4.5 stars!
Oh @jennylhowe how I adore thee! What I would give for a Logan bonus epilogue from his POV! He is one of my favorite male MC EVER! I love how he’s grumpy but is feels so much! Honestly, bravo for writing him! I also loved Everly’s journey throughout the book. What I really liked seeing was how she wasn’t apologizing for her size but rather how she was trying to make herself invisible because she didn’t want the stigma of being the “fat girl who is ‘too much’”. I think this is very much a relatable topic and I enjoyed seeing her be truly herself by the end! Bit of a spoiler, but I also appreciate that there was no “third act breakup”, because while I know it’s a common tripe, it really makes me sad, so thanks for that! Also, if you’ve read The Make-up Test, there were a few Easter eggs in this one that shouted out to the previous book (I always love that!). Having met Jenny Howe on more than one occasion, I can say she’s
wonderful and so sweet and I can’t wait for her release party of this one, which will presumably be at our local independent! Can’t wait for the next one!

Super cute and easy light read. I love books with plus sized characters which is mostly why I requested this ARC. Everly and Colton had a cute dynamic that kept me hooked from the start.

I absolutely adored this book. It combines two of my favorite things-reality tv drama and a fat heroine finding herself. The plot clips along nicely, pulling me right into the drama of the story which never tips over the line of becoming TOO dramatic. Everlasting is a highly relatable character, especially if you are a larger lady who has felt like she it a little too much sometimes. Her developing story with Logan is engaging and hits all the right notes as he is just right for the role he fills. Very enjoyable read!

This was not the book for me. It was an unfortunate DNF because of the way Everly was portrayed. I understand why things were done the way they were but I couldn't get over the way she was described for so much of the novel. I feel like her only personality trait for most of the novel was that she was "plus sized"

I had very high hopes for this book but for some reason it just fell a little flat for me. I did not connect with the characters like I thought I would.

When Everly is nominated for a makeover show (think What Not to Wear meets Queer Eye), she leaves her swing dresses behind for curve-hugging fashions. In this grump meets sunshine romance, there is body positivity and queer representation.

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe follows Everly Winters, who is content to live life on the sidelines and crush on her co-worker from afar. However, when someone secretly nominates her for her favorite TV show, On the Plus Side, a Queer Eye-esque show with the goal of helping plus sized people gain confidence and happiness, Everly's safe life she's built instantly starts changing. This overwhelming, but incredible, experience comes with two wonderful hosts and a cameraman to whom she seems to grow closer and closer.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. As someone who did not love Howe's previous novel, The Make-Up Test, I went into this book a bit apprehensively. However, this novel is a tremendous improvement from Howe's debut. The characters are more layered, interesting, and funny. The relationship build between Logan and Everly feels natural and comfortable and the premise is entertaining and creative.

There were a few areas that could be a bit stronger. The pacing was a little bit slow and the entire ending with the show (keeping this spoiler free) felt very unrealistic. In all, this book was cute and a nice easy read. The improvement from Howe's previous book to this one makes me excited to see what she'll write next. 3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.

What a fun book! I really enjoyed Howe's debut novel, so I decided to give this one a try. While reading, I almost felt like an audience member of the TV series the main character is taking part in, On the Plus Side. I found myself rooting for her more as an individual character than as part of a couple. While I did find the romance cute, I think I would've appreciated a bit more development time for the couple. I felt almost thrown into it, and I personally would've liked a bit more build up. I did however really enjoy reading about Everly's journey of rediscovery and regaining her confidence and achieving her goals, and I think she was an absolutely wonderful main character.

Thank you for creating a story for plus size girlies! It was refreshing and well done…and I can’t wait to read more!

I found this book compulsively readable. I enjoyed the characters and the plot just seemed to move along at a very nice clip... As with all romance, I had to suspend disbelief a bit, however I also just love these kinds of stories.

