On the Plus Side
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Jenny Howe

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Spotify Audiobooks and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Everly Winters is perfectly happy to navigate life like a good neutral paint color: appreciated but unnoticed. That’s why she’s still a receptionist instead of exploring a career in art, why she lurks but never posts on the forums for her favorite makeover show, On the Plus Side, and why she’s crushing so hard on her forever-unattainable co-worker. When no one notices you, they can’t reject you or insist you’re too much.

This plan is working perfectly until someone secretly nominates Everly for the next season of On the Plus Side. Overwhelmed by the show’s extremely extroverted hosts and how much time she’ll have to spend on screen, she finds comfort in a surprising friendship with the grumpy but kind cameraman, Logan. Soon Everly realizes that he’s someone she doesn’t mind being noticed by. In fact, she might even like it.

But when their growing connection is caught on camera, it sends the show’s ratings into a frenzy. Learning to embrace all of herself on national TV is hard enough; can Everly risk heartbreak with the whole world watching?

My Thoughts: This was an endearing, sweet, and heartwarming contemporary romance. The plus size representation was phenomenal. The book was released late last year. Everly gets nominated for the show, On the Plus Side. On the Plus Side is a reality makeover TV show that specializes in plus size individuals, helping them make over their wardrobe, finding their voice, and finding the thing that makes them shine. The fictional show reminds me of Queer Eye blended with What Not To Wear. She has always been unnoticeable, and is thrown into a very noticeable show with extroverted hosts. A surprising relationship with the cameraman, Logan, who has become her cheerleader that boils over into the show, national TV, when the ratings soar, are they soaring for the right reasons? Can Everly keep the blooming relationship from the media? This follows the tropes of grumpy/sunshine, reality TV,

This was a dual narration. Everly is reserved, introverted, and lives in a shadow of what she could be. Logan is very grumpy, tough exterior with a soft interior, while being charming. As we all know, reality really isn’t reality as much as it is orchestrated reality, the same falls true for our fictional reality show. I really wanted Everly to come more into her truth but it seemed she still wanted to impress others, instead of just standing in her truth. The relationship between Everly and her mother was difficult to read, and happens more so than not. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, intriguing, and creative. The author’s writing style was complex, steamy, swoony, funny, and perfection. I am grateful that Howe stayed true to her plus size representation. I loved how the relationship conflict came from external sources, it made it much more organic and not the “third-act breakup” we typically see.

I had the pleasure of having the digital and audio ARCs for review. The narrator, Zura Johnson, did an amazing job with voice variation, character distinction, and does an amazing job with the emotion within the voices, such as surprising and/or startling moments. The flow and pitch was easy to follow at 2x listening speed. When a story both makes me laugh and cry, I call that a win. I love Howe’s interpretation that shape/size does not matter, it does not define you, and only you can mark your mark on this world. I loved her prior work, The Make Up Test, and this one was just as wonderful. I highly recommend picking up this book!

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @spotify for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

On the Plus Side was a gem of a book. It was a heartwarming story focusing on plus size people. Everly makes a wonderful transformation, and Logan was swoonworthy from the get go. This is a story about a woman finding her way after being lost for a long time.

Author Howe created a realistic storyline and very likable characters you want to root for.

The audiobook was narrated by Zura Johnson, and she was very easy to listen to. I think she did a great job bringing the story to life.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #spotifyaudiobooks #netgalley #goodreads #ltbreaderteam #ontheplusside #jennyhowe

Adored this book, the character the plot and the narrator was great. I love the more complex themes it introduced to a sweet romance giving it extra layers but also still maintaining a relaxing and low angst read.

On the Plus Side is for readers who liked One To Watch or other stories of plus-size women overcoming obstacles in their way. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this story. I tried several times to finish listening to it, but each time I would find myself drifting and the story didn't capture my attention.

I attempted listening to this audiobook two different times and both times I could not get into it. The MMC was gruff and rude for no discernible reason and that made me annoyed. The premise of the book was also so unbelievable that I couldn't continue to listen to the book.

I tandem read this book in ebook and audio formats, and I ended up really enjoying myself once the story got going. Even though the story jumps RIGHT IN on the plot, I found it took awhile (nearly 25%), to really feel like I was into the story (that's usually when I'd decide to DNF or not). I was endeared to the characters quickly after that and believed in the story Jenny was telling.
Audio: 3.5 stars
eBook: 3.75 stars

Read this if you love:
- plus sized content
- reality tv shows
- healing
- body positivity
- self discovery
- with a little bit of spicy

Things I loved:
- Logan
- The self discovery journey Everly went through, both on camera and off, with her new mentors from On the Plus Side, Logan, and with her family and her best friends
- Reddit threads and comments
- Logan's dogs and Everly's brother and BFF's animals
- Everly deciding to chase ALL of her dreams, even when people important to her (ahem her mother) think she needs to focus and/or slow down and/or protect herself from public ridicule

In terms of the audio... I thought the narration was good. The pace felt slow for me when I was listening, so perhaps I would've just stuck to the ebook if I went back and did it again. It's at no fault to the narrator, however, because I think the story just would've connected better with me had I read all the words instead. I loved how the narrator played all of the characters and really felt the chemistry between Everly and Logan.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and audio production company for early access to this title as both an ARC and an ALC. These are my honest thoughts.

