Everly is a full figured girl who hides herself from everyone but the two people closest to her. One day she’s selected to be on a show catering to real women who are Plus Sized. Will the show let her innersole shine through and bring the real Everly to the forefront?

I LOVE a body positive story. SO many women are plus sized and yet we feel inadequate. This book brings all of us to life and shows our ability o truly shine and be ourselves without having to starve ourselves and feel inferior. We need more stories like this that represent real women and those who love us!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Summary
On The Plus Side was a cute and engaging story that gave a unique perspective on the plus sized community. The story follows Everly, a mid-twenties gal who works as a receptionist and is content with her life. She is obsessed with a TV show called; you guessed it! “On the Plus Side”! The show is a reality TV series that follows individuals who would be considered plus sized and gives them a makeover of soul, career, and style (enunciating the style as a way for them to express themselves, not hid themselves). Along the way, Everly finds love (of course, this is a RomCom), a reignited passion for her skills, and the strength to fight for herself.

My Take
This book was pretty-adorable and ended up making me feel all sorts of good at the end. The plot was engaging and offered all the highlights that a typical RomCom would offer, sans that typical blonde-haired, blue-eyed front and center babe that fills the protagonist role so often. This book offered a unique take on what it means to talk comfortably about a body. The story kept me engaged and wanting to see how the story ended.


Would I Recommend: Yes, I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good RomCom and wants to spend a day lost in a good plot.

3.5 Stars

MORE PLEASE!!!!
I LOVED this book!!!
Everly and Logan are amazing!
There’s laughter and heartbreaking realism in this book!
I’ll be following Jenny L. Howe and can’t wait for her next book. Please make it soon!!!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Jenny L. Howe book but it definitely won’t be my last! I loved everything about it.

Everly gets submitted to be a participant on “On The Plus Side;” a Quueer-Eye-inspired makeover show focused on plus sized people. On her journey of rediscovering herself and what she wants, she and camera-man Logan strike up an unexpected relationship but it’s not without its tribulations of its own. Everly felt incredibly relatable; growing up fat, I always felt that I had a similar relationship with a lot of people that Everly has with her mother. It was painful but also felt so validating to know that I haven’t been alone in feeling that way or having that experience. Also, I may or may-not have a wardrobe that has historically, mostly, been made up of neutrals and dark colors because it felt safer to be invisible than to let myself be seen.

I love a grumpy MMC so Logan the Grouch was my kind of man with a tough exterior but the sweetest cinnamon roll beneath it all. Reading pretty much every single scene with him with Everly gave me heart-eyes.

I really appreciated that different types of fat bodies were represented and that Jenny didn’t try to shoehorn an entire subpopulation into a neat little box. I also loved that she tackled heavier topics like grief and the expectations we have for ourselves and how that doesn’t always align with. the expectations others have. Seeing Everly’s growth felt really inspiring without coming across as cheesy and I loved how gradual it was; it was truly a journey, she didn’t simply wake up ‘different’ one day. I loved how we saw her hesitance to make a change in her life slowly develop into being confident enough to stand up for herself and her feelings.
Also, the relationship with James felt a little too real; I can definitely relate to the idea of ‘Schrodinger’s date.’ If you don’t ask, the possibility is always there and that feels much safer than taking a risk. That hit really close to home.

Overall, I adored this and I can’t wait for it to be out in the world for others to read! Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny L. Howe, and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC!

Wow. This book blew me away! The author's note at the beginning of the book was poignant, and well written - I agree that the term "fat" has had a negative connotation for too long. Even while reading the book, I found myself cringing at the use of the word "fat" and then would think to myself how ridiculous that was. One of the notes I wrote for myself is that everyone has something they're self-conscious about to some level, skinny or otherwise - Logan was worried about his stomach; Becca was worried about her psoriasis; Everly's mom had to deal with high school bullies. I appreciate the author - and this book!

