I was able to get a sneak peak at this book...so I read it twice.

This story is a feast for the intellect and the heart. I wanted to crawl into the book so I could attend all these college classes and dive into these discussions about classical texts. I also wanted to hug these swoony, academic nerds with my whole heart. There's positive body rep, complicated family dynamics, laughs, tears, and heat.

It is clear Jenny Howe is a new and exciting voice in romance.

Academic rivals to lovers will always be my favorite trope. I read the summary for this book and immediately knew it was for me.

I absolutely loved Allison, the protagonist. She’s a smart, plus-sized girl who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to get it. I loved reading about her and her adventures in graduate school. It was also nice to read about her issues with her parents and how she handled everything.

I think the biggest letdown was Colin Benjamin himself. I like second chance romance but I honestly wasn’t rooting for him to get another chance. It was like when your friend has a toxic ex that they keep going back to and you’re like “babe why.”

Overall, I really wanted to like the book more than I did. The pacing is a bit slow and there just wasn’t enough redeeming qualities in the love interest to root for the main couple.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of those books where I liked the premise, enjoyed the writing style, and just could not stand the main characters. The female protagonist was annoying and I just couldn't enjoy the book because of her.

Love seeing a plus size MC! I thought this was a very solid debut and enjoyable. I didn't connect with any of the characters but did enjoy seeing their story play out.

Thank you, St. Martin's Griffin, for allowing me to read The Make-Up Test early!

I really liked this one. I love seeing more fat characters on covers and this rom-com really did what it set out to do. Great debut for Howe.

Thoroughly enjoyed The Make up Test by Jenny Howe! Took me a minute to get into it but once I did- couldn’t put it down. The characters are flawed and realistic, making you root for them and empathize with their struggles. The author’s use of a plus size main character is a change and watching her develop was a treat.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e arc of The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe.
This is a rom-com novel. 3.5-4**.
Synopsis: " two college exes find themselves battling against each other—and their unresolved feelings—for a spot in a prestigious literature Ph.D. program."
3 things I liked:
1. Plus sized MC
2. Ph.D. program- bookish themes
3. Underlying message of judgment/misunderstanding that happens in relationships
3 things I disliked:
1. Pace, at times to heavy and less rom-com-ish
2. Didn't always feel fast positive, even with a plus sized MC
3. Story didn't pull me in, could skip ahead and not miss much; rom-coms are not my first choice genre and I think I was hoping for more of something, maybe I did not love either MC enough to feel fully vested ... give it a try and see what you think... fast easy read. I was glad to read this one overall.

Allison is starting her PhD at her dream school after overcoming many obstacles, including her father’s fatphobia and abandonment, financial hardship, and a lack of closure from a breakup with Colin. Grad school is obviously tough, but made even more so by Colin’s acceptance to the same program and their competition for an advisor.

I had really high expectations for this book given that it involves most of my favourite romance tropes- enemies to lovers, second chance romances, and academic rivals. I did enjoy this book overall but will say that the offhand remarks about the pandemic really threw me off. I didn’t understand what they were adding to the story and think that the references actually took away from the book.

As always, I love reading about diverse bodies so I appreciated the representation there and the discussion around Allison’s relationship with her father.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were all very well fleshed out and it was fun to see how they changed over the course of the book. I love learning more about different types of occupations, so the setting was really interesting. I loved how accepting Allison is of her body. I really liked the ending. I didn’t think I would be able to like Colin again after what he did, so I was happy how everything turned out. I would definitely recommend this book.

Allison Avery is used to winning—a lot. In graduate school studying medieval literature under a renowned professor—and on her way to a Ph.D.—means achieving a life-long goal is finally within reach. The only problem? Colin Benjamin. Colin may be Allison's co-TA in competition for a single academic advisee position... but he's also her ex-boyfriend. With a potentially career-making research opportunity on the line, Allison will do anything to win, even if it means ignoring the conflicting feelings that arise while competing with Colin to prove who's best. As Allison begins to notice how much Colin's changed from the boy who broke her heart, she has to rethink what she thought she wanted: a prestigious academic career or what could be the love of her life.

Even casual romance readers will enjoy this fat-positive rivals-to-lovers romp through academia. (Because I, a noncasual romance reader, adored it.) Jenny Howe's knowledge of medieval literature shown through a well-crafted story filled with quips and flirtatious banter, post-college anxiety and forging new friendships, and dealing with parental trauma and past mistakes. Perfect for fans of Kate Stayman-London’s One to Watch and Jen DeLuca’s Well Met—and highly recommended!

Cute book! I loved the rivals to lovers and also the second chance trope this book had to offer. However, I wasn’t able to really connect with the characters and the writing style didn’t suck me in. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this in advance!

