3⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Publication date ~ September 13, 2022
Page Count ~ 332
Audio length ~ 11 hours 30 minutes
Narrator ~ Stacey Glemboski
POV ~ single 3rd
Featuring ~ debut, grad school, characters in their 20's, scattered flashbacks, enemies to lovers, second chance, fade to black, miscommunication
Content warning from the author ~ there is expressed fatphobia by characters and in flashbacks, including by a family member, and the story deal with death and loss

We begin with an author's note that tells us all about why she chose to write this book with a fat main character. "Fat people are more than their bodies. We deserve happily-ever-afters, both romantic and otherwise."

Allison & Colin are up against each other for a TA position, but it's not the 1st time they've competed with one another.

Although, I liked Allison's work ethic and how she loved herself and didn't care about eating donuts, sometimes you just need a donut ya know?, I didn't care for her character. In fact, I didn't like anyone really. Colin was a bit of a tool. Her mother was pushy. Her father was awful, but written well to make the reader hate him like we should, but what's up with what was said by his secretary? makes no sense.

I never really felt the connection between them either. I mean she kept his contact name in her phone as Unknown Number for the whole book, so what does that tell ya? Not meant to be in my opinion. We've got the typical miscommunication, which I'm come to expect when reading enemies to lovers, but I still hate it. They both have a lot of growing up to do, but they are in their 20's, so they'd better get cracking on that.

Overall, I was not a super big fan, but it was decent~ish as a debut.

I was able to listen to a copy as well.
Narration notes ~ I don't have any complaints with Stacey's skills.

This book had all the makings to be THE book for me. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.

These MCs were simply too immature, they kept repeating their toxic behavior and a lot of growth is needed, especially Colin.

Jenny did do a great job covering some heavy topics like fatphobia and emotional abuse Allison experienced with her father. I do look forward to reading Jenny’s future books as she continues to write.

This book was a good read. I always enjoy an enemies-to-lovers romance, but the second chance romance in this book took me out of the story. When the story was more about the enemies-to-lovers portion, I was really enjoying the read, but when it focused on the past relationship and second-guessing the other person, I didn't connect as well.

The literature references were wonderful and the side characters provided depth of place and for the main female character (not so much the male lead), but the end wasn't as swoony as I was expecting... It just kind of ended with them accepting each other on the last couple pages.

Allison Avery is finally accepted into her dream Ph.D. program, but so is her ex-boyfriend. When their professor announces a research trip opportunity, but only 1 person can go. This begins a battles of the exes, and Allison isn't going to lose!

If you're a fan of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood, this book is person for you. It's great to see smart women in romance novels. The fast positivity in the book was also very refreshing. Sometimes that message can get muddled, but I didn't feel like that happened in The Make-Up Test.

This was a cute second chance romance. Normally I’m not a huge fan of this trope but this was so damn cute. Allison is quite literally the reason I gave this 3.5 stars. I absolutely loved her personality, loved how she was plus sized and radiated confidence like I wish I had this girl’s confidence. Colin on the other hand… love that we got a happy ending but also I just personally didn’t like him that much. Over all such a cute fast read. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I tried so hard to get into this book and I simply could not. I try really hard to not DNF ARCs but this was a solid DNF.

This one was not for me!

I have high hopes for an academic rivalry compared to our queen, Em Hen and quite frankly - it was far too high a mark to set.

My issue here was with writing choices, mostly. It was doing WAY too much, and none of it very tastefully. The side plots became messy and were not tied up in the end, and the author’s handling of the pandemic was … underwhelming.

While I appreciated the banter at times, I just don’t think this one had enough to overcome some cataclysmic flaws.

I tried to read this book a few different times. I thought it might be me the first time, just being so busy and not being able to get into it.

I recently picked it up again and I just could not read it. There’s something about it (the writing style maybe?) that I wasn’t a fan of,

I’m sure there are many other people that have loved this!!

Just another enemies to lovers romance trope. Usually I am all for this, but unfortunately I had no desire or care for these characters. The story war just ok... But the audiobook was great!

*Thank you @stmartinspress for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

Writing a book is hard work, and it’s clear that the author poured herself into the read. If you love books about big girls who are unashamed and highly successful, this is the read for you.

This one only gets three stars from me because, if I’m being honest, I was annoyed with the heroine at many points in the book. The heroine gets offended when someone insinuates that she is fat. Yet when she describes Colin, she uses a reference like lanky or scrawny. It felt like hypocrisy to me. If name-calling isn’t cool, it isn’t cool. Period.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5/5 stars. 1.5/5 spice.
Loved the setting of academia. Loved the fat FMC. I don’t love the trope of second chance romance which hindered my enjoyment of the book. I would read another book by this author given it was a different trope

This wasn't my favorite book, but it was definitely a good audiobook as I drove across Texas! I look forward to reading more of Howe's books.

The Make-Up Test is a rom-com that has enough sentiment to make me cry, but not ugly cry. It is witty and intellectual (lit academia!) and sexy and deals rather well with the topics of integrity and decency. Allison and Colin took me a bit to warm up to, but after the 25% point I was all in, rooting for them together and as individuals. It hit all the right marks for what I look for in a romantic comedy without being surface level. It has emotional meat to it, you know? And it was funny and it normalized people being people (they fall down, they make messes, they have insecurities, they lie, etm). I enjoyed it - I took off half a star since it truly took me to the quarter way point for me to not hate the characters.

Also, is it too soon for Sophie’s story? Or Mandy’s?

I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. The reviews are mine alone.

This was an enjoyable romance set in an academic setting. Allison and Colin had dated while at Brown but are now working on their Ph. Ds. They are bitter rivals, especially as they are both assigned to TA the same class under the professor that Allison wants to be her academic advisor. Allison and Colin attempt to have a relationship despite everything being against them, but they still have several obstacles thrown at them. Eventually, their romance succeeds. There are several triggers, though, such as fatphobia, the death of a parent, and emotional abuse.

Definitely will not be a favorite of mine. I’ve genuinely kind of forgotten what even happened in this story? I guess it was fine but nothing memorable

I started this book literally so long ago and I just could not get into it. I have never liked second chance romances and i think going into this book it just felt like everything i didnt like about second chance books. i put it down and kept telling myself I would pick it back up but i never did and I just do not want to give it a second chance.

While I have gotten away from reading romance in order to focus on horror, I absolutely love this book. The Make Up Test showcases a size inclusive narrative where the fat girl gets the guy. The academic rivalry is tense but fun to read, and pets named after cheese add an additional element of humor.

The Make-Up Test was a cute quick new-adult romance that I highly enjoyed reading. Although the plot and character arcs were predictable it was a well written book that I devoured in one sitting. I loved the plus-size representation and Allison's story. Definitely would recommend as a quick fun read!

"The Make-Up Test" by Jenny L. Howe is an enjoyable read that explores the complex dynamics of high school friendships and relationships. The characters are relatable and well-developed, with authentic teenage voices and struggles.

However, I found the plot to be predictable and at times cliché. While the writing is strong, there were moments where the dialogue felt forced or unrealistic.

Additionally, some of the conflicts and resolutions felt too neatly wrapped up, leaving me wanting more depth and complexity in the story.

Overall, "The Make-Up Test" is a decent young adult novel, but it doesn't stand out from other books in the genre. If you're looking for a quick and easy read about high school life, this might be a good choice, but don't expect anything too groundbreaking.

OK I liked the writing and I thought the premise was really interesting but I HATED the love interest and I could not get past that so DNF😕 I will definitely pick up the next book from her, though!!