Hayleigh’s been secretly pining over her best friend Jack since college, and trying to get over him since they got drunk and hooked up over spring break. After months of not talking, they precariously rekindled their friendship, creating a set of guidelines to keep to a strict friends-only status. Perpetually single, tired of bad dates, and sick of being harassed by her well-meaning family to settle down, Hayleigh proposes that each of her well-meaning family and friends can set her up on two dates, provided the prospective beau completes a questionaire. The winner will get to accompany Hayleigh to her sister’s upcoming weekend-long engagement party. And, if none of them are winners, she can go on an indefinite dating hiatus.

Hayleigh’s career angst is very real. A freelance editor and dog walker, she gets to live her life on her terms, but doesn’t make enough money to live alone, and is facing a self-eviction to give her sweet roomate and his long time boyfriend some privacy when they move in together. And, she’s looked down on for not having a stable career. The relationship angst is also very real. The dating disasters are funny in a schadenfreude kind of way, until she meets Brian, a goofy, kind vet who seems to check all her boxes. He’s a good kisser and they’re compatible, but he isn’t Jack, so Hayleigh keeps him at arm’s length. Howe writes real characters with emotion, and manages to avoid cyncism and look at the world with a healthy dose of humor. It doesn’t make anxiety, fatphobia, or OCD go away, but it does make mental health and body positivity easier to maintain.

The narrative is interspersed with Hayleigh and Jack’s rules for their platonic relationship (no kissing, no chapter headings), some of which also serve as headings for each of five sections, and acting as milestones to map the story–especially as Jack starts breaking them. Refreshingly, Hayleigh dates both men and women, and the queer representation is excellent. Each date’s completed questionnaire is presented, and is a fun way to introduce new characters. I didn’t understand from a pacing and structure perspective why halfway through the book, three profiles were jammed together and the dates glossed over; I wanted all the nitty-gritty details, even though the ending was obvious by that point.

Speaking of the ending… Hayleigh is way more forgiving than I would have been–so is Brian. It seems unfair that someone supposedly in her corner couldn’t be bothered to make a move until someone else found her desirable and he risked losing her. There is a risk of unforgiveable social faux pax with getting engaged at someone else’s engagement party, and I say that as someone who snuck off and subtley used my sister-in-law’s wedding photographer to snap a staged engagement photo (we were already dressed up, had the ukulele on hand, and paid for copies of the professional photos). Jack and Hayleigh’s revised rules for being engaged add charm to an awkward conclusion.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HowToGetALifeInTenDates via #NetGalley courtesy of #StMartinsPress. This review will post to HLBB on 12/9/2024.

This book has a unique twist on the typical romance book. The two main characters have been best friends for lots of years. They know each other better than they know themselves. They crossed the friend zone boundary one time and that caused their whole relationship to blow up for months so they made up rules to follow so that never happened again. Haleigh becomes tired of being harassed about her dating life so she rallies some friends and family to send her on a total of ten blind dates to find someone she could see herself being with. Some of the dates are hilariously disastrous while others are the picture of perfection.

This was a very cute book surrounding the hardships that come with dating. It also deals with some mental health issues that make a person feel like they’re not worthy. I had a good time with this. It’s an easy read that wraps up everything nicely.

4.25⭐️s. Yup, this was a solid one. The last few chapters made me want to look at my husband and ask why he hasn’t bought me a bunch of bookshelves as a romantic gesture. 😂 Cause let’s face it, what girl doesn’t want a personal library as a gift. Truly was rooting for both Brian and Jack until then too.

Haleigh is a curvy 25 year old just trying to play the game called dating. She’s even got her best friend, Jack, helping find dates for her. Too bad he can’t choose them either. Or better yet, too bad their list prevents them from exploring more than just friendship. You got it. Haleigh has been in love with Jack for a while. That’s why she needs to move on. Enter Brian. After so many bad dates, Haleigh finally has a contender. But will Jack get jealous when Haleigh comes to him with raving reviews on the Brian guy. Find out December 10th!! You won’t want to miss this one.

Thank you to @netgalley @jennylhowe and @stmartinspress for the advanced reader copy. #howtogetalifeintendates #netgalley #jennylhowe #arc #advancedreaderscopy #romance

Jenny L Howe’s How to Get a Life in Ten Dates was so much fun to read. All Haleigh had to do to get her loved ones off her back about dating was to survive ten dates, two picks each from the five people she loved the most. I loved the little quiz she had sent out to each of her dates as a get to know you type thing. Some of the dates had me dying. I really loved the fact that this book dealt a lot with mental health as Haleigh dealt a lot with anxiety and so did her best friend, Jack. I like that Haleigh was in her mid-twenties and didn’t feel like she had her life together. I could really relate to Haleigh. I also liked the fact that she was plus sized. I am excited to find out that the author has other books which I will definitely be reading. This will keep me going until the author has another book out. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Bi Romance For The Younger Millennial / Zoomer Set. If you have an ounce of work ethic in your pinky finger, you've got more than our female lead and narrator of this tale. Which means you're likely going to find her quite annoying, at the very least. If you're not a fan of bisexual women or the term "cishet" (to be clear, the second thing there is only used a time or two that I noticed), maybe skip this book. If you need the spice of a Carolina Reaper or at least a Scotch Bonnet... eh, you're not going to like this one much either. If you're not a fan of romance novels that could have been a five minute mature conversation a decade ago... you're probably not going to like this book. If you're not a fan of trigger warnings at the front of books... well, this one has a couple of pages of them.

