I cannot for the life of me get into this book… I feel like I’m trying so hard, but it’s falling flat. I’m annoyed with how many times the word Haleigh is written. The story line is a bit cliche. I wanted to write how it was relatable in the sense that she’s a plus size woman, but I couldn’t get into it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc for my honest opinion in exchange.

So excited to get my first NetGalley book. Unfortunately I really did not like this book. Couldn't connect with any of the characters and found most of them unappealing although I did enjoy the questionnaires. Finally, it is a pet peeve of mine when any older character (specifically anyone over 50) is portrayed as eccentric or difficult.

I am a big fan of Jenny L. Howe! I devoured this one in a single afternoon.

I enjoyed the characters, particularly how multifaceted they are. The premise was fun, even if it was a bit predictable.

My only real critique is that I struggle with books where the characters are so young (25!) and the plot centers around the pressure of being a spinster and alone forever / not having their life together enough. It felt a bit heavy handed here, and took away from everything else that I really enjoyed about it.

The main character in this book wasn't very likable. She complains about "adulting" and what's no responsibility. She wants a relationship in order to have a plus one at her sister's party because she thinks that everyone will see her as a loser if she doesn't The dates she went on were funny enough but her constant criticism of the other people she was on the dates with was annoying. The communication between the 2 characters wasn't great.

i was instantly drawn to this book based on the title alone. the concept - a woman struggling to find love agrees to 10 dates set up by her family & friends - was what sold me.

the female mmc reminded me a lot of bridget jones. so much so that i had to keep reminding myself that the book was set in the US, not the UK. she was likeable and quite witty. i will say it took me a very long time to warm up to her best friend (the mmc). he came across as quite selfish throughout the book, despite the nice gestures toward haleigh. i found myself frustrated that he was almost holding her back when she deserved so much more. In the end, i did warm to him, but it took some serious convincing for me to get there.

the story itself flowed nicely, there was just enough time spent going through the details of each date so it didn’t feel like it dragged on, but also felt like justice was done to describe them.

the ending wrapped up relatively quickly, but overall it was a good, fun read.

Haleigh Berkshire is done with dating. Date after date, Haleigh feels like it's time for a break. That is until an invitation for her sister's engagement-slash-graduation party arrives. As much as she does not want to continue dating, she needs a plus one for this event (her family says so!). To show her family how hard dating - especially as a plus-size woman - is, she challenges them to set her up on a date. Assuming they are all going to go poorly, she is hoping her family can finally let her live her life in peace. However, there's one problem. She's in love with her best friend, Jack (who is also conveniently picking dates for her). Despite her feelings, she knows they will never be more than friends - she has been there and done that and it ended horribly. As Haleigh begins to connect with one of her dates, Jack breaks the rules they set for their friendship - including throwing himself in as Haleigh's final date. With this confusing turn of events, Haleigh must make a choice - give her date a genuine shot or potentially throw it all away for Jack. Who may just break her heart once more.

I love Jenny and her books, but I wanted a bit more from this one. I really enjoyed the plot of her family and friends picking dates for her but it was clear from the start what the ending would be (no spoilers!). As someone who has had some AWFUL dates and even short-lived romantic partners, I truly felt for Haleigh and her never-ending dating cycle. My family and friends never set me up on any dates (thankfully - and no offense if you're reading this review), but my now-husband was my Jack. Always there in the background until finally... Anyway, I am so glad for another strong plus-size female main character! I also enjoyed the callbacks to On the Plus Side. You'll fall in love with a few of her dates and will be thankful you never had to meet others.

I unfortunately DNFed this book. The main character was so unlikeable as she was negative and cringy. It felt very "pick me girl" like with her friend Jack and I didn't find him to be that interesting so I didn't understand why she was into him.

The actual dates were the most interesting parts of the book that I could get through but once we got to the date with the snobbish rich guy I just couldn't continue. I didn't care about her or her finding love and was out.