I related to Everly in so many ways - being a fat person, dealing with bullying, not wanting to risk rejection so never putting yourself out there. So many of her struggles are things I have dealt with, and continue to deal with - especially as my husband and I are trying to conceive a child. All that being said, it was great being able to see Everly come into her own and acknowledge her self-worth. I appreciated that we saw her grow both in her personal life, but also in her professional life. It's my opinion that she was too harsh on her mom, especially after the talk that they had, but it takes time to change hurt feelings, to be sure. I also thought that Logan was a really great MMC - he was there to support Everly in all ways, but also let her fly on her own. I'm a sucker for dogs - I have my heart dog's birth date and gotcha date tattooed on my feet - so that part of the story really got to me.

My only criticism of the story is that I wish we were able to see Everly participate in the Collective, especially since that was such a big part of her storyline. I also wish we had more interactions between Logan and Everly where they had actual conversations, unrelated to the show and/or them being physical with each other. Aside from that, I thought it was really and truly a great book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I think the author did an excellent job being sensitive to fat people and fat shaming; she kept a balance between sensitivity, growth, humor, grief, family and relationships. I adored the dynamic between Everly and Logan and wished they would have been on an actual TV show so I could see it in person. This book hit all the marks for me.

The acknowledgements for this book were particularly heartfelt.

I really enjoyed Jenny's debut and was excited to read this one in hopes of another fun read and it certainly delivered!

Pitched as a cross between "What Not to Wear" and "Queer Eye", this book is fun and emotional with some great characters and a story that lives up to its pitch. I really appreciated that it tackled sensitive issues such as plus-size body positivity and finding confidence to be your true self. It's vulnerable and inspiring and not all sunshine and daisies just like real life. I really appreciated that there was no third act break up and that the characters communicated their feelings well and kept it mature while still acknowledging insecurities and concerns that people encounter everyday.

I loved how gentle and attentive Logan was towards Everly despite starting out broody and how much he respected Everly, especially regarding fights he wanted to help her fight. Who doesn't love a bearded lumberjack-esque man with a heart of gold? Their romance was adorable and they had a lot of chemistry that made all of their scenes enjoyable and while I'm usually a big dual POV fan, it works perfect being only from Everly's point of view as this is HER story to tell and nobody else's. The whole reality show dynamic was fun and truly an ode to all the fun makeover shows, even when it turned out reality wasn't actually as real as Everly had thought.

There was a fantastic cast of characters, but I did feel that some of them needed to be more developed. While this was certainly Everly's story, all of the side characters felt like they needed more depth and were simply there for Everly's story to progress. I also would've really loved the end to have been less rushed as Everly had some big dreams regarding her art and her memories of her grandmother she wanted to carry out and suddenly they were omitted as if that storyline was just set aside instead of followed through. Everly put a lot of work into becoming her ideal self and it just felt like it was missing the closure of her carrying out anything in memory of her grandmother.

Overall I am certainly a fan of Jenny's books and will continue to read them as I love a good romance book that has fun characters and an inspiring message. Any romance reader who likes a little bit of spice, a lot of relatable drama, emotional vulnerability that will make you feel seen, and some wacky geriatric dogs will enjoy this book!

THIS BOOK! Obsessed is an understatement... This book had me giggling, swooning, & kicking my feet. I absolutely love fat character representation, especially in romcoms. On the Plus Side did not disappoint. Howe did such a wonderful job of capturing the entirety of the fat experience while never having her main character, Evelyn, apologize for the space she took up in the world. Evelyn has a fully fleshed-out woman and not the sum of her insecurities and her confidence did not depend upon the validation of her love interest. (which I find happens quite often in plus size rep) Never once did she think of her body as the problem she always knew it was the fatphobia that is so rooted in our society that is the problem. I also thought Howe captured the mother-daughter relationship in this book very well. I felt it on a guttural level. Although this is a romance book, I feel this focus was on Evelyn’s journey as a person trying to find her passions, and along the way, she just so happens to find love. Speaking of love, LOGAN - again swwooooonnned - was the perfect MMC with just the right balance of protective and respectful. There is something about the ‘I see you like really see you and you see me” trope that truly gets me every time. I can not wait for this book to come out so I can force everyone I love to enjoy it.

