One to Watch

What do you think?  

Bea was standing before an oversized mirror in the wardrobe room, where Alison had placed her in a navy Zac Posen jumpsuit with long sleeves, flowing legs, a ruffled collar, and a plunging neckline, all woven through with sparkling thread that gleamed copper and silver and gold, making Bea shimmer like a galaxy. With her makeup soft and romantic (and caked on thick enough to withstand hot lights and high-def cameras) and her hair in glossy waves, Bea almost felt like the television star she was about to become. 

I think you re a magician, she said breathlessly, and Alison beamed. 

Okay! Lauren clapped her hands as she strode into the room. Let s see our Main Squeeze.  

Bea did a little twirl for Lauren, who grinned with approval. This is perfect!

Lauren herself looked game-day ready in her uniform of skinny jeans with a white tee, black blazer, and heels, her auburn hair pulled back in a perfect ponytail. 

You good to go? she asked Bea. Time to head to set!  

What happens if I say no? Bea s heart started pounding as it sank in that this was really happening. Had she been completely insane to say yes? What if the whole adventure was an unmitigated disaster? 

It s gonna be a piece of cake, Lauren assured Bea as she guided her toward the makeshift studio the crew had constructed on the mansion s front lawn. I know it s your first time doing anything like this, but this is my fifth season running this show, and Johnny could host a Main Squeeze premiere in his sleep.  

The host of Main Squeeze, Johnny Ducey, was an erstwhile teen heartthrob (he d famously mauled hearts in the fantasy Shakespeare crossover Whither the Werewolf?). After several public bouts with addiction and subsequent stints in rehab, he d settled into his lucrative and unchallenging work on Main Squeeze, where, it was rumored, he d slept with female contestants more than once. After so many years watching him

Kate Stayman-London is a novelist, screenwriter, and political strategist. She served as lead digital writer for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and has written for notable figures ranging from President Obama and Malala Yousafzai to Anna Wintour and Cher. When not writing or traveling, Kate can be found obsessively ranking Taylor Swift songs, laughing loudly with friends over really good bottles of wine, and of course, watching reality TV. She lives in Los Angeles.

Thoroughly charming Hillary Clinton

[E]ffortlessly fun and clever . . . I found the tension impeccable . . . and that made my reading experience incredibly propulsive. Read it in a day and a half. Emily Henry, #1 bestselling author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation

One to Watch is a fundamentally entertaining and uplifting book. . . . A powerful imagining of how reality TV could look . . . Stayman-London dismantles stubborn and destructive ideas about plus-size women: Namely, that they can t be fashionable, popular, or successful. [Bea is] complex in a way that fictional plus-size characters often aren t. . . . As the title makes clear, One to Watch is a book to watch. O: The Oprah Magazine

Bea Schumacher is an irresistible heroine, and One to Watch will win you over just as quickly. Its clever skewering of reality TV tropes is balanced by a sweet sincerity and a real belief in true romance. The Bachelor should be so lucky as to land a Bea of its own. Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, bestselling authors of The Royal We and The Heir Affair

A delicious and whip-smart page-turner about the complication of being a complicated woman in the world today. Jo Piazza, bestselling author of Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win

One to Watch is a powerful story about the love we have for ourselves and others. It s a vibrant, tender, stylish, sexy, and outrageously joyful book, and I couldn t bear to put it down for one second. Hannah Orenstein, author of Love at First Like

A fast, furious read, one that is brimming with wit but also packs a serious punch. The compelling narrator Bea Schumacher won my heart immediately, and Stayman-London s storytelling sizzles. Fiona Davis, nationally bestselling author of The Chelsea Girls

One to Watch drew me in from the first chapter; this book was relatable, incredibly smart and thoughtful about body image