Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface this review but saying that I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, while it was an easy read, I did not either love or hate it - I would say I am indifferent to it. Despite it's aim to allow for more size inclusivity in books of this genre, it fell flat for me. While having laudable aims, it felt like the book tried to do too much - so much so that I didn't have time to connect with any of the characters. The main female character felt whiny, the main male love interest had no depth, and the "antagonist" seemed to come out of nowhere with no motive. While attempting to explore the main character's emotions, it felt like the plot fell by the wayside. I clearly see that I'm in the minority with regards to my opinion on this book, but like I said, while it was an easy read, it did nothing for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Everly Winters is content blending into the woodwork. She's fine with doing the work behind the scenes, but not necessarily getting the credit for it, which is why she remains in her position as a receptionist instead of pursuing her dreams as an artist. Everly also has a crush on one of her co-workers but doesn't have the confidence to pursue anything further with him and continues to let him use her artwork and ideas in his job.

She is anonymously nominated to be a contestant on a show she enjoys watching, "On The Plus Side", to build her confidence in her professional and personal lives. This nomination and experience are eye-opening for Everly, but she finds solace in her friendship with one of the cameramen for the show, Logan. Everly realizes that the crush on her co-worker might be superficial and that her feelings for Logan may be more than platonic.

I love the general message that the author conveyed in the story relating to self-acceptance, building confidence, and standing up for oneself in the times that matter most. I appreciated the author's inclusion of what she called "fat" representation, which is always important. However, the book fell flat for me for at least half of the story. This book didn't engage me as much as I would have liked. It lacked that "it" factor that books have when a reader wants to finish a book, which was disappointing. I'm not sure whether it was the writing, characters, or what, but there wasn't this urge to finish it like I've had with other books.

I also thought that the pacing was slower than I would have liked. I wanted more focus on Everly and Logan, which I didn't get until closer to the end of the story, and the main characters didn't act upon their feelings until at least 50% of the story was done.

The book was marketed as a contemporary romance, but I would say this book is more focused on self-acceptance with some romantic undertones. If this is your cup of tea, feel free to pick this up.

Jenny has a great way of writing plus size heroines that are relatable.

In this one Everly is perfect satisfied with flying under the radar being unnoticed. Until she finds herself on a makeover type show. A bit overwhelmed she ends of finding comfort in someone else, Logan, who is also use to going unnoticed because he’s one of the camera on the show. Their friendship is sweet and I enjoyed their relationship and how it developed. I loved how Everly became confident in herself and her body,

If you’re a reality tv lover definitely give this one a try.

This story was such a delight- I loved Everly- seeing her remember herself and get back in touch with her dreams was so relatable. She was deeply lovable and easy to root for and I loved seeing all of the normalization of fatness in just existing and living her life that Howe pulls to the surface in Everly’s story.

And Logan! Sweet Logan. I loved his grumbly protective side and seeing this love story come together. It was sweet and spicy and I loved seeing the way their relationship grew.

The backdrop of the show was a fun catalyst for the plot- I’m a sucker for a reality show setting and this one was no exception! I can’t wait to make everyone I know read this.

I truly wanted to love On the Plus Side as the concept seemed really wonderful - unfortunately the execution fell flat. While I loved the overall message of self love - the characters read really young to me and the major conflicts felt very unrealistic.

Thank you very much for the ARC.

Finally a new book by a very talented writer! Her romance stories are such a breath of fresh air!
Howe does not disappoint! If you loved The Make-Up Test you’ll love everything about her newest title On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe.
Talk about an absolute cute, sweet and funny story! This book was everything!
I loved all of the characters, I loved the banter between Everly and Logan, I loved all of the amazing references, all of it was just perfect.
I was instantly charmed by the characters. I know she is going to be such a relatable MC. This book was very well paced, with a great introduction to characters to make you like them, and a slower unfolding of all their complexities, faults, and strengths.
It was so easy to fall in love with Everly from the first chapter because she is so effortlessly relatable. The main character is lovable, and even though she is flawed, you can't help but root for her anyway.
A smart, funny and heartwarming story. That stole my heart while reading the synopsis.
I loved this book. It was sweet and romantic and the perfect book to get lost in.
It’s official…… Jenny L. Howe is an auto-buy author!

