2.75/5 ⭐️
2/5 🥵

The Make-Up Test was a good read! I really enjoyed the midievil literature references and the academia setting. I also enjoyed every side character in this story, (except for the misogynistic guy who’s name starts with an E but escapes me).

Anyways we are brought into the fold with our FMC Alison’s start at graduate school, focusing on Midievil literature. She’s plus size, intelligent and beyond excited to mentor under her favorite professor. The only catch is that her ex, is also in the same program after a 2 year hiatus. Colin’s insufferable, haughty, and loathsome. After competing in an award and beating her, then breaking up with her, it’s obvious who the villain is. Always so charismatic and people thinking he’s so great, except for her.

But as their Teacher Assistant program goes along maybe they can come to a truce to make things bearable while they are working Together. But of course funds are cut and only one of them will be continuing in the program with their mentor. As things heat up, so do things between our two characters. Will it survive the tests in store for them during this semester?

Honestly this book had all the makings to be great, but I really didn’t like the main characters. I felt Allison lacked depth. Her character did have trails and struggles and opinions. But I felt she was kind of self centered, obsessive and a little toxic. I do feel that the dynamic between her and her parents was spot on. But her dynamic with Colin upset me. Constantly competing and lying. It was very juvenile. And trivial. I like how she was about her body and how she wore pretty things and still was not ashamed to be fat. She wasn’t going to let anyone shame her body and I was all for that.

Colin wasn’t much better. Again love his dynamic with his grandfather and the fact that this character showed more growth than the main character was notable. I almost wish this book was a dual pov. I think it would have given insight into the characters and shed them in a more romantic, positive, or genuine light? More character development would be nice. Also I know the characters are in grad school but I felt like everyone was getting drunk and the main interactions for the first third of the book were drunken ones and it got old.

The Make-Up Test is a great second chance almost enemies to lovers, because lets be real, the very last thing Allison wanted was Colin back in her life. In the beginning I was actively rooting against them getting back together. Their rivalry was amazing, full of so much banter and tension. As the story progressed and we learned more about what happened during their time apart things fell into place and made a lot of sense (although it does not excuse the behavior). They are simply two flawed humans trying to find their way and place in the world just like the rest of us. I love how it touched on so many topics and wove some tragedy in without being overwhelming. Not every little detail was wrapped up perfectly in the end, but that's ok, it didn't leave any holes or feelings of incompleteness. I definitely enjoyed this read.

The amount of angst in this book is actually palpable. Cute and easy read, although I do believe the MC's were a bit immature for me. I loved the grand gesture of love by Colin at the end and I am a sucker for a HEA. 3/5 stars.

Rating : 3 out of 5
Blurbs :

In this smart, swoony, rom-com debut from Jenny L. Howe The Make-Up Test, two college exes find themselves battling against each other—and their unresolved feelings—for a spot in a prestigious literature Ph.D. program.

Allison Avery loves to win. After acing every academic challenge she’s come up against, she’s finally been accepted into her dream Ph.D. program at Claymore University, studying medieval literature under a professor she’s admired for years. Sure, grad school isn’t easy—the classes are intense, her best friend is drifting away, and her students would rather pull all-nighters than discuss The Knight's Tale—but she’s got this. Until she discovers her ex-boyfriend has also been accepted. Colin Benjamin might be the only person who loves winning more than Allison does, and when they're both assigned to TA for the same professor, the game is on.

What starts as a personal battle of wits (and lit) turns into all-out war when their professor announces a career-changing research trip opportunity—with one spot to fill. Competing with Colin is as natural as breathing, and after he shattered her heart two years ago, Allison refuses to let him come out on top. But when a family emergency and a late-night road trip—plus a very sexy game of Scrabble—throw them together for a weekend, she starts to wonder if they could be stronger on the same team. And if they fall for each other all over again, Allison will have to choose between a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and what could be a twice-in-a-lifetime love.

In this charmingly bookish debut, The Make-Up Test embraces the truth that people can sometimes change and grow, even when you least expect it.


Thoughts :
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This is a funny, witty, and cute romcom. Not the best romcom but it's still pretty enjoyable. I know some people will either like it or just not like them in general. I like it just fine but again not my favorite book but I still highly recommend this book for any romance readers out there!

This book was everything!! As someone that left her own PhD program in her second year of coursework because I was putting so much pressure on myself both Allison and Colin were so easy to empathize with. This book gave me all the feels and I will be raving about it to anyone that will listen for a long time to come!

Will it be a second chance romance for Allison and Colin, or will be break her heart again. I liked their sparring but I would have liked.something from his point of view.

I loved this book!!

LOVED the medieval lit aspect and the graduate level college vibes.

Loved these two and the relationship. Enemies to lovers/Second Chance Love/Academic Rivals = Pure Bliss

The plus size rep was amazing! She was not trying to change her body but simply loved it as she should.

Also, there are not one, but two cute doggos.

I was an English major in college and the English department and aspects of it felt true to me.

This book truly had all the things I love from plus size rep, cute dogs, enemies to lovers paired with second chance romance AND English/medieval lit??

I loved it. ❤️🤓

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

This was a fun and quirky, enemies to lovers story in an academic background, which is one of my favorite tropes. Allison is an intelligent and driven woman and is over the moon when she is finally accepted into the PhD program she has been dreaming of, only to find out she will be working alongside her ex-boyfriend, Colin, as a TA for the same professor. He made an unacceptable mistake with her in the past, and now acts as if it was nothing. Now they are in competition with each other for a research opportunity and Allison is determined to win it. But when circumstances throw them together, Allison begins to see how much Colin has changed and grown and sees him in a new light. As they grow closer and her old feelings for him begin to resurface, can she let a once in a life opportunity go and take the second chance at love life is giving her?
This was a very charming and cute story and I am glad I had the opportunity to read it. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing a complimentary copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was a really fun one! I don't know if its a priority purchase for most libraries, but it's definitely an author to follow in the future.

