Not only is this one of the best romance books I have read all year but is one of the best books with fat representation I have ever read. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt like they were too much.

Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I know second books can be incredibly challenging, but Jenny L. Howe's On the Plus Side is a hit! I absolutely loved the characters and I am so excited to add a copy to my romance shelves. This one is not to be missed!

Everly loves On The Plus Side (a makeover show that is about more than revamping outside appearances) and is surprised to find out that she’s been nominated for its next season! She jumps in ready to find herself again, but the filming turns out to be a little bit different than she expected.

I loved the idea of this book, unfortunately something about it did not land. I did really enjoy Everly’s journey & loved all the representation!! I just longed to know the characters more deeply and therefore found myself not really caring about the outcome.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

💙💖 On the Plus Side ARC Review 💖💙

Thank you so much to Jenny L Howe, St Martin’s Griffin and netGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

On the Plus Side is a contemporary standalone romance novel. Everly has always been a bigger girl who is just trying to be invisible in her life. But when she’s unexpectedly chosen to be on her favorite makeover show, On the Plus Side, Everly realizes that she’s capable of standing out instead of fitting in.

This book was such a cute read! Everly was a strong character who had so many relatable moments throughout this book. I absolutely adored the grumpy but sweet cameraman Logan and thought they were wonderful together! While I loved Everly’s perspective, I would have really enjoyed some of Logan’s PoV too! I love shows like What Not to Wear and Queer Eye, and this book had all those vibes!

Overall this was a solid 4 star read! This was a fun story about being authentically yourself no matter what! This book does touch on some heavy subjects, so check triggers if you’re sensitive. This book was a smidge of a slow burn but did have some spicy moments later in the book, so overall two flames for spice

If you’re a fan of contemporary romance with strong women, grumpy men, plus size rep, and great banter, then absolutely pick this one up!

Please Note: Review will be posted on Amazon upon publication

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It was such an easy read and it put a giant smile on my face.

I thought that the main characters were great and they had amazing chemistry together. I also really enjoyed seeing Everly go through the motions and gain her confidence back. Seeing her do this through the reality show was fun and the hosts of the show were great.

On the Plus Side is a gift for anyone who has felt like they are too much or not enough; anyone who lets others decide how they feel about themselves; anyone who feels like they have no voice; anyone who feels invisible; who feels like they need to fit into a mold that is uncomfortable and doesn’t allow them to shine. Everly is an amazing character; she is smart and funny and striking, but she has spent years struggling to find her true identity, to be creative, to be more than others wanted or expected her to be. This is a lovely, sweet romance, and Logan is the perfect partner for Everly. But mostly, this is the story of Everly’s metamorphosis, not always a smooth journey, but one that is life-changing and freeing. I loved her so much! She is relatable, authentic and genuine, and I felt like her biggest cheerleader! (Well, me and Logan!) I was fully invested in everything she did, every choice she made, every time she spoke up, every time she shone, every time she showed the world how fabulous she was!! I loved that author Jenny L. Howe has given us a plus-size heroine who is content to go along unnoticed, to appease her mother and society in general, but who is transformed to be exactly who she is meant to be—FABULOUS!

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

Everly Winters is comfortable with her life: with her receptionist job at a marketing firm, with her silent crush on James (the office hottie), with living in the spare bedroom above her brother's garage. After her vivacious and caring grandmother's death, she finds it easier to blend in and stay where she's comfortable rather than pursing her long-dreamed-of career in art or taking a chance by asking James out. However, her life is disrupted when someone nominates her for her favorite reality TV makeover show, On the Plus Side, a Queer-Eye-type show which focuses exclusively on plus-size people. While she's shocked at first, Everly decides she's ready to take a chance on rediscovering her dreams through the help of the bubbly hosts. What she doesn't count on, though, is the distractingly grumpy yet handsome cameraman, Logan. The two unexpectedly grow closer throughout the filming of the show, and ultimately Everly must decide how much she's willing to risk.

I had such high hopes for this book but it was really a letdown for me. First, the positives: I found Everly a very interesting and well-rounded character. It's always refreshing to see fat people represented in romance, and her journey to self-acceptance and rediscovering her dreams felt very authentically portrayed. The vehicle of the reality TV show was a great one to showcase her character's growth.

