I was so excited by the concept of this book, but for me it didn’t live up to it.

It’s a tale of enemies to lovers, but so much is based on the main character’s inability to think about anyone but herself. She made it hard for me to get through this book that I wanted to love so much.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book and the characters! Having the back drop of this book be grad school where the focus is Medieval literature was a thrill as Medieval lit was the focus of my senior thesis. This book was fun and sweet.

This was a really pleasant book. I love the academic aspect of the book and the fat representation as well. While I did not like the love interest, the main character’s journey throughout the book carried the story.

I love a good enemies to lovers and this one didn't disappoint. To make it even better, it folded in a second chance romance along with it.

Allison and Colin can't stay away from each other - - yet they always seem to be competing with each other. It's the competition that seems to come between them. Over the course of the book you get insight into both of Allison and Colin's backgrounds. It helps to better understand their struggles and motivations. I enjoyed the different feel of this story. It's set at grad school with some flashback information to when Allison and Colin first met in college. Their relationship has never been conventional but it's always been real.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

With hints of Olivia Dade's body positivity but set in an academic environment, I had really high hopes for this book. There were some really wonderful plot points. I loved the glimpses into Allison's love of books and all things medieval. The grad school setting felt realistic and engaging. What I did not like was Colin! Their relationship DID feel accurate but overall he came off as an entitled white guy in grad school using the genius of those around him to further his career. I appreciated his character arc overall however and did like the way the author handled him at the end but I just did not enjoy his character.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of "The Make=Up Test", written by Jenny L. Howe. It was released on September 13th, 2022.

Overall, I rated this novel a 3/5 stars.

Read if you enjoy
*academic rivals
*second chance romance
*enemies to lovers

Allison Avery and Colin Benjamin broke up two years ago, so she is surprised when he is in her graduate-level literature course. I had to take points off because the two of them are both incredibly immature and do not act as though they belong in graduate-level college, but perhaps high school or middle school instead. But I did enjoy the storyline/plot concept otherwise.

The Make-Up Test by Jenny Lowe

Published: September 13, 2022
St. Martin’s Griffin
Pages: 332
Genre: Romance
KKECReads Rating:
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Jenny L. Howe first started scribbling stories into black-and-white composition notebooks with neon pink pens when she was in junior high and never really stopped. In college, she decided to turn her love of books into a career by pursuing a Ph.D. in literature, where she spent the next few years studying bizarre and entertaining medieval romances. Now, as a professor, she teaches courses in college writing, literature, and children’s media. When she’s not writing and teaching, Jenny spends her time buried under puzzle pieces, cross-stitching her favorite characters, and taking too many pictures of her rescue dogs, Tucker and Dale. The Make-Up Test is her debut novel.

“Sometimes, the right choice hurt far worse than the wrong one.”

Allison is starting her grad school courses, filled with excitement and nerves, ready to prove herself. When she finds out her ex-boyfriend is also in her program, under that same topic, she’s already planning to outshine him.

For a debut, this was well done. There was a lot of conflict and a lot of heavy topics, which was an ambitious play to make.

I found the characters okay. I had a difficult time with the main character, Allison. I wanted to like her- I was a British Literature major and can tend to be very type A, but I found Allison shallow. She didn’t let people talk, and she wasn’t a good listener. She wasn’t a good friend, and she was very immature.

I know she was only 23 and had a lot of past issues to work through, but she wasn’t very likable. I found Colin a well-done lead character; he had great growth and seemed to have learned from past struggles. I enjoyed the side characters; Wendy was excellent.

I did find the plot pretty realistic, grad school is no joke, and life feels extremely overwhelming while trying to stay afloat. And I found Allison’s struggles with teaching accurate and fairly represented. It’s scary facing a room of students feeling unprepared and inadequate. That was honest and raw.

Overall, this one was just okay for me. The plot was fine; the characters were alright. I did love the grad school aspect and the Literature aspect.

I just finished this, just in time for its release! I loved the concept and tropes. I had a bit of a hard time loving Colin, though I was satisfied with their relationship by the end. A cute, academia-based romcom.

