This book was cute . I liked reading about the dates
Haleigh went on , but the connection between Haleigh and jack just didn’t feel real the chemistry wasn’t there for me .

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates begins with Haleigh, a plus size girlie who is tired of dating (refreshingly not because she's plus size but because her dates suck!) so she gets her friends and fam to set her up with two people each. These dates are absolutely ridiculous like you can never predict what is gonna happen because they are so harebrained and so funny that it really balances out the main story line of Haleigh being tired of dating AND trying to figure out what to do about her job AND the fact that she's still in love with her best friend, Jack...👀
There's so much that happens in this story: there's happiness, sadness, grief, feeling lost, but also confidence, love, and growth. I really love a good balanced book that can have personal growth but also is a rom-com at heart.
As well, I was a little nervous with all of these dates that there would be some fat-phobic issues (like there are in a lot of plus size books) BUT that was not the case! The only fat-phobic issue was Haleigh bringing up the fact that restaurants sometimes don't account for plus size people when designing the table set-up (which is TRUE)! And I love that Haleigh being fat wasn't a reason for her not being loved or her being insecure! We love to see it!🫶
Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book! I was so excited to read it after reading The Make-Up Test and cannot wait to read more by Jenny L. Howe!

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I liked the story and the authors intention, but it didn’t work in execution. The FMC blamed everyone else (or her anxiety) for anything that went wrong in her life. (I also suffer from anxiety/depression). I wish she could have owned more of her choices. And the MMC was like a spoiled child with a toy - he only wanted it when he was about to have it taken away. Sorry, but it just didn’t work for me. Thanks to SMP for the ARC.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a standalone companion to On the Plus Side, also by Howe. Some characters overlap, but you can read them in any order. Isn’t that always a good thing?

Where were these books when I was younger? As someone who has struggled with their weight their whole life, it was always disappointing to never see myself in the characters in the books I read. If there was a plus-sized character, she was either the main character’s best friend or the butt of jokes.

Another thing that is discussed in the book is Haleigh’s anxiety. Howe uses Haleigh’s anxiety and Jack’s mental health issues as well to help people better understand their own. She mentions in her notes at the beginning of the book that she has the same mental health diagnosis and felt the need to include them in her story. Howe explains that she hopes to remove the stigmas attached to that diagnosis by including them in How to Get a Life in Ten Dates.

Overall, How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a fun rom-com. Some dates Haleigh finds herself in are too funny and tragically realistic. I’m sure everyone has been in one of these situations and can laugh it off now. If you haven’t, you’ve been in something similar and can still laugh at them. If you are looking for a quick, funny rom-com with a few scenes that fade to gray, you should grab a copy of How to Get a Life in Ten Dates.

This was such a cute/realistic read! I loved it.
The challenges of being 25 these days and figuring life out are REAL. Dating is also a struggle, I hear. I’m married and glad to not being going through scenarios that were presented in this book. As crazy as they sounded, they were not all that unbelievable sadly lol.

This book was about second chances and listening to your heart. I loved the way it turned out and I’m sad it’s over.

3.5 out of 5 stars rounded up

💚Anxiety rep
💚Dating disasters
💚Friends to lovers
💚Queer rep (bi main character)
💚Plus size rep

I was hoping for a little more from this one! I thought the ending was a little rushed and things got repetitive at times. However, it was a fun and easy read. I think it’s a great palette cleanser book.

I enjoyed getting to see some characters from On the Plus Side in this one! I love it when authors make worlds collide.

This author always does a really great job with making books with plus size main characters! I also appreciated the anxiety rep in this - it felt very realistic.

The premise of this book seemed really cute- go on 10 dates of her friends and family's choosing and hope to meet the one! Double excitement as Haleigh is a desirable, plus size FMC!

I really enjoyed how the book started off. Haleigh's friends and family want to set her up and help her find love, but Haleigh has not so platonic feelings for her BFF Jack which are standing in her way. I do have to say that this is the second book I have read this month where there are strange and unrealistic expectations around young MCs. Haleigh is 25 years old and trying to figure her life out, however, for some reason I can't understand, everyone in her life INSISTS that she NEEDS to be in a LONG-TERM relationship NOW. From her sister to her mom to her roommate- just let the girl live her life!

