I had a blast both reading and listening to ON THE PLUS SIDE, and love having a character with plus side representation. It was an entertaining story and I loved the grumpy x sunshine trope as well as the reality tv aspects.

*many thanks to St Martins Press and Macmillan audio, Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

If you know me at all, you know I devour books with fat MCs. Also - I rate on vibes.

On the Plus Side follows our FMC, Everly as she ends up the star of her favorite show, a makeover show for plus size people. Who nominated her? Why is the grumpy cameraman kinda cute? Should she pursue her art? Will her mom ever stop trying to change her?

I loved this book. It combined my love of reality TV with plus size representation. I was also falling hard for lumberjack Logan. The narration was fantastic!!

4.5 stars from me!!

Recommended if you like:
-plus size rep
-reality TV
-makeovers
-grumpy/sunshine
-no 3rd act breakup
-puppies!
-spice, but mostly fade-to-black

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for my ALC copy. On the Plus Side is out now!

TW: fatphobia, strained mother/daughter relationship, being filmed without consent/hidden camera

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

On the Plus Side was a must read for me as I can relate to being plus size and having overbearing people in my life. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the message the author was trying to share, but I just didn't love it. I wanted more than just a typical romance sunshine to grumpy novel.

I did listen to this on audio and the narration was done will with a clear book and proper emotions.

Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy.

4⭐ on 🎧

Review withheld due to St Martin's Press boycott please see Readersforaccountability on Instagram for specific requests

This enchanting contemporary romance is a delightful treat for the heart. Released late last year, it shines brightly with its remarkable portrayal of plus-size representation. Everly's journey unfolds against the backdrop of the captivating reality makeover TV show, "On the Plus Side." Much like a blend of "Queer Eye" and "What Not To Wear," the show specializes in empowering plus-size individuals, guiding them through wardrobe transformations and helping them discover their true selves.

Everly, previously accustomed to blending into the background, finds herself thrust into the spotlight alongside the exuberant hosts of the show. Amidst this whirlwind, an unexpected connection blossoms between Everly and Logan, the cameraman, who becomes her steadfast supporter. As their relationship blooms, it ignites a spark that captivates not just the show's audience but the nation at large, prompting questions about the true motivations behind the skyrocketing ratings. Can Everly navigate the complexities of newfound fame and keep her burgeoning romance shielded from prying eyes?

This charming tale embraces beloved tropes of grumpy/sunshine dynamics and the allure of reality TV, weaving them seamlessly into a heartwarming narrative. Above all, it delivers poignant messages of love, acceptance, and self-worth, resonating deeply with readers. My heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to dive into this ARC, which left me thoroughly enchanted and uplifted.

This was such an enjoyable book! It brought back so many memories of watching What Not to Wear when I was younger and the of internalizing the negative and fat-shaming takes on how people should dress. I loved, loved, loved Jenny Howe's modern, inclusive spin on that show. Everly was one of my favorite characters I've read in a while. Everything that makes her "too much" made me love her even more. And I loved how Logan feels the same and admires her for exactly who she is.

The audiobook narrator was a perfect choice for this book.

Just an all around great read!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Adorable read, and more about someone finding them selves than just the romance which I appreciated. The narrator did a great job.

Absolutely adored this one!! I loved the reality show setting (especially the portrayal about how it can be exploitive!) and the main character was my favorite. Highly recommend the audiobook!

This was actually so much fun! <i>Queer Eye</i> meets Olivia Dade (<i>Spoiler Alert, All the Feels</i>) in this refreshing rom-com that manages a satisfying climactic conflict with NO third act breakup. I was pretty shook that Howe was able to pull that off, but she did. The themes of this book were also on point. Watching Everly learn to love her true self and stop trying to blend in, all while healing from generational trauma, was so gratifying to witness.

