One moment I'd be dying of laughter and the next I'd be sobered by honest inspiration. Jenny Howe knows how to balance poignancy with wit and On The Plus Side showcases that with every page. The central theme of society's perception vs, personal perception of ourselves could not be more culturally-relevant and socially-relatable. I think Howe handled the theme with care and I adored the character's representation. Everly's character arc was so honest and raw but through Jenny Howe's writing, it just felt perfectly balanced with the romance, cast of characters, and humor. A beautiful and deserving story for a deserving and beautiful girl, On the Plus Side by Jenny Howe would be the perfect read for women from all walks of life!

I very much enjoyed this book. It was witty, funny, and focused on the role society plays in our perception of ourselves. I loved that the author was able to show so much of how I think of myself through Everly. Having character share that they love their body, they just don't like other people's perceptions is important. Body issues generally come from society and family, I like that there is another book focusing on how the impacts someone's perception of themselves. I felt like I could see myself in Everly's character and it felt nice to go along her confidence journey.

I don't think there is anything I would change other than just more. It felt very well balanced with likable characters, a believable plot line that was not immediately obvious. Logan was an amazing book boyfriend, I really enjoyed his dialogue and would have liked to delve a little deeper into his insecurities. I think the author did a great job of not making anyone the bad guy, you could see where each character was coming from even if it was not a good place. This ending fit, it was not expected though made sense, and the sense of dread that often follows stories of plus sized characters was not necessary. There were fun twists and that ever present sense of unease as the end came near, but the story wrapped in a beautiful way without feeling too perfect.

Okay, let me just start with I absolutely LOVED this book. As a plus sized girl, I think it is really important for other plus sized women to be represented in books. The authors note was a really great introduction and I felt that it was so perfectly worded in order to bring awareness to the idea of “fat” being used as a neutral term rather than a negative one.

I felt that there was excellent character development which enabled me to feel like I was actually picturing the characters infront of me rather than just reading about them.

I absolutely loved Everly. I saw a lot of myself in her and it made me feel connected to the story on some level.

One thing that I would change about this story would be to allow for more of an introduction of the TV show, On The Plus Side, before Everly becomes a guest on the show. I felt like I was a little confused in the beginning as to what the show actually was. Maybe a part of the story in the beginning could’ve been Everly watching the show and then the readers could have gotten a better idea of what it was like for someone on the show. But other than that, I am not sure that I would change anything about this story.

One of my favorite quotes from this book was this: “People see you the way you see yourself.” And it is 1000% true. You have to feel confident and happy in your own body and with yourself in order for others to see you that way as well. If you portray yourself as a happy, confident, beautiful person, then that is exactly what others will see you as!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC. I also just wanted to quickly say thank you to the author, Jenny Howe. I was able to reach out to her on instagram and spoke with her a few times about the book and it made me feel even more connected with the story!

I’m a sucker for plus size rep and good plus size rep and this one delivered. I was sucked in right away and couldn’t put it down.

I adore Jenny Howe and was SO excited to read this early! I read her other title last summer and have been waiting for this one! I love her plus size main characters and being able to see myself in the fmc. This was a great rom=com that also touched on deeper topics in a perfect balance. I highly recommend and will continue to read anything this author publishes!

I was a big fan of Howe's last book. Well except for the male love interspersed. But this time, I would wholeheartedly officiate Everly and Logans nuptials. Haha

Any book with a plus size FMC is a must read. But there was something all too real about Everly's triumphs over adversity and route to love. I greatly appreciated this journey on the page.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Everly is obsessed with a reality TV make-over show, On the Plus Side, so when she is ambushed by the filming crew at work revealing she has been selected for the show she is thrilled. Working in close proximity to the hottie but grumpy cameraman doesn’t hurt either.

