I've been reading more romance than ever these days, and I absolutely adored The Make-Up Test! It's perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood, and anyone who loves a good rivals to lovers, or nerdy romance. Also, the fat positivity in TMUT was a real breath of fresh air. I can't wait to see what Jenny Howe has in store next!

I saw this explained as One to Watch (loved) and Beach Reads (loved) had a baby. I was excited to read this book but it didn't hit the mark for me. I didn't feel connected to the main character Allison.

This book was a big no for me. I know so many people who raved about it, but for me, no. Very little character arc or development. It just happened. I didnt find myself caring about it.

This book was just okay for me. However, I don't see myself readily recommending it unfortunately.

Although, it wasn't anywhere near a DNF and I never felt forced to finish it, I just didn't particularly care for the story or the characters. It was heavy on the medieval literature and read like we should be knowledgable about the subject. I skimmed over those parts. I also found myself not overly attached to the characters enough to care about their story, and, quite frankly, Colin was not likeable at all. The rage I felt during the "breakup" phase and what took place was very off-putting. I don't feel like he deserved the first chance and definitely didn't deserve the second chance. In fact, alot of these characters are unlikeable and off-putting. Allison deserved better from every main person in her life (mother, father and best friend).

I will say I did enjoy the author's writing and I feel this book, despite the issues stated above, is well written. I wouldn't be opposed to reading what the author writes in the future, especially since this is her debut book.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe drops us straight into the middle of Allison entering her long sought after Ph.D. program. Sounds like an absolute dream until she finds out her ex and academic rival is not only in the program with her but they're both TAs to the same professor! As her dream becomes a nightmare, it also turns into the academic rivalry they had once had all over again.

Jenny L. Howe succeeds in writing a modern rom-com that is settled right in academia. The writing and dialogue is smart and funny, and the characters are charming.

This book was written for you if:
1) You're into second chance romance or rivals to lovers
2) You enjoy books set in an academic setting
3) You're looking to read a book with great curvy girl rep

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to St. Martins Press for providing me this arc via Netgalley!
I'm actually kind of embarassed to only be reviewing this now and I would like to apologize for taking so long, but this was a tough read for me.
I requested this arc because the premisses sounded really interesting and, as a grad student myself, I was particularly curious about the setting. When I did it, I was going through a huge reading slump I though an arc would help, as it always gives me some kind of purpose.
Unfortunately, this book didn't exactly help and only today I was able to completely finish it. There was nothing really wrong about it, but it wasn't a good book either. I could not get immersed into the story or the characters and I feel like at some point a meteor hit one of them, I just wouldn't care, which isn't ideal when reading a book.
Perhaps if the author had put a bit more care into making the characters likable, this would have been better.
0.5 stars extra for the original context, so overall 2.5 stars.

I wanted to love this book, but it fell a little flat for me. I wasn’t a fan of the characters in this book. Also, the fat shaming really bothered me as well. The writing is good, but it wasn’t for me.

Here's the trope - two academics fighting for a position only one of them can fill. They start out as sworn enemies and slowly fall in love. Who will win the job/position/etc? Will one of them give up the position to prove their love? Throw in body positivity and a lot of knowledge about an oddly specific academic area and you have a novel. This book meant for fans of Olivia Dade or Talia Hibbard. For me it was a miss, not sure if it was the self-hating protagonist, the fact that I have no interest in medieval literature or just a general dislike of the characters.

A cute rom-com about how grades (and competitiveness) can get in the way of relationships. A fun, easy read that I read during a stressful time, it was a good little escape.

The Make-Up Test takes us to a university where two graduate students (and exes) find themselves competing for a spot with the top professor in the field. This book really covers a lot of fun tropes, with a second chance romance and Enemies-to-Rivals-to-Lovers in a university setting. The competition between the characters is so relatable, but there’s plenty of miscommunication thrown in throughout the plot to further complicate things.

