I really wanted to love this book but that was not the case.

This is the story of Allison's journey trying to get her PhD only to find herself in the uncomfortable situation of sharing classes with her ex.

Honestly, the story has potential but I felt that in many parts the story became repetitive and boring, and at times I felt that Allison and Colin's relationship lacked "spark".

I must also admit that on several occasions I simply didn't like Colin at all, his behavior was extremely questionable 80% of the book.

In the end, it is a book that has its sweet and funny moments but it lacks so much more.

(Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review)

You know, I really liked this book! It was fun to read, great characters, had a great pace and plenty of fun medieval literary references. Oh my goodness, Allison Avery is my kind of gal. I loved everything about her and related to so many of her characteristics. I loved how the focus wasn’t on her feelings towards her plus sized body and accepting herself, but more about standing her ground and enforcing boundaries with the toxic behavior of her dad. I loved the reinforcement that just because someone is family doesn’t mean we owe them anything if they don’t earn it. Colin was a really good look at vulnerability and insecurity. I thought he was written so well, even when he did things that infuriated me. I liked how he and Allison both acknowledged their faults and worked on them. The ending was well done, but just a little too abrupt. I think an epilogue would have been great here to really wrap things up. Very glad I was able to read this one and definitely can’t wait to see what Howe writes next!
TW: fatphobia, death, emotional abuse

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy!

This book I had a struggle reading. I normally love second chance romance and this is set in my home state!

Being unfamiliar with medieval literature much of the school plot was lost on me. The characters weren’t all that likable. The MC showed growth through the story but all the side friends and family characters were not good to her. I wound up skimming through the last quarter.

I"m a sucker for books set in academia and I really liked the premise of this, but it didn't quite work for me. The title is a bit misleading as there is no "test" - I think they could've gotten much more clever with it. I liked Allison but wow did I hate Colin; he was immature in college and seems just as immature now. I find the reason they broke up to be pretty unforgivable given how Allison is written to have all this drive and he was acting supportive just to go behind her back. I really enjoyed the first 40% or so of the book, but once they got back together, it dwindled for me. I didn't feel chemistry, and perhaps it's because I felt they were better off apart. The climax further proved to me Colin learned nothing; I'm all for flawed characters, but he's a mess. I'd try this author again because I think it was written well and I enjoyed the nod to literature, but I hope for more lovable characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a super fun rom-com. I particularly appreciated how the grad school experience of the protagonists felt realistic. I've read some other books where something about the language or the scenario just was off. In addition to a well done second chance romance trope, the book really delved into the complex relationships that can occur between parents and children. Particularly when there's a disconnect between life trajectories. The steam level is on the milder side, but that's not an inherently bad thing.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Former lovers turned academic rivals square off to compete for a prestigious opportunity and end up getting more than they bargained for in this wonderful second-chance romance!

If you like:
- academic rivalry
- unapologetic nerdiness
- puppies
- second-chance romance

then you will definitely enjoy this book! Both characters had so much dimension, and were surrounded by a host of secondary characters that all felt fresh and unique. I loved the character of Wendy, she almost had a fairy-godmother feel to her. And the way this book ended wrapped up everything so neatly.

TW: This book does contain topics such as body shaming, illness, and death of a parent.

The Make-Up Test is a multifaceted look at relationships, family, self worth, and the bustling demands of higher education. Highly recommended for readers with a soft spot for dogs, cardigans, and plus sized representation.

I’d wanted to read this book for months and was so excited to receive an arc via the publisher and NetGalley. Howe’s debut was completely worth the wait, as this book was a unique delight! I sincerely look forward to reading her future works.

Thank you @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for the ARC of The Make-Up Test in exchange for my honest review.

I did enjoy this read of exes to enemies to lovers. The subplot of literature was a definite win in my book, especially some of the nuances of medieval language. I thought parts of this book read a little dry. It did include some spice. I thought the major upset between the MCs was a bit weak.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I didn't have the urge to finish it in one sitting, stay up late reading. I do look forward to reading more from Jenny L. Howe.