I would still be willing to try another book from this author as this is her first one so I can only assume they would get better but this one wasn't for me.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates has an interesting premise but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. Haleigh’s family is pushing her to find full-time employment and settle down, and Haleigh secures a promise from them to leave her alone if she goes on 10 dates with people selected by her family and friends. One of those friends is her childhood friend and longtime crush Jack, with whom she had a one-night tryst that led to a short-term estrangement

Haleigh is only 25: why is her family being so concerned with her work status—plenty of 25-year-olds are still trying to figure out their careers—and especially with her relationship status? With that being the focus of the plot, I found it hard to get into the story and ended up,skimming the last half or so.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

📖 Book Review 📖 Twenty five felt like one of those pivotal ages in life with your career, friendships, and dating. I remember wondering how on earth I was going to meet someone post college and grad school (I ended up meeting my husband doing my internship while we were both on rotation working in the psych ward). Haleigh is in the thick of this crossroads in her life, intensified by her sister’s upcoming nuptials and complicated by her unrequited feelings for her best friend, Jack. A whirlwind agreement to go on ten dates arranged by those who know and love her best unleashes the most hilariously heartwarming journey of soul-searching (just hold the oysters)…Jenni L. Howe delivers comedic gold that readers will relate to wherever they are on their romantic journey and find a cathartic chuckle along the way.

I loved Jenny L. Howe’s previous books but this one didn’t hit like the others. The writing itself was good and I enjoyed seeing Haleigh going on all the dates but the main romance didn’t work for me. I don’t think the two had much chemistry. There wasn’t enough to make me root for them. In fact I wanted her to end up with the other guy. I’m still looking forward to more from this author.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i did not care for this one. these are adult characters who complain about "adulting" and living their day to day. haleigh is an awful character who needs a lot of growth and growing up to do. my favorite part was the size inclusivity and the writing itself.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
How to Get a Life in Ten Dates has a fun premise, and one I resonated with. Dating as a woman or femme person is already hard with all the incels and redpill dudes out there (see: “your body, my choice” that became their slogan post-2024 election), but dating comes with its own set of challenges when you’re a fat person. While I’ve removed myself from the dating pool long ago, I loved seeing a story of someone who had a similar body type to mine going through the pitfalls of the modern dating scene.
Haleigh is definitely a complex, not always likable character, and she deals with some inner negative thoughts, both toward herself and others. And it’s just great to see someone who doesn’t have her life completely “together,” whose life is sometimes even a complete mess.
Jack is pretty great, and I liked his tension with Haleigh due to an encounter in their past. However, he also simply tries to be supportive of what she wants throughout, particularly where her dating troubles are concerned. The romance that built up while she was meant to be searching for someone else was subtle, but sweet.
The mental health rep is also great, and I appreciate that Howe showed nuanced depictions of two friends (turned lovers) with anxiety disorders, on top of Jack having OCD.
The “dating” aspect is fun, although I had mixed feelings about its impact on pacing. While she was breezing through random people, with each possible connection ending badly, I found myself cringing, but as soon as she found someone vaguely promising, the story switched gears and became more engaging. This did turn the dynamic into a love triangle for a while, but I had no doubt that things would work out.
On a final note, while Howe’s books are all standalones, I like the references to her past works, particularly to On the Plus Side. I DNFed the ARC for that one early on in the SMP boycott, likely for similar pacing issues that plagued this book, although I had initially planned on simply withholding the review if I did finish it. I am now intrigued to go back and give it a second chance.
As for this particular book, it’s a bit of a slow-burn, but it’s ultimately worth it. I recommend it to readers who enjoy romances with compassionate mental health and fat rep.

I did not enjoy the bisexual aspect of this book. This is a personal preference, but I prefer reading heterosexual romance.

