20190422_191145.jpgToday I have a review of Waisted by Randy Susan Meyers, published by Atria Books on Tuesday and is available now! Thank you to Get Red PR for the invitation to read this honest book.

My Thoughts:

Alice and Daphne have so many things of which to be proud. They are moms, wives, successful at work, but all they can focus on is their weight. 

Alice was thin when she first met her husband, and she feels her marriage is in jeopardy if she continues to gain weight.

Daphne is overweight in a family of thin women, and her mother’s approval is earned only if one is thin. 

Alice and Daphne meet at Waisted, a weight loss program set in a Vermont mansion. It’s not just any weight loss program, though. There are cameras there filming a documentary. Five other women are in the program along with Alice and Daphne. 

The women find out the program is even more complicated; they are actually in an experiment, so they decide to join forces and turn the tables on the producers. 

I found the women’s stories relatable. We live in a weight-centric society, and the background experiences of both Daphne and Alice were honest and could be accurate portrayals of real life women I know.  I enjoyed hearing from Alice and Daphne individually. The weight loss program was tough to read about at times, but it also reminded me of The Biggest Loser and the harsh regimens the contestants were forced to adopt to lose weight in a short period of time. I also appreciated the epiphanies the women worked towards about body acceptance and a shift to a more positive body image. 

Overall, I think this was an honest and authentic portrayal of women with families, careers,p and full plates trying their best to prioritize their physical and mental well-beings. 

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. 

Synopsis:

In this provocative, wildly entertaining, and compelling novel, seven women enrolled in an extreme weight loss documentary discover self-love and sisterhood as they enact a daring revenge against the exploitative filmmakers.

Alice and Daphne, both successful and accomplished working mothers, harbor the same secret: obsession with their weight overshadows concerns about their children, husbands, work—and everything else of importance in their lives. Scales terrify them.

Daphne, plump in a family of model-thin women, learned only slimness earns admiration at her mother’s knee. Alice, break-up skinny when she met her husband, risks losing her marriage if she keeps gaining weight.

The two women meet at Waisted. Located in a remote Vermont mansion, the program promises fast, dramatic weight loss, and Alice, Daphne, and five other women are desperate enough to leave behind their families for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The catch? They must agree to always be on camera; afterward, the world will see Waisted: The Documentary.

The women soon discover that the filmmakers have trapped them in a cruel experiment. With each pound lost, they edge deeper into obsession and instability…until they decide to take matters into their own hands.

Have you read Waisted, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR