SET ON YOU

Competitive gym users go from enemies to lovers.

Curvy Chinese American “fitstagrammer” Crystal Chen can’t stand the new Chris Evans look-alike at her gym, especially since he's been violating workout etiquette: ignoring signs that a rack has been claimed by another person, hogging the water fountain, and getting in the way of her training sessions with clients, not to mention blocking her camera as she's recording her exercise routines. Then she’s caught off guard when a heated exchange about her cellphone—she thinks he stole it to get on her nerves—turns into a make-out session in the men’s locker room. But Crystal has a bigger surprise in store when she finds out that her grandmother has gotten engaged and that her intended is the grandfather of the Squat Rack Thief, aka Scott Ritchie, Boston firefighter. To make matters worse, Scott may have a girlfriend, a figure skater. Despite the many bumpy starts, Scott and Crystal finally get past their initial misunderstandings to explore the romantic sparks between them. It seems like the perfect relationship for the homebody, gym-loving duo—till Crystal’s fear of being cheated on rears its head. Just as the couple tackle that issue, Crystal’s carefully constructed sense of identity comes crashing down thanks to online fatphobia. In this debut novel, author Lea explores the challenges of a woman learning to respect herself while realizing that the social media version of body positivity, though the core of her Instagram brand and philosophy, may not be the ideal route to happiness. With some amusing dad jokes and come-on lines, several steamy and romantic sex scenes, and nonstereotyped portrayals of a biracial family, the novel has real promise. But a first-person narrative that dwells on the heroine’s hang-ups may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and Crystal’s judgmental behavior toward others also clashes with her criticism of those who resort to reductive stereotypes. Though Crystal works to overcome the paradox and her internal dialogue and Instagram posts about body identity and White beauty standards earn her points, the drama feels a bit drawn out.

A rom-com that tries to hit serious notes about sizeism, racism, sexism, and online toxicity.