Not your typical holiday romance or FMC. Haleigh is plus sized & bi. This has the trope of friends that hook-up, mess up the relationship, find their way back to friends, one still pines but decides to move on which makes the other jealous & decide to do something about it. This was an okay book to get you into the holiday mood.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I loved so many aspects of this book. The prose is funny and easy to read. Our heroine is wry and is great about finding the humor in any ridiculous situation. I loved all the represetntaiton this book included. Haleigh is attracted to multiple genders and all her loved ones set her up with people of multiple genders without question or criticism. I loved how her sexuality was completely normalized. I also loved reading about a main characters who have mental health struggles and plus-sized bodies. The lack of flat stomachs and washboard abs was extremely refreshing. I really fell for Haleigh while reading this book. I wanted the world for her and I was disappointed that the book didn't fully explore her getting that. This book does involve a bit of a love triangle because the premise involves her dating multiple people. My problem was that the book does a great job showing how the LI doesn’t show up for Haleigh emotionally or why they don’t work together but never shows us how that will change so that they can work together. There's one conversation at the 95% mark of them attempting to work something out and the next chapter is the epilogue where they are happily riding off into the sunset together. I don't want to be too harsh on this book because I actually really loved it. I just feel jipped of that final piece of development that we could have gotten than would really make me believe in their relationship. Instead it seems like she's settling a little which is totally not the feeling you want at the end of a romance.

A fun romcom read with great characters, the extra depth with plots and characterization that I love in a romance, and a welcome blend of humor, self-growth, and romance.

Thank you SMP and Spotify audio for review copies, ebook and audio. I loved the audio narration that made Howe's charming romcom come to life! I read and listened to this book, both formats are great (though I have a soft spot for romance books on audio!). I loved the inclusive themes in the book, that there was body inclusivity, examination of mental health, and dates that didn't focus on labeling sexuality as much as they were about finding a match. There was a lot of well developed details for the characters and plot that worked well without making a light hearted read "heavy"; Howe has a deft touch when it comes to balancing interesting, relatable, and well crafted characters with a plot that is engaging, charming, and fun.

I love the premise of the book. The whole blind date type of setup is entertaining and Haleigh definitely goes on some… interesting dates. I too was wondering where her friends and family found some of the people they were setting her up with. I think the date she went on happened too fast. I would’ve liked to read a little more about some of them and for there to be a longer pause between the dates she went on. The one date after another was a little jarring and it needed a little bit of a break between them to add more to the story.

Haliegh is ready to get her friends and family off her back about her single life, so she agrees to allow them to set her up on two dates. If these dates don't work out, she wins herself a 6-month reprieve from their nagging.

This novel was super fun and the dates were funny. I really liked the love interests and enjoyed spending time with them. I appreciated the way Haliegh and Jack's mental health was folded into the narrative. At one point there was a love triangle happening and I was pulling for both options. In fact, I would have enjoyed spending more time with the one she chose in the end because I wasn't completely sold on him being the choice. Also, when it was time to make the choice, the actions of the loser (for lack of a better word choice) were extremely out of character and abrupt. I wish that the changes were made more gradually. Overall, I was happy with this novel. I had fun, I don't really want more from this world, but I enjoyed what I got when I was there.

I loved the idea of this book more than the execution. Following Haleigh around as her family sets her up on 10 dates was fun, but the main character felt so flat. I was excited for a contemporary plus sized MC, because I always want to feel represented, but Haleigh didn’t bring much else to the table.

I had such high hopes for Jack, but some of his reasonings for doing things had me reacting like “oh- that’s not… don’t do that” and it felt like Haleigh was just settling because she was tired of dating EVEN THOUGH she just started a new relationship with a nice guy.

Overall, the first half of the story was super fun- I laughed out loud at some of the dates- and I loved the bi representation, but the overall story was just meh to me.

Haleigh lives the life that everyone who has ever been on a dating app lives. She deals with horrific comments and uncomfortable drinks and the occasional nasty date, until she decides to take it into her own hands. Or rather, she puts it in the hands of her family and friends. Haleigh gives her tribe ten dates to get it right - they can each set her up on two dates - with the goal is to find someone to bring to her sister’s party a few months out. As a reader, we live the dates alongside Haleigh as Howe paints a startlingly (unfortunately so) accurate picture of what it’s like to be single in a major city.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.