This was my first Jenny L. Howe book, and I will say… this is a book I wish I had when I was younger. YA hasn’t been something I’ve gravitated towards as much in my adult years, but still - I really enjoyed not only the story itself, but the author’s writing style!

The world-building was well down regarding the details of the park, competition, and related media. The romance was believable and sweet, but I wish the main character's efforts had amounted to something more exciting than what happened. Overall, an interesting growth journey and exploration of friend and family struggles as well.

Love at Full Tilt might be my new #1 spring into summer book rec! It’s loving, inclusive, funny, interesting, fast-paced, and overall an amazing read. Jenny L. Howes brings you into this world of hers and makes it so you find it nearly impossible to leave.

Lia Baker, a plus-size 18 year old, will do anything to win the 50th anniversary scavenger hunt at Fablehand. Her two best friends and her have been watching their movies, reading their articles, and studying maps since they were little. And this is the last chance for Lia to get some well deserved money that would give her just an ounce of space between her and her planned out future: working at her parent’s furniture store while her friends dorm together at college. But when she decides to team up with another contestant, Mason, feelings start to get in the way of her real goal: winning.

This book was giving rivals to lovers but also friends to lovers in the most amazing way. Lia had my heart melting with every worried thought she had and Mason had me swooning everytime he spoke of how much he liked Lia. The pacing of this book was really good, allowing me to stay immersed in the story the whole time. I loved the idea of Fableland and how intricate this place was. Their love story was the main theme but allowed for another plot points to take place such as friendship struggles, troubling family dynamics, confidence issues, and dreaming so big it seems nearly impossible.

So make sure to go pick this book up when it debuts on July 22nd!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This was one of the sweetest YA reads I’ve picked up this year! Lia and Mason’s clumsy, adorable meet-cute had me smiling right away. Mason’s calm, caring nature paired so well with Lia’s vulnerability, and I loved how quickly their connection deepened. Their emotional bond felt real, and their willingness to open up to each other was such a beautiful part of their journey.

In just a few days, both characters grew in meaningful ways—not just individually, but through their evolving friendship (and maybe something more!). I also appreciated how Lia’s friendships shifted and deepened, giving this story even more emotional weight.

Though some family elements were heavy and tough to read, they added authenticity and heart to the story. This book is full of growth, connection, and hope—perfect for fans of heartfelt, emotionally rich YA romance.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Jenny L. Howe for the arc💖. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to Netgalley & Random House Children's for the E-ARC! OMG! This was so cute! Loved both characters & the setting. Also liked the plus-size rep. A great YA debut by one of my favs.

I loved this book but was a little unwowed by a few moments in the book. A cute quick amusement park romance about finding what you truly want in life and love.

"It's easier not to want things. Your heart might not feel anyhting, but at least it can't get broken. There's nothing to break."

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. It's a fun YA contemporary with a sprinkle of romance and emotional/deep topics as well. I thought the things that the FMC were struggling with were written very well. Her relationship with her mom who was struggling with her mental health was great, and the discussion of body image/fatphobia was great as well. I think those parts were the best aspects of this book. However, the friendship and romantic plots were also really great. I think the setting provided a great backdrop as well. Overall, I just didn't get the five-star feeling, so it was a four star.

"I like knowing my body is strong and capable of the same things other bodies are. But I also know I don't fit the way the world wants me to. And that this is usually the first thing people see when they look at me."

Without a doubt my favorite Howe novel. She was born to write YA. It is very sweet, thoughtful, and fun. I enjoyed the character development, the friendship, and the romance.

**3.5 stars**

Content Warning: fat-shaming

+ This was a cute young adult romance which takes place at an amusement park, just like Disneyland, and there is a competition for super-fans about the park. The winner can win $50,000 and Lia is determined to win it so she can choose her own future instead of the one her parents are pushing on her.

+ Lia is at this amusement park with her two best friends before they go to college. So I like the friendship themes that arise during this trip even if they are challenging issues for Lia and her friends, especially because Lia feels like they are leaving her behind. She’s also dealing with issues from home because her mom has anxiety and Lia being away from has triggered her much more. Lia is trying to figure out her future and her parents are assuming she already knows her path. Another issue that is brought up in the book is Lia’s weight – she’s plus-sized but is mostly confident in her skin until she gets heckled for it, which sucks.

