I wanted to love this, I really did. I was here for the tropes—second chance romance and rivals to lovers, but I didn’t really like Allison or Colin’s characters very much. I think I just wanted more from this book and their romance, especially after how Colin ended things originally between him and Allison, and instead everything just felt rushed.

Womp! Bummed I didn’t like this more, but thanks Netgalley and SMP for the arc!

It's an entertaining book! Focus on mental health and a slow burn--so good! Very charming and enjoyable to read :)

Thank you NetGalley and Jenny L. Howe!

Thankful for the author's note on this one, I didn't start it until I was in a decent place mentally. Still...it was a disappointment. I wanted to love it, I really did. But it fell extremely flat for me. I tried to push through it, but DNF'd about halfway through.

1 Star, because of DNF.

I LOVED THE MAKE-UP TEST!!!
I knew I was going to love this book within the first chapter. This book has the power to make your heart all warm and fuzzy, even on the coldest of days. Its equally funny as it is spicy, and the characters are so loveable. I love the cover of this book and I can't wait to purchase a physical copy to put on my shelf!

First I want to thank Jenny L. Howe, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC of this books in exchange for an honest review. The make-Up Test comes out September 13, 2022!!

The Make-Up Test is a second-chance romance, mixed in with an academic rivals component as well. When Ph.D. student Allison finds out she got the TA position of her dreams she couldn't have been more excited, that is until she finds out she will be sharing the honor with ex-boyfriend Colin. What happens next is a competition on who will be the best, and get the chance to go to Wales on a once and a life-time research trip. Even with their personal battle taking place will they be able to resist each other and the residual feelings that are coming back to the surface.

Honestly I was extremely excited about getting the chance to read this book, and while it was a good premise it kind of fell flat in the end. For me I felt that the main female character was so focused on the competition that it got in the way of the rebudding of their relationship. I also felt like there wasn't a lot of character growth even though the main characters were convince there was. In the end they reacted the same way to different situations as they did in their first chance at love. In the end though it was a cute book, that at times still gave me warm and fuzzy feelings that you look for when reading a romance.

I wanted to love this book. It had great potential. I just couldn't connect with the characters, unfortunately. I DNF at 50%. I appreciate the publishers giving me the chance to read The Make-Up Test. It just wasn't for me!

"The Make-Up Test" by Jenny L. Howe
Life Is Complicated
This is a fun rom-com story that also hits on some tough reality thorns.. Maybe one of those thorns is a part of your world. A really good story that has you wondering if Allison and Colin will ever find their way to successfully deal with their ‘thorns’ and find their way to their happier tomorrows. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was ridiculously cute and just the right amount of infuriating. Misunderstandings, miscommunication, and a healthy dose of self-preservation by both parties leads to a slow burn that will almost bring tears to your eyes at the sweetness. Neither character is described in a way that is “conventionally” attractive, and yet they are both treated (rightfully) as the beautiful and wonderful people they are. As always, the reason for the failed communication is enraging, but we will allow it because it creates the buildup to make better communication a priority, and we love a cute romcom that is also serious about healthy relationships in all forms.

DNF'd at 41%. I will be honest I really wanted to DNF this book at 25% but pushed through cause it was an ARC and I felt bad but it did not improve for me.

I do want to start with the things I like which is that I thought Jenny Howe definitely has a fun voice and I would be willing to give her next works another go. I also appreciate any book with a fat MC who doesn't lose weight or hate her body.

Now for everything else. I think that there are a lot of little problems with this book (weird pandemic references, too much focus on the MC's school work, underdeveloped side characters) that to me could have been forgiven if not for the biggest main issue. I didn't like Alison. I hated how immature she was, how unwilling she was to confront her problems and the realities of the world she lived in as well as how petty and competitive she was. It made the driving force of the book petty miscommunication and anxiety. I have read lots of books with anxious or competitive characters I like but every lie Alison chose and every moment of panic fueled competitiveness drove me away from this story. I thought I could push though to try to get to the point where we learn what really happened between Alison and Colin but learning from other reviews that the book continues with an even bigger miscommunication stole any will I had to keep going.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Make-Up Test covers so many well-liked tropes it will really appeal to so many readers. It’s a lovers to rivals to lovers, second chance romance, plus it’s academia based, and has so much representation throughout.

I found it to be very relatable and a more realistic love story than what we sometimes get used to reading with romance or rom-com books. I think it’s great that the main characters were not the social norm for “hot” but it wasn’t portrayed in a way where it was a problem or it affected how they viewed themselves or each other. I really enjoyed how they tackled body positivity and what overweight women can be put through by family and acquaintances alike.

Overall I think it’s a fun, quick read that will definitely boost your vocab and historical literature knowledge.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny L. Howe, and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

This Review Contains Slight Spoilers
This Book..... OMFG soooo good. So many emotions to process, tears and laughter.
Allison's relationship with her father; while not the main focus of the story, really made me appreciate the story so much more. Getting a glimpse into her life outside of her and Colin. Colin's relationship with his grandfather was also very touching and definitely made me tear up in the end.. A LOT!!
And of course Colin and Allison... their relationship was messy yet perfect. I think the first breakup what what they both needed to grow themselves to be better together in the end and Colin needed that extra time with his grandfather more than he knew at the time.
Overall I love this book and I can't wait to buy it so I can add it to my shelf with all my other favorite books!!!

