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A review by shaynalambert
On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe
5.0
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“I don’t need anyone’s permission to be myself.”
This is something that Everly’s grandmother taught her before she passed, and I think it sums up the theme of the book. On The Plus Side is about a fat woman who has lost her spark, and in her desire for safety and stability, has chosen to make herself smaller, less noticeable, to take up less space. But when she is chosen as a guest on the titular reality makeover show, Everly starts to rediscover the fire and verve with which she used to live her life.
I greatly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it, especially to anyone who is interested in body positive stories about a heroine who already loves herself and her body. In fact, it was really refreshing to read a romance with a fat heroine who is comfortable in her skin and not constantly castigating herself, for whom weight loss is not a concern at all. At the same time, it doesn’t shy away from the fatphobia that’s engrained in our society and that fat people routinely face.
As such, as a fat woman, I found a lot of Everly’s story to be very relatable, from the sorts of fashion struggles fat people face to her relationship with her mom. So much of this story rang very true for me, and it made me cheer Everly along as she found her way back to herself, to the old, loud, bombastic Everly that she wanted to be again. It’s such an upbeat story filled with fun characters. Jazzy and Stanton are particular standouts for me, and I wish they were real and also my best friends. I love them so much.
“I don’t need anyone’s permission to be myself.”
This is something that Everly’s grandmother taught her before she passed, and I think it sums up the theme of the book. On The Plus Side is about a fat woman who has lost her spark, and in her desire for safety and stability, has chosen to make herself smaller, less noticeable, to take up less space. But when she is chosen as a guest on the titular reality makeover show, Everly starts to rediscover the fire and verve with which she used to live her life.
I greatly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it, especially to anyone who is interested in body positive stories about a heroine who already loves herself and her body. In fact, it was really refreshing to read a romance with a fat heroine who is comfortable in her skin and not constantly castigating herself, for whom weight loss is not a concern at all. At the same time, it doesn’t shy away from the fatphobia that’s engrained in our society and that fat people routinely face.
As such, as a fat woman, I found a lot of Everly’s story to be very relatable, from the sorts of fashion struggles fat people face to her relationship with her mom. So much of this story rang very true for me, and it made me cheer Everly along as she found her way back to herself, to the old, loud, bombastic Everly that she wanted to be again. It’s such an upbeat story filled with fun characters. Jazzy and Stanton are particular standouts for me, and I wish they were real and also my best friends. I love them so much.