Everly Winters is a talented artist but is perfectly happy to live and work in the shadow. She works as a receptionist at her company instead of a graphic designer. She wears dark colours and doesn't go out much since her grandma died. She uses an anonymous username on the online forums for her favorite make-over show, ON THE PLUS SIDE. When someone nominates her for the next season of ON THE PLUS SIDE, her life is about to change. With the three hosts constantly around and the grumpy cameraman, Logan Samuel giving her heart palpitations, she realizes that it is time to stop hiding and become the Everly she used to be, the one her grandma would be proud of.

This book might be a romance, but it has some deeper issues within it's covers. Being a plus size woman, I understand Everly's feelings and actions. I would wear only dark colours, flowy clothes and keep to the edges at gatherings, hoping to be unobtrusive. This book celebrates people for who they are. They encourage Everly to look her best, wear clothes that make her look beautiful and not hide. I love what it does for Everly's self-confidence. The other main theme is the way reality television treats it's contestants/participants. Things happen during the filming that are intrusive and dishonest, and Everly and others have to make some serious decisions. I really liked the romance. Logan was amazing. He was attracted to Everly's strength from the beginning and quickly began to defend her to others. He also helped her to get a backbone and stand up for herself at work. I guess you could say it was a bit of a grumpy/sunshine trope. I loved their banter, laughing at it often, and the gradual development of their relationship. The fat representation was extremely realistic and relatable, and the author talks about her use of the word "fat" in the book before it starts. Overall, this is a funny, cute, steamy, and emotional, story, with a wonderful self-love message. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by Zura Johnson. I enjoyed her narration, especially her voices and expression that were perfect for this book. If you enjoy a good contemporary romance, books about reality TV or stories about personal growth and self-esteem, then I think you would enjoy On the Plus Side.

Everly Winters is OK with her life. She is an administrative assistant, wears neutral colors and goes along with the flow. When Everly is ambushed during work by the show On the Plus Side. Who nominated her? Will she finally come out of her shell and become the best person she can be? Will Everly finally be able to pursue her dreams of becoming an artist? The love story in here was adorable. You have Logan, the lumberjack man behind the camera, who is grumpy, rarely speaks and loves dogs. A bit of grumpy (Logan) vs sunshine (Everly). The characters were dynamic and fun. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job. Also, LOVE the Gritty reference here! Yes, the story talks a lot about the stigma of plus side women, but there was a lot more to it than that. This was a story about becoming confident in your body, skills, and mind.

The cover is gorgeous definitely giving strong and confident! The Narrator did a great job as well.
We love a plus lady getting her HEA!!! We love even more when they stand up to bullies!! Great representation definitely swoony and some spicy. Cant wait to read the other books from this author!

I loved this one! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great- she had different voices for each of the characters, portrayed their emotions and kept my interest throughout. I loved the idea of a fat main character gaining self confidence and especially the reality show aspect. Highly recommend!

I was really excited about this one, but I got turned off pretty quickly by the foreword and felt like it just sort of overexplained things. I love to see representation of plus-size characters on the page, but there was just something about the stance it took that made me less excited to read this. So sorry that this one wasn't for me!

First, thank you NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me this ALC.

This was a cute read, with some read deep and thought provoking content. I like that the author laid out a lot of conversations around “fat”/plus sized stereotypes (particularly women) and really encourages allowances of all women to simply exist without having to dull our shine.

The premise of the book was really interesting, I like the idea of a reality show. I think the story did drag a little in some places, but overall it was a good read.

I also think the narrator did really well!

I enjoyed listening to On the Plus Side, narrated by Zura Johnson!

Everly is alright hanging out in her secretary role and commenting on On the Plus Side reddit forums. Nominated for the show, she is thrown into the world of her favorite show. Next step? Rediscovering her art and not letting others define how she should look.

I listened to On the Plus Side over a few days and enjoyed the overall premise. Jenny L. Howe identifies triggers at the beginning and shares the topic of body size is featured (not in a body shaming way). As the book focuses on Everly's self journey, I appreciated the trigger early on to know it wasn't "fat bashing". While this book could be classified as contemporary romance, I'd say it more identifies as "finding yourself" fiction. Everly's inner monologue regarding her mom was truly relatable. Some of the male characters were hard to keep straight and I wish they were more easily differentiated- I quickly had to make notes. While that was a setback, I adored the little reddit thread comments at the end of several chapters.

I'd recommend doing this on audio- Zura'a voice kept my attention!

Thank you Spotify audiobooks and SMP romance for my alc / earc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book.
I am a reality show fan and have been overweight on & off my entire life.
I am Everly although I don't think I could do a reality show.
I loved the story line and the ending.

4⭐, 2🌶️

I didn't expect to tear up as often as I did in this book - but Everly's confidence with her body size, as well as her loss over her grandmother and difficulties with her mother was so emotionally impactful! While I couldn’t relate with a lot in this book I loved the message it sends of priding ones body over changing it, no matter your size.

Thank you NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for an ALC of On the Plus Side, by Jenny L. Howe, narrated by Zura Johnson. This is my unpaid and honest review!

What a sweet story about an underdog scenario where the underdog prevails in the end!

