I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF: 25%

I have this rule: if I hate more than one of the main characters, I cannot keep reading.

I hate Allison and Colin. They're whiny and immature and annoying and insufferable. Allison, at the very least, has a questionable relationship with intelligence and self-worth. She's not a good friend, either, what with all her anxiety and almost anger over Sophie growing/evolving as a young adult. I don't think I read far enough to learn much about Colin.

I tried to give this one a chance. I love a good second-chance trope and being set in the world of academia is, for me, rather singular. But I couldn't muster positive feelings about either of them. Once I knew I'd be walking away, I read other reviews and it seems like Colin doesn't get any better.

I think I dodged a bullet here.

Jenny's book is full of heart and hope and academia! Loved it so much, put it on your TBR immediately!

A wonderful debut novel about two competitive medieval teaching assistants who battle for a prized educational reward in ways that threaten their relationship because only one can win. Trust, which was already breached when we begin the story, is in issue every step of the way by pitting their love and affection for one another against their individual desire to succeed because the prize is so essential to the future they dream of. Be prepared for a bit of arcane English and scholarly analysis. After all, it’s the class topic. There is nothing quite like a knight in dented armor to secure a proper happy ending.

This is a weird starting point for a review, but I want to start with how Jed, narrator Allison Avery’s father, is a pretty horrible person to Allison. His dismissiveness and criticisms of her are toxic, and despite her mother’s desires, Allison has every right to not want him to be a part of her life. The way he has treated her has likely colored the way she lives her life and how she sees the other people in her life, especially those people close to her. But if this was the approach Jenny Howe was going for in The Make-Up Test, it really doesn’t work for me because Allison comes off as a pretty self-absorbed person herself. This may be something other readers can overcome, but when there’s a protagonist in a story promoted as a romance novel, and the character doesn’t seem to grow enough over the course of a book, I just can’t. Allison is an ultra-competitive perfectionist, who tends to think that if she works hard enough for something it should be hers, irregardless of the work and effort of others that want the same thing. Everything with her ex, Colin, was a competition. Something she blames him for when he wins an award she wanted, despite her own desires to turn things into a contest. If her entry is the best, would it even matter that he entered? Fast forward several years and the pair are in the same graduate program, an lo and behold, are in a competition for an advisor and a trip to Wales. She turns it into a competition and lies to him and their advisor before it is actually a competition. Not surprisingly, Allison once again assumes the worst out of Colin on multiple occasions, jumping to conclusions without being willing to listen to him. Though he's far from perfect (especially in some of his past decisions), Colin does actually have very good reasons for his actions, but it feels like he’s the one making all the concessions for the pair to maintain any kind of relationship. Allison does the same thing to her roommate Sophie. She gets mad at her for spending time with other friends and looking at job possibilities elsewhere because her options are limited where they live. She pays bills on her mother's behalf without talking to her about it first. It feels like Allison just expects everyone to do exactly as she wants, when she wants, how she wants, and there’s no room for the people around her to make any decisions that are in their own best interests. I also didn’t feel like it was much of a romance, maybe it’s better off being marketed as women’s fiction? The relationship between Allison and Colin doesn’t feel romantic most of the time – it feels like a competition. There are also lots of medieval literature references because of the graduate program the pair are in, and while I have a passing familiarity with Beowulf, Malory and Chaucer, it wasn’t enough that I didn’t start mentally checking out when the story starting getting in minutiae. This may be a better fit for other readers, but there wasn’t much here that didn’t rub me the wrong way. A complimentary copy of the book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The moment I saw this book, I knew it had everything I'm into reading about. Second chance romance, enemies to lovers, witty banter, & the cover is adorable. What wouldn't I like?!
Unfortunately, it's definitely not for me.

I don't think I really liked any characters. Allison seemed very immature from the beginning. It didn't feel like I was reading about someone in grad school, more so high school. The ways she used to describe the ex shes competing against were a little off putting. But that would be more of my own personal opinion I suppose since nothing about him seemed attractive to me from her descriptions.
Colin is gross. I'm into banter and joking from men in books but his "banter" seemed more smarmy than anything and just rubbed me the wrong way. The entire ending was just.. not it.

