This book is a lot of fun. It's reminiscent of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Dates, but this time with a protagonist who just wants her family and friends to leave her alone and stop trying to set her up. So instead, they get to set her up on two dates each and then forever hold their peace on her relationship status (or lack thereof).

The dates end by at times hilarious means. The banter is a-bantering and the rom com is a-rom-comming. I had a lot of fun with this one.

Content: language, explicit, brief love triangle

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

So honestly this story only started to get good when Haleigh started to actually like her dates. It was super slow paced in my opinion. I felt like we always knew the outcome of what was going to happen. So, I was hoping she would have had more tension with either her dates or with the true love interest. But everything felt very lack luster when it came together. There wasn’t really a moment for me where the main love interest wasn’t going to be the one. This book does start to read faster once you’re about 65% through. Overall, it was good but not a story I’d look to reread again.

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this opportunity!

I loved this read! The FMC is so real and relatable. I couldn't put it down and just was left with such big swoony feelings after!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and of course the author for providing this eARC.

I was hooked from the start, laughing out loud at how funny it was. The characters were so likable, and the ones who weren’t—well, they did their job too! I just loved how real they all felt, and I wish I could experience it again from scratch, not knowing what was going to happen. Dating is something I haven’t taken lightly because of how intimidating it can be as a plus-size woman. While this book didn’t completely ease my anxieties about dating, it made me laugh at the absurdity of it all. It was also refreshing to feel that as a plus-size woman, I can still be desirable, and there are people out there who want to date me. I knew this book would make me cry, and it did—so many happy tears for all the characters involved. This was truly a rom-com to remember.

I highly recommend it to everyone—read this now!

I always love Jenny Howe’s books! the characters are sweet, swoony, and spicy, and the plot is deep, loving, and oh so tender. I loved Haleigh and Jacks friends to lovers, slow burn romance. I love being able to see how they’ve both grown, matured, and healed/ are healing over the years to be the best partners they can to each other. I loved the side characters here as well, especially Brian who’s just a big ole cinnamon roll!!!

overall, another adorable, amazing story from Jenny Howe! thank you for the arc!!!!

Frustrated with dating, Haleigh has her family & friends set her up on ten dates of their choosing so they will stop hounding her about finding partner, after which she plans to go on a dating hiatus. I thought this was cute, fast paced and easy to read.

I love a good rom-com book and find their predictability a nice palate cleanser between heavier books or a way to just let my brain relax when real life gets busy. This book isn’t it. I found the plot so messy and unbelievable, but not in the typical rom-com, fairy-tale way. First off, our MFC is 25 and is stressing about needing to “get her life together”. Why isn’t she a powerful editor at a major publishing company yet? Why doesn’t she own her own home? Why isn’t she married and settled down already? These are things everyone should have accomplished by 25, right?! Second, she’s in love with her best friend since second grade, Jack (our MFC). Except, after hooking up in Hawaii, Jack acted like a giant asshole. But Haleigh just couldn’t live without him because he’s so wonderful…So they stayed best friends. For another 5 years. She starts dating a super awesome, hot veterinarian but He’S NoT jAcK, and he (*gasp*) doesn’t like to read as a hobby, and is therefore not excellent boyfriend material. Even though he’s the most mature, delightful person in the entire book. Best go back to Jack, who is finally ready for a relationship with Haley, despite the fact that he lies to his therapist and refuses medication to help with his severe anxiety and OCD. Good choice.

Also randomly, after deciding Jack is THE ONE, Haleigh refers to herself as a “mama bear” where Jack is concerned. GROSS. Absolutely not. No thank you. Change that line.

Anyway, save yourself time and read something else.

3.5 stars rounded down for Goodreads.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my advanced copy of this book!

This one was cute! Haleigh, the FMC, is sick of her family bothering her about her dating life, so she agrees to let them set her up on a total of ten dates, as long as they’ll leave her alone for awhile after she puts forth the effort on the dates.

