"The Make-Up Test" is a satisfying read that will appeal to fans of contemporary romance, academic fiction, and stories about self-discovery. Howe's characters are relatable and engaging and the themes of second chances and personal growth are universal and heartwarming.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me.

A great romcom! I love this book that had me smiling while reading. I love these characters and their world.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

My favorite character wasn't even a real character. The grandfather was really the only character that I found relatable. The story was fine overall. No strong emotions in any direction.

This wasn’t my book. I got lost in the literature discussions and talks of the classics. It felt over my head and I wasn’t invested in the relationship. The miscommunication trope is my least favorite.. but this also felt like she was choosing to stay angry and misunderstood. Idk.

Good book. I normally read histogram romance but found this book to be good! I liked the banter between Alison and Colin. Definitely worth reading.

A sweet, funny and healing read. A lovely journey of two people finding their way through past entanglements and misunderstandings and growing back together. A fun and lovely read.

Grateful for the opportunity to review this one. Loved the academia setting, the competition aspect between our two main characters, and just the story overall. A few quirks that could have been left out (the COVID references, for example - stating it happened in high school and now she’s in grad school, which would mean the story would have had to have been happening in the future). I struggled to find the chemistry between the two main characters and I don’t know why - was it me? Were they just so immature, I couldn’t deal? I’m not sure! But the writing style has to be the best part of this book - it flowed so easily and was well written grammatically and it just made sense. But it just wasn’t fully it for me! Can’t get past the immaturity! Maybe others will be able to deal with it - overall, grateful for the opportunity!

Loved the rep, tropes and romance in this book. Give this book a chance and enjoy the story as it unfolds.

I didn’t love this one. I thought both main characters were for the most part unlikable. I wasn’t rooting for either of them. The writing was good but the story wasn’t my favorite.

"The Make-Up Test" by Jenny L. Howe is a heartfelt second chance romance that had me completely invested in the characters' journey. This novel is a touching blend of love, forgiveness, and the power of giving relationships a second shot.

Howe's writing style is emotionally resonant and relatable, immersing readers in the characters' struggles and desires. The main characters' interactions are filled with genuine emotion, creating a dynamic that is both heartwarming and engaging.

At the core of the narrative is a poignant exploration of personal growth and the challenges that come with healing old wounds. The author skillfully portrays the characters' vulnerabilities and the gradual rebuilding of trust between them.

"The Make-Up Test" successfully balances the heartache of the past with the hope of a brighter future, resulting in a narrative that is both moving and uplifting. The themes of self-discovery and the power of forgiveness add depth to the story.

In conclusion, "The Make-Up Test" is a touching and beautifully written novel that captures the essence of second chances and the beauty of rekindled love. If you're seeking a book that combines emotion, romance, and the journey toward healing, this novel offers a compelling and heartwarming narrative that will leave you with a smile on your face.

"There is no crying in sportsball. Or teaching."

I guess I've never read a book where the protagonist is also Allison? Between that and some other overlaps, it kind of feels like writing a review about myself in the third person, but let's do this thing, anyway.

This single POV romance leans into grad school vibes AND teacher vibes, which are both areas I'm familiar with. This is one of those romances where a single POV works well. We get a strong sense of Allison as a person, and only knowing her side of things makes it more interesting when we start to understand where her love interest, Colin, is coming from in both the past and present.

