Nice idea, but a bit chaotic, and a bit (too much, in fact) predictable.
Anyway it was a nice idea, thanks to Netgalley and the author, for this chance to read this book in advance.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is Jenny Howe’s best book to date! First, love the friends-to-lovers angle, especially since it’s a bit of a second-chance romance. Haleigh and Jack are best friends who once had an intense week-long affair, and when it blows up, resolve to stay friends afterwards, even though both of them still have feelings for the other. Fast forward a few years, and they’re still best friends who date other people, and she’s getting really tired of going on a lot of first dates that go nowhere. Happy to have an excuse to stop finally dating, she announces that she’s happy to remain single forever at the same time her family demands she finds a proper date for her sister’s graduation/engagement party. They give her an ultimatum - each one of them, including Jack - get to pick her dates and she has to give them each an honest chance. If she gets to the end and none of them stick, they’ll leave her alone about dating. Some of the dates are a bust, some show some promise, some are terrible… until Jack throws himself into the ring for consideration. When their carefully constructed rules for maintaining their friendship start to fall apart, she’s left wondering if the rules were holding them back instead of holding them together. There were plenty of humorous moments along the way, some heat and steam, and a happy ending. While I still found this the author’s best book to date, I missed some of the witty banter we have seen in prior books. On the other hand, I appreciated that while we have a fat character, it isn’t the main defining characteristic and we didn’t spend the whole book dwelling on it - it just was what she was.

Perfect blend of heart & humor! Super cute friends to lovers & second chance romance. Perfect cozy romance for lovers of both of those tropes

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC. Unlucky in love and pining for her best friend, Haleigh needs a date for her sister’s engagement party and fast. Cut to her friends and family setting her up with 10 different dates with the agreement that afterwards they will leave her alone about her love life. You’ll laugh through the dates and hope for her happy ever after.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had a great time with this book! It had all the vibes and tropes of a typical romcom which I loved. It has a bit of an over the top cheesy ending but honestly that made it even more enjoyable, but that's my personal preference. It had a lot of laugh out loud moments which I always appreciate! I would recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and Haleigh’s dating application was hilarious. Loved how she gave all her dates a try (unless they were truly awful). Loved how mental health was represented in this book.

I always enjoy a book with realistic plus size representation. I love seeing real people and not just cookie cutter people in every story. I really appreciate the neurodivergent representation in this book too. These characters just feel real, like people you know in your day to day life.
You have Haleigh, who's plus size and bisexual, and a lovely FMC and her longtime I loved their chemistry. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so I loved the two of them together.
I also loved Brian. I knew going in this was a love triangle, which is not one of my favorites. My soft heart wants everyone to be happy. I knew it was in the cards, but I still want everyone to be happy.
I also had a hard time understanding why Haleigh and Jack couldn’t be together, even after the flashback to Hawaii. His declaration on the beach was pretty powerful and I had a hard time understanding how they just didn’t be together.
Overall, I did think it was a cute read and I’ll read anything from Jenny.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This is an absolutely delightful read. This was my first book by this author but I will be seeking out more. The characters were well-developed and worth rooting for. I loved Haleigh’s confidence and sassy personality. The plot set-up of her friends and family fixing her up on dates was very fun, and some of the bad dates were laugh-out-loud hilarious. The book also addresses deeper issues such as anxiety and OCD in a thoughtful and realistic way. Highly recommend this read!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the earc, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed On the Plus Side but How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is not for me. Haleigh is fairly insufferable, she seems to have a not so great life but refuses to do anything to better it. She pines after her ex bf/bff Jack incessantly, I assume they hook up at some point, but I'm giving up at 30%.

This book was just so funny and so satisfying. I identified so much with the FMC and though part of me didn't want the way it ended up to be the way it ended, she sold me on the ending and it was so perfect.
#arc
#netgalley
#howtogetalifeintendates

I really enjoyed On the Plus Side, by the same author, so I jumped at the chance to read this one. I love any book that offers plus size representation without making every plot point about overcoming the feeling of being too fat, or not enough, or dealing with some jerk who won't date her because she's plus sized, etc. I've read a few other reviews that were dissatisfied with the main love interest, and I can't say I fully disagree. Especially in comparison to On the Plus Side, where the love interest was, indeed, perfect. Overall, I'm looking forward to whatever Howe does next.

DNF. This was a struggle. I tried to like it and I got myself to the 35% mark but I just couldn’t push any further.