Honestly, the dates were pretty funny, and I enjoyed reading them! Made me glad I’m not currently in that season of life 🤣

Haleigh is plus-sized and deals with quite a bit of anxiety. Her struggles with her mental health felt real and relatable. However, she also seems immature at times, not wanting to “adult” and kind of stuck in a life she’s unhappy with, but not really willing to do the hard work to make the necessary changes. She did have growth in this area throughout, though, so I appreciated that.

The MMC, Jack, also dealt with mental health issues of his own. I like that the rep in this book was both from a female and a male POV.

I felt like the reasons Haleigh and Jack aren’t together initially in this book are a bit weak, and a nice long sit down could have probably solved a lot of their issues. But, nonetheless, I love second chance and friends to lovers, and will never complain about either of those tropes!

This was a fun read, and a nice palette cleanser in between heavier reads. It tackled mental health issues without feeling draining or too heavy itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of Jenny L. Howe's How to Get a Life in Ten Dates in exchange for an honest review. While I'm not 100% sure this book is what I thought it would be about when I started reading about it, I do have to say, I enjoyed the book. The preface of the book is that Haleigh is sick of her family giving her grief about her life since she doesn't "have a real job" and doesn't date anyone seriously. Her sister is getting married and is having a weekend, out of town affair and Haleigh is invited with a plus one. To get her family off her back, she invites her family and friends to each set her up with either a man or woman of their choice. Once she has gone on 10 dates, they must get off her back and give her much needed time off from the dating (and them nagging) scene.

Let me just say that I LOVE the relationship Haleigh has with Jack. They are such a perfect couple, whether as friends or as more. They truly know each other and what the other needs. I also LOVE Stanton. His character is an absolute riot! It seems as though Haleigh has some wonderful people surrounding her which is important in life.

I really enjoyed this book.

A cute, funny read with a fat positive lead, supportive and amazing side characters, and lgbtq+ representation. 

In the beginning, I was hesitant on liking Haleigh, as she seems slightly immature, but she definitely grows as the story goes, and she eventually starts to "grow up" and attempts to get her life in order. I loved Jack from the beginning but grew skeptical of him after learning about his reaction in Hawaii, which led to the two leads making a list of rules in order to maintain their friendship. I won't lie as much as I love the two main characters. I really fell in love with Brian in this love triangle and would love to see him get a story of some kind.

As someone who suffers from anxiety herself, I think the author realistically shows how anxiety can really drag you down, cause mental havoc, and create a domino effect on life (i.e., Jack in Hawaii or Haleigh constantly comparing herself to her sister and friends).

This is a first from Howe for me, and I now know she also wrote On the Plus Side, which has been on my list of romances to read, so I will eventually make my way back to reading it and look forward to other books she writes in the future.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

This was my first novel written by Jenny Howe! I myself am a plus size girlie so when I saw this book I immediately wanted to read it. I wanted to like the FMC but... I couldn't. Some of what Haleigh goes through and experiences is relatable, however, she was a bit negative which frustrated me a bit. A few things I enjoyed about the book was the mental health reps in stories, it makes the characters seem more real and I feel connected in a way and the dates were pretty funny to read. I liked her relationship with Jack BUT the miscommunication trope was a bit much. You're best friends! Overall, happy to have read the book - the story was cute!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I started this but couldn’t finish. The main character wasn’t a good fit for me. Thanks for the opportunity.

What a fun and quick read! Refreshing to see a plus size main character in this cute rom-com. After a slew of bad dates, Haleigh is done with dating until her sister announces a big engagement party and shocker Haleigh needs to find a plus one. Her and her bestie, Jackson decide to have family and friends set her up on 2 dates each all the while her feelings for Jackson are in the back of her mind.

