I am being reminded more and more frequently that I am growing out of YA books. this was cute enough, but I wasn’t a massive fan of the actual plot and I could see the plot twist coming from the first few pages of the book. I feel like it was attempting to be deeper than it ended up being with the whole family relationship B plot, but it did not land and it felt way drawn out for no real reason.

3⭐️

Lahey Johnson is known for her match making abilities. Sure, she's never had a relationship of her own, but she'll teach you the right way to manipulate your answers so your crush will think you're perfect. Never having her own boyfriend hasn't been an issue until her greatest enemy, her cousin Summer, invites her to her birthday party. Lahey must find a date for herself and has narrowed it down to six prospective suitors. She's helped match tons of people so it should be no problem to find her own match. Expect her older sisters best friend that she can't stand, Adler, is always sticking his nose into the process. But maybe Lahey's perfect match has been right in front of her the whole time.

I'm conflicted. I feel like growing up I never saw plus size main characters so that was nice. But Lahey really wasn't a good person. I think we're all a bit selfish as teenagers but Lahey's selfishness was so over the top. The way she was so wrapped up in her own drama she didn't care about her best friends big art opportunity, her older sisters relationship stress and even her family's property. It was just wild that there just seemed to be no consequences to Lahey's actions. Especially the rivalry between Lahey and Summer; I think how ugly that got said more about the family for letting it go unchecked than it did Lahey.

Lahey also made a lot of little fatphobic digs at herself that bothered me. I did really like Alder. He was just a nice, genuine person who really cared about Lahey. It was nice that he wasn't afraid to put her in her place. And I enjoyed the growth Lahey had as she learned her lesson. In all, the book worked but I'm not sure it's the best plus size representation.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperTeen for providing this ARC to me!

A fun and thoroughly entertaining YA Rom-com that follows the chaotic life of plus-sized teen matchmaker, Lahey as she searches for a last minute date to her nemesis/cousin’s lavish birthday party.

Unfortunately, and this may be a problem with me outgrowing YA, this book just felt too immature and the protagonist too annoying for me to continue, having read other reviews that encountered the same issues with Lahey's Character. Great representation but won't be completing the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

This was a cute and inclusive book that captured well the insecurity that comes with first loves, especially when you've deluded yourself into how secure really do feel, or don't. The romance was sweet and believable.

This one was so sweet and different to me from Rodkeys other book but I did thouroughly enjoy it and would def read her next book

Thank you Netgalley and Harpercollins/Harperteen for an e-arc of Plus One by Kepsey Rodkey in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted a little more in the terms of representation for women with larger bodies. But I found it difficult to root for Lahey. She seemed far too wrapped up in her own issues and too self absorbed.
That being said- her character was absolutely spot on for a seventeen year old. Hell I know several early twenties that still act this way.
And I did feel very seen by how she feels confident in most accepts of her life but not in romanic relationships.
Overall I found the story fun and well paced but I’m not sure if id necessary would recommend it to everyone.
3 stars

Okay, number one, can we just talk about how freaking cute this cover is. I took awhile to get to this one because YA just hasn't been something I've been in the mood for, but when I read this one it was so freaking cute! I've read another book by Rodkey and this one is just as good. Her representation when it comes to people living in bigger bodies and the LGBTQ community is wonderful.

The romance itself was so wonderful and swoony. Where were all of these wonderful YA books when I was growing up. This is definitely a book I will be recommending when I get people asking for good YA rep because this has it and it just made me so happy.

Well Done!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review. This is not going to rock your world as it hits pretty much every trope you expect in this. I am wondering if I am becoming numb to the sweetness of this genre and trying to forgive the protagonist. I realize this is a 17 year old but how do you not see that your aunt clearly refers you to your cousin? It was not subtle. Yes she grows by the end and begins to learn from her mistakes but it all wraps up in a bow a little too easily. 3 stars.

Note: I took off a star because I will not stand for Something Corporate slander-

The book started as a fun premise but if I'm going to be honest Lahey's not really my favorite. She's self-centered, but she doesn't seem to have empathy for anyone and it takes everything blowing up in her face for her to own up to anything she did.

