After being dumped by his long-term boyfriend for being overweight, Henry Beckett decides to make some drastic changes. In a vain attempt at getting his boyfriend back, Henry does the most absurdly frightening thing he can think of. He joins a gym.Reed Henske is a personal trainer who isn’t sure he’ll ever be ready to date again. He’s sick of guys who are only interested in the perfect body … body image, never seeing him for who he really is. As Reed tortures Henry with things like diet and exercise, Henry enamours Reed with recipes and laughter.
As the friendship lines start to blur, Henry is convinced there’s no way Thor-like Reed could ever be interested in a guy like him. Reed just has to convince Henry that life isn’t about reaching your ideal bodyweight. It’s about finding your perfect counterweight.
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I loved this book. These characters just grabbed me by the heart and wrapped me up tight. Loved it!
How have I not read N.R Walker before?
A friend was reading this one last week, and her updates made me go right away and buy the audio of this book for a road trip.
I am so glad that I picked this book up. I was hooked right from the start (though at times the British came through the Aussie accent, and it did grate a little on this Aussie) – though the narrator is a great one, and has narrated some of my favourite books.
Henry and Reed – oh how I adore the both of them. I am not going to lie, I am pretty sure I have said about 99.5% of the things Henry has said when it comes to exercise and going to the gym! If we are not related, than he at least needs to be my bestest friend in the whole wide world.
Ms Walker touches on so many issues in a real and believable way – body issues, self esteem issues, and shows that no matter who you are or what you look like, we all have these issues in some form.
I smiled most of the time reading this book – except for that time when I was driving and had tears streaming down my face. This is just one of those books that I wish I had found a long time ago, and also wish that I could read again for the first time.
It may have also inspired me to get back on my exercise bike – maybe!
I am going to go back and find whatever I can by this author, as I am pretty sure she is going to quickly become a favourite.
One of my favorite romances. The audiobook is spectacular.
What a charmer. Somehow, I’d not read this popular N.R. Walker book, so i grabbed it on Audible Escape. Delightful, inspiring, low angst (a fave of mine) and full of love, the book is a warm hug. Never for a moment do you believe that Henry and Reed won’t get together, but watching Henry learn to love himself as much as he loves Reed is something any reader can value. Definitely recommend.
Some readers collect book boyfriends, while your girl collects book best friends. And the newest addition to that club is Henry Beckett from The Weight of It All by author N.R. Walker. I was suffering through a weeks-long book funk, and this story rescued me. Henry and Reed’s story consumed me, and this was some of the most fun I’ve had with a book in a while.
Walker presents real issues in an engaging way, touching on self-esteem and body issues that almost anyone, man, woman, straight, gay, and anyone in between, can really relate to. She tackles these through the lens of Henry and Reed, and I love the fact that she impresses upon us that fat or fit, no one is immune to this problem.
Henry is laugh-out-loud funny, has no filter, and I think we would make great friends. His journey of self-acceptance and love was a pure joy to read. Well, listen to. I adored his interactions with Reed, as well as his circle of friends. I can’t get enough of him. He needs his own web series or podcast or something so I can keep up with him!
N.R. Walker tells a sweet and swoony story, a slow burn romance that left me warm and fuzzy. Her storytelling is wonderful; I never felt like I was being told a story. Instead, I felt like I was experiencing everything right alongside Henry.
Joel Leslie’s narration is once again top-notch. I would listen to him narrate the copier manual at my office, I swear. (I’d probably finally learn how to work the stapling function) He’s incredibly expressive and delivers such an immersive audiobook experience; I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who tells a story better.
If you’re a fan of m/m romance, a fan of true-to-life stories that will warm your heart, I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
This is the 8th or 9th of her books that I have read. N.R. Walker is such a romantic. These are MM stories, but written with the HEA that puts a smile on your face. Her dialogue is witty, and while there is angst, it isn’t over the top-just enough to make you worry. The characters are fully developed and you really get drawn into the story. As someone that has battled weight issues all my life, this book was extra special. Want a romance? Check. Want witty dialogue? Check. Want to finish a book with a smile? Check. You won’t be disappointed. She is now a one click author for ME. (I devoured her Red Dirt Series before this one!)
I just DEVOURED this The Weight of It All by N.R. Walker. As someone who just joined a gym for my mental health, this book was a balm to my sore muscles. I found this book suggested in a Facebook group; it was published in 2016, so I’m late to read this one. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to post about it.
The whole story is written from Henry’s point of view. Henry has just gotten out of a long-term relationship and was dumped because he was fat and old. We get to hang out with Henry while he starts to discover who he is and what he wants out of life. We get to know Reed because gasp they communicate and get to know each other slowly. So yes, this is a slow burn but worth the wait (who am I kidding? I’m like five years behind on this book.)
If you are looking for Fluffy and maybe some treadmill motivation, The Weight of it all is for you.
A heartwarming read!
He just has to convince him that life isn’t about reaching your ideal bodyweight…
It’s about finding your perfect counterweight…
Gosh, this book is truly inspiring and heartwarming and just about gives you all the feels. All of it.
