Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

LOVED IT! Couldn't put it down!

"On the Plus Side" is a romcom about Everly, a plus-size woman who has lost her self-confidence and self-love. Enter reality TV show 'On the Plus Size' and its hosts who will spend several weeks helping Everly come out of her shell and become her true self while on national TV. Scandals and romance fill the pages of this can't-put-down book.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. It has it all: scandals, intrigue, romance, and betrayal. I appreciate the representation of a fat main character and the stigma fat people endure in society. Everly's character development and her love story were touching and I felt myself rooting for her throughout the book. I would read this book again and I'll be on the lookout for more books from this author.

I use to love watching makeover shows, so I was excited by the premise of this book. On the Plus Side follows Everly, a plus size MC, who is in need of a life overhaul. She hides herself behind a receptionist job & bland clothing from fear of standing out. The show helps her embrace & love herself for who she is & to not be afraid to stand out. She also finds a love interest in the cameraman, Logan, who is the sweetest character!

This was a really fun book to read. I loved seeing Everly's journey as she branches out & explores the things she loves. I like that it focused on more than just her appearance. The body positivity & self-confidence was great to see! I enjoyed the forums & news articles throughout the book. They made the characters feel real. The drama at the end was intense & definitely brought awareness to consent!

This was a fun, light romantic read that left me with a big smile at the end.

Since her grandmother’s passing, Everly Winters has put her dreams on the back burner and has decided to blend in to get by. When the hosts of her favourite makeover show, “On The Plus Side,” surprise her at her office, everything changes. Suddenly her aspirations are front and center, and she is faced with the opportunity to change her life and live out loud. Plus, Everly feels sparks of something (romance?) every time she interacts with the grumpy, flannel-clad cameraman, Logan. And Everly knows Logan can feel it, too.

4/5 stars, I really loved this book. It was truly a rom-com, because there were lines that I actually laughed out loud at (a rarity for me)! I loved all the dogs (Bagel!!!), I was so happy to read about them. I also adored the ren faire chapter, it was so fun!

I found this book covered a lot of sensitive subjects in a very compassionate way. Everly felt so relatable and her cheerful demeanor was refreshing, and Logan was *chefs kiss.* His description as a “woodsy metrosexual” made me laugh because it is so spot on. There was also so much representation which was also lovely to see! I didn’t want this book to end so I hope to read another book with Everly and Logan in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Jenny L. Howe hits her second book out of the park. I love to see the plus-sized representation, I loved Everly and Logan separately, and adored their journey together.

I thought the idea of this book was a great concept. I always love a plus sized fmc. Everly is very relatable. I did feel like this book did fall short though. I had higher expectations and found myself bored halfway through. I wish I had more to add to this review.

Thank you to Jenny Howe, Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the e-arc. Opinions are my own.

Love loved loved the plus size representation! The book was cute with the perfect romance and plot. Cant wait to read more from the author!

This was cute! The premise was amazing, and I do think it had more potential- but again, overall a cute read. It may not have clicked for me for a few reasons: the people on the show helping her did not seem to have personality- I was expecting JVN from queer eye type stuff but they weren't very developed. It also felt "insta-love." the writing wasn't great, and the overall flow was off.

Reasons I did like it: the concept of a queer eye type show for the plus sized community, the body positivity/neutrality, the male hero was cute, the female hero was confident and funny- though I do think they needed more development.

This was adorable! I love the tv show setting and how the story revolved around love and body image but not in a negative light. "Fat" usually holds such a negative connotation and this story completely ignored that and used it in a positive light. So many people try and fall short when writing about plus-size characters and their journey with self-love/discovery. However, this was written so gracefully and held space for the main character's feelings while not overdoing it. It discussed hard topics in a light way that made the book easily digestible without feeling surface-level. Truly a beautifully written piece.

The story started a little bit fast for me but I appreciated how the ending wasn't easily predictable and there were genuine problems and solutions along the way. This is a minimal spice book (which I'm okay with, I just like to know in advance) that still included falling in love in the journey of self-discovery. Very cute!

This book was just okay. I had higher hopes for it, but the characters and story felt superficial, and it wasn't a fun enough read to make up for that.

