On the Plus Side

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.)