2.5 Stars
Just an okay romance read, I didn't really care for either MC or the "read it" blurbs at the end of some of the chapters. It's always nice to see plus size representation in romance though and I did like the reality TV show concept (loved the Queer Eye vibe).

Happy pub day to this book!

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

It’s the last Wednesday of the month (year!), so that means it’s book review time! I decided to try a little romance this month, something outside my comfort zone. On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe was released from St. Martin’s Griffin yesterday (the 26th). As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s do the thing.

On the Plus Side follows Everly as she struggles to find herself and to start living instead of existing. When the crew from her favorite reality TV show arrive at her job looking for her, Everly gets thrown right out of her comfort zone in order to help her become her best self. She loves it at first, but after seeing how real reality TV is (or isn’t), she begins to doubt one of her favorite things in the world. But is she strong enough to stand up for herself? And, of course, it wouldn’t be romance without a dude or two tossed in.

The plot. There’s a crappy love triangle and you know right away who the endgame is because one dude is a douche and the other is literally perfect. The whole reality TV aspect is about a show that helps fat people realize they are allowed to exist and be comfortable with themselves and that they are beautiful/fierce/handsome/all of that. There’s family drama and trauma and all the usual things needed to make a nice little book. My biggest issue with the plot is that it’s supposed to be so body positive, but both the potential love interests are muscular gods, which is fine but annoying. There’s a spot where the perfect dude doesn’t want to take off his shirt because he doesn’t have a six pack, which is supposed to be a big sensitive moment, but I guess I’m not sensitive because it was just stupid to me. But overall, the plot was cute enough. Oh, and there are a couple of fairly graphic scenes. That’s fine for me. I just wasn’t expecting them. It was like “oh, hey there, mini pr0n.” So, if you pick up this book and don’t like on-the-page sex, be prepared.

As far as the characters go, Everly is very dramatic and acts like no one has ever felt these feelings before. No one could possibly understand. Anyone who says anything nice to her doesn’t actually mean it. I tried very hard to care about her, but couldn’t really manage it. The rest of the characters were cookie cutter stereotypes that did no growing or changing. Logan is perfect from the get go. It’s not even clear why he’s in love with Everly. Book magic, I guess. The villain is an unrepentant bitch. Everyone else is just there to make Everly look good. So, while the plot was fine, I wasn’t a fan of the characters.

The writing was decent. It made for a pretty quick read. Nothing spectacular. No quotes stood out. But it was smooth and didn’t try to be something it wasn’t. It was just a quick, cute read.

Ultimately, On the Plus Side was just kind of meh. I didn’t hate it, but it’s nothing I’ll ever think about again. I gave it a shot and now I know it’s a thing that exists. That’s about it.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy romances with cookie cutter characters and a cute but standard plot, check it out. If not, you’re not missing anything.

I enjoyed this one. I really liked the story with it being a reality tv show and the representation. The story was sweet but it felt a little lacking in the character development part and the romance. I think Everly is an awesome character and liked how we got to see some growth from her, but I was thinking there would be a little more than we got. Logan I felt like I knew so little about other than he loves dogs. Which hey, I’ll like him for that alone. But there wasn’t much to his character or the resulting romance between him and Everly, in my opinion.

A cute, quick read! I wanted to like it more than I did.

single POV
3/5 stars ⭐️
0.5/5 spice level 🌶️

I grew up being a fan or What Not To Wear, Queer Eye and How Do I Look? And this book took all of those things and added some RomCom spice!

Everly is a plus sized woman who does everything to hold herself back from being seen as “too much” which I can 100% relate too. As someone who is trying to live her best life in a bigger body, Everly’s relationship with her mom reminded me of my relationship with some of my family members. A lot of this book really resonated with me and really helped shift my perspective of myself. I love that Everly really came into her own and learned to embrace who she is. Learned to defend herself and be authentic.

I really enjoyed the little pieces we got with the show hosts and the relationship development with Logan. I’m always here for communication in relationships and I felt like that was done really well!


This was my first book to read by Jenny Howe and I really truly enjoyed it! I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for her future releases. Thank you to St Martins Press, NetGalley, and Jenny Howe for this ARC to read and review!

It's great to find a romance novel with a plus size character who is not the token, or quirky best friend. I enjoyed the humor and the heart and would recommend this book to anyone who struggles with insecurity, not just plus-size women. There's a great message about self acceptance and the cute romance is the icing on the cake.

