The Make-Up Test

In this smart, swoony, rom-com debut from Jenny L. Howe The Make-Up Test, two college exes find themselves battling against each other--and their unresolved feelings--for a spot in a prestigious literature Ph.D. program.

Allison Avery loves to win. After acing every academic challenge she's come up against, she's finally been accepted into her dream Ph.D. program at Claymore University, studying medieval literature under a professor she's admired for years. Sure, grad school isn't easy--the classes are intense, her best friend is drifting away, and her students would rather pull all-nighters than discuss The Knight's Tale--but she's got this. Until she discovers her ex-boyfriend has also been accepted. Colin Benjamin might be the only person who loves winning more than Allison does, and when they're both assigned to TA for the same professor, the game is on.

What starts as a personal battle of wits (and lit) turns into all-out war when their professor announces a career-changing research trip opportunity--with one spot to fill. Competing with Colin is as natural as breathing, and after he shattered her heart two years ago, Allison refuses to let him come out on top. But when a family emergency and a late-night road trip--plus a very sexy game of Scrabble--throw them together for a weekend, she starts to wonder if they could be stronger on the same team. And if they fall for each other all over again, Allison will have to choose between a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and what could be a twice-in-a-lifetime love.

In this charmingly bookish debut, The Make-Up Test embraces the truth that people can sometimes change and grow, even when you least expect it.

Author: Jenny L. Howe
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: 09/13/2022
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.50w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781250837868


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 07/04/2022
Library Journal 08/01/2022 pg. 83
Booklist 08/01/2022 pg. 35

About the Author
Jenny L. Howe first started scribbling stories into black-and-white composition notebooks with neon pink pens when she was in junior high and never really stopped. In college, she decided to turn her love of books into a career by pursuing a Ph.D. in literature, where she spent the next few years studying bizarre and entertaining medieval romances. Now, as a professor, she teaches courses in college writing, literature, and children's media. The Make-Up Test is her debut novel.