I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are mine.


This book is perfect for fans of heroines that are witty ,friends that meddle and a heroine that discovers herself and what love actually looks like. I loved the premise of the book ,the characters and the overall character development.

Huge thank you to @smpress and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Haleigh has been dating for her entire adult life and she’s about done, especially considering the fact that she’s been in love with her best friend, Jack for years. As her sisters’s engagement party approaching her family is bugging her about a plus one so she agrees to let her friends and family set her up, but nothing goes as planned. This was a cute one!
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As a fan of Jenny's Howe's other books, and this one did not disappoint! Whether you’re a fan of romance, banter, witty heroines, or just looking for a story that leaves you grinning ear to ear, How to Get a Life in Ten Dates delivers it all. It’s the perfect reminder that sometimes, the best adventures are waiting to start the moment you finally decide to step outside of your comfort zone.

I had a great time with this rom-com. I love the childhood-friends-to-lovers trope, and this book reminded me why! Our two main characters know each other so well, and are so comfortable with each other, which is especially evident as we read about some very awkward blind dates! Most of the dates Haleigh went on were cringey and absolutely hilarious!

I also really appreciated the representation in this book - both with a plus-sized FMC and discussions of mental health, including anxiety and depression. I related with a lot of the things these characters were experiencing, and it was good to feel seen. I wish the issues didn’t feel so quickly wrapped up by the end, but I still appreciated having them in the book.

If you’re looking for a rom-com with a decent amount of spice and a whole lot of humor, I’d absolutely recommend this one!

3.5 stars. This was a quick, breezy read for me! I didn’t quite get that 3rd act breakup I was searching for but overall was aligned with how things ended up

Cute cover? Yes.
Adorable title? Yes.
Story? Fell flat for me, unfortunately. I was not a fan of the FMC at all.

Thank you, NetGalley, the author, and SMP for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was just fine. I like the representation, but I felt a little disconnected since this was part of the same world as one of her other novels (On The Plus Side), which I haven't read. I know the author is local and I have met her in person, she's lovely, so it was nice to see all the nods to the area. It's very obvious from the beginning that this is a friends to lovers situation, but them getting together gets dragged out while she goes on these increasingly awful dates with other men & women.

Her family doesn't understand what it's like to be dating in the modern world, especially as a plus sized woman. She and her best friend (who she's in love with, not so secretly but she's trying to get over him) come up with a plan to assemble 5 people in her life to each set her up on 2 dates and at the end of the 10 dates, if nothing works out, they aren't allowed to bother her about her planned dating hiatus for 6 months. Of course, hijinks ensue as it's an adventure of many different personalities and experiences as she tries to get over her bestie for good.

This book was sooo funny and way too relatable. As a plus sized woman, I unfortunately have experienced way too many of the bad situations and not enough of the funny ones in this book but this was incredibly lighthearted and definitely achieved the author's goal, as described in the note at the beginning of the book. I LOVED this book, the characters are so adorable, even in their faults and the representation of plus size women and a presumably bisexual one at that, made my heart so happy. The source was superb and didn’t jump right into it but felt like a very natural relationship progression. I’m ready to go great every Jenny Howe book!

How To Get a Life in Ten Dates is a fun romcom giving late 90s/early 2000s vibes in the best ways possible. I enjoyed the authors writing style and how she handles sensitive topics, I found it to be a realistic take on dating and being set up.

My favourite aspect was the dating questionnaire responses, some of which were hilarious but either way, it set the scene for how the date would go. Not only were the responses hilarious, but the questions also themselves were witty.

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for a review.

3.5 stars.

