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.

This book was exactly the fuzzy, feel-good story I was hoping for. It was such an engaging read (I could barely put it down!) full of characters you can’t help but to root for. We follow Everly, a fat receptionist, who has been nominated to be on the reality TV show On the Plus Side, a size-inclusive makeover show similar to Queer Eye. Over the course of the story, Everly is pushed outside of her comfort zone to help build her confidence and get her back to feeling like herself. Along the way, she just so happens to develop feelings for the hot, lumberjack-esque cameraman.

I loved the focus this book had on more emotional topics (grief, complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, etc) that were interspersed with the lighter topics. It gave the book, and the characters, depth and was ultimately, really well done. I really appreciated how the author focused on Everly’s confidence within herself. The focus wasn’t on her size or having her lose weight, which is common in media, but was instead on Everly finding that inter peace and confidence that comes from who she is as a person.

The characters were another strong suit of this book. The slow build up to Everly and Logan was executed well and I especially appreciated the lack of a third-act break up. Instead, the third act conflict focused on something they could tackle together as a team, which is a refreshing change from other romcoms. The side-characters were also well-written and fleshed out. A solid 4 star read.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Genuinely sweet romance about a plus size woman finding love in an unexpected setting. Sweet and heartfelt without being saccharine or corny. Loved it!

Everly Winters is content with living her life like a neutral paint color—appreciated but rarely drawing much attention. Because of this mindset, Everly finds herself still working as a receptionist instead of pursuing a career in art. She quietly observes but rarely participates in the forums for her beloved makeover show, On the Plus Side. Additionally, her deep crush on a co-worker remains unattainable. Everly believes that by staying unnoticed, she avoids potential rejection or being deemed too much by others.

Everything goes according to plan for Everly until an unknown person secretly nominates her for the next season of On the Plus Side. Suddenly, she finds herself overwhelmed by the show's vivacious hosts and the prospect of spending ample time on screen. However, an unexpected friendship with the grumpy yet kind cameraman, Logan, provides solace. Everly realizes that being noticed by him is something she doesn't mind at all—she might even enjoy it.

Their blossoming connection inadvertently captures the attention of the show's viewers, causing the ratings to skyrocket. As Everly grapples with embracing her authentic self on national television, she must confront the question: Is she willing to risk heartbreak while the whole world watches?

“Everly, I can’t breathe when you laugh.”

I get incredibly nervous reading books based on plus-sized women because I am a plus-sized woman. It's difficult for an author to handle that in the correct way, while also getting it pretty accurate for what the reality of life is as a plus-sized woman. To be frank, they're usually unbearable to read. This book absolutely nailed it. I felt like I could've been reading my own thoughts, and I loved Everly so much. Logan is amazing, and so are the hosts, as well as the concept of the book itself.

This was incredibly well-written, funny, sweet, and the perfect amount of spice for a book like this. Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC, and I hope to read more from this author very soon.

To all my plus-sized readers, this is a good one. For all readers who aren't plus-sized, read this anyway. It's that good.

I absolutely adored this book more than what I thought I would. Myself being on the heavier side, seeing a book that represented how I looked instead of your averages “she’s very thin” etc type of descriptions of females in majority of books, it made me feel good to finally see a description of how I look like. Such a great read.

A cute and emotional read with a unique setting (reality show). The plus size representation in this book was so eye opening and well written and Everly’s whole story just felt so real. The romance between her and Logan was so sweet and had me feeling butterflies and I loved Everly’s journey of self discovery alongside him. I was rooting for her from page one and couldn’t wait for her to get her HEA. The pacing felt a bit off and there were parts that I struggled to get through, but overall an enjoyable read that’s not your usual cookie cutter romance book.

i loved this premise literally what not to wear combined with plus size people!! it was definitely relatable with the feelings Everly had with her mom. she was always commenting on her body and putting her down. i do think the story ended abruptly! things started taking a turn for the worst and they just rushed through the whole making it right part. i def thought it could’ve been a more in depth ending for sure. i did however love everly & logan’s relationship with each other. i wished we had even more scenes with them together as well.

I’ve never in my life had a book that made me cry within the first couple of pages. The way that it is written perfectly encapsulates what it is like to be a fat woman in society today. Everly’s inner monologue was truly too similar to thoughts I’ve had my own and there were moments were I needed to just sit there and cry about the fact that someone, alas fictional but nonetheless, had the same thoughts and feelings as I did. I don’t think ive ever felt more seen in a book. That being said i truly loved this book, but I didn’t it see it as a romance book. It was a true book of someone finding themself. “she is struggling with who
she is, not what she looks like, though sometimes the two can feel intimately entwined-she tends to hide herself in shapeless or colorless clothes because she wants to disappear” I’ve read this quote more times than I count and I’ve never felt anything more accurate to describe this feeling.