The funniest thing to me in this book was Adler showing up at every date she went on, working like four jobs in this book. Adler also says that he likes her but to be honest I didn't really believe it, didn't feel the tension that I was looking for.

This was a cute YA romcom. I do love the body positivity especially at a younger age. I liked how the bully (MC cousin) discovered the real reason for her negativity and the MC was able to have closure. There wasn’t anything that stood out that put it in OMG category. This book is for any girl struggling to realize their worth isn’t about their high school dating experience, but about being their true self in friendships and relationships.

I really liked this book it was such a quick, fun and cute romcom. I was laughing so much when Lahey was going on all of her”dates” they were so entertaining. I was giggling every time Adler showed up at all of Lahey’s “dates” and was always there to support her. Summer was so annoying and rude. Adler loving Lahey for who she really is had me melting. This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I can not wait to read more.

One of my favorite ARCS. I will actually be buying a physical copy of this book because I enjoyed it so much. I can see it being one of those books that I got back and read every so often. Quintessential ya/teen read and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you so much to HarperTeen and Netgalley for the free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kelsey Rodkey is a seasoned pro when it comes to sweet, bouncy romcoms that are filled with banter and heart. I found the slowburn childhood best friends romance between Lahey and Adler to be cute, charming and fun to watch play out. I love that Kelsey writes about "unlikable" girls who are messy and make totally typically teenage bad decisions that stem from the emotional and impulsive desires of teens to belong and feel loved by those around them. I really liked the friendship arc with Poppy and how it tied back to Lahey's own interrnal emotional arc, but wish the arc with her cousin Summer had been fleshed out a little bit more. Full of dates and laughable Murphy's law fueled hijinks, this was the perfect light summer read.

Finished this adorable YA ARC in one day at the beach.
Easy breezy summer reading…

This YA has a confident female main character in Lahey, who excels at matchmaking, but has never had a boyfriend of her own. She finds herself fighting with her cousin Summer, and makes a bet that she can find a date by the end of the week for Summer’s Sweet Sixteen.

This was a light and breezy romantic comedy that would also be ok for the mature middle grade reader. This book has a nice message about being yourself, being there for family and friends, while also having some light and fun romance (just kissing).
Some of the plot is predictable, but overall teens and tweens will root for Lahey as she does not see what is right in front of her, and stumbles through a weeklong dating marathon.

Read this if:

💗You like a PG rated romance.
🙌🏻Root for the underdog
🏳️‍🌈Like a diverse cast of characters with real problems
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you to @epicreads and Kelsey Rodkey for the opportunity to read this ARC from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This book was a disappointment for me. I thought the premise sounded super cute, but it just fell flat.

The FMC, Lahey, was nothing short of a brat and I was completely unimpressed with her. Let me count the reasons why:
1. She ditched her best friend when she needed her help the most.
2. She told her cousin's boyfriend information that wasn't hers to tell - and for no reason other than to be spiteful.
3. She gets into an accident, but is only worried about being late for her date - and doesn't tell her parents.
4. She breaks her best friend's centerpieces and is still only concerned about the fact that Poppy isn't more concerned about what is happening in Lahey's life.
5. She whines and pouts more than any teenager I have ever met...and I work in a middle school.
6. She threw Liberty under the bus and made her watch Lily so she could go on a date.
7. She complains about Summer being spoiled...but Lahey is also spoiled, just in a different way.
8. She was chronically only concerned with herself, and it made it REALLY hard for me to finish the book.

I also didn't understand the whole "sustainable" thing - it was touched on here and there, but never really talked about. It seemed out of place, and almost unnecessary. I wanted to appreciate Lahey's sudden change of heart at the end of the book, but her apologies felt like too little, too late. I also wanted to know what happened with Liberty and Sophia since we leave off with Lahey and Alder trying to save their relationship, but we are left with crickets.

Honestly...this book just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this book was not a good fit for me. I desperately wanted to like it but I found all of the characters to be pretty awful. It felt extremely immature to me and I only made it about 33% through.

What a fun, charming romance! I love the trope of the matchmaker who can match everyone but herself, and her arc toward a real romance was believable and fully realized. A heartwarming, joyful read!

Plus One had a lot of potential for me but unfortunately it fell flat and missed the mark. It was still somewhat enjoyable but I felt like it could have been more than it was.