I loved this!! It was so good!! And I loved Everlys character! This was so good. I read this in one sitting.
I just reviewed On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe. #NetGalley
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Jenny Howe does it again! What a swoony, special read. I absolutely loved the fat rep and the dive into loving yourself no matter what.. it's got a great love story but it sticks out because it also has a great message as well, and we need more books with this type of representation! Highly recommend!

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe
Review can be viewed on Instagram from 06/05 on (handle: @literary_hobbylobby)

Review:
The book captured me first by the cover. Second, the name. I'm a plus-sized girl and I love how book lately are showing more of my body type. So, I was more than willing to try and grab a copy of the ARC based on that alone.

This is NOT a weight loss story! I could not be happier!

It is a cute, enjoyable read! I love Everly! She is quirky and east to love as a main character! I loved her audacity and strength. It was inspiring! This book has wonderful, well-developed characters. I think everyone is going to love Jazzy!

Thank you! St. Martins Press for picking me for the ARC read. Also, to Netgalley for the platform and to the author for creating a book for us to enjoy.

A cute read! I really appreciated that it wasn’t just happiness and fluff and it actually handled hard parts of life.

I also appreciated the focus on insecurities plus sized people face and finding yourself again after you’ve lost yourself. Any of us that have lost our spunkiness could benefit from that kind of overhaul.

I also appreciated the belief that you can be whole without being skinny. As someone who struggles with mental health and subsequently weight, I felt encouraged reading this that people can see me beyond my weight struggles.

I really loved the plot line of being comfortable in your own skin and embracing all of yourself. We need more books like that.

I'll start by saying that I read almost exclusively thrillers and I have no idea what attracted me so fiercely to this book, except maybe the fact that I have been down with some reality television so maybe that's it....

Anyway, I loved it. I rooted so hard for Everly and cheered her on every single step of the way. I found her relatable and lovable and the story was fun, quirky and uplifting.

I'll be reading more from Jenny L. Howe!

Jenny Howe's On the Plus Side is just the romance novel I've been looking for!

I was initially concerned that the premise would feel over-played--Everly, who has long crushed on her gorgeous co-worker James, is nominated for a reality makeover show, where her interest is quickly drawn to Logan, the growly lumberjack behind the camera--but the story was perfectly paced and the characters were well-rounded and relatable. Even the villains had some redeeming qualities! (Don't get me wrong: I was more than happy to watch the primary antagonist get their comeuppance in the end! It was both satisfying and cleverly written, particularly in its use of the online forum to illustrate Everly's character development. I loved, loved, loved it!)

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Everly reclaim her voice, face her critics, and learn how to trust herself more deeply. She is definitely a heroine that I was cheering for from page one. (Oh, and the way Logan supported her? I may have swooned.) I also deeply appreciated that her initial insecurities, which of course she had to overcome for this novel to work, were about how she was simultaneously dealing with grief, loss, and internalized criticism about her personality--they were not about her size, shape, or weight. Howe absolutely nailed body diversity and fat representation in this novel!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. As a plus-size woman myself, I enjoyed reading about another such girl who is more concerned with her confidence in her personality and abilities than her size. I also liked that common problems with finding clothes we like that fit well, comfortable seating at public establishments, etc. were addressed, or at least acknowledged. I also liked that, while the overarching story is the romance (it IS a rom-com, after all!), it doesn’t overwhelm the story line.

All of this being said, I’m glad I didn’t pay money for this book. My opinions on what I didn’t like follow.

Criticisms (POSSIBLE SPOILERS):

1. Occasionally, chapters are concluded with entries from random blog posts, “Read-It” threads, and news articles. With the exception of Everly’s post outing Sandy’s tactics, and the subsequent article reviewing the updated show format, they were completely unnecessary and lent nothing to the story. Frankly, I felt they made the story flow stumble. There was no direct correlation between these and what was happening in the story.

2. Why, exactly, did Howe find it necessary to give deceased Grandma a secret girlfriend? This also lent absolutely nothing to the story, and quite frankly is a throw-away sentence. It’s never mentioned before or after (Grandma had a secret, it caused a rift in the family, nothing like that), and adds absolutely nothing to the story. Stop pushing narratives for the sake of pushing narratives.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the privilege of allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I felt so seen in the pages of this book! While I haven’t felt everything that Everly has, I have felt a lot of it. This, my like some of the Olivia Dade books I’ve read is one of those stories that I want to shove in my straight size friends hands and be like ‘THIS! This is so true to experience!’ Everly’s friendship with Becca was so relatable and I loved the two of them, it reminded me on my best friends.

Logan might as well of been written for me as the perfect book boyfriend. The brooding cameraman who dresses like a lumberjack but is a full on cinnamon roll? Perfection! I love how he treats Everly and their romance had me swooning. Also three cheers for a book that doesn’t put me through a third act break up!! Logan and Everly had their squabbles, but it was always approached with kindness towards each other which I loved.

I think the idea of this all taking place around basically a plus size version of a hybrid of queer eye and what not to where was so fun. I loved the hosts and also really enjoyed watching Everly navigate her complicated relationship with her mother.

