I really wanted to like this. I tried to damn hard and the premise was so good. Heck even the actual book was good but it just kept dragging on and on. This book would have definitely benefit from losing over a 100 pages. When romances get this long they tend to get tedious and thats exactly what happened here.

On the Plus Side
By: Jenny L. Howe
Narrated by Zura Johnson
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫3.5 stars

I started this audiobook at normal speed and was like, I don’t know if I can do this. I sped it up to 2.0 and that helped a lot. This whole book is about body positivity and being fat positive. I loved that aspect of the book but I felt it was brought up too much.

I liked the characters in this book they were all easy to like and each one played a valuable part at making it flow nicely. Everly and Logan are great together.

Zura Johnson the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and giving each one unique voices.

I hate giving the book a 3.5 but it just wasn’t for me, I am quite sure there are lots of people that would love this book and its message, but it just wasn’t for this fat girl.

I ADORED this book! On the Plus Side follows a fat woman who adores a reality show called On the Plus Side- think body positive What Not to Wear with a little Queer Eye mixed in! This book had sweet characters, and engaging plot, and gave me all of the feeling from tears to kicking my feet in the air and squealing!

In some ways, this is a story about self love, but it's really a story about stepping into the most whole version of yourself and not being small out of a fear of being too much. It was incredible.

If you like books about reality shows, especially if you liked One to Watch, this needs to be on your TBR ASAP! I am so grateful to NetGalley and Spotify Books for giving me the chance to listen to an audio arc!

When you live in a bigger body the world, and often those around you, constantly tell you that you should try harder to make yourself more palatable, smaller, quieter, etc. In On the Plus Side, main character Everly suddenly finds herself the nominee of a Queer Eye style show that celebrates fat folks in the way that the rest of the world fawns over straight sized bodies. Throughout the experience, Everly has the expected experience of finding the empowerment and love for herself that had slowly eroded over the years, while simultaneously realizing that she may have gotten more than she expected with the show when she realizes that she's falling in love. The dance of relearning how to love herself and be loved by others, while taking the space to see the difference between others showing affection and taking advantage is well explored here. But the real question that will keep you turning pages, is are the show runners and stars truly as well intentioned as they appear? And what is the cost if they're not...

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe was a really entertaining listen. I liked the narrator and enjoyed feeling like I was along for the ride on the reality show. I really appreciated the disclaimer from the author at the start so I could be prepared.

A wonderful story about learning to love yourself and show the world that size doesn’t matter. Everly was a breath of fresh air: shy and uncomfortable in the spotlight but then growing into the person she was meant to be. I loved the transformation she goes through and how shows like this can be both positive and negative. The writing drew me in from the beginning and kept me glued with Everly’s humor, vulnerability, and her relationships with her family. A great tale about accepting who you are and thriving rather than trying to be something you’re not.

I loved this story. A super relatable heroine, who discovers that how and who she is is good enough for what she wants. Nicely written characters, great storyline, and in my opinion this could easily be a movie too!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A cute and entertaining read with a great message

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Inspiring and relatable characters
Makeover/reality TV shows
Grumpy sunshine
Romantic comedies
Sweet yet somewhat steamy romances
Great banter

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Plus size rep
Logan!
Dogs with pasta names
The authors note
I narration was great

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Felt a little repetitive
The show aspect was kind of hard to follow
There was a lot going on

This was a fun and quick read. Relatable main characters that did not make me want to stab my eyes out.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book. The story was great! I loved the bit of romance in the storyline as well. I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice as well. I would definitely recommend this book!

Everly is perfectly happy to navigate post-grad life appreciated but unnoticed. That’s why she refuses to apply for her dream job as a graphic designer, why she hides behind an anonymous username on the online forums for her favorite make-over show, ON THE PLUS SIDE, and why she’s crushing so hard on her forever-unattainable co-worker, James. But someone nominates her to participate in the show's next season, and in the whirlwind of the fast-paced production schedule she finds comfort in grumpy but honest cameraman, Logan.
This TV reality show romance was so good! I read The Make-Up Test by the same author last year and I loved it just as much. The author's note at the beginning of the book about fatphobia was chef's kiss, absolutely perfect, and I would give a 5 stars review solely based on it. But the rest of the book is worth just as much. Would I have preferred to read a more confident and badass FMC? Yes. But her lack of confidence was, although misguided and frustrating, justified (not that she was right to be insecure, far from it, but her mother's- and society's, really- constant comments would make it hard not to doubt yourself all the time). Some mothers really need to learn how to be caring and supportive... Although later in the book Everly's mother sort of explains herself and her misguided ways, the critical mom character is very triggering for me. Other then that, the setting was really fun, and the story super entertaining. The social media bits were a bit annoying and awkward in the audio version, but the narrator did a great job (nobody could've made it not annoying).
I received an advance review of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe 12/26/23

Thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for this ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

The narrator is Zura Johnson with all characters read by 1 person. I believe the voice fit the characters with standouts of Jazzy, Stanton, and Logan. Their voices were the most distinct, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style did bring the story to life especially in parts I found a bit boring. The pacing was great and flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync, and they fit together perfectly.

The audiobook's flow was pretty good. As I said there were a few boring parts-mostly Everly's different adventures. The Ren Faire stuff, trying on clothes at the warehouse, and them going through her closet took some pushing through. The narrator paused and announced every time a new chapter came. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio.

Everly Winters, 24, makes sure she's forgettable. She dresses in black, shrinks herself around other people, and has a comfortable boring job as a receptionist. She is nominated to be the new guest on a popular makeover/reality TV show "On the Plus Side" which champions plus side women. They help choose a great wardrobe and lifestyle changes. Logan is the lumberjack grumpy cameraman that will be following her everywhere. Everly and Logan get to know each other. He stands up for her and doesn't let her belittle herself. Things become more serious between them, and their relationship appears on the show.

