🎧 Audiobook Review: On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe 🎧

This heartfelt and empowering story by Jenny L. Howe totally won me over! 🎀 The protagonist's journey is full of charm, humor, and a beautiful message about self-love and body positivity. The audiobook narration perfectly captured the emotional ups and downs, making it such an immersive experience. I couldn't stop listening! 😊

If you’re looking for a feel-good romance with depth and heart, On the Plus Side is a must-add to your TBR! 💖

Thank you St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this title!

#AudiobookReview #OnThePlusSide #JennyLHowe #BodyPositivity #FeelGoodReads #Bookstagram #RomanceReads

Ive had this on my ARC shelf for a year. I wish i got to it sooner. Because one i love books that revolve around reality tv. And second was the character was plus size. Not anlot of authors write about plus size characters it was refreshing and i could actually picture myself as the character. Also i disliked the mother who always said i did it because i loce her i hid hereay because people would make fun of her. I really wanted to get inthis book and slap her. But over all the writing is good the narrator was awesome. I switched between the ebook and audio. Sadly have to do tjat a lot lately because of my bad eye sight

As a plus size girly myself, I really appreciated the representation and overall message the story was trying to tell its audience. I just cant help but feel there is SOMETHING missing from the story. I really only felt connected to our FMC, and even with her I think I just wanted a bit MORE. More plot, more character development, more banter and dialogue. I'm still giving this 3 stars

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I read Howe’s first book and thought it was just fine, so I wanted to give her next book a chance. Unfortunately, I liked this one even less. While I do think she has great plus size representation and body positivity, in general the writing is really lacking for me. Some of the wording she used crossed the line from cheesy to cringy and it was a little tough to read.

I thought the idea of this show was great, but some things just didn’t interest me - like the renaissance fair. I find that books that are made to be like reality tv don’t usually work, especially if the authors try to incorporate some sort of internet pieces (forums, tweets, magazine articles). It always feels cheesy and out of place. In this one we had some magazine articles and “readit” forums and they just did not work.

I also found that the characters did not stand out to me. Everly isn’t very exciting, but we do know more about her than Logan. We know next to nothing about Logan, other than he’s quiet, wears flannel, and wants to open a rescue for senior dogs. He just seemed like a prop for most of the book and is super forgettable. I really didn’t get any romantic chemistry between them because he just didn’t seem real. I think the author tried but it just didn’t come through.

This will probably be the last book I read from this author because I’m just not impressed by anything I’ve read so far and wouldn’t recommend them to others.

I really love books by Jenny Howe. I enjoy her representation of plus size women and this one didn't disappoint. I really resonated with Everly's character and how if you don't make a splash, no one can reject you. I'm very unlike Everly in the sense I'd never go on a makeover show, but she does after being secretly nominated. It's her favorite show so she kinda knows what to expect, but she is overwhelmed by all the time she'll be seen on tv and the extroverted hosts of the show. I enjoy the romance between Everly and cameraman Logan. It's sweet but also a bit steamy.

I really enjoyed this book!! I truly saw so much of myself in Everly, and when you find yourself in a character, it makes the book resonate even more deeply.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jenny L Howe for sending me this arc for review!

I loved this book! Been a plus sized woman, it was refreshing to be able to read about a FMC that is the same as me.

This book really took back the word “fat” and took away any negative connotations associated with it. I felt empowered and seen through reading Everly’s story.

The story was a lot of fun, and it actually didn’t really end the way I thought it would, which was a nice surprise.

I think this book is incredibly important for today’s society and it makes me proud for the first time in my life to be a plus-sized woman.

I really wanted to like this book and there are definitely parts of it that I enjoyed but overall the plot was not well conceived and I desired so much more from it.

This book handles mostly fat representation, I can’t talk specifically if its accurate or not because I’m not fat. Did love that Everly didn’t hate her body, she loved it and who she was. She just lost her light after her grandmother passed away and her how her identity was tied to her grandmothers support. The toxic family in this book made me want to cry, especially when mom are their child’s biggest critics.