There were also weird moments of the pandemic thrown in that didn't seem to contribute much. If I'm reading something that's fiction, it's nice to not be reminded of something that's still unfortunately going on in real life.

While I wish I had liked it, I'm sure it could still be someones cup of tea. We're just all into way different things.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I loved the Allison so much and related to her as a woman in academia and as a woman who has been fat-shamed by family and society at different points in my life.
Allison is fueled by her insecurities and sometimes makes very questionable choices as a result. I think this book does a great job of presenting her inner conflict. It also does a great job of presenting a not perfect, and I would say sometimes unlikeable heroine.
Colin, our hero, is not someone I trusted for a majority of the book. Seeing as this is a second-chance romance, we learn of the reasons behind their breakup but the way Howe presents the character growth in Colin is highly commendable and I grew to like him in some moments.

There was also strong moments beyond the romance such as Allison dealing with her strained relationship with her abusive father. And Colin's relationship with his sick grandfather.

Overall, very many things were well done and I can't wait to read more by Howe
4.5 stars

A fat positive, second chance, academic rivals-to-lovers, bookish romance?? Give it to me! Everything about The Make-Up Test sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, I was let down, like VERY down. All the things that should have worked for me, just did not work.

I didn’t care for either main character or buy their chemistry. Both Allison and Colin were wildly unlikeable and immature and neither seemed to show any personal growth throughout the book. Colin gave me the ick almost immediately - the way he was described was really off putting. Honestly, Colin was the worst. He did terrible things in the past and again in the present and seemingly did nothing to redeem himself. Not all romances deserve a second chance!

It’s clear this book is not for me. I really didn’t enjoy the romance or the personal journey/family stuff either character was going through. It is especially disappointing that this book missed the mark as badly as it did since I had such high hopes for it!

CW: fat-shaming, fat phobia, emotionally abusive parent, toxic relationship with a parent, sick parent/death of parent, dementia

This is an adorable book and I loved all the references to books and literature. I loved the character development and how things worked out in the end. Would recommend to others.

This book has a lot to offer, positive body representation, dysfunctional family dynamics, laughs, tears, and even some heat. This author is new to me but I will be looking out for her books. Check it out you won’t be disappointed.

Watching an MC go through struggles and grow is the best story for me. And that is exactly what we see with Allison in The Make-Up Test. Dealing with a verbally/emotionally abusive father and then a mother who is supportive yet still manages to pile on the guilt, surviving life after undergrad with friends and life balance, trying to be successful in a career, and dealing with an ex who broke your heart and has come back into your life.
Allison is me...I felt so connected with the struggles of her weight, her feelings, her imposter syndrome...literally everything.
I can't really articulate why this book is amazing, it just is. My only criticism is that I feel like the beginning dragged a bit, but that's it.

This is a super sweet, quick & easy read. Perfect for any and all romance readers. This book really gave me The Love Hypothesis vibes (which I loved)!

The thing I really enjoyed about this book is how real it is. It gives readers a beautiful love story while also touching on real topics that the reader can relate to. I had such an appreciation for the author including discussions about stereotypes, body image, shaming etc…

Overall, this was such a well written, fun and enjoyable romance read. I absolutely loved it and will recommend to all my romance loving book friends!

⭐️⭐️
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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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In The Make Up Test, we meet Allison Avery, a woman en route to making all of her career dreams come true. Of course, those dreams were once derailed by her hot nerd of an ex, Colin Benjamin, who just so happens to be in her PhD program. They quickly learn that they are, yet again, competing against each other. Will they or won’t they?
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I was SUPER excited for this one since the description felt like Love Hypothesis x Literature, and while I thought it was fine, it wasn’t anything I’d read again or recommend to a friend. In all honesty - I felt that the male main character was manipulative and the female MC was underdeveloped and infantile. The single side character that we actually got to know almost well enough to care about was rude and boring. It also was a little heavy in the literature references - I skimmed over the majority of those conversations because I simply had zero idea what they were talking about. I normally LOVE second-chance romance but this one ain’t it. Also, a weird complaint, it bothered me that both MCs had two first names - like their last names are first names as well.

