I think I've established that I don't like New Adult and I need to stop requesting them. I obviously love adult romance and usually enjoy YA, but there's something about New Adult romance that just doesn't work for me. It's like the author wants us to believe that their love is forever, but the characters often don't act like adults with realistic life views or adult goals, so it always feels like it isn't going to last and I don't get invested.

The miscommunication trope is obviously not my fave, and second-chance romance is also very hit-or-miss for me. In order to believe in second-chance, I need to really feel like the characters have grown in the time they were apart. Allison and Colin broke up over a bizarre miscommunication in college that I didn't quite understand, and they seem in the exact same place in their lives when they get back together during this book in grad school. And--guess what--the whole conflict in their third-act breakup could've been solved with a real quick email.

I just didn't believe in their relationship, and I would bet that they'd date for maybe a year and then break up again.

WHAT I LOVED: The campus setting, the body positivity, and the corgi.

I liked that Allison was smart and seemed to know her worth, but I do wish she had a little more confidence and stood up for herself more in their academic world. Colin never really grew on me--perhaps this could have been solved with a dual perspective. I did enjoy their little TA cohort and the friendships Allison began to create.

Overall, a reasonably enjoyable debut. I will certainly read more from this author, but hopefully a different trope! I really enjoyed the audiobook production (and might not have finished if I was physically reading it, to be honest).

This was a cute romance. I enjoyed the passionate characters but honestly between Colin's shady behavior and slow progress in being a decent human, it could use some work. The conflicts involved character flaws and major red flags that weren't solved in a satisfactory way.

The Make Up Test is a decent romantic story but is pretty slow moving. The story is intriguing but feels very drawn out. The main character is at times not my favorite and she can seem selfish.

What would you do if your ex was part of your graduate program? What if you were in direct completion with him for the professor research trip with him? Would you see this as completion or a chance to repair things with them and move forward?

So in the synopsis they said this was similar to One to Watch meets Beach Read. I honestly don’t see it. Yes they talk about being bigger but they didn’t really focus on a being body positive they focused on how everyone treats you. For me this was so uncomfortable to read as a plus size woman. The word “fat” is used in such a negative tone in media and in life and to see it used so much in this book was hard to hear / read. I did listen to this book thank you to @prhaudio for the #gifted copy.

This book was cute it just wasn’t for me. I would say it focused on the FMC family dynamics way more than it did the relationship. Also the romance was also a given, I could tell that the characters were still invested in each other from the beginning.

It’s probably a great book for others just not the one for me

Allison Avery and Colin Benjamin are mortal enemies, turned lovers, and back to mortal enemies. After their heartbreaking split they end up in the same grad program in a high stakes competition. As they both battle with their own demons can they learn that there is something more to fight for than academic achievements?

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and it was very well done. If you are a literary nerd you will love this book, with a focus on Medieval lit and grad level discussions - honestly a lot of it went over my head because I didn't understand the references but appreciated them for how they contributed to the story. This is a really sweet story with a lack of communication at the root. If you enjoy this trope then you will love this book, but it had me almost yelling at the characters to just sit down and talk about it then enjoy the rest of your lives. This book deals with tough topics such as illness, death, and fat phobic rhetoric but is done in a way that I thought honored all the issues and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the audio version of this book. Everything I write is of my own thoughts feelings and opinions.

I loved this love story! I loke reading fun romance novels.. This one was fun as in they had known one another from earlier college days. Sometimes when you have your mind set on something and then someone else comes along and it feels like that person is trying to sabotage you in every possible way--only to find out and realize you are Madley in love with that person and that was not the intentions at all.

The Make-Up Test was a great book. I loved how the author created a complex but lovable fat main character that was more than just her body type. This book was refreshing because so often, authors think they are doing justice by creating fat characters but then they focus on the same storylines/tropes that often come with that identity (i.e, weight loss, dieting, body shaming, etc.). I enjoyed the humor in the book, and the characters all seemed well thought out. Books and literature lovers will rejoice with this novel!

However, this book could've been significantly shorter. It went on far too long, and there were times when I noticed the author trying to write these beautiful, almost poetic explanations of things, memories, etc., that were too long. The narrator had a soothing voice which helped get me through the more wordy parts.

