ON THE PLUS SIDE

Jenny L. Howe

St. Martin's Press

12/26/23

Romance

Paperback, 268 pages

“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 review)

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.

Her 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 she 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?

Dear Reader,

When I was a teenager, my mom and I always watched What Not to Wear. We loved debating about what clothes we liked, what clothes we didn’t like, and whether we thought the makeover was “successful.”  

With On the Plus Side, I wanted to write a story that followed someone’s journey through one of those life-changing makeovers. At the same time, I was excited to use this as an opportunity to call attention to how the fashion industry often doesn’t leave room for plus-size people to experiment with their appearance, and to challenge that through my version of a makeover show. I hope Everly’s story is a good reminder that everyone can have fun with clothes and feel confident at any size!

I had such a great time writing this book. Getting to lean into my favorite trope—grumpy/sunshine—and playing with how a camera and an audience can complicate a budding romance was such a blast. But one of my favorite things about On the Plus Side,  is how it celebrates the joys of finding community. I hope I have adequately illustrated the absolute glory of meeting people who can relate to your lived experience. And for anyone who hasn’t experienced that, maybe this book can be a starting point. Because no matter who we are or what we look like, we all deserve to be understood. We all deserve to be seen.

xoxo,



Jenny L. Howe

Book Club Menu

Food brings people together. My husband and I make our favorite meals whenever we celebrate good news, family gatherings always seem to happen around a table full of delicious dishes, and some of my most vivid holiday memories involve being in the kitchen with my mother and grandmother. It’s not surprising, then, that central moments in my stories also tend to involve food.

In On the Plus Side, Everly and Logan share a love of Sparky’s, a restaurant with a giant menu and even more flair. Over a plate of various Rangoon flavors (including steak and cheese!), they open up to each other about their lives and histories, including Logan’s fond childhood memories of eating crab Rangoon while folding straw wrappers with his best friend at their local Chinese restaurant. Similarly, Everly and her best friend, Becca, would go to Harry’s Bar after a long work week and unwind over a few glasses of frosé as they complained and gossiped and caught up on each other’s lives.

A good drink and a delicious meal help us relax, and provide sensory details that allow us to hold on to big and small moments. I like to imagine that Everly and Logan always think of each other when they have some Rangoon, and that her signature drink with Becca stays the same even as they, and their lives, change.

-Jenny Howe