I have so many feelings about this book.

First, I would definitely classify this more as chick lit with romance. It’s all from Allison’s POV, in third person, and I felt like it focused more on Allison’s life and growth in general and how that played into her relationship with the MMC. It works for the book but just took me a little more time to get into. If you like character development you’ll like it.

I also LOVED the author note, if you don’t normally read them I highly suggest taking a few moments to reading this one.

It also deal with Allison being plus sized and how other people address, speak to her, and how she and those around her handle it, or don’t. I loved the message, “The word fat does not have to be ugly”. And I loved how Allison loved herself.

I did enjoy the back and forth between Colin and Allison, and getting their history. It was making me both love and hate Colin. And it all felt very real to me.

This book definitely pulled at my heartstrings, especially with the lost of a parent. I lost my father when I was in grad school, so the lost of a parent in this really hit me hard.

Overall I did enjoy this book, it will definitely take you on a emotional roller coaster so buckle up.

Melli’s Book Breakdown
🤍Debut novel
🤍Plus size heroine
🤍Grad school romance
🤍Second chance romance
🤍Hate to love
🤍TW: Death of a parent

3.5 rounded up to 4

The premise of this book sounded awesome and I was really anticipating it! However, not gonna lie this was a bit of a hard one to get through. While the writing is good, the story just didn't pull me in or interested me enough once I started reading. It took like half of the book for me to feel like things were finally moving and I did enjoy more the later half. I appreciate the fat rep, and I'll always support all the diversity. The author clearly has knowledge on the topics discussed on the book and I ended up finding it a really original story idea! But, I didn't feel the chemistry between Allison and Colin nor particularly liked them and the way they acted. The academia setting was interesting and the ending and big gesture were cute and I liked that (especially the last line!) Ultimately though, the book just didn't grip me enough.

I enjoyed the idea of this romance but found it a little hard to enjoy the complete story. I felt it dragged along at times and there was a bit too much uneasiness for me. I did enjoy that the characters were not perfect people but that they were comfortable with their flaws and their looks. The competition between the exes was interesting and I wanted to finish the book to see who won! Readers who like romance with a side of angst will enjoy this easy to read novel.

Allison Avery is at the pinnacle of academic success. She's been accepted to a prestigious Ph.D. program in medieval literature and she finds out that she will be working as a T.A. for the professor in her field that she greatly admires. Everything is going according to her carefully-laid plans-until she finds out that her ex-boyfriend Colin is at her graduate school and also will be working for the same professor.

Allison is furious. Colin broke her heart two years prior when he unceremoniously dumped her and almost derailed her academic career with the subsequent depression that she experienced. And to add insult to injury, he wants to be friends and put their past behind them.

Allison isn't so eager to forgive and forget. When an opportunity arises for her to work with her professor in Wales in her field, Allison feels that this is her destiny. But when she learns that Colin is her direct competition for the single spot on the research team, Allison declares all-out war against him-if only she can resist the romantic pull she still feels towards Colin, despite it all...

I loved this rom-com! Allison is dynamic and it was refreshing to see a plus-size woman as the main character in a novel that does not focus on her weight or a diet she is undertaking, etc. Allison owns her space in the world and I'm here for it!

Trigger warnings however are cautioned for fat-shaming and fat-phobic behavior in the form of comments by minor characters in the novel.

What a delightful read!
Allison Avery is a very relatable main character. She is driven, hard-working, intelligent and stubborn. She is plus-size, but comfortable in her body. She is on the precipice of realizing her dream of becoming a professor/scholar. There is only one thing standing in her way - her ex-boyfriend Colin Benjamin. This was a fun enemies-to-lovers second chance romance. The dynamic between the two of them is fun with loads of chemistry. The development of both characters throughout the story was well executed. We learn how they were two years or so prior to the current timeline and see how they have grown since then, as well as grow together over the course of the months the story takes place. There were some delightfully sowing moments throughout the story as well 😉.
The book also realistically represents verbal/psychological abuse, which is on going from Allison’s father. Throughout her life he has shamed her for her weight (and then serving her fried chicken for supper… like, come on dad). Not only does he shame her for her appearance, but for her goals as well. She is continually vying for his approval, But there comes a point when she chooses to remove this toxic influence from her life - even with pressure from her mother to maintain a relationship with her father.
It is not necessary to keep in touch with someone and put up with the abuse just because the abuser is a close family member. I was satisfied with the way this was handled in the book. Allison is a good role model for readers of any age.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Makeup Test had all the potential to be a good academic rivals to lovers with a fat fmc… but it just didn’t deliver for me.