Everly has long been a fan of the show On The Plus Side. She also has a huge crush on James at the ad agency where she works as a receptionist. She’s happy and content with her life when suddenly the hosts from her favorite show appear at her work for her! She notices the grump cameraman Logan and this sets off a journey of discovery and of Everly finding her worth and her true love. I enjoyed reading Everly and Logan’s story. It was wonderful to see a plus size main character who was treated as sexy and desirable. Her discovery of her self worth and of finding her place in her own world and with her true love was a beautiful read.

Was a very good read! I loved the blooming chemistry and relationship between Everly and Logan. I love reality tv myself, so I liked the aspect of how it played out within the book. I needed up highlighting multiple lines of what Logan said or did and think he would be a perfect addition to the book boyfriend list.

I loved this book! I felt such a kinship with the FMC and the MMC was the perfect about of grumpy to her sunshine. I fell in live with their banter right off the bat.

The characters are realistic and relatable, and you really find yourself rooting for them. The side characters are adorable too.

The writing is well done-the perfect balance between formal and relaxed-and even though I’m not typically a fan of books written in the third person, I had no problem reading this one.

This was lovely and enjoyable - but a bit basic. Something was lacking in the relational development between Everly and Logan for me, and at times the stakes felt pretty low. Still, it held my interest and was a super quick read for a weekend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC!!! Super grateful!!

I savored this one, as it was a deviation from my normal genre of horror. I’ll read anything Jenny Howe puts out, because between humanizing and celebrating different body types, her layered characters (especially the love interests), and dog characters named after food, her work never disappoints.

I loved Everly and her arc was exactly what she deserved, especially her career arc. Logan is Howe’s best love interest yet and is the perfect man. The romantic arc challenges a key plot point in the genre, but it executes it well and is a refreshing twist on the romcom formula. Five stars.

2⭐️

As a midsize person who has struggled with weight and self-image since high school, I wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, it was not for me. I love a slow burn but I felt like Everly and Logan’s relationship started too slow. Their first interactions, I felt no spark. This made it really, really hard for me to connect to the relationship. The thing I struggled with most in this book was having to read the fat phobic comments. As a bigger bodied person who exists online, I hear the comments plenty. I want my romance books to be an escape from having to experience and witness anti-fatness. Having to read the anti-fat comments made my Everly’s mom and OTPS viewers really took away from my enjoyment of the book. If I did not have this advanced copy, it might have led me to not finish the book. I will not be posting my review online, as I have seen other fat people who felt very seen by this book and I do not want to take away from their experience.

This book was so lovely! Jenny writes fat characters so well and I appreciate the new take on a makeover show. Very cute!

4.5 stars!
Oh @jennylhowe how I adore thee! What I would give for a Logan bonus epilogue from his POV! He is one of my favorite male MC EVER! I love how he’s grumpy but is feels so much! Honestly, bravo for writing him! I also loved Everly’s journey throughout the book. What I really liked seeing was how she wasn’t apologizing for her size but rather how she was trying to make herself invisible because she didn’t want the stigma of being the “fat girl who is ‘too much’”. I think this is very much a relatable topic and I enjoyed seeing her be truly herself by the end! Bit of a spoiler, but I also appreciate that there was no “third act breakup”, because while I know it’s a common tripe, it really makes me sad, so thanks for that! Also, if you’ve read The Make-up Test, there were a few Easter eggs in this one that shouted out to the previous book (I always love that!). Having met Jenny Howe on more than one occasion, I can say she’s
wonderful and so sweet and I can’t wait for her release party of this one, which will presumably be at our local independent! Can’t wait for the next one!

Super cute and easy light read. I love books with plus sized characters which is mostly why I requested this ARC. Everly and Colton had a cute dynamic that kept me hooked from the start.

I absolutely adored this book. It combines two of my favorite things-reality tv drama and a fat heroine finding herself. The plot clips along nicely, pulling me right into the drama of the story which never tips over the line of becoming TOO dramatic. Everlasting is a highly relatable character, especially if you are a larger lady who has felt like she it a little too much sometimes. Her developing story with Logan is engaging and hits all the right notes as he is just right for the role he fills. Very enjoyable read!

This was not the book for me. It was an unfortunate DNF because of the way Everly was portrayed. I understand why things were done the way they were but I couldn't get over the way she was described for so much of the novel. I feel like her only personality trait for most of the novel was that she was "plus sized"