A cute story about academic rivals who become lovers. This book would be great for romance fans of books such as Beach Read and One to Watch. Allison is going through some life changes, student woes, best friend drifting, then she meets up with an ex-boyfriend and the challenge is on! Thank you Net galley and the publisher for an advanced copy!

Allison Avery has always loved being an academic. Her dream in life is to become a professor so she can share her love of medieval literature with others. When Allison is admitted to a Ph.D. program at Claymore University, studying under a professor she's admired for years, she believes she's one step closer to achieving her goals. But then she learns her ex-boyfriend, Colin Benjamin, has been accepted to the same program and is now competing with her for a TA position with the same professor. At first, the pair can't help butting heads after their rocky relationship, but with every passing day and a last-minute road trip, neither can deny the spark of attraction that still simmers between them. Allison refuses to let anything come between her and her goals, but is it possible to have both the dream career and dream guy?

I was keen on picking this up once I heard about it, but I found it disappointing. Let's talk about the things I did enjoy first. Mostly, the setting. I love anything set in a school or academic environment. I found the discussions around medieval literature fascinating. It's not something I know much about, so it was fun seeing Allison talk about it with such passion. It almost made me want to reread Beowulf, and that was something high school me never thought she'd say. My main problem with this was Colin. For me to enjoy a romance, I have to like the love interest, and I couldn't stand Colin. He treated Allison so poorly, both in the present and in the snippets we get from their past relationship. He had a few sweet moments, but for the most part, I thought he was whiny and took all his insecurities out on Allison. Due to this, I didn't care about their relationship at all. It's a second-chance romance, but for me, Colin deserved none of the chances he got. I also wasn't a fan of Allison's family and how they treated her. Sadly, I had high hopes for this one, but it turned out to be a bit of a letdown.

This was a cute romcom with great plus size rep. The main character is so strong and determined and I just love her. She goes after what she wants and doesn't let anything stand in her way. Her relationship with her father is my favorite part of this book. Not because of how good it is but because of how honest it is.

The way the author has the character stand her ground and show that bad things happening to someone does not erase all of the horrible things they have said and done to you in the past. To be honest, I preferred that side storyline to the romantic one.

Nothing against the romance, mind you. I loved both characters and their chemistry was amazing. But there were some moments when I wanted to just yell at the characters for doing the things they were doing. Whereas with the father storyline I was so proud of her the entire time.

All in all, a great romcom with an even greater subplot. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romcoms.

Enemies to lovers, second chance romance, academia setting, witty banter, and a plus size female main character completely at home in her own skin…what could be better?

This book had me hooked from the start and kept me engaged. The witty banter, the fierce competitiveness, and the slow burn second chance romance was everything I needed and more.

I felt like I could relate to Allison and how she was feeling throughout this book, and the conflicts she dealt with were so real and relatable.

Excellent work Jenny L. Howe. I can’t wait to see what you write next.

Fans of enemies to lovers, second chance romance, and academia settings will really enjoy this book.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Full review will be posted on Instagram @beyondtheinkedpage and my blog beyondtheinkedpage.ca closer to release date.

I really enjoyed the academic setting in this book. And, while many of the medieval literature references flew by me, I still enjoyed the academic banter, and how book smart both of the main characters were. It was really fun to read a female character who is so passionate about such a niche academic subject. I also think I would have rated this higher had some of the side plots been fleshed out a little more, and not so nicely tied up in bows by the end. But I really did enjoy some of the side characters quite a bit. There’s also a cute corgi…so there’s that.

I really did want to love this book. It had everything I like in a contemporary romance! Rivals to lovers, second chances, plus it takes place in an academic grad-school setting. But the farther I got into it, it ended up being just okay for me. There were many points where I found it to be predictable, and repetitive, and honestly both of the main characters really, really annoyed me at times. Collin with his consistent bad decision making, and Allison with her consistent lying and jumping to conclusions made it hard for me to really like either of them. However, none of it was enough to prompt me to give up. It’s a solid three star read for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

Allison is a grad student with a competitive streak a mile wide, but she's thrown for a loop when Colin - her ex-boyfriend, first heartbreak, and the only person who's ever competed against her and won - shows up in her graduate program, vying for her long-desired mentorship.

