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.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for the following review.

The good parts of this book are probably obvious from the cover -- plus-size representation, body acceptance message, and the like. I did genuinely enjoy the main character's story arc and appreciated the slow-burn relationship unfolding.

What bothered me -- the reason I'm not giving this 4 or 5 stars -- is that the messaging was just TOO heavyhanded (if you'll pardon the word choice). Like, I GET IT. I don't think we boost fat acceptance by talking constantly about wanting more fat acceptance. Everly's struggles around her self-conception were relatable but just too tryhard for my tastes. And because the fat acceptance message was the central theme, rather than the story itself, this book was a very slow read for me.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the story but wanted this book to be more plot driven (and, tbh, much steamier) than it was.

The first read of mine from this author and I was completely blown-away! On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe is the story readers didn’t know they needed: find love and be your authentic self, no matter what size you are.

Meet Everly Winters. After the loss of her grandmother, she prefers to blend in versus standing out. This changes when she is nominated for her favourite show, On the Plus Side. She’s going to get a makeover on reality TV makeover and embark on a journey of self-love and regaining her ability to stand out. Along the way she meets Logan. He’s the grumpy cameraman on the show, but Everly didn’t come her to find love… did she?

I read this in one sitting because Everly became my bestie, and you can’t leave your bestie when they need you. And Everly needed me to stick with her story until the end. So I did. I’m “too much” too (to the wrong people). I found it incredible how Howe used the concept of reality television to provide an alternative perspective on fat representation and how a person wants to present themselves to the world.

Howe spoke on heavier topics (grief, self-expectations, etc.) and countered them with grace and humorous themes that leaned toward the lighter side. The fat representation was very well-done and I found it to be extremely realistic and relatable. As someone who spent over a decade working in the fashion industry, I can attest to the fatmisia. Across the globe I have witnessed a systematized discrimination or antagonism directed against fat bodies, and it’s a disgusting practice.

The romance was written so well… chef’s kiss. It was steamy (had me blushing more than a little), funny, emotional, and be in my top reads for this year. How it made me feel stuck with me and honestly, this is a new favourite and I cannot wait to add a physical copy to my home library. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun book that really focused on body positively. It was cute and an easy read. It did have a bit of predictability though, but I still enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a reality TV junkie I LOVE make over shows. I love that this book was around a TV show that was all about self love and empowerment - Queer Eye for the Straight Guy meets What not to Wear - two of my favorite shows. Everly Winters was an amazing lead and her growth throughout the book was just so amazing. Learning to love herself and trust herself again with her dreams of being an artist, her job and her love life was so amazing. I loved how she fell in love with Logan slowly and they had such great chemistry and communication and out right hilarious moments.
I adored Logan. I loved the representation of a hero that isn't Alpha Macho and perfect. But he is perfect in his love of Everly and his dogs and his job and how he stood up for what is right.
I loved the twists and turns of the taping of the show and how it didn't have the blow up between her and Logan that I thought was coming. She trusted him even when things weren't looking good. That type of love /respect and mature relationship is so refreshing in a rom-com. I think the cliché thing would have been to have them breakup over what she thought happened with the dressing room but it didn't and I was so happy. It made this a 4 to 4 1/2 star book for me because I love that they really fell and love and trusted each other not to break up at the first sign of trouble. It shows her growth that she knew she could trust him.
I really enjoyed the body positivity and self love aspects of this book. The work for your goals and love your self message was so great. This is just a feel good book and was an amazing read.
I would highly recommend to lovers of Olivia Dade books, reality TV, cinnamon roll lumbersexuals and books with an amazing feel good message.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's for letting me review this book.

I always love to see plus size representation in books! Not my favorite book but I could picture many people loving it. The pacing was a little off for me and felt a little too young for my liking.

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”



Love it!!!!!

Queer Eye meets What Not to Wear in this adorably funny rom com. Every Winters plays it safe. Safe with her job, men her family, and her friends. Until one day, she finds out that she is the next star of her favorite makeover show, On the Plus Side. There she meets grumpy camera man, Logan, and start to believe that, maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t have to play it safe anymore.

On the Plus Side is a perfect, little rom com. It addresses fat shaming and body image without becoming too heavy or reflective for a romance novel. The dynamic between the characters was so real, I’ll be forever devastated that I don’t get to meet Jazzy and Stanton. And the romance was just the right amount of steamy and swoon-worthy. I would recommend this for any fan of What Not to Wear who wished that the show was a little less shallow and a little more about loving who you truly are. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

I somehow got it in my head that this book was about a Bachelor type plus size dating show. I was way off, but that’s on me. This story follows Everly Winters, a plus sized girl whose life can basically be described as stuck. She’s living in the apartment above her brother’s garage, she’s got an unrequited crush on a co worker, she’s working a job she doesn’t even like, and she’s so content living life in the shadows that she only lurks on the forum for her favorite show (and never participates). Everly randomly gets nominated for her favorite show, On the Plus Side (roll credits lol) and life essentially transforms from here. While the show helps her find herself, she also ends up finding love with the cameraman, Logan. Despite clearly having no idea what I was about to read, I could relate to so much to Everly. I spent early parts of the book tearing up because I could either relate or I needed to hear what was said. 2% in and I had already highlighted an amazing quote, “Because no matter who we are and what we look like, we all deserve a mirror. We all deserve to be understood. We all deserved to be seen.” UGH. My heart. I loved watching Everly slowly transform into a more confident version of herself. I loved that she was finally seeing herself the way those around her saw her. I loved Logan and how fiercely he defended and protected her, truly until the very end. He’s the definition of ride or die. This book isn’t super steamy by any means, but it is open door and Logan and Everly do have a few steamy moments. I loved his love of dogs and his story about his tattoo. I read the content warnings in the email for this book, but somehow still didn’t realize how affected I would be about the dog stuff. I lost my dog nearly two years ago and I’m emotional even just typing this. I love how Logan tended to adopt older dogs cause he knew that even though he would lose them sooner, they still deserved love. And I get sad even thinking about his childhood dog, even though this is a fiction book lol Since I had the whole idea of this book wrong, I had no idea how it would go. I think the conflict made sense even though I thought it was going to go in another direction. I’m glad there was no third act breakup. And honestly, while there is romance in this book, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a romantic comedy. It reads more like women’s fiction with a side of romance. I was also very emotional for most of the book. Overall, I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but I ended up really enjoying it. It’s nice to read about some body positive heroines and see them get the guy. And even though she does get the guy (a pretty great one), this book wasn’t really about getting the guy to me. It was mostly about getting herself back. That’s why I would consider it women’s fiction over romance. Either way, It was a good read with some great representation.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Very enjoyable and easy read. It took me a while to get into the book, but once I did, I love it. I love the plus size representation the book has and was very relatable.

Ok, my review for this books starts before the story even begins! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book! I would describe myself as fat, but as she says, it’s just a visual descriptor; there should be nothing inherently good or bad about that word. I’m sure it could be easy for some to take offense at that word, but as a person who truly is at peace within herself, I can’t find any offense in the word.

I have finished the book, and it is now one of my favorite books I’ve ever read! I appreciate how the main character struggles with herself, but not in a way the reader might expect. In the beginning, I was rooting for one thing, but that quickly changed! In fact, what I wanted for the main character changed as she changed and developed into herself. As I approached the end of the book, I was wondering what the last minute conflict could possibly be, as I found it to be completely unpredictable! It was amazing that Everly found only love and support when she needed it most.
Being fat can be difficult for some people. I love that there were several viewpoints about this. This story is for ANYONE who has ever been made to feel inadequate because of the way they look; who has struggled to feel represented in the world. Ultimately this is a story about being your WHOLE self, being honest with yourself and those around you. It’s not about boosting your self-esteem so you like how you look, it’s about being authentic so you like who you ARE. I know as soon as I post this review, I will think of so many things to say, but I will end with two of the (many) quotes I highlighted as I read:
“People see you the way you see yourself!”
and “You can’t love yourself until you can actually be yourself.”
Jenny L. Howe, thank you for an amazing story!!

I LOVED this book! I myself am on the bigger side and I adored and admired the confidence of both the female and male leads while still lending them the space to vent the frustrations of living and dating in this day and age without looking like a photoshopped model. The supporting are just that... SUPPORTIVE! They don't lie to her, instead they boost her confidence and support her in every way. I recommend you give this book a shot! It was amazing!

