The Shape of You
By Georgia Beers
Publication date: Aug 14, 2018
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F/F Yearning Slow-burn Gym rats CW: Cheating Self-worth Descriptions of athletic wear are almost as hot as lingerie?? What is going on??Review
I don’t even like going to the gym, so why do all the fitness romances keep pulling me in? I mean, it helps when the fit main is all about health and body positivity, but we have that at home. *gestures to TikTok*
Maybe it’s the (mostly) universal trepidation of walking into a place where you know you don’t live up to the standard. Where, even if they’re nice, you see countless examples of people objectively Doing It Better than you.
And sure, putting an (eventually) friendly face on the big scary thing doesn’t hurt, either.
Shape is kind of two different stories wrapped around a romance. Spencer, our gym newbie, learns how to value herself in a relationship (and everywhere else, honestly). Meanwhile, gym rat Rebecca has to get over her own judgment issues.
This is … not a simple book, is the best way I can think to describe it. It’s not straightforward, it’s got plenty of chill-de-sacs and loop-de-loops along the way. The tension of Spencer learning to stand up for herself, to both realize and then attempt to achieve what she wants, is both inspiring and the tiniest bit depressing.
But it’s also got some great banter, a fascinatingly smoldering slow burn, and some pretty good character development. I don’t super love sprinkling in people with mental challenges as virtue signals, but at least they’re always treated with kindness and respect in the book.
I would be remiss if I didn’t … caution? warn? nudge? you by noting that, if you have areas of your life (or the entirety of it) where you’re just coasting and you engage with this story, this book might just kick your ass a bit.
It’s an enjoyable romance with some deep character work. That’s not condemnation by omission, but rather an acknowledgement that the book does what it sets out to. A worthwhile read.
Synopsis
Personal trainer Rebecca McCall is furious when her coworker is sidelined and she's forced to teach the "Be Your Best Bride" class. As if being a size two for your wedding photos is all exercise is good for. Could the whole thing get more vain and sexist?
The class is full of preening, giggling Bridezillas, but one woman stands out. The one who confesses she's only there because her fiancée signed her up. Who does that to someone they care about? And why can't Rebecca take her eyes off her?
Spencer Thompson is a second-guesser. After making the worst mistake of her life, she's happy to abdicate responsibility and let other people make her decisions for her. She's always felt a little bit too soft, a little bit too curvy in all the wrong places.
Her fiancée apparently agrees because she signed Spencer up for a class at the gym. Terrified by the online profile of the instructor, the epitome of Zero Body Fat, Spencer is relieved to find someone new, and realistic looking, leading the class. Except the instructor seems to hate her and Spencer has no idea why.
When a perfectly innocent post-workout smoothie leads to an earth shattering kiss, Rebecca wonders if she's been wrong all along, and Spencer is challenged to make another decision that could change her life forever.