I have mixed feelings about "On the Plus Side," which is a book about a plus-sized woman who is nominated to be on a reality TV show that focuses on body positivity and fat acceptance.

While I enjoyed the message of learning to love who you are, regardless of how you look, I found some of Everly's decisions to be a bit shortsighted given the circumstances. (Spoiler: If you're intimate with your partner in the dressing room of someone else's store, even if the store is closed, that's really not appropriate. The expectation of privacy is lost in a public setting.)

I did love the way the show pushed her out of her comfort zone and that the hosts seemed genuinely interested in understanding her story and what she needed most. And the author's note at the start of the story to explain what she hoped to accomplish with it was helpful as well.

There was good banter and affirmation along the way, and I really liked Logan's support of Everly, but there were also times when I cringed at Everly's approach to people.

In the end, I enjoyed reading it, but it's not a book I'll read a second time.

Thank you to Jenny L. Howe, Spotify Audiobooks, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Sexy and fun! We love plus size beauty! I enjoyed the romance but also they found self confidence. A beautifully written novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was an enjoyable romance about a plus size woman who goes on a reality show that deals with bringing out the best in her and fat acceptance. It had some out loud chuckle moments I appreciated the explanation by the author at the beginning explaining her views and her goals of writing the book. However I struggled a bit during the first half of the book which felt like a non stop motivational ad about being fat and body positivity and such. It was stuff most overweight people have heard for years and maybe it is best meant for thinner people without that experience themselves but I felt like it was a little too in your face. Still great writing and some good romance and funny scenes.

Link to my review on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/65213088

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.

Truly love seeing good fat rep in books and while this is not my usual genre I wanted to give the book a chance because of this. In the end I'm glad I did because the rep was good, the banter was enjoyable, and the romance was sufficient - but honestly I almost didn't need the romance because the way our loveable FMC comes to love and appreciate herself would have been enough for me.

This book was so delightful! I love the body positivity and the the creative story line. I’m not a big reality TV person, so jumping into this world was so fun. The characters were all so fleshed out and real, even the relatively minor characters. You couldn’t pay me enough to be on a reality makeover show, but it was fun to tag along with Everly while she undertook that adventure. The narration was great and this was a fun listen.

This was nice. I love when a book includes modern media/television shows and has a plus size rep, so I knew I'd like it. Some parts were not holding my attention enough, but overall I thought it was sweet.

This was a lighthearted, fun reality show romance. As a plus-size reader myself, I really enjoyed this one and appreciated Everly's struggles and remarks on "living in a world that was made to exclude fat people." In that vein, it was nice to read about a show that was made to improve the lives and wardrobes of fat people while reinforcing happiness at whatever stage people are at. On that note, I really appreciated that the focus of the show was not seeing Everly as someone who needs a makeover, but as someone who needs help embracing all that she is and what she wants to be.

While the romance was really soft and a touch insta-love, I still really enjoyed seeing Everly and Logan build a relationship. His compassion for Everly was a balm to my soul. I also loved that they were on the same side of third act conflict.

Overall, this book felt like a warm hug and it was a great way to end out 2023. I always appreciated a well-written fat-centric romance and this didn't disappoint.

Thank you to Spotify Audiobooks and Netgalley for the audio arc of this book!

This book is a great read for anyone dying to know what happens behind the scenes of reality TV shows. It really makes you question how much is real vs how much is manufactured.

I loved the slow burn of Everly and Logan and really rooted for them the whole story. Everly was such a great character and the story really emphasized self-love regardless of your size, which I think everyone can relate to.

I received this book as an audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job. My only pet peeve, which is not the fault of the author or narrator, is that I find that forum posts don't translate as well to audiobooks. In a regular book they're a fun little break between chapters but that doesn't translate well when narrated.

I really enjoyed this romance with a reality tv twist! One of my favorite shows growing up was What Not To Wear and this book gave that energy with an actually body positive affirming twist. Everly was a lovely character and I enjoyed her and Logan's romance as well.

Writing about a sensitive topic like plus size people can be so difficult but the author did it really well. I love how something the main character loved so much opened up her eyes but in a much different way than she anticipated.
Honestly, the romance portion felt like a bonus to the character really finding herself and her strengths.

🌀Synopsis
Everly is obsessed with the makeover show On The Plus Side and she’s Saratov when she’s selected to be a member on the show. She’s sure it’s going to help her figure out her life.
At first, she’s nervous and overwhelmed. With the help of one of the cameramen Logan, she seems to be getting adjusted to the show fairly easily. Logan is grumpy, but seems to have a sweet spot for Everly and their relationship blossoms as they spend more time together.
Unfortunately, things start going wrong with the show. She is shown the true side of entertainment and she’s hurt and disappointed her favorite show turns out to be a scam. In the end, she finally has to decide if she’s going to stand up for herself and put herself first. A true story of triumph for Everly.

This was a heart warming, body positivity romance! I loved how Emory took a journey from doubt towards confidence over the course of the book. Would recommend!

On the Plus Side was a quick and easy story. If you need a book to pass the time or ease you back into reading, then this is a book for you. Simple and relatable story.

This was really great and fun and I liked the narrators a lot. I dont usually love reality show romances but they did a good job with this one.