I enjoyed this book! I didn’t read The Makenzie-up Test and didn’t feel like I missed anything so points for that. I like Everly and Logan as a relationship. We get to see them trade looks, flirt and then move forward. Was it insta-love which I normally don’t like yes but in this instance it worked because he was the cameraman for the reality show that was filming her. I would have liked to learn more about Logan other than he loves dogs and how he got to be a cameraman. We also never truly get to hear why he likes Everly.

As a plus size person I related to Everly in some aspects that I normally don’t. I have felt and thought some of what Everly does. I think Howe did a great job showing what it truly means to be plus size from shopping, to navigating a bar, etc. I also just loved Jazzy and Stanton! What great characters who livened up the book and brought out the deeper moments but with a side of comedic relief.

Thank you St Martin’s Press through NetGalley for the arc of this book. 3.5 stars for overall development but overall I really enjoyed this book. I think anyone who is plus size should read this book just like Olivia Dade’s books. So happy to see more diverse (and realistic) character representation coming out.

I really couldn’t get into this one. I wanted to root for their love story and the premise sounded good on paper but the male
Main character had no redeeming qualities s

I wasn't even halfway through this book and told my sister that she HAD to read it when it came out. It's amazing. I love the body-positive messaging, and the author creating a main character who stands up for herself. If you're a fan of reality TV, you'll adore this book. Even if you aren't, you're still going to love this book. Everly Winters is so relatable and you root for her and her HEA the whole time.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jenny L. Howe for an eARC of this book!

I am SUCH a massive supporter in picking up a book with a main character that is plus-sized and curvy because I am so tired of reading romances where the female lead is constantly described as 'tiny' *eye roll*. Overall, I enjoyed this book but was not blown away by it. I felt like the writing here just wasn't my favorite with the overly 'out-there' descriptions and some cringey moments. I think I would recommend this one but I won't be shouting it from the rooftops!

On the Plus Side is an absolutely fabulous romantic comedy that I feel so lucky to have read. First off, I love that the heroine is happy with herself and her body as she is, and just wants the people around her to accept it. I love that the changes they made in her during the makeover were mostly teaching her how to be the wonderful person she is inside. And I was pleasantly surprised that the ending wasn’t the cookie cutter version of every rom-com you read, but had depth and gave this character the ending she deserved.

I received an ALC & eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my first time reading this author and I thought the story was really good. It was a little hard to get into at first but about 20-25% in I was hooked. It had likable characters, an interesting storyline, it was just a little lackluster for me! I was hoping for a more wow factor. Just didn’t quite hit all the way for me I guess. I’ll definitely be giving this author another try in the future!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5)

Everly got a life makeover!

I’ll admit I’m the last person to watch reality television because I would rather read but I adored On the Plus Side. Everly Winters loves to watch On the Plus Side and lurk on their forums but she never expected to hear her name as one of the guest on the next season for her whole life to change with hosts Stanton and Jazzy.

I loved how Everly had to work through all of her issues with confidence and finding her style of clothing that would make her feel like a queen but she did it with style. But she had move on from being a receptionist to making her art her career with her growing friendship with cameraman Logan Samuel.

On the Plus Side is for anybody that feels like they need to step away from being a wall flower.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jenny L. Howe for an ARC of this book!**

The last place Everly Winters EVER imagined she'd be is in front of a camera. Even though she's always been a huge fan of the makeover reality show On The Plus Side, where plus size individuals undergo physical and life makeovers (think Queer Eye with a dash of What Not To Wear thrown in for good measure), she would prefer to lurk on the "read-it thread" and stay out of the limelight. She's always dreamed of pursuing her passion for art, but feels her job as a receptionist is where she 'belongs'...and her mother's critical eye has only played on this insecurity.

But all of that is about to change.

When Everly finds out she has been NOMINATED for the ultimate makeover on her all-time favorite show, she's stunned, terrified...and yes, a bit excited. Was it her best friend who nominated her? Everly isn't quite sure...but she's hoping maybe she'll end up able to participate in the art Collective of her dreams and the shows two hosts will bring out the very best of her and a new confidence she's never known. And then there's the hunky guy James she's had her eye on forever too...could they be MORE than work friends?