My sole critique that knocked off one star to my rating is that I found myself not as connected with the main characters as I wanted to be. Everly and Logan were cute, but didn’t have me swooning or squealing like other rom-com couples I’m obsessed with. I have to attribute some degree of this to the fact that I wasn’t super emotionally invested in either character, regardless of the fact that they had both exhibited moments of vulnerability and grew from them. Still, this was so much fun and definitely is worth the read!


<b>Audiobook Review:</b>

Zura Johnson’s narration was pretty standard overall, but I found myself enjoying her performance! Not a must-listen, but this book was a definite must-read regardless of the medium in which you consume it.


<b>OVERALL RATING:</b> 4 stars.


<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publishers, OrangeSky Audio and Spotify Audiobooks, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Summary: Everly Winters was nominated to star on the show On the Plus Side. She doesn't know who nominated her for the show. It helps Everly find herself and stand up her herself. She also finds love.

My thoughts: Zura Johnson did a good job narrating On the Plus Side.
The concept for the story was interesting but fell short on execution. It was still a nice listen but could have been better.

On the Plus Side
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Jenny Howe

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Spotify Audiobooks and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Everly Winters is perfectly happy to navigate life like a good neutral paint color: appreciated but unnoticed. That’s why she’s still a receptionist instead of exploring a career in art, why she lurks but never posts on the forums for her favorite makeover show, On the Plus Side, and why she’s crushing so hard on her forever-unattainable co-worker. When no one notices you, they can’t reject you or insist you’re too much.

This plan is working perfectly until someone secretly nominates Everly for the next season of On the Plus Side. Overwhelmed by the show’s extremely extroverted hosts and how much time she’ll have to spend on screen, she finds comfort in a surprising friendship with the grumpy but kind cameraman, Logan. Soon Everly realizes that he’s someone she doesn’t mind being noticed by. In fact, she might even like it.

But when their growing connection is caught on camera, it sends the show’s ratings into a frenzy. Learning to embrace all of herself on national TV is hard enough; can Everly risk heartbreak with the whole world watching?

My Thoughts: This was an endearing, sweet, and heartwarming contemporary romance. The plus size representation was phenomenal. The book was released late last year. Everly gets nominated for the show, On the Plus Side. On the Plus Side is a reality makeover TV show that specializes in plus size individuals, helping them make over their wardrobe, finding their voice, and finding the thing that makes them shine. The fictional show reminds me of Queer Eye blended with What Not To Wear. She has always been unnoticeable, and is thrown into a very noticeable show with extroverted hosts. A surprising relationship with the cameraman, Logan, who has become her cheerleader that boils over into the show, national TV, when the ratings soar, are they soaring for the right reasons? Can Everly keep the blooming relationship from the media? This follows the tropes of grumpy/sunshine, reality TV,

This was a dual narration. Everly is reserved, introverted, and lives in a shadow of what she could be. Logan is very grumpy, tough exterior with a soft interior, while being charming. As we all know, reality really isn’t reality as much as it is orchestrated reality, the same falls true for our fictional reality show. I really wanted Everly to come more into her truth but it seemed she still wanted to impress others, instead of just standing in her truth. The relationship between Everly and her mother was difficult to read, and happens more so than not. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, intriguing, and creative. The author’s writing style was complex, steamy, swoony, funny, and perfection. I am grateful that Howe stayed true to her plus size representation. I loved how the relationship conflict came from external sources, it made it much more organic and not the “third-act breakup” we typically see.

I had the pleasure of having the digital and audio ARCs for review. The narrator, Zura Johnson, did an amazing job with voice variation, character distinction, and does an amazing job with the emotion within the voices, such as surprising and/or startling moments. The flow and pitch was easy to follow at 2x listening speed. When a story both makes me laugh and cry, I call that a win. I love Howe’s interpretation that shape/size does not matter, it does not define you, and only you can mark your mark on this world. I loved her prior work, The Make Up Test, and this one was just as wonderful. I highly recommend picking up this book!

