Meet Kat Larson of Memphis. TN.  As a plus-size woman working in public relations, she's painfully aware of how image is everything.  Which is why Kat, a size 18 but wanna-be-4 so that she can finally meet her English online Romeo, is considering signing onto a weight loss reality show like "From Fat to Fabulous". It would be publicly humiliating, but also inspirational, right? And she'll have a forum for speaking out on the issues that the plus-size woman faces. And anyway, the prize money would make up for any degradation she might suffer, as would snagging Nick and living the perfectly-happy-ever-after life she's been daydreaming about.

          But of course nothing goes to plan and Kat finds herself in a power struggle with food, her housemates, and that hunky boyfriend. Can a change in dress size truly bring her the happiness she longs for?

             This story was right on about the thin clothes hiding in the back of the closet, and contained many other salient points about being a heavyset woman.

             Kat has good taste in books; I, too, love Steph Plum and know what she means about not being able to put pen to paper and automatically (and painlessly) channel Janet Evanovich.

            I think I would have experienced feelings similar to Kat's about being on a show of that sort.  Actually, I don't think I could take the fishbowl experience, but it was interesting to read about what life on a reality show set might be like from the comfort of my own private home.

             I enjoyed it, but not everyone is wild about first person point of view.

            Men who think that size 8 is "really pushing it" and that size ten is "way too fat for [their] taste" just make me crazy.  I mean, they are entitled to their opinions, of course, and I am entitled to fantasizing about jamming a pen in their eye.

            I had a little trouble at first buying the Nick character when he was just a faceless gent across the pond.  Not because he wasn't well-written but because my subconscious made a wrong turn when "casting" an actor in the "role". (I won't say who it was here because it's bound to happen to you too.  But feel free to scroll down here and find out after you've read the book :^D)

Warning: there are some coarse words and some weight loss in this story.

If you liked "The Next Big Thing" you might also enjoy "Fat Chance", "Love at Large", "Inappropriate Men", "The Way It Is", "Waking Beauty", "The Fat Friend", "All of Me", "The High Price of a Good Man", "Good in Bed", "Jemima J.", "Sisterhood Situation", "Etta Mae's Little Theory", or the "Odelia Grey" series.