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Narrated by Stacey Glemboski
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe
2.5 ⭐⭐

This book was ok. I didn't hate it but I also didn't like it. The characters were blah and they didn't emotionally grab me which made this hard for me to connect with.

I do think that Jenny L Howe is a good writer so I would definitely try her again.

3.5 stars
This is a academic rivals/emeries to loves and a 2nd chance romance.
Allison Avery is someone who is very passionate in her medieval studies and will do anything to get the job she wants BUT when her Ex Colin Benjamin ends up getting a TA position with the same professor she's with means they are going to have to work together and work through the past.

The only problem is she's quick to think the worse and he's not forth coming at all. He doesn't want to really go into what happen in the past and once they have to compete for the TA spot when the teacher says there can only be one now he's not truthful and she can't trust him.
I love that she's proud of who she is and what she looks like (plus size girl) I hate her unwillingness to trust and she has no problems talking it out with anyone else but Colin. And because of there past I don't blame her. Its Colin for me that really pisses me off he works for weeks to get her back but can't tell her the truth to save his life and just can't fill her in and talk until everything blows up. They did work together BUT I never would of got back with him after the past comes up. I didn't like how that was handled and it made me root against them.


This is Book 12 of 30 for September participating in the Bookopoly Readathon.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this Audio ARC in exchange for my honest review

3.75 stars

I didn’t love everything about this book, but I did really like much of it. I liked the protagonist and the grad school setting, and I enjoyed how the plot tackled some complex, relevant issues in interesting (and often funny) ways. I have mixed feelings about the resolution of the predominant romantic relationship in the story; I’m glad the characters were able to resolve things for a (mostly) satisfying and happy ending, but I feel like there was a lot of downplaying what is still a serious example of a lack of academic integrity that doubles as a personal betrayal. I don’t know if I’m overreacting…the male love interest maybe didn’t fully steal the protagonist’s ideas the way she initially thought he did, but he certainly wasn’t honest or forthcoming. It doesn’t feel right to me. That being said, I did still largely enjoy most of the book, including its tone, plot line, and representation, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing what the writer creates next.

Very, very interesting!

I’m telling ya’, Jenny L. Howe is a new author who we’ll need to watch out for. If The Make-Up Test is indicative of the kind of stories they have in their arsenal, I can hardly wait for whatever they bring us next!

Allison Avery is not your traditional hero. In fact, the raw imperfections of this complex lady made me like her from the get-go. Furthermore, my admiration of her strengths and weaknesses continued to grow over the course of the novel. Allison has an important story to tell, and I really appreciate the way Jenny L. Howe reveals it.

As much as I enjoyed Allison, I’m going to honestly say I couldn’t understand her attraction to Colin. Since I’m a huge fan of a well written (yet still unlikable) MC, I’ve got no problem with this aspect of the story. Hey, everyone should be free to make their own choices, and Allison is free to make hers.

The audio version of The Make-Up Test is nicely performed by Stacey Glemboski.

ALL the stars!! Jenny Howe is a delight. A recommended first purchase in all formats for collections where romance is popular.

This story gave me butterflies! It was so heartfelt and sweet. I am so glad that the publishers allowed me an audiobook copy through NetGalley. This book had all of our favorite tropes, academic rivals, redemption, and second chance romance. It was everything I wanted in an academic romance novel.

Allison and Colin are a match made in heaven. They are each other's equals in every way. Every interaction between them screams with chemistry. Both the characters struggle with their own issues throughout this book and it was interesting to see how they each navigated them. Allison is smart and passionate about her work but is constantly doubting herself. Colin is much the same in that regard but together, they lift each other up and conquer their insecurities.

Although there were many moments when they butted heads, we all knew that they were meant for each other. In this case, like is drawn to like. Their similarities make them understand each other as nobody else can. I greatly enjoyed listening and would recommend it to lovers of academic romances.

The Make-up Test is a romance about two grad students who have a love hate relationship. Allison and Colin dated back in undergrad and their relation did not end well. Thrown together again in grad school, can they overcome the past or will they let it rule their relationship?

