Eat Dessert First by Michelle Paris is a warm hearted, witty contemporary romance novel and a joy to read!
Abbey Reilly is the main character in the novel who has to leave her job at an architectural firm in order to care for her ailing mother. She takes a job in a bakery to help with finances. She has low self-esteem due to interactions with people who have made unwelcome comments about her weight. Often hearing, she has "a pretty face" as a backhanded compliment.
Abbey is asked out by a handsome suiter but that ends up in a dead end. She's ready to give up on finding love, but fate has other plans for her.
I loved the light-hearted yet thoughtful story and the message in the novel of loving yourself. I found it a perfect escape from all of the drama in our world right now.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the arc.

EAT DESSERT FIRST by Michelle Paris is a light, fluffy confection for anyone desiring simple, straightforward escape into the life of a large woman with a big heart. Taking care of her ailing mother in a small town, Abbey yearns to return to her rewarding, exciting architecture career rather than occupy herself with her passion for baking at a local bakery and continuing to search for love wherever she can find it. With fits and starts and sudden, shocking stops, Abbey winds her way to believe in herself and in her right to be who she is, exactly as she is and in the art she's found she doesn't want to live without. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

A quick fun read!

Abbey has moved back to her hometown to take care of her ailing mother - she left a great career as an architect and takes up a position baking at a local bakery, Sweet Caroline's. She's plus sized and has always heard the annoying refrain "you have such a pretty face"....but..... soon she discovers she enjoys baking and Caroline's character is a hoot! The storyline follows Abbey as she's starting to date, first a judge who turns out to be married - and then on a return trip to the city for a wedding, she meets another guy - who seems really interested, then his ex shows up and he ghosts her for a while. Madga is another incredible character, she helps Abbey and it's so great! There is a lot going on in this book, but it's smooth and fast moving and really enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

“Eat Dessert First” is a sweet, easy-to-sink-into story. If you’ve ever struggled with insecurity, low self-esteem, or body image issues, you’ll certainly relate to Abbey Reilly, the main character in this charming tale.

I connected with Abbey rather quickly, even though we are very different on many levels. As a caretaker for my mother (in the past) I related to her circumstances and trials, and I was also able to pull from my own esteem issues from younger days to connect with her distorted views of herself. I rooted for her and wanted her to see herself through others’ eyes.

I adore stories with a bakery or café setting. There’s just something universal about these gathering places that transports me to a group of townsfolks that feels like my own. This is a delicious redemption story with elements of romance, acceptance, and selflove.

#CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are 100% mine.

An uplifting read, that tackles some real issues such as bullying in social media. It’s an engaging story and I very much enjoyed it.

This book just wasn't exactly what I was looking for. The romance felt lacking and the overall representation of a plus size heroine was nice but fell flat for me because it did not feel like a true resolution in the end.

This is a lovely story about a young woman learning to value her strengths.

Abbey is currently a baker, though still thinks of herself as an architect - a situation triggered by needing to care for her sick mother. She's had limited previous experience with relationships, which she explains to herself as being about her plus-sized curviness. The story covers a short time in her life, some new relationships with potential partners and some solid relationships with friends.

I read it in one sitting on a flight. I liked it well enough, but didn't love it. I'm not sure if it is just that I don't really like romance novels (it was listed as women's fiction, which I do read), or if it felt a bit shallow (it is a short book, so maybe not a lot of room for depth).

I'd recommend it for anyone who wants an easy read, with character growth and a positive ending.

I enjoyed this book. Abbey the main character struggles with her self worth, self esteem, and caregiver strain as she has quit her job to be closer to her mom. She now works in a bakery to make ends meet.
As the book progresses Abbey grows and begins to have more confidence. Through encouragement from friends and love interested. I would have liked to see her gain this confidence from friends and love ones, not potential love interests.
One thing I didn't like is how Abbey jumps from one good conversation with a man to thinking in her head about marriage from that one encounter. I was like, slow down he gave you one complement, one short conversation. I guess I wanted her to guard her heart more.
In the end I was happy that she found her place, her people, and her own strength.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher BooksGoSocial for this e galley. All opinions are my own. I was not required to review the book.

Abbey is now a baker who gave up her previous career as an architect to take care of her mother after she suffered a stroke. This was her last promise to her father on his deathbed and one that her sister frequently reminded her of. Abbey struggled with seeing her own worth and was unhappy with her size throughout the book. The cast of supportive side characters (Madga, Caroline) really hammered home the theme of accepting yourself and believing in your worth. I had a hard time connecting with two of Abbey's potential love interests and did feel that the relationship with Jax was wrapped up rather quickly. I would have liked to see more of their relationship develop.

I really enjoyed the end of the book and how Abbey came to accept herself and found her true passion. I loved the idea of Eat Dessert First and how it tied back to her father. I felt that the writing was the strongest in the final few chapters and it showcased the struggle of dealing with an aging parent.

I would recommend this book to someone looking for a fairly quick read with a main character who finds her passion and becomes comfortable with herself.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC opportunity
#EatDessertFirst #NetGalley

3.75 stars.

This story is as sweet as its title.
Fantastic Plus Size Rep in the FMC. I feel a lot of women will be able to relate to her self love/esteem struggle.

Abbeys journey of finding the strength to stand up for herself while navigating through dealing with a sick parent, and her career was heartwarming. This is at its core a story of finding belief in yourself within, and living up to your own potential.

The touch of both an epilogue & a recipe at the end was chefs kiss!