Allison is starting her first year of a Ph.D. program, where she is focusing on her passion for medieval literature. Expect nerdiness in the best way. Allison's feelings of being thrown into the deep end unprepared as she tries to mold the minds of unenthusiastic undergrads resonate with my first-year teacher self as much as the pressure to succeed does with my grad school self. I hardcore related to Allison's perfectionist and people-pleasing tendencies as I watched her build up every professional interaction into an opportunity to either prove herself or be crushed under criticism and shame. She's adrift and overwhelmed with all the newness and high stakes of her new reality. If ever there's been a case study to show the benefits of a growth mindset over a fixed one, this is it. Allison is so terrified of seeming less than perfect that she doesn't seek help or advice that would actually help her. And school isn't all that's on her plate. Allison is a fat woman, but that's just one facet of her being. Her eyes are wide open to the structural discrimination that works against her, but it doesn't define her or her journey in this book. However, she has long suffered from her father's fatphobic comments and lack of support for her dreams of being an academic. We see her decide to remove him from her life, which is made more complicated by her mother's constant insistence that Allison will regret it. Though Allison has a strong bond with her mother, this adds the weight of guilt to an already tense situation. Also, Allison is living with her best friend, but she starts to despair as she feels their lives are about to diverge. She has to reckon with the fact that both their lives are changing in ways that mean their bond won't be the same, either.

And if you're not already convinced that Allison has more than enough going on what with grad school existing, her family collapsing, and her friendship cracking-- enter her ex. Allison and Colin dated in college, but a betrayal and a breakup on its heels mean that Colin is Enemy #1 in Allison's book. When he shows up in the same grad program, Allison is all the more appalled when he's friendly and doesn't act like their past is a painful quagmire to be avoided. It's a second-chance romance where we get flashback scenes to build context into how they were before-- the good, the bad, and the ugly. I like that Colin's grown and changed on his own terms in the two years since Allison last saw him. It's not her job to teach him how to be better or midwife him through the painful process of learning to be less of a self-serving know-it-all. They still love the academic debate of their college-days relationship, but he's able to show some vulnerability he wouldn't have before. Allison starts chalking up these small differences even as she still harbors hurt and anger over their breakup. She quashes her still active attraction for him, anticipating that nothing good would come of acting on it. But when one of Allison's many stressors goes nuclear, Colin is ideally and uniquely situated to help, so she can't avoid what they could have together any longer. It's a good take on second chance because all stages of the story make sense. You feel involved in the characters' past relationship and its dramatic dissolution, but you understand why a fledgling hope for reconciliation might start to grow for Allison in the present. Honestly, the only particularly annoying thing to me about their relationship was the final act miscommunication/misunderstanding breakup. This all could have been easily avoided if we used our words, etc.

The other thing that bothered me is that lying stresses me out in a big way, and Allison is desperate for no one to know how bad (in her view) teaching is going so far. This goes double for Colin-- both her ex and her competition for the same advisor. She creates more and more elaborate tales of how spectacular things are going to spin for both Colin and their professor as if no one could verify the information in multiple ways. And every time a small voice in the back of Allison's mind hints that the situation is getting increasingly out of control, I freaked out a little.

My favorite thing about the book beyond the poignant emotions was the author's wielding of many witty turns of phrase and existential crises. For example, menstruation is described as an "amusement park of misery" (same). Allison and Colin trade snappy, combative banter, and Allison puts many people in their place with the perfect weaponized words. That made it a fun read even when things are going decidedly not well for our protagonist in the moment.

This is a romance that manages to hit many non-romantic emotional beats well even while offering a thoughtful take on the second chance trope. A lot is going on, but it doesn't feel rushed. With the single POV, readers can focus on connecting with Allison and her messy life, probably relating to the level of catastrophe at least a bit. Thanks to SMP Romance for my copy to read and review!

What a delightful rivals-to-lovers rom-com! Howe's debut is delightful. I always enjoy when the rivalry is an academic one, and the fact that these two had a complicated history helped make the rival aspect more exciting. I also think she showed, in the case of the love interest, how at the core, people are inherently the same, even if they do change in some ways. I enjoyed this one very much!

It was fine. The characters were ok but I just never really connected to them or bought in to their relationship. I think I might have been the wrong audience so please check out other reviews.

**ARC received through Netgalley**

Working through my backlist 🫣

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Griffin for this eARC, that I’m reviewing so incredibly late.

