The Scale (Martha's Way, #1)

by Mika Jolie

• ISBN10: 1517577020
• ISBN13: 9781517577025
• Publish Date: 9 September 2015 (first published 30 October 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[scarr]

2.75 stars

This book had a lot of things I appreciated and quite a few things that didn’t work for me. I liked that the main character was larger-bodied and I liked romance -for the most part. But I found the twin-in-love-with-her-sister’s-fiancé trope severely under-developed. It just didn’t seem plausible that Minka was holding out for future brother-in-law or whatever.

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

The Scale by Mika Jolie is the first book in The Martha’s Way series. It tells the story of Minka, a beautiful young woman, who struggled with body image issues and as a result failed to accept herself. This led to her being unable to accept that when persons looked at her they saw a beautiful and sexy woman and not a fat and ugly person.

Minka in her own warped mind distanced herself from her twin sister and her parents because of the insecurities. To make matters worse, she believed her sister took away the man she loved because she was the better-looking twin. It didn’t help to know her sister was marrying said guy and she Minka would be the Maid of Honour. Not an ideal situation for Minka, not even the fact she would spend two weeks at Martha’s Vineyard could shake her despair. Then she meets the drop dead gorgeous and sexy best man, Jason, who she agreed to have two weeks of exclusivity with after one night of mind-blowing sex. Will two weeks be sufficient and will Minka allow her insecurities to impede her from finding love?

I loved this story. It shows how insecurities can prevent one from finding true happiness. Minka allowed her insecurities to dictate her life. Despite the interest Jason had in her and the great way he treated her; she couldn’t accept that a guy who could have any beautiful woman he wanted would want to be with her. She hid her insecurities well, but Jason saw through them.

As someone who struggled with weight in the past, I related to the reason for her insecurities and understood why she would feel that way, bur she disappointed me by her refusal to rise above it and instead allow it to rule her life.

Jason oozed sex appeal. Handsome, hardworking, and intelligent. He had no interest in a committed relationship, but that changed when he got involved with Minka. He had his share of issues, which made it easy for him to recognise Minka’s hang-ups. Despite this, he never gave upon her. He wanted the best for her.

The Scale delivered a captivating, poignant, sweet and romantic story. I found myself deeply invested in the story and the characters. It highlighted the importance of loving ourselves as that is the only way we be able to love others and appreciate the love they offer. Well-paced, the story featured great secondary characters, some of whom have their own stories.

Conclusion/Recommendation
The Scale turned out to be an enjoyable read, and I recommend it to fans of inter-racial contemporary romance.

[Angie]

I was pretty eager to read The Scale. It’s an interracial romance, and I felt like I could relate to Minka’s struggle with her weight. She’s having a bit of a rough time. She’s secretly in love with one of her best friends who is now marrying her twin sister. She’s packed on some weight and isn’t feeling too good about her body, but she can’t seem to shed the extra pounds. Then she meets Jason during the wedding preparations and can’t believe a gorgeous man like him wants her too. But he doesn’t do relationships and she’s still pining after her sister’s fiance, so maybe she shouldn’t risk it at all.

The Scale does have a sweet romance, but I was distracted by the awful dialogue the entire time. Everything sounds so formal and stiff. I couldn’t believe that anyone really talks this way. The dialogue sounded more like it was suited for a Historical rather than Contemporary, or even for stuck up rich people who sound fake anyway. It was just very awkward and felt like the characters were allergic to contractions. And some of the phrases they use just did not fit this modern, laid back setting.

On top of that, Minka has absolutely no personality whatsoever. I felt zero emotions coming from her, despite knowing that she’s not thrilled about this wedding and that she’s unhappy with her weight. Whenever she opened her mouth it was something along the lines of “I’m sorry,” “I can’t,” “I won’t,” “I have to go,” “I can’t stay,” or she chose to say nothing at all. Very negative, but with nothing behind it. It’s like she was just going through the motions, which she very well might have been because she was just trying to get through these two weeks, but I should have gotten a hint of something from her. It was even more frustrating, because I got personality from everyone else! Maybe it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, and her feelings of being invisible compared to her twin made her dull narrator.

The Scale also suffers from one of my least favorite Romance tropes. It doesn’t go quite as far as it could have, but once again, Minka’s lack of emotional response made it even more awkward. She literally has no reaction to it at all. Even when she tells her best friend about it, it’s like she’s commenting on the weather. I’m not saying that she needs to be super dramatic about it, but whether your feelings are negative or positive on the situation, you’d have some kind of feelings toward it, not “Oh, this happened.”

Sadly, The Scale disappointed me. I wanted to relate to Minka and cheer for her to reach her goals and get her man, but her lack of emotion toward anything made it impossible for me to get emotionally involved.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books

I like twin stories. There is always a shadow where one twin lives under until that one thing finally sets her off as something more than the one who shares a face with the star. But in The Scale the shadow is not Keenly but Minka's insecurities that she has wrapped around her like a life jacket. She believes she's in love with her sister's fiance because he's the first man not to tease her for being fat and she ends up resenting Keenly for 'stealing him' until she meets the best man and he does not disappoint.
it was a great discovery story , one that I enjoyed reading and would read again.

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