On the Plus Side is a 10 out of 10 romance. This is the first book that I’ve read by Jenny L. Howe and it most certainly won’t be the last. I loved this book and the main characters so much. Everly and Logan’s characters were so well developed that they felt like real people. I loved following Logan and Everly’s story from beginning to end and seeing how they helped each other and watching their feelings for one another grow into something so special.
I highly recommend this story to anyone who is looking for an amazing romance. On the Plus Side was one of the best romances that I have ever read. It is a spectacular story that pulls you in from the very beginning, giving you a front row seat for Everly’s incredible journey.

To be honest, I read and enjoyed parts of this book, but some parts were too “woke” for me and others tried to hit a humor spot but it didn’t do it for me. The characters were somewhat well-developed, especially Everly who is the young woman participating in the makeover. On the other hand, I did not feel as though I got to know the cameraman well, although he was an interesting character and I did want to know more. The plot dragged a little, striving to make being fat acceptable and at the same time presenting a romance that wasn’t taking off at first. I would say that the pace was moderate. The story itself promised to be compelling, dealing with body image and acceptance and the author addressed those issues well but the style of writing would appeal to someone a lot younger than I am. The vocabulary was offensive at times and unnecessarily immature and sarcastic. Again, I think the author was trying for humor that did not hit the mark for me. All of that being said, the book was mildly amusing and dealt with a realistic topic, so kudos for that. My rating is a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 since I do think the book will appeal to a younger audience. I would not recommend it for a general audience because some of the content is off the wall and out of bounds for people who generally enjoy “clean reads.” If you are looking for a book to help you accept yourself, then this one might just be the one for you.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

If you were a fan of One To Watch this book is for you! What Not To Wear meets Queer Eye gives a plus-size spin to a familiar storyline. I overall enjoyed Everly's POV and it was great reading about her coming out of her shell. The storyline I resonated with most was definitely Everly's relationship with her mother. I felt so seen in those moments and I honestly wish there were more of them in the book.

Logan was great and it was awesome to see such unwavering support. There was some good spice to the scenes too. Overall I enjoyed the book but some parts felt rushed - especially the ending.

On The Plus Side is a fun grumpy meets sunshine with a bit of a love triangle thrown in rom com. Everly makes a great protagonist and I love the plus sized representation Howe brings to the book. I did find it over focused on that aspect of the main characters life though, and Everly became kind of one dimensional. While I find the book to be well written and a quick read, there were moments the pacing got thrown off.. mainly noticed that when beginning a new chapter the transition was a bit disjointed. At least for me. Overall it was a cute book with a meaningful message. A perspective I hope we see more of in rom-coms. Give me all the diversity. Love is love and I want to read all about it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review a complementary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3⭐️

Happy release day to On the Plus Side! Everly Winters is nominated to be on her favourite show, "On the Plus Side" a plus-size makeover show that transforms people's lives in more ways than one.

There were a lot of great aspects of this book, and I loved the representation, and the way Everly finds out different things out about herself along the way.

The cover of the book says "Her love life is about to get a major makeover" but for a majority of the book, Everly is adamant that this makeover is not about her love life. Her relationships do end up taking the stage, and I did enjoy reading about Everly and Logan.

Logan is your typical "gruff", handsome guy, and he immediately falls for Everly's infectious self. It is a bit insta-lovey, and I found it unrealistic that they'd understand each other so well after about a month or so. He did have some great lines though, and there was a good sprinkle of spice throughout.

Everly had some good character development, but I did find her behaviour a bit childish at times. Some of the plot lines were ??? (with her mom especially) and there were a lot of mentions of clothing that were described as "trendy" but were so off-putting I had to imagine something else. Thankfully she was able to achieve some of her other aspirations, which were fun to read about!

Overall this story was quick and cute, and can hopefully resonate with many people when it comes to body image issues. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Her body didn't need an apology tour."

There's no way not to root for Everly Winters as she navigates starring on reality TV with everyone commenting on every aspect of her body, her family and her choices in the uplifting character driven On The Plus Side by romance author Jenny L. Howe.

Someone's nominated receptionist Everly to be on her favorite show On The Plus Side where they're not so much about physical make overs but about emphasizing one's self worth and giving confidence to go after what you really want in life...or so Everly believes when she's cast on it.

Reading and listening to Everly's journey, the writer does a remarkable job of making you feel Everly's doubts and fears. When she says she, "... wasn't ready for her day dreams to become reality," I not only felt her fear of going for your dreams and failing at them; I've lived it.

As we meet her often overbearing mother we feel the absence of her grandma, her champion, whose death has left her beaten down. "Grief was hanging too heavy to fight back." Voice actress Zura Johnson captures Everly's pain, grief and fear with a poignant amount of humanity.

It's not all despair as Everly learns to stand up for herself but when she can't, quiet cameraman Logan does it for her. The flannel wearing, senior dog rescuing, lumberjack looking gentle giant sees Everly through a different lens (see what I did there?). Their chemistry is so strong that viewers start posting about it. All this attention has the producer creating a love triangle to boost ratings. It affects their relationship, their jobs and the future of the show.