What an amazing story! This book is all about being true to yourself, which is easier said than done. It is a tale of supportive friends, new opportunities and spectacular growth. A gem to read.

Abbey Reilly has left her job as an architectural engineer to return home to look after her mother. She has always heard about having a pretty face; but she is on the cubby side. She is now working in a bakery and is a great baker; but is missing out on life. She has never really had a steady boyfriend. She is asked out by a judge that comes into the bakery often; but finds out later he's married. When returning to Philly for her BFF's bachelorette party she meets a really nice handsome and rich guy. He seems to pursue her and they ghost her. They meet again at the wedding, and he tells her he is not sure about dating since he recently broke up with is fiancé. Abbey needs to learn to accept and love herself.
Great story of Abbey finally standing up for her herself and taking charge of her own life. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Compared to other books featuring an overweight main character, this one was quite good!
It didn't offer false affirmations and didn't glorify obesity. It was just realistic, Abbey was a big girl according to the measurements written in the dress fitting scene. She isn't obese, but she was big enough to be bullied by her peers growing up.
Her insecurities about her body and looks were understandable. While I disagree with her putting all her value on how she looks, I know how shallow and mean people could be to others.
However, there was something mentioned that I thought should've more spotlight; Abbey's relationship with food. Leaving the weight aspect aside, dealing with stress, or problems in general, with food is extremely dangerous. I didn't understand why the people around her didn't tell her to go to therapy until the very end, and they suggested it for her self-esteem only. Instead of telling her to love herself, the more pressing concerns should've been how to regulate her emotions and deal with them in a healthy manner.
Moving on to the romance, I thought it wasn't supposed to be a priority. Truth be told, the three men weren't at all suitable for her. One was married, the other was just looking for someone to have fun with and Jax was just a typical perfect love interest who has the sole job of loving Abbey and being supportive. There was no chemistry because there wasn't any semblance of balance. Their whole relationship was just to prove that Abbey is loveable, which made it feel forced and unauthentic.
The last part of the book was kind of disappointing. It was like one day a switch was turned and Abbey chose to be confident. She was basically waiting for people to validate her to be able to rise to her potential.
I liked the side characters, Caroline was definitely my favorite, she was at times the only interesting character. Such main character energy.
Overall, I liked it enough to keep reading and not feel bored.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

A quick read but ultimately unfulfilling. Abbey really annoyed me. I found her to be very immature and much of the story felt like a middle school diary. Her sister was an absolutely horrible person. All the mean girl, low self-esteem comments aren't what I'm looking for in a romance (is that what this is?). Caroline and Magda were the best parts of the book. The ending was too perfect. Can't recommend.

A pure delight … Abbey bakes to make a living but this hasn’t always been her life once a talented respected architect she moved back home to care for her mother who suffered a stroke . At a friends pre wedding party she meets Jax and something special begins . Everyone loves Abbey but being a curvy girl she doesn’t always see what others see in her and the doubts begin . I loved this book the characters the cakes and the added recipes at the end … definitely makes you want to Eat Desert First !!!

Abbey's mother had a stroke; on her father's death bed, she promises to take care of her mother. In order to do that, she sets her architect job aside and moves home ... taking a position in a bakery to help make ends meet.

In the mean time Eat Dessert First is also a romance. And this book also contains Nona's Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. Sounds yummy! (Although I still don't understand why one would add so much food coloring to a cake? I want to try it without the food coloring, would it just then be a Velvet Cake?)

Many thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for approving my request to read the advance read copy of Eat Dessert First in exchange for an honest review. 07 May 2024 is the publication date, approx 316 pages.

Loved this book. It started off slow with the main character always thinking she wasn’t good enough. The book turns around when she finally lets go of that notion and ends up just where she wants to be.

I really enjoyed this book, it was hard to put down. Abbey was an awesome main character and I loved following on with the ups and downs of her life. Highly recommend.

THIS BOOK!! It was so so good. I couldn't wait for my company to leave so I could finish it in one day. It's going to leave a book hangover for sure.
This book is all about self appreciation, learning to self love and knowing that it's more than just a pretty face that matters.

Abbey, named after her fathers love for the Beatles, thinks she's this larger than a blimp sized woman who is "just" a baker. She doesn't see what other see, this accomplished, beautifully curvy, tenderhearted woman who changed her lifestyle and career to take care of her mother after her father died. Jax is a well-known real estate mogul with a love for old record albums who was told he couldn't follow his dreams because it didn't fit the picture his parents had of their family.

Pros-
-There wasn't much I didn't like about this book.
- Abbey definitely got her esteem back in the end. SHE got to pick who she wanted when some men in her life came around.
-The banter in the book was funny and easy.
-The characters VERY likeable and relatable.
-The storyline around Abbey having to take care of her mother, and her mother getting her own HEA was nice.

Cons-
-The ONLY thing I can think of is Abbeys weakness and indecisiveness when it came to the men in her life. It made it relatable because I personally would've done the same. "Do I go back to safe, or explore something new that's not a for sure thing?" I would choose safe, so I'm glad she didn't but I wanted her to be stronger.

Overall, I'd give this book a 4.8-5.0. I loved it. I will be recommending this everywhere and buying it on its release date.

I received this ARC in return for an honest review. The opinion is of my own and completely unbiased.

Grab this book, dont hesitate.

If you are looking for a light read this is the book for you. Everything about it is okay- it by the next day you will have probably forgotten what it was about.