I love a good romcom! This was perfection. Such a fun read. I also love that the main character is a PhD student! Love a hard working woman.

Finally, a book about a bigger girl that is comfortable with herself and happy with who she is! As a plus sized woman, it’s so nice to feel represented in books. It’s rare that we see a main character who is plus sized, is confident in herself, and embraces her sexuality with no shame and that’s exactly what Allison does. Yes, there are times when her weight is commented on by others. And YES, it does sting at times. But she ultimately doesn’t care because she loves who she is. Colin is the perfect counterpart for Allison. Intelligent, witty, funny.. he’s a perfect match for her. I loved this book so much.

This book was so cuteeee. I genuinely enjoyed every second of it. It was so beautiful and entertaining, I completely lost track of time while reading it.
I love academic rivals to lovers!!! and this delivered in every instance for me!
Can’t wait to read more from Jenny:)

I overall really enjoyed this one, I love when stories take place in an academia setting. I also liked that the characters had real true flaws and I loved how Allison was always willing to put bullies in their place. I know in my own life, I am sometimes afraid to speak up in the moment or I don't know what to say in the moment and later on play it back in my head with what I should have said. I loved how bold Allison was, however I did feel at times she was a bit immature and the book dragged a bit in the begginning.

First, thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the early access copy.

This is not the book I thought it would be at all- in a good way!
It was lovers to enemies to lovers and back again. Jenny L. Howe did a great job of highlighting the flaws in the characters, especially Colin. The many many many character flaws that were highlighted throughout the story made the character development that much stronger. The way Colin (And Allison) are able to see the growth over the corse of the story just made it that much more realistic, and true to heart.

I felt a kinship with Allison. She’s a big girl BUT that’s not a focal point of the story! MINDBLOWING. She’s fat and the author doesn’t mention it every other page?! Incredible. I loved that Howe was able to show the readers that Allison is so much more than a body in a story. She felt like a real person, and one who deserves the whole damn world. Don’t try to change my mind. I’d die for Allison.

I loved the side characters as well. They all had such personality, and added so much to the story line.

The plot was concise and imaginative! I don’t normally gravitate to an academic romance setting but I learned a lot about academic lit, especially Beowulf.

What a wonderful read! I loved the plus-sized main character and of course, ALL the literary aspects. It was a great novel about worth, second chances, and chasing dreams. It would make a great book club read!

WOW. I liked this book so much, it's almost too difficult to put it into words. But of course, I will do it anyway--because words are my love language.

I saw myself in Allison in a way that I have never connected with a character before.
A girl starting her first year of a phd program driven by her love of academia, but afraid she isn't cut out for the world of teaching. check.
Parents who love her, but always have that look in their eyes like they are painfully aware of how much space she takes up. check.
Loves musicals, corgis, and bodice ripping romances. check, check, check.
Had her ex show up on the first day of her graduate program....god, I hope not.

This book had my heart from the moment that I read the synopsis and I spent the first couple of chapters waiting with bated breath, and hoping that it would live up to what I had built it up to be in my head. I was so pleasantly surprised with this book. The characters capture exactly what it is like to be a small fish in a new professional world, from the insecurities, to the constant comparisons, to the imposter syndrome. It was so easy to fall in love with Allison from the first chapter because she is so effortlessly relatable. She is out here doing her best and trying to prove to herself and to everyone that she can do it.

And Colin. COLIN. Dear lord, that boy took the breath right out of my lungs. I have never been a fan of second-chance romances...but maybe I need to revise that opinion. The way that their past, present, and future was engrained in the characters' thoughts and actions made this book utterly perfect. Colin felt different from a lot of book boyfriends because he was flawed and vulnerable, but still funny and charming. The lovers-to-enemies-to-rivals arc was *chefs kiss* and I thought it was so so so well done.

I have very few critiques of this book. One, that I can pinpoint but will not elaborate for fear of spoiling the book, is the attempted redemption arc at the end of the book. It felt unnecessary, only because the FMC spent so much time coming to terms with her feelings and realizing that it's okay for her to feel that way, and then that moment in the end undermines her journey a little bit. I don't think this is a major detriment to the book, it just struck me as a little bit unnecessary.

Overall, this book was fabulous. Truly fabulous. It was easily one of my favorite reads of the year. It kept me thoroughly entertained, made me laugh and cry, and caused extreme FOMO that my cohort is only two people. I can't emphasize enough how much I enjoyed this book and cannot wait to buy it as soon as it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an e-copy of THE MAKE-UP TEST to review.

I really wanted to love this book because of the enemies-to-lovers trope, academia and the main character embracing her body. Unfortunately, it was a letdown for me.

I checked out some of the other reviews on NetGalley and I see a few stating they "just could not get behind Colin" and were upset Allison gave him a second chance.

I could NOT get behind Allison. She never, ever, not once give Colin a chance to explain himself. The more I type, the angrier I get for …. Colin.

She was so, so, so competitive with Colin. Honestly, I'm not sure why HE gave HER a second chance.

He made a lot of mistakes too, but I'm baffled at what Allison, herself, saw in him. The entire story she complained about Colin. If she didn't like him, why didn't she find somebody else?

I totally understood all of her father issues and how that translated to her insecurities about her body.

But she could not let the competitiveness with Colin keep her from sabotaging things. At the end - you all know what I'm talking about - WHY didn't she at least listen to him explain himself?

Nonetheless, I appreciated Allison did not spend any of the book trying to lose weight. That in itself was a refreshing plot point.