And then there's gruff, flannel-clad hunky cameraman Logan. His grumpy demeanor is off-putting at first, but after a while, Everly starts to notice the twinkle in his eye when he talks to her on camera AND off...and she starts catching feelings of her own as well. But is there any 'reality' in this reality TV...or has this love triangle simply been orchestrated for ratings? Can Everly trust Logan...or is she simply a pawn in a ratings game, set to have her heart broken AND her dreams dashed, all in one fell swoop?

I was an instant fan of Howe's writing after thoroughly enjoying The Make-Up Test, a rom-com with a literary bent, where the bookish references flew fast and furious and the banter was reminiscent of Emily Henry's fun and quirky style. I was hoping for more of the same in this book, and as someone who is both a fan of shows like Queer Eye and ALL kinds of rep in my reading, Howe's brand of plus-size positivity. This seemed like a winning combination of story elements and writing style, and I was fairly certain I'd enjoy this read.

But when I say much of this one felt like a bicycle with flat tires...it's an unfortunate truth. While many would argue our MC Logan is far more likable than the male lead in Howe's last book...I have the opposite opinion. While I can safely say there isn't much to dislike about Logan, in many ways, this is part of the problem. He read more like a stereotype, from the bearded flannel lumberjack look, to his "gruff" introduction. As is the case with many of these type of reads, I had a hard time believing that he was so unapproachable anyway: he went from quiet to talkative and kind in no short order, and because there was such a quick transition, it lost impact.

Everly also read as a bit more young and naive than I had hoped she would be, I yearned for her to come into her own FOR herself, but it still seemed like she was more focused on impressing others...and fixating on her clothes more often than necessary. Yes, it's a makeover show and I know the author was also inspired by What Not To Wear, so the references make sense...but after a while, it just felt like overkill. I wasn't interested in hearing about EVERY single outfit she was wearing, especially those that just seemed a bit young or unprofessional for her (rather than unbecoming to her body type). I was more interested in her internal journey, and although this was discussed, I STILL felt like it was overshadowed at times.

There's also the "readit" (think Reddit) posts tossed in, which often felt goofy and inauthentic and the fourth act 'scandal' is MORE than a bit convoluted. It was nice to skip the obligatory third act breakup, but because the plot got so implausible, it still didn't quite land. As an administrative assistant myself, I also didn't like the implication that being a receptionist should just be a temporary position while you look for a REAL job in marketing (or in Everly's case, design). While this kind of job isn't for everyone, people work in different professions and roles for all sorts of reasons...and she certainly was able to utilize and hone her art skills both at home AND at work...but despite her life transformation, I'm not sure she ever came to appreciate that fact.

Of course, one of Howe's trademarks at this point is plus size rep, and she handles it well. I'm glad to see her continuing to tell these stories. With that being said, however, it did feel at times like we were retreading territory covered in The Make-Up Test, and maybe I was dreaming, but it honestly felt like certain passages by the MC felt almost paraphrased or just restated from her first book. While I realize the main themes may be similar, I sometimes felt like I was hearing the author's direct POV rather than the original thoughts of her different characters...and while Everly may not have been my FAVORITE heroine, she certainly had a unique personality...and I think COULD have had subsequently made some more interesting and impactful statements along her journey.

And although I won't say how this one ends...rest assured there's at LEAST a 50% chance of a Happy Everly After!

3.5 stars

#OnThePlusSide #JennyLHowe #SMPRomance #StMartinsPress

A celebration of just how human even those of us that are plus-sized can be! I am a big fan of reality TV. I love the drama, the ridiculousness, the feels, but I am not ignorant to the producer influence. This book helps illustrate the perspective from a contestant's side. I liked that. I also enjoyed the overall approach the author took to address the clear lack of body inclusivity that occurs. This book actually celebrated how no matter a person's size, they are still someone's cup-o-tea! I was a little leery that it would be redundant with specifically stating that the FMC is plus-sized at the beginning. It took about 25% before I was able to focus more on the story rather than the physical descriptions of Everly.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and author Jenny L. Howe for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[4.75 rounded up]

Everly Winters loves On the Plus Side, a reality makeover show that focuses on plus sized individuals - and is hosted and produced by plus sized people. So, when Everly is surprised at work by Jazzy and Stanton, the two hosts of the show, she is immediately star struck. As she gets used to being around the cameras, Everly begins to see herself for who she is, no longer trying to hide behind her clothing or other people. To get to the end goal, she must endure difficult discussions and events - some real and some manufactured for the viewers. However, as a love triangle arc begins to form within the narrative, Everly begins to question who nominated her and why? When she finds out the truth, she will never be the same. Will Everly receive the transformation of her dreams or will everything in her life come crashing down?