This boon was great, I can’t wait to go read Jenny’s first book now!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author Jenny L. Howe for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Simply put, I loved this book. Self-acceptance, body positivity, and the ability to speak up and advocate for oneself are so important, and Jenny L. Howe took that and ran with it. Fun, flirty, bold- the characters are a fresh breath of fabulous air in a world determined to tear down people who are outside of the "standard" of what beauty is. Brava!


*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Everly is a full figured girl who hides herself from everyone but the two people closest to her. One day she’s selected to be on a show catering to real women who are Plus Sized. Will the show let her innersole shine through and bring the real Everly to the forefront?

I LOVE a body positive story. SO many women are plus sized and yet we feel inadequate. This book brings all of us to life and shows our ability o truly shine and be ourselves without having to starve ourselves and feel inferior. We need more stories like this that represent real women and those who love us!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Summary
On The Plus Side was a cute and engaging story that gave a unique perspective on the plus sized community. The story follows Everly, a mid-twenties gal who works as a receptionist and is content with her life. She is obsessed with a TV show called; you guessed it! “On the Plus Side”! The show is a reality TV series that follows individuals who would be considered plus sized and gives them a makeover of soul, career, and style (enunciating the style as a way for them to express themselves, not hid themselves). Along the way, Everly finds love (of course, this is a RomCom), a reignited passion for her skills, and the strength to fight for herself.

My Take
This book was pretty-adorable and ended up making me feel all sorts of good at the end. The plot was engaging and offered all the highlights that a typical RomCom would offer, sans that typical blonde-haired, blue-eyed front and center babe that fills the protagonist role so often. This book offered a unique take on what it means to talk comfortably about a body. The story kept me engaged and wanting to see how the story ended.


Would I Recommend: Yes, I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good RomCom and wants to spend a day lost in a good plot.

3.5 Stars

MORE PLEASE!!!!
I LOVED this book!!!
Everly and Logan are amazing!
There’s laughter and heartbreaking realism in this book!
I’ll be following Jenny L. Howe and can’t wait for her next book. Please make it soon!!!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Jenny L. Howe book but it definitely won’t be my last! I loved everything about it.

Everly gets submitted to be a participant on “On The Plus Side;” a Quueer-Eye-inspired makeover show focused on plus sized people. On her journey of rediscovering herself and what she wants, she and camera-man Logan strike up an unexpected relationship but it’s not without its tribulations of its own. Everly felt incredibly relatable; growing up fat, I always felt that I had a similar relationship with a lot of people that Everly has with her mother. It was painful but also felt so validating to know that I haven’t been alone in feeling that way or having that experience. Also, I may or may-not have a wardrobe that has historically, mostly, been made up of neutrals and dark colors because it felt safer to be invisible than to let myself be seen.

I love a grumpy MMC so Logan the Grouch was my kind of man with a tough exterior but the sweetest cinnamon roll beneath it all. Reading pretty much every single scene with him with Everly gave me heart-eyes.

I really appreciated that different types of fat bodies were represented and that Jenny didn’t try to shoehorn an entire subpopulation into a neat little box. I also loved that she tackled heavier topics like grief and the expectations we have for ourselves and how that doesn’t always align with. the expectations others have. Seeing Everly’s growth felt really inspiring without coming across as cheesy and I loved how gradual it was; it was truly a journey, she didn’t simply wake up ‘different’ one day. I loved how we saw her hesitance to make a change in her life slowly develop into being confident enough to stand up for herself and her feelings.
Also, the relationship with James felt a little too real; I can definitely relate to the idea of ‘Schrodinger’s date.’ If you don’t ask, the possibility is always there and that feels much safer than taking a risk. That hit really close to home.

Overall, I adored this and I can’t wait for it to be out in the world for others to read! Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny L. Howe, and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC!

Wow. This book blew me away! The author's note at the beginning of the book was poignant, and well written - I agree that the term "fat" has had a negative connotation for too long. Even while reading the book, I found myself cringing at the use of the word "fat" and then would think to myself how ridiculous that was. One of the notes I wrote for myself is that everyone has something they're self-conscious about to some level, skinny or otherwise - Logan was worried about his stomach; Becca was worried about her psoriasis; Everly's mom had to deal with high school bullies. I appreciate the author - and this book!

I related to Everly in so many ways - being a fat person, dealing with bullying, not wanting to risk rejection so never putting yourself out there. So many of her struggles are things I have dealt with, and continue to deal with - especially as my husband and I are trying to conceive a child. All that being said, it was great being able to see Everly come into her own and acknowledge her self-worth. I appreciated that we saw her grow both in her personal life, but also in her professional life. It's my opinion that she was too harsh on her mom, especially after the talk that they had, but it takes time to change hurt feelings, to be sure. I also thought that Logan was a really great MMC - he was there to support Everly in all ways, but also let her fly on her own. I'm a sucker for dogs - I have my heart dog's birth date and gotcha date tattooed on my feet - so that part of the story really got to me.

