Searching For Sadie by Mary Warren

Oct 27

Plus-size romance meets reality TV trauma—and it hits all the feels

Let’s get my biggest gripe out of the way first: the repetitiveness. While it’s realistic that someone might retell the same story multiple times in real life, in a novel it can feel like unnecessary spoon-feeding. For example, after Sadie’s first hockey game, the fact that it was her first is mentioned several times within the same chapter. These moments didn’t really move the plot forward and felt more like filler. Thankfully, this was mostly an early issue and didn’t ruin the story for me overall.

Now onto what I truly loved. This series has been a favorite of mine, and though I skipped book four for now (I’ll catch up after I finish my ARCs), Searching for Sadie did not disappoint. The inclusion of a reality TV storyline was handled exceptionally well. I appreciated how Sadie’s emotional journey was explored in depth—from filming the show to dealing with the pain of seeing her trauma replayed on television nearly a year later. As someone who’s watched Love is Blind and noticed the lack of plus-size representation, this was a refreshing and important touch.

Speaking of representation, Sadie’s romance with Lucas was a highlight. Lucas, a plus-size electrician and a blue-collar hero, is a welcome change from the usual famous or fantastical love interests. His patience, love, and support made me want to give him six stars.

Also impressive was how seamlessly characters from previous books appeared throughout, making the series feel connected and rich without overwhelming new readers.

Overall, while it had some pacing hiccups early on, Searching for Sadie is a heartfelt, inclusive romance that hits all the right notes for fans of plus-size love stories and well-crafted emotional journeys.