It’s definitely a fun and lighthearted read. I think the push and pull of the friends to lovers trope wasn’t as tense and exciting as I hoped, which made the story so slow.

I love how Jenny L. However writes. It's real, relatable and just amazing. This story wasn't any different. It'll make you seen, heard and tell you you're not alone in your feelings.

So, I finally picked up How to Get a Life in Ten Dates, and while it was a cute and sweet read, I was left wanting a little more. The concept had so much potential—Haleigh trying to revamp her life through ten dates—but I feel like it barely scratched the surface of the challenges of dating while being plus-sized. It was touched on, but it didn’t dive deep enough to really resonate. Instead, the book focused a lot on the dates themselves and her complicated family dynamics, which were fine but not what I came in expecting.

As for Haleigh herself, I didn’t feel as connected to her as I hoped. She had her moments, but I just didn’t click with her the way I usually do with a main character. That said, the love story was predictable (in a Hallmark kind of way), but still very sweet. You know where it’s going from a mile away, but it still manages to give you that warm, fuzzy feeling.

Overall, it’s a light, enjoyable read, but I think I was hoping for more depth and connection to Haleigh’s personal journey. It’s worth a shot if you’re in the mood for something fun and easy, just don’t expect to feel blown away.

Jenny Howe is quickly cementing herself as an author on my must read list. Her characters are always so well developed and relatable - and her happily ever afters the happiest. Going through the dates with Haleigh was a great plot device - I laughed so hard at the worst of them. My main critique is Haleigh's age - 25 is too young. I would have loved to have seen her be closer to 35 with more experience under her belt - I think it could have made her character's motivation even stronger.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this title to read and review. Wow, I really enjoyed this and completely flew through it. I hadn't read "On the Plus Side" beforehand, though I do own it and want to go back to it soon - I felt like I was missing a few references or the general love for characters that may have. been pre-established, but otherwise could read this as a standalone for sure! I love a pop culture reference and a fun premise, so I loved the idea of friends and family setting Haleigh up on specific dates before thereby forfeiting their right to comment on her dating life. This was written in such a breezy way that I was caught up in the story and was genuinely rooting for the leads to get together and realize their feelings. So fun and engaging, with the dating profiles each date filled out as such an easy way for us as readers to get a sense of their characters before the dates. And some of the dates were hilariously bad but not in a dangerous or awful way that dates can be, just in a ... "wild stories to save for later" kind of way. I would say that the LGBT elements felt like actual afterthoughts and the would-be love triangle resolved itself way too easily and conveniently to me, but otherwise a great read! Will be checking out more from the author soon.

This is a delightful and uplifting read that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt the joy of self-love and acceptance, particularly those in the LGBTQIA+ community and plus-sized women who crave stories that celebrate body positivity and the beauty of embracing one's true self.

Thank you NetGalley, Jenny L. Howe, and St. Martin's Press for this ARC copy of How to Get a Life in Ten Dates - in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Haleigh Berkshire is a 25 year old plus size woman who is over the trials her dating life continually brings. She's looking for a break in the dating world when her sister gets engaged. Now the pressure of finding a plus one is higher than ever... but feels impossible considering that Haleigh has been in love with her best friend Jack for years. Haleigh reluctantly agrees to let her loved ones attempt to set her up on a series of dates - thinking that once they are done (an proven unsuccessful) - that they will finally get off her back once and for all about her dating life. But what she doesn't expect is to actually have fun... and catch the attention of the man she wants most - Jack.

This delicious plot had such amazing potential! I was sucked right in and couldn't wait to get started. This was my first time reading a novel written by Jenny L. Howe - and honestly it didn't meet the bar that I had mentally set for it going in.

Haleigh Berkshire was extremely negative as a person which took away from the enjoyment as a reader. Her mentally tearing others down in her mind made her feel more like a mean girl undeserving of the help her loved ones were offering - in my opinion. Being a plus sized girly myself - and facing the internal thoughts in my early twenties fearing of being alone -- I didn't share this same negative tone and perspective the FMC had. Everyone is different - but reading a character like this made the overall story line lackluster. I will give this author another shot in the future, but this one sadly missed the mark for me.

This was so freaking cute. I was so torn because I thought Haleigh had great chemistry with both Brian and Jack, but I am a sucker for a friend's to lover story so I had a bit of a Jack-bias. Haleigh's frie ds and family setting her up for dates provided some much needed comedy and kept the lights coming. A super fun read and I was kicking my feet feom the cuteness.