Allison is starting her PhD at her dream school after overcoming many obstacles, including her father’s fatphobia and abandonment, financial hardship, and a lack of closure from a breakup with Colin. Grad school is obviously tough, but made even more so by Colin’s acceptance to the same program and their competition for an advisor.

I had really high expectations for this book given that it involves most of my favourite romance tropes- enemies to lovers, second chance romances, and academic rivals. I did enjoy this book overall but will say that the offhand remarks about the pandemic really threw me off. I didn’t understand what they were adding to the story and think that the references actually took away from the book.

As always, I love reading about diverse bodies so I appreciated the representation there and the discussion around Allison’s relationship with her father.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were all very well fleshed out and it was fun to see how they changed over the course of the book. I love learning more about different types of occupations, so the setting was really interesting. I loved how accepting Allison is of her body. I really liked the ending. I didn’t think I would be able to like Colin again after what he did, so I was happy how everything turned out. I would definitely recommend this book.

Allison Avery is used to winning—a lot. In graduate school studying medieval literature under a renowned professor—and on her way to a Ph.D.—means achieving a life-long goal is finally within reach. The only problem? Colin Benjamin. Colin may be Allison's co-TA in competition for a single academic advisee position... but he's also her ex-boyfriend. With a potentially career-making research opportunity on the line, Allison will do anything to win, even if it means ignoring the conflicting feelings that arise while competing with Colin to prove who's best. As Allison begins to notice how much Colin's changed from the boy who broke her heart, she has to rethink what she thought she wanted: a prestigious academic career or what could be the love of her life.

Even casual romance readers will enjoy this fat-positive rivals-to-lovers romp through academia. (Because I, a noncasual romance reader, adored it.) Jenny Howe's knowledge of medieval literature shown through a well-crafted story filled with quips and flirtatious banter, post-college anxiety and forging new friendships, and dealing with parental trauma and past mistakes. Perfect for fans of Kate Stayman-London’s One to Watch and Jen DeLuca’s Well Met—and highly recommended!

Cute book! I loved the rivals to lovers and also the second chance trope this book had to offer. However, I wasn’t able to really connect with the characters and the writing style didn’t suck me in. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this in advance!

I'm sad that I didn't love this book. What I did love initially was the plotline. We have 2 Ph.D. students studying medieval literature. I thought it was ingenious! However, my love didn't stay. I couldn't connect with the two main characters. Allison was a hard worker, insanely smart, but boring. Colin...*sigh* I didn't see him as a hero. He appeared more as a side character to me. I honestly remember him for his cardigans and nothing else.
The finale of this book was sweet, but I just don't think it redeemed the whole story.

In all, I'm bummed I didn't love this book. BUT I hope you do!

*ARC courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. I want to express a thank you to the valued author, the publisher who took a chance on the author, and Netgalley for providing a copy.*

Fans of The Love Hypothesis should really enjoy The Make-Up Test, a promising debut from Jenny L. Howe. Although not STEM, there’s a similar academic/grad school setting and a similarly socially awkward 20-something characters.

Contemporary romcoms are like comfort food to me—I know what to expect, and that’s part of the appeal. A few things set TMUT apart from other romcoms, though. I loved the fact that Allison, the MC, is a plus-sized young woman who is comfortable in her own body and believes that she deserves love, respect, and good sex. (I wish that I’d been that secure at 23.) The book really shines when Allison’s vulnerability in her complicated feelings about her family surfaces. I suspect that most plus size women can relate to having a parent shaming us for our bodies and needing to figure out how to navigate that relationship as an independent adult. I also enjoyed Allison coming to terms with her evolving relationship with her BFF and roommate as they both find themselves necessarily on diverging paths as they establish their careers.

A standard beat in most romcoms is the Third Act Breakup…and wow, the Third Act Breakup in TMUT is a nasty one. Like, if I’d had a paperback version of this ARC, I might have thrown my book across the room. So, be forewarned that Colin (the LI) appears to commit the ultimate betrayal towards Allison before the situation is resolved at the end of the book.

The book isn’t perfect (Colin is a bit less swoonworthy than, say, Adam in the Love Hypothesis), but overall, I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more from Jenny as she continues to evolve and grow as a writer.

