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Book Review of Bet Me

Bet Me
Bet Me
Author: Jennifer Crusie
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Romance
Book Type: Paperback
reviewed on


This book seems to have been written as an insulting cliche for fat women. Maybe it's just supposed to be funny and doesn't quite make it. Here's the main character: She's "not beautiful" and is overweight. She is a scowling, self-deprecating actuary who dresses in gray boxy suits and denies herself carbs and butter. She has pretty toes and wears cute shoes. Here's the plot: Gorgeous hunk takes her out on a bet, and puts a bite of krispy Kreme doughnut in her mouth to shut her up. The look on her face is so sensuous that he continues to date her by putting doughnuts, ice-cream, and chicken marsala in her mouth just to see that look again. He persuades her that she is not fat, just voluptuous, round and sexy. She begins to wear lace. She wins him from the ex-girlfriend who looks like a Victoria Secret model and who loves to tell men that she has a perfect body and is fantastic in bed. (Girlfriend also enjoys untying her clingy wrap dress to show them her perfect body in her transparent pink underwear.) When our hero and heroine first make love, foreplay is tying her up naked and feeding her Krispy Kremes while he licks icing off her breasts. Can you guess the conclusion? He proposes to her by putting a Krispy Kreme doughnut on her finger!
Oh, and the ex-girlfriend? She was writing a book, till someone told her no one wants to read about how another beautiful girl gets the beautiful man of her dreams. I think I'm mostly mad at the girl at the bookstore who recommended the book to me. I keep wondering if she thought I look like fat woman desperate for love and doughnuts.