What She Gave Away by Catharine Riggs.

Follow Crystal, a plus size woman, as she takes revenge on Kathi, the skinny wife of a bank’s president. This thriller is set in California and is about not only about Crystal’s revenge but size issues, lifestyle choices, workplace politics, corruption, misuse of power and banking.

I liked how this story is told in alternating chapters, so you get the story from both Crystal’s and Kathi’s sides. The main timeframe is just 2 years but frustratingly Kathi includes backstory from her old notebooks along the way.

I liked how Catharine created her character Crystal to be fat. So many novels dwell on thin women and fail to represent the demographics of contemporary society with its increased levels of obesity. Readers like to relate to the characters and having a fat lead character is a bonus.

The characterization of Crystal and Kathi was good but the timeframe switched about a little too much for my liking. Although Crystal was supposed to be the bad guy, I liked her more than Kathi, probably because of her attitude. For example, in Crystal’s chapter she writes…

He glances at my belly with a question in his eyes. I know what he’s thinking, I carry a lot of weight in my gut. But he’s taken his HR classes. He knows the rules. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. I do my best to sound earnest.

...Or it could just be me, as I find fat women more fun to be with?

I think this novel should appeal to both genders and I was not put off by it having two female lead characters.

I found the plot average and the pace plodding. By the end of the story, I got to know Crystal and Kathi really well. I liked how the book explored lifestyles and how people relate to one another.

What She Gave Away was an okay read, it was like meeting someone in passing and enjoying the conversation you shared. As a novel it was NOT outstanding but it was pleasant to read. This is Catharine’s debut novel and it shows that she has a talent that should grow. I found this book a WARM read, so it gets 3 stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Thomas & Mercer for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.