As a regular sized girl who's even been body shamed for being too thin, I didn't expect to be able to connect and understand the world of a plus sized woman so well, but Howe's writing made it seemingly effortless. I was still somehow able to relate to Everly's bold and layered personality and see how her size unfortunately shaped her personality.

Logan was a total green flag and I loved him so much! He stands up for what he values, and his no nonsense attitude was a refreshing contrast to the 'grumpy' MMCs in so many romances. His chemistry with Everly isn't exactly sizzling or insta-love but you can see the attraction and affection they share for each other, especially with him looking out for her. And honestly, I can't blame Everly for liking Logan coz he caught my eye immediately (I read the blurb a while back)

I think Everly's relationship with her mom was a unique and memorable element of this book. Her mom loves and cares about her but has unconventional ways of expressing that, causing misunderstanding between them. Their bond subtly evolves through the story, which is honestly a much better outcome that romance in my opinion.

There's also light shed upon the confusing world of reality shows and its dark secrets. I do appreciate how Howe shows both the good and bad, being completely unbiased. The reddit threads too were entertaining to go through, the support and discussions about the show interesting and actually a pretty big part of the novel itself.

I just reviewed On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe. #OnthePlusSide #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Griffin for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published December 26, 2023.

I like what the author said in the beginning of the book about the term “fat”. Her intention is to disempower the word, and in the book she uses it from a place of self-love and healing. ❤️

This book is about Everly, a receptionist with low self-confidence who gets asked to be on the reality TV show On The Plus Size where they do makeovers. But Everly‘s makeover goes well beyond the actual clothes and gives her confidence to pursue her interest in graphic design and tattoos. The love interest with Logan was somewhat predictable, but there were other surprises in the book. Overall a quick and enjoyable read.

I have Jenny L. Howe’s debut book in my audio library and meant to listen before starting On the Plus Side, but didn’t manage to make it happen - though she writes very well and I will go back very soon to do that!

I enjoyed this book a lot, with the very positive fat girl representation throughout the whole thing. As a girl on the bigger side myself, for my whole life, doing yo-yo diets to try to feel better and fit in and fit into clothing made for tiny people… this book is written for us! I loved the storyline about the TV show (called the title - On the Plus Side), with hosts Jazzy and Stanton who are just like Stacey and Clinton from TLC’s What Not to Wear - this show is very much like that… mixed with Queer Eye, I guess (I never watched that one, but loved the other). Everly gets a plus-sized life makeover to wear clothes that make her feel like herself and be comfortable in her body, help to figure out her “thing” - which is something art-related she’s been scared to do, and help her tell her story about losing her grandmother and stand up to her mother to stop making snide remarks about losing weight.

The romance side-story completely changes from the first page to the last, and is just such a beautiful storyline. I loved watching this transformation as well of the grumpy male character and learning his whole backstory! And - the dogs! Oh, my heart!

You’re all definitely going to want to get yourselves a copy of this book right away - if you’re plus sized, you need this to know you’re not alone, and you do not need to change much to be yourself - maybe just some clothes that show off those curves and give you confidence! Very well written! 4.5 stars.

Narrated by Zura Johnson, a brand-new-to-me narrator. She did a decent job. She certainly isn’t my new favourite, but she was fine.

I received an advance read and listen copy from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin), and Spotify Audiobooks, and this is my honest opinion.

I liked this book!
While I probably won't remember anything about On the Plus Side anymore in a couple of days, I had a good time listening to the audiobook and think other readers will enjoy it as well.

I wanted to read this and love it because there is so little plus size representation in romance -- and even less of it is GOOD plus side rep -- but it kind of fell flat for me.

While I maintain this is indeed good plus size rep, the characters felt one dimensional and I just felt uninterested, unattached, the whole time I was listening.

One of my favorite things about reading it getting to immerse myself in someone else's life, someone else's world, but I had such a difficult time trying to do that with On the Plus Side.

It was cute, it had its redeeming moments, but overall this just wasn't the book for me.

This was a cute book and full of encouragement to just be yourself and love yourself the way you are.