Haleigh herself grows throughout the book as she is quite messy to start- literally and figuratively as she makes a physical mess wherever she goes. She begins as a very negative person and soon starts to open up and that improves her outlook and her state of mind. She is also unapologetic about her size, thought the author consistently uses the word 'fat' to describe the characters and the MC uses it to describe herself, in a way that is sometimes jarring. For example, she wants every date to see a picture of her and know she is fat before she will go out with them. Other than the use of the word fat, her body is never talked about in a good or bad way. Additionally, it seemed like one of the male love interests was also plus-sized based on the cover and a brief one-time description (this can be done so right, like in Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon), but this was glazed over as well. I guess it's just not really the representation I was hoping for...

The other reason that this is a 3 star read for me is that in the last quarter of the book it takes a sharp turn into a love triangle, which is one of my least favourite tropes. Yes, love triangles can be done well but I found this one to be very disingenuous and given the background of the story, I actually probably would have picked different than Haleigh did in the end.

Some charm to it, but overall hard for me to relate to. Perhaps other readers will feel different. This book pubs Dec 10. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an earc in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this and it started with a ton of promise. Where it lost me was when it turned into a love triangle that treated one of parties really unfairly. I strongly dislike love triangle in general but especially when it’s used to force one person to admit their feelings for the other. It’s gross and unfair in real life and it isn’t something I enjoy at all in my romance novels.

I thought this was a cute book. Not my favorite but it had a good story. Some of the dates were quite entertaining and funny. I enjoyed it and knew the ending would make me happy.

This is a fun, entertaining read. Jack and Haleigh are intriguing, strong, complex, complicated, interesting, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. Howe tackles some touch topics in this story in a compassionate way, which adds another layer to the story and characters. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. They at times added a lighter element to the story that is needed and appreciated. The story is easy to read and get into.

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

I’ve tried to write this reviews several times over these last few weeks and I have trouble putting into words how I feel. It was such a fun book but at times it felt personal constantly reading about her body. It was a cute take on friends to lovers and I loved having the family involved throughout the book. It felt lighthearted and fun.

That being said, circling back to the focus on her plus size was too much for me. I understand it was the description of the book but I guess I wanted it less of a burden and more celebrated.

Thanks so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

*Dating as a Plus-Size Woman* was my first book by Jenny L. Howe, and I absolutely loved it! Haleigh Berkshire, a 25-year-old woman exhausted by the dating scene, is hilarious and incredibly relatable. She's been in love with her best friend, Jack, for years, but a college mishap has her convinced they'll never be anything more than friends. With her sister’s engagement approaching, and family pressuring her to find a date, Haleigh and Jack hatch a plan to set her up with ten potential matches. But to her surprise, some of the dates go better than expected, and Haleigh begins to have fun—until Jack starts breaking all the rules they made to protect their friendship.

I adored Haleigh’s journey, especially how she navigated her personal growth and mental health struggles. The representation of anxiety, along with the positive depiction of therapy, was so well done, making the characters feel even more authentic.

I was laughing at Haleigh’s disastrous dates, nervously rooting for her, and swooning over the romance as it blossomed with Jack. It was a heartwarming, fun read, and I couldn’t put it down! This is definitely an author I’ll be reading more from in the future!

I couldn’t decide if I liked Jackson or thought he was a bit possessive/manipulative to be honest. But that’s just what a friend has got to do to become a lover I guess 🤷🏼‍♀️

I chose not to overthink it and had a decently fun time.

Free ARC provided by NetGalley.

DNF @ 5%. I could tell immediately this book wasn’t for me. The MC and her best friend are so immature. I don’t like her already. And while that’s not a dealbreaker, I at least need the story to make up for that. It didn’t.

ARC from NetGalley.

In a word: Loved!
4.5 ⭐️
My Review: Life long friends who had a previous disastrous attempt at romance are at a crossroads: will they rekindle or move on?