As a plus sized person, I am SO happy to see someone like me in a romance - and not just as the butt of the joke or the ugly fat friend. I really connected with Everly's struggles of self-esteem, dating, and finding a career path that sparks joy. I quickly became attached to Everly and reacted alongside her whenever something good or bad happened. She was like the plus sized friend I've always wanted. It was a little slow in the beginning and one part of the plot really bothered me, but overall it was a super heartwarming book that made me feel seen. I could cry. Seriously.

Lots Of Grand Ideas. No Technical Errors. Plenty Readers May Not Like. This is one of those books that is filled with GRANDIOSE IDEAS it wants to communicate and build an interesting story around. And it does that. There are no glaring technical errors with anything about this book. The plot works within world, the characters are serviceable enough for the genre generally, and the GRANDIOSE IDEAS are all given at least some "screen time".

All of this noted, there are *several* issues here that individual readers may have problems with, depending on their own experiences.

The book opens with an author's note about why she doesn't have a problem with "fat" in the context of this tale + trigger warnings. Ok, there is a lot of discussion on trigger warnings at the front of books in Booklandia, with different people coming down on different sides there. Clearly, Howe has staked her position. Fair enough, but again, some readers may not like this.

Then we get into the various GRANDIOSE IDEAS as we go throughout the actual tale.

Self Acceptance. Noble idea, some may not like the execution of how it is explored.
Family Drama. While a certain family member is written almost as an antagonist... this is going to be one of those "antagonists" that at least some readers are likely going to agree with more than the main character.
"Reality" TV (and the lack of actual reality therein). This is a main driver of the plot, and for the most part works well enough. But there is a lot of social commentary here that I suspect won't hit as hard for many as perhaps Howe had hoped.

Others get more into spoiler territory, so I'll not discuss them here. But you get the idea. For at least some readers, this will absolutely be OHMYGODAMAZEBALLSAWESOMESAUCETHANKYOUFORWRITINGTHISMOSTIMPORTANTBOOKEVAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! level. I suspect that for most readers, this book will more likely fall into the "ok" - "good, but a few problems" range. And I do think that its 4.06 average across just over 500 reviews just days before publication (yes, I too read this as an ARC) is both evidence that I am right and, to my mind, roughly where its rating average is likely to pan out over time.

Recommended.

I was really excited about this one, but I got turned off pretty quickly by the foreword and felt like it just sort of overexplained things. I love to see representation of plus-size characters on the page, but there was just something about the stance it took that made me less excited to read this. So sorry that this one wasn't for me!

On the Plus Size is basically my catnip - a plus-size main character, reality show setting, and delightfully grumpy love interest are some of my favorite tropes. And on top of that, there wasn't a third act break up, which makes me so happy. This story felt believable with just the right amount of drama. I will definitely continue to read whatever Jenny L. Howe puts out into the world!

Since Everly's grandmother passed away, she has lived a quiet life. One of the bright spots is her favorite reality makeover show, On the Plus Side. Everly loves to read all the fan forums about the show, even if she can never bring herself to participate. Then, she finds out that someone has secretly nominated Everly to be one of the stars of the next season of On the Plus Side. All of the sudden, Everly's life is thrown upside down and on display every week on tv. Pushed out of her comfort zone, Everly increasingly turns to one of the show's cameramen, Logan, and finds they may have a surprising connection. Just as the show seems to be putting her life back on track to reach her dreams, the executive producer makes a choice that threatens all of the progress that Everly made, and the one relationship that has become the center of her life.

This was an engaging and well-crafted story, featuring strong characters and exploring interesting themes around confidence, family dynamics, and trust.

Highly recommended!

Thank you St Martins Press for the review copy of On the Plus Side by Jenny L Howe. This would be a great read for fans of the Charm Offensive and One to Watch, it was a fun combination for me of those two books while still being it's own story. I really enjoyed this book and what worked for me other than the general themes of body acceptance was that this book really was about Everly's own self-growth and confidence, how finding "your people" who are your genuine cheerleaders, who see you, can be transformative.