This was pretty cute! The concept was fun and I enjoyed the body positivity message.

There wasn't a communication-related third act conflict, which is always a positive, and the final conflict (though awful) felt like it fit within the overall plot of the story pretty naturally. This conflict was resolved quickly enough though that the overall ending almost felt anticlimatic? I thought there was going to be another chapter or two when I reached the epilogue, though I guess most loose ends were tied up.

Content: open-door, which is not my thing, but these scenes were moderately easy to skip through

I really enjoyed On The Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe! It was more than just a romance between a man and woman; it was about loving your authentic self and rediscovering who you are and who you want to be after losing your way in the face of loss and judgement. No one should feel that they have to make themselves smaller, in physical size or personality, to fit in or avoid judgement from others but that can be so hard to learn in a society that is constantly telling people they should look or act a certain way in order to be considered beautiful or worthy. Our main character Everly has become really good at being unseen and making herself smaller especially after her grandmother's death. When she's nominated to be on a reality show called On The Plus Side, she begins to step back into herself and her dreams, becoming aware of just how much she was holding herself back from: her art, career dreams, relationships, etc. But the show isn't perfect and she experiences different conflicts from that along the way. It's a great story that highlights body positivity, family relationships, establishing boundaries, and building up your confidence again. The narrator does an amazing job and I was able to really listen for long stretches at a time. Although the story is a little slow at times, I think the author did an amazing job with the themes and lessons of the story. The relationship between Everly and Logan is sweet and healthy and I love that there's such great communication. It's not just focused on lust but seeing each other for who they are and falling for the person as a whole. Logan is super supportive and they both really find comfort in each other and open up to each other so we learn a lot about his past too.

The reality show aspect was different and propelled the story along. I think the characters were all just very realistic and it made the story so much more enjoyable so I definitely would recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley & Spotify Audiobooks for the audio ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 12/13/23.

I loved the male love interest in the book. Logan was great! The book felt a little long in some places, but it was a fun read. I appreciated the plus size representation and the taking back of the word "fat."

This romance was very good. The mainly male characters was amazing and I loved the plot so much! The writing was beautiful and I could not put it down

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

ON THE PLUS SIDE was the perfect feel good, slightly cheesy, romance I was looking for! Featuring a plus size leading lady and a "lumbersexual" (Howe's words, not mine) love interest, PLUS SIDE had my heart fluttering more than once. The idea that everyone deserves a sexy love story, including fat girls, is a trend that I am 100% behind (and directly benefit from as a plus-size girlie myself) and I will continue to support any and every effort to normalize fat stories. However, that mission becomes a lot easier when stories like this one are out there getting published!

Everly Winters has spent most of her adult life attempting to shrink herself. Not physically, but personality wise. She chooses drab clothes so she'll blend in, settles for "good enough" rather than reaching for her dreams to become an artist, and never dares laugh too loud. However, when she becomes the next guest on the fat-ulous reality show On the Plus Side (OTPS) Everly suddenly has the chance to push her boundaries with the support of a whole, fabulous, TV crew. However, when the show suddenly starts to focus on a fictionalized love triangle, will Everly have the courage to stand up for her art (and a budding relationship)?

Is this a perfect piece of literary fiction? No. The characters can be frustrating, one dimensional (at times), and sometimes do illogical things, But, ON THE PLUS SIZE was <i> fun </i>, and that's something we all need a little bit of every once and a while!

First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!

Let me preface this by saying I'm not a romance reader. It sounded cute, though, since I am myself plus-sized and a fan of What Not to Wear! But alas, it turns out I'm just not a romance reader. I spent the whole story waiting for something exciting to happen, but there was nothing that wasn't mundane. A kiss or a makeout or even sex or an "I love you" isn't anything special enough to build a whole story towards. I do believe I'm gonna stick with fantasy and horror officially.

All that said, the story itself is fine, and the characters are likeable enough, so I'm giving On The Plus Side three stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet novel and I loved the body positivity messaging in this book. I really loved Everly’s journey to self acceptance in the book and how she found the love she deserved. This was a good romance novel and gave me warm fuzzies.

