2.5 rounded to 3

Amari and Lark meet when he brings his sister to her plus size boutique to get a dress made. They feel an instant pull but they're both involved, and Amari is a brand new quarterback with a new contract and his teenage sister on his plate. 

Let's start with what i liked. I liked Lark and Angel. Their friendship, and their banter. I like that Amari was someone who learned from his mistakes. I like that his sister was able to open up and be more confident in herself. 

But, honestly I hoped I would like the book overall a bit more. It's set in my hometown and I was excited. But it wasn't really romantic at all. First, it tried to give E2L vibes because the MCs got into a disagreement, but after the air was cleared, they were both still too wrapped up in other things and them getting together felt like an afterthought. 

The fatphobia and verbal abuse should have had a trigger warning. Maybe that doesn't matter to some people--it mattered to me. Also, this book has a homophobic slur that was wholly unnecessary. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. Amari navigating his sister's issues took most of the story, and her POV overshadowed the main characters. 

Also, it does no good to brag that the fat FMC is confident, but then show her knowingly getting humiliated and played and not doing anything about it. That doesn't make her look confident. Her letting the boyfriend and her friend run up her card just to "see how far they would go". Made no sense whatsoever, and didn't make her look anything but stupid.