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @spotify for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

On the Plus Side was a gem of a book. It was a heartwarming story focusing on plus size people. Everly makes a wonderful transformation, and Logan was swoonworthy from the get go. This is a story about a woman finding her way after being lost for a long time.

Author Howe created a realistic storyline and very likable characters you want to root for.

The audiobook was narrated by Zura Johnson, and she was very easy to listen to. I think she did a great job bringing the story to life.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #spotifyaudiobooks #netgalley #goodreads #ltbreaderteam #ontheplusside #jennyhowe

Adored this book, the character the plot and the narrator was great. I love the more complex themes it introduced to a sweet romance giving it extra layers but also still maintaining a relaxing and low angst read.

On the Plus Side is for readers who liked One To Watch or other stories of plus-size women overcoming obstacles in their way. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this story. I tried several times to finish listening to it, but each time I would find myself drifting and the story didn't capture my attention.

I attempted listening to this audiobook two different times and both times I could not get into it. The MMC was gruff and rude for no discernible reason and that made me annoyed. The premise of the book was also so unbelievable that I couldn't continue to listen to the book.

I tandem read this book in ebook and audio formats, and I ended up really enjoying myself once the story got going. Even though the story jumps RIGHT IN on the plot, I found it took awhile (nearly 25%), to really feel like I was into the story (that's usually when I'd decide to DNF or not). I was endeared to the characters quickly after that and believed in the story Jenny was telling.
Audio: 3.5 stars
eBook: 3.75 stars

Read this if you love:
- plus sized content
- reality tv shows
- healing
- body positivity
- self discovery
- with a little bit of spicy

Things I loved:
- Logan
- The self discovery journey Everly went through, both on camera and off, with her new mentors from On the Plus Side, Logan, and with her family and her best friends
- Reddit threads and comments
- Logan's dogs and Everly's brother and BFF's animals
- Everly deciding to chase ALL of her dreams, even when people important to her (ahem her mother) think she needs to focus and/or slow down and/or protect herself from public ridicule

In terms of the audio... I thought the narration was good. The pace felt slow for me when I was listening, so perhaps I would've just stuck to the ebook if I went back and did it again. It's at no fault to the narrator, however, because I think the story just would've connected better with me had I read all the words instead. I loved how the narrator played all of the characters and really felt the chemistry between Everly and Logan.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and audio production company for early access to this title as both an ARC and an ALC. These are my honest thoughts.

I have mixed feelings about "On the Plus Side," which is a book about a plus-sized woman who is nominated to be on a reality TV show that focuses on body positivity and fat acceptance.

While I enjoyed the message of learning to love who you are, regardless of how you look, I found some of Everly's decisions to be a bit shortsighted given the circumstances. (Spoiler: If you're intimate with your partner in the dressing room of someone else's store, even if the store is closed, that's really not appropriate. The expectation of privacy is lost in a public setting.)

I did love the way the show pushed her out of her comfort zone and that the hosts seemed genuinely interested in understanding her story and what she needed most. And the author's note at the start of the story to explain what she hoped to accomplish with it was helpful as well.

There was good banter and affirmation along the way, and I really liked Logan's support of Everly, but there were also times when I cringed at Everly's approach to people.

In the end, I enjoyed reading it, but it's not a book I'll read a second time.

Thank you to Jenny L. Howe, Spotify Audiobooks, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Sexy and fun! We love plus size beauty! I enjoyed the romance but also they found self confidence. A beautifully written novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was an enjoyable romance about a plus size woman who goes on a reality show that deals with bringing out the best in her and fat acceptance. It had some out loud chuckle moments I appreciated the explanation by the author at the beginning explaining her views and her goals of writing the book. However I struggled a bit during the first half of the book which felt like a non stop motivational ad about being fat and body positivity and such. It was stuff most overweight people have heard for years and maybe it is best meant for thinner people without that experience themselves but I felt like it was a little too in your face. Still great writing and some good romance and funny scenes.

Link to my review on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/65213088