This book was good, but I didn't like it as much as the author's previous book, On the Plus Size. What I did like about the book was the body positivity and the plus-size representation.

I think my main issue with the book came from my annoyance towards the secondary characters (i.e. Haleigh's friends and family) who felt that at 25, she needed to be settled down with a partner in order to be happy.

Thank you to the publisher for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was SO cute!! I really enjoyed Jenny's last two books and was so excited about this one. This was another fun one. Special shoutout to the narrator, Billie Bryant, who was FANTASTIC!

Haleigh and Jack have been best friends forever. A few years ago they finally admitted their feelings and hooked up during a vacation in Hawaii, but things went south before they came back home so they created rules to maintain their friendship and move on from what happened. The only problem? Haleigh isn't over Jack and despite giving the dating game a try, she can't seem to get it right. Bad date after bad date and added family pressure led Haleigh to consider a dating sabbatical. When Jack suggests giving it one last try by letting her relatives and friends (including Jack!) set her up on 2 dates each, she expects more of the same.

Haleigh was relatable and fun and I loved her relationships with her family and friends. As an adult with a pretty lackluster dating history, I felt her pain, and going through each date with her was all too real! This book was full of hilarious and disastrous moments but also a lot of super sweet and heartwarming scenes. As always with Jenny's books, I loved the plus size rep, body positivity, mental health rep, and diversity. Also, the cameos from some of my faves from "On the Plus Side" was a pleasant surprise!

Thank you to SMP and Jenny for this ARC and ALC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing both an ARC and ALC of this book.

This was a charming romance. I loved following Haleigh's story to find love, and in a sense, find herself. I loved the chemistry in this book as well. And yes while the ending was predictable I really enjoyed it. Billie Bryant was the fabulous person to narrate this audiobook and I love how she brought Haleigh and the other characters to life. Overall this book was funny and heartwarming and if you enjoy books like that, this is the book for you.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC and ALC.

3.75/5 rounded up

Thank you Spotify Audiobooks for the advanced listening copy!

What a fun premise for a romance novel!! I was so entertained from start to finish, and I think the plotting was really well done overall. I felt a tiny bit rushed at the end with the resolutions of all the dates, but I can see how that was necessary for overall pacing. I do wish, however, that there was more resolution with Haleigh's anxiety/family issues and Jack's OCD. I love when these are included in stories and think that's so important, and I prefer when there's a bit more open resolution about this. This book did have great overall representation though, including plus-sized main character, which I love to see! Even though Haleigh's character pushed my buttons at times, I enjoyed following her story the entire way. Fun, easy romance, if that's what you're looking for!

👩🏻‍💻 ᗰY TᕼOᑌGᕼTS: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice and tone. She did a great job characterizing all the different people in the book too. The story itself…. There were parts where I zoned out while listening because I may have lost interest or was distracted….

All in all it was a decent listen with a fun plot. There were some great moments, but I wished Jack & Hallie’s history was told at the beginning rather than middle because that would’ve made it more compelling for me personally.

I loved a lot of the banter or horror dates that Hallie had…. Those were the great funny moments that I really enjoyed!

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸…
❤️Friends to lovers
❤️Blind dates
❤️Mental Health
❤️Single POV
❤️Open door - mild

I received an advance listening copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved how much self love and humor Haleigh had throughout the entire story. The premise of this was such a fun idea with her five closest family members and friends each choosing two people to set her up with, the fun questionnaire, and some of the horrible dates that were so funny to imagine. Albeit, I was rooting for one particular contender so I was slightly heartbroken when my guy didn't wint, but it was a good ending regardless.

If you are just as sick as I am of swiping on the dating apps, then this book is for you…

Plot: Haleigh Berkshire, a 25-year-old plus-size woman, is fed up with a never ending string of disappointing dates and is looking to take a break from dating. Instead she agrees to let her friends and family set her up with ten people in hopes of finding a plus-one for her sister’s engagement party. But where does her best friend Jack fit into the mix?!?

Haleigh was SUCH a relatable character from the start and I loved going on this journey with her. I’ve seen a few reviews saying they thought she was whiny, but as someone who has been in her shoes more times than I could count… she can do no wrong in my eyes. I wish I could share a bottle of wine with Haleigh and share stories of all of our wild and horrible dates together.

I also love that there was queer rep with both the FMC and side characters!

3.5 Stars - Overall, this was SUCH a cute book! I am not usually the biggest fan of friends to lovers or I probably would have rated it higher. And I won’t lie, there was something about Jack’s character that just kept bothering me, but overall all would still highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

As a huge fan of Jenny L. Howe's previous work, On the Plus Side, I was excited to listen to another novel set in the same universe. However: I found the audio/book to be predictable and knew after the 24% mark who Haleigh would end up with. While this book had fantastic representation and some hilarious moments, I found myself "not finishing" it at the 50% mark. The only huge saving grace? Narrator Billie Bryant, who NAILED the hilarious moments with the tone of her voice.

