ARC from NetGalley review

DNF: Started and stopped very quickly. I honestly should’ve read the authors note first, because the content was just not it for me. I really tried to go in open minded but I lost interest very quickly

I absolutely loved this story line. The dates were absolutely hilarious (the bird was probably my favorite), the additional love interest and how she picked her plus one (don’t want to giveaway spoilers), even though you knew it was coming, you felt like there was a chance it could go another way until the end. I was still uncertain she selected wisely until the boss/meltdown chapter. I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to share it!

The premise of this book is pretty simple: After a string of bad dates, Haleigh is ready to call it quits on the whole dating thing and just be single a while. That is, until her always-perfect sister announces her engagement party, Haleigh will need a plus one. She and her BFF, Jackson, come up with a plan: her family and friends set her up on two dates each, and if there are no love matches, then none of them get to complain about her singleness for at least six months. Haleigh’s sure this is the key to freeing herself— of her dating woes and lingering romantic feelings for Jackson.
I highly recommend this book as a lover of romcoms, positive fat representation, and characters with creative careers making it out there. I am now and always a fan of Jenny L. Howe’s work, and I look forward to her future work!

An adorable romp with 90's rom-com vibes. I was a little worried about the love triangle of it all, but I came out thoroughly enjoying it!

DNFed this book 75 page in. It wasn't holding my interest. I typically enjoy friends to lovers but this style felt too over the top "It was too easy to blur the lines between 'friends' and "something more' when they were dressed up and surrounded by other couples."

I'm all for a happy ending romance book, but this book gave us the love too early instead of seeing the friends fall in love.

Thank you letting me review for free.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Publishing group for an eARC. Haleigh is tired of all the bad dates. She wants a break from dating but her family thinks she is too picky. Her and her best friend Jack come up with an idea to let those close to her set her up on dates so they can see how hard it is. Haleigh will go on 10 dates set up by others and if nothing works out she gets six months of no dating. It starts out as she predicted with bad dates but then she gets set up on a good date. Then her best friend Jack throws himself into the mix. Haleigh needs to decide if she should try this new easy romance or give her best friend a chance. A cute romance with childhood best friends. The beginning was a little slow for me but then I got pulled in and really enjoyed this romance.

How To Get A Life In Ten Dates offers a delightful and relatable dive into the ups and downs of the modern dating scene. From the very start, I found myself laughing out loud at Haleigh Berkshire’s misadventures and rooting for her to find her own path amidst the pressures of family and society.

At just twenty-five, Haleigh is exhausted—not only from the relentless cycle of dating but also from constantly being compared to her overachieving sister, who’s fresh off the bar exam and engaged to be married. In an effort to get her family off her back about bringing a plus-one to her sister’s engagement party, Haleigh hatches a scheme: she’ll go on ten dates, each arranged by someone close to her. She’s convinced none of them will pan out, and then she can retire from the dating scene with a clear conscience.

The dates themselves are a rollercoaster of hilarity and surprise, and I loved following Haleigh through each one, eager to hear her recap everything to her best friend, Jack—who, of course, has his own complicated history with her. The narrative deftly shifts between present-day events and past reflections, revealing just enough about Haleigh’s past at the perfect moments. This technique not only kept me engaged but also deepened my understanding of Haleigh’s fears and desires.

What I appreciated most was Haleigh’s journey of self-discovery. Watching her navigate through her dates, and more importantly, the emotional complexities of her relationship with Jack, felt authentic and rewarding. Howe captures the essence of what it means to resist societal pressures and embrace one’s true self, making this not just a fun read but also a meaningful one.

Final Thoughts:

If you’re looking for a book that blends humour, heart, and a dash of romance, How To Get A Life In Ten Dates is a perfect pick. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best way to find yourself is to take a chance on the unexpected.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

I will say I almost DNF’d this book pretty quickly. Which I rarely ever do. A weird guilt thing about not finishing books - however I plugged along and glad I did.

How to Get A Life in Ten Dates, was a fun summer read and one that has turned me on to trying others by Jenny L. Howe.

The dates were funny, Haleigh’s friends were great, and as a girl that went from “friends to lovers” in real life, I’m a sucker for the trope.

Overall it was an enjoyable read. Thanks NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I honestly cannot speak highly enough of this book! I have never felt more connected to a female main character in a romance novel than I did to Haleigh. From her inner dialogue to her anxiety, her money struggles, her body type and how she explained dating as a plus-size woman in today’s world. Jenny hit the nail on the head with this book! I absolutely just became a Jenny Howe fan. I finished the entire book in one day, I couldn’t put it down!

Haleigh is a plus size woman who finds it hard to date in the modern world. She has been trying to date for 10 plus years and she is thinking of taking a break to see if that will help her luck.

This was cute if a little ridiculous, and even given that the fundamental conflict between the main characters (their respective mental health conditions mean they respond to adversity and conflict in what appears to be incompatible ways) appears to be unfixable, I enjoyed the premise and the plot. This does feel like a book that you would most enjoy if you are a person who likes watching dating reality TV and watching people go out on dates. 3.5 rounded up.

