On the Plus Side - A Novel

What Not to Wear and Queer Eye meet All the Feels in this sparkling romantic comedy by Jenny L. Howe, in which the new guest on a popular plus-size makeover show has her style-and her love life-transformed.

Everly Winters is perfectly happy to navigate life like a good neutral paint color: appreciated but unnoticed. That's why she's still a receptionist instead of exploring a career in art, why she lurks but never posts on the forums for her favorite makeover show, On the Plus Side, and why she's crushing so hard on her forever-unattainable co-worker. When no one notices you, they can't reject you or insist you're too much.

This plan is working perfectly until someone secretly nominates Everly for the next season of On the Plus Side. Overwhelmed by the show's extremely extroverted hosts and how much time she'll have to spend on screen, she finds comfort in a surprising friendship with the grumpy but kind cameraman, Logan. Soon Everly realizes that he's someone s he doesn't mind being noticed by. In fact, she might even like it.

But when their growing connection is caught on camera, it sends the show's ratings into a frenzy. Learning to embrace all of herself on national TV is hard enough; can Everly risk heartbreak with the whole world watching?

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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-Play ed, 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