The focus of the reality show was not really about physical appearance. Instead there was supposed to be a focus on body positivity and inner confidence. The messages about self-confidence and self-love that the book delivered was by far the best part. There were a lot of life lessons offered and provided a wholesome self-growth journey set amongst some spicy scenes… when they finally arrived. Because the first half was nothing but longing glances at each other before things go all-in pretty quickly. They are essentially two-cinnamon rolls who love each other for all the right reasons. It was cute and I can see the appeal for some but, I missed the angst that the author’s previous novel, the Make-Up Test, delivered. Everly and Logan’s relationship needed a little more tension for me. There was no drama in the relationship itself. So the drama had to come from somewhere else. It was contrived from an outside source that felt a little forced all for the sake of creating some quickly resolved conflict.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Everything about it! I love that Everly is so unapologetically herself! I related with this story so much! I love the way Jenny writes her books and I love the plus size representation!

As a plus sized person I enjoy reading stories with characters I can relate to in appearance and/or life struggles. On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe is a wholesome love story in which the heroine is surprised by being chosen for a television makeover and overcomes unexpected challenges while learning to regain her confidence and true self. The story line is slow moving at times, but the love interest is so supportive of the main character and he helps to keep the focus of the story on the main character's self development. This is truly a feel good story with a HEA. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a great view into reality TV, being seen by someone who loves you, and the reality of being plus size.

We have:
- elder dogs living their best life
- a plus size heroine on a journey to realize she is not too much!
- a grumpy, bearded cameraman ready to ensure the show is a success

This is a slow burn but very worth the journey.


Thank you to St. Maarten's Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

A very sweet book about a reality TV show contestant finding her voice, and her man, on set of "On The Plus Side".

Everly is in a rut -- she works at a receptionist for a design company but doesn't have the courage to ask to apply to be a designer. She is mildly content helping her work-crush, James, with his designs on a daily basis.

She is then nominated for On the Plus Side, a reality TV show that is part styling, part encouragement for plus-size contestants to go after their dreams without being afraid of rejection. Everly wants to become a designer in earnest and needs help finding the confidence to finally go for it. She loves the hosts of the show and quickly becomes infatuated with one of the cameramen, Logan, too. But when the showrunner begins to take her show in a different direction, Everly needs to dig deep with her newfound confidence to stand up for the story line, and ultimately the life, she wants.

I loved Everly's quick wit and finding the ability to finally see herself as those who love her do. Lots of cute dog cameos too!

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book.

This book made me happy. I enjoyed the characters and what they brought to Everly's story. Would definitely recommend for a beach read1

I'm here for the plus size representation in books. I love it and I loved this book. What a fun and easy read! I will definitely be asking Santa for this book for Christmas since it's going to be published around that time.

I love a romance with a plus size FMC. This was a fun read, but a little hokey for me. The plot felt Hallmark movie esque (if Hallmark cast actors who loved outside the bubble of white and thin and Christian). On the plus side (ehhh?), the author does not focus on food or body insecurity and that was so refreshing. If you're a fan of Chloe Liese, I think you would enjoy Howe's storytelling, which felt similar. Thanks for the ARC!

This was a cute book following a plus sized woman as she ends up on a TV show all about finding yourself and not being afraid to be seen. At first, she is thrilled but quickly starts feeling off about the priorities of the show and how she is being represented. This is a cute read that really picks up once Everly and Logan finally get together. I appreciated how they worked together and he trusted her even when his friendship was at stake.

✨ 4.5 Stars ✨
Yes, yes, yes, 1000x yes! You know a book is going to be good when you instantly relate to the characters. I loved Everly so much and thought her and Logan's relationship was so natural. They seemed to just fit together with her sarcastic jokes and his grumpiness. I love that he drops the grump when he is around her or the dogs because it reminds me now we all have that one person we can be 100% ourselves around.

I loved the relationship between Everly and the two hosts of the show as well. The author did an amazing job with showing a positive outlook on fat representation (and she also includes a disclaimer which is bonus points to me.) This whole book focuses on loving yourself and not conforming to societal norms. When the show tries to misrepresent Everly, she stands up for herself and her whole community shows and supports her.

