On the Plus Side is a story of being authentically yourself and finding love (self-love and romantic) along the way. Jenny L. Howe does an amazing job of representing a plus size heroine who loves herself but also struggles with her image. Everly is loud, bold, and an artist, but she’s repressed all three things for years. Content-ish to fade into the background, to modulate her voice, to work as a receptionist rather than go for a design job she wants, and secretly moon over a coworker, Everly is shocked to learn she’s been chosen to be on her favorite reality show, On the Plus Side. The show’s vibrant hosts are a whirlwind, pulling Everly outside her comfort zone and making her face what she’s hidden about herself. Also along for the ride is plaid-wearing cameraman Logan, who is better than any fantasy Everly had about her coworker.

I loved Everly’s journey. Her mother has pushed her to tame herself, to hide in the background, but Everly has a bold personality and style she wants to let shine. The reality show helps her reclaim herself and I loved that journey. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Everly show her art, to grow professionally as well as personally. As for the romance, she and Logan are an excellent pair. They have an easy chemistry and how can you not swoon over a guy who thinks you’re perfect just as you are?

On the Plus Side is a love story; self-love, romantic love, and the love between family, friends, and the community you build. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of Everly’s journey and I’m very much looking forward to reading more of Howe’s work.

A reality show that shows the plus size community in a beautiful light. Lots of family, romance, and community. I'm excited about her next books.

Everly lost her spark when her grandmother, and biggest cheerleader, died several years ago. Now she's working as a receptionist at a design firm (although she's way more talented than some of the designers), wearing clothes that hide her voluptuous figure, and living in a garage apartment of her brother's house. Her biggest vice is watching ON THE PLUS SIDE with her best friend and sister-in-law, Becca, and flirting with James, a designer at work who relies on her artistic advice.

Then one day she is ambushed at work by the producers of OTPS--somebody nominated her to be the latest subject of the reality show. Everly begins to get her spark back, and her budding relationship with Logan, the "lumbersexual" cameraman, shows how ill-suited James was to her. But she's uncomfortable with some aspects of the show's arc--notably focusing on her crush on James.

This is a fun book with relevant underlying themes and Logan and Everly will have you cheering for them. #OnthePlusSide #NetGalley

This absolutely delightful, body-positive and heartwarming romance has already been in the world for almost a WEEK!! Congratulations to author Jenny Howe - I adored it!

Everly Winters is very content to stay in the background. She has a perfectly fine life - lives in her hometown, in the apartment above her brother and her best friend's home. She has a job that pays the bills but doesn't challenge her. even though her coworker looks like Thor. She often struggles with her relationship with her mother - who has never seemed to accept Everly and her body. Then one day it is all turned upside down when the hosts of her favorite show, On the Plus Side, show up at her office with the news that she has been cast for their upcoming season.

What follows is a story of self-discovery, working through grief, and standing up for onseself - with the help of a sometimes grumpy but very sweet, plaid-wearing cameraman.

I am not shy about enjoying reality tv, though it is not often that books can translate a show onto the page. It worked so well here and didn't shy away from some of the seedier parts of the genre. We went on a real journey with Everly, and it was empowering to watch her stand up for herself and also put herself out there. The inclusivity and sensitivity to body image were also done incredibly well.

An excellent book to kickstart 2024!!

Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC - grateful I got a sneak peek for this one!
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Will post to Goodreads, retail sites and my bookstagram @scottonreads

So there’s this interesting trend of romance books set in reality tv shows over the last couple of years, and the ones that I’ve read have consistently had the same kind of tension. They want to simultaneously be set in a cutesy reality tv setting and be a lighthearted romance while also critiquing the exploitative, voyeuristic nature of reality tv (which from my perspective you can’t really get around). The results vary, and this book did better than some others because it actually addressed the problems that Everly encountered on the show, but there ultimately still tends to be an element of glossing over the more underlying problems. Whatever, I’m sure this doesn’t bother everyone, but it’s always hard for me to put aside. But beyond that, this book did a lot of things really well. It unpacked fatphobia in a really great way and was a lot more diverse than I expected it to be. Also, I do love a romance that revolves around a deeply protective love interest, not to mention a character who secretly loves dogs. So generally perfectly nice, but not my favorite romance ever.

On the Plus Side is a story of being authentically yourself and finding love (self-love and romantic) along the way. Jenny L. Howe does an amazing job of representing a plus size heroine who loves herself but also struggles with her image. Everly is loud, bold, and an artist, but she’s repressed all three things for years. Content-ish to fade into the background, to modulate her voice, to work as a receptionist rather than go for a design job she wants, and secretly moon over a coworker, Everly is shocked to learn she’s been chosen to be on her favorite reality show, On the Plus Side. The show’s vibrant hosts are a whirlwind, pulling Everly outside her comfort zone and making her face what she’s hidden about herself. Also along for the ride is plaid-wearing cameraman Logan, who is better than any fantasy Everly had about her coworker.

I loved Everly’s journey. Her mother has pushed her to tame herself, to hide in the background, but Everly has a bold personality and style she wants to let shine. The reality show helps her reclaim herself and I loved that journey. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Everly show her art, to grow professionally as well as personally. As for the romance, she and Logan are an excellent pair. They have an easy chemistry and how can you not swoon over a guy who thinks you’re perfect just as you are?

On the Plus Side is a love story; self-love, romantic love, and the love between family, friends, and the community you build. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of Everly’s journey and I’m very much looking forward to reading more of Howe’s work.

Didn't love as much as I hoped! I was really wanting to like the book but the setup seemed not believable and wished for more/faster.

**thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book**

On the plus side really aims for body positivity which I love. Although there were a few moments in the story that really made my skin crawl, overall my reading experience was enjoyable. I LOVED the growth of our main character, Everly. I must admit, the romance was pretty swoon worthy too. If you like quick reads with romance as a sub plot, give this one a try!