Rating: 1.5/5

**Trigger Warnings** parent death, body shaming

Spice: 0.25/5 like barely any at all

Tropes: 2nd chance, plus size FMC/skinny MMC, competitive, academia

Honest thoughts: I don’t like the competition trope. This is the second book I’ve read this year with it and I didn’t like the other one either. I found myself skim reading this. I’d have to stop and go back. It wasn’t even that I was bored i just didn’t enjoy the relationship. Both Allison and Cole were unlikeable and immature. Cole stealing the reward from under her like that. The fact that he **sucked** at communication abs how Allison jumped to conclusions so fast about everything that u got whiplash. Despite doing Worst Case Scenario exercises with her bff she never stopped to think anything through. I didn’t feel like Vole and Allison had any chemistry. They were awkward at best and cringe at others.

Also!!! Cole was literally described to resemble Ichabod Crane. *SERIOUSLY*!!!* i couldn’t get past it. Nobody is swooning for Ichabod freaking Crane. He was also described as an isosceles triangle. Book boyfriend he is not, all I’m getting are sharp, pointy, and uncomfortable vibes with a side of creepy.

I did however love the academia setting and the compulsory hang outs. Even if I didn’t understand the medieval Lit references, it was interesting and I might look some up.

This one wasn’t for me.

This one had a lot of potential but unfortunately fell flat for me. It was an okay read. I am all for a fat rep and was really rooting for Allison, but there were some decisions she made that I could not support gah. I enjoyed the meet-cute with Colin but that was the extent of my affection for him. He made me so frustrated!! I loved the academic setting and learning some literature tidbits but I could not get into the romance. I would like to get more of Mandy's story though.

This was definitely not what I was expecting at all. It's a cute book. The writing as style was not my favorite. I do think it was a good debut book and speaks to great books to come.

I tried so hard to enjoy this one, and stuck it out long past the point I'd usually DNF.

-The fat rep was not good. Not all fat people need a traumatic parent relationship to exist. Not all fat rep needs childhood diets to be valid.
-Colin Benjamin did not always need to be referred to by his full name. Also, for an author's note stressing this was the fat rep she wished for, it made all of body shaming comments about Colin that much more glaring. He was gangly, lanky, like a skeleton wrapped in skin, Alison could picture his bones clacking together, You cannot ask for fat acceptance, then body shame others.
-Alison was selfish. All of the choices her friends or the MMC were portrayed as a betrayal to Alison in some way, whether it was making plans without her, or not being there for her many, MANY meltdowns about literally everything.

Put it all together and it was impossible to root for anyone. I didn't want Alison to get the one advisor spot, I didn't want her and Colin Benjamin together, I didn't care.

2.5 stars!

I think that this book really did not work for me for a multitude of reasons. I really did not enjoy the romance. The main character was okay but I did not care whatsoever about their romance. These characters are supposed to be in grad school but they read so young and immature I truly did not care why they broke up or if they were going to get back together.

Where I do think this book had strengths was actually in the writing. I thought the writing was really good and made this a more enjoyable read, but overall definitely not my favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Griffin for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I crushed my way through this book in less than 24 hours, and I have zero regrets! This book was so easy to get lost in and forget you were even reading! I loved Allison so much, and found her so relatable, as a bigger girl who has always been a nerd and just finished grad school myself! I saw so much of myself in her and really felt the depths of the story from the first chapter.

I loved the banter and the way that this romance doesn't simply snap back into place. It takes time for both of them to learn to trust again, and I found that far more realistic. They have such a cute dynamic and I simply could not handle Colin flirting. It was too much! *swoon*

This book delves into self-love, family, friendships, trust, and the truth of love, all while wrapping it up into the love and joy of literature. I can't wait to read more from Jenny!

I really enjoyed this book. I’m not a fan of second chance romances, but I thought this one was handled pretty well. The turn at the end that throws their relationship into chaos again ticked me off though, and as an academic, absolutely infuriated me. Even though there was miscommunication and it ended up working out, it was something that could have been avoided very easily and lowered the rating of the book for me.