On the Plus Size follows Everly Winter as she is cast to be a participant on her favorite reality tv show that makes over fat women. This show is beyond What Not to Wear and Queer Eye. It follows participants for several episodes as they receive help on all facets of their lives. Unexpectedly, Everly gets more than she bargained for when she starts falling for the grumpy camera guy. ⁣

I really enjoyed reading On the Plus Side. The concept for this book/the show is fantastic, and I desperately wish it actually existed. In addition, this book has some of the best fat representation that I have read, especially when it comes to family dynamics. It would be so refreshing to see fat people on television with no context of losing weight, but I digress.

With the exception of a few characters readers are clearly not supposed to like, I liked On the Plus Side‘s characters. In particular, Everly makes a great protagonist. She undergoes a lot of personal growth over the course of the book, allowing her to open herself up to love and the career of her dreams. While I did not love the unnecessary and pointless grumpiness of the male main character, I thought they had great chemistry and loved him going to bat for Everly. He received bonus points in my book for wearing flannel and rescuing elderly dogs. I just wish he had been as well-developed as Everly. ⁣

I did not really find any major faults with this novel. My one big critique is that there were far too many mentions of Schrodinger’s box. It is one of those things that, if you reference more than once, it really sticks out and becomes annoying. There was a handful of references to it, which just seemed weird.

Overall, I really enjoyed On the Plus Side and recommend it. If you love a feel-good book, have not read a book with fat rep that doesn’t include weight loss, or need a reminder of the insane audacity of cishet white men, pick up this novel.

Everly is pretty content going through life unnoticed and not taking big risks. But when someone from her life nominates her for On the Plus Side, a plus-size makeover show, all of that is about to change. As she goes through the season, there is a lot that overwhelms her introverted self. However, she finds comfort in the growing friendship with Logan, the show’s camera man. As that friendship turns into attraction, and as that attraction is caught on camera, more and more attention comes Everly’s way and she’s not sure she can handle it all.

I LOVED this book. A plus size makeover show had potential to go very wrong, but this was executed beautifully. The makeover was not about Everly’s physical appearance, instead the focus was all about growing her confidence to help her life unapologetically. Everly’s relationship with Logan was also amazing. The lack of drama between them was perfect - they really stayed a team even when that huge 3rd act conflict hit and handled it so maturely. Logan himself was so sweet. I also loved the behind the scenes of the reality show and all the side characters associated with the show added an extra layer of fun!

I loved listening to the audiobook which was narrated by Zura Johnson. She was easy to listen to and did a fantastic job bringing the story to life.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Spotify Audiobooks, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

I haven't loved reality show romances in the past but this one was fun and thoughtful with good chemistry and banter and real talk about fatphobia in the world

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the characters - especially the hosts! Jazzy and Stanton were a breath of fresh air. The chemistry between Everly and Logan was fantastic. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed - the conflict came too close to the end. And I wanted to see more interaction between Sady and Everly in the pivotal conflict scenes.

Unfortunate DNF at 14%. I got distracted by other books and feel no desire to go back and see what Everly is up to. I appreciated the premise and the size representation this story gives us, it just felt flat. While I only made it a short amount into the story, the male main character felt flat too. I've read some other reviews and it seems there are some other readers who felt that too. I also didn't love that Everly's mother harps on her size so much. I'm sure this is a very true to life mother/daughter relationship, but it felt a bit too icky and not something I was interested in exploring more.

There were so many moments when I was squealing and kicking my feet, which is rare for me! I laughed and cried during this book. As an animal lover, I fell even harder for Logan when he revealed that part of himself. Everly and Logan’s relationship was absolutely freaking adorable and I’m obsessed. The way Logan loved Everly is EVERYTHING. I want my own Logan 😫

There was the perfect mixture of romance and focus on Everly’s own issues. Everly’s flaws were so relatable and written so well. I seen myself in Everly so many times throughout this. I loved her character development. It felt real and I loved how Logan helped her through it all.

