The pining in this book was off the charts. The reader only gets Haleigh’s perspective, but it is no surprise that the pining is on both sides - how she can even doubt it is a mystery to me.
Putting my thoughts together for this one is a little tough because, while I did not dislike it, it was not my favourite of Howe’s books - and I have read the other two that she has released and will definitely read more. The author does a great job representing plus-size characters and it’s refreshing to see this in books. This book also includes representation of LGBT+ characters, as well as very well handled anxiety rep.
The story does center around trying to find a successful relationship in a world where it can be tough to weed people out from dating apps. While trying to find that special someone, Haleigh agrees to be setup with people of her family and friends’ choosing, all the while pining after her best friend Jack. This book delivers on the second-chance and friends-to-lovers aspects, but I didn’t connect with these characters as much as I have with the author’s other books. I can’t quite put my finger on why. I think that I really would have liked to get inside Jack’s head and see him bust out some more moves to win Haleigh over and to make his intentions even clearer to her - a failed grand gesture could have been fun.
I would, however, recommend this book to people that enjoy the tropes mentioned above, as well as some of the other positives that I mentioned above - the book has some good rep. This is a solid 3.5 stars for me.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this one. I am typically a huge fan of all romance books, but I just really could not get into this one. It was too slow of a pace and I did not finish. Thank you for the opportunity to read it. This one may be great for someone else but was not for me, unfortunately.

This was a very nice story. I liked the set up of the plot and how it developed. The FMC a 25 year old that was tired of bad dates one after another, unfortunately she decides to let her family intervine and then well!!!! Anyway I enjoyed this book a lot and definitely will recommend

Cute concept but very slow pacing. I wasn't a fan of the FMC being a "mess" and not knowing simple life skills. I did enjoy the humourous (bad) dates.

Enjoyed it - as I always do with Jenny L. Howe's books! It was a little too predictable and that actually made this one a little harder to get into because you knew certain things weren't going to work out!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this one! I am not the best at writing reviews sometimes, but sometimes books take you by surprise and this one did just that. I got invested a few chapters in and couldn't put it done. It was so good! I highly recommend this one. Jenny always kills it and this is no exception!

This is a delightful and uplifting read that will resonate with anyone who's ever felt the joy of self-love and the comfort of a strong friendship, particularly those who identify with the plus-size community and are looking for a heartwarming story that celebrates body positivity and fat acceptance.

I love Howe writing style, she puts her heart into every story. This story was fun, speed dating in ten days, the dates she went on had me laughing out loud. It is tough dating world out there. I am not sure I loved her best friend that she has been in love with since they were kids. There were moments when I though he was being a baby. I know their relationship is pretty complex so with that in mind I felt he was better later in the story.

The pace was perfect, loveable characters and great storyline. The journey to self-discovery is beautifully messy, Howe does a great job with all the ups and downs of dating today.

Thank you to NetGalley and Griffin Paperback for copy of this book for my honest review.

Jenny L. Howe has become one of my favorite plus size romance authors--she hits it out of the park every time. To start, these characters. Haleigh was relatable, vulnerable, smart and funny. I loved Jack and Brian. Jack was funny, sweet, vulnerable and Brian was so kind and funny. I loved seeing Haleigh go on her dates, they were hilarious. From the parrot, to oyster guy. I hated the last guy, but it ended up making sense why. The questionnaires throughout were soooo good. I liked that nothing was particularly dragged out for not reason, the pace was great. The ending was VERY snappy and quick, but I actually didn't mind it at all.

Jenny L. Howe's books just keep getting better and better, and I think this one was the most delightful yet!

When plus-size Haleigh Berkshire needs a date for her sister’s fast-approaching engagement party, she schemes with her best friend (and secret love) Jack to find her the perfect date. She agrees the let her friends and family set her up with ten men or women, but to her surprise, some of her dates go better than expected and she finds herself having the time of her life.

That is until Jack starts breaking all the rules they’d made to mend their relationship after one disastrous college weekend. Cue the drama as he sabotages her dates, and shockingly throws himself in the mix. Could Haleigh’s dream of dating Jack be worth the risk of losing her best friend?