I rate THE MAKE-UP TEST two out of five stars.

I really appreciated the use of the word “fat” in this book. It’s always plus sized or mid sized or pear shaped (i hate that term just as much as Allison.) Fat is not a bad word!

Unfortunately, that’s about all I liked about it. I could not connect with the characters and I especially could not get behind Collin.

Maybe second chance romances just aren’t for me.

First, I want to say that it took me way too long to figure out that the meaning of the title had nothing to do with makeup (though that's a solidly *me* issue). Second, although I'm not a super huge fan of the cover, I was super excited to see a fat character front and center! Third, it's really weird to read about a character with your name, who is also plus-size, and who is in grad school (albeit in different subjects). Talk about a trip.

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. It has a little bit for everyone. Enemies-/rivals-to-lovers (well, really lovers-to-rivals-to-lovers), second chance romance, intense competition, a cute Corgi doggo, pets named after cheese, many references to medieval literature, and more (since I feel like I might have missed some things)! I really liked the characters - I thought they were well fleshed-out and written really well. Allison and Colin especially were believable, and I understood their motives. The writing style was also really clean and enjoyable, and I felt like I just zipped through the book.

This was a good debut, and I look forward to reading whatever Jenny L. Howe has in store next!

Maybe this is my fault, because this was one of my most-anticipated reads of the year, and I JUMPED when I saw it was up for request. Unfortunately, it took me a week to get through the first 50 pages. I don’t know which character is more insufferable, but I do know I don’t want to read a book about either.

Oh my goodness, this book. I was hooked right away.

Allison and Colin are both such incredibly and lovingly crafted characters. Their growth, together and individually, is so realistic. Their chemistry is captivating.

Allison also has a challenging relationship with her parents that is given a very realistic treatment. I think it deals well with toxic relationships and body image.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

I absolutely loved this book. Second chance is my all-time favorite trope so I knew I would adore this book. I love how along with being exes they were also academic rivals, this added good entertaining conflict to the story and brought a lot of angst to the ship. I also love how well-developed Allison was. I loved learning more about her character and she had a very real arc. As soon as I started this I could not put it down at all, great work!

This book ticked a lot of boxes: second chance romance ✅, academic rivals to lovers✅, fat MC✅, close proximity✅. It’s set in academia and follows a group of PHD lit students, including our MC Allison and her ex-boyfriend Collin. The book is unapologetically smart, and reads like a lit major’s wet dream, and I LOVE it for that.

Allison is a fabulous MC. She’s smart, and sassy and self-assured. I love how comfortable she is in her body and that she won’t let anyone make her feel otherwise, including her father. I did not, however, appreciate Allison and Collin’s relationship. It was problematic from the start and something about Collin didn’t sit well with me, and I couldn’t like him. Collin was secretive and manipulative and I hated how he made Allison feel and that she kept taking him back. I honestly wanted the book to end with her leaving him in the dust. In general I feel like the book left a lot of things unresolved.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All opinions are my own.

Second chance enemies to lovers romance with workplace romance. A little much happening for one book, but it pulled it off well. I didn't love the relationship and the will they won't they happening so much, but overall it was a cute read

This was a cute romance read that had enemies-to-lovers, competitive coworkers, rekindled ex-love vibes. I loved seeing Allison’s and Colin’s interactions and all the references to medieval literature. I did get frustrated watching Allison go back and forth on her feelings for Colin mainly because she went from hating him to loving him to hating him for the entire book. It made the book feel like it was dragging on at some points. Other than that I enjoyed it! All characters were interesting and fun. Colin did pull some dick moves but I think he redeemed himself by the end. Would recommend to anyone who loves the exes who get back together trope or the academia setting!

I really wanted to like this one but I just could not get behind Colin! Why give the guy another chance? She deserves better!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gold stars to Howe for this great second chance (third chance) romance that will certainly be beloved by bibliophiles! Allison and Colin are grad-level lit students, after all. And Howe includes so many delightful nods to literature of all kinds.

"It was a disaster. A tragedy. A misfortune of Dickensian levels." Dickens has always been the way to my heart. And as a teacher-librarian who reads Beowulf with students each year, this novel just makes sense.

The single point of view was refreshing! And the book's focus on the importance of talking through things, setting boundaries, and overcoming the past by believing in yourself deserves all the gold stars.

"We're made of more than one idea. If you had one great one, you'll have another."

(And do me a favor: keep an eye out for Stick-Figure Lancelot!) 😉

4.5 ⭐️
0.5 🌶 (It’s happening, it’s not closed door but it’s not fully explicity either.)

T R O P E S
- Second chance romance
- Ph.D /university romance
- Lovers to rivals to lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Hate to love
- No cheating or OW

CWs: bodyshaming, fatphobia, loss of family members.

T H O U G H T S
I wasn't sure at first if I would like it, but when I finally warmed up to the characters, I became obsessed with their stories and I needed to know what would happen to them. At some point, I couldn't help but wish Allison would end up with someone who deserves her. I didn't particularly enjoyed Colin's character or personality. I kinda hate know-it-all guys who don't hesitate to make you feel dumb or smaller than them. I gotta say, he kinda grew on. Communication isn't his strongest point and I might have made him grovel a lot more than he did. I believe he had it easy. I also think that Colin should speak more and Allison to listen more. They would have avoided so much hurt. I was hurt by what he did, but sometimes, he made me swoon!

I enjoyed the writing and all the mentions of literature. It reminded me of all the classes I took in University.