I can’t say enough good things about this novel. It was utter perfection to me. Logan is definitely my newest book boyfriend. And the whole reality TV premise? I loved it.

I loved everything about this so much! Everyone should add this to their tbr or just read this ASAP!

I found this book to be a joyful novel of self discovery and finding your worth. Everly is the biggest fan of On the Plus Side, a smaller streaming show that focuses on Plus size women becoming confident and getting make overs that highlight their personality, not hiding their weight.

Everly is chosen for the third season as the first contestant and she is nervous, excited, and deeply insecure about herself. Throughout the book Everly grows and learn more to embrace herself and her needs.

There is also some romance and some people trying to take advantage of her situation.

Overall, as a plus sized women i felt seen in this book, but not because of having the same body type, but having had alot of the same thoughts and feelings in my life as Everly is working through.

Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice 🌶 🌶 🌶

This was my first book by this author and definitely wont be my last! This was exactly the sweet, heartwarming and empowering book I'd hoped it would be. I loved the premise of this book. I have watched so many of those makeover shows and this was such a great take on it. I really rooted for Everly and how she saw the show as her opportunity to take back her own life and grow into the person she wanted to be. I adored her dynamic with Logan. Their banter and the palpable attraction between the two radiated from the pages. I was really drawn into the plot. I found it well paced and I thought the resolution was perfectly done and made sense for all the characters involved.

This was a perfect little grumpy sunshine rom com that had such a beautiful message about loving yourself where you are instead of where you think you should be.

Everly has been picked to be on the newest season of On the Plus Side after being secretly nominated. On the Plus Side is a reality makeover show featuring fat people. She wants to find the courage to be unapologetically herself and go after her artistic dreams again after years of “disappearing” as a way to deal with a toxic relationship with her mother.

Along the way to that freedom, Everly becomes friends with the two hosts, Jazzy and Stanton, who show her that she is enough and fat is not a flaw. The grumpy cameraman, Logan, becomes her loudest fan and they start falling for each other.

I really love this one. Jenny L. Howe’s writing is just lovely here. Everly is a strong FMC that doesn’t minimize herself because she is fat. She has spades of body positivity that was so nice to read. There is not enough body positivity in books and how it was written as conversations between Everly and Logan showed that being fat isn’t a handicap. I loved that Everly found her way and was embraced by Logan, the hosts, her best friend and the rest of her family. The book was an excellent representation of strong leads, communication, and empowerment and it had me tearing up at times. The chemistry between Everly and Logan didn’t hurt either. 😍

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. On the Plus Side is out now.

I am so thrilled to have had the opportunity to view an ARC—my very first—of Jenny’s upcoming novel. Melissa and I are not quiet about our love of this author and her work, and this book was everything we had been hoping for and so much more. This one checks all the boxes for me: reality tv setting, witty dialogue, dogs 🤣, strong female lead on a journey of self-discovery, and a completely endearing cinnamon roll love interest who melted my heart at every turn. The past several months have been a bit more stressful for me personally, as I am about to start a new job in just a couple of weeks, and this story was exactly what I needed as a reminder that while change can be scary and hard, it can also be the best thing to ever happen to you. Everly found her voice, was bold, and decided to put herself first—something I am trying to do a lot more lately, unapologetically. I cannot wait until this book releases in December, and hope you add it to your list, as it was just the cup of cocoa with a shot of whiskey that my heart needed.

BEAUTIFUL. GORGEOUS. STUNNING. POWERFUL.

The journey I took while reading this book was enlightening and also so therapeutic. Everly has always been fat. And she’s had the unfortunate and all too common comments from her mom that tend to break her down, even though it shouldn’t. She loves the show On the Plus Side and is nominated to star on it.

She goes forward with the show and upon going through the motions, she grows familiar with the camera man, Logan. And let me tell you, he is GORGEOUS. And also such a MAN. I love him.

Their journey is simply the sweetest thing I’ve ever read and this is my favorite book of 2024.