I absolutely LOVED On the Plus Side. It's exactly what a rom-com should be: funny, flirty, a wee bit sexy, and full of fluffy goodness.

Everly is fat and the book doesn't shy away from the word or the realities of being large in a world built for smaller sizes. But instead of being self deprecating like we unfortunately see in way too many romances, Everly likes the way she is. She wants to shine but has allowed grief and a not so supportive mother to push her into the background - to not want to be seen.

And then there's Logan. So many authors end up making their grumpy in the grumpy/sunshine trope come across as total jerks. Not the case in this one. He is the perfect balance of grunting curmudgeon and smooshy fluffmallow.

All in all, this was a quick and light read with minimal angst. The perfect book to read this winter cozied up in a blanket with the warm beverage of your choice in hand. Oh, and (spoiler alert) there's no third act break-up!

I absolutely loved this book I can’t say enough good things. I definitely think this is exactly what I needed to read and I didn’t even know it. As a fat girl who grew up watching makeover reality shows the basic plot is great. A long time fan of a plus size makeover show called on the plus side gets nominated to be a guest on their second season. Our main character Everly is an artist in her mid 20s who isn’t necessarily insecure in the fact that she’s fat. Everly was such a good character, I love her story and development and see so much of myself in her. I love that the book acknowledges the struggles of plus size people but the character genuinely doesn’t mind that she is fat, or even the use of the word fat. It was a very refreshing read and definitely a 5 star for me just for the fuzzy way it made me feel.

***4.5 rounding up to 5***

I'm so grateful to be reviewing Jenny's second book, courtesy of NetGalley + St. Martin's Griffin, in exchange for my honest review.


Everly Winters is content with where she is in life, moving through unnoticed, taking up as little space as she can. That is...until someone secretly nominates her for the next season of her favorite TV show, On The Plus Side.

As Everly is thrust into situations that require her to be honest with herself about what she wants and what's holding her back, she finds comfort in the plaid cinnabun working the camera, Logan Samuel. His grumpy demeanor is no match for Everly's delightful aura, and soon their budding connection is sparking like fireworks — and heating up the show's ratings.

Being vulnerable, on TV no less, is difficult enough. But can Everly steer the narrative of her screen time to showcase more of her journey to overcoming self-doubt and embracing change? Or is she destined for public heartbreak that will send her retreating back to the life of invisibility?

Where do I even begin? Jenny really finds her stride in her second novel and it's such a joy to read her writing. Her characters jump off the page, bursting with personality and making you root for them (or against them, depending on what role they're playing in the story).

I loved the concept of this book. I'm a huge fan of Queer Eye and I loved how Jenny took such a familiar format and breathed new life into it, providing a space for the fat community to exist and be 'made over' without conforming to society's fatphobic, and unrealistic, beauty standards. Jenny is committed to writing fat characters whose stories do not revolve around them losing weight to be better versions of themselves because they are perfect as they are. They deserve to find love and to feel sexy and be desired, just like any other character, but she does an excellent job of writing characters who may challenge their self-love, such as Everly's mother.

Jenny handles the relationship between Everly and her mother in a way that feels extremely relatable. Sometimes the pressures put on us from those we love have nothing to do with us and have everything to do with their own unresolved issues and unhealed wounds. And it made sense that their problems were not completely fixed by the end of the book because it takes time, but it was beautiful to see them finally have an open discussion and lay it all out on the table.