Overall I found this to be a good read. The writing and narration were both good (I listened to the audiobook) and overall I enjoyed the premise of the story. I’m always a fan of love hate relationships and seeing where they go and I’m a big fan of college romances and this book had some of both. Sometimes I found the main characters to be a little immature or too focused on the past and jumping to conclusions without all of the details. I also hate anytime that a book mentions the pandemic, and this book did that a lot at random times, I’m living the pandemic and I read to escape, I don’t want to be reminded about it. That’s just a personal preference though.

With all of that said, I still enjoyed this book and am glad I gave it a chance. If romance with a love hate relationship and a complicated past is your thing, I really think you will enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audiobook version of this book!

The cover had me thinking this book was going to be a cute rom com type book, but you know what they say- never judge a book by it’s cover. This was a very emotional read and I highly suggest heeding the trigger warnings in the beginning. The narrator did a great job portraying so many characters filled with so many emotions. I liked the story but it was sort of predictable with the main characters.
Special thanks to netgalley for providing this audio arc in return for an honest review.

The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe is a cute rom-com that is sure to be on many people's love list. Unfortunately, it is not on mine. Allison Avery is a hard-working PH-D candidate that loves to win. She is competitive and loves medieval literature. Unfortunately, her father does not see her for all the good she does. Instead he only sees her body size and makes comments about her body often. Plus, Allison's ex-boyfriend, Colin Benjamin, is also in the same doctoral program. Will sparks fly between these two again or will Colin betray Allison's trust and go behind her back like he did before?

While I wanted to love this novel, I just didn't. It was pretty meh for me. I do not think I was able to connect with Allison and I am not sure why. I felt as if not much happened in this novel as well and it was pretty slow going at times. I have a feeling that I may be in the minority here which I for Jenny L. Howe because I hear she is amazing on social media.

Great job by the narrator, Stacey Glemboski.

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I can always appreciate a nerdy romance between two academies and a plus-sized main character. I enjoyed Allison's narration of her story I would have liked to have heard Collins's point of view.

Both characters had pretty significant flaws in character I did enjoy their banter between them. I feel like most of the situation could have been fixed if Allison had listened and allowed people to explain to them she could have saved herself some time

However, her father is the worst and I wish they left him as the villain throughout the story. her mother doesn't care how her father treats her and would instead her daughter is a punching bag her ex is upset - I wish that were leaned on more and less about the father's toxic behaviour.

The sex scenes were spicy enough spicier than I was expecting. Considering that Allison's father is the worst, I have to appreciate how Allison deals with the haters and those that give her grief about her size.

I appreciate that her size wasn't the focal point of this romance. I enjoyed reading this book.

The narrator did a great job transporting this story. I enjoyed the audiobook was more - it gave me a good feel for the characters and their story

I really like the narrator for this book but the story fell flat for me. I’m sure others will like it. Again though narration was good and kept me engaged.

If you are going to grad school (or have been) to be a college professor, I think this book will sing to your romantic heart. As someone who never made it that far through college (nor did I ever want to be a teacher), I feel like a lot of this book was lost on me and it prevented me from every really getting into this book. So much of it is about their fight for stuff with their degrees and I was pretty bored through this book.

Also I didn’t care for the immaturity of the MC and then talking about how men act like 5 year olds. I don’t know. I like enemies to lovers but I don’t like when it’s just immature stuff and also there was so much lying involved.

📚🎧 Audio Book Review 🎧📚

The Make-up Test
Written by Jenny L. Howe
Narrated by Stacey Glembosky
published/produced by OrangeSky Audio
👉🏻 Swipe for review!

Overall:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Story:
📘📘📘
Narration:
🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Sweet Level:
🍫🍫🍫🍫
Spice Level:
🌶🌶
Angst Level:
💧💧
Frustration Level:
😤😤😤


This was a very cute story. I liked that, while the fact that the female lead was plus sized was a big part of the story, the fact that the male lead was skinny was NOT a plot point for their relationship problems. ❤️❤️❤️


DISCLAIMER: I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.