⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Okay, look. It was cute. But it was not as cute as I had hoped.

As a fat woman myself, I always get excited to see a fat female as the main character in a love story. Representation matters. And I thought the premise of “matchmaker gets her shot at love” was a cute one.

What just didn’t work for me was this feud with her cousin. I understand they’re teens and there’s a level of immaturity that teens have and we love them for it, but this felt extra petty and was far too much the main theme of this book for me. I get the sense that Lahey is generally a kind and generous person, but for 89% of this book she was vindictive and really self-absorbed and I would have loved to get yo see more of the “real” Lahey.

Sadly because the author spent so much time developing and reiterating this feud, not enough time was spent on developing the romance between Lahey and Adler so when her feelings flipped for him it was almost like whiplash. The moments we got with Adler were PRECIOUS. I wanted so much more, I feel like I barely got to know him at all.

This book was 80% teen girl rivalry and 20% precious teen romcom, and I think had those proportions switched, it would have been a 5 star read for me.

I had several “laugh out loud” moments, I think there was potential here, but it honestly fell a little flat for me.

I did appreciate that Lahey was a fat girl who didn’t feel shame around that and didn’t make herself smaller. I think the way the author handled that was refreshing - like it was part of her story (which is true for us fat women), but it wasn’t her WHOLE story or anywhere near the most interesting part of her story.

Lahey is just a high school girl, a matchmaker one could say, who is just trying to find a date for her cousin (more like arch nemesis) Summer’s 16th birthday. How hard could that be??? Well apparently not as easy as setting up other people… Throughout Plus One, Lahey goes through a series of dates, trying to find the perfect guy to take to the birthday celebration, but with 6 options and less than a week, will Lahey be able to find the perfect guy? Find out in Plus One, releasing on 5/16/23!!!

This book is a quintessential teen/YA book! It has so many wonderful characteristics: a great, relatable main character; an interesting dilemma; and a boy next door!
I think this book is super interesting as a YA book because it walks a nice line between nice fluffy interactions but not completely ignoring aspects of a 17 year olds relationships and what her and her friends would talk about!
I definitely recommend this book for people who liked Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter !!! They both have the same vibe with a sweet teen/high school romance AND are such good books that you just can’t put them down! I think that this book will be great for the modern YA audience (and also great for the adult audience who loves a good YA romance…hehe).
Thank you so much to @krodk , @harpercollins , and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this WONDERFUL ARC! I enjoyed it so much that I read it in one day! I cannot wait for this book to come out!!!!

This one is YA but unfortunately at least to me it reads younger than that. Because of how the characters act.

"Plus One" by Kelsey Rodkey was cute. I read it in one sitting, satisfying my sweet rom-com cravings. I enjoyed following Lahey's quest for the perfect date while oblivious to how obvious Adler's crush on her was. I liked Lahey's relationship with her sisters but found her fight with her best friend and he feud with her cousin a bit over the top. It all resolved a bit too quickly for me too. But, in all, it was a fun and light read.

Kelsey Rodkey’s Plus One is about Lahey’s attempts at getting a date for her cousin’s huge Sweet Sixteen party—in one week. Lahey’s exploits during the course of the story are full of charming youthful chaos but also frustrating moments.

Plus One is a charming exploration of being alone versus being with someone else, and addresses issues such as fatphobia and financial burdens while staying balanced with lighter subject matter as well. The on-page relationship development between the two main characters felt too quick, but overall it was a fun book.

*Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins, and Kelsey Rodkey for this ARC!

3.5 stars. This is my first read by Kelsey Rodkey and I thought it was a cute, quick read! I really enjoyed seeing Lahey and Adlers relationship unfold, although I do wish that we got more of them actually being together.

3.5 stars. This was cute! I enjoyed the chemistry between Lahey and Adler. It’s not my favorite romcom, but a solid one to add to my revolving list of recommendations.

Plus One is a Young Adult, enemies to lovers book. It features a plus-size heroine, Lahey. Lahey is great at playing matchmaker for everyone but herself. As she sets on a journey to find her perfect date for her cousins sweet sixteen, her older sister's best friend gets a front-row seat. Adler supports her throughout, although he may not agree with all her choices. I really enjoyed reading this, it was cute and had me laughing.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've loved everything that Kelsey Rodkey has put out and this was no different! What a sweet story with beautiful plus size representation. Its books like this that I wish were out and available for me to read in high school. It just outs everything into perspective and is so beautiful to read now!

Cute cute cute! Kelsey Rodkey is the queen of YA contemporary romance, and Plus One checks all the boxes. We have enemies to lovers, body positivity, great banter, and plenty of swoon-worthy moments. As a full-on young adult woman I often can't connect to YA characters anymore, but this book felt like a fun, light romance any age would enjoy. It didn't feel too juvenile, but also didn't include content that you'd be uncomfortable having your mom read over your shoulder. All in all another home run from Kelsey Rodkey, and I can't wait to see what she releases next!

this is my second read from Kelsey Rodkey and it was just as cute as Last Chance Books!!!

I loved reading Lahey’s character and watch her grow throughout the book. And Adler was charming and sassy throughout the entire book and you couldn’t help loving them :))

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an arc of the book!

I really enjoyed reading this, it was what I was hoping for and it worked in a young adult novel. I had enjoyed the previous books by Kelsey Rodkey, it had what I was hoping for from reading these previous works. The characters were really well written and felt like real people. It was what I was hoping for and I'm glad I read this.

"I think because Juanita is really green, I’m going to do mini trees made of fully recycled materials and make some art on recycled paper to hang on the walls. Maybe some burlap table covers. I have to get my parents on board, though. They think I should just do something uncontroversial, as if sustainability is controversial.”

This book has pretty much everything I could ever want in a young adult romance.

-Loveable protagonist who goes through lots of character growth
-Shenanigans
-A swoonworthy love interest
-A sweet and wholesome romance

I think Lahey is such a great protagonist. Not only is she confident, funny, and beautiful (which makes for great plus size rep) but she also learns a lot about herself and totally reads like a 17 year old. Adler was the perfect mix between sweet and snarky and I can't wait for you to fall in love with him too. Overall, this book was great and I think everyone should read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was super cute! This is my first novel by Kelsey Rodkey, but I'd heard a lot about her previous YA romances before. When I heard of Plus One and realized it had the "older sibling's best friend" with a fat main character, I was super excited to read it. I definitely think the focus of the story is more about the main character's journey to prove herself in front of her family and friends than the actual romance, but it was still enjoyable. I always like reading about teen MCs who are also lowkey disaster-MCs and make mistakes, as it's a very natural part of being a teenager. I definitely could see this being turned into a cute summer teen rom-com, and I think most fans of over-the-top teen comedy + dramas will enjoy this book.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

This was such a cute story. Lahey is probably one of my favorite characters now, she has the best personality, and you just want the best for her. I liked the attention to detail as I tend to be a visual reader. Definitely picking up a copy!

Another fun read by Kelsey Rodkey. This story was so cute!! I just loved Lahey she was so adorable that you just can't help but root for her to get her happily ever after, This book grabbed me from chapter one and I couldn't stop reading. I can't wait to read another amazing story by Kelsey