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

💜On the Plus Side by Jenny Howe releases on December 26th!! Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💜

🧡Reality TV Show Setting (Everly, the Star and Logan, lead Cameraman!!)
💜Relatable and Realistic Fat Representation (unapologetic 👏🏼)
🧡Opposites Attract (She believes she can be ‘too much’ and he speaks in gruffs and penetrating glares)
💜Slow burn, friends first, then a man obsessed (here.for.it)
🧡Ren Faires!, Pizza dates, rescue pups, and tattoos
💜Not ✨changing✨but rediscovering yourself

All the stars!! I loved that Everly was an OG super fan of the reality show who gets cast in season 3; her self-exploration journey didn’t focus on ‘improving or changing’ her but allowed her the opportunity to rediscover her passions, such as art and graphic design, that had been set aside. The emphasis was on feeling good about herself ✨exactly as she was✨.

Let’s talk about the romance…. Oh, Jenny, you’ve created a Cinnabon hero with Logan that had my heart doing cartwheels. Bearded, plaid-obsessed, blue-eyed dog daddy. Protective, patient, supportive, ‘feral on Everly’s behalf’. Quiet ✨until✨ he’s in the bedroom!! #takeallmymoney
These two had great chemistry and banter which eventually spills into the show and created a huge fan base. I loved how Everly and Logan clearly communicated about their comfort levels and the relationship conflict was external 🙌🏼. It was so much fun rooting for their HEA! Romance readers need to pick this book up next week 💋.

I'm a huge sucker about books about television shows, and this did not disappoint.

Since her grandmother passed away, Everly has hidden so much of her true self away, choosing to make herself less noticeable and smaller and sacrificing her dreams because she thinks that will bring her safety and a better life. While she doesn't shy away from being plus-sized and very much embraces her identity as fat, much of the novel is her journey to embracing the louder, less apologetic side of herself again--through a reality makeover TV show.

Everly is such a relatable main character. While I'm not plus-sized myself, this is only one aspect of Everly's character and journey and should not deter anyone from reading this book. Howe also makes these discussions surrounding Everly's journey so universal that anyone should be able to relate to Everly's struggles of identity and finding her place again. While Everly's infatuation and relationship with Logan did happen a bit fast for me, I honestly loved their dynamic. (I love a grumpy man who is secretly full of sunshine.)

Anyways, Howe is definitely an author I'll be watching!

Loved the fact that heavy set which I am can find love! Would love a follow story by this author about plus size ladies. Very rewarding

As a fat girl, I’m always going to be happy to see romances with fat people as the main characters. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for me to love this book. I was bored for a lot of the first part of the book. The last quarter was better but not enough to make me love it.

4.75ish stars

I’m quickly becoming a very big fan of this writer and the representation of diverse characters, and especially body types, that she includes in her books. I really enjoyed the story and character development here as well as the romantic relationship profession (including that the final conflict wasn’t exclusively about their romance). I appreciated the well-rounded nature of the protagonist and that she wasn’t inherently uncomfortable with her body or simply trying to change it. I also enjoyed her insistence on her story being about more than just a romance. It will seem obvious to compare this novel to One to Watch, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s accurate and wonderful. For someone who really doesn’t watch reality TV, I’m apparently a fan of stories that try to depict that world in books. Who would’ve thought?

Books that deal with reality TV shows are always so interesting. They take an extra amount of editing skill which is ironic because stories about reality TV often are a commentary about how manipulative editing can be. Yet, in order for a book about a reality TV to land, it must be masterfully edited and structured. Balancing layers and subplots and characters, figuring out what parts to skip over which parts to spend time on – this is really tricky and I’m always always amazed when it works out well.

“On the Plus Side,” by Jenny Howe L. Howe is about a fat woman who goes on a reality TV show similar to Queer Eye.

The book had many successful sections, but there were some parts that were a little rockier. I feel pretty mixed about this book. I liked the fat representation; it’s really nuanced, but overall positive and well thought through. Howe has clearly spent time examining body positivity, neutrality, and anti-fat bias, and I really appreciate that.