And I'd be remiss not to gush about Logan, our lumberjack daddy whose 'hurt her and die' energy leaps off the page and makes you want to kiss him 100 times...and then some. The protectiveness he displays over Everly from very early on is swoon worthy, and he only continues to get more swoon worthy as he thaws out a bit for our leading lady. I loved watching him fiercely support her, and I loved watching him open up bit by bit and be just as vulnerable with Everly as she was being with him.

I loved the lack of a miscommunication trope + NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!!! It's like Jenny knew what my two least favorite things in a romance novel are and decided to make sure my reading experience was as pleasurable as possible. Speaking of pleasure...the laundry room scene is one of the steamiest scenes I've ever read and should Jenny ever want to dive into more spice in the future, I'm fully on board.

I knew Jenny was going to knock it out of the park with her second book, but now I can say with full confidence that she did. I can't wait for everyone to read this on December 26!

This review originally appeared on Goodreads.

I was really excited to read this one, because I’m a bigger girl myself and I love to see plus size representation. What I don’t like however, is for it to be such a big deal in the book. I feel like too much emphasis was placed on her being plus size. Otherwise I really liked it!

On the Plus Side is a lovely romance with a plus-sized heroine about loving yourself for who you are. I especially enjoyed how much of Everly's character arc is about her personal growth rather than finding romance--it was a nice shift of focus that still allowed for a warm, enjoyable love story. Very solid read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

I enjoyed this one a lot, from the grumpy but secretly sweet MMC, the fabulous side characters (Jazzy and Stanton, love!) to the plus-size representation, and above all no third-act break-up! This rom-con had some What Not to Wear vibes I loved, but think WNTW made fat. Everly starts off unsure of herself and lacking confidence, and I loved that her confidence builds slowly, and that it was never about her body size. There are some mentions of fatphobia and emotional abuse in the story, but they're kept to a minimum and handled well. All-in-all, a cute story with minimal spice and a satisfying ending.

An incredibly relatable story of plus-size Everly and her journey to accept that she doesn’t have to be less to be accepted in the world. My favorite thing about Everly’s narrative is that she accepts her body as is and it’s the mental aspect of being fat that is hardest struggle to overcome, especially when you aren’t surrounded by people who understand the lived experience. I think the author accurately taps into the nuance of how different relationships approach conversations about fatness. Sometimes people who think they’re doing something out of love hurt us the most and sometimes all it takes is one person in your corner to start changing your perspective. Also the romance portion of this novel is top notch! #teamLoverly

This book had me hooked within the first few pages. It's not often you have a plus size main character who isn't desperate for love and attention. The characters were well written and I felt connected to them . Jenny Howe did pretty darn good with this one.

This book definitely hits hard on self-love and self-discovery. I think the author did a fantastic job of portraying the FMC and the insecurities that a plus-size person experiences. It was a great plot and the characters were great. This is a great forced-proximity, grumpy-sunshine type novel. If those are the tropes that you go for then this is a perfect book for you.

4/5 stars

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is full of powerful emotions, heartfelt messages, and inspiring advice. It was an easy read but still had strong themes that really spoke to me as a plus size gal myself. Although James and Sady made me furious, Everly's journey made up for those negative feelings I definitely recommend, especially if you like Queer Eye. Full review on Instragram, booknerdysam.

On the Plus Side was an absolute joy. I’m also a plus size person and I loved Jenny L. Howe’s representation of the day-to-day challenges and insecurities facing plus size people. Not only that but it was a delightfully sweet romance with a hot, loveable male MC.

This book isn’t released until December, but I couldn’t wait to read it. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Y'all. I absolutely LOVED this book. I have a soft spot for rom-coms and this did not disappoint. I fell in love with Everly and her path to self love throughout this book.

As a person who has struggled with my weight and self esteem for my entire life the character's internal struggles (opinions/expectations of society for plus size individuals, self worth and her fat phobic mother) were something I could deeply resonate with to and it hit home. This book made me feel validated and also helped me gain self love and acceptance for myself.

I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading more from this author.