This book was an enjoyable read, with fun moments, an entertaining rivalry between the characters, and some serious topics with Allison’s complicated relationship with her father and his health issues.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 3.5/5
Warnings: fat phobia, difficult family dynamics, emotional abuse, death of a parent
Steam: 2.5/5

Thank you to SMP Romance and NetGalley for access to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

For the most part, I really loved this book and I’m excited to see what Jenny writes next.

The romance did fall a bit flat, there were some red flags and the third act break up was a doozy. Both Allison and Colin had a lot of growing up to do which fair, they are in their early 20s, but also not always enjoyable to read. I loved the academic setting, how much Allison loved her craft and herself. Great fat representation!

i was super excited to dive into this novel because the MCs are university students however it wasn’t the book for me. allison and colin seemed to be at odds together for more than half the book. yes, both of them are going after the same job but i didn’t feel like they had to be constantly be bringing each other down to make themselves look better. at the end of the day, their students weren’t getting the education allison and colin had been preparing for … just because they were trying to mess the other up. i also couldn’t stand allison lying about the progress she’d been making with her class because she continuously admits how her drive to be better than colin is a distraction.

i only felt like the two of them were semi-cordial when i reached well-above 50% of the novel. and i was frustrated with this because we know that this is allison and colin’s second chance romance. it felt more like an enemies-to-(semi)lovers trope. however, i did found snippets where i could appreciate colin for being caring towards allison. she doesn’t have the best relationship with her father but it was nice to see colin remembering this from their past and remaining supportive of allison

Allison and Colin were the best. So, so competitive, and also so smart and passionate about their chosen subject, and so oblivious to the love staring them in the face. Will definitely read anything else by Jenny Howe!

The Make-up Test wasn’t my favorite work and it was a bit of a struggle to want to finish. I enjoy a good rom-com but this one lacked something within the character build up that had me struggling to really connect to or like them.

I received an e-arc/audio arc of The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, this really didn't work for me. I gave it a few chapters, but ultimately DNFed at 6%. This felt like it was a YA story that got aged up to be adult. The characters felt really juvenile and didn't seem to act like Ph.D. candidates that were supposed to be in a very prestigious program?? It's supposed to be a second chance romance from an 8-month relationship that happened years ago. We are told about but not shown, and based on their first meeting I got secondhand embarrassment so bad, and I have no idea how they ended up being in a relationship based on that interaction. I'm also confused at Allison's timelines, she's now in grad school getting a Ph.D. but says her junior year of high school was online due to pandemic reasons... my senior year of high school was in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic.

The Make-Up Test by Jenny Howe is such a great romance read - it is a nerdy heartfelt enemies to lovers romance read that is witty, brilliant and with a body positive representation, I love that our MCs pitted against each other were exes, and are now in a PhD program studying medieval lit. This is such a fun read with amazing growth in the likable characters. Love the setting and the fast paced read of this heartfelt romance.

By the end of the book I was just hoping that Allison would drop him and move on…Lovers to enemies to rivals to lovers...I mean....It just felt a bit boring and long. Like many other books, there was a point where the two were happy. I just wished the book stopped there. I liked when the book had no conflict:(

I tried many times to get into this book. I am conflicted as I liked the writing, but I did not like the progression of the story or the fat shaming.

No longer interested in the slow pacing or unlikeable love interest. Disappointed by this lack of sizzling chemistry for a romance novel.

Two Ph.D candidates compete for a potential research job–and one another’s affection in this grad school romance. Competitive medieval scholar Allison gets into the Ph.D program of her dreams, but so does her ex,Colin, and they are both selected as TAs for a favorite and revered professor: but only one will be selected to go with her for a trip and research opportunity of a lifetime. Allison is still holding a grudge, and Colin isn’t always nice, but he steps up for her in an emergency and redeems himself and their relationship.

I really loved the academic setting and found the trials and tribulations of grad school believable. Literary allusions and clever banter abound, but I did not find either character particularly mature or likeable. Still, I’m a fan of smart books and plus-size protagonists; there is fatphobia from Allison’s dad, but it’s shut down very well.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheMakeUpTest from #NetGalley.