I've made up my mind to not force myself to finish this book in its entirety and to instead skim to the end to see the hea and be done with this.

This book is not for me.
First, the chemistry is totally off between these characters. Literally, no chemistry at all. Which makes sense because all they talk about it history haha. No but really the romance sucks, it's boring and blah.
Anf this guy is a total shit head sleaze. He takes credit for shit he has no right to and is just an overall shitty man child.
Nope, I'm done.

The one positive is the fat rep on the cover and in our MC.

I this book not your typical romcom . It deals with emotional abuse, body images and a lack of confidence due to what is perceived as parental neglect.
Allison and Colin met in college at brown university and dated but it never seemed to be an equal partnership . He always seemed to be competing . He broke up with her and went behind her back for something she work hard for.
Now they are in grad school and Colin is the last person she expects to see . Not only do they go to the same school but they are both chosen to be TAs for the same class and forced to work together . The more time they spend together the more Allison wonders if he has changed for the better . I got this as an

3.5/5 (rounded up)

I have been on a bit of a romcom kick lately, so what better way to keep that streak going than with debut author Jenny L. Howe's The Make-Up Test. She gets the point across that Colin is a gangly specimen of a man, as well as that he REALLY loves his cardigans. I think this story would have benefited from having his viewpoint as well as Allison's, but alas that is not the route Howe decided to take. I did like Allison's character most of the time, and I thought this had a very strong and entertaining start. It also held my attention the entire time, and I was curious as to why Colin ended up in a field of study that he hadn't been interested in prior to being with Allison and their ultimate breakup.

There is very little steam in The Make-Up Test, so if you are a closed-door romance fan like me, this aspect should be perfect for you. I also thought the audiobook was done really well and I loved Stacey Glemboski's narration as well as her voice, so I would highly recommend it. The story is on the lighter side, but there is also plenty of substance, especially when it came to Allison with her dad and something going on in Colin's life. I did become pretty frustrated with Allison at the end of the book and wanted to tell her to stop her mouth and actually listen to what Colin was saying though. The Make-Up Test did not have my favorite 2 characters nor was it the funniest thing I have ever read, but it was an enjoyable debut, and it had an adorable corgi that made me swoon more than the actual storyline. I will be sure to check out whatever this author writes next!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Allison Avery is excited to be starting her dream PhD program. Until she discovers her ex-boyrfriend, Colin, who stole from her a coveted award at Brown University, is also in the program. Just when she thinks things can’t get worse, she learns they are TAing for the same professor and will be competing for a coveted position.

As much as she wants to continue despising Colin, she can’t deny her continued attraction for him, and when he reaches out when she has problems in her personal life, their relationship is rekindled.

But can she ever trust him again?

Jenny Howe perfectly captures what academia is truly like while also adding in likable, vulnerable characters. Allison is hilarious—confident but also conflicted. And Colin is such a nerdy hero. #TheMakeUpTest #NetGalley

DNF at 50%.

I really wanted to enjoy this one because I generally like these tropes of academic rivals and second chance romance. My struggle was that it felt like neither of these characters deserved a second chance or had honestly improved anything about themselves. The hero especially is super unlikeable and I couldn’t get over how he basically stole her life plan and tried to pass it off as how he was so inspired by her passions. Their constant sniping and competitiveness was also really grating outside of a YA/new adult setting. I did appreciate the fat rep in this one but it wasn’t enough to push through.

Thanks to SMP Romance and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own

Boy meets girl at college. They date, fall in love, boy dumps girl. Fast forward to grad school and boy is in same classes.

Allison was SO not prepared to ever have Colin back in her life. Except now, they are competing TA's vying for a spot to study with their professor. This is something Allison has been dreaming for and working towards her entire college career.

Except she lets Colin back in when she receives news about her estranged father. Spending time together again reminded them of what they feel for one another. Then Colin, becomes the old Colin and steals ideas from Allison. Fuming, she vows she won't let him ruin her chances of winning the spot.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and it does draw in the reader to find out what happens next. There were many parts that, as a reader, you could have predicted to happen. Didn't take away from the story though. Quick and easy going read.

I enjoyed this debut. It's a second chance romance that pits the MC's against each other in an academic setting. It's smart and witty with a solid cast of characters. There isn't a ton of spice but there is lots of romance. The two main characters (Allison and Colin) can be frustrating and at times immature, especially when the rivalry between them seems to be one sided. But the HEA, complete with a romantic grand gesture that suits both of these characters, brings a satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title.

Loved the academic setting + the Rivals-to-Lovers trope, so I was totally here for this novel’s entire existence. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲…. CORGIS (!!); settings in academia; plus-size representation; the Enemies/Rivals-to-Lovers trope; second-chance romances; and Emily Henry books tbh!

I loved it. I liked that Colin wasn't your typical "hot guy" character and that Alison wasn't afraid to love her size. They made such a strong couple and it was nice to have a different kind of hero/heroine in the story. I hated how her dad treated her, no child should ever have to take that kind of emotional abuse from their parent. Her mom was better but she still tried to force her to have a relationship with her dad and to me that was wrong. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

There was so much potential with this story - academic rivals! - but I was so so disappointed. I wish we had dual POV, especially because I spent most of this book trying to decide if I actually liked Colin as a love interest. Almost nothing from the flashbacks of their previous time together made me want to root for them as a couple. I had a really hard time buying the relationship when at the end it seemed like they still couldn't talk about anything serious (Colin) and always assumed the worst (Allison).

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/5 stars

This book was cute, but I am so tired of the lack of communication trope in romcoms... it's old, lets move past it. There was SO much of that in this book and it was hard not to get frustrated. I wanted to lock the main characters in a room together and tell them to talk for an hour. They had a lot to work out and a lot that they just jumped into. Overall, I liked the story, but this was 3 stars.

