Annotate With Sara

It’s the time of year to give books. So, it feels like the right time to heed my friend Shelbey’s summertime hype for Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen again. But this time, I won’t be adding the book to my TBR. I’ve already read it. This time, I want you to add it to yours or think about giving this book to a contemporary romance reader in your life.

Reasons Why a Summertime Romance Fits This Season

Tis’ the season of gathering and feeling the anticipation/pressure of a big day on the calendar. If you are experiencing countdown-related joy and anxiety in regard to Christmas and New Year’s, you’ll probably feel very aligned with the main character in Curvy Girl Summer. She’s counting down to a milestone birthday and a sparkly, joyful gathering she’s planned with her friends and family. She’s also dealing with family members who overstep in her love life and say their fatphobic thoughts out loud. There’s just so much about this book that’s relevant to the dynamics of the upcoming holidays, even though it’s a summertime story. Who knows? Maybe the summer vibes will counteract some winter doldrums too!

How I Heard About Curvy Girl Summer

On her BookTube channel, Shelbey’s enthusiasm for the Aaliyah, the main character of Curvy Girl Summer, and her story enchanted me through the screen. It was a joyful review that skyrocketed the book to the top of my TBR. Catch the vibes here at the 7:20 mark into the video.

In her review, Shelbey lays out how this banter-filled book kicks off when Aaliyah’s family pushes her to a tipping point:

“Her family is stressing her out. She’s about to be 30, and she ain’t got no man. Everything else in her life is set.”

Needing the family pressure to lift, Aaliyah promises to bring a serious beau to her upcoming 30th birthday party—thereby implying to mom, dad, and Uncle Al that she’s in a serious relationship.

The problem is she’s blustering! This man, this relationship, doesn’t exist and so begins a capering tale of dating misadventures as Aaliyah takes on dating like a prescription medicine. Dating apps and first dates are just a bitter pill she commits to swallowing every Friday night in her stalwart determination to find someone worthy of coming to her 30th with her. By the way, I know it doesn’t sound like it, but Aaliyah is really doing this triumphantly for herself—not her family.

The Fairytale Of It All

Did you know Curvy Girl Summer has a light (but delightful) Cinderella twist woven into the storyline? The most important (and fun) Cinderella detail to know is that Aaliyah is the Prince Charming figure, and her love interest (who I will not name) is the Cinderella figure. This reversal is so well done!

Here are spoiler-free ways Aaliyah is analogous to a Prince Charming:

• She’s the sole heir. ✅ 💔
• She’s charming, handsome, and sought-after, and she’s financially independent. ✅
• The reigning elders are tyrannically invested in seeing Aliyah settled down for the future of their family line. ✅
• There’s a very important fancy ball (her 30th birthday party). ✅

Small Town Setting in a Big City

Curvy Girl Summer is set in the downtown D.C. bar and restaurant scene, which charmingly came off like a small, tight knit town. For the Gilmore Girlies, Aaliyah has a bar/restaurant/neighborhood hub that made me think of Luke’s Diner. I hope you’ll enjoy her regular visits and comfort seeking at The Onyx Bar as much as I did. Aaliyah goes there every Friday night, where she has her signature drink, which is a Malibu Sunrise, and meets all her first dates.

I Don’t Love The Miscommunication Trope, But I Loved It In This Book!

Somehow Danielle Allen redeemed the miscommunication trope for me. I normally avoid this trope. I find it too painful to watch people avoid a simple conversation for hundreds of pages, especially when that one forthright chat could fix all their woes.

In Allen’s hands, the miscommunication trope was great. There was no a flimsy setup for one thing. The miscommunication between Aaliyah and the MMC was believable from start because it is grounded in the idea that Aaliyah and the MMC are very good at reading situations and making assumptions to protect their emotional peace and physical safety. The assumptions they make about each other just, well, happen to backfire a little. I will go as far as to say that Allen makes the miscommunication trope in this book quite sweet.

Content Warning: Adult Sibling Loss

Since I’m recommending this book for the holidays, which is an especially tough time for a lot of people who are grieving, I want to make sure I mention that grief from adult sibling loss is a tenderly and realistically rendered topic in this book.

You can check out all the content warnings here on The Storygraph.

Intentional Gift Pairings Ideas

If you’d like to give this book, but do a little extra, I have a post all about intentional gift pairings for Curvy Girl Summer. Every item listed is inspired by the text, and there’s page numbers included!

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