My only criticism of the story is that I wish we were able to see Everly participate in the Collective, especially since that was such a big part of her storyline. I also wish we had more interactions between Logan and Everly where they had actual conversations, unrelated to the show and/or them being physical with each other. Aside from that, I thought it was really and truly a great book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I think the author did an excellent job being sensitive to fat people and fat shaming; she kept a balance between sensitivity, growth, humor, grief, family and relationships. I adored the dynamic between Everly and Logan and wished they would have been on an actual TV show so I could see it in person. This book hit all the marks for me.

The acknowledgements for this book were particularly heartfelt.

I really enjoyed Jenny's debut and was excited to read this one in hopes of another fun read and it certainly delivered!

Pitched as a cross between "What Not to Wear" and "Queer Eye", this book is fun and emotional with some great characters and a story that lives up to its pitch. I really appreciated that it tackled sensitive issues such as plus-size body positivity and finding confidence to be your true self. It's vulnerable and inspiring and not all sunshine and daisies just like real life. I really appreciated that there was no third act break up and that the characters communicated their feelings well and kept it mature while still acknowledging insecurities and concerns that people encounter everyday.

I loved how gentle and attentive Logan was towards Everly despite starting out broody and how much he respected Everly, especially regarding fights he wanted to help her fight. Who doesn't love a bearded lumberjack-esque man with a heart of gold? Their romance was adorable and they had a lot of chemistry that made all of their scenes enjoyable and while I'm usually a big dual POV fan, it works perfect being only from Everly's point of view as this is HER story to tell and nobody else's. The whole reality show dynamic was fun and truly an ode to all the fun makeover shows, even when it turned out reality wasn't actually as real as Everly had thought.

There was a fantastic cast of characters, but I did feel that some of them needed to be more developed. While this was certainly Everly's story, all of the side characters felt like they needed more depth and were simply there for Everly's story to progress. I also would've really loved the end to have been less rushed as Everly had some big dreams regarding her art and her memories of her grandmother she wanted to carry out and suddenly they were omitted as if that storyline was just set aside instead of followed through. Everly put a lot of work into becoming her ideal self and it just felt like it was missing the closure of her carrying out anything in memory of her grandmother.

Overall I am certainly a fan of Jenny's books and will continue to read them as I love a good romance book that has fun characters and an inspiring message. Any romance reader who likes a little bit of spice, a lot of relatable drama, emotional vulnerability that will make you feel seen, and some wacky geriatric dogs will enjoy this book!

THIS BOOK! Obsessed is an understatement... This book had me giggling, swooning, & kicking my feet. I absolutely love fat character representation, especially in romcoms. On the Plus Side did not disappoint. Howe did such a wonderful job of capturing the entirety of the fat experience while never having her main character, Evelyn, apologize for the space she took up in the world. Evelyn has a fully fleshed-out woman and not the sum of her insecurities and her confidence did not depend upon the validation of her love interest. (which I find happens quite often in plus size rep) Never once did she think of her body as the problem she always knew it was the fatphobia that is so rooted in our society that is the problem. I also thought Howe captured the mother-daughter relationship in this book very well. I felt it on a guttural level. Although this is a romance book, I feel this focus was on Evelyn’s journey as a person trying to find her passions, and along the way, she just so happens to find love. Speaking of love, LOGAN - again swwooooonnned - was the perfect MMC with just the right balance of protective and respectful. There is something about the ‘I see you like really see you and you see me” trope that truly gets me every time. I can not wait for this book to come out so I can force everyone I love to enjoy it.

I absolutely LOVED On the Plus Side. It's exactly what a rom-com should be: funny, flirty, a wee bit sexy, and full of fluffy goodness.

Everly is fat and the book doesn't shy away from the word or the realities of being large in a world built for smaller sizes. But instead of being self deprecating like we unfortunately see in way too many romances, Everly likes the way she is. She wants to shine but has allowed grief and a not so supportive mother to push her into the background - to not want to be seen.

And then there's Logan. So many authors end up making their grumpy in the grumpy/sunshine trope come across as total jerks. Not the case in this one. He is the perfect balance of grunting curmudgeon and smooshy fluffmallow.

All in all, this was a quick and light read with minimal angst. The perfect book to read this winter cozied up in a blanket with the warm beverage of your choice in hand. Oh, and (spoiler alert) there's no third act break-up!

I absolutely loved this book I can’t say enough good things. I definitely think this is exactly what I needed to read and I didn’t even know it. As a fat girl who grew up watching makeover reality shows the basic plot is great. A long time fan of a plus size makeover show called on the plus side gets nominated to be a guest on their second season. Our main character Everly is an artist in her mid 20s who isn’t necessarily insecure in the fact that she’s fat. Everly was such a good character, I love her story and development and see so much of myself in her. I love that the book acknowledges the struggles of plus size people but the character genuinely doesn’t mind that she is fat, or even the use of the word fat. It was a very refreshing read and definitely a 5 star for me just for the fuzzy way it made me feel.