Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Annabel Conway is tired of the Hillcrest High School elite making her life miserable because she’s not a size two. This summer, she’s hiring a personal trainer to help her lose weight.
Annabel doesn’t expect her trainer to be a gorgeous guy around her age. Boys like Tegan are jerks. They pretend to like girls like her so they can make an idiot out of them. Been there, done that. Totally not going there again. She kind of hates him on principal. Blond. Muscular. Funny. It doesn’t help that he knows her measurements!
Soon, Tegan’s so much more than that. He’s the boy who teaches her to box when she has a bad day. Who jogs with her and lets her set the pace. Who kisses her until she melts. He makes her feel beautiful regardless of what the scale says. Unlike her mom, he doesn’t expect perfection, and he doesn’t try to shield her from the world like her dad and best friend. Tegan likes her the way she is.
But what happens when he’s not there? He can’t always be there…
Will Annabel be able to stand on her own and learn that she already measures up? That her worth doesn’t lie in what the world thinks, the scale says, or even what Tegan tells her—but in herself?
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My Review
As a young adult wanting to get rid of her university fat, I was drawn to this book as Annabel is tired of being bullied at her school for not being tiny. Although I wasn’t bullied, i could understand why she wanted to loose the weight and feel better about herself.
Pretending that her mum booked her in for a personal trainer, Annabel turns up to this building, wondering if it is in fact the gym or not. It takes her a few attempts to walk through the door, but each time she stumbles and wonders if she should just cancel. And thats when she meets Tegan for the first time.
After helping Tegan out, and him being rude to her, shes surprised to find that when she does walk through the door tot the gym, its him that’s her personal trainer – and she is not a happy bunny.
Shes embarrassed that he knows her weight and that he will tease her about it, but that doesnt happen. He doesnt care what size she is, he’s there to help her feel good in herself and push her to her limits.
Over the course of the book, they spend a lot of time together – running or just at the gym and they develop feelings for each other. His friends really like her and she stands up to his ex – who calls her fat when they attend a party. Having Tegan as a boyfriend has given her confidence that no matter what you look like, there is someone for everyone.
Tegan is close with his family, helping out his mum and disabled brother, whereas Annabel’s mum is embarrassed of her and her Dad loves her for who she is, but she has love from Tegan’s family, who accept her for who she is and welcome her into their family.
As the synopsis says, Tegan cant always be there for her – but when hes not, Annabel sticks to her weight loss plan and she knows that noone can put her down if she believes in herself.
I really loved this book. People need to read it if they feel down about themselves and their weight, and see that if you put your mind to it, then you can feel better in yourself – thats certainly how i feel at the moment.
Z. Elizabeth 