+ The romance between Lia and another contestant, Mason, is really cute and it happens during a week. It is very much a whirlwind romance but I do like that the romance extends after the vacation!

~ I definitely think younger me would have loved this book more – teens will enjoy it!

~ I do think at times Lia came off a little bit selfish. Her friends went on the trip with her to have fun before they left for college and make memories, but Lia was on a mission to win this contest and they tried to compromise and it mostly worked out. But when they would argue, Lia made it seem like her friends weren’t being good friends.

Final Thoughts:

This story definitely brought many coming of age issues like friends going to college vs. you staying home, your dreams vs. your parents’ dreams, body-weight issues, friendship themes and all of this set at an amusement park. The competition was fun and this was a quick read. Overall, I thought this was a cute young adult romance.

This book is an enjoyable but not particularly memorable read. I liked the characters but also felt like they were a bit disjointed, mainly because at times I felt the author was trying to make a point about weight/sexuality to the point it interfered in the plot or didn't seem to fit with the rest of the character development.
The plot was fun, but much of the conflict could have been solved with a conversation. The scavenger hunt/theme park aspect of the book was great along with the theme of how things seem to be versus how they are (trying not to give too much away).
I liked the author's style and would read another book by her.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book.

What would happen if exploring your favorite place could change your life? When Lia wins the chance to visit Fableland and compete in a super fan scavenger hunt, she brings her best friends along for one last hurrah after finishing high school. As she explores the park, Lia becomes encouraged to follow her dreams, learns to advocate for herself, and develops a crush along the way. Will Fableland’s magic rub off on her the way she desperately wants it to?

I adored this book and wish I had it in high school. I loved learning about the many enchanting parts of Fableland and watching Lia and her relationships develop. The characters were relatable and complex, and Lia and Mason’s story reminded me of that swooning that specifically accompanies high school crushes. I related so much with Lia’s body image mental gymnastics and her feeling left behind by her friends, and I loved watching her come into her own during her magical week in the park. This is a perfect summer book to snap up by the beach, while waiting in line at an amusement park, or while enjoying an ice cream cone on a sunny day.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Love at Full Tilt. This was an adorable YA book perfect for any Disney Lover. I loved how Jenny used this book to discover relationships not only with the FMC and the MMC but with their friends and families as well. This book felt very fleshed out and had a lot of great diverse representation.

This book made me want to be in Disney, so fair warning- if you read it- you may find yourself booking a trip to visit Mickey.

This was such a well done upper-YA coming of age novel.

First, Lia and Mason were freaking ADORABLE. Like absolutely perfect and cute and complimentary and adorable. They both had their issues and vulnerability, and they both had reasons for wanting to avoid attachments and a relationship, and watching them both figure it out together was beautiful.

I also really appreciated Lia’s friends. Issy and Tess were fun and supportive and still teenage girls. Did the three of them fight? Of course. But in the end, it was obvious how devoted the three were to each other. Also, hardcore pass of the Bechel test (at least two women characters have a conversation not about a man without a man present.) They talked about college and their future and the contest and their families and their fears and insecurities.

This novel is also a great liaison into more adult literature. Both characters are fairly newly minted 18 year olds, just graduated from high school. Sex was talked about, Lia had limited (off page) experience but wasn’t a virgin, there was some steam but nothing explicit. Also I think Mason might be the only straight character out of any of them, which was awesome. This had great LGBTQ+ representation, throughout, even in the barely talked about side characters being referred to as “them” instead of “she”.

Really my only criticism was one aspect of the ending. I wish it had turned out a little differently. That being said, I can understand WHY the author did what she did.

A fun YA in celebration of Disney fanatics, scavenger hunts, and friendship while also looking at how other people's mental health impacts us.

So first the light stuff. This is the story of Lia, a recent high school graduate whose 2 best friends are getting ready to go away to college. They get to have a last hurrah at Fableland, a multi-world theme park in Orlando that feels like the home of a certain mouse without saying that specifically. Lia is competeting against 99 other superfans on a scavenger hunt all about the park, movies, and TV shows that connect the fandom. The prize...$50,000 and free access to the parks for you and a guest for life. She wants to win to gain some independence in her life and not have to work at the family furniture business.

