The women confront their fears and begin tackling items from their old list, from wearing a bathing suit in public to dating. Their journey involves confronting deep-seated insecurities, family dynamics, and societal expectations about body image. Through their parallel stories, the novel examines how women's relationships with their bodies affect every aspect of their lives - from career choices to romantic relationships. The narrative challenges cultural assumptions about weight, worthiness, and the true meaning of self-acceptance.

👀 Reviews

Readers found this book tackled body image, self-acceptance, and female friendship with honesty and emotional depth. Several reviewers connected personally with the characters' struggles with weight and self-worth. Readers appreciated: - Realistic portrayal of life as a plus-size woman - Complex relationships between friends and family - Balance of humor with serious topics - Character growth throughout the story Common criticisms: - Too much focus on weight and dieting - Some found it triggering for eating disorders - Repetitive internal monologues - Side plots that felt unnecessary Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (17,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (1,000+ ratings) "Made me laugh and cry...finally a book that gets it right about being overweight," wrote one Amazon reviewer. "The constant discussion of calories and body hate became exhausting," noted a Goodreads review.

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🤔 Interesting facts

🌟 Author Kristan Higgins drew from personal experience with weight issues and body image struggles while writing this book, making the characters' journeys particularly authentic 📚 The novel tackles sensitive topics like eating disorders and fat-shaming through three main characters: Georgia, Marley, and Emerson 💝 Despite its serious themes, the book maintains Higgins' signature warmth and humor, which helped earn her multiple Romance Writers of America RITA Awards 🎯 The story was partly inspired by a weight-loss camp experience, though Higgins chose to begin her narrative after this period rather than during it 🌷 The book sparked meaningful discussions among readers about self-acceptance and society's treatment of plus-size individuals, leading to numerous book club adoptions and social media conversations