In How To Get A Life In 10 Dates, a woman struggling to find a career that she loves and will pay her bills and struggling to find a plus one to her sister’s wedding, enlists her friends and family to set her up on blind dates. The catch is that the dates must fill out a questionnaire first. This book was so much fun. The dates were hilarious. Silly, quirky and pure entertainment. And I am a sucker for second chance romances and this book is that trope personified. Just a very cute romcom that made me smile during a stressful time at work.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a child hood friends to lovers romance with a little bit of a love triangle. Haleigh Berkshire tearing down of others for me got really old quick, so getting through those parts was a little difficult. As the book progressed it started getting better. I quite enjoyed all the dates as how horribly they went.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just wasn't sure I could do another friend to lover trope, but given my affection for Jenny L.Howe's previous books I decided to give it a try. So glad I did. Haleigh Berkshire is the black sheep of the family who can't seem to find a good fit for a career or a love life. When her sister announces her graduation/engagement celebration, Haleigh knows she will be expected to bring a date. Dating apps have been disappointing, so she challenges her friends and family to fix her up with the anticipation that they will all be failures and she will be off the hook for a plus one. The biggest obstacle to her happily ever after is her love for her best friend, Jack. No suitor can compare to their relationship, but they have agreed to always remain "just friends." However, when Haleigh finds a potential match, the rules began to fray. A fun romance!

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a fun and lighthearted rom com. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

This was a lovely story about a confident curvy woman finding love right under her nose! Friends to lovers is one of the best tropes out there. The fact that the heroine was plus size was worth 4 stars alone. We need more stories about plus size love. I loved the growth in the characters together and apart. I will keep reading more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the opporunity to read this e-ARC of "How to Get a Life in 10 Dates" by Jenny L. Howe, available now!

This is the second book by Jenny L. Howe that I have read and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one! I love the representation in Jenny's books. This one follows Haleigh as she goes on dates set up by her friends and family. I loved reading all of the crazy dates she went on that she wa set up on and find out all the histroy between her and Jack. I highly recommend reading this book- I loved it so much I didn't want it to end!

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L Howe is a sweet story about putting yourself out there and trying to find happiness.

Haleigh challenges her family and friends to set her up on dates. The deal is that she'll go out on ten dates and if none of them work out in the end, she'll go on a dating sabbatical. And NO ONE is allowed to give her any grief about it.

The point is that she wants to prove to them how rough the dating world really is. Some of Haleigh's dates are more disastrous than others, but I couldn't help but laugh (and sometimes cringe) along the way. It seemed very obvious to me from the beginning who Haleigh's soulmate was. But sometimes you have to make some mistakes before you find out where you truly belong.

The characters in this story were very enjoyable to read about. I loved Haleigh as well as her mom, grandfather, best friend Jack, and her roommates. They were a very supportive group who commiserated with Haleigh during some of her worst dates.

And I liked Haleigh right off the bat. Although she is currently working through some mental health issues, she's very open about it. She has a confidence that I really admired.

Jenny L Howe make a point at the beginning of the novel to explain how she uses the word "fat" in this novel, and how it is a neutral term. It is merely a description and that is all. I found that to be very refreshing as I think sometimes in contemporary romance novels place too much focus on how the characters look instead of who they are and what their dreams are.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Spicy, male female, 3rd person single point of view (female lead), contemporary romance. Set in the same world as On the Plus Side but a standalone book. This had both a friends to lovers and second chance romance thing going on. I didn't love the female lead, but it was still a cute book with humor and a bit of spice.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe offers a charming second-chance, best-friends-to-lovers story packed with humor, relatable characters, and thoughtful representation.

The story shines in its exploration of mental health, showing characters who grow and support each other while navigating their challenges. The plus-size FMC is unapologetically confident, adding refreshing body positivity to the narrative. The chemistry between the leads feels rich and authentic, with small, meaningful gestures that deepen their connection. Supporting characters bring humor and warmth, making the world feel vibrant and engaging.

However, some relationship dynamics lacked depth, and a few plot points felt overly reliant on familiar tropes, detracting from the emotional weight. I can't get over a friend of many years being incapable of simply communicating like a normal person that he has feelings for Haleigh.

I absolutely loved reading How to Get a Life in Ten Dates. It was cute and light hearted but also had a serious note about mental health to it. I loved that about it. What a great story with some fantastic characters! Reading this story I really felt like I could have been living life right along side Haleigh and Jack!

I loved this book! Haleigh Berkshire is a 25-year-old plus-size woman, enjoying life but feeling put down by her friends and family who don’t think her job(s) or dating choices are every good enough. She’s been in love with her best friend Jack for years, but agrees to let her family and friends set her up with ten men or women to go on dates with. This is such a fun friends-to-lovers romance and I loved Haleigh and Jack. Haleigh is so real!