This book was absolutely delightful! This is the first book I have ever read, or seen for that matter, specifically about a plus size female main character. The title of the book is what caught my eye and the cover is brilliant as well. This book was a fun read, the storyline flowed nicely, and it had depth as well. There were some tough things that Everly had to work through, but she was never alone in having to do so. Having that support makes a huge difference given that Everly had all but no self-confidence, The author created a great storyline that flowed seamlessly from beginning to end. She left no loose threads. I appreciate that the author gave a nod, prior to the beginning of the book, she will be using the word "fat" and explains that she does not mean it in a derogatory way, as people may have perceived as such. I will not be using the word "fat" in my review for personal reasons. I will refer to the book as OTPS(On the Plus Size) in my review.

Everly Winters, the fmc, is chosen as a contestant for a show called "On the Plus Side". where plus sized contestants are nominated by others in their life and Everly will not know who nominated her until the end. (In the same way as the show "What not to Wear" but finding out the who and the why of the person that did the nominating at the end.) Everly is honestly completely overwhelmed at first when the show's hosts show up at her work (gasp). The premise of OTPS is the nominees are given not only a physical makeover, but also, and this is the great part, the shows two hosts address the mental and emotional aspects of being a larger person. There are several outings where each of the hosts personally spend time getting to know the contestant, The hosts themselves are plus size as well. Jazzy and Germaine, the show's hosts, are absolutely fabulous! They take the contestant outside of their comfort zones, in an effort to show them that being large does not have to dictate what you do, what you wear, where you go, who you talk to. etc. Jazzy and Germaine guide Everly into coming up with a positive and unique word for how she will now refer to herself. (I loved that.)

I do not care for reality tv shows in general. This show's reality crew were genuinely the nicest most supportive people. They were there for Everly at every turn (and yes, it was believable.) The main character, Everly Winters was someone that I would totally hang out with. She was funny, smart, kind, and loyal. I was rooting for Everly the whole time and in awe of all that she addressed and accomplished in her life during those 5-6 weeks. I would recommend OTPS to anyone who enjoys the Grumpy and Sunshine, Forced Proximity and HEA tropes, This book is unique, I loved it and I am giving it 5 stars!

As a plus size woman, I hesitantly but hopefully approached this book. For a chunk of pages in the middle, I was a little stressed about where it was going, but I should have trusted Jenny L. Howe. I had read her previous book, The Make-Up Test, and enjoyed it thoroughly. In this book, she really delves into the heart and soul of our plus size heroine, Everly, and this Stella got her groove back and then some! I loved the show she created (now if only it was real!) and the two hosts who sound like the best kind of humans. Her love interest, Logan, is a grumpy-on-the-outside cinnamon roll who loves dogs and I immediately loved him too. If you are torn about this book or are halfway through and not sure how you feel, please keep going. The payoff is so worth it. Even just off the page I was so proud of Everly by the end and so thrilled to see a "one year later" final chapter. Beautiful, powerful, and delightful work, Ms. Howe.

So this book is described as “What Not to Wear and Queer Eye meet All The Feels” and those are some big shoes to fill! But guess what?! Somehow Jenny L. Howe does it! As I was reading this book, I immediately fell in love with Everly, who is just minding her own business working her routined life and cruising the fan sites for her favorite plus-sized makeover TV show, On The Plus Side. When the show ambushes her life, it’s absolutely bonkers adorable and she meets the quiet, grumpy, but oh so cute and hot, Logan. I loved the banter between Everly and Logan and this book was such a feel-good, positive book, I wish I could read it for the first time all over again! I loved it and would recommend to anyone looking for fat positive rep or just an adorable, fun, and cute rom-com!

I love a good reality show based rom-com book! This book was funny and very relatable! I enjoyed the characters's development and all of the sweet romantic moments so much!

On the Plus Side is a fabulous contemporary romance. Everly Winters is comfortable in her sniffled routine when out of the blue she is ambushed by her favorite reality tv hosts. On The Plus Side is a popular, plus sized focused makeover show. Think What Not to Wear with a focus on the guests entire life (not just fashion). The show also happens to bring along a handsome, gruff and very funny cameraman named Logan.

I loved Jenny L. Howe's writing. It is full of humor, depth, embracing who we are and what we want from life. Love the representation of a plus side heroine. I also love the romance that springs from friendship and mutual desire to support one another.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the early read. All opinions are my own.