Where I wasn’t as satisfied was with the love interest. He wasn’t as flushed out as I wanted him to be. I never got a read on who he was and what he wanted. We learned a little bit about his insecurities, but its almost nothing compared to what we learn about Everly. Logan, the cameraman she falls for, is self-conscious about his body too. Except he’s straight sized and that did not work for me at all. I wish he just would’ve had completely different insecurities than her. Do we really have a skinny person complaining about their body issues to a fat person? (Disclaimer that I am not fat, and so I defer to others regarding how effective this representation is. This is my reaction.)

Not to be too hard on Logan, he had dogs though that’s always really endearing to me.

The reality TV stuff was, overall, interesting. As mentioned earlier, I thought Lowe did a wonderful job with a lot of it. However, there were significant parts of the show mechanics that did not fit with my understanding how reality TV is made. Specifically how the show is happening in real time. Narratively I understand why that has to happen because the story isn’t as compelling if there isn’t active feedback from the audience, but almost no reality TV show that I know of is like that. (This actually isn’t the first reality TV book I’ve read that has a show structured this way.) But in shows like Queer Eye and What Not to Wear etc., that just isn’t done.

It sounds like I didn’t like this as much as I did, but I really enjoyed reading On the Plus Side!

Not only did this story give me all the warm and fuzzies and a MFC I couldn't help but to root for but it also gave me something so impactful - a fat/plus size character whose story does not boil down to "happiness through weight loss." This one is for all those girlies who've ever been told to that they are too loud, too much, too anything and who were...

Personally I don't put much stock into how similar to me the MC is - it's all about whether I'm invested in the story and the characters. And On the Plus Side made me care about Everly and her story. And I most certainly could relate to the overall topics of size and how our bodies are judged and discussed in the world. And I loved how the book explored these topics and Everly's journey. But of course, the romance arc was my favorite part. Prepare to develop a new book crush!

Grab this one if you're a fan of:
- Grumpy/sunshine
- super protective MMC
- reality show storyline
- healthy female friendships
- awesome fat rep

A huge thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

On the Plus Side is the first book I've read by Jenny Howe, and it has me wanting to go back and read her debut (which has been on my tbr since before it released lol). The cute cover (I know there's been much debate over cover styles and marketing and whatnot, but I'm a fan of these illustrated covers) drew my attention, and the premise sounded so fun. I've watched my share of reality TV, although I don't watch many shows these days, so I was curious to see how it would be portrayed through this book.

The premise of the reality show central to this book makes it sound like a show I would watch, as I too watched What Not to Wear back in the day. I love a good makeover, but more than that, On the Plus Side's concept sounds so lovely, building self-confidence and acceptance and humanizing fat people, opening people's eyes to widespread fatphobia in society. I really enjoyed going along for the ride as Everly, the main character, re-learns how to feel like herself again, to stop hiding from the world and being afraid of taking any risks, to do what she loves for a living. Everly opening up to the viewers of OTPS and to Logan and her mother made me so proud.

Everly's relationship with her mom plays a pretty big role in OTPS, as we learn that her mother played a large part in Everly hiding herself, with her constantly criticizing Everly for being herself, causing Everly to try to blend into the background, in conjunction with Everly's grief over losing her biggest cheerleader in her grandmother. Grandma Helen and Everly's mother had very different parenting styles and approaches to the world, and my heart hurt when Everly had her heart-to-heart chat with her mom. It doesn't lessen the impact of years of harsh criticism and fat-shaming, but it warmed my heart nonetheless that Everly is so understanding and that her mother truly took what Everly told her to heart. That scene made me tear up (reading on the plane, too).

Logan, Everly's love interest, is a true cinnamon roll, and I love how sweet and supportive he is of Everly, and his entire backstory about the dog shelter. I got all teary-eyed when Logan told Everly about Sundae, the best boy (Sundae truly sounds like such a sweetheart of a dog). Also, the dog names are so fun! Bagel, Ravioli, and Sundae (and Alan, who has a human name but should still be mentioned), I love all of them. I got worried there would be big drama or something in the middle because of how much Logan trusted the showrunner, but I'm so glad my fears were unfounded. Logan truly pulled off the grumpy cinnamon roll and was actually honest and mature in his discussions with Everly and determination to get through everything together with Everly. He said he was all in, and he really, truly, 100% meant it.