So I’m typically a litfic girlie but I also LIVE for plus size romance.

Haleigh is fed up with dating. And it doesn’t exactly help that she’s in love with her best friend, Jack. With an event quickly coming up that stipulates that she has to bring a date, she decides that her family and friends can each set her up with someone so she can decide who to finally bring to the event. Only Jack is throwing is hat in the ring now too. 😮

Folks out there who love the friends to lovers trope will enjoy this one. 🥰

This one was great to listen to on audio! The narrator does a good job and you get swept up in the story.

The absolute best part of this book is that our protagonist is living her life as fat person! And it will always be refreshing to read a book about someone that is bigger and their life doesn’t revolve around become smaller. We love to see it! Fat people live ordinary, sweet, fulfilling lives and it means something to see that in our books too.

I truly will always hold a special place in my heart for plus size romance. I really will always appreciate this book on the positive and real depictions of dating as a plus size woman. Dating is tough. The author balanced the good and the bad really well.
I really felt close to the FMC as well.

I think where the book lost me just a little was the flow of words, passages, and moments. I kinda would stop, and ask wait how did we get in this room with this person. I would then go back and try to find out how I got lost.

I def know who I can recommend this book to though! Lots of friends need to read this!

Thank you so much to Spotify Audiobooks for the complimentary audio!

This book will be out on Dec 10th.

I have been a fan of Jenny's works since her debut and my love of her work has only increased as each book comes out. This one is now my new favorite!

Haleigh was such a fun character to read throughout the book. I love the relationship between Haleigh and Jack. It was very evident from the beginning how close their and we learn through their friendship rules that something had occurred years ago that changed their relationship. Haleigh just felt so relatable being an adult but not feeling quite like an adult. And by that meaning feeling like she doesn't have things together compared to others. She is feeling the pressure to have a date to her sister's engagement party and one of the rules with Jack is they can't be each other's plus ones.

"You're amazing."
"I'm merely skilled with bath products."
"You're so much more than that, and you know it."

I love Haleigh's idea of having those closest to her pick her dates! It makes me wonder for myself who would my family and friends pick for me if I would be single. As much as I love Jack for Haleigh, I also really enjoyed seeing her interaction with Brian. He just seemed like such a great guy!! But it was just so hard to imagine Haleigh with anyone other than Jack. The way that Jack went about this was both cute and also annoying (not for readers but for Haleigh). "I hope it would help you see me. As an actual option, I mean."

I paired my reading with the audiobook and I thought Billie Bryant did a great job with the characters! She is a new narrator to me and I would listen to more from her.

Was this a little predictable? Of course but that is a romance book for you!
I still love the ride that romance puts us through to get to the happily ever after.

I cannot wait for her young adult book coming out in 2025 and of course her next adult book!

If you love a second chance, friends to lover, plus size romance - give this one a chance!

PS - We need a book about Brian! I feel like I need to see him get his happily ever after - please!

Haleigh agrees to ten dates with men or women arranged by her family and friends – they know her, don’t they? She is proud of her plus size body, knows she is beautiful but struggles when it comes to figuring out her professional life. She wants to have a date for her perfect sister’s engagement party which looms in six months.
She approaches each date with a great attitude yet still finds herself having to call her best friend Jack for a rescue more than once. They have decided to keep things in the friend zone after one steamy trip many years ago. Are those feelings over for Haleigh? For Jack? This is for them to figure out after the dates are through.
While there are some challenges with this book, I found it to be cute as I did enjoy the premise. I especially liked some of the ancillary characters. Billie Bryant did an excellent job on the narration in the audiobook. Many thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the advance audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This is a cute romance about a woman trying to get her life together. There was great chemistry between the characters. The premise was silly but fun. The acceptance of the main character being plus sized was nice.

The love triangle was a bit frustrating. I want closure with the other guy, perhaps a book about him finding love because he deserves it! The main character was 25 and seemed to think she should have her life figured out. There were some mental gymnastics involved with the older sister graduating law school (she was pretty old to just be finishing that up).

All in all a cute book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC! All opinions are my own.

A huge thank you to Jenny L. Howe and @netgalley for the #gifted advanced listening copy of this tender-hearted, laugh-out-loud gem!

Haleigh Berkshire is officially over the dating scene. As a plus-sized woman, navigating love feels like an exhausting uphill battle. Ready to take a break, she decides to make one last effort—on her terms. She challenges the five people closest to her to each pick two dates for her. If she finds a connection, great. If not, they have to stop pressuring her and let her live her life.

Haleigh has enough on her plate as it is: job hunting, finding a new place to live, securing a date for her sister’s engagement party, and—oh, yeah—getting over her love for her best friend, Jack. After their brief fling in college almost ended their friendship, they’ve sworn to keep things strictly platonic, complete with a set of friendship rules. But when one of Haleigh’s dates sparks an unexpected connection, Jack starts breaking every rule they’ve ever made. Now Haleigh is forced to wonder: is risking their friendship worth the chance at true love?

