A very clever body positive rom com! As someone with a PhD I thoroughly enjoyed this romanticized view into academia. In addition to the love story, the friendship between Allison and Sophie is a relatable one for women everywhere. In addition to the lighthearted story line, Allison’s complex family dynamics leaves something for everyone.

DNF at 55%

Thank you SMP Romance and NetGalley for the gifted ebook of The Make-Up Test! All opinions in this review are my own.

I like that the more romances I read, the more I can pinpoint what I like. For example, I'm beginning to learn that if a book is hate to love, it has to have dual POVs. It's really hard for me to listen to how horrible the love interest is for most of the book and then suddenly believe that everything can be fixed in the end.

I was really interested in Allison as a main character and loved all the literature references. However, I felt like most of that was lost because she was too busy complaining about Colin. Apparently this was just not the book for me.

DNF for me. I didn't like either of the main characters and found them to be a bit juvenile. Skimmed ahead a bit and didn't like where it was going.

The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe is so much more than a rom com. This debut novel includes such realistic characters with complex, hard to admit feelings. This novel is an important work because its message is sadly unique today. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I finally got around to picking this up! I wasn't sure what to expect since the reviews seemed somewhat mixed, but, overall, I did enjoy it. There were funny moments, and some more serious moments. The characters both had times where I found them a little annoying and was really frustrated by some of the choices they made (particularly Colin). I did appreciate the academic setting (I do enjoy a good school romance) and as a fellow literary fan, I did enjoy how focused the story was on books (though I was never much of a fan of the medieval classics... Beowulf was such a bore). I also appreciated the struggle Allison had in her relationship to her father, and that just because some helped birth you, does not mean that you owe them your time/effort if they give you none of their own. I think that's such a taboo subject for no reason, so I appreciated that the author included that in the story. My biggest complaint for the book was the ending. It was just so rushed. So many story lines all mangled together with many feeling like they didn't get a proper conclusion. I just feel like it could have been a little longer to give each storyline a proper ending.
The Make-Up Test was a sweet romance, with a college setting and academic MC's. It was a second chance romance, slight enemies-to-lovers, and the romance was slow-burn (minimal spice as well).

Great romantic comedy read that tackled some very real issues with a lot of grace. Can't wait to see what else comes from this great author.

I really loved the premise of this book. Unfortunately I found the main characters both unlikable and uninteresting, and they kept making illogical choices that did nothing but hurt themselves. The writing itself is good, I just couldn't get past my dislike of the characters.

There are so many sub-plots here that I loved - body acceptance and body joy, complex emotions around parent / child relationships, and the ability for us to change as people and as partners. So much of the story hit so close to home from me that I needed to step back at times and take a breath. While not always the best feeling, I loved that the author was able to offer this type of reading experience.

That said, I did feel like some points were belabored to the point where I just didn't care anymore and was ready for things to move on.

Overall, cute second-chance love story with valuable perspective and a lot of nerdy quirks that made me smile.

I cannot express how badly I need more new adult books in my life. I love a good young adult romance and general adult romance as much as the next romance reader. But there is something really nice about being in a graduate program and getting to read characters who are also in a graduate program and around your age. There are certain lived experiences that come with adult romances that I haven’t encountered yet and certain ones from young adult romances that are just enough out of my recent life experiences to always be relatable. Granted, I work with children and got a degree in secondary education so it’s not anything that I see myself growing out of reading anytime soon but a new adult book set in a graduate setting is just *chef's kiss* for me.

The banter and longing between Allison and Colin are absolutely incredible. I think that Jenny did a really good job at painting them both as well-rounded humans and flawed characters who genuinely care about each other and want to work to be better. The banter between them was top-tier, especially when they were first getting to know each other again. I loved it so much.

One of my favorite things about this book is having representation of a body type that is not average-sized or a twig. It is really validating to get to read a character who has a body type that is similar to mine and who doesn’t hate their body. And getting to see the way that it is handled when others do not respect your body type in the same way that you give yourself the space to respect your body type.

I appreciated the way that the storyline between Allison and Jeb panned out. I think that a lot of times people address family conflict with the angle that it’s family so you have to make it right with them or you have to forgive them because they’re blood. I think that that completely neglects the very real ways that family members can hurt you the most through abuse or neglect. And it’s okay to sometimes let those relationships die out or not get the resolution the other party wants.

NAVIGATING FRIENDSHIPS IN YOUR 20s !!! Sophie and Allison are phenomenal friends. I feel like your 20s can make or break your friendships post-graduation. This is the era where people are moving and finding their first long-term job and getting settled into their careers. Allison and Sophie have conversations about re-manging their expectations in their friendship as it is evolving.

