This was the perfect weekend read. Even though the story was predictable, it was good to see mental health referenced more than once in the story.

This was a light, heartwarming read with a fun setup, but it was pretty predictable and the ten dates honestly felt like too many — it dragged a bit in the middle. I liked Haleigh’s journey, but I didn’t fully connect with the romance. Cute, but not a standout.

I was intrigued by the title of this book “How to Get a Life in Ten Dates” and then also that it is by Jenny L. Howe, an author I’ve read before and enjoyed. The story follows Haleigh, a 25 year old bisexual freelance editor and dog walker. Her sister recently got engaged, and she is under a lot of pressure from her family to bring a date to the wedding. Not just any date, but THE date. So her best friend Jack and her come up with quite the scheme - 5 important people in her life can each set her up with 2 people, and if she doesn’t like any of them - her family has to stop bugging her about her love life. There are hilarious scenarios that ensue, including a date that brings an “emotionally support bird” to the restaurant. Ultimately these dates turn into a love triangle, and an adorable ending. While I had my ideas, I wasn’t even sure who she would end up with for a bit there during the book. I really enjoyed that aspect, it isn’t common with a contemporary romance. One thing that I struggled with was that she was 25 and this much pressure from her family to settle down. It felt unrealistic for that age (and for being in Massachusetts / not religious). I did also love that it took place in Massachusetts, with so many places familiar names to me. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a light, charming contemporary romance with a fun and quirky premise. Jenny L. Howe writes with humor and warmth, creating relatable characters and entertaining dating scenarios that keep the story breezy and engaging. The book has moments of wit and sweetness that make it an enjoyable read for fans of rom-coms.

That said, the plot is fairly predictable, and some emotional beats don’t fully land. Certain characters feel underdeveloped, and while the story is fun, it doesn’t stand out in a crowded genre of contemporary romance.

Overall, How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a pleasant, easy read—perfect for a casual rom-com session, though it doesn’t leave a lasting impression.

This was a light and fun book. Haleigh was a cute FMC and I love that she took control of her life. I'd never be able to follow through with her dating plan!

This is a classic friends to lovers, second chance romance.

I liked Jack for the most part, but there were a few things that turned me off from him. Stanton was lovely though!

The author did very well with the accurate depictions of OCD and anxiety, which I appreciated.

How To Get A Life In Ten Dates was a fun, lighthearted romp through the dating life of Haleigh, a young plus-sized woman who loves books, aspires to be an editor, and seems to be cursed with bad dates. She allows her family and friends to set her up on ten blind dates in a bid to buy herself some breathing room from people asking about her love life. It’s tough being out in the dating world and this book shines a light on how having some extra curves can make it much harder. A nice cozy read and a cute story between 2 lifelong friends who finally find their happily ever after and with low spice but there’s definitely some on-the-page spice scenes. Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC

I adore Jenny Howe and her fat heroines getting the love they deserve! This was probably her funniest book yet; the wild dates had me laughing aloud. I will never forget that bird flying around, I was wheezing. The characters, from leads to each date, were drawn so well, and the story for all its hilarity felt so real. Very enjoyable read! I need a sequel for our rejected corner of that cover love triangle!

This one was ok. It was an easy read. Some of the dates Haleigh went on were entertaining how bad they were. I just couldn't get into the relationship between her and Jackson.

Honestly this was a miss for me. I love seeing representation of any kind in books, but if it's not well done, I get annoyed and struggle to finish it.

I really didn't like the FMC and probably wouldn't recommend this.

Haleigh and Jack: will they? Won’t they? They did. Will they again?

Haleigh can’t handle the unrequited feelings, and the dates to distract are awful. But everyone says dating is so easy! So she sets out to prove them wrong: set me up, she says, on 10 dates. Her family and friends get to pick some winners - and some real losers - to try to make her happy. But where does happiness come from?

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to my romance reading friends!

2.5 stars

I may have fallen asleep through some of these dates, or at least that's how the middle of the story felt. It was kind of a bummer because I loved Haleigh at the beginning of the book.

There was some nice banter and I liked the premise of the story, but the book felt a little drawn out. Ten dates definitely felt like too many.

Overall, the book was sweet and had some moments that felt authentic, but that was overshadowed by the predictability of the story and the underwhelming conclusion.