However, for being a romance, I felt like the male lead, Logan, had no defining characteristics at all. I felt like I knew utterly nothing about him as a character except that he likes dogs. He was very one-dimensional and I didn't understand what was driving the relationship between the two of them. There was just very little emotional depth to their relationship, which is very disappointing for what is being marketed as a contemporary romance novel.

Fans of Julie Murphy and Olivia Dade may want to check this out, but be warned: there's lots of body positivity and self-empowerment here, but very little romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is utterly stellar. I saw myself in every page. Jenny L. Howe can do no wrong in my eyes, everything she writes is an insta-read for me.

I loved it. I want more of this author, I want more curvy girls in romance and this one is just exactly perfect.

On the Plus Side by Jenny Howe is a standalone novel that follows the life of Everly Winters who doesn’t mind staying safe in the background of life—until someone nominates her for be on the popular makeover show, On the Plus Side. As Everly navigates her new notoriety, she becomes close with grumpy but caring cameraman, Logan. On the Plus Side by Jenny Howe offers readers a lovely romance and lessons on learning to love oneself.

Everly has worked hard to blend in and she would remain there. Someone nominates her for her favourite makeover show, On the Plus Side. Through this show, Everly rediscovers her interest in art and standing out in a crowd. She also catches the eye of the cameraman, Logan. When their connection is caught on camera the fans go wild and want more of those interactions. Everly doesn't mind being noticed, but putting her heart on the line for love may be a bit more difficult.

There was a lot that I thought was good about this book. The body inclusivity, growth of Everly and fat acceptance in this book were so well done. I also loved the budding relationship between Logan and Everly and felt that he was the cinnamon roll grump that we all wanted. I loved Logan and Everly's interactions and how he was so supportive of her.

There were however some things that didn't work for me. Even though the author worked hard to make it so Everly's entire identity wasn't tied up in being plus-sized, a lot of it still was. I would have liked to see more of the growth outside her size discussed. I also felt the first portion of the book was dragged out too long. Though Logan was *the* guy, they didn't even kiss until 50%. I would have liked to see a bit more banter between the two. I think some of the faults were my taste though, as I don't tend to love reality show type of books.

If you are a fan of reality shows, plus-sized representation and an overall feel-good story with a swoony MMC this would be a great book to check out! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

4.5⭐️ This book healed parts of me that I didn’t even know I had. I have never felt so.. comforted from a book. Like this book felt like a friend. A big theme in this read is community, and this book feels like the beginning of a safe, healthy plus-sized support community for me as a person. Inclusive doesn’t begin to describe this read. It was a beautiful blend of different individuals. Everly’s truth and emotions felt so raw and so real. I loved reading a romance where I felt like I saw myself in it. Her journey is captivating. You could feel the author’s passion for diversity and representation leap off the page. I also loved the modern culture references- it made it so much more relatable and funny. Would recommend for anyone- but it is a MUST for plus-sized individuals. Truly a win for plus-sized girlies everywhere and for a positive step toward more representation and diversity in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this funny, spicy, relatable and refreshing ARC!

DNF @ 48%

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Everly is a fan of the show On the Plus Side and is eagerly awaiting the next season— only to find out she’s one of the newest stars of the show. An unknown person in her life has nominated her for a specific reason that will be revealed at the end. The hosts help the stars become confident in their bodies and themselves via help in all aspects of their life— career, wardrobe, etc.

This book had such a great set up and I was so excited to read a book about a plus sized woman learning to love herself. Unfortunately at 48% we were still nowhere with the plot and we didn’t know much about either male “love interest” beyond the surface level.

Overall I think this has potential and while it wasn’t for me I would definitely recommend giving it a chance!

After being in such a book slump lately, I’m SO happy to report that I loved this story. Logan is crushworthy, the supporting characters are great, and I love a good reality TV trope. When this book comes out on December 26, I really hope people buy it because it’s a romantic-comedy that seems realistic (despite the reality TV angle).

What didn’t work for me

Everly’s confidence: At times, I was a little confused about how Everly saw herself. Sometimes, she was saying she wanted to hide and not be seen, but other times, she was saying she looked great in everything, and I feel like one person can’t really be both things at the same time. This probably isn’t the right book for it, but I really hope one day we get a plus-size character who is just plus-sized and where that isn’t the anchor of the story. But Howe did a great job of giving Everly other character traits, at least, so she wasn’t *just* fat.