There's fun, some steam, and conflict but most of all it's the growth of confidence for Everly that's the plus side of this sweet romance.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one! Jenny did a great job of making Everly relatable and Logan was such a good guy. I loved the side characters too!

Everly is working as a receptionist at a marketing company and living her life in the 'neutral' zone. Growing up plus-sized with a difficult mother and an absent father, she's decided to blend in as much as possible so she doesn't seem like "too much" for people or demand any extra attention than she already does. She's an artist, but the death of her grandmother who always championed her art and fun personality has left her with a lack of confidence and motivation, so she doesn't step outside her comfort zone often, if at all.

Someone nominates her for her favorite plus-size makeover TV show and she decides to make the best of it, to find her confidence and herself along the way. While the person who nominated her did not do it for a great reason and Everly experienced some embarrassing moments while being recorded for the show, she also found a connection to the gruff cameraman with a heart of gold, Logan.

This was a heartwarming book & I loved how Everly stood up for herself and finally got everything she wanted and deserved. Thank you to SMP Romance, NetGalley, and Jenny for the ARC!

Where was this book when I was younger? I ask that because I have always been on the bigger side and always tried to hide in the shadows versus being in the spotlight. Like Everly, I was the center of teasing and bullying by classmates when I was younger. As such, I would pull back and try to stay out of their sight. It didn’t always work; we all know kids are cruel. We also know that after a while, that kind of bullying gets into your psyche and is hard to get rid of when you are older.

But about the book, the chemistry between Everly and Logan is easy to see from the beginning. There’s no doubt the relationship will happen, or it will get steamy. Speaking of steam, a couple of scenes in the book may be a bit steamier than some people may like. Let’s just say I have a new appreciation for the tumble dryer. LOL!

There are a few complex relationships in the book. One is the relationship between Everly and her mom. Their history is discussed, and as the book progresses, you learn the reasons behind Peggy’s treatment of Everly. Is it a perfect set of reasons? Not at all, but it does help the reader understand who Peggy is.

Another explored relationship is the one between Everly and James, her hot co-worker. While the relationship is relatively one-sided, it explores how shallow some people can be. That’s not to say James is a bad person, but relatively immature.

The one bad person in the book is one you think couldn’t be that bad when you first meet them. But as the story progresses, you can see how toxic they are. And, like me, you will probably rejoice in their downfall.

Overall, On the Plus Side is a fun rom-com! There are discussions about being fat and how that shouldn’t mean you don’t matter, that you can still be the center of attention, and not for negative reasons.

I was delighted by On the Plus Side by Jenny Howe (publication date 12/26/2023)! A romance featuring a plus-size female main character in a reality makeover show has been done before, but never incorporating the tenets of fat liberation so well.

Everly is a receptionist at a marketing firm, having landed there after obtaining an art degree. She has a barely-disguised crush on a Chris Hemsworth-lookalike coworker, but refuses to do anything about it. She lives in an apartment over her brother's garage, and is still grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother a few years before, kind of stuck in stasis. Her brother is married to her best friend, and they are superfans of a Queer Eye-like makeover show--On the Plus Side--that is just for fat people and is not about a weight loss journey.

One day the hosts of the show appear at her office--someone has nominated her to be a guest--and she is thrilled. She's ready to get back into her art and stop feeling and being invisible, realizing that a lot of the reason she stepped into the shadows is because of her grief. What she didn't expect was to be seen so thoroughly--by the cameraman, Logan, who is a gruff lumberjack-type with a soft spot for old dogs.

The author uses the word fat and has a note at the beginning of the book talking about fatphobia (I use anti-fat bias but they're basically the same thing) and how she hopes to write in a way to challenge fatphobia. I think she's done a great job doing so, without perpetuating it. That being said, Everly's mother is the person whose anti-fatness gives her the most trouble and the author portrayed their relationship sensitively, and included some good examples of Everly setting boundaries with her mother about what topics were open for discussion and which ones were not.

Kudos to Jenny Howe for doing this so well--I have already bought her first book, The Make Up Test, so look for a review in 2024. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a cute read with an original feeling pairing between the makeover show contestant and the camera man. Logan and Everly were a cute couple and their chemistry felt very natural throughout. Additionally, it was nice to see Everly’s growth as a character, even outside the romance. Good character development, a great romance, and a fun plot. This book was a joy to read.

Thank you so much to @smpromance for giving me a digital advance copy for an honest review through Netgalley ❤️.

This story moved me to tears ! It took me many years to find the confidence Everly shown at the end of this book. The author wrote this narrative so well. The self destructing thoughts we can get when we are different from others and how much it's hard to feel strong when everyone around wants you to be less.