This is a great debut novel from Jenny Howe. This story is set in an academic setting, which we need more of, and features two main characters that you can't help but like, well eventually you do with Colin. Personally Colin is not my cup of tea, but the descriptions of him make him sound adorable. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves academia, second chance, rivals to lovers and a good old fashioned romcom.

Competence porn is real! Both the characters are great students, and the academic discussion scenes are wonderful. The hero and heroine meet at Brown, where she's a sophomore and he a senior. The fat rep for her is superb as is the characterization of the hero who is far from the romance novel hero norm. What Howe brings to the table is that the only thing that matters is they each find the other attractive. They spend a good few months together, but then he betrays her and dumps her. Surpise, surpise! When she lands in graduate school, guess who is also a first year in the same department and vying to be the advisee of the same famed professor? He ruined her life in undergrad; is he now going to do the same to her grad school and future academic aspirations? Good examination of the people they were in undergrad versus the people they have grown up to be now. Good growth opportunity for both people, which is what I look for, but as is more and more en vogue in contemporary roms these days, the hero has more work to do.

Review will be published on Cogitations & Meditations later this month at http://keirasoleore.blogspot.com.

So the trick with an exes to lovers romance is that the reader has to WANT the exes to become lovers again. The reason they broke up has to be something that can be overcome. And unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here.

I honestly didn’t like Colin at all. I found him annoying and immature and his growth between when they broke up and present day in the story is pretty much nonexistent. He learned absolutely NOTHING. His reasons for what he did/does are not nearly good enough and I wasn’t rooting for them at all. Based on Allison’s thoughts/comments it doesn’t even seem like he was a very good boyfriend in general before the thing that made them break up so WHY would I want them to be together now??

There were a few other things that, while minor, brought this down for me even more: the author says “sportsball” instead of sports, which is maybe cute once but not every single time; there were random vague mentions of the pandemic that could have EASILY been left out – just why??; the Star Wars prequels are made fun of – this is such a tired joke; and Colin is frequently described as smelling like hair gel or his hair gel is just mentioned in general – does hair gel smell sexy? Again why?

I honestly don’t think the writing is bad and I really liked the grad school setting, but I just couldn’t get past how little I liked our love interest, which is pretty important in a romance. Hopefully others enjoy this more than I did!


Thank you to St Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A sweet second chance romance featuring ex’s competing for their dream job opportunity. I enjoyed the academic setting! Features a plus size MC.

Second chance, enemy to lovers are some of my favorite tropes, and The Make Up Test combines the two seamlessly.

Allison has been accepted into her dream PhD program, studying Medieval Literature. The only problem is, her ex-boyfriend, Colin has also been accepted. Allison is bent on remaining professional and to forget their past together. She has moved on… but has she really?

Allison likes to win and everything becomes a competition. The only problem is, their professor only has room for one TA, and Allison refuses to lose. Every interaction with Colin is a lit fuse, their witty sparing is hilarious and endearing. But time and circumstances have a way of altering views, and leaves Allison wondering if Colin has changed. That maybe this time around it would work between the two. Or would it just get in the way of her dream?

You should definitely one-click this book.

What a stellar debut! A fun take on academia with ALLLL the romance tropes!

Years after their college romance, Allison and Colin are reunited when they are battling for a spot working with a literary professor in their prestigious PhD program while simultaneously TA-ing her class together. When their professor announces the opportunity to attend a career defining research trip - with only one spot open - the two are left in a competitive battle that is bound to evoke some unresolved feelings.

This was a super fun read! I loved all the touches of academia with a bookish twist. I think anyone who has had that grad school experience will really connect with the book as I did! It was a tad slow through the first half (think slow burn) but definitely worth finishing - especially for the 🔥game of scrabble! Overall, a cute second chance, enemies to lovers story with all the charm, quirkiness, sweet banter and fun academic setting!

The Make-Up Test is a body positive second chance romance that I couldn’t put down! Exes Allison and Colin are competing against each other for a huge academic opportunity after both being assigned as TAs to the same professor.