Overall, the romance was cute. Grumpy Logan really softens up to Everly observing what she goes through. He has his own body issues and feels obligated to Sady for taking a chance on him with a job years ago. This is a journey of self-love and falling in love with a big FAT HEA!

My recommendation is to read the audiobook because you can adjust the speed, skip parts easily (if desired), and picture the characters more vividly.

Thanks to Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC.
I loved this book! Romance and a reality show always work so well for me, and with this being fat positive, it only made the book better. Everly was such a richly created character. She had such depth and the author shared enough that it was easy to get to know her, yet was never information heavy. And Logan. what a wonderful man he was, and it was easy to root for him. The show concept was so unique and needed. I would easily watch something like this. I enjoyed seeing how Everly grew in all of her relationships throughout this book - especially the one with herself. It felt realistic and inspiring. This was such a fun book, and I know I'll be thinking about it for a while.
The narration was spot on. The narrator brought Everly to life, and I appreciated her performance in creating different voices for each character.

3.5⭐️

This was a delightful read with a powerful message of self love. As someone who loves What Not to Wear and Queer Eye, this was a story I couldn’t wait to dive into. I was happy to see the On the Plus Side embrace a similar mission of sparking inspiration and confidence through the contestants’ passions while helping them achieve their personal and professional aspirations. I appreciated the many conversations on the failings of and discrimination within the clothing industry.

The characters were quite lovable and fun I really enjoyed the dynamic, support, and banter between Everly and the show’s hosts and her friends, but the relationship I loved most was between Everly and her grandmother. While we only get glimpses into their relationship through Everly’s childhood, the encouragement and wisdom her grandmother imparted was monumental and stayed with Everly through adulthood. It was that love and support that bolstered Everly’s confidence to pursue a career in design, and I’m grateful Everly had her grandmother’s support since her own mother was quiet awful.

While I enjoyed most of the book, my main complaint was the ending. There was a serious issue that happens near the end with the showrunner obtaining and airing footage without consent and I felt it wasn’t dealt with adequately. Most of the resolution takes place off page and I really believe there should have been more accountability on page.

The audiobook was an enjoyable experience and Zura Johnson’s narration really brought Everly’s character to life and had you fully invested in the story while actively cheering Everly on.

Overall, On the Plus Side was a fun read with a beautiful message, but I wish the ending hadn’t been so rushed - it was disappointing to have the characters championing this show and its mission only for someone to blindside them and not be held accountable on page.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ALC of the book!



I loved this so much! I'm not a huge fan of 3rd person books, but this one is done so well. I adore Everly, I feel for her having to deal with such a toxic mother. I loved the aspects of the TV show and the relationship she built with Logan. It felt genuine.

I would have liked to get to know Logan a little bit more, but I loved what we did learn. I am a sucker for a guy who loves dogs.

Everly becoming confident as herself again, was beautiful.

Narrator was great, the slight voice changes to reflect the various characters were believable. She had a very positive and honest voice that I liked went with the story she was telling.

Everly Winters loves her favorite makeover tv show called On The Plus Side. She is stunned when she finds out that she has been selected for the upcoming season. She loves how the show helps bring out the confidence in plus size people. The idea is to improve social confidence, appearance and work situations. Everly feels she has dimmed since her grandmother passed away. She is hoping that the show will help showcase her talents with her art. She often helps the design teams at work but without recognition. Being on tv comes with pluses of the hunky plaid shirted cameraman Logan. But there are negatives too. And she isn’t in control of the narrative.

I liked this much better than Howe’s first book, The Make-Up Test (Sept 2022). I love how Howe writes realistically about having to navigate a larger size in a world that isn’t built for you. I’ve felt and thought so many of the things that Everly does in this story. I loved the premise of the tv show too. The representation is great. But on the weaker side Everly is very reactionary and her emotional ping ponging drained me. Her inner dialogue is almost non stop. Logan is okay as a love interest but I don’t know anything about him other than he loves dogs and is talented with his job. I wasn’t sure for a long time if he really liked Everly or was playing it up for the sake of show ratings. I don’t know what he saw in her that appealed to him or felt like a connection. Also I wished for more spice. The heat is built up well and then the door is closed.

I was fortunate to receive both the book and audiobook and I alternated between both, listening to about sixty percent. I enjoyed the narration by Zura Johnson. Thank you to NetGalley, Spotify Audiobooks and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC and audio and I am leaving a voluntary review. (3.5 Stars)

I really wanted to like this, but it was ultimately just not for me, through no fault of its own. There are very specific things I look for in romcoms, and at 15% it already became apparent to me that the writing and execution were just not for me regardless of how much I wanted to like this.
I'm sure this'll work for many others, but sadly I wasn't one of those people.

Disclaimer: giving this a generic 3 stars because I don't think it'd be fair to rate it lower just because it didn't appeal to me on a subjective level

Jenny Howe is a goddamn delight. This is a must buy for collections where contemporary romance is popular.

On The Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe is such a cute listen!!

I loved me some Everly and was rooting for her the entire time.

It was a mostly PG listen with a touch of PG13 thrown in there.

Everly holds an administrative job and loves a well-organized, color-coded spreadsheet. In between checking out her favorite reality TV blog and swooning over her co-worker James, Everly dreams about becoming something bigger. Doing something bigger.

When her favorite TV show, On The Plus Size contacts her and tells her she has been nominated to be part of the show, she jumps at the chance.

The show provides Everly the opportunity to explore her dreams, get a new wardrobe, and find true love.

This was such a fun listen!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for this advanced listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinion are my own.