Two words have haunted Crystal for years: fat pig.So when a handsome and athletic stranger promises that his gym will change her life, how can she say no? With its cutting-edge facilities, beyond-friendly staff, and endless free samples of Ambrosia, their signature energizing sports drink, Mount Olympus seems too perfect to be real—and maybe it is. Crystal needs it all, but is she willing to lose … willing to lose more than just weight?
Authors 4 Authors Content Rating
This title has been rated 17+, appropriate for older teens and adults, and contains:
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Frequent negative fantasy drug use
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Graphic violence
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Strong language
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Moderate implied sex
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Miscarriage
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Emotional abuse
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Attempted suicide
For more information on our rating system, please, visit the Content Guide on the Authors 4 Authors website.
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Crystal is overweight, and she has very low self-esteem, she’s been through a lot in her life. She works a low-end job and isn’t fairly well off. So in the interest of losing weight, she joins a gym. But sometimes the things we think we want the most come with a whole new set of rules and experiences.
This book is under paranormal and urban fantasy, and the urban fantasy doesn’t fit, but the paranormal certainly does, so this should tell you that the book isn’t as straightforward as you might think. That’s all I can really say, so I don’t spoil this for anyone. For me, the day to day of working out got tedious. I read in the back that this started as a novella, so that tedium could come from making the book longer, but for me, it was a bit too much. Aside from that, there are important lessons at play in this one, and it’s an enjoyable read.
This is the first book from this author, and she has done a brilliant job and shown that she has a lot of talent, I’m looking forward to seeing more from her in the future. This story deals with some sensitive issues and the author has done a fantastic job with them. It’s a page-turner so luckily, it’s not an overly long book only taking a couple of hours or so to read. Once I started reading it though I really didn’t want to put it down for anything.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Anyone who has ever struggled with weight can understand how this starts. Though I usually avoid implicit sexual scenes in books, I was drawn to this story for other reasons and I found the sensitive topics dealt with appropriately. Compelling topic and story, this is a must-read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Well, this will be a less descriptive review than normal. There is too much opportunity for spoiler alerts that I’ll have to steer clear of details: a uniquely wild ride about facing one’s demons, overcoming the past, and learning to love oneself, portrayed in a paranormally metaphorical way.
I loved the narration of the main character Crystal, despite two things the book had involving narrative voice I’m normally not excited about: first-person narration of characters I don’t have much in common with, particularly in present tense. But I learned something upon reading this. I don’t dislike first-person present POV after all–if it is done well (aka lives up to my high standards). What Wheatley has done differently is fully develop the character on so many levels that I understand her, know her as I would a best friend–not needing to put myself in her shoes to care about her. Sure, most will say a lot of books do this, but many more portray insecurity in such a cliche way, whereas Wheatley’s is wholesome, deep, with traumatizing flashbacks that truly bring in the layers of psyche to understand how it breaks people down over time.
On top of that, as a mythology lover, I loved the setting of the gym, where things aren’t what they seem. The only connection to mythology, aside from the gym feeling lotus-eaters-esque-inverted vibe, were the names. I loved this because it totally tricked me with the unexpected. Not many books surprise me in a great way that doesn’t feel contrived. This twist clicks in your head with a powerful moment of enlightenment that metaphorically hits home.
So unlike Crystal myself, I connected over unpreferred tense, and for once could not predict a plot twist. A must read.