This was such a soft and sweet friends-to-lovers/second-chance romance with amazing romantic chemistry and witty banter. The "bad" dates that Haleigh endured had me howling, especially the one with Scooter the emotional support bird! And props to Howe for creating a love triangle with two good options. This author always provides great body positivity and important representation, in this case anxiety was really well portrayed. I look forward to the author's YA debut next year!

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe is a very enjoyable romcom, with a plus sized heroin who, while she does have issues, is at least comfortable in her own skin.

Haleigh has been in love with Jack for years, but after a disastrous trip several years before, they have agreed that they must remain friends and nothing more. Haleigh decides that she must make an effort once and for all to leave behind her hopes that she and Jack could be together, and allows 5 of her family and friends (including Jack) to set her up on two dates each. You can only imagine how those dates go.

I really enjoyed Haleigh and Jack's story. They each had their own struggles to overcome, but it was fairly obvious, even to their family and friends, that they belonged together.

The only thing I didn't really care for in this story, was the flashback scene to the encounter that bought about their decision to be just friends. That's a me thing though, I just don’t generally enjoy flashback scenes in books, I find them kind of annoying.

If you're looking for a feel good, friends to lovers to friends to lovers story, that will have you laughing out loud, then you'll want to give this book a read.

Haleigh is a 25 year old woman who's in love with her best friend Jack. They had admitted their love for each other five years ago while on a vacation to Hawaii but something happened at the end of the trip that caused Jack to have anxiety and say something hurtful to Haleigh. They eventually found their way back to being friends but have stuck to being only friends for five years. Now Haleigh, who suffers anxiety, too, has an upcoming family event that she feels pressure to have a plus one for. Jack comes up with a plan for her friends/family to set her up on dates - hence 10 dates to getting a life. Good story.

Thank you NetGalley, publisher St. Martin's Griffin, and author Jenny L Howe for providing a copy of this eARC! All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
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If Jenny L Howe writes it, I'm gonna read it. Period. And chances are, I'm gonna like it. And I liked this one a lot! However, I don't think it's for everyone. I think for readers to enjoy this, they need to be able to relate to the FMC, and she is flawed.

FMC Haleigh is a self-described mess, and readers should take the time to read and digest the author's note at the beginning of the book. Haleigh has general anxiety disorder (lol same) and has been in and out of therapy (lol same). Haleigh has confidence issues that are not related to her body, but rather to her perceived failure to meet a self-imposed standard of success. Like many millennials and Gen Zers, Haleigh keeps herself afloat financially through gigs like dog walking and short-term editing contracts, rather than a "standard" 9 to 5 job with benefits. Like many millennials and Gen Zers, her living arrangements include a roommate. Haleigh believes "success" requires a job with a 401k and a number of PTO days per year and a one bedroom apartment to herself. Based on past comments to her by her family, she also believes that to be "successful" she must be in a stable relationship. Readers who dread family feedback or have been on the receiving end of a hurtful but well-intended observation paired with the placation "I just want to see you happy!" will probably resonate with Haleigh's perception of herself. There's also the element of a not well-intended comment spoken by Haleigh's sister that wormed it's way into Haleigh's brain and stayed there for twenty years, the nickname "Disaster Girl". Kids can be assholes, and siblings even more so. But these assholic comments have a way of staying with us, and becoming the disparaging voices in our heads.

While this book is a romance/rom-com and explores a number of hysterical, cringe-worthy, and a few particularly nightmarish dates, and then throws in a delightful love triangle between the new love interest and the childhood friend, it's also a story about Haleigh's acceptance of herself and her journey to find the bravery to make the changes in her life that she wants to see, and to explore her insecurities and face some personal demons. She refers to herself as a mess about 20 times in this book; her anxiety latches on to this and calls her a tornado, a disaster, a failure. Fear grips her in a way that, to me, felt all too familiar. Haleigh learns over the course of the story to embrace what is said in the book's dedication: For anyone who has ever thought they’d never get it right— remember, right and wrong are subjective words, and messes can be beautiful.

Come for the silly little dates, emotional support cockatoo, and narwhal plushes named Marshmallow, but stay for the world-class representation and character growth.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for an advanced digital copy of this book!

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a charming, lighthearted read that will make you smile. The story follows Haleigh, a woman who decides to take a break from dating after a series of disastrous dates. However, when her sister's engagement party looms, she knows she'll be the subject of pity if she attends without a plus-one. Her solution? Let the people closest to her set her up on dates. But with one crucial caveat: they cannot meddle in her romantic life for six months once the arrangements are made. This premise sets the stage for a series of humorous, heartwarming, and sometimes unexpectedly emotional encounters.

