Review: a sweet romance that I recommend to any romance lover.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 4, 2013
This book was nothing like I expected, and ended up being so much more than I'd hoped. It could have been full of preachy clichés , but instead it was just a real, honest story.First, I have to say how well Ms. Bower crafts her characters. They're all so individual, three dimensional and real from the most important to the ones who are barely walk-ons.  I loved Robbie, and I adored her group of women she used for advice on being fat.  I disliked her professor, and reserved judgement on Jake because he so clearly loved his grandfather, Frank (Frank by name, and Frank by nature).From the moment the book starts with poor Robbie knocked to the ground wearing her fat suit and unable to get up, to the last, sweet moment I was enthralled.  This book is primarily about perception and emotion and will tug hard at your heartstrings (I even cried at one point).  The author clearly did her homework and shares things like how our gestures matter, and had deep insight to the human psyche.Not that it's all deep and thought-provoking... not at all. Frank (the goose whisperer), especially, lightens things up all the time with his incredibly fun personality.With a dozen strong secondary characters, enough emotion to make your heart swell, sing and sigh and family ties enough to make you grin, Woman of Substance is a sweet romance that I recommend to any romance lover.