The author reinvents the word fat in this book. It's so hard to read or qualify ourselves with this word when everything out there fills this word with so much negativity. But she did it perfectly, with care and weirdly, I felt safe.

I also love how the author wrote the part where it's us who find our words to describe us. Everly's word was powerful ! I absolutely adore that part of the book. ( I won't say the word, you have to read it to know 😉 ).

This book is not only a romance book, it's a story about healing and finding yourself. And I was all there for it.

Also, a grumpy, giant lumberjack as MMC ? Call me anytime !!!! That's my kind of men ❤️.

Read if you love :

✨ Grumpy X Sunshine ;
✨ Finding yourself journey ;
✨ Reality tv ;
✨ Spice ;
✨ Lumberjack MMC ;
✨ Great banter;
✨ Slowburn.

“People see you the way you see yourself.”

Wannabe artist Everly Winters used to live a vibrant life, bold in both her personality and palette. But when her biggest supporter, her grandmother, passed away, Everly slowly started blending into the background.

So when she discovers she’s been mysteriously nominated for her favorite reality show, On the Plus Side, Everly is hesitant. Although she loves the body positivity program and what it stands for, she’s long put the public yearning part of her to rest, convincing herself she’s content in her low key job as a receptionist. Being featured on the show means exposing herself to not only her worst fears, but possible public humiliation.

The more Everly immerses herself in the experience, the more conflicted she becomes. On one hand she begins to rediscover her voice, her talent, and her beauty. But the process also pulls back the curtain on some of uglier truths of “reality” tv production, with Everly’s reputation an unfortunate casualty. Can she come out the other side self assured, minus the extra baggage?

On the Plus Side is a romance that places importance on loving oneself first and foremost, with a more traditional love story rounding things out. The reality show backdrop served as a unique catalyst for Everly to rediscover her inner worth, despite its disappointing set of ostracized obsessed obstacles.

Fans of modish makeover mashups will likely enjoy On the Plus Side’s many merits… if they decide to try this romance on for size.

Everly Winters, the protagonist of “On The Plus Side,” takes readers on an inspiring journey of personal growth and self-discovery after a public heartbreak. The author, Jenny L. Howe, skillfully weaves a tale of resilience, love, and embracing one’s true self.

The story unfolds as Everly navigates post-grad life, preferring to remain unnoticed. This changes when she’s unexpectedly nominated for her favourite makeover show, “On The Plus Side.” Howe beautifully captures Everly’s internal struggles and her blossoming connection with Logan Samuel, the grumpy but honest cameraman.

One of the book’s strengths lies in Everly’s character development, as she transforms from a person who avoids attention to someone embracing change on a national stage. The theme of personal growth and increased self-esteem is skillfully explored, resonating with readers who appreciate characters overcoming self-doubt.

The romance between Everly and Logan is a highlight, portrayed with a natural evolution that keeps readers engaged. The collaborative approach they take to address challenging issues adds depth to their relationship, making it relatable and heartwarming.

The evolving dynamic between Everly and her mother adds another layer to the narrative, showcasing the importance of familial relationships. Howe captures the nuances of these connections, contributing to the overall richness of the story.

Central to the book is the empowering message of embracing oneself and being the best version possible. Everly’s journey becomes a source of inspiration, reminding readers of the significance of self-love and acceptance.

The inclusion of Reddit posts adds a unique touch, offering glimpses into public reactions to the show. This clever narrative device keeps the reader engaged, providing a broader perspective on how Everly’s story is received by the fictional audience.

In conclusion, “On The Plus Side” is a heartwarming novel that combines elements of romance, personal growth, and family dynamics. Jenny L. Howe masterfully crafts a story that resonates with readers, leaving them with a message of self-empowerment and the beauty of embracing one’s true self.

I received an ARC of the ebook from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

This was such an odd book for me. I have a lot of issues with it but still didn’t totally hate it. I really liked the premise of having a show meant to help people tap into their potential, feel better about themselves. I did have some issues with the main character Everly, while I totally get being insecure about the space you occupy she crossed the line into immaturity and playing victim to things some of which were just wild. As the story went on the relationship she developed with the hosts just felt weird and too attached for TV personalities. My other big issue is with Logan our main male character. Besides having a couple of details about him he remains relatively unknown to the reader for the whole story which is quite disappointing. Character development overall just fell flat to me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC.

Thank you for this book in exchange for my honest review.
It was hard for me to get into this book from the very first page. I was not invested in the characters or the plot. Therefore, I am giving this book a three out of five. I do not rate any books lower than a three because, as an author, I know what it is to get less than three stars.