The first red flag for me was calling any sport sportsball, but not just that; Allison said something about no crying in sportsball. Now I’m not sure about this, but I feel like if you don’t like sports, you’re not going to be inclined to watch A League of Her Own, the best baseball movie of all time, which would then mean that you would not know this quote. And if you’re calling it sportsball, do you live under a rock?? How do you not know what football is? It just felt like a way of distancing herself from cultural events and saying she’s not like other girls.

I also had a hard time dealing with the parts that related to teaching, even if I’m a primary/high school teacher and Allison is teaching college courses. Professors aren’t usually taught how to teach, so it is so valid that she struggles in her first lessons. It took me a full year to feel comfortable teaching, even though it was my major and everything I learned about in college. Allison’s decision to lie about how amazing her lessons were is evidence of a BAD TEACHER because one of the things we are told over and over again is that we will make mistakes and we need to reflect, learn, apologize, and do better! Normalizing lying about how well you teach is not the goal, learning from others and trying new things is the goal.

That isn’t even mentioning the super unattractive way Colin is described throughout the entire book, from the beginning when he is a rival through the middle as we are supposed to buy into Allison falling for him again and to the end. His personality seemed to shift a lot too, as did the other characters existing around Allison. Additionally, there was some deep underlying fatphobic ideas that were perpetuated despite having a fat main character and the author’s note explaining that she wanted to write a character that she could see herself in. I appreciate the effort, and it did not come through as intended for me. It was a struggle to finish this one.

2.5 stars

I really wanted to love The Make-Up Test, but it didn't work for me at all. The novel is not only set in the world of academia but Allison, the MC, is working on her Ph.D. in medieval literature--I have a PhD in literature and have been teaching at the graduate level for two decades. Throw in the fact that Allison is a plus-sized woman, something I can also totally relate to, and the premise seemed right up my alley. Sadly, nope, just nope.

While it admittedly had its moments, they were few and far in between. I'm just going to break it down into what I liked/didn't like because that's easier.

What I liked:
✅Allison's body positivity
✅The academic setting/whole college vibe
✅Enemies to lovers trope, one of my favorites
✅Sweet corgi
✅Allison's growth in the book
✅Literary references/discussions

What I disliked:
❌Colin, Allison's ex--he just had zero personality and was a jerk
❌Second-chance romance that didn't deserve one
❌Fat shaming
❌Bullying and abusive behaviors by Allison's family, notably her dad
❌Very slow-burning romance to the point of boredom
❌Ending-not a fan

Maybe I would have liked this one more if I didn't work in academia or if I hadn't been a TA when I was a graduate student getting my English lit degree, I have no idea. but I felt some things in the book were also unrealistic and also just a tad weird, but that's just me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review posted to Goodreads and Twitter on 8/17/22
Review will be posted to Amazon on publication

This was one of my most anticipated reads because it was billed as an academic rivals to lovers and that is a trope that I thoroughly enjoy, especially as someone who was an academic. I couldn’t really finish the book, I got to about 59% and had to DNF because the high hopes that I had for this novel were truly dashed by the writing but also the characters. The romance seemed to also be underdeveloped and it didn’t feel as believable with the way the writer was trying to build us up to it. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. Could it be for someone else? Definitely. But I think my expectations were a little high.

I just don’t feel like the fat representation was thought out well. There was more fat shaming than there was a celebration of fat bodies. I think the characters needed much more work and I didn’t find the couple to be particularly likable. I’m really sad because I was looking forward to this but I am forever grateful for receiving and arc of this.