The author’s note in the very beginning truly set the pace for this book for me. After reading it, I knew I was either gonna love it or hate it. The way that the complexity of the word ‘fat’ is dealt with throughout the novel is honestly something I’ve never been more grateful to read. Especially “Like many in the fat community, I want to reclaim this word, disempower it by using it neutrally, and hopefully help to evacuate the harmful connotations so often associated with it”, it’s such a powerful message to make it a NEUTRAL word and something that made me reflect upon my own usage of it as a fat person. Lemme tell you I’ve never reflect this frequently in a book before and we are just at the author’s note right now!

Truly, going into this book I thought it was going to hate the show “On the Plus Side”. I was very skeptical about how it would portray those on the show, because typically in reality tv fat people are shunned. But the way that they focus on making someone more confident in not only their bodies but their abilities, really had me wishing this was a real show because I would eat it up. The makeover part wasn’t losing weight but rather finding their fashion style. The inclusion of them having a goal they want to accomplish that’s affecting their future tremendously by showcasing their abilities to others and themselves was truly my favorite part.

I feel as if I’m focusing too much on the fat aspect of their entire novel, but I truly can’t wrap my head around the fact someone was able to write similar internal dialogue I have. Nonetheless, this was a love story after all so we should probably focus on that. I really liked Logan he truly saw Everly in a way that was real and not overtly fabricated like in other stories. One of the things I adored the most about him was his attention to detail, being a cameraman probably prompted him to become more detail oriented but it made my heart happy. Everly and Logan are classic sunshine x grumpy especially considering Logan is lumbersexual. I wish there was a bit more banter between them at shoots but also they were essentially working during that time and possibly wouldn’t make other things as impactful if they kept poking fun.

One thing that I wish the plot did better was the way it wrapped up the conflict at the end. I won’t go into detail about what happened but I felt as if that last plot line was rushed in an effort to add drama to a rather “mundane” story. I think it was introduced and solved relatively fast in relation to the rest of the novel. Again though this all could be me being nit-picky.

Overall, I adored this book with my whole heart. I definitely think I took away something rather different than the average reader but man did this book just hit me in the feels. I don’t want to turn this review into a therapy session but hearing someone also feeling the gravity of their weight compared to skinny friends made me feel so much better about myself. Knowing that I wasn’t alone. This book throughout the entire course of the book made me feel more seen. I highly recommend this book to anyone but especially those who are fat, it makes you just have a different outlook on yourself in such a much more positive light. This book felt like my own Jazzy and Stanton in a sense.

Big thanks to Net Galley for a copy of an ARC!

This book finally got me out of my reading slump. It took a while for me to get past the first few pages (my own fault), but once I did, Howe's writing captured me page after page. As I read Everly's story, I felt myself getting angry when she was angry and emotional when scenes were emotional for her. Howe made me feel warm and fuzzy, kicking my legs like a little kid when Logan and Everly expressed their feelings for one another. Not only did this book make me have the rom-com feels, but it also dealt with heavier topics about grief and family expectations. Not to mention the realistic plus-size representation in this book.

Everly Winters is happy to live her life well within her comfort zone. If she never takes any risks, she never has to worry about being vulnerable and rejected. When someone secretly nominates her for her favorite life makeover show On The Plus Side, Everly knows this is one opportunity she can’t pass on. She strikes up a surprising friendship with her cameraman Logan after spending days together, and Logan makes her realize that maybe actually being seen isn’t such a bad thing.

On the Plus Side is a lovely, warm and cozy romance with characters you can’t help but fall for. Everly coming into her own and finally shedding the weight of other people’s opinions made me want to stand up and cheer. The way Logan truly saw and appreciated her from the first moment was majorly swoon-worthy. I loved Everly learning that she wasn’t too much, aided by Logan’s consistent chiming in to remind her of that. And yay for a mutual adversary rather than a third act break up! All in all this was a witty, fresh and fun romance that brought me immense joy to read!

Recommended for romance readers who enjoy: 🎥grumpy/sunshine ✨ joyful, striking plus size representation 💋 makeover shows 🏰 Medieval Times dinner theater 🐶 senior rescue dogs 🦹🏽‍♂️ cartoon villain style adversary 😍 no third act breakup

Wow.

I have to start off this review by saying that as a plus size woman, I normally hate when authors write plus size romances because usually the book is FILLED with negative fatphobic comments against the mc and really just focuses on how fat isn’t attractive. But guess what. This book had me in TEARS. Jenny Howe brought me to tears in the first few pages by the undeniable support and unconditional love that came from the mc’s brother. I couldn’t help but connect so strongly with the mc with not only her relationship with her brother but god the relationship with her mother. The little comments that unfortunately most plus size girls have to experience growing up with a thin mother that slowly deteriorate you. I was so beyond blown away with how beautifully this story encapsulated my feelings and my fears. I could genuinely talk about this book all day. It had me laughing, crying, and swooning the whole time. There were no comments about the mc’s stomach or body rolls during the spicy scenes and god it was just so beyond wonderful to just hear someone use the word “fat” in a positive light. Just because I’m fat doesn’t mean I’m not STRIKING!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Jenny L. Howe for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

