Holiday romance should give her a crush, not a two-hundred-page confidence seminar.
There’s something deeply exhausting about reading romance as a curvy woman and realizing the heroine’s entire personality is “surprised a man likes her.” Like. Please. We are tired.
And the holiday version can be especially festive about it. Put her in a gorgeous sweater, give her a man who has been staring at her like she personally invented Christmas, then let her spend 300 pages wondering if he could possibly be attracted to her. Sir, you have been flirting since the snowstorm. Let’s help the woman out.
I’m a curvy romance author. I know a heroine can have insecurities; real people do. But if her whole personality is disbelief that she could be desired, we haven’t given her a character arc. We’ve given her a very long audition for permission to be loved.
Attraction should not be a plot twist
I want a curvy heroine to have a personality beyond “wait, you like me?” Give her opinions. Give her plans. Give her the kind of sense of humor that makes the hero lose his train of thought in the middle of a sentence. Let her be nervous about the relationship, the family dinner, the lodge, the feelings… anything except having to prove she deserves to be wanted.
And no, that doesn’t mean every heroine has to wake up radiating confidence like a woman in a shampoo commercial. She can have complicated feelings about her body. She can have history. She can have a day where the outfit is not cooperating and she is this close to blaming the entire mirror industry. But the story shouldn’t make her body the obstacle the romance must solve.
As a reader, I want chemistry, not a courtroom case where he presents evidence that he finds her attractive and she cross-examines every compliment. We know he likes her. We have eyes. Let’s get to the good part: what do they want, what are they risking, and can they talk about it before the last page?
Give her more to do than doubt herself
In my holiday rom-com Curves Under the Mistletoe, Holly books a solo retreat to escape the judgmental family questions that come with Christmas. The last person she expects to find at the snow-covered lodge is Dean, her old crush (and now its owner.)
There’s a real mess waiting for them: Dean’s inclusive retreat is under threat from an influencer who wants to turn it into a superficial luxury resort, feelings from high school are still very much alive, and a blizzard is on its way. Holly has choices to make and a life of her own. The story gets to enjoy the fact that Dean wants her instead of acting like his attraction is a shocking development requiring a committee meeting.
That is what I want more of in plus-size holiday romance: desire that is clear, tenderness that doesn’t feel like charity, and a heroine who gets to be funny, wanted, awkward, clever, annoyed, flirty, and gloriously human. The man can be obsessed. She can know it. Then they can get on with the plot.
Put the book down if you need to, and tell me what you want
If you’re looking for more plus-size holiday romance, try A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, a steamy Christmas rom-com starring a plus-size adult-film star and her former bad-boy pop-star crush. For a fake-dating holiday romance with a plus-size heroine, there’s Mistletoe & Mine by J.R. Jenner. Goodreads
And if you want Holly and Dean’s snowed-in lodge, old-crush chemistry, and holiday chaos, Curves Under the Mistletoe is waiting here. I wrote it for readers who want their curvy heroines in the middle of the romance—not standing at the edge of the page, stunned to have been invited.
Your turn: what makes you want to throw a book across the room? Inaccurate body talk, an “I can’t believe he likes me” monologue, or a heroine doing all the holiday work while everyone else compliments her? I’m asking for very normal, calm reasons. Obviously.
Frequently asked questions
What is a plus-size holiday romance?
It’s a holiday love story with a plus-size main character whose body is part of who she is—not a problem the plot needs to fix. She still gets chemistry, agency, humor, and a happy ending.
Does a curvy heroine need to be completely confident?
No. Confidence can shift, and characters can have complicated relationships with their bodies. The romance simply doesn’t need to treat her desirability as a mystery that must be solved before she can be loved.
What is Curves Under the Mistletoe about?
Holly escapes her judgmental family Christmas for a snowy lodge retreat, only to find that Dean, her old crush, owns the place. As an influencer threatens the lodge’s inclusive vision and a blizzard approaches, they have to face old feelings and decide what future they want.
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