I expected to love this book. It's common for academics (and other professionals) to date within their fields, and balancing support, competition, and professional collegiality between personal enemies is fertile ground for a novel. But from the beginning, it didn't sit right with me. At first, I felt compassion for Allison's youthful lack of perspective about her relationships and academic career. Then - at the 28% mark - we learned about the terrible thing Colin did that ended their relationship: he dared to compete against her for a prestigious award, and he won. Allison's personality went downhill from there. She became increasingly whiny and entitled, consistently blaming other people for her feelings and, instead of addressing the issue with them (or alone, in a therapist's office) alternately avoiding and railing at her friends and family.

Of course, fiction is driven by imperfect protagonists, and there have certainly been more difficult main characters than this one. The book is well-written and Allison's relationships with her parents and her roommate are interesting and well-drawn. My interest might have won out over my annoyance, but the main impetus for the novel - the second-chance romance at its heart - fell flat. Allison's feelings for Colin were portrayed as a combination of intellectual contempt and sexual heat, while he was clearly drawn to her intelligence and ambition. Their relationship's failure the first time around was, in this light, no surprise, and I wasn't interested in seeing a second match-up.

[DNF at 65%. I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley; opinions are my own.]

If you have gone through the highs and lows of academia, have a penchant for King Arthur, are a plus-sized person with complicated family relationships, and like nerdy men who wear cat socks– this is absolutely the book for you.

I’d like to write a poem to this book; lines worthy of the complexity and charm of the characters. Words that somehow capture the rollercoaster of emotions, the strong swooning and the crying catharsis. I cannot give it poetry– so instead this review will do.

The short of it: I highly recommend this book. I stayed up until 4:30am the first night I was reading it because I could not put it down. I read it in between work moments on my phone the next day, needing to know how it ends. I re-read the ending again on my kindle to make sure I’ve absorbed it properly as one whole (rather than in phone size bits).

I was instantly charmed by the characters. I knew I would deeply relate to MC Allison (hence, why I immediately requested this book the moment I heard about it), but was surprised by how much I related to the love interest too. This book was very well paced, with a snappy introduction to characters to make you like them, and a slower unfolding of all their complexities, faults, and strengths.

I love enemies-to-lovers. But I love friends-to-lovers more. This rivals-to-lovers felt like the best elements of both tropes. They were not hated enemies, not really. They were believable lovers, even after their snarky banter. The downfall of enemies-to-lovers is sometimes disbelief in the relationship: how can two people who genuinely hate and hurt each other fall in love? I rooted for this romance, even through the really sticky parts (oof, there were some hurtful exchanges), because of the way the conflict was created. This was not miscommunication based on shaky reasons or petty childishness. The root of their miscommunication was trauma, guilt, fear, insecurity; complex emotions that make even the best of us make mistakes.

Even the “villains” of the story were deeper than surface level simplicity. The treatment of every major character felt rooted in humanity, all its flaws and beauty. Nobody was a mustache twirling stereotype (except perhaps, one character at Allison’s school, but having gone through academia myself, that character type unfortunately does exist). Much of the conflict for our MCs was through themselves; their villains were flaws that kept them from communicating and being honest when they should.

The ending had me sobbing, again, from how I related to both the MC and the love interest’s family issues. The comforting words side characters said to MC made me run for my journal to copy them down for myself.

On top of all that, there was genuine laugh moments, swoon moments that made me clutch the book to my chest and just breathe, and an ending that made me grin through my tears.

My only critique is a small one: the cover and title. It is absolutely in line with the genre right now and it's colorful and cute. Part of me wants something Epic instead; a romantic painting a la the Pre-Raphaelites. I want the complexity of the book captured by John William Waterhouse. It is so much more than a “make up test”. It is a story of trials and tribulations, of pain and joy, and deserves a knightly cover just as rich as the story. However I do admit the cover’s cuteness did draw me in at first and I adore seeing a plus size woman on a cover.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC! This is a book I will be purchasing for myself when it releases. I need it in my hands IRL.

The storyline is to slow building for me. I stopped at 13% DNF.