I found this to be a great follow-up to Jenny L. Howe's previous book and an overall fun read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced readers copy of this book. I think it will be very well received when it is published in December!

This book was a breath of fresh air! I wish more books had top notch plus size representation like this one. Before I even started to read the actual book, I just want to point out and say that I really appreciated how Jenny addressed all the content warnings. I also really liked that she mentioned that she would use the word fat to describe the FMC because fat is not a bad word.
I really enjoyed how relatable Everly was. I could see a lot of myself in her character and for that I found her quite likeable. The romance in this book was really sweet! I could have done with a little bit MORE steam and a touch more conflict in my opinion. The heavier topics in this book were addressed with the appropriate amount of concern and care.
Overall this is a good read for anyone living in a plus size body looking for some good representation!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc for an honest review.

"Prepare to be swept away by the heartwarming journey of self-discovery and love in 'On the Plus Side' by Jenny Howe. Everly, the plus-sized protagonist, shines as she confronts her insecurities and embraces her true self on the beloved reality TV show she adores. Alongside her personal growth, Howe masterfully explores the complexities of family relationships and delivers a delightful love story that will leave readers with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Though there are a few steamy scenes, they are tastefully written, adding a touch of spice without crossing any uncomfortable boundaries. While there was one scene that didn't quite resonate, the overall emotional depth of the book makes it a truly captivating read. 'On the Plus Side' is an empowering and heartwarming novel that celebrates self-acceptance and the unexpected journeys that lead to love."

I love seeing plus size representation! The book was so relatable; very well done. The romance had a perfect blend of heavier topics within. Overall I really liked the character growth of Everly.

This was a fun easy read that left me feeling empowered!

I read this in one sitting, it was so intriguing I just couldn't put it down.

The message of body positivity was expressed very well.

The honesty put onto the page of being a fat woman was so nice to see.

And I enjoyed the romance a lot, such a sweet love story.

Overall this was a great read and I highly recommend to anyone!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book ahead of release in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this! This was such a quick and easy read! I was able to read this in one day. I will definitely be reading more by Jenny L. Howe! I loved the body-positivity and self-love that is present in the story. I really enjoyed the characters and the TV show setting. I found Everly to be extremely likable. The relationship was so believable and I truly enjoyed getting to see it develop. If you are looking for a book with body-positivity and a relationship you cannot help but root for I absolutely recommend “On The Plus Side.”

After Jenny L. Howe's excellent debut romance in 2022, I couldn't wait to read her next book. On the Plus Side is the story of 24-year-old Everly, who works in an administrative position at a design firm, even though she has artistic aspirations herself. After her father died many years ago, Everly started gaining weight, and her mother couldn't deal with it. Her grandmother, however, was her saving grace. She encouraged Everly to be herself, regardless of her plus-size body, and the message resonated with Everly. But when her grandmother died, Everly saw herself as "too much" and an object of scorn from fat-shamers. Her response was to make herself--her career, wardrobe, and personal life--as small and drab as possible.

But Everly is a huge fan of a TV reality show, also called On the Plus Side, where people who don't fit the standard mold are showcased, encouraged, and helped to shoot for their dreams. Soon--too soon, I thought--we learn that Everly has been recruited to appear on the show for several weeks, her nominator remaining anonymous. I would have liked a bit more background about Everly to create more depth. Her experience on the show has many benefits for Everly, along with some unpleasant surprises, but nothing that will surprise fans of TV reality shows. Her love interest is perfect--again, too perfect, I felt. There are usually some late roadblocks in a romance that threaten to break up the couple that anyone can see are right for each other, but the only roadblocks here come from the production company.

The story has its fun moments, but I don't think it held up to its high-concept plot. The body inclusivity theme is effective, but perhaps emphasized a bit too often. I much preferred and would highly recommend Howe's debut romance, The Make-up Test.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to rate this ARC.

After reading, On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe, I am at a loss on how to rate this story as a whole. My thoughts are all over the place so I think this review will be a breakdown of my thoughts with a smattering of highlights.