Jenny L. Howe has a remarkable gift for writing warm, relatable characters with soft bodies and even softer hearts. The same authenticity that made On the Plus Side unforgettable shines here, as we feel the depth of Haleigh and Jack’s lifelong friendship and understand their hesitation to risk it all.
But this isn’t just a heartfelt friends-to-lovers romance—it’s also a riotously funny journey through dating misadventures. From a sassy cockatoo service bird to a disastrous dumpling-eating date, Haleigh’s 10 dates will have you laughing out loud and wondering how the people who know her best picked such outrageous matches.

The audiobook, clocking in at about 12 hours, is a delight to listen to. Billie Bryant’s solo narration beautifully captures Haleigh’s voice, adding depth and humor to every moment.

A fun, sexy friends to lovers, second chance romance featuring a relatable, messy fat FMC and her best friend, Jackson who she is afraid to risk taking a real shot at love with after their one week vacation fling didn't work out. I really enjoyed the dual generalized anxiety rep and the OCD rep in the MMC. The mental health aspects of this book were very strong and played a significant part of the story.

Equally steamy and heartfelt, the way the FMC lets her friends set her up on a series of blind dates ended in some hilariously disastrous scenarios and the pre-date quizes were priceless! I thought Haleigh was a great plus-sized FMC who was content with her body despite the extra challenges it posed when it came to dating.

There were also great cameos from the author's other books but this can definitely be read as a standalone too. With excellent narration by Billie Bryant, this is a perfect book to pick up for fans of authors like Olivia Dade, Julie Murphy or anyone who enjoyed Sophie Cousens' latest, Is she really going out with him? Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Audio narrator did such a good job bringing the FMC to life and I enjoyed her narration so much.

Jenny L Howe is such a talented writer and makes me feel so seen every time I pick up her books. As a far bodied woman I see so many of my own struggles in her books but also the love and joy. The anxiety rep with the MMC and FMC felt like it was ripped out of my own head. I related so much to them and appreciated the care Jenny had with it. I normally don’t like live triangles but this one felt so flushed out and not super hardcore love triangle. I also really appreciated the humor and horror of dating in current times. The bird scene had me crying laughing so hard.

I would highly recommend this book!

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a cute rom-com about Haleigh Berkshire, a plus sized single woman who gets set up on ten dates by her mother, sister, roommate, grandfather, and best friend. If Haleigh doesn't find the perfect person to spend her life with then her family and friends will leave her alone about being single. Haleigh and her best friend Jack come up with a questionare for each canidate to fill out propr to the date. The dates are mostly disastrous if not interesting by Haleigh's standards and she promises to see the whole date to the end. Will Haleigh get her perfect ever after or will she be single for the rest of her life. I liked this book because it touched on mental illness and that not all women are perfect. Haleigh embraces all her flaws with a postive attitude even though she is not perfect. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for letting me listen to this book.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a wonderfully humorous and deeply touching book that offers an honest and relatable glimpse into the dating life of a plus-size protagonist. The story masterfully blends humor, emotion, and the everyday experiences of a woman navigating not only the challenges of dating but also societal expectations and self-doubt.

The book portrays the perspective of a plus-size individual with refreshing authenticity, breaking stereotypes without ever feeling heavy-handed or preachy. Instead, it tells the story with a delightful lightness, making it a perfect “easy read” for in-between moments.

What truly stands out is the author’s witty and charming writing style. Each of the ten dates brings its own unique flair, from heartwarming moments to laugh-out-loud scenes. However, the humor doesn’t overshadow the emotional depth of the story. The protagonist takes readers on a journey of not just seeking love but also discovering self-acceptance and inner strength.

This is a light yet captivating read that will leave you laughing, reflecting, and rooting for the main character. Perfect for anyone looking for a heartfelt, funny, and genuine story. Highly recommended!

I loved the concept of the various dates to get to know who your friends and family think is best for you; these were hilarious! I think my issue with the second chance is that, despite knowing her so well, Jack didn’t treat her well after their fling and got annoyed with her about things he knew were part of her personality. I think I would have liked this more if the ending had been different but I thought this was really cute.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more!! I absolutely adore Jenny L. Howe and her book, On The Plus Side, is one of my all time favorite books! Haleigh is such a relatable character for me. The anxiety representation resonated for me and I really saw myself in that. I loved that Howe showed how Haleigh and Jack work on their mental health and how it takes trial and error sometimes. The dates Haleigh goes on are amazing!! I found myself literally laughing out loud multiple times!! The details Howe adds around living life in a bigger body are on point and are such smaller things that only people in bodies like this would realize (i.e. the standing on your tip toes to navigate through a restaurant). I will forever read and stan for Howe’s books! All three have been amazing representation to the plus sized community and I’m thankful for this.