Pear Shaped - Stella Newman (2012)

Sophie Klein starts dating James Stephens after meeting him at a bar. He's older than her, has more money and travels a lot for his business selling socks. But, their differences aside, Sophie is smitten from the beginning. James seems like the perfect man, even though her friends don't feel like he is. First off, he hangs around with men who are cheaters and secondly he is afraid to commit - something which Sophie notices down the line. His constant business trips and the fact he only calls once in a while to set up a date don't sit well with Sophie, either. Then, James starts to belittle Sophie. It starts out with small things but then it gets worse when he says he just can't get past her weight. For a man used to dating models, the average-sized Sophie (who happens to taste pudding for a living) is a little bit different - too different for James. At the end of the day, James breaks things off and Sophie goes a little crazy. It's a story that will most likely be relatable to many women but the main characters are missing something and it's hard to pinpoint what it is exactly. For a debut, however, it is a strong one that just needed to work out a few kinks in order to be great. (AS)

Stella Newman's first novel, Pear Shaped, is about love and heartbreak and stars a heroine who works with desserts. The summary says: "Sophie Klein walks into a bar one Friday night and her life changes. She meets James Stephens: charismatic, elusive, and with a hosiery model ex who casts a long, thin shadow over their burgeoning relationship. He's clever, funny and shares her greatest pleasure in life - to eat and drink slightly too much and then have a little lie down. Sophie's instinct tells her James is too good to be true - and he is." Pear Shaped is out in January. Newman writes a series of food blogs.

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