Spice level: I was really hoping we were going to get a sex scene with a fat person. Yet again, it was fade-to-black. Don’t get me wrong, you can tell the characters are drawn to each other and are hot for each other, but I would have liked a little more spice.

What I liked

Logan: It’s not a spoiler to say that Logan is the love interest—I mean, he’s on the cover. I really enjoy that we didn’t get his POV, but it was really clear that he was into Everly from the start. There wasn’t really much “does he like me?” or “I must be misinterpreting things” or mixed messages—they figured out pretty quickly that they were into each other, and it was refreshing. He really had his priorities straight.

The pacing: The story starts basically at page one, with Everly being bombarded by the hosts of the show she loves, and from there, we dove right in. There wasn’t a lot of extra, unnecessary storytelling…and I love when there’s an epilogue, too.

No breakup: I don’t want to go into spoiler territory, so I’m going to keep it vague, but in almost every story like this, some miscommunication happens between the main character and their love interest, so they break up or spend some time apart for a while before they get back together. I’m happy to report that there is nothing like that here! They go through something together and have each other’s backs and it feels so much more realistic.

The dog content: This is going to seem random, but there are a lot of mentions of dogs and pets and they all have adorable names—and I was here for it.

4 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced book copy in exchange for my honest review.

“On the Plus Side” by Jenny L. Howe
Words, Labels, can HURT
A light fun read with some truly heavy topics/situations portrayed. I enjoyed what this story presented and the way that it was done. I think the reader has the option of reading this as fun and fluff or to think seriously about what is said in this story. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley

Everly is a plus-sized woman who wants to blend into the background. Everything she does is just good enough. All her efforts are upended when she ends up on a reality show for plus-sized people that helps them make over their lives.

On the Plus Side is an a perfectly adorable romcom. Everly is lovable and genuine in a way that made her character feel real and relatable. Her relationship with Logan was sweet and satisfying. This is such an honest portrayal of being fat and living in the world with other's expectations. Jenny Howe just did an amazing job with this book and I can't recommend it enough!

Just from the author’s note I knew I was going to love this book. It was immediately clear that Howe had truly taken the time to figure out who she wanted Everly to be and how she wanted Everly to carry herself. I LOVED that this book’s (in which Everly, the female main character, is plus size) main focus and main character’s focus/development/story had almost nothing to do with her body. Everly discusses her past of fat shaming but her insecurities are not based upon her body but rather how feels she’s lost herself. As Howe says “she is struggling with who she is, not what she looks like”!!! I also loved Howe use of the word fat and her commentary in the author’s note that the word fat does not need to be a weapon!

Okay now the actual book… I LOVED Everly, despite her feeling like she had lost herself she still stayed true to herself and what she wanted/how she wanted to be seen/what she wanted to represent. Her inner monologue was so heartbreaking in that it was just so honest and so relatable. Logan is truly to DIE FOR. I was physically kicking and giggling over this man. “Fuck that…you’re NOT too much” I’m sorry???? He was so protective of Everly, in wanting to ensure she was able to comfortable and get the most out of her experience/what she wanted out of it. It’s not a perfect book, there’s a lot about Everly’s best friend and Everly brother (who are married) which while reading I had assumed Howe’s first book must have been about that couple due to the amount of info we got about them (seemed like context for those who maybe hadn’t read the first book), but then I saw her first book had nothing to do with this world/these characters?? So a little confused on that but the characters were still likable, just maybe added some extra fluff. I also would have loved to gotten to know Logan better or see Everly and Logan have more intense/deep talks, but even without these things I was 100% rooting for them and thought they were great for each other.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!

I absolutely love and appreciate a book with plus-size representation.

This book was such a fun read and just what was needed. Everly and Colton, their chemistry is off the charts and made reading about them so much fun. I couldn't put the book down!

This isn't my first Jenny L. Howe book and that is why I requested this arc, and I am SO glad I did.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am on the fence... on the one had, I loved Logan and Everly together. They are just so sweet and lovely and I wanted more of them together.
On the other hand, the first half of the book felt too long. I could easily put this down and have to remind myself to pick it back up to finish it. It wasn't gripping- which breaks my heart to say because again, I thought this couple was so sweet.
The whole point was for Everly to find herself again and regain her confidence, but I just wanted more Logan.

I enjoyed this fun romance! The chemistry between Everly and Logan was steamy and as another plus sized woman, I appreciated how Everly was portrayed. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this advanced copy!