The Make-Up Test is a really cute rom-com. It packs in a few classic tropes: second chance love, rivals to lovers (well…I guess in this case it’s more like former lovers to rivals back to lovers) , all happening within an academic setting. It’s a really cute story, with plenty of laughs, but I must admit that while I liked Allison from the start, it took a while for Colin to grow on me. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an eARC.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-make-up-test-jenny-l-howe/1140777580?ean=9781250837868&bvnotificationId=a91eea0a-3e29-11ed-942c-0acc4ca92b51&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/218332800

If you're a fan of Ali Hazelwood or Emily Henry's works, I would say this is the read for you! There's elements of second chance romance, rivals/enemies romance, and it's all taking place in a collegiate (PhD, not undergrad) setting. There's body diversity too- which I love! This was a quick, fun read that I can't recommend enough!

Allison Avery shows up for her first day of her PhD program at the top of the world. She's starting her dream program to study medieval literature with the opportunity to work under a professor she has long admired. Except then, in walks in Colin Benjamin, her ex-boyfriend from Brown who she hasn't seen in 2 years since they broke up. Allison is peeved that he is there, and wonders why he is, but resolves to ignore him and move on. Then Allison and Colin find out that they will both be TA's for the same professor, which also has a career-making research project attached to it that only one of them can earn. This pits Allison and Colin against each other, but they also have to find a way to work together and in doing so, they find it hard to resist one another and Allison begins to wonder if they have a second chance at love after all.
I really liked this book, there was lots of banter between characters and it was fun to read. The inclusion of the medieval literature could be more difficult to understand at times since it is a little more obscure, but it honestly helped with the story and the quirky personalities of the hero and heroine.

Sigh. I wanted to love The Make-Up Test. I loved the author’s note at the beginning so much. A story set in academia with a fat heroine - and a note to make sure we know fat is just one aspect of who she is and the story isn’t about losing weight or learning to love herself as she is because she already does. YAY to all of that!!!

I also really enjoyed the writing at the start. However the characters and the story didn’t follow through for me. Second chance romance is often a miss for me - and even more so in this case where the characters are being mean to each other. It was just annoying me and making me cringe. After seeing reviews from some trusted friends - I don’t think it’s going to get better so I decided to call it quits here and DNF. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe

Allison Avery has been accepted into her dream Ph.D. program at Claymore University, studying medieval literature under a professor she’s admired for years. Balancing grad school with a social life is challenging but Allison is driven to be the best student due to her father's indifference about education. Allison is stunned to find Colin, her ex-boyfriend, is also in the grad program and vying for the same internship. Colin broke Allison's heart when he "stole" the undergrad writing award out from under her. This is a lovers-to-enemies-lovers troupe with lots of drama in between.

What I liked about this book was all the meta-literature references (think Beach Read and The Roughest Draft). I had a challenging time with Colin's character and shadiness which may have impacted my enjoyment of the overall book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a sweet second-chance romance in a new adult collegiate setting.

Allison and Colin had a whirlwind romance during undergrad. But Colin broke Allison's heart when he graduated. She's been trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered self-esteem ever since, and the last thing she needs is for him to show up in her PhD program as a fellow candidate. In order to earn her PhD in medieval literature, Alison will have to compete with Colin for an exclusive TA position and research opportunity.

Alison is furious, because when they were together, Colin seemed apathetic about her devotion to Chaucer. He seemed dismissive of her study of texts he deemed archaic and overtly moralistic. Now he's her primary rival for the mentorship and the future she's fought tooth and nail for her entire academic life.

As the two of them battle it out for accolades, a side of Colin emerges that makes her skeptical of his intentions. He seems proud of her, and supports her when she doesn't expect it. As the intensity of their competition heats up, so do their buried emotions.

Will the ultimate selection for the prestigious position completely invalidate their reconciliation? What does their reconciliation mean? Is it a fling with an end date, or are they reconnecting to build a tenuous future despite the obstacles they face?

Recommended for fans of Book Lovers and A Brush With Love.

I really enjoyed The Make-Up Test and I felt connected to the main characters pretty quickly, which is huge for romance for me. Being plus size, I thought the character was written well and felt real, as well as the plot and other characters felt good throughout the book.

I would highly recommend!

I love a good romance and all that is involved with keeping the lovers apart until they can be together. However, In Jenny L. Howe's debut work The Make-Up Test I was so stressed out about the conflict that it caused me a great deal of anxiety. The tension kept me reading and of course I enjoyed the ending, but gosh it was stressful knowing what was going to happen and the long build up to their misunderstanding. Howe utilized several popular romance tropes in enticing ways and I look forward to seeing what else she writes.

The Make-Up Test has things I would absolutely love - grad school setting (take me back to college but minus all the assignments, please!), second chance romance, plus size heroine, former lovers/academic rivals but it just didn't do it for me. I think Allison's character is awesome, except for the end of the book where she literally makes our other main character question his entire future. She's smart, driven, and plus size/body positive. It always warms my heart when an author writes a fat MC whose flaw isn't that they're fat and that they need to learn to love themselves as they are. The author also noted fast shaming from the perspective of a parent and I was really thankful for that. I saw a lot of myself in Allison, especially in her perfectionist/I have to be the one to save myself kind of attitude. However, the male MC, Colin, just wasn't it for me. I don't really understand what Alison saw in him and didn't find his descriptions/mannerisms attractive. There is a scene where he is described as being naked but with his cardigan on, and I just kept picturing him with his dookachu peeking out from beneath the sweater while he was Winne the Pooh-ing it...no thank you. I thought the third act breakup/makeup was weak and lacking in real substance. I'm glad the author gave us a happy for now because I just don't see how these two can work together in the future. Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin, and Netgalley for an eArc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.