Let’s start with a short synopsis of the book. Everly Winters is a fat, seemingly middle of the road woman who works a very middle of the road reception job at a marketing firm. The story opens on her mooning over a hot coworker and we get a bit of a clue in that she chooses her job more out of safety and fear of rejection rather than a burning desire to answer phones. Basically, she’s basic because she’s choosing to be that way.
Everly is also a huge fan of a reality based tv show called “On the Plus Side” that showcases two plus sized hosts who choose ordinary fat people and shake up their lives. (The premise of the show is reminiscent of the real life “What Not to Wear” but centering on plus size people). Everly soon learns that she was nominated for the show and then is surprised by the hosts and crew at her job because she was chosen for season three.
Soon, Everly is thrust into a not so middle of the road adventure that has her confronting many social and personal demons, all while fostering a budding romance and learning to allow herself to take up space in this world. As much space as she needs, no matter the thoughts of others.

Now for my thoughts. I am going to first say that I am a fat woman, (and a loud one) so this review is coming from a place of seeing myself within this story and this main character. I am going to try to do my thoughts justice by listing them.
1. I thought the fat representation was honest and complex and I enjoyed it immensely. There was no back-peddling, no squirming around calling a spade, a spade. And that felt refreshing and real. Everly fought with her thoughts on how her clothing fit, how others perceived her because of her size (both physically and personality) and on her own identity.

“As she spoke, Everly tugged on the middle of her buttoned black cardigan to add a tad more room to the waist. Stupidly, she’d put it through the dryer last weekend and now it hugged her curves more than she’d hoped. But as she fussed with the buttons (her kingdom for some that didn’t gape at her breasts), Jazzy Germaine’s favorite line from On the Plus Side echoed in Everly’s head. ‘People see you the way you see yourself.’ “
“She wasn’t ready for her daydreams to become reality. She’d only be disappointed. Or worse, get her heart stomped on.”
“Becca hadn’t hesitated to chase her dreams, while Everly didn’t let herself have any.”
“Everly’s mother, half of social media, random passerby on the street, everyone had their own ideas about how someone who looked and acted like Everly should exist in the world. And navigating it all — insisting that she had the right to live exactly as she was — was exhausting. It was easier to blend in. Be quiet.”

2. I enjoyed the layers of interpersonal struggles with supporting characters that Everly had. I was able to gain a true sense of who Everly was and her moral compass throughout the story by watching as she dealt with her fat-phobic mother. Her “nice” male coworker (who had no boundaries), her dealings with the shows pushy and manipulative showrunner. All of these characters and the interactions that Everly had with them helped me to connect and root for the character growth, or really just the emergence of her true self, and had me believing in her story completely.

“Oh yeah, she let me keep everything.’ Everly snorted. At the sound, her mother’s eyes jumped to Everly, her face scrunched in distaste. But for once, Everly didn’t choke her laugh back or try to hide it.”
“She’d learned that James was one of those people whose niceness was dangerous. They didn’t understand boundaries and it could make the signals they sent wildly unclear. Flirty and nice weren’t the same.”
“As if the only way for Everly to be happy and feel good about herself was to have as many guys chasing her as possible.”

3. My issue was the romance. In my opinion, it fell flat. It was almost too real of a romance? If that even makes any sense at all. There wasn’t enough of that tingle or enough depth to truly push me into rooting for them. Honestly, it felt kind of like a cop out in way. Let me explain, this entire story shines a light on a very real thing that happens to those of us who are loud and bright personalities that are also fat. We feel like too much and are told we are too much by the world. Told this from our families, our friends and then our own thoughts. We take up too much space physically, so we need to be quiet in our personalities. On the Plus Side gives the reader a look into the inner struggles of someone who is told this and what it’s like to break away from those constraining thoughts and come into your full self. SHE DIDN’T NEED A ROMANCE TO GET THERE. The guy was fine. He was a cinnamon roll, he was supportive and communicative. He did all the right things, also kind of annoying because of it. But, I would have rather seen Everly Winters walk through things without leaning on the fact that someone loved her romantically. I can see how it helped move the story along but, eh.