The book does an excellent job of highlighting the complexities of modern dating, especially for someone dealing with additional challenges like body image and mental health. I appreciated how the story explored the impact of anxiety and OCD on relationships and daily life, shedding light on issues that are often underrepresented in romance novels. While the themes of self-acceptance and personal growth are refreshing, I found the "friends-to-lovers" aspect of the plot to be a bit confusing. The reasons why Haleigh and Jack aren't together at the start of the book feel flimsy, and a simple conversation could have cleared up much of their tension. It made the story's pacing uneven, as a rushed climax ultimately overshadowed the slow build-up.

Despite these minor frustrations, I appreciated how the novel addressed mental health issues thoughtfully and meaningfully. The romance is sweet, with a few spicy moments at the end that provide a satisfying conclusion. Overall, How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a fun and uplifting read, tackling important themes with humor, heart, and spice.

This was a cute story but the writing fell a little flat for me. It was a cute story but just didn't sweep me away. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

“How to Get a Life in Ten Dates” by Jenny L. Howe
For me, a bit of Something Different
It probably is not a first time done, but I don’t recollect having read a contemporary story with the chapters presented in titled groups; but it reads just the same one page at a time, one chapter at a time. Alas I seemed to have misplaced my funny bone because I’m not sure I did much if any laughing; but it is a light reading romance. It is a good read, just not the best fit for me at this point in time. Happy Reading ! !

An absolutely sweet read!

Haleigh is so very tired of dating and ready to give up. Unfortunately, she can’t do so without interference from her family and friends. She and her best friend, Jack, come up with a plan to get her family to understand just how hard dating is. She agrees to be set on dates from each of them, and in turn, each of them will leave her alone when they inevitably don’t work out. What happens though, when an unexpected suitor throws his hat in the ring?

I feel like Haleigh is everyone in this. So tired of the bad dates and wanting to just be done with it all. Some of the dates are laugh out loud funny but so horrific at the same time. Finally, Haleigh meets Ben and, for the first time in a long time, sparks actually fly! Unfortunately, that’s when her best friend Jack decides that he wants to try again to have a relationship beyond just friends. I adore both Ben and Jack. They are both waving those bright green flags in the air and are so very sweet. I love who Haleigh is with each of them. This book is just so darn sweet and feels very much like real life. I adore the characters and the cameos! If you’ve enjoyed any of Jenny’s other books, you will definitely love Ten Dates!

📱 Book Review 📱

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: December 19, 2024

Rating: Not for me

This is my second book by Howe and I’m bummed because I enjoyed On the Plus Side. This book had all the tropes I love but I found the writing a little flat and Haleigh a bit annoying. I wish the characters were a little fleshed out more.

For fans of:
📱 Third person POV
🔑 Bisexual FMC
📱 MMC with OCD
🔑 Childhood best friends
📱 Mental health rep
🔑 Second chance
📱 Slow burn

🌟 Similar vibes:
🌟 Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings

🌟 Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right by Chloe Liese

🌟 This Spells Love by Kate Robb

🌟 Is She Really Going Out with Him? By Sophie Cousens

With each of Jenny Howe’s books, I have a new favorite! This book was so much fun. I found myself cackling, gasping, or commenting out loud while I was reading. Howe’s books can always be depended on for a fantastic story with amazing characters and I loved the relationship between all of the characters in this one. It was just such a fun ride. And it was great to see cameos from characters from Howe’s previous books too. Highly recommend!

Jenny never disappoints and this is just another example of her working her magic of words. The representation, the character growth, the humor and pain, everything about this book is wrapped up so beautifully in the story and I devoured it! Perfection as always.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were great and very entertaining. The story was very well written and I loved the plot!

I received an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Haleigh has been on way too many awful dates and wants to take a break from the whole scene for a while, but she knows that she can’t go alone to her sisters engagement party without a date and not hear about it all night. Her solution, allow the important people in her life to set her up but after these setups are complete they can’t meddle in her love life for six months.

I did enjoy reading this book. I found the story fun and engaging. Seeing the questionnaire answers for each date had me turning the page so quickly to get to that date. I loved how all the animals were named after foods, it was super cute.

I gave this a 3 star rating, there were a lot of spots I had to read a few times over to get what the author was saying. I also had a hard time with the FMC herself, she seemed to have a pretty low view of herself.

Jenny L. Howe is on a mission to increase the number of romance books in the world that are inclusive, diverse and representative of plus-size heroines and heroes and she hits the mark with How to Get a Life in 10 Dates!

She blew me away with On the Plus Side so I was eagerly awaiting her next release. With it, she continues to show that she’s on a mission to bring more inclusive and body-positive romance books to the genre.

