Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell
Cherry Baby is a women’s fiction romance by New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell. The story revolves around Cherry, a plus-size woman struggling to get back on her feet, torn between moving forward and holding on to her old life.
A Life in Limbo
Cherry is 36 years old. She lives in Omaha and works as a manager for the Omaha railroad. Although her professional life is flourishing, her personal life is falling apart. She is married to Tom, from whom she is currently separated. Tom hasn’t come home in a year. He’s in California making a name for himself, while Cherry stays in their empty home, taking care of Stevie, their white Great Pyrenees mixed dog she never wanted in the first place. Her soon-to-be ex-husband is a famous writer behind the comic webtoon-turned-movie Thursday, which has the “wide-hipped, heavy-chested, double-chinned” Baby, a caricature of Cherry.
One day, Cherry attends her favorite Omaha band’s reunion, where she bumps into Russell (Russ) Sutton, the dark blue-eyed gentleman who looks like “the token Irish actor on a BBC drama.” He was her secret crush in college and her best friend’s ex-boyfriend. During the concert, they reconnect and have a great time, and Cherry realizes she still has feelings for him. Like the good girl she is, does she keep her feelings to herself and let him go once again? Nope. Not this time. She brings him to her place and gives in to her desires and sexual fantasies.
Caught Between Two Loves
Over the next few weeks, Cherry and Russell go on several dates and reconnect. Just as their relationship begins to deepen, Tom returns to town. His presence creates a dilemma: as Cherry helps Tom move out of their house, old feelings resurface, putting her new relationship with Russ at risk. Caught between the past and the future, Cherry must decide whether to hold on to what once was or fully embrace the possibility of something new.
The pacing in Cherry Baby is moderate; it is neither too fast nor too slow. The story is told through the third-person point of view, closely following the main character, and the narration moves between the past and the present. The novel explores themes of self-identity, body image, marriage, messy relationships, complicated family dynamics and second chances at romance. I also appreciated that Rainbow Rowell touches on the relevant yet infamous topic of weight-loss drugs. Additionally, the novel lightly addresses infidelity, alcohol abuse and emotional abuse.
Rowell’s story is well-crafted and emotionally evocative. The narrative brims with humor and charm, while the plot feels grounded and realistic. The romance is engaging and keeps you invested throughout. The book contains explicit sex scenes and offers notable emotional and psychological depth. At times, I found myself emotionally triggered — in a good way.
A Romance That Questions Resolution
Rowell does an excellent job of crafting a deeply relatable protagonist. Cherry is fat, and she acknowledges it openly. Cherry is a deeply conflicted individual: although she believes in her own beauty, she remains self-conscious about how others perceive her. In many ways, this perception exists more in her mind than in reality. Her flaws and struggles feel authentic and can resonate with readers from all walks of life.
I also found Cherry’s relationship with other characters to be tender and realistic. Tom is emotionally distant at times, yet he has a soft, caring side, especially when it comes to Cherry. Russell, on the other hand, feels like a K-drama boyfriend brought to life. I also enjoyed Cherry’s relationships with her sisters as well as her bond with her mother and best friend.
For me, Cherry Baby functions as both a romance and a character study that challenges the idea of a perfect romantic resolution. While it delivers on emotional connection, it also raises important questions about timing, self-awareness and what it truly means to move forward.
The novel doesn’t present love as a simple solution, but rather as something intertwined with personal growth, and, sometimes, unresolved issues. I found this both compelling and slightly frustrating in equal measure, which is precisely what gives the novel its depth. Through Cherry Baby, Rowell invites readers to reflect on whether emotional resolution and romantic resolution are always the same thing, and whether they need to be.
About Rainbow Rowell:
Rainbow Rowell is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Slow Dance, Eleanor & Park, and the Simon Snow trilogy, as well as several other award-winning novels, short stories and comics. She lives with her family in Omaha, Nebraska.
