I don’t think this book was the right fit for me, I couldn’t really get into it and it seemed a bit childish so I didn’t leave a star review on Goodreads.

Loved the premise and setting but overall found the book unpolished and a little stilted. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this book.

The Make-Up Test was a great rom-com! The graduate school setting is one I don't see very often, but I loved it. It was smart, romantic, and so relatable.

Working on a PhD is tough; add in an ex-boyfriend and the process becomes even harder. For Alison, first year PhD, student, studying literature and preparing to become a college professor, is her dream come true. At the school she wanted, and studying under the faculty she most admires, her life seems to be coming together. However, her former college boyfriend happens to be in her small cohort (7 students), and even worse, is vying for the same TA position she is.

In addition to juggling school and Colin - her ex - Alison is also trying to manage feelings she has for her estranged father who has become terminally ill. A sub plot too, are references to Alison's weight; a plus size woman, there are references throughout the novel about her body image and her self worth. These are primarily positive and fit into the story, but they don't move the story along like the others do. Ultimately, somewhat against her wishes, Alison is forced to face her past, in order to make her future something to be proud of. The Make-Up Test is a fairly quick read.

(I received a copy of The Make-Up Test from Net Galley and have written an objective review)

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

**Please only read this if you're fine with me bashing this book a bit, it was not for me and I have some feelings

Oh how I longed to love this book. PhD rivals that were a couple in undergrad? Sounds amazing. Friends, it was not amazing.

What we got was a YA in adult world. Which is fine. When it's not marketed as that. And if these are adults they need to act like it. They did not.

I loved that Allison was fat and didn't let people walk over her with that. But beyond her owning a corgi that's about all I liked about her. The choices to lie to her mentor on many occasions is what pushed me over to the really don't like side. But don't worry it wasn't a huge push, her whole drive to study medieval literature was interesting (I never really got from this why it was such a big deal to her), every relationship she had with literally everyone around her was super awkward, and then the whole Collin thing.

Oh and Collin. Pretentious dick. I dated one of these in undergrad too. I did not date again. I would say I came ahead better than Allison.

Look am I being bitter, yes. I was hoping for a really good fat heroine with a compelling story and a great second chance romance. Instead I got ??? Warmed up YA in a PhD program? Pompous over important students (which honestly checks out)? A scramble of a plot with mediocre characters with little plot growth?

Do I recommend? No. Don't do this. Heed this warning.

I am curious about her next book, but will not be trying to get an ARC, rather let someone else venture into that unknown first...

This one was a DNF for me. I will not be posting a review of it but thank you for sending I think people would like this one it just wasn't for me. Thank you again for the copy.

I'm sad to say this book wasn't for me. I love Jenny L. Howe on Twitter and I think she's a very skilled writer: she crafts vivid, emotional descriptions and her characters are realistic and relatable. However, I was expecting the characters in THE MAKE-UP TEST to be older (late twenties rather than early twenties) and I struggled to invest in their interpersonal drama. That said, I'm looking forward to seeing what Howe does next!

Missed downloading this, I wish we would receive a notification with the app when something new is added.

Audio is on Scribd so I will be listening and updating my review.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

I loved this romance with serious academia vibes!

Allison Avery has finally been accepted into her dream Ph.D. program at the prestigious Claymore University. When Allison walks into her first seminar gathering and finds her ex-boyfriend Colin Benjamin sitting in one of the chairs, she quickly finds herself in a battle of wits for a coveted TA and mentorship position.

But as Colin and Allison are both tapped to TA for the same professor, Allison refuses to let him get the upper hand, even if it means bending the truth. She refuses to let Colin win, especially after he shattered her heart two years ago. When a family emergency finds Colin stepping up for Allison in more ways than one, will Allison need to choose between falling in love with her work or falling in love again with Colin?

The Make Up Test has everything you’re looking for - smart, witty dialogue, a fun enemies-to-lovers second chance at love trope, and a main character who is assertive and proud of who she is. I loved reading about Allison and Colin together hadn’t watching them develop individually as characters but together as a couple. Throw in the fun academia vibes and The Make Up Test is a home run.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press / St. Martin’s Griffin and Jenny Howe for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I had high hopes for this book due to the setting, the tropes and the fat MC. It just sort of fell flat. The first 80% drew me in but the last 20% or so left some things to be desired.

"I can't fall in love with you. I'm already there. I never stopped."

Allison Avery loves to succeed in her academics. After finally getting into a ph.D. program at Claymore University, she's made it her focus to accomplish everything she's dreamed of. Despite her non-engaging students that she's TAing for, and her best friend drifting away, Allison is still not letting any barrier get in the way of her success. Especially when she's able to work under her favourite professor for medieval literature. HOWEVER, all hell breaks lose when Colin Benjamin is also accepted into the program, and is also working under the same professor. Once that professor announces a research trip position that only one of them can have, the battles begin. What makes matters worse? Collin and Allison have history. Colin broke Allison's heart two years ago, and Allison still has that anger built in her. There's no way she's letting him get that research position. But what happens when their arguments and banter bring back old chemistry? Can feelings get in the way of what Allison really wants in her life: true love or this one-in-a-lifetime research position? SUCH A GOOD BOOK.

