I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Publishing Company. This is a cute romantic comedy. With plenty of drama and mystery to keep you guessing. I struggled in the beginning to grt into the book. I am so glad I didn't give up it had the perfect ending. Haleigh just wants to find love and the person for her. She thought she had it but it turned out it wasn't meant to be or was it. Does she need a new person to see her for the unique person she is. The dating game was a hilarious take on dating people. Jack thought he needed what he wanted but then thought he made a mistake. Did he make a mistake or is it something else? Does he know the person for him or will someone new be the person that keeps his attention. This book can be ready about but would suggest a mature audience!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for the eARC of How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by: Jenny L. Howe

You will be a fan of this if you like:
-Second chances
-Friends to lovers
-Rom-Com

I want to start by saying, the dates Hailey goes on are so funny! I enjoyed the growth both Hailey and Jack experienced from the beginning to the end.
I personally struggled with this book, but I think it's the "friends-to-lovers" that throws me off. The hurt that was caused in the beginning, and then the dating games later- the lack of communication- It all kindof turned me off.

I am rating this one a 3 , and I know if you are a fan of this trope, and second chances, you will enjoy this quick read!

This book was entertaining and held good potential but fell flat for me at times. Haleigh's fixation on her body made me disconnect with the story at times. It was fun going with her on her various dates with different personalities. Makes me grateful to be done with online dating!

Read if you like:
⭐ Friends to Lovers
⭐ Online Dating Flops
⭐ Close Family
⭐ Dating Challenges

Thank you to the publishers and NetGally for this Advanced Release copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

this started out so strong only to end on such a sour note for me
no offense to haileigh (fuckass name btw what happened to normal hayley) but i could never on my life feel good with somebody who made me feel that useless and awful just because he felt bad because he’s bound to feel bad again and i will handle the burnt of it HIS EXPLANATION DID NOT MAKE ME FEEL GOOD EITHER i do not believe him you don’t do this to people you love
it would’ve been amazing if he weren’t a little bitch to her honestly
anyway loved brian loved the writing style it’s just last 20% made me want to gouge my eyes out
thank u netgalley and co for the arc

Haleigh is a plus size and desperate to get married. She has had so many bad dating experiences. She is a disaster. Secretly she is in love with her best friend Jack. She is trying to find her place in the world.
Laugh out loud read from the beginning.

The k you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Four stars! I always find myself loving Jenny Howe's books, and this was no exception. Her portrayal of plus-sized women in romance is always raw and real, and this book was no exception. Loved the friends to lovers element with Jack, who was such a sweetheart.

Young woman Haleigh is on a quest for love. She has feelings for her best friend Jack, but that door needs to stay closed. The story follows Haleigh through a series of blind dates set up by her friends and family. Amid these often disastrous dates, she's also striving to get her work life on track, seeking a job that’s not just a paycheck but also supports her overall well-being.

The author weaves in many elements, like LGBTQ+ representation, friends-to-lovers, plus-sized representation, mental health, and a love triangle. It's impressive how well these elements fit together, never feeling contrived and maintaining a good balance throughout. The story is engaging and highly readable. Despite usually avoiding love triangles, this one worked for me. I enjoyed reading about the dates—the good, the bad, and everything in between. Haleigh is funny and likeable, and her struggles to find a connection felt very real. The author is open about the characters' mental health and therapy journeys, which is always a plus.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

A light hearted read that deals with body image, mental health and deep abiding friendship. The book was funny while delivering a heartfelt romance.

#netgalley #HowToGetALifeInTenDates

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates was a good friends to lovers ride with some fun - and quite funny - dates along the way. Haleigh has had bad luck in love and worse dates along the way. She agrees to her family and best friend setting her up on blind dates, but everything doesn't go exactly according to plan. I appreciated the journey the MC went on and that the biggest barrier was in her own head.

"How to Get a Life in Ten Dates", by Jenny Howe, has a formulaic if not cute storyline. Haleigh has had awful luck finding the "right man" and has all but given up until her family and best friend come up with a plan: they will each set her up on blind dates. At the end of these 10 blind dates, if Haleigh hasn't found "the one", they will finally leave her alone and stop nagging her about her dating life. However, Haleigh doesn't know that her best friend, Jack, has a plan of his one: to help Haleigh see that he's the one for her. While Haleigh and Jack have a past of their own, he hasn't ever given up hope that she'll realize the love of her life has been in front of her all along.

While I like the "best friends to lovers" trope, I felt this book wasn't original enough and the chemistry between the main characters didn't keep my attention. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A fun friends to lovers story with a lot of pit stops in between! Love the plus size representation and the journey the main character took to figure out what really mattered to her.

This book from page one was hard for me to stay engaged in. I was so hopeful from the description and cover, along with a plus size MC that I would love this book. Unfortunately, it was hard to keep my focus. It took over a month for me to read because I kept starting other books and putting this one on the back burner. I wish it would not have been such a slow paced plot.