With all of *that* dispensed with, welcome. If you're still here and still interested in this book, know that for what it is, it is reasonably solid. Maybe a touch squishy in some areas and maybe rolling a bit after the rest of it has stopped moving a time or two, but good enough to be enjoyable for those that can suspend their disbelief for a few hours and just go with the story as presented.

And the story as presented *is* a fat bi chick version of a fairly standard plot device in romance books - multiple dates with different people set up by some friend/ family group, except the best friend winds up inserting himself into them and... well, like I said, its been done more than enough for you to know exactly how this goes. While there is more spice than the "clean" / "sweet" crowd will likely prefer, there also isn't really enough to "give them the vapors" either, so on that point it is somewhere in between. The romance itself, as a form of second chance / these kids should have had a mature conversation a decade ago and could have been together this entire time, still works for what it is.

Really the areas that this book - and all of Howe's books - break a bit of ground is their acceptance of "larger bodies", but Howe openly notes in that same trigger warning at the front of the book that in order to make this particular story work, she had to trim down the more typical nearly screaming from the rooftops level of "fat pride" / "fat acceptance"/ however you want to phrase that... and yes, to an extent, it shows in the way the story is told and ultimately in how the story flows.

And yet, with all of this noted, there really were no technical errors noted here, and thus this book could work well for someone looking for something atypical during the Holiday season that isn't a "holiday book".

Very much recommended.

This was a cute story. The anxiety/mental health rep was well written and accurate. I love that it included a plus size character as the FMC. The dates that Hayleigh finds herself on had me laughing at times. I didn’t really care for the way she acted in the story as she seemed immature for her age but overall it was still a good read and I would recommend it.

This book was cute . I liked reading about the dates
Haleigh went on , but the connection between Haleigh and jack just didn’t feel real the chemistry wasn’t there for me .

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates begins with Haleigh, a plus size girlie who is tired of dating (refreshingly not because she's plus size but because her dates suck!) so she gets her friends and fam to set her up with two people each. These dates are absolutely ridiculous like you can never predict what is gonna happen because they are so harebrained and so funny that it really balances out the main story line of Haleigh being tired of dating AND trying to figure out what to do about her job AND the fact that she's still in love with her best friend, Jack...👀
There's so much that happens in this story: there's happiness, sadness, grief, feeling lost, but also confidence, love, and growth. I really love a good balanced book that can have personal growth but also is a rom-com at heart.
As well, I was a little nervous with all of these dates that there would be some fat-phobic issues (like there are in a lot of plus size books) BUT that was not the case! The only fat-phobic issue was Haleigh bringing up the fact that restaurants sometimes don't account for plus size people when designing the table set-up (which is TRUE)! And I love that Haleigh being fat wasn't a reason for her not being loved or her being insecure! We love to see it!🫶
Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book! I was so excited to read it after reading The Make-Up Test and cannot wait to read more by Jenny L. Howe!

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I liked the story and the authors intention, but it didn’t work in execution. The FMC blamed everyone else (or her anxiety) for anything that went wrong in her life. (I also suffer from anxiety/depression). I wish she could have owned more of her choices. And the MMC was like a spoiled child with a toy - he only wanted it when he was about to have it taken away. Sorry, but it just didn’t work for me. Thanks to SMP for the ARC.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a standalone companion to On the Plus Side, also by Howe. Some characters overlap, but you can read them in any order. Isn’t that always a good thing?

Where were these books when I was younger? As someone who has struggled with their weight their whole life, it was always disappointing to never see myself in the characters in the books I read. If there was a plus-sized character, she was either the main character’s best friend or the butt of jokes.

Another thing that is discussed in the book is Haleigh’s anxiety. Howe uses Haleigh’s anxiety and Jack’s mental health issues as well to help people better understand their own. She mentions in her notes at the beginning of the book that she has the same mental health diagnosis and felt the need to include them in her story. Howe explains that she hopes to remove the stigmas attached to that diagnosis by including them in How to Get a Life in Ten Dates.

Overall, How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a fun rom-com. Some dates Haleigh finds herself in are too funny and tragically realistic. I’m sure everyone has been in one of these situations and can laugh it off now. If you haven’t, you’ve been in something similar and can still laugh at them. If you are looking for a quick, funny rom-com with a few scenes that fade to gray, you should grab a copy of How to Get a Life in Ten Dates.

This was such a cute/realistic read! I loved it.
The challenges of being 25 these days and figuring life out are REAL. Dating is also a struggle, I hear. I’m married and glad to not being going through scenarios that were presented in this book. As crazy as they sounded, they were not all that unbelievable sadly lol.

