Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review!

“She’d never looked in the mirror and hated what she saw. It was more that she hadn’t wanted to see anything at all”

I have an entire drawer with a stash of clothes I love but refuse to wear—crop tops, tube tops, bodycon dresses and short skirts (alongside a small chest full of bikini tops I can only wear in my backyard, bikini bottoms I refuse to wear at all). This confession is to say I emotionally connected with Everly’s story of feeling like too much, of wanting to disappear and blend in. Not because I find them unflattering or my body ugly. It really is about fear of what others are thinking. What gives me my worst anxiety is the knowledge that I’m being perceived no matter what. I sit still, don’t speak, make myself feel small to paint an unimpressive yet unmemorable picture of myself. And the lesson to learn is not that no one’s looking at you or to look your best at all times. The lesson is really about being able to not give a fuck, to surround yourself with people who uplift you, who want to see you happy.

Everly’s emotional journey was so so excellent, and the romance was just as good. Romance is usually not my schtick. But I was absolutely dying at the somewhat slow burn, blush worthy romance with a guy who is GRUMPY and somehow, still so loveable and kind. I grew up thinking, and still sometimes still succumb to the idea, that fat people were unworthy of love. And if they were loved it was humiliating or fetishization. So it was refreshing to see someone not only love a fat woman, but cheer her on in the process of loving herself. I also appreciated the smut for its briefness and low ~detail~. Low spice makes me blush, has me a bit flustered and I love that!

Everly’s mother was certainly realistic in the scariest way! I know she had her redemption arc but I genuinely was not prepared for the comments she made to Everly and others about fatness. She was such a well written character that I was seeing red any time she spoke. And I think she was, in the beginning, the true embodiment of a hater. The conversation between her and Everly was necessary, though I’m glad she didn’t completely forgive her. In the end, I think her character tells us that people who want to ‘help’ you should want you happy. No one should want to see you miserable to subside people’s comments or thoughts about you. Pure intentions are essential, but how people treat us is just as important.

There is such an obsession in books with fat MC’s wanting to lose weight, and too often the argument for body positivity gets dulled down for the sake of keeping straight sized people comfortable. I appreciated that Everly didn’t succumb to her mother’s harmful rhetoric. That the book was unabashedly advocating for fat people and their happiness the. entire. time.

There are certain narratives that fat people are allowed to have in fiction (and life!). Loving the way you look (literally just wanting to exist without judgement) is not usually one of them. We are always written like self-hating freaks who were always insecure, feel ugly, and are not ready for relationships. We could ~never possibly~ love our bodies as they are and are just waiting for other people to catch up. It was awesome to see Everly written as simply afraid to be loud. To love our loudness deep down, but driven to be quiet out of fear of making others cringe at the noise.

I cannot recommend this enough.

Book : On The Plus Side
Author : Jenny L. Howe
Pub Date : 26 Dec 2023

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press & the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love the cover of this book, it is just so adorable! I had to start this review off with that. It screamed summer read to me. I’m a lover of a good cover 🤌🏻 and the description snagged me right away! I sat down and devoted a whole entire day to this read and I am glad that I did because I didn’t want to set this book down.

I am going to keep this review simple. I don’t want to give a lot of it away but I loved the sweet book. I loved how the author touched on self-acceptable of ourselves and put body positivity high up there. This is something that I love to see in books. The character development and relationships in this book were great as well. The characters were all very relatable. I adored Everly and Logans relationship the most. I love how Logan was the grumpy MMC with the soft warm cozy center. I am here for a grumpy character.

For being my first read by this author, I was thrilled and I can say that I will be looking for more books from Jenny in the future. This book was an easy 4 star for me and I will absolutely be purchased a physical copy to have on my shelf.

On The Plus Side by Jenny L Howe is a book that truly resonated with me and left me feeling empowered and uplifted. It's a wonderfully cute and romantic read that celebrates the importance of self-love and putting yourself first, regardless of your size. Mixed with a fabulous-sounding reality-tv show, this book was basically made for me!

This book had a touch of spice to it but was never the story's main focus, which I appreciated. Everly was strong, even without the romance, and that continued throughout the story. She never needed to be rescued; it was just there as support cheering her on, which left me swooning.

What I appreciated the most, however, was that the storyline didn't delve into typical "plus-size tropes." It avoided common stereotypes and presented a refreshing and authentic portrayal of a fat protagonist. The focus was on her journey of self-discovery, growth, and finding love, rather than solely on her physical appearance. She was fat but also smart, sexy, witty, artistic, caring, and a well-developed character, not a one-dimensional fat girl with nothing else going on for her.

Overall, On The Plus Side is a fun, heartwarming 5-star book that gave me a big smile. It's a refreshing take on romance that encourages self-acceptance and celebrates the idea that everyone deserves love and happiness. If you're looking for a feel-good read that challenges stereotypes and embraces the beauty of self-love, then this book is an absolute must-read.

I felt so seen. Everly was such a realistic character for me and her experiences with fatness and fatphobia camouflaged as "caring" was something I related to so hard I had to walk away from reading at times. I loved seeing her step into herself and allow herself to take up the space she deserved. Seeing the way Logan accepted her where she was at and the only change he encouraged was helping her believe in herself was so healing. We get stuck in feeling like we have to adjust ourselves to be worthy or taken seriously, so it was amazing seeing a fat main character fall for someone who was happy to meet her where she is. This was a very fun and heartfelt read, and I can't wait to see what Jenny Howe does next!

I really loved this book! I have read several romance novels with a plus-size heroine; however, I have never related to one like I did Everly. We share so many similar experiences in our journey to self-love and confidence. While the love story was one of the main focuses of the book, I appreciate that the author allowed Everly to realize that before she could love anyone else, she needed to be able to find out who she is and love herself first. She didn't need a man to fix her (or fixing at all).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for an arc of this book.

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.