Carl Weber Presents: Full Figured 13

I’ll admit, I went into *Full Figured 13* expecting a lighthearted romp, but Mona Love’s writing hooked me with its emotional gut-punches disguised as jokes. Keisha Long is the kind of protagonist I’d follow into a dozen sequels—flawed, funny, and so *real* that her dating misadventures had me cringing in secondhand embarrassment one minute and cheering the next. The story’s strength lies in its refusal to let Keisha’s weight be a metaphor. It’s not a ‘before’ picture; it’s just *her*, and the way Love weaves in societal biases (from fetishizers to ‘concerned’ relatives) feels painfully accurate without ever tipping into preachiness. Lynette Freeman’s performance is a masterclass in tonal balance. She delivers Keisha’s sarcasm with perfect timing, but it’s the quieter scenes—like Keisha staring at her phone after another ghosting—that showcase her range. My only critique? The pacing drags slightly in the middle during a subplot involving Keisha’s job, which feels less fleshed out than her romantic arcs. And while the ending satisfies, I wished for a bit more narrative tension in the final act; the conflicts resolve almost *too* neatly for a story that otherwise thrives on messiness. Still, the audiobook’s production is crisp, with no distracting edits, and Freeman’s voice work makes even the minor characters memorable. If you love romances with teeth—or just want a protagonist who’s as quick with a comeback as she is with self-doubt—this is your next listen.