It’s about finding yourself, loving yourself, but most of all finding your person. From start to finish, the humour is present and will have you laughing non stop (at times, couldn’t stop laughing to catch my breath).
Full of humor, issues, discovery, attraction, friends, food and romance.
Perfect for readers of contemporary romances.
You just have to read the book. I just want to hug Henry!
I loved that one of the heroes was not in the traditional mode (handsome and well-built) and that the struggle we all have with how we look was dealt with in such a wonderful way. Thank you for this funny, sweet, romantic and inspirational story!
The dialogue sparkles
A nice little story but that’s about it
I loved it if you are looking for a good book this is it.
This book slayed me. Henry is hysterical. Reed is a teddy bear. And the book deals with body image issues in such a beautiful way. Can’t recommend this one highly enough.
Once again, I find a story that completely shattered my expectations and gave me all the feels. The Weight of It All was one of those stories that touched my heart for reasons that sometimes you can’t understand and for blatantly obvious reasons as well. As a reader I don’t often see stories everyday people like Henry who have had their heart broken and decide to better themselves and along the way realize all the reasons why they were heart broken in the first place isn’t necessarily the real reason after all.
This book had me in fits of giggles one moment and feeling so much love the next. Do you ever find a book that kind of puts things in perspective for you? This book did that for me. I’ve read several N.R. Walker books before and I am always blown away by her sheer power with her words. Henry and Reed were the absolute sweetest couple. Two guys who look completely different find love in what some might say an unexpected way.
There is another book similar to this plot that I ended up reading first: Pride by E.M. Leya. Basically exact same plot – overweight guy gets dumped by his long-term boyfriend for being “boring and fat” and said guy joins a gym where he meets and starts up a friendship turned to relationship with his super hot personal trainer.
I guess I’d say that I liked this one slightly more because I was cracking up laughing at some of the stuff Henry said. So many funny jokes, hilarious references to Harry Potter and whatnot. The jokes kinda died down toward the middle-end of the book so I missed that a little bit. There was just so many in the beginning that I LOLed at.
I did like the connection between Henry and Reed. It was nice seeing them hang out as friends and seeing Reed super disinterested in any single person that hit on him but the moments where he looked at Henry like he was just more? I loved that.
Plus we get a bit of Reed’s backstory and his experiences of being unlovable by his physical appearance and that really cemented the way I felt about his character. Reed was just the best guy. Ugh, I just loved him.
The epilogue was super cute but felt a bit abrupt. We got told what happened with Reed and Henry’s relationship over the course of 1 year and I wish we had a bit more seeing them during that time instead. Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely loved where they ended up… but I still felt like I was missing out on something.
There also wasn’t much sex in here. Sure… lots of kissing, a bit of touching, 2 blowjobs (?) and one quick anal fucking scene but they were quickie scenes. I wanted mooooore cause I’m a perv like that. What can I say?
So yeah, I liked the idea behind this book. I loved that we were actually given a weight for Henry (114 kilos/251 pounds) when he started instead of just a general sentence or two that Henry was bigger and we’re left to our imagination. I hate when that happens so the fact that this story didn’t do that made my opinion of it higher.
I’d say this was around a 3.6 (rounded up to 4) for me.. I liked it more in the beginning than the end AND there wasn’t hot enough sex for my tastes, but I did breeze through it quickly and wasn’t bored.
Great m/m story. Told in a single POV. I listened to the audio and laughed out loud a few times. Joel Leslie did a great job narrating. I loved that the intimate scenes weren’t rushed and the relationship had plenty of time to develop first.
I can’t stop smiling. And that pretty much sums up this delightful novel.
My friend has been encouraging me to read this for awhile and now I absolutely understand why. No angst. No triggers. Just hilarity and sweetness.
Henry and Reed’s relationship was a true friends to more. I stayed up late and smiled like a dork throughout the whole stinking thing. I can see reading this one again and again when I need something pure and lovely to remind me why I love reading romance.
Oh I loved this very funny book which I laughed all the way through..
Sweet adorable Henry was with his ex, Graham for 8 years but when it all crumbles down. He goes to pieces but days later he gathers courage to walk into a gym to rebuild his life again. He meets Reed, a personal trainer at the gym who helps him.. Together they click straight away. Henry’s funny personality draws Reed in. This is a beautiful story to read for those who want a cheer up book. The characters are great together and their friends are just as wonderful in the book. Highly recommended book..
I laughed so hard while reading this book. Henry is everything I love in my romcoms – he’s hilarious, brave, and utterly charming. Reed is the perfect love interest – hot, sexy, and just so sweet. This was one of those books I never wanted to end. I fell in love with the characters instantly.
Narration: I listened to this book first before I read it, and the narration was magnificent. Joel Leslie’s performance was magical and left me snorting with laughter.
Overall Rating: 5 Stars. The writing was spectacular, the characters were outstanding, and the story was adorable. This book had everything I love, humor, romance, and sexual tension that was delicious. I can’t recommend it highly enough.