She winds up teaming up with Mason - the cute boy who has his own reasons for needing the money. He is also the first person who sees her as a whole person and not as the fat girl. He seems to understand what she goes through in a way that even her best friends cannot. While not the best time to start a relationship, considering that they are competing against each other, there is that draw.

The heavier stuff. Lia is struggling with issues from how she is seen by the world, her fear of her best friends going away to college and leaving her behind, and suffering under the extreme overprotectedness of her mother. Lia's mom has intense fears of Lia coming to harm in the world that she hovers to the point of smothering. Honestly, when I was reading the book I thought that Lia's mother was unrealistic. Then I wound up meeting a mother frighteningly similar and saw what her anxieties did to her own child. Lia doesn't want to hurt her mother, but needing to check in every few hours, having her phone tracked, panic attacks when she doesn't respond to a text fast enough...there are kids who truly are dealing with this. Lia comes off as an incredibly responsible kid who is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, even when her parents seem to have already planned the whole thing out for her.

I thought the book was an interesting story, but I think it hit closer to home because of the situation I was seeing to a super smart and responsible teen. The world of fan-fiction is something that a lot of young adults have become super into, so it fit well into this story. The number of people who are also extreme fans of one thing or another is also incredibly accurate these days. Whether Disney, Harry Potter, musicians, or Broadway stars, there is a lot of value in fandom right now. I think this story will resonate with a lot of YA readers, probably mature 14+

I found myself thoroughly invested in the outcome of Lia and Mason's romance. The theme park setting was super fun and added a level of nostalgia and whimsy to the story. As a plus size woman, I always appreciate the fat-positive rep that Jenny features and feel like it is truly a solid representation that makes you feel seen. The competition to lovers aspect was fun and I love how laidback the book was overall. Super cute and enjoyable romance!

I really loved where this storyline took place. I can't imagine thinking up an entire theme park area. It was described so well I could picture everything. I enjoyed the two main characters and thought they were well developed. It's been a while since I've read a YA book and couldn't put this down.

This book does deal with some heavy issues. I always appreciate a disclaimer in a book. I feel like it's better to know something will be coming, so you can skip over it, then be blindsided.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for this ARC.

#LoveatFullTilt #NetGalley

I get so excited about any book that takes place in a theme park, but a high stakes scavenger hunt complete w/ first love meet cutes? I was sold.
This was such a fantastic YA debut from Jenny L. Howe and she brought all of the things I love about her adult romances (the heart, the genuine relatable characters, & the swoon worthy love) into a perfect YA coming-of-age romance package.
Lia’s story and her struggles with friendships and her mom were so well done and thought out. This wasn’t some surface level subplot, this was a fully engaging storyline that gave the FMC depth and made you care about her struggles.
And the fact that this book was able to pair that with an adorable & fun romance filled with banter was AMAZING.
I was laughing & crying the whole time and this book hit home with me looking back on my own teen years as well as feeling all of the struggles as a mom who also has a lot of anxiety. This was incredibly well done! Thank you to NetGalley & Delacorte for this ARC.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this ARC and get a chance to review it!

Cute! That's it, that's the review 😂

No but in all seriousness, this was a cute, fat-positive young adult read with a fun competition storyline and heartfelt moments of teenage friendship, first loves, and navigating finding yourself amidst an ever-changing world.

I am not the demographic for a YA novel by any means, but I can absolutely appreciate the novel. I was plus sized as a teen and adult Jenny Howe’s book is the one I needed as a teen. In typical Jenny Howe style a plus size woman is well represented.. The story is well written and a very enjoyable read. I would recommend reading it.

Jenny Howe shines with her YA debut. Centered in the magical Fableland theme park, Love at Full Tilt had me swirling and dreaming throughout every page. An absolutely lovely roller coaster (pun intended) filled with self-love and discovery, friendship, clues and puzzle solving - I want my 18 year old self to be directly inserted into this friend group and adventure. I wish I could book a trip to Fableland tomorrow!

ARC via NetGalley

Goodreads review