In this debut by Jenny L. Howe, Allison is beginning her Ph.D program on medieval literature when her ex from undergrad, Colin, shows up in her cohort, studying the same topic and working as a TA with the same professor. After being burned by him in undergrad, she is less than thrilled to be thrust together with him. This is an enemies-to-lovers and second-chance romance story. Both Colin and Allison have people in their past that have contributed to their drive to prove themselves and succeed, sometimes to the detriment of their relationships. Another facet the author added to this story is that Allison is plus-sized, but it is just a fact about her. She doesn’t feel the need to “fix” herself or “come to terms with it to love herself” like you sometimes see in books. Jenny does a fantastic job showing a character who loves herself, and Allison is a well-written character with many facets that make the story relatable and interesting. With the story’s setting being in academia, it is the perfect story to read when it comes out in the fall at the start of the school year

I struggled to get into The Make-up test. I just did not feel like I was able to get intersted in the story. I just never really connected with the romance and the side characters were just awful. I really liked the main character though. And seeing how she grew in the story was kept me reading.

Set against a background of English literature, this is a friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-rivals-to…

Plus-sized Allison has always been ridiculed by her father and had to develop a tough skin to pursue her dream of a PHD in English literature. When she’s accepted to a program with a professor she’s always looked up to, it seems as though her luck is changing- that is until her ex-boyfriend is assigned as her collaborator and only one of them will win a place on her team at the end of the course.

Colin is ashamed for the way he ended his relationship with Allison and is determined to make reparations and maybe even get a second chance with the one who got away.

This is a fun read with plenty of bickering, overcoming prejudice, and forgiveness. I would have liked less backstory, but overall an enjoyable read.

I loved reading Allison and Colin's story, and how each of them grew in their time apart to be better together by the end. Allison's struggles with her father were particularly relatable since I've had some issues with mine in recent years. Really enjoyed this and hope it finds success once published!

This book had everything going for it! Cute cover, enemies to lovers, academic setting - a gold mine! Unfortunately, it didn't deliver on my high expectations, but I still enjoyed the read and the experience. I would be interested in reading more from this author !

This book is a wonderful second chance romance between a gorgeous, intelligent, plus size woman and a cute nerdy guy in her graduate school program. The catch, they dated in undergrad. What will happen between the two now that they are thrown back together in their small program? Can they get over the reason they ended their relationship in the first place? Read it and find out! You won’t regret it!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Nothing grabs my attention faster than an illustrated cover with the main couple and some lovers-to-rivals-to-lovers trope. I will also preface that I am not the biggest fan of the second chance trope, most likely because most books I've read have not done that greatest execution with it. This was a pretty quick and easy read tbh. The first half seemed a bit slow, but the last 200 pages of the book really did capture my attention.

I loved the representation in this book, specifically, body positivity, and I could see parts of myself in Allison (ahem the daddy issues...). Colin was alright, but he still was pretty sketchy for what he did towards the end of the book. Now that I think about it, he probably was a walking red flag. A little questionable and sus to me not gonna lie.... Overall, I found the characters to be alright - but man, did I sigh so much when that miscommunication came in towards the last 100 something pages. Never my favorite literary device used to create conflict in books.

This book was simply just okay for me. It had some redeeming moments like the cute banter and that grand gesture scene at the end. I did also feel quite valid and seen as this revolved around grad school students. This book did not quite do it for me, but I still found it enjoyable to read to an extent. I am more than 110% sure this will be quite popular for the masses - and it should!

I liked the representation that this book brought, both in characters and topics. It made the book stand out and also revealed hardships to readers that may not have experienced them before. Allison had to deal with a lot of crap from classmates and her family. I enjoyed reading a little about medieval literature too.

I’m always down for a good rivals to lovers story, especially if they started as lovers. The academic setting greatly appealed to me as well. Unfortunately, this book’s romance just fell flat for me. I couldn’t engage the story and root for Colin and Allison’s relationship like I thought I would. It got to the point where I considered DNFing it, and would have had I not needed to review it. Collin was bland to me and overly prideful. Also, for the most part, Allison was unlikable. Was she super vulnerable after having been hurt before? Yes, and those feelings were totally valid! However, for the entire book she’s always jumping to the worst conclusions and cutting people out when she decides they’re moving against or away from her.

The Make-Up Test (points for such a clever title!) is a second-chance romance which deals with forgiveness and second chance in more than one relationship. Colin and Allison have a romantic history that they need to navigate as they become re-acquainted in grad school, but Allison also has a strained relationship with her father as well as a best friend who she's beginning to feel estranged from. In all of these cases, Allison finds that she needs to also be more forgiving of herself and to communicate her own needs better. The parallels were very nicely done, though each relationship had its own unique resolution. The setting of this book took me straight back to my own grad school days which was an added bonus. It was great to see a smart woman in an academic setting succeeding in her chosen field.