I loved this premise! I related to the character so much. I didn’t love how it ended so happily ever after actually! The reality show piece was great I thought!

I listened to the audiobook of this title, and I have to say, the narrator did a great job!

The story itself was promising - Everly is a plus sized woman cast on a makeover show. She wants the show to highlight her strengths, all the things she lost touch with when her favourite person, her grandmother, passed away. Loved this. Everly is an artist, but works as a receptionist in a design office. The producers take a different path on the show and only want to showcase her as a fat girl who needs the confidence to take her workplace crush to the next level. When she and the cameraman, Logan, begin to strike up a friendship, the ratings go crazy. This was a great premise, but at times the story dragged for me. Everly kept experiencing (and rehashing) the same disappointments over and over. After a while it felt like she was wallowing while being on a show that was supposed to make her feel like she was moving forward.

Overall, I liked the plus size representation and the body positivity message. The story and characters just didn't wow me.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this romance a lot - I do enjoy plus-size romances. This one fits the bill. The narrator, Zura Johnson, was fantastic. Everly Winters is a plus-size woman with dreams and aspirations; however, she sometimes holds herself back. She is selected to be on her favourite show, and this is her chance to go for the opportunity to showcase her art and do things she has been too scared to do
Meanwhile, the show portrays her in a way she doesn't want, and she has to find her voice while falling head over heels in love with the camera director, Logan.

I couldn't put this book down; I had to know how it would end. The villain in this book was not the most hated person until the end.

Her coworker was the worst, mostly because he played innocent while knowing the hurt he could cause

I enjoyed this read - and I would do it again.

As a plus size lady i was honestly hesitant at first... i don't like when people call each other fat, even if someone doesn't show it we all know it kills us a little inside when we hear that. anyways i did love the book in the end.

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?

Thanks to NetGalley & Spotify Audiobooks for the ARC of this book.

On the Plus Side
By: Jenny L. Howe
Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks
Narrated by: Zura Johnson
Release date: 12-26-23

I loved this sweet, fun, emotional story! Everly and Logan have the sweetest relationship. I loved how their attraction and connection was so natural and inevitable. They both were so sweet, kind, loving, and respectful of one another, it was so refreshing to read. I love Everly's whole story here: learning to speak up for herself, how to channel her confidence, finding her areas of comfort that aren't for the sole purpose of pleasing other people. I loved the way she was able to grow in her relationship with her mother, see things from her persepective and force her mother to accept the hurt and pain she had caused, all while knowing there was a foundation of love there. I love it when stories show healthy boundaries with the people we love without having to fully cut them out of their lives if that's not what they want. Overall, this was an amazing story with beautiful messages of love, acceptance, and worth. thank you for the arc!!!

Zura Johnson did a fabulous job with the narration!

This was a fun and easy listen that left me feeling empowered!

I finished this in one sitting, it was so intriguing I just couldn't stop listening.

The message of body positivity was expressed very well.

The honesty put into the story of being a fat woman was so nice to see.

And I enjoyed the romance a lot, such a sweet love story.

Overall this was a great book and I highly recommend to anyone!

Thank you to Netgalley and Spotify Books for allowing me to listen this book ahead of release in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first Spotify Audiobooks listen! I'm happy to report that the production was top quality. I'm not currently a Spotify Premium listener, but I'm definitely interested in trying it now. Zura Johnson's performance was a perfect match for this story. She's a new-to-me narrator, and I thought she perfectly captured Everly's personality.

This was such a good book. I love Queer Eye, so when the hosts of On The Plus Side stormed into Everly's work place I could perfectly picture how overwhelmed she was.

I think a lot of readers will identify with the body-positive messages of the On The Plus Side TV show. Howe tackles a lot within this book, but every point is seamlessly blended into the story. I loved the romance aspect--Everly and Logan were the perfect match. I loved that they actually communicated and that there was no silly third-act breakup.

I loved how the author snuck at least one friend of hers into the Reddit forums--such a fun easter egg for anyone who caught on! Thanks Jenny for an awesome read--I can't wait to see what you write next.