I'm sad that I didn't love this book. What I did love initially was the plotline. We have 2 Ph.D. students studying medieval literature. I thought it was ingenious! However, my love didn't stay. I couldn't connect with the two main characters. Allison was a hard worker, insanely smart, but boring. Colin...*sigh* I didn't see him as a hero. He appeared more as a side character to me. I honestly remember him for his cardigans and nothing else.
The finale of this book was sweet, but I just don't think it redeemed the whole story.

In all, I'm bummed I didn't love this book. BUT I hope you do!

*ARC courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. I want to express a thank you to the valued author, the publisher who took a chance on the author, and Netgalley for providing a copy.*

Fans of The Love Hypothesis should really enjoy The Make-Up Test, a promising debut from Jenny L. Howe. Although not STEM, there’s a similar academic/grad school setting and a similarly socially awkward 20-something characters.

Contemporary romcoms are like comfort food to me—I know what to expect, and that’s part of the appeal. A few things set TMUT apart from other romcoms, though. I loved the fact that Allison, the MC, is a plus-sized young woman who is comfortable in her own body and believes that she deserves love, respect, and good sex. (I wish that I’d been that secure at 23.) The book really shines when Allison’s vulnerability in her complicated feelings about her family surfaces. I suspect that most plus size women can relate to having a parent shaming us for our bodies and needing to figure out how to navigate that relationship as an independent adult. I also enjoyed Allison coming to terms with her evolving relationship with her BFF and roommate as they both find themselves necessarily on diverging paths as they establish their careers.

A standard beat in most romcoms is the Third Act Breakup…and wow, the Third Act Breakup in TMUT is a nasty one. Like, if I’d had a paperback version of this ARC, I might have thrown my book across the room. So, be forewarned that Colin (the LI) appears to commit the ultimate betrayal towards Allison before the situation is resolved at the end of the book.

The book isn’t perfect (Colin is a bit less swoonworthy than, say, Adam in the Love Hypothesis), but overall, I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more from Jenny as she continues to evolve and grow as a writer.

The Make-Up Test is a rivals to lovers romance set in the world of academia. The characters were all very likeable and relatable, making this a truly enjoyable read. Allison who knows who she is and what she wants and loves herself. Colin is having self doubts about where he going academically. While this book does deal with some difficult topics (abuse, weight, self love, mental health). It is well written and has a sense of humor (which is often missing )., and very much needed. The literary world is finally catching on to the fact that love comes in all sizes, shapes, colors and spectrums. Great read!

When Allison shows up at her grad school TA job she is jolted into an awkward situation when her ex-boyfriend, Colin, is a co-TA with her. You are immediately swept up into the academic rivalry between the two which has underlying sparks of not quite finished business between the two. Allison is a delightful character and you find yourself cheering for her and also hurting as she goes through some of life's growing pains with difficult parental situations, concerns about her career, and body shaming issues. Colin also is a complex character who wins your heart through the story. I laughed, I got teary eyed, I found myself cheering for these two - it is an excellent debut novel which I truly enjoyed.

Jenny Howe had me from the very first sentence of this book! I've sat through graduate literature seminars, and she had me nodding along and saying "Yes, oh my god, LITERALLY" every single time we were inside the classroom. I, too, could not understand Derrida for love nor money, and I never knew how much I needed to see someone confirm that experience in a romance!

Allison and Colin's second chance romance also completely swept me away. There is so much depth and history between them, and I loved how Allison wrestles with it through the early stages of their relationship. But what I loved even MORE was how obviously they've both grown since their relationship ended the first time. I won't go into details for fear of spoiling anything, but I loved how obviously they've both changed and how they've grown in ways that have only made them more compatible. I absolutely adored this book!

The book started of really good, was interested in Allison's grad school assignment and life. But then her ex just happens to be in the same program, interested in studying the same line of work. And he seems endearing, but there is a big secret why he broke up with her?

Just okay for me.

Wow! So far I have picked some fun romance books to kick off summer!
I loved the characters in this book, I wanted to be friends with them. Allison who knows what she wants and loves herself. Colin, first impressions aren’t his strong points and his self doubts about where he going academically. However, pair these two together and they are a team. I loved that fact the author made clear that relationships are about supporting one another and showing up for the ugly stuff. Relationships should never be about competition. relationships fail in this environment.
I can’t wait to read more from this author!
Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me this book for my honest review.

This is a story of a second-chance love of two grad school students. I enjoyed the setting & the tidbits of the grad school experience. The group of cohorts & their gatherings was a high note for me.

The pacing was slightly off & I wished we had more background before jumping into the present story. The characters came were a bit unlikable and I believe their story would have been improved if we could have seen more of their growth from then to now. I also would have enjoyed more back story of the relationship, it was barely sprinkled throughout.

Overall, it was a quick, enjoyable read with a decent cast of supporting characters. It addressed real life issues & experiences such as body acceptance, familial strains and evolving friendship.

Thank you for the advance copy of The Make-Up Text. I did enjoy the story and the characters. The book was kind of slow for me, however, I'm glad I kept reading as the story did get better.