The Make-Up Test is a rivals to lovers romance set in the world of academia. The characters were all very likeable and relatable, making this a truly enjoyable read. Allison who knows who she is and what she wants and loves herself. Colin is having self doubts about where he going academically. While this book does deal with some difficult topics (abuse, weight, self love, mental health). It is well written and has a sense of humor (which is often missing )., and very much needed. The literary world is finally catching on to the fact that love comes in all sizes, shapes, colors and spectrums. Great read!

When Allison shows up at her grad school TA job she is jolted into an awkward situation when her ex-boyfriend, Colin, is a co-TA with her. You are immediately swept up into the academic rivalry between the two which has underlying sparks of not quite finished business between the two. Allison is a delightful character and you find yourself cheering for her and also hurting as she goes through some of life's growing pains with difficult parental situations, concerns about her career, and body shaming issues. Colin also is a complex character who wins your heart through the story. I laughed, I got teary eyed, I found myself cheering for these two - it is an excellent debut novel which I truly enjoyed.

Jenny Howe had me from the very first sentence of this book! I've sat through graduate literature seminars, and she had me nodding along and saying "Yes, oh my god, LITERALLY" every single time we were inside the classroom. I, too, could not understand Derrida for love nor money, and I never knew how much I needed to see someone confirm that experience in a romance!

Allison and Colin's second chance romance also completely swept me away. There is so much depth and history between them, and I loved how Allison wrestles with it through the early stages of their relationship. But what I loved even MORE was how obviously they've both grown since their relationship ended the first time. I won't go into details for fear of spoiling anything, but I loved how obviously they've both changed and how they've grown in ways that have only made them more compatible. I absolutely adored this book!

The book started of really good, was interested in Allison's grad school assignment and life. But then her ex just happens to be in the same program, interested in studying the same line of work. And he seems endearing, but there is a big secret why he broke up with her?

Just okay for me.

Wow! So far I have picked some fun romance books to kick off summer!
I loved the characters in this book, I wanted to be friends with them. Allison who knows what she wants and loves herself. Colin, first impressions aren’t his strong points and his self doubts about where he going academically. However, pair these two together and they are a team. I loved that fact the author made clear that relationships are about supporting one another and showing up for the ugly stuff. Relationships should never be about competition. relationships fail in this environment.
I can’t wait to read more from this author!
Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me this book for my honest review.

This is a story of a second-chance love of two grad school students. I enjoyed the setting & the tidbits of the grad school experience. The group of cohorts & their gatherings was a high note for me.

The pacing was slightly off & I wished we had more background before jumping into the present story. The characters came were a bit unlikable and I believe their story would have been improved if we could have seen more of their growth from then to now. I also would have enjoyed more back story of the relationship, it was barely sprinkled throughout.

Overall, it was a quick, enjoyable read with a decent cast of supporting characters. It addressed real life issues & experiences such as body acceptance, familial strains and evolving friendship.

Thank you for the advance copy of The Make-Up Text. I did enjoy the story and the characters. The book was kind of slow for me, however, I'm glad I kept reading as the story did get better.

THIS BOOK IS A HIT! I laughed and cried, seriously. We follow the journey of Colin and Allison, who two exes who find themselves in the same prestigious English PhD program. The pacing of this book was probably my favorite part. Unlike many romances who follow the same formatting (we all know the 70-80% break up), this book followed slightly different pacing, which I found to be a relief. I love an academia book and The Make Up Test does not disappoint!

*I first want to say thank you for NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I loved this book. The two main characters Allison and Colin are two sides of the same coin, and their adventure in grad school to become the sole TA to the medieval literature is the driving force in this novel. Allison and Colin are exes from undergrad, and it is Allison's nightmare that she comes face to face with her ex-boyfriend who broke her heart.

The story is well rounded in the conflicts that come up not only between Colin and Allison, but also Allison and her ailing father, who comments negatively about her weight. I love that Allison isn't afraid of the word "fat" because it's society that attaches a negative connotation to it even though it may be an apt descriptor. She takes hold of her body and how people get to talk about it. Like Olivia Dad, Jenny L. Howe gives great representation to fat characters and how they shouldn't apologise for their size.

