Taylor Corrien here! Chief Story Stylist and your guide through the TCF Book Club!
We are officially halfway through our September Book of the Month, Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan, and whew! It’s the forbidden romance we didn’t know we needed.
If you’ve been reading along with us inside the TCFStyle Society, then you already know our latest TCF Book Club conversation gave us plenty to debate. Careers were questioned. Relationship boundaries were examined. Chemistry and compatibility went head-to-head.
And somehow, a billionaire named Maverick had us reconsidering a few things.
So, What’s Going On in Can’t Get Enough?
Hendrix Barry, our 40-year-old, plus size main character, is no stranger to a fast-paced lifestyle where the days are long and the checks are longer.
With a new client opening the door to even bigger opportunities, Hendrix and her business partner make television executive Zere one of their first stops.
All is well until Hendrix meets Zere’s ex-boyfriend, Maverick Bell, a tech mogul, billionaire, and certified lover boy.
Suddenly, Hendrix is questioning whether being the “Rich Aunty” is enough for her after all.
That newfound chemistry adds another layer of stress to an already very full plate, especially as Hendrix navigates her mother Geneva’s struggle with Alzheimer’s.
Love With a Cost?
At our Book Club meeting this past Wednesday, the discussion came alive! (Sidebar, have you RSVP’d for the next meeting? It’s via Zoom and hella laid back!)
Our plus size FMC Hendrix finds herself in a sticky situation involving the career she has spent her life building and a love she never thought she needed.
Meeting Maverick Bell while he was still in a relationship with her business partner made it easy enough for Hendrix to ignore the chemistry between them. But once news breaks that Maverick and Zere have officially called it quits?
Well, those lines get a whole lot easier to blur.
The question that sent our discussion on a rollercoaster ride was simple: Should Hendrix prioritize her client and business relationships over the possibility of love?
Going into our meeting, I was sure at least half of the club would say the risk was not worth it. After all, women are increasingly encouraged to prioritize their careers, goals, and financial futures rather than sacrificing them for romantic relationships.
To my surprise, the answer was a resounding, “Hell no!”
I, like Hendrix, am conflicted!
During our discussion, many of us made the point that true love and intimacy aren’t things you come by every day. If you meet someone who gives you the possibility of both, should you allow yourself to experience it fully?
Especially if your man has the financial capital and resources of a Maverick Bell.
Listen, I didn’t make the rules!
Throughout the first half of the story, Mav makes it clear to Hendrix that he can help her with whatever she and her client need should things turn sour with Zere because of their relationship.
Hendrix isn’t completely sold, though.
Our FMC takes pride in the life and career she has built for herself. She loves knowing she doesn’t have to depend on a man to get where she wants to go.
But what if it’s finally her time to have a lover she can depend on?
And yes, this is exactly the kind of question that will have a Book Club meeting running overtime.
Compatibility, Chemistry, and Compromise
Let’s dive a little deeper into our MMC Maverick Bell’s very recent past.
Maverick and Zere’s separation was amicable, for the most part. They simply have different visions of what they want their lives to look like moving forward, especially when it comes to children.
Zere wants them. Maverick doesn’t.
Maverick already has a college-aged child from a previous relationship and understands that their differing views on having more children make them incompatible. Zere sees things differently. From her perspective, if Maverick truly loved her, he would be willing to compromise and have a child despite his own wishes.
Ultimately, that incompatibility ends their relationship.
Which brought us to another question in Book Club: What matters more, chemistry or compatibility?
Chemistry, passion, desire, and love can all be present in a connection, but if your lifestyles, goals, and standards aren’t compatible, how far can that relationship actually go?
Ohhhhh, we had opinions.
Some of us believed that love requires compromise, even on the really big things. Others felt that having children is far too significant a decision for either partner to make when they aren’t completely sure.
For that side of the room, Maverick made the right decision by being honest about what he wanted instead of agreeing to something he could later resent.
Ultimately, our conversation landed on the idea that chemistry and compatibility are both important. One without the other may not be enough to sustain a relationship long-term.
And that brings us right back to Hendrix.
She is child-free by choice and thoroughly enjoys being the “Rich Aunty.” She and Mav have an insane amount of chemistry, and, at least right now, neither has any desire to have children.
Chemistry and compatibility?
Okay, Kennedy. We see what you’re doing here.
What We Want for Our Plus Size FMC
Hendrix’s career and living her best life have been top priorities for a long time. Now, between the possibility of forbidden love and her mother’s health, she is navigating two very different kinds of emotional stress.
On one hand, she wants to put her client and career first.
On the other, she can’t remember the last time she felt this intensely about someone.
As readers, we want Hendrix to choose herself.
But what does choosing yourself actually look like when the things you want seem to be pulling you in opposite directions?
We want her to make a decision that fulfills her without sacrificing everything she has worked so hard to build.
We also want Hendrix to find some peace as she navigates her mother’s illness. Caring for an ill parent is emotionally and mentally taxing on its own. Watching a parent lose their memory and potentially end up in dangerous situations adds another layer of fear, responsibility, and uncertainty.
Add a complicated romance and a career hanging in the balance?
Hendrix has the recipe for one potent anxiety-and-stress cocktail.
And we still have half a book left!
We Have Questions, Kennedy Ryan!
Our next meeting is going to be on fire because there is SO much left to unpack.
Will Hendrix finally give in to what she feels for Maverick? Will Zere sever ties with Hendrix and her client? If Hendrix ever changed her mind about children, would Maverick change his? And could getting involved with Mav put the reputation Hendrix has worked so hard to build at risk?
So. Many. Questions.
And only half a book left to answer them.
If you’ve been reading Can’t Get Enough and yelling your opinions at the pages, this is exactly why we have the TCF Book Club. Inside the TCF Book Club, we get to bring those opinions to the table, debate the messy parts, gush over the good parts, and talk through all the moments that made us put the book down and say, “Now wait a minute…”
Join us Wednesday, September 30 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET via Zoom for our final discussion of Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan.
RSVP here, to join the TCFStyle Society and secure your spot!
Come ready with your thoughts, your predictions, and your strongest Hendrix-and-Maverick opinions. Because if the first half of this book gave us this much to talk about? Even if you have NOT read the book, join us, as we already know the conversations are going to be a HOOT! You hear me?!
The finale is about to be a TIME.
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