This book sometimes felt too much for me. The way Everly is struggling with her identity after the passing of her grandmother made me want to sob most of the time.

I also think that the romance parts of this book made me swoon. They are just these little moments between them and the connection. I was swooning and rooting for them and for Everly to find herself and love herself.

I like the pace of this book, the relationship and the message. I enjoyed this so much.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jenny’s plus sized romances hit different always. She’s such a joy to read, and her representation is so wonderful. I loved the setting of the book and it was just so wonderful!!

DNF. Will hopefully come back and try again at another time. I really wanted to enjoy this but I struggled to get into it.

On the Plus Side is a charming and uplifting story. I loved the message of embracing yourself and body positivity and found the story to be very empowering. Featuring a cute romance the story teaches us that love and self discovery go hand in hand. I loved this delightful read.

Love the fat rep in this book! It follows a woman who is stuck in her career and not comfortable being her full self. A reality show that is like “Queer Eye” meets “What Not to Wear” helps her regain her confidence and introduces her to an intriguing camera man.

This was a fun one but I wasn’t fully invested in the romance element. The drama with the reality show also felt a bit weird pacing wise. But the characters were interesting to read about and it made me wish a show like this existed in mainstream media.

(Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.)

'On the Plus Side' was a really quick and fun read from Jenny L. Howe! I enjoyed this book way more than her previous release 'The Make-Up Test'.

Everly is a really sweet and relatable main character. She is proud of who she is and she knows and embraces her fatness. Her courage to go on a reality TV show to prove she to herself that she can and inspire other fat woman to love themselves was so inspiring. That doesn't stop the insecurities and projection of her mother and colleagues from hurting her. It's just the reality for her, but she continues to live her best life. It's so refreshing to see stories about plus-sized women and have their stories distally focused on that aspect of their life. She's a fun and lively character that jumps out of the page and feels like a friend.

Similarly, her the main camera operator on set Logan is the sweetest man despite his serious exterior. He's a grumpy, lumberjack looking man that treats Everly kindly and champions her throughout the entire show filming process. They fall in love so authentically and genuinely as they get to know each other and share their vulnerabilities. I was really rooting for them!

All in all, this was a great read and I will continue keeping an eye out for Howe's work!

Thank you SMP for the opportunity to read and review this eARC!

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!

Unfortunately, after multiple attempts I have been unable to get into this book. It felt very slow for me and the characters were not likable which made it hard to root for them and enjoy the story. Due to that I have decided to soft DNF the book and potentially pick it up at a later date.

If you want to read about obstacles and self love this book is for you. I would argue that this is considered more as women’s fiction than a romance, but it definitely has some steamy scenes.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. On the Plus side is a make over show that embraces women in larger bodies, rather than tries to change their body type. When the main character is chosen, she's ecstatic to meet her heros. But the show isn't what it seems and things start to get complex, and steamy. The characters are flawed but wonderful and this book wonderfuly helps to break the steroetypes of people in larger bodies!

So stinking cute. We love to see fat girl representation in romance! A great novel to follow up Howe's success with The Make-Up Test!

Everly’s life is turned upside down when she’s nominated for the newest season of a popular plus-sized makeover show. While the enthusiastic hosts work to bring her out of her shell, Everly finds herself quickly befriending the quiet, grumpy cameraman.

Everly is a delight from the very beginning of the book. I found her character to be exceptionally relatable. Her feelings about herself and those around her are portrayed authentically. The author does an excellent job conveying the societal pressures women of all sizes but especially fat women are forced to deal with. I appreciate the realistic dialogue and that she does not shy away from what can be considered a more sensitive topic.

This is the second book that I have read from author Jenny L. Howe and I look forward to reading her next release, How to Get a Life in Ten Dates, coming in December.

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