I enjoyed the idea of this book, but I didn't like it so much when Haleigh had her family plan her dates. Sorry.

Also, I preferred Brian. I know Jack was meant to be her soulmate, but I didn't care for Jack. Haleigh was trying to grow, but Jack not so much.

Team Brian!

I adored this book. I couldn’t put it down. It was funny and heartwarming. Haleigh felt so real and her dating struggles were spot on. I will definitely be reading other books by this author. Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

I wanted to love this more than I did. The premise was strong but the emotional payoff didn't get there for me. I love Haleigh's internal monologue, especially around body image. I also appreciated the queer themes. But the will-they-won't-they of Haleigh and Jack became a little cyclical at points. All in all, solid, but not my favorite.

This had a lot of potential from the synopsis but I'm five chapters in and I just can't like the characters. I'm not connected to the story and I think I need to say goodbye.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for this ARC!

I enjoy Jenny L Howe's book, this is the 2nd book in the same world as her previous book. It is a standalone but does have some references to the other book. I found it to be an easy and funny/cute romance read. I will probably always read anything Jenny L Howe writes!

3.5 starts rounded up to 4!

I ready On the Plus side by this author and it was seriously just an amazing story so I was super excited to read How to Get a life in Ten Dates. This author does love stories for real people. People with anxiety, people that don't have that shit together, people that don't have six pack abs and I just love that her stories portray her characters with real world issues. I really loved the whole dating line story of this book. Having to go on ten dates chosen by her friends and family and hilarity was what happened. It makes me so glad that I am not dating in this world because emotional support cockatoos, and men who think it is ok to shove oysters down your throat was just WAY to much and way to believable. ( PS i think I am married to the sports loving bar tender).
I really liked Haleigh and how she was starting to make a life for herself, trying to figure things out. What I actually didn't love in this book was Jack. Yes, they were best friends, but I am just not sure why. I have to tell you I was rooting for Brian and for her to grow out of Jack because he was way too immature for her.
I get that he had anxiety and mental health issues, and he obviously felt that he loved her for his whole life and maybe I am just a super cynical second chance love person, but I didn't think he did anything to deserve her love. I feel like she bent over, walked on pins and needles waiting for him to get mad at her and leave her like he did in Hawaii. I guess I just wasn't sold on them being end game. I love Haliegh and I wanted her to find someone that she could really grow with - not someone that she couldn't be her authentic messy crazy self.
Overall, the beginning part of the books was fantastic, I loved hearing all the bad stories and loved when Jack 'rescued" from them. I just wish I had seen more growth in Jack to make them fit better together.

I had really high hopes for this book as I was such a lover of On The Plus Side, it had been a five star read for me. But this book didn’t pull me in the same way.

Let’s first talk about what I did like - I thought the concept was fun, the idea of having your closest people set you up on a variety of dates to try and get some traction on your dating life was entertaining. I also found some of the characters that Haleigh meets on these dates funny and a good bit of comic relief. I also did like both of the main love interests, Brian and Jack. But I did find the story a bit exhausting at times. I understand that one of the plot points was both Haleigh and Jacks mental health but I found the way that it was shown on the page a bit stressful and frustrating. I felt like there were some loose ends that never really got wrapped up that I would have like to have seen finished.

Overall I found the book just fine, not amazing or great, but just fine - it was enjoyable at parts but I didn’t feel the same love or excitement about these characters as I did with the first book in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really loved the premise of this romcom and enjoyed each of the dates. Some were frustrating and others were just funny (the guy with the bird?! iykyk). I appreciated that the main character is confident in her skin, and her journey is not about changing her appearance to fit into a mold but about embracing life more fully on her own terms.

That said, while the premise is fun and engaging, the execution stumbles at times. The miscommunication trope is central to the story’s conflict, and for readers like me who find this trope frustrating, it may feel like an unnecessary hurdle rather than a meaningful plot driver. Additionally, the romantic arc was too predictable, which affected the emotional payoff for me.

If you're looking for a romance that champions self-love and offers a warm, easy read, How to Get a Life in 10 Dates has plenty to offer—even if it is a bit predictable.

Just adore Jenny’s plus sized romances! They are always so sweet, fun, and feel good! This one was just wonderful! I enjoyed every page. The characters were great and it felt realistic! Seriously recommend her books! So ready for what’s next from her!