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Grab your glasses, sis. We’re going reading! With the launch of our newest addition, the TCF Book Club, we couldn’t help but take a moment to spotlight what’s been going on in plus size fiction books lately. These are big-girl books to check out during your next stroll through the literary market.
If you didn’t know, we recently announced our exclusive category, TCF Book Club, which is dedicated to plus size authors, the plus size characters, and the readers who (unapologetically… and understandably) hang on to every word of these enthralling plots. In a world where storylines (be it on the silver screen or within the pages) are stagnated by a lack of inclusivity and stereotypical tropes, forefronting full-figured protagonists in fictitious spaces is important.
We can be the high-profile attorneys, pacing our red-bottomed pumps through the courthouse halls to win (yet another) case with a sense of conviction. We can be the gorgeous girl who hated the boy she’d never have pictured as her high-school sweetheart… let alone handsome husband, later in life. ROMANCE NOVEL FEELS, ANYONE?! Or, we can even be the superheroine who’s a bashful baker during the day but a badass on a broom through the west side of the witchy woods.
Led by one of your contributors, me! Ashley Te’Arra (aka Ashley Blackwell), alongside our wonderful SHE-O, Marie Denee, the TCF Book Club aims to highlight characters who resemble us… whose bodies are marked by strength and breaking beauty barriers that have long served as societal standards meant to separate us.
The truth is… chubby representation matters in all genres. And, chapter by chapter, our budding community will seek to cultivate a safe space for fellow make-believers to share their love fat leads and the powerhouse pens behind them.
A Quick Roundup of Big-Girl Books You May (or May Not) Have Heard About This Summer
1. Shadowed Obsession: A Dark Romantic Comedy by Evelyn Leigh
About this book:
A woman with a closet full of skeletons and the man determined to find them.
Cèsar Nadal is arguably the best private investigator in the business. So when he’s outsourced to find dirt on a competing company’s executive to keep her from outbidding his client, he isn’t surprised.
But this time is a little different. Because when he takes one look at the woman he’s meant to ruin, he’s smitten.
Deirdre Klarke prides herself on her integrity…despite running a sector of the family business whose very foundation is littered with dead bodies. The Klarke family name carries more weight than Deirdre cares to wear anymore. But she’s determined to make a name for herself in Austin.
All is well until Deirdre feels like someone is watching her.
But as she becomes familiar with the efficient man who makes himself useful when breaking into her home, she finds herself getting sucked into a seductive dance with her stalker.
As the lonely crime family darling cozies up to her mysterious suitor, both of their secrets threaten to unravel their newfound affections.
2. Plus Size Player (Curve Book 2) by Danielle Allen
About this book:
Nina Ford doesn’t like to put all her eggs in one basket. She works multiple jobs, she enjoys multiple hobbies, she dates multiple men.
In her thirty years of life, Nina has never come across a man who has all the things she’s looking for.
She loves fun and excitement—and she has a man for that.
She loves confidence and humor—and she has a man for that.
She loves intelligence and ambition—and she has a man for that.
She loves passion and romance—and she has a man for that.
She’s always been content rotating a few men in and out of her life to get her needs met. But when Russell Long, her designated “Fun Guy”, shows her that he’s good for more than just thrills, it seems too good to be true. Nina finds herself in a predicament.
She’s found everything she’s ever wanted in a career in one job.
She’s found everything she’s ever wanted in a partner in one man.
Inevitably, her eggs are bound to get cracked.
Like her back.
3. Zomromcom by Olivia Dade
About this Book:
When Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, seemingly harmless human neighbor from the first major zombie breach in two decades, she’s stunned to be saved by him—and his ridiculously large sword—instead.
As it turns out, he’s actually a super-old, super-surly vampire. But for all her neighbor’s newly revealed cynicism and lethality, Gaston “Max” Boucher (yes, Gaston) is unexpectedly protective. He wants her to stay in his safety bunker until the breach is resolved. Edie can’t risk more innocent people getting killed, though—and Max won’t let her save them alone.
As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they’re not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity. Despite the awful timing, Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who’s helping her save the world . . . but all their dangerous plans could end their future before it even begins.
As she and Max battle side by side, Edie must decide whether having a love worth living for also means having a love you’d die for—and, in a world that grows deadlier by the minute, whether that’s a risk she’s willing to take.
4. Old Flames: A Novelette by Brianna Nicole Blackwell
About this Book:
Kiersten Bainbridge is a business attorney in Montgomery, Alabama. Living up to the expectation of her husband, Darius, she’s doing things, as he wants them done. For Thanksgiving, she decides to go home for the holiday.
Her old stomping grounds bring about repressed thoughts and emotions. When she runs into her first love, Hassan Rodgers, an ex-con who was recently paroled, feelings start to boil over.
This novelette is a story about love, betrayal, family, secrets, and forgiveness. Time brings about a change, but some old flames die hard.
5. Chaotic Energy by Stephanie Yeboah
About this Book:
What’s one little lie if it leads to love…?
Artemis ‘Temz’ Owusu has bags of confidence, and plenty of opportunity for hook-ups; she fiercely embraces her beautiful size 26 body and expects any man to do the same. Her marketing career is on fire, and she has a thriving side-hustle as a ‘plantfluencer’.
But for some reason, her romantic relationships just won’t stick.
So, when sexy California-based tech entrepreneur Ruben slides into her DMs looking for plant care advice, Temz doesn’t waste an opportunity. Soon their long-distance digital flirtation is growing roots – until, in an out-of-character bout of self-doubt, Temz commits the cardinal online sin…
Suddenly she’s embroiled in a web of deception as her relationship with Ruben gets increasingly serious. When her job lands her the opportunity to visit her man’s stomping ground in Oakland, could it be a chance for her to finally come clean – or it could lead to total chaos?
Want more bookish tea?
Join us tonight on Instagram Live as our very own Marie Denee and contributor Ashley Te’Arra dive into the juicy details behind today’s roundup. We’re talking favorite picks, character crushes, why fat fiction matters, and what’s next for the TCF Book Club.
Whether you’re already flipping pages or just building your fall reading list of plus size fiction books, this convo is for YOU. Come hang, bring your book bae energy, and let’s chat all things curvy, clever, and page-turning. See you there!
Which of these big-girl books will you be checking out? Let us know in the comments below!