The one thing that didn't flow smoothly for me was that the third-act conflict seemed to be resolved too quickly. I am glad for the HEA, but I felt like there could have been more added to make the resolution feel more realistic or deserved. I cannot wait to read more from Jenny L. Howe in the future (but let's celebrate her debut now)!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4 on here)

First let me start by saying that I REALLY wanted to LOVE this. I had heard such good things about this book and I love that the MCs are PhD students. However, I think that the characters just fell flat for me and it was a struggle getting into the beginning of the book and connected with the characters. I think the author did such a wonderful job with representing the plus size MC and I think that this needs to be in more books. However, she just appeared so entitled and mean at times to the people in her life who do support her. I think that she does a good job of some development in her character and shows a great job of setting boundaries with her parents. I think this is soo important to point out because a lot of times people will bend over backwards for family and not set boundaries with them. However, I do have to say that it doesn’t seem like she applies those same boundaries with her friends at times. Overall, I do think it was a wonderful storyline and I think once it started picking up for me about 35% of the way in, I wanted to keep reading it to see what else was going to happen with the characters and see how they might develop.

The Make-Up Test, Jenny L. Howe
September 13, 2022, St. Martin's Griffin
⭐⭐⭐

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Make-Up Test does what rom coms do best. A fun, romantic book, but with heart. Allison, our plus size heroine, finds herself competing for a coveted TA position against her ex boyfriend, Colin, who broke her heart 2 years earlier. I wanted to hate Colin, I really did, but Howe weaves the story in such a way I ended up rooting for the couple to get back together, as I also was rooting for other personal, professional and academic successes for the pair.

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #chicklit #beachread #summerread @jennylhowe #stmartinsgriffin #arc #netgalley @netgalley #themakeuptest

Well pals, here we are again, with another advance review! I was super excited to snag this one early through NetGalley, and after finishing it I’m here to tell you all the things I liked, and maybe didn’t about this highly anticipated release.

As always, a huge thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC, thoughts below are my own, enjoy!

I’ll rip the bandaid right off early and share: I didn’t love this. Which I cannot tell you all how much this PAINS me to write. I’ve been sitting here post-read, processing and trying to formulate all the thoughts and feelings I had throughout. Hoping I would be able to put together some level of coherent ramblings, that would best convey all the reasons why.

So, the premise I actually really loved. Here we have two Ph.D candidates in medieval literature that are exes, who need to compete for a placement? Oh and one of them broke the others heart years earlier? And we have diverse body representation? Okay. YES to all of that right? My friends where did we all go wrong?

I think where some other academia based books have done well, this one hits the ground running with some deep-cuts that often times left me feeling like a legitimate dumb dumb. Once I worked through making sense of the references, I finally started to get a sense of our main characters. Who I gotta tell ya, I COULD not empathize with.

And really it wasn’t for a lack of trying (both on my and the authors part). I wanted to love this and these main characters so badly. Allison is competitive to a fault, and Colin is kind of a dick?

Truly one of the most moving and resonate bits of writing ends up coming from Professor Wendy when she’s writing to Allison after (spoiler incoming) the death of her father. Those two-and-bit paragraphs had more, depth, more heart and more conviction in any of the rest of novel. Ugh.

Also like POOR Monty, our kind of random (but very cute) Corgi plot-device that often times felt a little uh, neglected? Add to this conflict with Allison’s long time bff and roommate, the fatphopbic and misogynistic colleague, the inexplicable tension between her and her mom, her dad being a covid denying asshole. All while trying to sort out what the central love story is here? Your guess is as good as mine.

Like I said, I wanted to love this, right down to the tips of my toes, and yet I am sitting here feeling all types of ways. I kept thinking, PICK a struggle. Be less. Be more. Why DO WE EVEN LIKE COLIN? IS ANYONE LOOKING AFTER MONTY?! OH THERE IS ALSO A CAT NOW?

Friends, it did not work for me, but that’s not to say it might work for you! Grab The Make-Up Test wherever you get your books when it lands in stores and online September 13th 2022.

Rounded up from 2.5 stars.

I wanted to love this, I really, really wanted to love this. But I didn’t like either of the characters. And how you gonna have a fat heroine, describe the hero as skinny and bony, and then mention her putting on his cardigan??? What? In? The? Sisterhood? Of? The? Traveling? Pants?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is a great rivals to lover’s book in an academic setting. This is one of my favorite Troupes and I love every second of this book. I think the author did loads of research to make sure the academic was right. I loved this book and I could not put it down. This book does have some heavy topics and handles them with care.