On the whole Jackson and Haleigh's relationship is kind of annoying. True they know each other really well, but that is because they have been friends so long and does not necessarily mean they belong together. The reason they decided to be just friends in the first place seems to be more because of Jackson's issues. Granted he does seem to be dealing with some serious mental health issues, but why does he wait to deal with them until Haleigh seems to be falling for someone else. He is okay with her having no one but he is not okay with her having someone else. If he really cared about her, he wouldn't want her to be alone just because he has issues he needs to deal with and maybe he would even deal with his issues before being pushed to because a rival for Haleigh's affections has entered the picture.

The majority of dates that Haleigh goes on are quite extreme and not very realistic. Her relationship with Brian seems more realistic and healthier than her relationship with Jackson. He is not perfect but he is a good guy, and the reason they break up seems rather contrived. Two people don't have to like all the same things to have a good relationship

The book does have some good points. Although Haley is described as plus size, her dating issues at least within the story have nothing to do with her size. She is also bisexual, but that is not an issue within the story either, it is just a fact. It is also nice the way the main characters from Howe's previous novel. On the Plus Side, make a cameo appearance in this book. It is nice to know that they are still together and still doing well. On the whole, that is a much more enjoyable book than this one.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. As a plus sized woman myself, I LOVE seeing curvy FMCs. Honestly, a lot of the positives I have with this book stem from our FMC being a curvy woman whose entire identity isn't wrapped up in her size, insecurity, etc. I also liked the LGBTQ+ representation. Sadly, not much else really sticks out to me as something I enjoyed.

My primary issue was that I found Haleigh to be an extremely aggravating character to follow. One of her main personality traits is that she "hates adulting", and the story and fake-dating plotline hugely centers itself around this fact. This and the way she acts toward and about her dates were giving such immature energy, and it really grated on me over the course of the story and made it a bit difficult for me to root for any serious relationship.

Overall, it was an okay read. I'd recommend it if you want a lighthearted read with LGBTQ+ and plus size representation. For me, it's a 2.75 stars, rounded up.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Haleigh Berkshire has been dating for ten years, and even though she is only 25, she is exhausted by bad dates. She’s been using dating apps and just having no luck at all. After her best friend Jack had to rescue her from a bad date that surprised her because the texting energy had been so good, Haleigh decides to take a break from the apps. Instead, before she takes a break from dating altogether, she’s going to give her family and friends a shot.

Five friends and family members get two dates each to find her a match. But each potential date has to fill out Haleigh’s questionnaire, so she has some idea of what she’s getting into with each match. She calls it Haleigh’s Heart Strings, and it includes questions like Would you rather drive your friend’s getaway car or help them bury a body? and Eat only French fries for the rest of your life or never eat them again? and Be on The Bachelor or Survivor? And the answers help Haleigh feel out who is a good match or not.

She is hoping to start out strong with these dates, but instead Haleigh meets a guy with an emotional support cockatoo. She goes on a hike with a woman she has nothing in common with. She goes out to a fancy restaurant with a man who wants to fix her finances and tries to force feed her oysters. She’s about to give up when she meets a veterinarian, Brian, who is happy to drive the getaway car or help bury the body. They have great chemistry, and Haleigh starts to feel hope again. Which is good, since other parts of her life are in need of work.

She lives with roommate Stanton, but he’s moving in his boyfriend Ryan, so Haleigh feels like it may be time for her to find a new place. That means finding a full-time job, since her dog walking and freelance editing isn’t going to be enough to pay for rent and utilities. And Jack seems to be struggling at his job, feeling more stress than usual. One of the things that brought Haleigh and Jack together and kept them together as best friends since elementary school is their struggles with anxiety. They have learned how to be there for each other during difficult times, and this is one of those difficult times in life, for them both.

But while the dates with Brian seem to be going well, Haleigh had agreed to go through with all ten dates, no matter what happened. And Jack still has one pick left. And he chooses: himself. After a trip to Hawaii that turned romantic and then disastrous many years before, Haleigh and Jack had made a pact not to date each other and not to talk about Hawaii. But when Jack names himself as Haleigh’s tenth date, they are revisiting the possibility of becoming a couple. And Haleigh has to decide: will she stick with the new guy who she really likes, or go with the guy she’s been in love with her whole life, potentially losing her best friend?

Jenny L. Howe’s How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a celebration of living as a plus-size woman and finding love and joy with those who know you best. It’s a rom com, but it’s also about finding friends who genuinely understand and support you and taking chances to find the life that you love. Howe is known for writing strong women who are passionate and also happen to be larger, and Haleigh is no exception. She is outspoken and funny and smart, and it’s just so easy to root for her.