This book was about second chances and listening to your heart. I loved the way it turned out and I’m sad it’s over.

3.5 out of 5 stars rounded up

💚Anxiety rep
💚Dating disasters
💚Friends to lovers
💚Queer rep (bi main character)
💚Plus size rep

I was hoping for a little more from this one! I thought the ending was a little rushed and things got repetitive at times. However, it was a fun and easy read. I think it’s a great palette cleanser book.

I enjoyed getting to see some characters from On the Plus Side in this one! I love it when authors make worlds collide.

This author always does a really great job with making books with plus size main characters! I also appreciated the anxiety rep in this - it felt very realistic.

The premise of this book seemed really cute- go on 10 dates of her friends and family's choosing and hope to meet the one! Double excitement as Haleigh is a desirable, plus size FMC!

I really enjoyed how the book started off. Haleigh's friends and family want to set her up and help her find love, but Haleigh has not so platonic feelings for her BFF Jack which are standing in her way. I do have to say that this is the second book I have read this month where there are strange and unrealistic expectations around young MCs. Haleigh is 25 years old and trying to figure her life out, however, for some reason I can't understand, everyone in her life INSISTS that she NEEDS to be in a LONG-TERM relationship NOW. From her sister to her mom to her roommate- just let the girl live her life!

Haleigh herself grows throughout the book as she is quite messy to start- literally and figuratively as she makes a physical mess wherever she goes. She begins as a very negative person and soon starts to open up and that improves her outlook and her state of mind. She is also unapologetic about her size, thought the author consistently uses the word 'fat' to describe the characters and the MC uses it to describe herself, in a way that is sometimes jarring. For example, she wants every date to see a picture of her and know she is fat before she will go out with them. Other than the use of the word fat, her body is never talked about in a good or bad way. Additionally, it seemed like one of the male love interests was also plus-sized based on the cover and a brief one-time description (this can be done so right, like in Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon), but this was glazed over as well. I guess it's just not really the representation I was hoping for...

The other reason that this is a 3 star read for me is that in the last quarter of the book it takes a sharp turn into a love triangle, which is one of my least favourite tropes. Yes, love triangles can be done well but I found this one to be very disingenuous and given the background of the story, I actually probably would have picked different than Haleigh did in the end.

Some charm to it, but overall hard for me to relate to. Perhaps other readers will feel different. This book pubs Dec 10. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an earc in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this and it started with a ton of promise. Where it lost me was when it turned into a love triangle that treated one of parties really unfairly. I strongly dislike love triangle in general but especially when it’s used to force one person to admit their feelings for the other. It’s gross and unfair in real life and it isn’t something I enjoy at all in my romance novels.

I thought this was a cute book. Not my favorite but it had a good story. Some of the dates were quite entertaining and funny. I enjoyed it and knew the ending would make me happy.

This is a fun, entertaining read. Jack and Haleigh are intriguing, strong, complex, complicated, interesting, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. Howe tackles some touch topics in this story in a compassionate way, which adds another layer to the story and characters. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. They at times added a lighter element to the story that is needed and appreciated. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve tried to write this reviews several times over these last few weeks and I have trouble putting into words how I feel. It was such a fun book but at times it felt personal constantly reading about her body. It was a cute take on friends to lovers and I loved having the family involved throughout the book. It felt lighthearted and fun.

That being said, circling back to the focus on her plus size was too much for me. I understand it was the description of the book but I guess I wanted it less of a burden and more celebrated.

Thanks so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

*Dating as a Plus-Size Woman* was my first book by Jenny L. Howe, and I absolutely loved it! Haleigh Berkshire, a 25-year-old woman exhausted by the dating scene, is hilarious and incredibly relatable. She's been in love with her best friend, Jack, for years, but a college mishap has her convinced they'll never be anything more than friends. With her sister’s engagement approaching, and family pressuring her to find a date, Haleigh and Jack hatch a plan to set her up with ten potential matches. But to her surprise, some of the dates go better than expected, and Haleigh begins to have fun—until Jack starts breaking all the rules they made to protect their friendship.

I adored Haleigh’s journey, especially how she navigated her personal growth and mental health struggles. The representation of anxiety, along with the positive depiction of therapy, was so well done, making the characters feel even more authentic.

I was laughing at Haleigh’s disastrous dates, nervously rooting for her, and swooning over the romance as it blossomed with Jack. It was a heartwarming, fun read, and I couldn’t put it down! This is definitely an author I’ll be reading more from in the future!

I couldn’t decide if I liked Jackson or thought he was a bit possessive/manipulative to be honest. But that’s just what a friend has got to do to become a lover I guess 🤷🏼‍♀️

I chose not to overthink it and had a decently fun time.

Free ARC provided by NetGalley.

DNF @ 5%. I could tell immediately this book wasn’t for me. The MC and her best friend are so immature. I don’t like her already. And while that’s not a dealbreaker, I at least need the story to make up for that. It didn’t.

ARC from NetGalley.