The dates are fun and very descriptive in the book. I found myself laughing and reminiscing of terrible dates of my past. Very well written and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Haleigh Berkshire is ready for a dating sabbatical, but her family and friends are determined that she finds a match. So, she enlists their help in setting her up on ten final dates, and then they’ll leave her alone—and let her be alone. She wasn’t expecting her best friend Jack—whom she has been in love with forever—to join in. After a disastrous fling in college, Haleigh doesn’t believe she and Jack can be together—but what if they can? Friends to lovers isn’t my favorite trope, but I really enjoyed it in this book because the author did a great job establishing the relationship, and I loved the supporting characters. Funny, sweet, and steamy, I read this as a #netgalley ARC, but you can check it out when it releases on 12/10.

Very cute read with good character development! Fun tropes and engaging writing.

Thank you NetGalley and Jenny L. Howe!

If you love early 2000s rom-coms, this is a book for you! Think Bridget Jones meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Haleigh is trying to prove to her family and friends how abysmal the dating world is in 10 dates by having those closest to her including her childhood best friend and secret love of her life set her up on dates.

I thought this was a cute read, but I was left wanting a little more. It’s perfect if you’re wanting a quick palette cleansing read though.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Griffin for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Such a cute and quick read. Overall, I liked this book. There were definitely a bunch of different representations in the book so it had great character depth. There were a couple little places within the book where I needed a little more and a couple of places where I needed a little less.

As always, I appreciate any book with size representation. A very special thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun time, but I didn’t love the main character. Haleigh simultaneously feels both too old and too young to be acting the way she does. First, PLEASE can we stop the overly dramatic “woe is me I’ll die alone” viewpoint from characters in their mid twenties? I’m not buying it. Especially when that same character is continuously acting childish and bemoaning “adulting” activities. Not a fan. But ALSO I don’t love her dynamic with Jack. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re perfect for each other, but I wanted to shake them throughout the entire series. It’s possible friends to lovers isn’t my jam, because OBVIOUSLY YOU LOVE EACH OTHER. Stop dragging other lovely humans into this and then hurting them. That aside, it was a very fun read and I enjoyed the premise of a character going on lots of random blind dates. I liked have a fat main character that just got to be a romantic lead. It was positive and a refreshing change from a lot of plus size led books. Give me more of this!

I love bisexual chaos. And a plus sized female main character? Oof, you got me Jenny Howe. My favorite part of this book was that the dating experiences were a little over the top, but honestly kind of realistic. Haleigh is honest about her body and isn't ashamed. Her anxiety isn't about how she's going to look on dates, her anxiety is about the future and finances. I loved that Haleigh was confident in who she was and what she wanted.

I also loved the friendship between Jackson and Haleigh, this is easily a friend to lovers' story, but the friendship was so lovely and support. The way that Haleigh had protected Jackson even when they were kids and that she would copy his OCD ticks to help him cope. Swoon. I hate the miscommunication trope, and this book avoids it like the plague. Jackson and Haleigh communicate and are mostly so healthy. The family dynamics felt really natural to me too. I liked that the sisters weren't super close, and that Haleigh felt so much pressure to get her poop in a group. Life is messy and I enjoy a book that embraces that.

The one plot point I didn't love was Haleigh's job search. She had a lot of anxiety about applying and looking for jobs, which is understandable. But the thing that really bothered me was the slip-up she made during one of the interviews was so easily resolvable. She could have just reached out via e-mail! Like if it was your dream job, wouldn't you fight a little? The argument could be made that the anxiety was crippling, but I just didn't get that feeling. It just felt like an unnecessary foil.

This is a fun, quick, romantic book. If you're a fan of friends to lovers, this is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Griffin for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

3* for a queer & fat protagonist, mental illness representation, and a friends-to-lovers arc that’s easy to root for. But unfortunately, Jenny L. Howe’s How to Get a Life in Ten Dates didn’t click for me. The characters are complex and quippy but don’t feel real — protagonist Haleigh lost me early on when she put her bills in a shared freezer as an avoidance strategy, and never quite won me back.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing this e-arc.