40 – Love
Written by: Olivia Dade
Reviewed by: Mary Warren
This book is by Olivia Dade. Read it. End of review.
Just kidding… kinda.
But seriously, I will never tire of reading Dade’s books. I have said it time and time again: Her books are therapy to people who experience life in a fat body. You get to see a woman who looks like you, living in a body that looks like yours, having experiences the world told you were impossible for people like you. Dade’s writing gives that notion the middle finger and tells the fat woman she is worthy and always has been.
We follow the love story of Tess and Lucas. Tess is a type-A, tightly wound assistant principal who is about to turn 40. Her relaxing resort vacation-turned-working-trip is flipped on its head when she meets Lucas, resort tennis instructor and former tennis pro. Their meet cute involves a wave and a bikini halter top that refuses to stay tied. Possibly one of my most favorite meet cutes ever.
Another favorite this book holds for me is the hero. Lucas is definitely up there in the world of romcom heroes in my book; he is cinnamon roll sweetness perfection. Though he is 14 years younger than Tess, he is very aware of her limitations and desires. The way he considers her needs and wants in his plans is gold. He spends his time between lessons running errands so he can take care of her when she isn’t feeling well. He takes her bad knee into consideration when planning their time together. He just dotes on her.
So very often fat women accept subpar treatment and are expected to be grateful for what they get. For a person who has lived in this world all her life, expecting, much less finding a partner who treats her like Lucas feels like an indulgence.
So for fat women still on their path to worthiness I think this is a good book to read. We all deserve to be treated like Lucas treats Tess. We all deserve to not be an afterthought.
We all deserve to find the love that Lucas and Tess find in this book.