It was wonderful to see some of the characters I loved in On The Plus Side adjacent to this story. I really enjoyed the normalcy approach to LBGTQ+ characters as well as body diversity. I love reading about characters who are living in a world I would want to hang out it. (Otherwise I would read non-fiction.) I did find frustration with the FMC’s inner struggle that was often based on false assumptions she was making about others. (It frustrates me because I do it in real life and is not a trait I enjoy about myself.) I wanted her to stop mind-reading others and making life decisions based on her assumptions.

I love the love triangle plot, the adorable pets and the family dynamics.
So much to love in this book!
I’m really looking forward to the next book by Jenny Howe.

Please note, I did receive this ARC for free; I am writing this honest review voluntarily and appreciate the opportunity provided by the author to review this book.
Thank you to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Griffin and the author for the opportunity to review this book.

I really wanted to love this book, but sadly, I didn’t. I didn’t feel the connection between Jack and Haleigh. I might have felt differently if I’d met them as their friendship grew before they went to Hawaii. Coming in at the middle, when so much had transpired between them, made it feel like I was missing something. There was more chemistry between Haleigh and Brian than I felt between her and Jack. This isn’t a terrible book, I just wanted more. Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy of this book.

4.5 stars! I always enjoy Jenny L. Howe’s writing and this was no exception. Right from the beginning I was feeling so much, maybe too much. Her characters and their feelings hit so close to home, especially with the fat rep and mental health rep in this book. I was rooting for Haleigh and Jack the whole time. I also loved the cameos from the characters from Jenny’s previous books! That was a fun bonus. Overall definitely recommend!

I was granted access to this ARC in exchange of my honest opinion by Netgalley

Haleigh is a 25-year-old plus size woman tired of the dating scene, she keeps having these bad dates this added to the fac that works part times makes it so everyone in her family always have something to say when they see her. it doesn't help that she has a thing for her best friend, but they have to keep it platonic.

When Haleigh's sister gets engaged and she must take a plus one to the engagement party her family and friends strike a deal with her, they will set her up on 10 dates to hopefully she'll find a date to the party but maybe a long term Parter, each of them get 2 picks. will Haleigh find her perfect match in one of the dates and finally get over best friend Jack or will she end up on the dating sabbatical she so desperately wants.

this was a cute read, it was easy to get in to once i picked it up for good, read about 79% of it before i put it down.
I enjoyed the representation since our FMC is a plus size person, we got to see some of the horrors one experiences when living on a bigger body.

We got to see how the Haleigh and Jack's friendship is and how much they trust and rely on each other

it was a quick read, i enjoyed it and over all i recommended it .

*****spoilers***
what i did not like, throughout the book we get to see the dates, some are very terrible and definitely justify why our FMC does not want to date. until we get to Brian

Brian is good guy, he is vet, he is sweet, makes Haleigh laugh and they have a good time together. i love brian <3
As things are going good with Brian, Jack decides to finally come up and be open about his feelings and he confesses his never ending love for her, they decide to start dating.
Haleigh is dating both of them and until this point, i could not see why anyone would be team Jack.
we spent most of the book seeing the dates and jack being stressed about work and seeing how he was reacts to stress, not a good look tbh

From the point that Haleigh decides to explore things with both of them we now see that Brian is not as perfect as we though, why you might ask;
he does not read... the horror..
he also does not watch Tv... the tragedy...
he is willing to watch TV if thats what Haleigh wants but she does not want that, she wants a man who will read with her and discuss books with her and watch TV because he wants to, not because he has too

in turn we see how Jack started to read to be better for her, he is on a book club for her and jack arranges a book shopping spree for her when she is stressed so OfCourse he is the perfect man for her

petty as it might be this bothered me, there was nothing wrong with Brian

I love a friends to lovers trope, and a plus sized main character, was a plus (pardon the pun). This was the first Jenn Howe book that I read, but I enjoyed it so much, I don't think "How to Get a Life in Ten Dates" will be my last!

Cute little palate cleanser! I love that there were plus size characters and felt like her feelings towards dating as a plus sized girl were so accurately portrayed. I like that there were LGBTQ+ characters. The banter within the friend group was so fun! I could see this being a Netflix movie, and although the characters weren't super well developed, it was still fun to watch the growth. I love to read contemporary romance between deep fantasy and dark romance, so this was exactly the light hearted read I needed. It was entertaining and fast paced with a happily ever after.