I really enjoyed How to Get a Life in Ten Dates. I have had one or two dating disasters myself along the way, and it was fun to read about someone else’s. I especially loved Haleigh’s Heart Strings questionnaire and the answers that the potential dates come up with. It’s surprisingly revealing and could be used by anyone actively looking for the right match for life.

Egalleys for How to Get a Life in Ten Dates were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Haleigh is under pressure to branch out and meeting someone, so she reluctantly agrees to being set up over dates with 10 different people. Cue all the drama we love to watch but hate to go through - you feel for Haleigh as she deals with this, awkwardness from her BFF/once years ago fling Jack, career drama, and more.

I liked the character development with Haleigh and some of the relationships that were defined further as she goes on this journey - a fun escape!

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC.

This is a marvel of fun and frolicking around with a couple who are determined to just be friends. Haleigh is a plus sized twenty-five year old who dates some of the biggest losers imaginable. The description of her interactions with them had me laughing out loud and imagining what it would be like to be on a date with such people who do such outrageous things. My favorite has to be the one who insisted she try an oyster, insisted by trying to force her mouth open to eat one. To the rescue comes her best friend Jack, a man who wants to break the rules that the two of them established about dating each other. He sets about to torpedo Haleigh’s dates and to insert himself in her life, in ever increasingly humorous ways. I enjoyed the banter in the book between the characters and I especially enjoyed guessing what the next date would be like. I enjoyed that Haleigh was very serious about finding the right person and even invited her family and roommate to choose the next dates for her. Their attempts to set her up on the perfect date was the crux of the story and made for an enjoyable read. I did not like that she appeared to be “equal opportunity” and would date either gender, but such are the times in which the book was written. I really enjoyed the dynamic aspects of the characters, with Jack seeming to sink into depression and then bounce back quickly when Haleigh was around. With a lot of predictability but with no idea how the author was going to get to a happy ending in the middle of all of the chaos that was Haleigh’s dating life, this book was an enjoyable read, entertaining, snarky at times and a great glimpse of trying to find your match online.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Another triumph for Jenny!

She has such a gift for portraying confident, dynamic beautiful fat women in romance who are wholly unashamed of the space they take up in the world, while also acknowledging that the way the world treats fat women can really fucking hurt. That both can be true. That you can feel the sting of the distaste so many have for fat women without accepting it as deserved or even true. And that she can weave that into such tender and funny books about love is, as I said, a gift.

While I typically despise a love triangle (I hate when someone gets hurt), this was a masterclass in how to make a love triangle that doesn’t suck and everyone comes out a winner! It was a joyful read from cover to cover. While there were some very real and heavier topics discussed, it never *felt* heavy. If anything, it made me feel lighter and lighter with every turn of the page.

Jack and Haleigh’s care for one another was tender and selfless. It was wonderful to read and no angst! Just giggles and contented little sighs.

Jenny is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary romance authors whom I trust implicitly.

Fat-friendly rating? 💚, a celebration of fat love and fat joy in both our leads!

Side note: my only “note” is that as a veterinarian myself, the only thing true about Brian’s depiction of being a vet ins that it’s a stressful job, the rest was…not authentic and did grate me a little.

This was SO cute!! I really enjoyed Jenny's last two books and was so excited about this one. This was another fun one. Special shoutout to the narrator, Billie Bryant, who was FANTASTIC!

Haleigh and Jack have been best friends forever. A few years ago they finally admitted their feelings and hooked up during a vacation in Hawaii, but things went south before they came back home so they created rules to maintain their friendship and move on from what happened. The only problem? Haleigh isn't over Jack and despite giving the dating game a try, she can't seem to get it right. Bad date after bad date and added family pressure led Haleigh to consider a dating sabbatical. When Jack suggests giving it one last try by letting her relatives and friends (including Jack!) set her up on 2 dates each, she expects more of the same.

Haleigh was relatable and fun and I loved her relationships with her family and friends. As an adult with a pretty lackluster dating history, I felt her pain, and going through each date with her was all too real! This book was full of hilarious and disastrous moments but also a lot of super sweet and heartwarming scenes. As always with Jenny's books, I loved the plus size rep, body positivity, mental health rep, and diversity. Also, the cameos from some of my faves from "On the Plus Side" was a pleasant surprise!

Thank you to SMP and Jenny for this ARC and ALC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing both an ARC and ALC of this book.