I loved Everly and the fact that the book emphasized how she learned and grew through each and every step! Everly is a plus size woman in a regular size world. And…she does NOT want to lose weight! She’s ok with being the way she is!

Loved the fact that she got to be involved with one of her favorite shows too!!

I did NOT like James. Felt like he was a moocher from the get-go!

Loved Logan, and how he shone through on so many levels and in so many different scenarios!!

Well played, and so happy that justice was served in the long run!

This one had me HYSTERICAL laughing on multiple occasions…and then shedding a tear a minute later.

Really had me feeling all the feels…

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 stars for me, rounded up to 4.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #SpotifyAudiobooks for an ARC of the audiobook which is due to be released on 12.26.23.

#OnThePlusSide by #JennyLHowe and beautifully narrated by #ZuraJohnson.

Great storyline, and great to see how one can stand up for yourself when things are not done the way they are supposed to be! Or better said…you are lied to… Kudos Everly!!

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Happy reading!! 📚📖

I truly wanted to love On the Plus Side as the concept seemed really wonderful - unfortunately it fell flat for me. While I loved the overall message of self love - the characters read really young and the major conflicts felt very unrealistic.

Thank you very much for the ARC.

Love this book! The story is so sweet and the relationship building is wonderful! I highly recommend it. The narrator is great too.

Impossibly, I like this even more on the second read. Thank you so much to Jenny L Howe and publisher for providing this ARC. I was grateful to receive the ebook, and didn't think I'd get so lucky as to also receive the audiobook, but I did! This is a five-star read, in any format.

I don't typically listen to audiobooks, as my brain tends to wander and then an hour will pass and I'll realize I haven't been paying attention. That's not so much the case with this! It helps I've already read it once, but the audiobook narration by Zora Johnson is very nice to listen to. She has great diction and pacing and I find it easy to follow along, where I struggle to do so with other audiobooks.

Thanks again, Ms. Howe and publisher, for providing this ARC :) I'm recommending it to all rom-com lovers.

This was not my favorite read of the year. The biggest downfall of any book is an unintentionally hatable main character, and boy did I hate our main character. She was cringy, overdramatic, and needed to be the victim in every sentence of every page of this book. The love interest was fine, but extremely flat. I feel like I knew nothing about him, which was preferable to the obnoxious main character. There was also no chemistry, which is honestly fine bc despite the fact that I know NOTHING about the love interest, I truly believe he deserves better. I don't have the patience to reread to find all the quotes, but there were so many times I got the ick while reading. And I'm still a little confused about the plot. It felt like the focus was reluctantly on the romance and the fashion fell flat as a subplot. I wanted so badly to love this. So disappointing.

As a fat girl, I’m always going to be happy to see romances with fat people as the main characters. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for me to love this book. I was bored for a lot of the first part of the book. The last quarter was better but not enough to make me love it.

4.75ish stars

I’m quickly becoming a very big fan of this writer and the representation of diverse characters, and especially body types, that she includes in her books. I really enjoyed the story and character development here as well as the romantic relationship profession (including that the final conflict wasn’t exclusively about their romance). I appreciated the well-rounded nature of the protagonist and that she wasn’t inherently uncomfortable with her body or simply trying to change it. I also enjoyed her insistence on her story being about more than just a romance. It will seem obvious to compare this novel to One to Watch, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s accurate and wonderful. For someone who really doesn’t watch reality TV, I’m apparently a fan of stories that try to depict that world in books. Who would’ve thought?

I love this trend of including more body and fat positive main characters in romance. It’s about time!

I thought the setup of the reality makeover show was cute and provided a scenario where Everly, our MC, gets a chance to really discover herself and her self worth.

I will definitely be recommending this body positive read to my romance loving friends!

4.5 ⭐️

Romance + dating show + body positivity = my kind of book.

There is so much to love about this one, especially if you’re a fan of The One to Watch. Everly is the kind of FMC we need in books— she has depth and has a realistic and relatable character arc. And Logan! What a upstanding man- I just want give him a hug! The audio for this was excellent, and romance readers should add this to their 2024 TBR.

This is such a great book about a plus-sized character finding her sparkle, learning it’s okay to take up space, and that she’s not too much. There is some fat phobia directed at the main character, but it’s really such a beautiful read. Hope to see more plus size protagonists from Jenny Howe and others!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of "On the Plus Side" by Jenny L. Howe for my ARC!

This is the story of Everly Winter, a fat girl who has lost her confidence and spunk after the death of her beloved Grandma Helen four years ago. Everly is working a job she is overqualified for, crushing on a coworker who isn't interested and generally feeling stuck in her life. The one bright spot in her day is visiting the online forum for her favorite reality show, On the Plus Side. When Everly gets the chance to be a guest on the show she jumps at her chance to use it to change her life as it has for so many others she has watched before him. Everly's life begins to change immediately as an attraction builds between her and the handsome and grumpy cameraman, Logan Samuels. But can Everly embrace romance while also working on her own self-confidence and life?

This book was a very witty read, but I was left wanting a little more. I actually think it was the ending that frustrated me most. The whole book Everly talked about wanting her journey on the show to be about her art and finishing what her Grandma wanted for her, but then that never happens. I don't want to spoil it too much so I won't say why it doesn't happen, but it felt like her journey turned into a love story only.

I did enjoy the audiobook narration of the book.