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A feminist look at love, empowerment and body image, which has admirable intentions and several thoughtful and appealing elements but did not completely hit the mark for me.

Abby is a plus-sized woman who has been treated shamefully by her mother (and likely others) since childhood. This part of the story was handled with great sensitivity and was easily my favorite part of the book. Unsurprisingly, Abby grows into a conflicted woman, – one who is floundering and unhappy at thirty-one years-old. To make any progress, she must find a path to reshape her beliefs around her own self-worth and lovability, and build a new and successful life-plan in the process. When Abby, an avid cyclist, is presented an opportunity to lead an intensive fourteen-day bike tour across upstate NY, she may have just found the vehicle to kick-start her life-transformation.

Without giving the plot away, Abby’s journey is fraught with emotional upheaval, as she comes to terms with who and what she really (as in deep down and in her heart), wants in her life. Along the way, through various plot complications, Abby may or may not also succeed in reconciling with her mother, as she slowly works on building the confidence to lead others, and discovers a passion for helping to support female empowerment.

Throughout the developing storyline, it was difficult for this reader to find Abby totally likable, (particularly in light of her treatment of her long-term love interest) or her rapid-fire connection authentic or appealing. However, given the number of rave reviews online, it’s clear that the opinions expressed here by this reader are in the minority.

A great big thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.