It is not often that I read romance novels where the final couple ends up being a cis man and a cis woman, but this one is something fun and comforting. In Howe’s latest romance release, How to Get a Life in Ten Dates, 25-year-old Haleigh is on a string of bad first dates. With her sister’s engagement party looming in the distance, her and her childhood best friend, Jack, scheme up a challenge for her friends and family: set Haleigh up on 10 first dates, and if none of them go well, Haleigh is allowed to go on her romantic retirement in peace. The only complication? She has been in love with Jack for years. Will this finally be her opportunity to get over him, or will this be what ruins their friendship once and for all?

Starting with the good, because there was so much good in this book. I loved the fat representation with Haleigh and Jack’s characters, and I thought Haleigh’s complete disregard for gender and physical appearance when it came to who she dates added a lot of depth to her character. Every person she encounters she evaluates not on how they physically present to the world, but in how they interact with and understand each other even in their fleeting, sometimes awful, encounters. I did find Haleigh lovable, especially at her most anxious, especially when she was “messy.” I am not used to straight male love interests, so I’m glad that Jack was obsessed with her because that’s exactly how a male love interest should act towards the female protagonist. I also need more of Brian — Jenny Howe, give us the spin off — and he was possibly my favorite character of the entire book. This book was overall just a really lighthearted read even when the characters were dealing with mental health issues, and it made for a quick rainy day read.

I did find it strange that the FMC was so young and so hyper-focused with finding a partner, and that her family perpetuated this. She comes from a family that expects success and stability in their careers, and yet they think she must cling to a man (or a partner)? It just seemed a bit off. I also thought that Haleigh and Jack’s career panics made them more relatable MCs, but I do think neither of them got a truly satisfying ending in that respect. I wish these points were a bit more fleshed out, but I didn’t find that it took me out of the moment while reading. I still liked this book and would recommend it for anyone looking for more body diversity in their romance reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an eARC in exchange for my honest review. I can’t wait to read more from Jenny Howe.