Haleigh is a twenty-something plus-size woman who’s grown weary with the dating scene despite feeling the pressure from her family to settle down and at least bring a plus one to her sister’s engagement/graduation party.

To show how dismal the dating world truly is, she asks her family and close friends to set her up on 10 dates with potential suitors who know in advance that she’s plus-size and if things don’t work out despite her/their best efforts, then she’s taking a dating sabbatical. One person agreeing to her plan is Jack – her best friend of many years who she hooked up with once and on whom she’s had a lasting crush.

The only person to succeed in setting her up is her roommate with a guy who seems pretty great but then Jack throws himself into the mix as a potential date.

I liked the friends to lovers set-up but Jack wasn’t really my favorite book boyfriend and that’s OK. I like that Jenny doesn’t make him perfect but I didn’t really care for how he treated Haleigh. That being said, I enjoy Jenny’s writing and loved seeing some of the characters from On the Plus Side make their cameos.

I wasn’t sure if this was going to turn into a true love triangle romance because I liked but suitors for her for their own reasons, but I’m glad that she could finally have the man who had always had her heart.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I cannot for the life of me get into this book… I feel like I’m trying so hard, but it’s falling flat. I’m annoyed with how many times the word Haleigh is written. The story line is a bit cliche. I wanted to write how it was relatable in the sense that she’s a plus size woman, but I couldn’t get into it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc for my honest opinion in exchange.

So excited to get my first NetGalley book. Unfortunately I really did not like this book. Couldn't connect with any of the characters and found most of them unappealing although I did enjoy the questionnaires. Finally, it is a pet peeve of mine when any older character (specifically anyone over 50) is portrayed as eccentric or difficult.

I am a big fan of Jenny L. Howe! I devoured this one in a single afternoon.

I enjoyed the characters, particularly how multifaceted they are. The premise was fun, even if it was a bit predictable.

My only real critique is that I struggle with books where the characters are so young (25!) and the plot centers around the pressure of being a spinster and alone forever / not having their life together enough. It felt a bit heavy handed here, and took away from everything else that I really enjoyed about it.

The main character in this book wasn't very likable. She complains about "adulting" and what's no responsibility. She wants a relationship in order to have a plus one at her sister's party because she thinks that everyone will see her as a loser if she doesn't The dates she went on were funny enough but her constant criticism of the other people she was on the dates with was annoying. The communication between the 2 characters wasn't great.

i was instantly drawn to this book based on the title alone. the concept - a woman struggling to find love agrees to 10 dates set up by her family & friends - was what sold me.

the female mmc reminded me a lot of bridget jones. so much so that i had to keep reminding myself that the book was set in the US, not the UK. she was likeable and quite witty. i will say it took me a very long time to warm up to her best friend (the mmc). he came across as quite selfish throughout the book, despite the nice gestures toward haleigh. i found myself frustrated that he was almost holding her back when she deserved so much more. In the end, i did warm to him, but it took some serious convincing for me to get there.

the story itself flowed nicely, there was just enough time spent going through the details of each date so it didn’t feel like it dragged on, but also felt like justice was done to describe them.

the ending wrapped up relatively quickly, but overall it was a good, fun read.

Haleigh Berkshire is done with dating. Date after date, Haleigh feels like it's time for a break. That is until an invitation for her sister's engagement-slash-graduation party arrives. As much as she does not want to continue dating, she needs a plus one for this event (her family says so!). To show her family how hard dating - especially as a plus-size woman - is, she challenges them to set her up on a date. Assuming they are all going to go poorly, she is hoping her family can finally let her live her life in peace. However, there's one problem. She's in love with her best friend, Jack (who is also conveniently picking dates for her). Despite her feelings, she knows they will never be more than friends - she has been there and done that and it ended horribly. As Haleigh begins to connect with one of her dates, Jack breaks the rules they set for their friendship - including throwing himself in as Haleigh's final date. With this confusing turn of events, Haleigh must make a choice - give her date a genuine shot or potentially throw it all away for Jack. Who may just break her heart once more.

I love Jenny and her books, but I wanted a bit more from this one. I really enjoyed the plot of her family and friends picking dates for her but it was clear from the start what the ending would be (no spoilers!). As someone who has had some AWFUL dates and even short-lived romantic partners, I truly felt for Haleigh and her never-ending dating cycle. My family and friends never set me up on any dates (thankfully - and no offense if you're reading this review), but my now-husband was my Jack. Always there in the background until finally... Anyway, I am so glad for another strong plus-size female main character! I also enjoyed the callbacks to On the Plus Side. You'll fall in love with a few of her dates and will be thankful you never had to meet others.