My conclusions are complicated. I really enjoyed the representation and the feelings of being seen through this book. I did not care for it as a romance. I thought it was almost something and had great little bits in between. Here are a few of my favorite quotes to end this review.

“I was too exhausted and scared to do the Collective without my grandmother. If she had been my mirror. Now I was staring at an empty wall. I didn’t know where I fit anymore. The art that had made me so proud looked silly. Weird. I was too afraid people wouldn’t understand what I was doing. I knew it would break my grandmother’s heart to see me quit, to see me give in to my fears, but it felt safer. Disappearing is safer… then there’s never the chance that I might be all the things I’m afraid I am: too weird, too loud, too awkward… too much.”

“Some words should not be recorded. They should exist in one moment and then poof, disappear. They should be captured only in memories that would never quite get at the truth of them.”

“He was the first guy I dated who ever truly made me feel like he understood me.’ A soft smile spread over Becca’s face. ‘ And it wasn’t the big things, like when he proposed to me using that graphic novel, or when he brought Cream Cheese home despite how much that cat hates him. It was the tiniest moments. Like how he makes sure to find out if an animal dies before we watch any movie, because he knows I will completely fall apart. Or how he does meal prep the week of my period because he knows my anxiety spikes and I can’t make decisions. None of my quirks, the things that feel messy to me, were ever flaws to him. They were just part of who I was. And he’s always loved all of me.”

“I have plans to smother him with his cat tonight while he sleeps.”

“No. Different was the wrong word. More was how she felt; more like herself.”

On the Plus Side is a story about Evelyn, a plus size woman who goes on a reality show to help get her confidence back and become comfortable with herself. I love the representation of a FMC in a bigger body. It is hard to find many “main stream” books or tv shows with this representation. A lot of what Everly went through throughout the book is relatable to anyone in a larger body. However, I struggled to get into this book. The story started off so fast paced, and I found it a little hard to follow. As the characters and story lines became more established, I became more invested. I recommend this book if you like cute romcoms without too much conflict between the main character and her love interest. Also, it’s a good read for anyone looking for more plus size representation. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

I enjoyed the positive representation that is present in this novel. I suspect I am somewhat a target demographic being a fat / plus sized woman. If I was a new reader or new on my journey towards self acceptance I could see this as being a positive read and step on the way.

However the plot just wasn’t there for me. It was too long and trying to do too much. The romance was completely meh to me - I didn’t believe it or feel it for one second. Which kind of ruined the whole thing! It was a big heavy handed with the “message” of self acceptance and I didn’t feel like there was any depth at all to any of the characters.

I did like the themes it explored but it was a bit simple for me.

On The Plus Side not only gave me such strong emotions about plus size characters in fiction, but also gave me a chance to reflect on my own life and experience as a plus-sized woman in a straight-sized world. I saw myself in Everly in so many ways, and I felt what she felt in so many ways. On The Plus Side explores bodily differences, self-confidence and self-worth, and love in all its forms. Everly was a relatively basic character that offered relatable experiences that would appease most that read this novel, yet she was unique enough to keep interest.

I thoroughly enjoyed the perspective of this novel- being able to see the story through Everly, through the show, and through the online forums was a wonderful way to break up the traditional layout of most fiction novels.

My one concern about the plot is the number of times Everly seems to switch up what she wants to do. First, it's her art in general (the convention), then it's the design team at her current job, then a tattoo artist, and finally working with Logan's sanctuary project. I'm no stranger to being indecisive, but the switches made it difficult for me, as a reader, to mentally want Everly to accomplish everything. The tattoo arc was a little out of left field comparatively to her other options.