On the Plus Side was such a lovely read! The two main characters, Everly and Logan, had a great love story. The premise of the book is that Everly is nominated for a TV show called, “On the Plus Side” which features plus size woman and gives them makeover (think Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) by focusing on their confidence and finding out who they are. Logan is the grumpy camera guy and their connection becomes evident from the start. I loved the plus size representation in this novel! Jenny Howe does a great job of writing from the view of a plus size person and I can see the Everly character connecting with a lot of woman. Representation matters in all things, and this novel is a great example of that. The book reads very quickly and we even get an update after a year, which I love in all romance novels. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves romance and enjoys reading about a woman who learns how to “stand out” on your own terms.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was fun, and I enjoyed the chemistry between reality TV participant Everly and hunky cameraman Logan. Anyone who likes reality TV, body positivity, and romance will probably enjoy this quick and light read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read it in advance of publication.

Fabulous plus-sized romance. The author handles the struggles of plus-sized women with grace and positivity! I related to Everly and cheered her on throughout the book. I felt a connection with Everly - perhaps because I have been in her shoes. She is nominated for a makeover show and hilarity ensues. Fun characters who made me laugh throughout. The grumpy cameraman = perfection. Sigh

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I will be purchasing this book for myself!

Spice: 3; one descriptive scene ( If you watch Ghosts, you will get a real kick of out of the scene)
Sexy Times: 4, the flirting and Logan’s growls! Also, a heart melting moment (again with the laundry)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

About a month ago, Ali Hazelwood did a book event at the Harvard Bookstore and one of the members of the panel was Jenny Howe. After listening to her, I was ready to check out her book, The Make-Up Test, but then I realized I had received the ARC of her newest book, coming out in December. It felt like a little bit of serendipity. And it also turned out to be a great read.

Everly Winters is working as receptionist at an advertising firm, a talented artist herself with a great design sense, she is afraid she doesn’t have what it takes to be in a design position. Besides questioning her belief in her artistic talent, Everly, who is as the title implies, on the plus side, has started to shrink into herself: no more loud laughs, no more fun clothes. SHe wants to NOT draw attention to herself.

All of this gets blown up when someone nominates her to be on her favorite reality show, On the Plus Size. It’s like Queer Eye for the fat girl with two fabulous hosts that are going to help Everly get her mojo back. And since it is a reality tv show, there is of course a cameraman. And this cameraman is a lumbersexual with a gravelly voice, very nice biceps and a heart of gold. And rescue doggies.

I enjoyed this ARC very much. I liked Howe’s writing style and the way she unfolded Everly’s story. It was fun to see her get her confidence back. Howe’s treatment of Everly’s various relationships, with her mother, her brother, her best friend, painted a full portrait of Everly and I felt I had a great sense of her character. My only criticism is that I would have liked a bit more backstory on Logan, I felt like I wanted to know a little bit more about him.

Finally, as someone who misses her grandmother everyday even after 22 years, I loved how much Everly’s relationship with her grandmother shaped her life.

So I am definitely putting the Make-Up Test on my TBR and I highly recommend that you check out On the Plus Size.

Everly has been living quietly since her beloved grandmother passed. She's living in an apartment over her brother's garage, working as a receptionist for a marketing company, crushing on a Thor lookalike coworker, and choosing to wear clothes that help her blend in as much as possible. Her mother has spent most of her life telling Everly that she's "too much" so she's tamed her impulses. When she is nominated for her favorite reality show, On the Plus Side (think Queer Eye with less hosts and more episodes devoted to a single guest), she starts to find her spark again with the help of the hosts and an unexpected friend in the cameraman.

Also unexpected: how much I LOVED this book! I was expecting to like it, but expected it to be another cute rom com that I'd breeze through. Instead, I'm hoping that someone will pick up the concept of this show and make it happen. The hosts are superb at their jobs and really listen to what Everly wants so that can be reflected in her story and her makeover will be something she can continue. The format of the show allows it to air while episodes are still being made so Everly is able to see how she is being portrayed. And see that aspects of her life are being emphasized that aren't what she wants to be the focus of her story. I loved reading about Everly finding herself and becoming more confident to make the changes in her life to reflect who she is and who she wants to be. The ending of the book was absolute perfection!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC and introducing me to this author in exchange for an honest review.

Everly is a curvy woman who had subtly but steadily lost her self-confidence after a traumatic incident in her life and the results of interactions with her mother. She gets nominated for a reality show and her life starts to change in ways she both abhors and embrace. I found it very difficult to stay focused on the book during the first fifty percent because the dialogue and the series of events were so un-engaging. The rest of the book changed that outlook, as things started to happen that lent an air of mystery as to what was taking place behind the scenes. While I can't say I would read this book again or even one by this author, the overall book was okay and can be something to do with any available free time .