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Who cannot relate to a bad date or dates? We should all take notes from How To Get A Life In Ten Dates. Haleigh is having a rough go at it. She is a young plus-size woman with horrible anxiety, brought on by her previous job ( more on that later) trying to find a romantic partner. She has a best friend, Jack, who makes the perfect couple on paper. ( And almost did ) until one passionate night together thinking it would finally lead to something, but it does not. To save their friendship they make a list of rules about that night and find a way to return to their close friendship. After so many bad dates she is ready to give up.

Haleigh's sisters' pending nuptials are coming up her family and friends are bugging her to bring a plus one, so to shut them up once and for all, she decides to let them each set her up with a date and if after those ten dates, she still has not found anyone they all have to leave her alone. She is so sure they will be bad and she will win.. but will they? They all have their favorites and we read about some crazy first dates. Even Jack is in on it, but he starts to fill her head with all the dates' flaws. The last date turns out to be something she does not expect.. I enjoyed this book and all of the different characters Jenny writes about. It was easy to picture each scenario.

One last thing I liked about this book is the discussion of mental health. We always talk about mental health but this is the first time I read a book where the job brought on anxiety and stress which I don't think gets discussed enough. And I appreciated that. A lot of times we stay because we think we have to but we don't.

This book had so many important themes and was well rounded in character development and pacing. Unfortunately, it also had a couple of my most-disliked romance tropes. I think there are some definite themes and main character experiences that will resonate with a variety of readers . I also applaud the author’s forward and insight into what she was trying to achieve.

I thoroughly enjoyed 'How to Get a Life in Ten Dates' by Jenny Howe. It was a fun and lighthearted read that had me smiling throughout. The book is perfect for anyone looking for a fun and easy escape, with charming characters and hilarious blind dating scenarios.

What stood out to me was the book's focus on mental health, specifically anxiety, which many of us can relate to. The portrayal of anxiety in the story is authentic and empathetic. I particularly loved the emotional support parrot's unexpected appearance! The book also does a great job of promoting body positivity.

This is a cute, feel-good read that balances humor and heart!

Unfortunately this story didn’t capture my attention. I wasn’t able to connect to the characters or the premise and I DNF’d at 25%. The writing is super well done and the dialogue is realistic.

This was too cute! I was absolutely in love with Haleigh and Jack from the beginning! I hope to read more by Jenny L. Howe as soon as I can! Thank you to NetGalley and to St Martin's Press for my digital ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for making this ARC available!

3.75 rounded up.

This was SO cute!

Haleigh’s bad dates were super entertaining, and seeing the good ones go well left me feeling hopeful. Online dating and being set up by friends and family is not easy nowadays!

I loved the inclusion of mental health struggles and feel like it was done well and accurately (as someone who also struggles with general anxiety.) Yay for therapy that works to get through that!

I would have loved to see more with Haleigh and her sister. There seems to be a lot of history that was a bit glossed over that could have been fleshed out a bit more.

Having a plus-sized FMC that is confident is always great to see ❤️

Thank you NET GALLEY for the ARC.

This wasn't my favorite book I've read. The plot fell flat, and the characters did not interest me.

This book is a fun and easy read with a classic rom-com vibe. Haleigh is tired of the dating scene, so she lets her friends and family set her up on ten dates. Things get interesting when her best friend, Jack, joins in, making her wonder if there could be more between them. While the story is predictable, it’s still a cute and entertaining ride. Perfect if you’re in the mood for something light and sweet. Thanks netgalley and publishers

How to get a life in 10 dates

What a cute rom-com that's begging to be a movie! This is a book set in the same universe as On The Plus Side but is a true standalone. I liked this one a lot more! This universe with fat women who are treated just as women is amazing!

Hayleigh (25) feels like no one takes her seriously (even herself) other than her best friend Jack. They have a super close (maybe enmeshed) friendship - one that would make it very hard for them to find romantic partners. They tried dating for a week and it dissolved after one fight because of lack of maturity. But Hayleigh wants a relationship so she asks her mom, older sis, Jack, grandpa, and roommate (Stanton, the fashion expert from OTPS) to set her up on 2 dates each hoping to find love. The dates were pretty interesting and mostly realistic (not the support bird guy). I really liked that Brian from OTPS was back and he was such a great relationahip for her!

As a therapist, while glad that anxiety and OCD were represented in this book, I'm not sure that Jack's OCD was given as much research and care as it could've been. It was more a stereotype of OCD. This disorder was handled beautifully in Last Call at The Local. I'm glad the conversation is happening because folks in their early twenties really are experiencing anxiety disorders at an alarming rate and this is important to normalize.

On a whole this book does allow its characters to be very loveable! Something that is so needed. Dating as a plus size woman wasn't always easy. Loving and accepting yourself makes it easier, as Hayleigh does in this book. It's it's easy to love Hayleigh. Jack is immensely likeable. I really would love this to be a mainstream romantic comedy. I can only think of one, Dumplin, where the FMC is taking seriously and not made fun of by the film. It would be so awesome to have a movie in which the fat FMC was seen as deserving of love and not the butt of a single fat joke or eye roll. Netflix please snap this up!

An enjoyable read that is so fun it makes you forget its (small) flaws. 4.25 stars Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.