Publishers Weekly
★ 09/25/2023
Howe (The Make-Up Test) dazzles with this pitch-perfect rom-com about learning to love oneself at any size. Plus-size Everly Winters shoved her artistic ambitions to the side after her beloved grandmother’s death, taking a receptionist position at an advertising agency (and lending uncredited help to graphic artists less skilled but higher paid than she is). Her guilty pleasure? The reality series On the Plus Side, a fat-affirming makeover show that celebrates big, beautiful women. When Everly is nominated by an unknown party to be featured for a season, the hosts show up at her office—with a broodingly gorgeous cameraman named Logan in tow. As the show’s effervescent hosts, Jazzy and Stanton, help Everly celebrate her body and reclaim her dreams, Logan and Everly grow unexpectedly closer. When showrunner Sady Sanders notices their budding romance, she hopes to use it to drive up ratings. Her scheming—and willingness to violate professional and ethical boundaries—may imperil both the fledgling couple and Everly’s newfound confidence. Howe’s characters leap of the page; Everly’s struggles are achingly realistic and it’s easy to understand why Logan’s so smitten with her. Readers will similarly have no trouble falling for Logan, whose gruffness belies a genuinely good heart. Timely, humorous, and heartfelt, this exceptional tale of self-acceptance deserves a place on every romance lover’s shelf. Agent: Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary. (Dec.)
From the Publisher
December 2023 LibraryReads Pick
“Smart and funny…this one’s a must read, y’all.” –Book Riot
“Howe dazzles with this pitch-perfect rom-com about learning to love oneself at any size…timely, humorous, and heartfelt.” –Publishers Weekly (starred)
“Everly is presented as beautiful, capable, and the star of her own story. A romantic comedy that’s both cozy and empowering.” –Kirkus Reviews
"Folks standing up for what is right always makes for a good story, and the friendship-to-love relationship between Everly and Logan is fun and fulfilling. For fans of All the Feels by Olivia Dade and Curves for Days by Laura Moher." —Booklist
“Featuring a curvy heroine finding confidence while falling in love, Howe’s latest is a fun mix of What Not To Wear and Queer Eye. Recommended for fans of Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade and The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun.” –Library Journal
Praise for The Make-Up Test:
“Featuring a plus-size heroine, The Make-Up Test provides some much-needed representation in the rom-com genre…Sweet and funny.” –USA Today
“What happens when you have to go against your ex for the chance of a lifetime while studying in the same Ph.D program? Tension and sparks, that's what!” –Cosmopolitan
“Jenny L. Howe’s comedic timing shines in this debut.” –Reader’s Digest, Editor’s Pick
“Enemies-to-lovers, set in academia, with the pitfalls of imposter syndrome to navigate? Yes, please! A sweet, fresh spin on how the third time’s the charm.” —Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here
“Original, clever, sizzling...I’ll read anything Jenny L. Howe writes!” –Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis
“A delightfully sweet second chance, rivals-to-lovers story wrapped up in a cardigan, sprinkled liberally with Beowulf and Chaucer references, and garnished with cat socks.” –Jen DeLuca, author of Well-Met, Well-Played, and Well-Matched
“Heartfelt vulnerability wrapped in a sexy cardigan...The Make-Up Test is an A+.” —Denise Williams, author of How to Fail at Flirting and The Fastest Way to Fall
“With clever writing that makes her grad school rivals simmer and spark on the page, Jenny L. Howe has crafted a love story that feels not just swoony and heart-stirring, but achingly, breathtakingly real.” –Rachel Lynn Solomon, bestselling author of The Ex-Talk and Weather Girl
Library Journal
09/01/2023
After losing her grandmother, Everly Winters has coasted through her early twenties, ignoring professional aspirations and avoiding personal relationships by hiding in drab neutral clothes—because if she doesn't put herself out there, she won't ever be Too Much. Then the hosts of her favorite makeover show tornado into her office and announce that she's been nominated for the next season. Overwhelmed by the fast-paced production schedule, Everly finds an unexpected companion in Logan, the grumpy, gruff cameraman who seems to not mind her being Too Much—he might even actually enjoy it. As weeks pass, Everly and Logan connect both off- and on-camera, and fans of the series start shipping their budding romance. While being on the show boosts Everly's confidence, it also throws a wrench into her perfectly ordered life, forcing her to juggle her own self-doubt, a ratings-hungry showrunner intent on a dramatic story, and growing feelings for Logan and finally makes Everly stand up for herself. VERDICT Featuring a curvy heroine finding confidence while falling in love, Howe's (The Make-Up Test) latest is a fun mix of What Not To Wear and Queer Eye. Recommended for fans of Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade and The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun.—Rachel Alexander
Kirkus Reviews
2023-10-07
After years of hiding her shine, a woman adjusts to life in the spotlight when she’s a guest on a plus-size makeover show.
Everly Winters would rather blend in than stand out—after all, she spent years listening to her overly critical mother tell her she was too loud, too bold, and too much. It’s easier to hide and live life on the sidelines, preferably while wearing neutrals. But then she gets nominated to be a contestant on On the Plus Side, a Queer Eye–type makeover show that only showcases plus-size people. Instead of trying to hide their bodies, the contestants are encouraged to believe in themselves and their inherent fabulousness. Everly is wary of being in the spotlight, but she loves hosts Jazzy Germaine and Stanton Bakshi too much to say no. But this means she has to not only face her fears but do so on camera. Everly can barely admit to herself that she wants more out of life than her role as a receptionist at a marketing firm—she wants to work in the design department. Most important, she misses the woman she used to be before she took her mother’s words to heart and started dressing to blend in. The show’s producer also nudges her to admit her feelings for her Chris Hemsworth–doppelgänger coworker, James—someone Everly assumes would never be into her. Everly expects it to feel difficult as she breaks out of her comfort zone, but one thing she doesn’t expect is to develop a crush on Logan, the cameraman who follows her everywhere. He’s gruff and seems to dress exclusively in flannel, but the more she gets to know him, the more she sees that underneath his grouchy exterior is a deeply kind (and kind of sexy) interior. Everly is a relatable character, and her bravery and persistence in chasing the life she wants creates a satisfying arc. Howe balances Everly’s insecurities with her newfound belief in herself—while her mother may shame her, the novel never does, and Everly is presented as beautiful, capable, and the star of her own story.
A romantic comedy that’s both cozy and empowering.