Everly makes for a compelling main character, as she feels so real and relatable, even as a straight-sized person (I didn't know that was a term until this book either! I'm pretty uneducated on fashion lol). OTPS made me think of things I hadn't had to think about when it came to clothing sizes available in stores, furniture design and overall people being assholes, but it also made me so happy for Everly to see her pursue her passions and gain confidence in her art, to see herself the way that the people who love her most see her. I highlighted a line that resonated with me on kids being taught that they will have to pursue one career forever when they grow up, because, as I learned upon adulting for the better part of the last decade, that is utter bullshit. Maybe some people really get it right and find that they want to do one thing forever and are lucky enough to get to do that their entire career, but many of us don't always know what it is that we want to be doing for work and may want to try different things (it's me!). It really is scary to not know this mythical "one true job," and to have to put yourself out there in trying something different, but Everly's journey really gives me some courage to try to do that myself.

Howe has crafted a deeply compelling and uplifting story about finding yourself and all of the lovely people and things that come with that.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Netgalley for the ARC!

I didn’t love this book but I also didn’t hate it. I loved the concept of the book. I love books that have plus size representation and I feel like it was handled with care in the book. I enjoyed it but wish I loved it more.

This is such a great book about a plus-sized character finding her sparkle, learning it’s okay to take up space, and that she’s not too much. There is some fat phobia directed at the main character, but it’s really such a beautiful read. Hope to see more plus size protagonists from Jenny Howe and others!

Thank you to NetGally and Jenny for giving me the opportunity to read this book before it's release, I absolutely LOVED it!!! As a fat woman, I've come to realize our experience living life is wholly unique and seeing someone like me as the center of a romantic story was cathartic and wonderful - even if uncomfortably at times only because it hit so close to home. From the first page, Everly was so relatable and someone worth rooting for throughout the book. She was strong and self-assured and while lacking confidence, she was a reminder that you don't have to be what you think other people want you to be, that being who you are is more than enough and the people worth it in your life will recognize you for you and love you all the same. Logan, while a perfect grump was one of the most exciting love interests I've seen in a while, his admiration and attraction for Everly clear and strong throughout the book and the exclusion of a third act break up warmed my heart. I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

Love this book! The premise is a lot of fun (reality tv show in the style of Queer Eye but for plus-sized people) and I really like how the focus wasn't on Everly, the FMC, losing weight, but on finding her joy in life again. Finding her purpose, her humour, and love for herself. It just so happens that on the way to doing that, she finds love with the cameraman, Logan. The banter between Everly and Logan is spot on.

I really liked that there was no third-act breakup, and instead, the conflict Everly and Logan had to overcome - together - only brought them closer together.

I'll definitely be reading more of the author's books!! Well written, funny, full of heart. Great book!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of the book. All opinions are my own.

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe is the heartening story of Everly Winters who is part of a reality show makeover. Everly's story is a fun romantic read and the background of reality television makes for a topical setting. I appreciated having a plus sized heroine and Everly is a charming character. All in all a fun read!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a plus size person myself, I was drawn to this book that features a plus size main character. I really love the positive outlook it has for people of all sizes, stressing pride in who you are and not being afraid to show your true self. There are several plus size characters, so it gives our main character, Everly, a place to feel seen and like she belongs. The show she is on concentrates on both fashion and life changes, so it was great to see her embrace her art and look at how she could make a career out of it. Everly was a character that I could really relate to, and I loved watching her grow over the course of the story.

Of course, with this book being a romance, we know going in that there's going to be a relationship that blossoms through the story, which I really enjoyed as well. There are definitely some ups and downs along the way, but it was great to see Everly find someone who truly respects her for who she is. It was a heartwarming story that made me feel like I could learn some things about myself along the way.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the free advance copy of On the Plus Side! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.