Diary of a Dieter by Marie Coulson ~ Blog Tour and Giveaway

Book Title: Diary Of A Dieter

Author: Marie Coulson

Genre: Contemporary Romance. A British Romantic Comedy.

Release Date: August 17th 2013

Synopsis

Curvy girl, Charlene Winters, had it all: the great career, wonderful friends and a dreamy fiancé.

With her wedding day just three weeks away, Charlene is dealt a devastating blow. Suddenly finding her life, hopes and plans in tatters, the jilted bride sinks into despair and a tub of Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough. With the heartache of her fiancé’s infidelity still fresh, Charlene’s whisked away by her friends on a life-changing holiday. But how will this big fish cope now that she’s back in the dating pond and surrounded by slender trouts with Botox lips?

Frustrated by best friend Adam thwarting her attempts at romance, and her girls Vanessa and Dana eager to set her up with a boy toy, Charlene decides the time for change is upon her. What she needs is a change of scenery, a change of dress size and maybe, a change of heart.



Review

5 Stars

All I can say is “Grab this book!” I was thoroughly entertained while reading Charlene’s story. And I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud. Trust me it was many.

Charlene was supposed to be getting married in 3 weeks to her boyfriend of 4 years, Brad. But what does he do?? He breaks it off with her while he’s away in Ireland visiting family during Christmas. Really? What a low-life! A lot is told during this opening chapter of the book and Charlene is heartbroken, devastated & feeling really low. Not to mention, she’s not feeling very good about herself at all. But she has her friends there to help her get through this embarrassing, humiliating “walk of shame”. There’s Vanessa & Dana, her friends since college and then we have Adam. Charlene & Adam have been friends for over 20 years. And I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading about how they met one another back in school.

Adam has always been there for her through everything in her life. He’s funny, honest, has a big heart & would do anything to make his best friend feel better about herself & what life has thrown her way. Oh…and let’s not forget he’s sexy as hell. I loved how Marie Coulson’s words made me feel just what Adam & Charlene have together. I envied the relationship they have. But how doe you go from being best friends for so long to crossing that line. Neither one of them expected things to go this way, but sometimes they happen for a reason. Will their friendship ever be the same? Do these two feel more for each other than just friends and are afraid to admit what is long overdue? This was such a wonderful journey with this group of four friends. Charlene is also a little overweight and lacks self-confidence. It was such a joy to see her pick herself up with the help of these friends in her life & become determined to shed the weight that she had gained over the years. And there are plenty of funny scenes while she attempts it. She also starts to see things about Adam that she hasn’t noticed before.

Adam & Charlene aren’t really sure what to do with themselves other than maybe enjoy the “friends with benefits” relationship while she‘s still looking for Mr. Right. At least this is what Charlene tells him. But Adam has been waiting for years to tell her how he really feels & when he does she doesn’t know what she should say back. Does distance make the heart yearn for what she has always wanted?

And Charlene’s Gran….I cannot forget to mention this elderly woman with such sass & she doesn’t hold anything back in what she thinks. I’m sure you’ll laugh as much as I did when you read the scenes this woman is in. She's a hoot!

Charlene’s ex, Brad, comes back into the picture at the end begging for forgiveness and telling her how sorry he is and that he messed up. Does she go back to him?

At first, reading the title, I wasn’t sure what I was going to be in for. I am looking forward to reading more from this author. I love her and how she carefully crafted this enjoyable and fun book to read. Everything flowed so nicely, the characters and what they were experiencing seemed real to me. And they are some of the best ones I’ve been introduced to. I highly recommend this book to read.

Review by Jessie L.



Excerpt

Hauling my gym bag beside me, I pushed my way into the gym. The smell of sweat immediately wafted up my nostrils, and I gagged loudly. Dana cringed beside me.

“Oh my God. Charlene, it smells like crotch in here!”

Snorting a laugh, I held my hand over my mouth and nose. She wasn’t wrong. It wreaked, but the need to lose weight was overruling my need for fresh—or at least less clammy—air. Holding our breath, we made our way through the reception to the large aerobics hall at the far end. If there was ever a fear of us being blinded by old women and their cellulite … we were wrong. A sea of slim, fit, toned, and tall beauties turned and began scanning us up and down.

“I feel naked. Let’s go. We clearly don’t belong here.”

Spinning around, I moved toward the exit, but Dana blocked my path.

“Nope. You wanted to do this, and I bet they didn’t always look like that. Maybe this class really works!”

I furrowed my brow at her “Do you ever drop that optimistic glass you carry around?”

Dumping her bag on a bench, which was pushed against the white-washed wall, she smiled brightly. “Nope.”

Well, of course she was feeling good! As she slipped off her coat, I stared at her wide-eyed. Wearing a pair of tight leggings, a sports top that showed off far too much of her toned midriff, Dana was right at home amongst these women. I groaned in displeasure.

“Are you kidding me? Where did you get that body, and how much did you pay for it?”

She tilted her head to the side and tutted. “You had one, too, ‘til Brad started steamrolling your fitness regime. Remember?”

Did she always have to be right?

A loud clapping pulled me from my jealous glare at Dana and my attention was now focused on the petite, short blonde-haired, and clearly never-ate-a-cake in her life, fitness instructor at the front of the room.

“Hello everyone! It’s nice to see so many familiar faces, and I notice some new ones. Come up!”

I gawped at Dana who shrugged, grabbed my hand, and began dragging me to the front of the class.

“Hi, hello! It’s always nice to have new blood in our class. I’m the instructor, Francesca. Is this your first time at Zumba?”

I stood awkwardly as dozens of eyes stared at me. That’s right, ladies, I’m the fat girl. Every fitness class has one. And you all suddenly feel so much better about yourselves. That carrot you scoffed for breakfast doesn’t look so bad now. Does it?

“No, it’s our first class,” Dana answered.

Oh no. Didn’t she know she had just committed the cardinal sin of fitness class?

“Well, you ladies stay right here up front and follow the routine, you’ll be just fine.”

I was in hell. Not only was I the only chubby girl in the room, I was now the entertainment at the front of the class! Clapping her perfectly manicured hands again, Francesca encouraged people to move into a space as she hit the play button on the CD player. The Brazilian sounds of the lambada filled the room, and I felt sick.

Swaying her disgustingly tiny hips back and forth, Francesca began a routine that looked like it belonged on the stage; not a hall in one of the smelliest gyms in London. Dana, of course, was a natural. Swaying, bouncing, and shaking her pert little arse around the room like a pro, she put the rest of us to shame. Well, I say the rest of us, but I mean me.

I bounced, jiggled, and wobbled myself around that mat as though I had a feather tickler shoved up my arse. I wasn’t sure how this would help me lose a few pounds, but with the flailing of my limbs and sporadic movements of my hips, there was a good chance we’d have rain.


Buy Links


US link - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EKXURTM/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00EKXURTM&linkCode=as2&tag=thrchiandtheb-20


UK Link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diary-Of-A-Dieter-ebook/dp/B00EKXURTM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1376651198&sr=8-6&keywords=diary+of+a+dieter

About The Author

Born and bred in England, Marie discovered her love for writing when she was a mere child. Beginning with poetry and short stories, she soon discovered her flare and passion for the written word.


After pursuing a career in childcare, education and the care of the elderly, she left her job in the summer of 2012. Embarking on a new career as a therapist, it was at this point that she finally sat down to write a novel that had been plotted for nearly three years. Only three months later…Bound Together was born.




Links
Diary Of A Dieter on Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/17834699-diary-of-a-dieter

Blog: www.authormariecoulson.wordpress.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authormariecoulson

Twitter: @marie_coulson


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