This was a charming romance. I loved following Haleigh's story to find love, and in a sense, find herself. I loved the chemistry in this book as well. And yes while the ending was predictable I really enjoyed it. Billie Bryant was the fabulous person to narrate this audiobook and I love how she brought Haleigh and the other characters to life. Overall this book was funny and heartwarming and if you enjoy books like that, this is the book for you.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC and ALC.

3.75/5 rounded up

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reading copy!

What a fun premise for a romance novel!! I was so entertained from start to finish, and I think the plotting was really well done overall. I felt a tiny bit rushed at the end with the resolutions of all the dates, but I can see how that was necessary for overall pacing. I do wish, however, that there was more resolution with Haleigh's anxiety/family issues and Jack's OCD. I love when these are included in stories and think that's so important, and I prefer when there's a bit more open resolution about this. This book did have great overall representation though, including plus-sized main character, which I love to see! Even though Haleigh's character pushed my buttons at times, I enjoyed following her story the entire way. Fun, easy romance, if that's what you're looking for!

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe is a delightful, feel-good rom-com reminiscent of the best 90s romantic comedies. Haleigh, the self-aware and relatable FMC, brings plenty of heart and humor to her journey through dating antics, navigating both her insecurities and her complicated feelings for Jack, her charmingly meddlesome best friend. The premise is fun and fresh, and the story offers a generous helping of inclusivity and body positivity, making it all the more engaging. While the pacing occasionally lags, the blend of humor, heartfelt moments, and swoon-worthy tension more than makes up for it. A charming exploration of love, friendship, and finding confidence in your own skin—this one’s a winner!

Read if you like:
💚✨ Friends to Lovers
💚✨ Slow Burn
💚✨ Body Positivity
💚✨ Second Chance

Rating 3.5/5

Dating as a plus-size can be exhausting, especially when you're also in love with your best friend. After a series of bad dates, 25-year-old Haleigh Berkshire agrees for her family and friends-including her best friend Jack-to set-up dates for her. If none of them works out, they will let her fade into dating retirement no questions asked. To her surprise, some of her dates go better than expected. Until Jack decides to break the rules they made to mend their friendship after college.

The premise of this book and the tropes are initially what caught my interest. I like the idea of dates set up by loved one, and I'm a sucker for friends to lovers and love triangles-thanks to Asian dramas, lol. However, it fell a little short for me. Haleigh and Jack may be best friends but their chemistry as lovers wasn't there for me. I really wanted to like them together, but I ended up rooting for the other guy. Anyway, I enjoyed the different dates that Haleigh went to.

This is my first book by Jenny L Howe and I really enjoyed it overall. I feel like her writing style is unique and I loved how it was about a plus sized woman, which isn't something that is too common in booksc (at least IMO anyway).
Haleigh is waaaaay over dating, but she's been secretly in love with her best friend jack since forever. they tried dating 5 years ago, but it just didn't work out for one way or another. In order for her to get over how she feels about Jack, she challenges her fam and friends to set her up on ten different dates (hence, the title, which I loveeeeee!). however, things get complicated & rules get broken...
You can absolutely tell that Haleigh ultimately wants to end up with Jack, despite going on dates and her trying to just convince herself to get over him. I kept telling her the whole time in my head that he loves you and to just go for it! I loved how the author went into detail about OCD and anxiety. mental health is a big deal and I think including it in books makes it more realistic. I also really enjoyed the supporting characters and the banter they added to the book. There were a lot of swoon worthy moments, which I truly always enjoy, especially in a romcom!
if you enjoy:
friends to lovers
slow burn
plus size body positivity
phenomenal side characters
lots of swoon moments
dating challenges
then this is the book for you!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC!

I read On The Plus Side by Howe, so when I saw this book by Howe, I knew that I wanted to read it! How to Get a Life in Ten Dates follows Haleigh, a plus size 25 year old woman who seems to go on bad date after bad date. She and her best friend Jack devise a plan to get her family off her back – they each get to pick 2 people to set her up with, she goes on a date with each of them and if it doesn’t work out, she gets to take 6 months off from dating, and no comments from her family. Her mom, dad, sister, roommate Stanton, and best friend Jack each get to pick 2 people for her to date. Most of these dates go bad, but Stanton picks Brian who has promise. Jack and Haleigh tried being a thing once, but that didn’t work and put some rules in place. But now, he’s breaking those rules. He sets her up with a horrendous date, and then tells her that his second choice is himself.

This was such a cute and fun book to read. There were so many moments where I literally laughed out loud at some of the horrendous dates that Haleigh went out on. I felt really bad for her! I’ve been out on some bad dates, but none quite as bad as her! I loved the questionnaire that her dates filled out. Everything about this book was so creative.

