A review by baexlee
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Overall this was an enjoyable read that felt like I could pick it up and put it down easily, the story flowed nicely and I had no problem wanting to come back for more. There were moments where I yelled out loud and moments where I was pissed, but part of the reason I can't give this a 4 or higher is that I had a hard time investing in Bea's story. If you asked me at 50% if I thought Bea would have a relationship at the end I would say no because she'd self-sabotage. The second half of the book was where all her growth really shined, however the beginning was difficult to get through, it's hard to root for a main character that doesn't even want to root for herself. I wanted to get to know so much more about Bea - what made her the kind of person she was, her hobbies outside of fashion, her childhood and background - but the plot centers so heavily around her romantic insecurities and her body-image that I had a hard time wanting to spend time in Bea's perspective in the early pages. 

Strangely there was a moment where I felt very exposed by the author, I go into more details in the spoilers but let's just say I am more familiar with some of the date locations and got to vicariously live some of my own fantasies. The second half of this book felt like I was reading something else, the pace picked up dramatically and I began to invest in the romantic interests and their relationships with Bea. My thoughts on the ending are in the spoilers.

So I'm disappointed that I fell for Luc and he broke my heart. I'm surprised how it feels like he was still redeemed in the end because Bea accepted and forgave him? I had been rooting for Luc from the beginning. The date in Amboise was so unexpectedly pleasant for me, I had the opportunity to travel to both Chateau d'Amboise and Chateau de Chenonceau my senior year of high school and I dreamed of a magically ball where I met and handsome french man that swept me off my feet. Seeing that date realized in a novel was not something I ever expected, especially not almost 6 years after my trip to France. Then to have Luc betray Bea by doing exactly what he thought Bea was doing - which was confusing for me emotionally - I was heartbroken when I started to see the end come together. Anyway that aside, I was happy that Bea found her chosen family with Asher, it felt like a satisfying ending, and I certainly didn't expect that would be the means that we arrived to the end.
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