I also loved the chemistry with Logan, the secondary characters with Everly's friends and OTPS mentors, and I appreciated the blending of art and creativity with Everyl's story (her work, her goals, her ways of expressing herself, of connecting with people who understood her). There are some nice notes on grief as well that are nice depth without weighing the story down.

I’m so torn about my feelings for this book. I loved the premise; I was such a huge What Not To Wear Fan, and enjoyed Queer Eye as well, and the similarities of those shows in this was great. I also really liked the romance, and especially appreciated that there was not a third act breakup.

Unfortunately I don’t think this authors writing is for me. I am a plus sized woman who is always looking for more books with plus sized representation, and I just simply do not like the way she writes her characters. Which is 100% a personal thing, I am sure other people see themselves in her characters and that’s incredible, but is not the case for me. Because of this, I did not care for Everly. I hoped it would change as the story went on, but it did not.

I think there’s too much going on with the story. Some things would have been fine but something about them just went too far. The tattoo storyline was fine, but why was an apprenticeship necessary? Logan’s business plan was fine, but why were there numerous mentions of Brian his business partner, just for him to never actually be in the book? The Collective was a cool idea, which then just got brushed over. It felt rushed at times, because I think there was just too much that was trying to happen.

I think readers of The Make-Up Test will appreciate the quick appearance of Allison and Colin in this book. As soon as I read ‘cardigan’ I immediately realized it was them.

While this story was only okay for me, I can see that even one week before it officially releases it has hundreds of positive reviews, and I honestly am happy to see that. I hope that if you pick this up, it works better for you than it did for me.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This has What NOT to Wear Vibes (I swear the show On the Plus Side is Based off it)- but for a strictly plus size audience. It's a cute and fun read, but I did feel as if the chemistry between Everly and James/Logan was somewhat forced.

I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a plus size ripped rom-com and where there was growth and character development, it also felt as if it was full of fluff?

Maybe it was just my mood at the time, but I had hoped for a bit more from it!

On the Plus Side is a fun read! I'm not a huge fan of reality television in my daily TV-watching but I still enjoyed the premise of Everly being on her favorite show and meeting Logan in that fashion. This book was cute from beginning to end, and Everly and Logan were a sweet pair of grumpy x sunshine-ish, and I enjoyed their relationship and how it grew both on and off camera. I would recommend this one looking for a fun, easy romcom.

As a big girl myself, I felt the fat representation was pretty well executed; however, my only issue was Everly having to go through this big journey to gain her self-confidence. Just because she's on a show that helps her organize her life a bit, doesn't mean she couldn't have been confident in her own body from page one. I know this is a story a lot of fat people live through, myself included, but it would be nice to see some fat FMCs who were confident in themselves from the beginning without the help of some outer entity.

Aside from that, I enjoyed On the Plus Side.

Thank you to St-Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed listening to On the Plus Side, narrated by Zura Johnson!

Everly is alright hanging out in her secretary role and commenting on On the Plus Side reddit forums. Nominated for the show, she is thrown into the world of her favorite show. Next step? Rediscovering her art and not letting others define how she should look.

I listened to On the Plus Side over a few days and enjoyed the overall premise. Jenny L. Howe identifies triggers at the beginning and shares the topic of body size is featured (not in a body shaming way). As the book focuses on Everly's self journey, I appreciated the trigger early on to know it wasn't "fat bashing". While this book could be classified as contemporary romance, I'd say it more identifies as "finding yourself" fiction. Everly's inner monologue regarding her mom was truly relatable. Some of the male characters were hard to keep straight and I wish they were more easily differentiated- I quickly had to make notes. While that was a setback, I adored the little reddit thread comments at the end of several chapters.

Thank you Spotify audiobooks and SMP romance for my alc / earc in exchange for my honest review.

I am DNFing this book at 20%. I just couldn’t get past the main character ogling over the two love interest in this book I’m assuming. any time she was around them she always mention their jawline, or their eyes are their scent and I don’t know for this book it was just kind of an ick for me. I also didn’t like how thrown into this world you were you didn’t get any background information really you just got thrown right into it, I think if I continued reading this book, it would be a three star and I am really trying to DNF books sooner if I’m not enjoying them as much as I feel like I should be.