I am overweight but every second of this quick and cozy read reminded me that I'm perfect the way I am. Im thankful for the life I have and no matter what I want to in life, I can achieve it.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Jenny L. Howe for letting me arc read this book. I’m so thankful and can’t wait to check out more from the author!

I think I like this one better than her debut, but it still wasn't great. I feel like the pacing and structure of this book were very confusing. I got so confused with the timeline and the filming schedule. Also, I got a little bored after the halfway point, but I guess bored is better than hating the skeleton man love interest in the first book?

I did like this couple loads better. Everly was really relatable and it was nice to see Logan fall for her with no strings attached. He thought she was beautiful as is and I loved that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

On the Plus Side By author Jenny L. Howe was so brilliantly written. It felt like the main character Everly Winters was a friend and the dialogue and story flows effortlessly. I throughly enjoyed reading this novel and I felt like I could totally relate to everything Everly was going through living in a fat body. Everly is living her life under the radar not really wanting to stand out in her life. From work to her love life it’s just easier not to be fully noticed, she’s learned from her mother that she’s too loud, too much. She has a huge crush on her coworker James. He flirts with her daily while she helps him with his designs while working as a receptionist. It seems to be working fine until one day she’s surprised at work by her favorite show and hosts. She’s been secretly nominated to be on the next season of the show ON THE PLUS SIDE!
Smart, capable and desirable are all qualities fat people aren’t thought of as but as the show films Everly starts believing in herself and her confidence grows. At the same time she’s enjoying the friendship and flirting between the cameraman Logan and herself. It’s all so confusing at first her coworker James has been flirting even more with her and she’s wondering how it would be to kiss him but then there’s Logan who is so comforting and that grumpy exterior is hiding a big softy who’s very tempting.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This made me cry it was so cute and deep and lovely.

Everly is such a ray of sunshine, and is SO relatable in every way. Logan is a grumpy little treasure and I adore him. I love grumpy/sunshine, and I especially love when the sunshine makes the grump less grumpy merely with their presence.

I also loved the genuine and open discussions around weight and fatness and beauty standards, both from the perspective of representation and from the way it can so easily get in the way of relationships. The way Everly’s relationship with her mom is so focused on her appearance even when it’s not meant to be is unfortunately too relatable for too many people (whether with a parent or others), and the way it was finally addressed was so solid and realistic.

I love to see representation & I love to see representation that isn’t all about being representation. This was an all-around delight!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this cute rom-com that comes out December 26th!
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This was a delightfully sweet book full of fat joy, body positivity, and a fun romance. Don't forget the sexy lumberjack camera man!
I'm not a huge fan of reality shows, but this one seemed like queer eye for fat women and I was all for that, do I decided to give it a go. And at the end of this book, I can say I wish "On the Plus Side" was a real show! The co-hosts of the show were so supportive, and you could tell they actually cared about Everly and the other contestants. I truly wish I could be Jazzy's best friend - she seems like such a badass!

I felt like the fat representation in this book was handled very well. There were so many jabs about every day things that are actually fat phobic - like the fashion industry - that were so refreshing to see my thoughts written out and discussed. Everly's insecurities didn't feel forced or anything, but rather authentic. And the banter between her and Logan was just swoon worthy.

There were a few tropes NOT present that felt like a relief to not see in a romance book for once. The second act breakup that sometimes seems unnecessary and like it was just there for the angst? Not here.
And my favorite thing - they actually COMMUNICATED! Miscommunication trope? I don't know her.

And now for the reason it didn't get a full 5 stars-
It just didn't seem like anything too special. It was good, it was fun. I'm not mad I read it (obviously), but I'm not sure how much I'll remember this months or a year from now. For a book to get 5 stars from me, I need to be kicking my feet giggling and screaming, crying, etc. And while I felt the emotions of the characters, I didn't feel it as much as I love to. I'm a character driven reader, what can I say.

Overall, I give this book a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 for goodreads.