This was such a good book! I related with the main character way too much. I felt for her when her dad just couldn’t give her the reassurance that a father should give. And her mother was just as bad allowing her father to treat her in such an awful way. And then of course there was Colin, who broker her heart 2 years ago and left her hanging.

The author did an excellent job of showing the many sides of Allison, she was so likable! And I loved the way her confidence grew during the span of this book. Although, she was pretty awesome when it started!

Overall I would definitely recommend The Make-Up Test. The writing was good, the storyline was fabulous and the main characters were so fun to read about.

Two of my favorite tropes are second chance and rivals to lovers, so this book sounded like it would be right up my alley. And I did enjoy it, for the most part. The plot was good, and I loved the plus-size representation of the lead character.

If you’re familiar with my reviews, you know I really get into the characters, I am all about well written characters with lots of backstory. I want to connect with the characters and understand their motivation and get to know the workings of their minds, and I didn’t quite get that here, hence the 3.5 star rating over a 4 star rating.

The story is told first person from Allison’s point of view, so that already means we don’t get a deep look into Colin’s mind. But the lack of communication between the two of them makes it harder to understand him and his redemption.

Allison puts up a lot of walls and keeps a lot to herself in her relationships. Unfortunately I think this character trait carried over to the reader as well. I felt like Allison’s emotions and true feelings and motivations were hidden behind a wall the entire time. Not only in relation to Colin, but also her parents and roommate as well. Even her main motivation about wanting her dream position is muted.

That being said I did enjoy the story, and I do recommend it, I just wanted to get to know the characters a bit more.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the play on the enemies to lovers trope with The Make-Up Test. Basically, we have a lovers to enemies to lovers and it was fun!!

I enjoyed the banter and competitiveness between Allison and Colin. It felt genuine and I appreciated the wit and intelligence.

Generally, I love an academia setting but this focused quite a bit on medieval literature which I'm not overly familiar with nor am I very interested in. This was a bit of a drawback for me because so much of the novel was based around Allison's and Colin's studies and aspirations to become Wendy's sole mentee.

Allison is a plus-size woman and I adored that while this was an important theme, Allison was in no way self-loathing and totally embraced her beautiful self. I also loved that Colin loved Allison for her brains, but also didn't hold back on being very into her physically as well.

This had some mild steam but is definitely one I would consider a closed door romance. It also took quite a while for there to be any steam at all, so if that's what you're in the mood for, this one might not hit the spot.

Allison's relationship with her family was super complex and I appreciated how the author handled that, particularly her relationship with her father.

This novel brings up a lot of good discussion points and would be a good pick for a bookclub.

I listened to the audio and enjoyed the narrators.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy.

Tragically I DNFed this book. There are so many things wrong with it that absolutely killed it for me.

Great story and love that it was not your typical romance story. I would love to read more by this author.

thank you for my advance copy in exchange for a fair review.

I absolutely loved this book. It hooked me and kept me turning pages until I was done. Finished it in two days! The character development was strong, and the premise was unique enough that it didn't feel like anything else I've read.

The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe follows Allison Avery. She has been accepted into her dream Ph.D. program at Claymore University studying medieval literature. She is ready for the challenge—until she learns that her ex-boyfriend Colin Benjamin has also been accepted. They are both assigned to TA for the same professor, so it is war when the professor announces a research trip opportunity with one open spot. It’s been two years since Colin broke up with Allison, so one-upping him comes natural to her. But when unfortunate circumstances bring the two close again, she begins to realize they just may work better together.

I liked Allison. She was a great curvy heroine who was very academic. I struggled with the romance in this book, though. I felt a lack of connection and investment in it.

I was really REALLY excited to read this book when I saw the cover and read the synopsis. My first thoughts were: body positivity AND academic enemies-to-lovers, so of course I set my expectations quite high. When it came to the book, it wasn’t that at all and it saddens me to give it this rating but I want to be honest before anything else.

The first aspect that was lost on me was the main characters and how incredibly unlikable they got to be, especially Colin. I can’t believe that we got a repeat of the past, with him stealing away from the accomplishments she was setting for herself. Why do you write about a character that’s equally bad in the past and the present?

So of course the second aspect that was not of my liking was the romance. And, how could I when the man that was supposed to love her and be a great love interest just keeps proving himself to be a bad man?

And lastly, I realized this while reading but with the behavior of the characters it just seemed like this was a YA, I swear if it hadn’t been for the adult setting and knowing they’re adults, this could have been that.

*ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Allison is thrilled to be starting a prestigious Ph.D. program in medieval lit–until Colin–her ex from undergrad, the guy who broke her heart and stole her academic thunder–shows up in her graduate program. Not only does she have to study with him, but they also have to TA together and are competing for the mentorship she’s been dreaming of.

She’s furious, but Colin is intent on convincing her he’s changed–and getting her back. She doesn’t trust him, but soon she feels herself drawn to him again.

Enemies to lovers is not my favorite romance trope anyway, and unfortunately, I wasn’t convinced by Colin–that he had changed, that he was then or is now worth Allison’s time. I like a good romance set in academia, but without a compelling love interest to root for, this was just okay for me.

I had trouble getting into this book. The romance felt forced and flat. I liked Allison, but the misunderstanding with Colin was easily avoided. Maybe this book wasn’t for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

While I adored the representation in this one it just did't grip me. I found myself a bit bored and struggled to stay engaged. This book just fell a little flat for me. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. It was very average to me.