Thank you Jenny Howe for writing it!

I really enjoyed Jenny L. Howe's On the Plus Side.

This is an easy romance read that includes everything from plus size representation, self-love, steamy romances, witty banter, and a bonus of it all being set on a reality tv show!

The whole book deals with really digging deep and figuring out who you are on the inside, not just about the outside. And I really enjoyed the way Howe wrote this journey for the main character.

Highly recommend!

"On the Plus Side" tells the story of Everly Winters, a plus-size woman who lands a spot on a popular makeover reality show. Although some of the plot is predictable, this story had funny dialogue, heartwarming romance, and what I believe to be an empowering message. It takes themes of body image, self-acceptance, and finding love. Jenny Howe's writing becomes a comfort and a story I will tend to reach for repeatedly. We need more covers and voices like this heard. If you are looking for a rom-com that talks about heavy items in a lighthearted way this is the book for you.

Tropes:
Reality Makeover TV Show
Grumpy/Sunshine
Slow Burn
Forced Proximity

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love love love! Easy read, funny, heartfelt, realistic, frustrating, sweet, funny (I know I already said that!). I've been really loving Jenny L. Howe's books and I can't wait for the next one!

I actually really, really loved this one!
Being a plus-sized girlie, I can be very picky about how we’re portrayed in these types of books, but I really feel like the author got it pretty spot on.
I loved that the point of the show isn’t just “a makeover” - it’s also about learning to embrace yourself as you are and achieve your goals.
I really loved Everly’s energy and humour, and I loved seeing her grow more confident with herself as time went on.
I wish Logan had maybe opened up a bit more at times, but he definitely had the grumpy bit down 😂
This was really well written and easy to follow along with! An easy 4 stars from me.

I expected this to be a funny rom com and while there were plenty of laugh out loud moments, this book also was incredibly tender, emotional and sweet. Everlys journey was so amazing and I was so proud of her for growing the way she did

Thank-you to the author, St Martin's Press, and Net Galley for an Advanced Reader Copy. This is the story of Everly and her journey of self discovery (at least to me).
We open with Everly at work with her "crush" coming to her for help on his projects. The makeover show- On the Plus Size crashes into her workplace. Everly is overwhelmed at first. We see cameraman Logan being there for her. Now Logan is a bit of a grump and Everly is a bit of sunshine.
The plus size helps her discover her talents that she had hidden. Everly also had grief of losing her grandmother. We see her begin to blossom and become confident in her abilities.
She gets a tattoo from an artist that Logan knew. The show sees the chemistry between Logan and Everly plus the coworker James and markets it as a love triangle.
Everly after a night of drinking makes her move on James. It ends with him admitting something and then becoming just colleagues. Logan attends to her and what was beneath the surface bubbles to the forefront of this book.
I appreciate this book. I wish we could've had dual point of view in this story. I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed but I did enjoy it. 3.5/5
Stars

I chose this book as it is about a plus-sized woman. The last thing she ever imagined is that she would end up in front of a camera. This is my first book by Jenny Howe. It showed the struggles that plus-size women deal with and I love that Jenny chose to write a book about a plus-size woman. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Publishing for the ARC. I am leaving this review and is my own opinion.

I really loved this book. I enjoyed Howe's debut, but felt like this was a much stronger book. I really understood Everly and loved the way her journey progressed. She was fun and witty and surrounded by really great characters. I can't wait to see what Howe comes out with next!

Wow - I kicked my 2024 reading off on such a high note! On the Plus Side quickly grabbed my attention and held it until the very end. This is one of the most relatable books I’ve read in a very long time which made it one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time.

As a plus size woman, the struggles that Everly, the main character, goes through are things that I went through, as well. Her character was extremely well thought out and I appreciated that the author made her multi-faceted and interested in multiple things which I have not often seen in books recently.

If you’ve ever struggled with your body image and/or like you didn’t deserve space in this world, do yourself a favor and read this book!