Overall The Make-Up Test was a fun, cute read and I can’t wait to read more from Jenny L Howe in the future.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for giving me access to an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This was cute, but not one of my fav romances. I liked the MC enough but the romance fell a little flat for me. Enjoyable, but ultimately not super memorable.

I enjoyed reading The Make-up Test by Jenny L. Howe. Happy reading!


**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

Nope did not like this one at all. I didn’t enjoy either of the characters or their developments. It was very lacking.

Hmmm how to describe this book.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: sizeism, fat phobia, gaslighting, parental death, grandparent illness, dementia, cancer… if I remember more I will update.

First off I was looking for a fun romcom and this was not it! I facilitated between hating it and wanting to know what happens in the end. I gaslit myself numerous times thinking I only hated it because it hit too close to home for me. However upon reflection, I think this just wasn’t the book for me.

Let’s talk main characters:

Allison is a fat, phd candidate with trouble letting people in. This is a result of a father who mentally abused her for her entire life not only over her fatness but her intelligence, a mom who tried to force her to have a relationship with said father, a society that has no room for her fatness, and an ex boyfriend who basically stole an academic achievement from her.

Colin is a elvin thinster, also a phd candidate with inadequacy issues, inflated ego, a bad habit of stealing other people ideas and a constant need to “compete” to feed his white male ego! He also has a grandfather whom he loves that he wants to make proud, and is there to help soften the blow of what a horrible character he is and explain away his terrible actions.

Firstly I am a fat woman navigating the world and while I related to everything too much and it was accurately written… can I get a book with a fat FMC where her fatness isn’t a plot point, catalyst, or main focal point of the book?!?? I’m over it and I’m over it being called body positive. Yes okay it is reality, but I think writers of size are missing an opportunity to change the narrative.

Secondly the amount of gaslighting in this book… why is this such a prevalent issue with contemporary romance?! The end of this book has Alison apologizing for forcing Colin into betraying her yet again because she was being too competitive… I mean *facepalm*

Anyways I loved the medieval literature references and while it wasn’t what I expected or wanted to read, I confess the realities were very well written! I also give it an entire star solely on the fact the author didn’t force Alison to forgive her father, and allowed her to be true to her feelings!!! Seriously that was a big thing for me. So three stars because it’s actually well written and I believe many people will enjoy it… anyone with the triggers mentioned read with caution!

I'm so disappointed :(. I should have known when I saw Ali Hazelwood's blurb. both the MC's were pretty annoying, Colin with this actions, and Allison with her dismissal/forgiveness.

It also took me out that COVID was brought up sporadically. Guess that should be the new norm.

The beginning took a little while to get going, but the remainder of the book was worth it once you get through it! I liked that Allison also had a strong body image. At its foundation, this story was a genuinely sweet and heartfelt romance.

The Make-Up Test ~ Jenny L. Howe

When Allison Avery is accepted into the Ph.D. program of her dreams, she is thrilled. Until she realizes that her ex, Colin Benjamin has also been accepted. To make matters worse, they both receive the esteemed position of TA for their favorite professor and that’s when the competition really begins. The two start to compete for research trip opportunity which puts them in some pretty compromising situations. Can Allison have it all?

“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.”

The Make-Up Test was a real struggle for me to get through and enjoy unfortunately. I really did not like the men at all in this book and I do think I ended up feeling like I related to Allison more than I would like, and I think I would make choices she did. The men were so toxic and did not deserve her. They could not communicate and then felt they were owed forgiveness and understanding, despite never giving it to her at all. I did not this to end as a happily ever after.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and the author for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

I love rom com books. The world is very dark and sad and sometimes it’s just nice to escape to a dreamier place with sunshine and rainbows. Unfortunately, that was not the case with this book.

You could summarize this book in one sentence: two exes rekindle their relationship as they work together in the same grad school program. And that’s it. That’s the whole book. I was sooooo bored and it took me days and days to finish it because nothing happened. Come onnnnn babes - give me swoon give me romance give me drama give me SOMETHING!!

Both of the MCs were so unlikeable and immature and might I say even insufferable??? The one redeemable character was the girl’s pet corgi who made like 5 appearances throughout the book.

To anybody thinking about reading this one, it’s a hard pass for me. The storyline had so much potential and it just did not deliver.

Thanks again NetGalley ♥️

Absolutely adorable romance. Perfect for fans of Olivia Dade. I loved that it showed how compatible graduate school is, and how rigorous. Allison was also very body positive, which I enjoyed. I’m also a sucker for a second chance romance, but I understood exactly why Allison held a grudge. Will definitely recommend to romance lovers. I was given a free copy by a Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.