******************************I received an ARC for an honest option from NetGalley************************************

Based on the tropes, second chance and academic rivals, I thought I would love this book. I wanted to love this book. My favorite part of the story was the FMC, Allison. She is flawed, but she's multi-dimensional and continues to grow throughout. She is confident in her body and I loved reading her perspective as a plus sized woman. And as someone who enjoyed medieval literature, her passion was contagious. However, there was so much that happened in the last 25% of the book, I felt like the author was rushing to tie all the loose ends. Instead of it ending neatly, it felt like everything was one big knot.

I also never connected with Colin, the MMC. His behavior was erratic and there wasn't much development to their relationship, just a few conversations here and there that were more awkward than anything. There was mainly flashbacks to their history than real development on their relationship. Colin was also supposed to be older than Allison, but he just seemed whiney and desperate.

If you are looking for an academic rivals trope and enjoy second romances, then this is probably for you. It just wasn't for me!

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

I'm extremally gratefully for the ARC from the publisher. Unfortunately I had to mark the book as DNF on my list after ~100 pages. I was fully looking forward to it because enemy to lovers is in my top 3 favorite tropes within fiction. Plus seeing a plus-sized representation as main character/love interest is great! Knowing it was a second-chance romance though with an crappy ex, it killed a lot of the excitement for me. I found the story dry and the characters unlikable.

There's no indicators for any content warnings (CW) either without digging through reviews on sites like Goodreads; which also makes reading a challenge for some people. The CW's for this book that I was able to find are: fat shaming, fat phobia, emotional abuse/toxic relationship with a parent, sick parent/death of parent, dementia, anxiety, discussions of past depression.

2/5 stars for the first ~100 pages

Allison Avery loves to be the best. She’s in her PhD program living her dream—that is until she learns her co-TA for the medieval lit professor is her ex, Colin, and suddenly these exes have sparks flying as the two compete for their dream job. I have some mixed feelings about The Make-Up Test. For 75% of the book, I was really invested. I liked the growth and the reconnection of these two. Allison especially was a very special character. She feels really real. She’s flawed and hurt and just trying. I almost said I don’t like her, but really it’s just she’s just not afraid to be selfish and fights for herself. At times I think some of her stubbornness came off as immature but really she felt genuine. And I liked how much effort Colin put into being a support for her. When he was sensitive and vulnerable with her too, the moments felt really special too, and the banter was really strong in this second chance/enemies to lovers story. What I didn’t like though was the third act conflict. I feel like it was a miscommunication that could’ve been cleared up so much earlier and it just felt frustrating for where the story was at. Also, it felt frustrating that it felt like it kept coming down to him being intimidated by her level of intelligence, especially because when they were good and when they were really reconnecting, they felt so strong. Still, I loved the academic setting, the side characters were really strong and I think Allison was a great character to follow. It’s a bingeable romance.

3.5/5 stars

(Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this E-book in exchange for an honest review.)

(3.75 stars) What a lovely debut from Jenny L. Howe! It has everything I love: an academic setting, lovers-to-enemies-to-rivals-to lovers, positive plus-size rep, medieval literary references, and a baby corgi(!!!). Parts of this book brought me back to my own grad school experience, balancing dating and school and family and friendships and the struggle it was to hold everything together without falling apart. I enjoyed that this was as much of a coming-of-age story, in its own way, as it was a rom-com.

I thought the fat rep in this book was done beautifully. Although Allison experiences fat-shaming and fat-phobic comments, her story isn’t defined by her size and she is never fetishized for her figure by the male characters. And Colin is such a unique male protagonist, playing against nearly every male stereotype in romance (he’s described—lovingly—as awkward, lanky, nervous, and geeky). These characters were fully imagined, flawed, and vibrant.

I did feel the book ran a little long, often getting caught up in insignificant details or sparking ideas that were never followed through (for example, Colin describes his cardigans early on as “shielding him from the world” or something, and Allison wonders why he feels that way, but we never find out the source of his specific insecurity). Some of the chapters could have been consolidated or even eliminated entirely. Because of that, the ending felt a bit rushed; I wish we had gotten an epilogue allowing us to see these protagonists really thriving after all they’ve been through (both prior to the book and during it).

Overall, though, this was a fantastic debut novel and I recommend it for romance readers who enjoy academia, low steam, and satisfying second-chance romances!