Curvy Girls Can't Date Bullies

I'll admit that I was rather skeptical about the concept of “bully romance” (and frankly, I still am). I'm generally not a big fan of the enemies-to-more trope because it is quite difficult to pull off a credible transformation from someone behaving like a grade-A jerk to a hero or shero I can root for.
But, having read and loved other books by Kelsie that also touched on serious issues, I was curious to see how she would handle it.

Regarding the romance and Ryker's miraculous change, I'm still a bit confused as to how much was posturing for his clique, and when exactly he began to start seeing Cori as a friend and potentially more.
Initially, Ryker acted in such a cruel and disrespecting way, I doubted he'd be able to redeem himself. But there were plenty of swoon-worthy moments, and Cori and Ryker got their HEA.

I really liked Cori as a shero, and I especially enjoyed spending time with her and her group of friends, the Curvy Girl Club 2.0. I also appreciated how the story arc with Cori's family played out in the end.
And much respect to Faith who actually opposed the plan to bully the bully right back. I'll admit that these girls are better people than me - I don't hink I could forgive Ryker quite as easily as they did, especially Ginger and Faith.

This is the first book in the Curvy Girls series I've read (although there are more on my TBR). It can absolutely be read as a standalone, although you might want to read more about the other girls in the “CGC 2.0” after you've finished this story.