I was lucky to receive an ARC for this book. I was very excited to read to based on the cover and the description of the book. I found it very slow to start. From the cover and the book description, it looks like she is interested in dating men but she's actually dating people of both genders which was not clear from the outset. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, it was a little confusing and could be uncomfortable for some readers. There's nothing wrong with the concept but the execution was jarring as she did not clearly have an affinity or a draw to women.

The overall concept for the book was cute with her family and friends are setting her up on dates. However, some of the dates were included for comedic relief which detracted from the book, in my opinion. It is pretty far-fetched that anyone in her family would think some of these people were good matches for her.

I really liked this author's other book, On The Plus Side, but this book left me wanting more. I truly felt there was a missed opportunity for character development.

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny Howe was an okay book, but I had a really hard time getting into it. The story had potential, but for me, I just wasn't engaged. Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

2.5⭐️


Salir como mujer de talla grande ha sido agotador para Haleigh Berkshire. Claro, solo tiene veinticinco años, pero lo ha estado haciendo durante una década, y está empezando a pensar que es hora de un año sabático. No ayuda que haya estado locamente enamorada de su mejor amigo, Jack, durante años, pero un desastroso fin de semana en la universidad le enseñó por las malas que nunca serán más que amigos.

Con la celebración del compromiso de su hermana acercándose rápidamente, y sus amigos y familiares molestándola por un plus-uno, Haleigh y Jack hacen lo que mejor hacen: planear. Haleigh acepta dejar que sus amigos y familiares la arreglen con diez personas, y está segura de que, una vez que ninguno de ellos demuestre ser buenos partidos, sus seres queridos finalmente la dejarán desaparecer en una jubilación romántica en paz.

Para su sorpresa, algunas de las citas de Haleigh van mejor de lo esperado, y por primera vez en toda la vida, se está divirtiendo. Hasta que Jack empiece a romper todas las reglas que habían hecho para reparar su amistad en la universidad. Él produce una larga lista de defectos para todos los que le gustan, rompe algunas de sus noches de salida y finalmente la sorprende al lanzarse a sí mismo en la mezcla. Salir con Jack siempre ha sido el sueño, pero Haleigh tiene miedo de la realidad. ¿Vale la pena arriesgar a su mejor amiga por algo que tal vez nunca estaba destinado a ser?


——


Haleigh me cayó bien, lo de las citas me gustó y las disfruté, lo único que no me gustó y por lo que le puse esa calificación fue por Jack. No me gustó que terminaran juntos, nunca vi que se amaran y tal vez sea que faltan povs de él para que me pudiera dar cuenta de sus sentimientos por ella.

In this charming new rom-com from Jenny L. Howe, a young woman who's fed up with dating challenges her family and friends to set her up on ten dates, but gets more than she bargained for when her best friend adds himself to the roster. Ten dates?? I can never imagine that in my whole life.

Warning! This review will have spoilers!
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Seriously, spoiler warning!
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This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me…

The writing was decent, and the premise was interesting - but Haleigh was not my favourite MFC. She was extremely negative, always finding faults with her dates even though I didn’t feel she was a real winner either. She kept complaining about being an adult and having adult responsibilities but then got angry when she felt like her family treated her like a child (simply because they kept asking her about getting a full-time job). You want to be a grown up? Then act like one.

I don’t enjoy love triangles at all, and as soon as Jack threw his name in the ring I felt bad for Brian. That guy seemed like a legitimately good person and he never stood a chance.

Another positive in this book was the mental health representation. Both Haleigh and Jack suffered from anxiety (and he also clearly had a mild case of OCD) - and I thought the author did a decent job of writing about the effects on the characters daily lives.

Overall - I didn’t hate this, but I didn’t love it either. I won’t write off reading more from this author in the future though.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this one.

This was a really great romance. I honestly didn't know who to root for in the end here because both love interests were wonderful, but we have Haleigh realistically torn between a past and a potential new future.

"How to Get a Life in Ten Dates" follows freelancer/dog walker, Haleigh. Haleigh is 25 and feels at odds with where her family wants her to be (happily engaged/dating/married) and where she is (single, fat [I love that she owns that word). Haleigh though realizes she has to do something to get her mother, grandfather, and sister off her back. So she and her best friend, Jack come up with an idea that they all can (along with Haleigh's roommate) can select up to two people each to set up Haleigh before her sister's nuptials.

Honestly, I laughed hysterically several times while reading this. I have been on some bad dates, and some of these had me going, oh geez and well at least mine wasn't that bad. But also Howe does a great job of showing Haleigh fighting with anxiety and how to move on to something new that she wants. I thought all the characters were developed very well and Haleigh has great chemistry with at least two guys. We also get some red hot love scenes that I much appreciated. Also, Haleigh is bisexual and it was nice to just read without anyone making a big thing about it.

The flow was really great and the tension was nice throughout. The ending gives you a HEA which was great.

Fun, quick and enjoyable! Loved it! A very diverse read that will appeal to romance readers. Will look for more by Jenny!

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates was a fun read! I related to the characters and found the dialogue very realistic. It was super enjoyable and I highly recommend it.