The story went back and forth between Allison and Colin’s days as a couple and present days as academic enemies, which I typically love. However, it was a bit confusing since there was not a clear distinction until after you’ve read it.

Overall, it was a cute story but a little underwhelming simply because of how immature Colin continued to be, a bit disrespectful even.

4.25⭐
PG-13 verging on R for steamy scenes

My mind is still REELING after the last 10% of this book!! For a debut author, Jenny shows her readers that she truly know her craft from a subtext heavy Scrabble game to a true "how can they get together after this?!" moment. This book had me feeling all the emotions and I was just truly impressed.

This is the nerdy grad school plus sized lady rivals to lovers, second chance romance novel of my dreams when it came to exploring medieval literature and figuring out if men can be trusted (the jury's still out). If you thought The Love Hypothesis unrealistically represented grad school, this is the book you need.

But in addition to romance, Jenny also explored what it meant to grow up as Allison's old friendships evolved and new friendships were formed as well as how to deal with a parent with fatphobia. While sometimes the characters felt juvenile, I think that was showing how people grow after college and I think it was captured perfectly. There were just so many interesting layers to explore in this novel.

I enjoyed this book though I think Colin still has a few too many red flags for me to fully root from him and Allison. They're young and will need to work more on how to become partners because it's not cool to ice out your partner during a big situation. But still, Jenny L. Howe showed true craft within this novel and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Umm... this book was not was I hoping it to be at all. The premise sounded so good but oh my God, the book was just... not it. I love books set in academia with my whole heart, but The Make-Up Test just straight up disappointed me. 😭

I really liked reading about Avery! But Colin? urgh. He annoyed the hell out of me and I couldn't get over any of the things he did on the past. I am honestly, just done with jerks in romances 😂 Avery deserved so much better! I was honestly more invested Avery's character growth more than the romance.

2/5 stars overall.

I enjoyed this book and wanted to find out how it would turn out, though the female main character did not seem to grow, change or take accountability throughout the story. It was entertaining and held my interest.

Alright, how can you not fall in love with Allison and Colin! This second chance love story was fun competitive and hilarious!

I love academic settings normally in a darker romance vibe but they way this was written was so fun and hilarious you wouldn’t help but route for both Allison and Colin the whole time. I never wanted one to win over the other I just wanted them to stop fighting and give in to the heat and love between them!

It took some time but it was worth it and it was so sweet! My heart melts just thinking of this book. Definitely pick it up and give it a go. It’s such an easy read has all the right stuff!

The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe is a smart, tender second-chance romance between Alison and Colin — ex-college sweethearts turned hostile co-teaching assistants in their PhD program several years later. This debut absolutely shines. From Howe's realistic rendering of today's academic landscape to the charming details she sprinkles throughout (like the goat who follows Alison home one day), I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

One of the loveliest things about this book is the way that Howe handles relationships. Yes, I'm talking about the way she writes the relationship between Alison and Colin, but also how she handles Alison's relationship to her best friend, her mom, her tentative new friendships and herself.

I also appreciated reading about a fat heroine who wasn't on a journey of self-love or weight loss for once! Alison is a "normal" woman who happens to be fat AND still has more good self-esteem days than bad ones. Her weight is never an issue between her and Colin. It's just one aspect of her appearance, one that's neither good nor bad. It just is. More of this please, publishers!!

This book is for anyone who loves:
❤️‍🔥 Contemporary romance (FYI: Open door scenes)
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Second-chance romance
🙁 😊 Enemies to lovers
💻 Academic adversaries
🗣️ Witty midieval era references and puns
👪 Plotlines involving academia and/or family drama
👑 A satisfying happily-ever-after

I can't wait to read whatever else Jenny Howe writes!

Note: Please be aware of the trigger warnings this book contains, including: grief, death (on page), illness, emotional abuse, binge drinking and family estrangement.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me the chance to read and provide an honest review of this book! I will be posting this review to my social platforms, Amazon and B&N listings and on GoodReads.