Review: "The Curvy Girl and the Quarterback" by Emily Bright

The Curvy Girl and the Quarterback by Emily Bright
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Emily Benson and Tyler Hayes were next door neighbors and best friends in elementary school but drifted apart when his family moved across town. Tyler is now their high school's star quarterback and dating the most popular (but mean) girl in school, who delights in torturing Emily for no apparent reason other than her weight. After a run-in with Tyler's girlfriend Clarissa results in both Emily and Tyler being late for class one morning, they end up stuck in detention together, and Tyler takes the opportunity to ask his former bestie to tutor him in calculus. He's afraid that if he doesn't improve his grade, he'll get benched and lose his chance at a college scholarship. Flattered, Emily agrees to meet with him over the weekend but worries about Clarissa's reaction when she finds out that she and Tyler will be spending time together. Is Tyler and Clarissa's relationship really as solid as it seems, or could Tyler have another reason for asking Emily to "study" with him?

This story was quite short (I read the whole thing in about 45 minutes) and mostly narrated from Emily's POV, with only a couple of very brief chapters from Tyler's POV. (Oddly, Emily's narration was in first person, while Tyler's was in third person.) Likely because of the length, there was virtually no character or relationship development, though I'm not sure relationship development matters a whole lot when the story doesn't end in an HEA or even an HFN. IMO, this story is not a romance though it seems to be marketed as such. However, I did appreciate the overall message about knowing your own worth despite what anyone else thinks and the way that Emily stood up for herself with Tyler in the end.

Overall, I think this story would have worked better for me if it were longer and there had been more time for the relationship between Tyler and Emily to grow. As it was, I had no idea what she actually saw in him besides his looks. They didn't really know each other anymore, and I hated that he didn't stand up for her when his girlfriend was bullying her. It was really tough to interpret any of his behavior as true romantic interest in Emily; it felt more like he was using her.

While I can't recommend this story, I would give the author another chance in the future.

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