I love reading behind the scenes of reality shows, as a big reality show fan. Characters were very likeable, except for Everly’s mother who did have a legit redemption arc. I do wish we would’ve learned a little bit more about Logan aside from his affinity for flannel shirts and loving dogs. Their falling in love was very convincing, however, I do think the plot twist with the producer fell flat for me. I wish Everly would’ve followed her dreams a little bit more, for instance, the art show. I’m glad I gave this author another chance after not enjoying The Makeup Test.

i’m submitting the reviews for books by you that I already have, but I will never request another one. In October one of your employees made a horribly racist statement and you have chosen to do nothing about it. People have continuously asked you to say that you don’t stand with what the employee said, and you refuse to. This is not someone who I want to promote ever because you are sending the wrong message. These reviews will not be posted on social media because you don’t deserve the promotion. I hope that all of your authors move to other publishers because you are standing with a genocide. Watch this video for more information https://www.tiktok.com/@vivafalastinleen/video/7288407369313307947?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7211704101519296042

This was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed reading Everly’s journey of actually doing what she loves. The love story with her and Logan was so cute and it progressed so naturally. They both really saw each other and it warmed my heart.

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe

Published: December 26, 2023
St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Women’s Friendship Fiction
Pages: 360
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

I love a body-positive book. Especially one that showcases plus-sized people. Everly Winters could be every plus-size person. The way she tries to dim her shine because few people see past her size.

This novel hits a lot of points beautifully. And I loved the romantic elements. I am always intrigued by books that take us behind the scenes of television shows, so that aspect was fantastic.

This book has a lot of heart. It made me laugh and cry, but I was glued to the pages. This was a charming story from start to finish, and I loved every page.

The book On the Plus Side was an enjoyable read. I would recommend any book written 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.

4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed On the Plus Side. I really didn’t know how it was going to play out when there was a reality tv show involved, but Jenny Howe did a great job with this storyline!

The writing was refreshing. The characters were extremely relatable..The relationships that Everly had with her mom was super heartbreaking. I’m happy with how it ended, but the road to get there and the years spent misinterpreting things was so sad for both of them. And the co-worker, James, well, I don’t want to give anything away or ruin the story, but sometimes I just wanted to shake him and tell him to stop!

I think the best part of the whole book was Logan the cameraman! He was just perfect, in so many ways.

Overall I really loved this book and can’t read to pick up another book by this author.

***Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***

This book had admirable goals. I believe the author's intent was to normalize being overweight instead of continuing to stigmatize it. What happened instead at times felt like the character's weight being targeted as a weakness instead of pointing our her many strengths.

That said, I did like the basic storyline. It was an original feeling plot and I got on board with it. It was well-written and gave solid insight into the character's thoughts.

AUDIOBOOK: I also listened to the audiobook and found it to be quite good. The narration was solid and pulled me into the storyline. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for both the ebook and audiobook. I chose to review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

I love a Reality TV trope, and I LOVE the representation in this book! The writing is smart and fun and the characters are extremely likable and just overall well-written and real.

The story had a lot of moving parts, but managed to keep them all connected, and not once did I feel like there was too much going on. This is as much of a story of self discovery and living life to the fullest as it a hot AF love story.

Everly is honestly one of the greatest FMCS I’ve read in a while. She’s strong, and smart, and funny, and while it was hard to watch her try to fade into the background, it was also extremely relatable. We live in the age of reality TV where everyone thinks they have a say in other people’s lives from behind a keyboard, and this book does a great job of illustrating what that looks like.

IMO, Logan and Everly are OTP, and I ADORED every minute of their relationship and in watching it unfold. They’re both so REAL and vulnerable and just 👨🏻‍🍳 😘 🤌🏼.

Honestly, I was hesitant to read this because I didn’t love “The Make-Up Test”, but this book was PERFECTION and I loved it.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Since On the Plus Side is published by St. Martins Press, I will not be continuing with this book because of their silence against an employee's hatred towards Palestine. #SpeakUpSMP

To be completely honest, I am not sure why I stay up late finishing this book. Because I found it to be a big let down.

As someone who loved What Not to Wear, I wanted to love this book.
As someone whose body shape has changed in the last few years and I love books with "not thin" heroines, I wanted to love this book.
As someone who has a daughter and I want her being more body healthy and body positive, I wanted to love this book.

But the heroine came off as insipid. More male crazy than I anticipated (the romance and the "triangle" was played up far too much). The whole book was tied up in a bow far too quickly. Yeah, this will land with many readers but it fell flat with me.

I really enjoyed this book! I'm a plus size woman myself, and I feel like there isn't a ton of representation of curvy/plus size women in books. So its really nice to finally start seeing the representation more!!

I really liked the relationship that Everly and Logan had. It was fricken adorable from the beginning and who doesn't love a grumpy lumberjack. Although some of the dialog to describe him was interesting, it still was a cute relationship and I was super happy there wasn't a third act breakup!!

All in all, I do like how Everly was written through out the book. Even tho I wish she wasn't so worried about what people thought of her all the dang time, that is something I know a lot of plus size women worry about (myself included) so I liked that it was realistic at the same time :)

Thank you for letting me read an ARC of this book!!

I love a reality tv show setting and On the Plus Side is one I would watch. Likable characters and good chemistry make this romance fly by. I can't wait for more by Howe.

This book was super cute, and of course I love the plus size representation. Especially in a romance. And especially especially in a book that does not focus on hate towards fat people or trying to change their bodies or look skinnier. Massive fan of Logan. Massive fan of Everly. And a massive fan of Becca, bagel, and cream cheese.