This was so charming and Haleigh was so relatable. I found myself laughing out loud at her disastrous dates and cheering her on from the comfort of my couch. This was the perfect holiday read.

Thank you Jenny L. Howe, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for a digital copy of the book for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I needed something simple and fun to read to avoid thinking of stressful things and this was perfect. I have been lucky enough to receive all of Howe's books in ARC form previously so I knew this would hit the spot. Her portrayal of anxiety disorders in their different forms was spot on but still her characters found joy. Yes you get your happy ending here but the way you get there is well done. A wonderful bit of escapism here. 4 stars.

Nice idea, but a bit chaotic, and a bit (too much, in fact) predictable.
Anyway it was a nice idea, thanks to Netgalley and the author, for this chance to read this book in advance.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is Jenny Howe’s best book to date! First, love the friends-to-lovers angle, especially since it’s a bit of a second-chance romance. Haleigh and Jack are best friends who once had an intense week-long affair, and when it blows up, resolve to stay friends afterwards, even though both of them still have feelings for the other. Fast forward a few years, and they’re still best friends who date other people, and she’s getting really tired of going on a lot of first dates that go nowhere. Happy to have an excuse to stop finally dating, she announces that she’s happy to remain single forever at the same time her family demands she finds a proper date for her sister’s graduation/engagement party. They give her an ultimatum - each one of them, including Jack - get to pick her dates and she has to give them each an honest chance. If she gets to the end and none of them stick, they’ll leave her alone about dating. Some of the dates are a bust, some show some promise, some are terrible… until Jack throws himself into the ring for consideration. When their carefully constructed rules for maintaining their friendship start to fall apart, she’s left wondering if the rules were holding them back instead of holding them together. There were plenty of humorous moments along the way, some heat and steam, and a happy ending. While I still found this the author’s best book to date, I missed some of the witty banter we have seen in prior books. On the other hand, I appreciated that while we have a fat character, it isn’t the main defining characteristic and we didn’t spend the whole book dwelling on it - it just was what she was.

Perfect blend of heart & humor! Super cute friends to lovers & second chance romance. Perfect cozy romance for lovers of both of those tropes

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC. Unlucky in love and pining for her best friend, Haleigh needs a date for her sister’s engagement party and fast. Cut to her friends and family setting her up with 10 different dates with the agreement that afterwards they will leave her alone about her love life. You’ll laugh through the dates and hope for her happy ever after.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had a great time with this book! It had all the vibes and tropes of a typical romcom which I loved. It has a bit of an over the top cheesy ending but honestly that made it even more enjoyable, but that's my personal preference. It had a lot of laugh out loud moments which I always appreciate! I would recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and Haleigh’s dating application was hilarious. Loved how she gave all her dates a try (unless they were truly awful). Loved how mental health was represented in this book.

I always enjoy a book with realistic plus size representation. I love seeing real people and not just cookie cutter people in every story. I really appreciate the neurodivergent representation in this book too. These characters just feel real, like people you know in your day to day life.
You have Haleigh, who's plus size and bisexual, and a lovely FMC and her longtime I loved their chemistry. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so I loved the two of them together.
I also loved Brian. I knew going in this was a love triangle, which is not one of my favorites. My soft heart wants everyone to be happy. I knew it was in the cards, but I still want everyone to be happy.
I also had a hard time understanding why Haleigh and Jack couldn’t be together, even after the flashback to Hawaii. His declaration on the beach was pretty powerful and I had a hard time understanding how they just didn’t be together.
Overall, I did think it was a cute read and I’ll read anything from Jenny.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This is an absolutely delightful read. This was my first book by this author but I will be seeking out more. The characters were well-developed and worth rooting for. I loved Haleigh’s confidence and sassy personality. The plot set-up of her friends and family fixing her up on dates was very fun, and some of the bad dates were laugh-out-loud hilarious. The book also addresses deeper issues such as anxiety and OCD in a thoughtful and realistic way. Highly recommend this read!