The “love” triangle was nicely done as well. You could feel the inner turmoil that Hayleigh had when she didn’t want to lead anyone on. I appreciated that she wanted to be honest with the guys. Haleigh herself is an honest character. She doesn’t shy away from who she is on the inside or on the outside. While she is a plus size character, she doesn’t seem to put herself down too much. She’s accepting of who she is. She realizes that others may not accept her as is, but she doesn’t wish she was any different because of that. I love how she was portrayed.

There were some moments that made me heart stopped. Some swoon worthy moments. I’m not going to say with who because I don’t want to give anything away! Just know, this book is really good. It’s a quick read too because it’s that good. So, rom-com readers, you’re going to want to add this one to your TBR!

The story is a fun rom-com. It's definitely full of humor. The family and friends are all a bit quirky, just like in real life. The premise of letting your family choose date candidates is both hysterical and scary. The result is a very funny set of dates. I really liked the Haleigh. Jack is also a fun character. The book is a fun diversion from real life, so sit back and enjoy. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Does Haleigh need ten dates to find love?

Haleigh Berkshire was getting tired of failing on the dating scene after ten years but she had promised her sister that she would bring a plus-one to her sister’s engagement party. Haleigh was still looking for love after a disastrous college trip to Hawaii with her best friend Jack Brooks that ended badly. But Hailey and Jack had set down some rules for staying best friends after hooking up.

But what happens when some of her dates are horrible and some go really well but everything changes when Jack gets very involved in critiquing the qualities of her dates and then including his name in her possible dates. But could Haleigh open her heart again to Jack and maybe lose her best friend?

You need to read How to Get a Life in Ten Dates if you like a second chance romance where the main character has an amazing group of friends and family that set her up on some interesting dates!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date: December 10, 2024

Friends to Lovers: ✔️
Love Triangle: ✔️
Second Chance: ✔️

Haleigh has been on one terrible date after another and is receiving constant unsolicited feedback from her family and friends. Finally, Haleigh decides to let them set up semi-blind dates for her in hopes that she will find the one. The dates are a series of misadventures that will have you laughing out loud!

I love an “I’ve loved you my whole life” or “I’ve loved you since I saw you” moment and HTGALITD did NOT disappoint. It was obvious that Jack and Haleigh were in love with each other even though they were trying to hide it. Do I think men and women can be just friends? Absolutely. But there were little moments and gestures that showed there was more to their feelings than platonic love.

I also liked the mental health representation. Those who suffer with anxiety, depression, etc. don’t always just wake up and become overcome by their thoughts. It can be a gradual taking over where you don’t notice it happening and even tell yourself that everything is fine.

One note: I think the relationship between Haleigh and her sister, Joey, could have been explored more. They don’t have a great relationship, but I want to know why. Yes, her sister is “perfect” and Haleigh is a “mess,” but that doesn’t seem to fully explain why she believes that Joey is so terrible.

All of this being said…I NEED a book for Brian. I loved him so much and want him to find the love of his life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jenny L. Howe for an e-copy of Hot to Get a Life in Ten Dates!

The .more I read Jenny Howe, the better I like her books. While this was a great rom-com, the story had more depth than just for laughs. Tired of dealing with dating, Haleigh decides she is taking a hiatus but her family and friends, who just want to see her happy, refuse to allow it. So she decides she will give them each 2 chances to set her up on dates so they can see that it isn't that easy to date and find true love in today's world. What they don't know is that her heart has been taken for years and letting go is not easy. Each date had me laughing out loud because I can really imagine the ridiculousness of some of the people she goes out with. In the end, she does indeed find her happy ending although maybe not with who I was going for lol.

3.5* rounded up!

This was a cute, predictable romcom and I'm not complaining about that! You knew what was going to happen early on, but the story to get there was still cute. The characters were perfectly imperfect and some of the dates made me LOL.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The writing was good. The main character was insufferable. The plot had so much promise but I could not connect to it. I enjoyed parts of it but wanted to enjoy more. I’d still recommend it though

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe is such a sweet friends-to-lovers/second-chance romance with amazing romantic chemistry and witty banter.
This is FREAKING AMAZING! I literally devoured it!
Jenny L. Howe is a favorite of mine! I’ve loved and swooned over her previous titles, but if I’m being honest…. This is my favorite to date!
I love the plus size representation that actually makes sense, is realistic and is relatable.
Her characters are well balanced, sweet, smart, thoughtful. Just flat out amazing.
Another five star read work by this phenomenal writer!