Whip-smart, swoony, and exactly what the doctor ordered. Give me an academic enemies to lovers romance and I will give you a weekend filled with nothing but page-flipping and heart-fluttering. The Make-Up Test was a heartfelt debut from Jenny L. Howe and if this one is any indication, I can't wait to see what she writes next. We got an imperfect heroine, swoon-worthy banter, and character growth you love to see. Colin Benjamin is the book boyfriend dreams are made of. This one is a can't-miss for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Christina Lauren!

We love a plus sized queen! Super Cute rom com I think young adults would enjoy Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

What a lovely story! This book is beautifully written, and the character development was excellent. This was a fun romance full of humor and lovable characters. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations . I would definitely recommend to others.

For a second chance romance, this was a clear miscommunication trope!

The main characters, Allison and Colin were both not particularly likeable. Their past dealt with too many heavy topics that overloaded the story I had hoped would develop. Between the death of a parent, psychological and verbal abuse and fat-shaming, it just felt heavy.

More chemistry between the two may have garnered an additional star from me, but overall the read fell flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I hate to give one star reviews. I tried to like this book. I really did. Usually, any book will get extra credit if it is centered around any activity that I enjoy - anything to do with books, baking, crafting - but I cannot remember the last time it took me this long to read a book. And to be honest, I skimmed through the last bit of it. I couldn't actually finish it. The characters are not likable at all. And as a weight challenged person myself, I thought I could really like the Allison. I don't see the appeal in Colin and can't understand why Allison would give him another chance when he obviously is only concerned for himself. Also, I'm not competitive by nature and since this book is centered around their competitiveness, it just did not connect with me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I did not love this book. This was my first time reading an academic rivals trope and maybe it is just not my cup of tea. It felt really slow and I didn't love the way the main characters treated each other. I was really excited about the girl power and the body representation, but that wasn't enough to turn the book around for me.

I really wanted to like this more, but, honestly, I think I hated every single man in this book. They were all terrible. None of them deserve an HEA. Allison needs to find a hot Welshman on her trip with her professor. THAT would be a happily-ever-after.
I think the description of this being One to Watch mixed with Beach Reads is completely wrong and is misleading to potential readers. This book has some good things going with MC Allison who is highly intelligent, motivated, and a plus-size woman who owns her sex appeal. But she deserved better.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, and I wound up DNFing it at 80%. This was absolutely soul crushing for me, because it had everything I would want from a romance book; second chance romance, academic rivals, Medieval lit students, and plus size rep. I truly wanted to love it, but overall I just wasn't enjoying it.

First thing that distracted me was the timeline wasn't really adding up to me. As someone who was an English major in college and has looked into continuing my education, I noticed that something didn't seem right, It appears the characters went straight from undergrad to a Doctorate program, and while possible it is very uncommon. Especially for the one character who didn't originally get into a graduate program, it seems like they would have benefitted from pursuing a Masters degree first and then going on to a Doctorate. I know it shouldn't have bothered me, but it was really hard not keep getting distracted by this detail as it just didn't seem accurate.

Then there was also a bit of nepotism, at least talked about. In the one scene the male character talked about how he didn't want to use his connections with his aunt (who if i remember correctly was the department chair) to get into the program. But then there were also other things thrown in like racial inequities, but it was the way and placement of where it was presented that made it awkward. It felt almost forced and a bit uncomfortable especially when he wound up at the school his aunt worked at anyway.

That mixed with the male character didn't really have any redeeming qualities about him. I actually think I would have been more invested in the couple if they had first met in the graduate program. Unfortunately their past made him very unlikable for me. I mean he lied to his girlfriend, and took away something she wanted and was passionate about while doing so. Plus then he dumped her because he was moving to a new school and needed to focus on his graduate program (which he didn't even get accepted to any of them). It just gave off major douche vibes. There were some parts where he did have good moments, like being there for her with her family issues, but I truly wish they didn't have a past because I don't feel like he fully redeemed himself. Please keep in mind I didn't finish so maybe there was a big gesture at the end, but I still don't know if he would have redeemed himself in my eyes as he just gave me a bit of an ick.

There were some parts I enjoyed about this book, it just wasn't the romance which was disappointing. I loved that the main character put her foot down and set boundaries with her dad, who was horrible to her. She even stood up to her mom in putting these boundaries in place and I absolutely loved it. And while there were some point I wondered if she truly embraced and loved her body, there were also many points in the parts I read that made me believe she was confident in her body and I did enjoy it. I just wished we didn't have to deal with some characters pointing out her weight.

Overall while this book wasn't for me, as much as I thought it would be, I know some people will love it and hope it brings them joy.

The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe. Pub Date: September 13, 2022. Rating: 3 stars. I really wanted to love this one with representation of body image, college, academia and intelligent women, but honestly this one fell flat to me. Old flames re-ignite as TAs while in grad school and the flames are pretty intense! I felt the dialogue dragged a bit and the story felt very superficial. I really appreciate the different setting for a rom com, but ultimately I did not connect with this story. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley