2,5 stars
I thought this book had a lot of potential but in the end it just wasn’t for me. Though I do believe this book may work for other readers.

I thought the romance between the two MCs was really sweet and in the beginning it really hooked me with their cute banter. But the relationship was quickly overshadowed by the drama of the rest of the plot.

Zoey, the female MC, just wanted her dream vacation in Alaska, a trip she had been planing her whole life. But it seems NOTHING can go right for her. Every activity goes terribly wrong and she has a miserable time. I wanted to get a feeling of wanderlust - and I just did not get it from this novel. You don’t really get much of an Alaskan nature appreciation vibe since it always revolves around how Zoey mucks it up again (and has to be rescued … again).
It seems, you can only expect to have a good time on a vacation if you’re rich (at least that is the impression this book gave me). But at the same time, they bash the elite guests of the resort Zoey gets to stay in (for free!); there seems to be not one nice rich person. Why does she put up with them then?

And just the drama of every scene! I do think for entertainment purposes you can work with misunderstandings and a kind of slapstick humor - But. Not. In. Every. Scene. And you have to know when enough is enough.
For ex. during one of their first encounters, Zoey stumbles upon Graham (male MC) and mistakes him for an ax-murderer (I get it, the whole chainsaw and everything). She defends herself (ouch) and hides in his home. But instead of resolving this situation in a believable quick way, the author chose to make a whole thing of it. Zoey calling the police, both of them getting arrested and spending some quality time in the same (?) cell. Hmmm. Sometimes, less is more.

The end draged a bit for me as well. I just didn’t connect with the characters as much as I wished I would. The most emotional I got was by reading a scene about a moose.

That said, I do believe someone else might really enjoy this rom-com novel. I was just hoping for something else. But I do think I would try something else by this author, just to see if the next plot is more up my alley.

This was a nice, easy-to-read romcom. However, the tension within the book felt too contrived. I would have liked it more if the male lead didn’t have such a chip on his shoulder.

This was a cute insta-love romance. Perhaps my favorite part of it was that it’s set in Alaska, which is such a fun setting for a romance. It was a little cliche and cheesy, but I liked that there was more to it than just the love story. There was a strong friendship and conflicting motives also taking a center spot.

The book was a bit long, some of the conflicts repeated on a loop. The main characters could also have been fleshed out a bit more; the male lead is a grump who only lets his guard down for Zoey, but then had a pointless violent streak.

Overall, 3 stars and I’ll be interested to read the next book in this series!

The premise to this sounds so cute. And the book delivers a lot of cute, almost too much for me. Snarky hero who hates tourists, nerdy, glasses wearing heroine who is a tourist, a blind dog that wears pajamas, a moose that loves a car, and a town full of quirky characters.

Zoey travels to Alaska and meets Graham, a diner owner who really hates the tourist who comes to the town. This is a huge plot point and it got a little old after a bit. It was a little hard to see why exactly Zoey would want to be with Graham because he is kind of a jerk. He has some really soft spots though and once he shows those, it was easier for me to believe in their love story.

The cute Hallmark style is very high in this book, so if you don’t enjoy that style, the book is probably not for you. The dialogue was fun though and we do get both POVs. It is low heat and felt appropriate to the story.

I felt the first half dragged a little and the story picked up with the second half. I saw the author talking on IG that there are more stories planned and I will probably read them.

The Tourist Attraction is a charming and ever so lovable romantic comedy that will enchant readers with it’s small town vibe, charming cast of characters, witty and memorable dialogues with the vacation fling as romance trope. Graham and Zoey are not your typical romance couple and the setting is the not so often featured state of Alaska. Sarah Morgenthaler has managed to craft a story that might be slow burn but is pure enjoyment to read. I have never had so much fun reading a love story that has very little obstacle for the main couple from the start. Add in a town that sounds both small town and tourist spot rolled into one, fantastic sceneries, secondary characters that you wish gets their own book, a cute dog and a love sick moose and you have a winner! The vividness of the setting makes you just want to get on a plane and make your own Alaskan adventure happen. The Tourist Attraction has all the boxes ticked for a great romantic comedy plus Alaska!

I had SUCH high hopes for this debut novel, and I think, in the end, it was a “it’s me and not you” situation. I completely get why so many people enjoyed this book. The story started on a high note; Alaska settings and grumpy heroes are my catnip! The hero was giving me Luke from Gilmore Girls-but-younger vibes, and I was here for it. But then… he got less grumpy? He was actually very flirty with everyone. Almost every single female local he came across he had dated or thought about dating and TBH, it put me off and really dented his whole “grumpy diner-owner” motif. Plus, people kept talking about how lazy he is. There is a difference between grumpy and belligerently lazy and the hero was starting to slide to the less desirable of those two options.

I probably could have gotten passed my dashed grumpy hero hopes if I liked the heroine even a little bit. Everyone she comes across seems to love her; I found her to be a bit of a dud. She was judgy and righteous, and I just couldn’t get beyond it. I honestly did not understand why the hero liked her so much. I would love for someone to explain it to me.

Combine a hero and heroine I don’t click with, no sexy times, and weird slapstick humor that seemed out of place most of the time, and you have a DNF recipe for this reader.

Overall, if the main characters aren’t working for me almost halfway through the book, I am pretty darn positive they won’t work for me the rest of the book. I’m not saying “no, never” to Ms. Morgenthaler’s future books, but this book didn’t work for me.

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

Far too cheesy for me! I wasn’t drawn to pick this one up and didn’t like the characters or love story. Everything felt too fake and I found myself cringing for most of it. Might work for fans of hallmark films and low steam romance.

Graham and Zoey have my heart. This book was so so cute! And when you add Ulysses and Jake... an unbelievable romance. These characters were well thought out, the premise fulfilling and the scene of Alaska was a genius location.

BUT YALL. I loved this book. Graham is never going to be Jonah but I loved him a lot as well. He is grumpy but also has such a sweet heart. From the very beginning, he is taking care of Zoey, the main character, after she has quite the first night on her bucket list trip to Alaska. Zoey has so many adventures planned that I was 100% jealous of. But Graham is just too much for her. A lot happens in the book with Zoey, her rich friends and the other people in Moose Springs but I just can’t get over Graham.

So yes, this book was Zoey’s story and heavily involved Graham. But there was one character that I just loved so much. And it was a moose. Something happens to the moose and I was in tears. Who know I could love a moose so much when he isn’t even a very nice moose? Maybe quarantine is getting to me but I just loved Ulysses.

This book was delightful. The setting, the snark, and the adorable animals made for one heck of a combination and it was a lot of fun.

Graham and Zoey were 100% adorable and their banter and dialogue definitely made this book what it was: a treat. While Graham is a grumbly "alphahole" (Zoey's words) in love with his hometown and a deep hatred of the tourists who flock there, Zoey is the exact opposite; an optimistic, shy little tourist. It's a match that you don't think will work, but somehow does seamlessly. They balance each other out, and watching them grow and come to love each other felt like a gift. Zoey's terrible luck on excursions, and Graham's effort to make her trip one of the best she's ever had, was a beautiful experience and had me both laughing and crying.

Another wonderful part of this book? Easton. I love love love the giant mountain of a man with his beard and his man bun and his one word answers. He is a treasure that must be protected at all costs.

The only thing that I didn't love about this book was the length. While I did love that we got more time with Ulysses (the sweetest moose ever) and Jake (the cutest pup), as well as some more witty dialogue from our cast of characters, it just went a bit too long. After the third or fourth time the couple is hilariously interrupted in a private moment you kind of sigh and say "okay, but when are we going to actually move past this?" Also, I wasn't crazy about Graham's little temper control issue. It wasn't awful, just unnecessary.

Lastly, the one main conflict that comes up in this book (courtesy of one of our delightful cast members) never fully seems resolved, just kind of brushed under the rug. I'm wondering (and hoping) if that will be a theme in the coming few books in this cozy town of Moose Springs, because it was so prominent in this book I would hate for it to just be a loose end never tied up.

All this to say, I got swept up in Graham and Zoey, loved visiting Moose Springs, and even with the few issues I will absolutely read the next couple books coming, especially since we get more of Easton.

I’ve been reading some good books lately and this was no exception! Graham was hilarious and had one of my favorite lines in the book. The relationship between Graham and Zoey was cute and the entire cast of characters were entertaining! Not to mention...it’s set in Alaska so I was basically hooked from the beginning!

I started The Tourist Attraction prepared to be disappointed. I knew the synopsis sounded cute, but I'd recently read The Simple Wild and Wild at Heart and I was afraid I'd be comparing it to two books that had completely swept me off my feet. But try as I might, I couldn't fight the grin that overtook my face within the first few pages. And I kept finding myself smiling and laughing out loud as I read the rest of this adorable book.

What I liked: Graham and Zoey are adorkable together. Their banter and chemistry is on point. I loved that Zoey was adventurous despite being quieter than her more confidant friend, Lana. Sometimes when our leading lady is the nerdy, quiet type, the author also makes her shy and timid. Not Zoey!

I loved the setting. I think I'm developing an Alaskan fixation with all the books I've been reading lately. Morgenthaler does a beautiful job of setting the scene and giving the reader memorable (and romantic) experiences.

I also loved the plot point of the town vs. the tourists. I love to travel, but I'm always thinking about how the locals must feel about strangers constantly rotating through the place they live and love. While tourism is sometimes necessary to keep money coming in, it often also means destroying some of what there is to love about a place. It's definitely a rock and hard place, and the author succeeds at showing a bit of both sides.

But what I love most about this book is the humor and heart. I laughed, smiled, and got misty-eyed, and that's the kind of escapism needed right now.

While I love this book and highly recommend it, a few things did bother me. I wanted more of Zoey's backstory. I kept waiting for it, thinking we're going to find out why Alaska has always been her dream destination, but we never get it. I also found myself confused by some of the dialogue--backtracking and rereading--but overall these small things weren't enough to kill my happy reading experience.

The Tourist Attraction is so much fun, and I can't wait to read the next installment.

Rating: 2.5

I really struggled with The Tourist Attraction. I was really excited about this book after I read the blurb and jumped at the chance to read it.

Sadly this book did not do it for me. The story just draaaaaagged for me. I felt like I would read several chapters and neither characters had moved or done anything. This story just wasn't for me.

Like many other people, I’m all about the light and funny books these days, and The Tourist Attraction definitely delivered. It was sweet, hilarious, had great characters, and a romance that was easy to root for.

Graham hates tourists. As a reluctant diner owner in Moose Springs, Alaska, he’s seen it all, and he hates that his town is overrun with rich, entitled tourists who wreak havoc, flash their money around, and are just generally a nuisance, even if they do help him pay the bills. He does have a soft spot for one tourist in particular, though, and when she arrives with a friend in tow, he’s charmed despite himself. Zoey isn’t like the others; she’s not rich and spoiled, and she didn’t choose Alaska on a whim. She toiled away as a waitress for years, saved all her money, and finally made her dream of visiting Alaska come true.

Graham and Zoey were such great characters. They had an instant connection and their playful banter had me grinning and laughing out loud. Zoey is adorable and relatable, and I wanted to be friends with her right away (hello, fellow shy bookworm, let’s hang out and read together!). I appreciated that she didn’t have everything figured out; she’d settled into her waitressing job back home as a means to an end, with her big goal being Alaska, and now that she could check that off her bucket list, she didn’t really know what was ahead. As for our hero, I know a lot of people are all about the grumpy hero, but they’re not always my favourite; they’re often unforgivably rude and seem to have little to no reason for the giant chip on their shoulder. Graham appears gruff and grumpy, but he’s actually a squishy, soft sweetheart, and the way he is with Zoey melted my heart. He saw her - truly saw her - from that very first moment, and the way he thought about her and treated her made me swoon.

The Tourist Attraction is adorable and witty, and the banter between Graham and Zoey is honestly some of the best I’ve seen. Prepare for lots of giggles and swoons, a side of feels, a stand-out setting, and a couple of animals that totally steal the show. I’m excited this book is the first in a series of standalones, because I’m eager to return to Moose Springs in the autumn with Mistletoe and Mr. Right.

Might be more of a 3.5, but I'll round up because this was a lot of fun and it gets bonus points for being the first book that was able to pull me away from my constant Animal Crossing playing, lol. This book was very cute! It had a great mix of sassy characters and a fun setting and I am definitely looking forward to reading more books from this series in the future. My only real complaint is that the main relationship felt very surface level. I enjoyed our two main characters and I thought that they went well together in the end, but I didn't necessarily feel like I connected to them and their relationship as much as I was hoping I would Overall though, this was fun and I definitely intend to carry on with the rest of the series as the books come out!

Loved the characters and setting! Cute dialogue. Not as salacious as I was expecting but that was ok. Looking forward to the next in this series.

Struggled to get into this one and gave up less than halfway. Didn’t gel with the characters...............................

I have devoured the pages of The Tourist Attraction in just one sitting. This is a good one, folks!

Zoey has scrimped and saved her whole life to be able to go on a trip to Alaska with her (very rich) best friend, Lana. She has the whole thing planned out, and her handy Alaska travel guide to help her navigate it. But at every turn, things seem to be going horribly wrong… except where grumpy restaurant owner Graham is involved.

Graham started his little restaurant – “The Tourist Trap” – to be a joke. The town of Moose Springs is regularly overrun by tourists from the resort on the mountain above them, and it’s a never ending battle between the two groups. Graham is the reluctant owner of vacationers’ favorite place to be. And while he hates most tourists, he’s quickly growing a soft spot for his old friend Lana’s newest fellow traveler. Unfortunately, any flirtation with Zoey has an expiration date, and he’s falling hard.

I really fell in love with the characters in this novel. Zoey, in particular, is not only relatable but too cute for words. Graham’s archetype is this grumpy, artsy, mountain guy… and it’s totally working for him. The landscape he resides in is a great metaphor for his personality: beautiful and breathtaking, but harsh and unforgiving. Rough around the edges. This is why Graham and Zoey ended up making such a perfect fit, and such an adorable meet-cute; where Graham is hard, Zoey is pretty dang squishy and soft. They’re a lovely, believable balance.

I’m also basically obsessed with Alaska now. The kitschy setting of Moose Springs is just so warm and welcoming, and I am heartened to know that Morgenthaler spent time in Alaska prior to writing this new series. Maybe it really is like this in some places! Regardless, I’ve asked my boyfriend if we can move there, and he gave me the usual “okay sure, honey” I get every time I fall in love with a new part of the world. Suffice to say, we’ve yet to leave New Hampshire, hahaha. 🙂 I think you’re really going to fall in love with this setting, and never want to leave.

Some things I wasn’t a huge fan of: the ritzy life of these rich people, and their negative tones cast on the book. They’re a necessary element of telling the story, but goodness gracious were they annoying. Lana even, who is supposed to be a supportive best friend for Zoey, sometimes falls in this category and certainly wasn’t my favorite.

Additionally: the violence. I’m not saying there’s anything you have to worry about going into this book; it’s not really dark and nothing extremely violent or terrible happens. It’s just like, all the fighting. Physical fighting. For honestly no reason. I’m such a pacifist, every time someone put their fists up (to fight over a girl, to fight over nothing, blah blah) I did one big dramatic sigh, then read on.

What makes up for it: Graham’s blind border Collie, Jake, who is honestly the adorable star of this book. The definition of a good boy.

I am chomping at the bit to get the next book in this series, Mistletoe and Mr. Right. Throughout the story, you really fall in love with the characters of the town, and I’m excited to see their own love stories unfold. You can bet I’ll be picking up Morgenthaler’s latest in October. I am here for it!

This was extremely adorable and cute, almost good enough to make me want to visit Alaska myself.

Zoey spent years saving up for a trip to Alaska, and she needs this once-in-a-lifetime vacation to be everything she had hoped for. She instantly gets her heart stolen by Moose Springs, the little town down the mountain from her hotel, a resort full of rich people who only care about taking the perfect picture for their socials. Graham owns a diner that's very popular with the tourists, but he hates all the visitors that invade his little mountain town. But Zoey might just be the one tourist who could make him change his mind.

This was very insta-love. Their eyes meet, there's a little flirting, and Graham has his knight-in-shining-armour moment when he makes sure a drunk Zoey gets back to the resort on her first night in town. After that, it's a typical vacation romance, combined with a small town vibe that perfectly highlights the difference between the tourists and the locals. I liked the banter between Zoey and Graham. She was the sunshine to his grump, and their personalities balanced each other out.

Unfortunately, this book was a bit too long and it suffered from pacing issues. The first part of the book was fine, but the main conflict was dragged out too much. Additionally, some of the fights between Zoey and Graham were repetitive and felt like they were crammed into the plot to ensure another kiss-and-make-up scene. On top of that, Graham has an anger issue that diminishes his likeability as romantic lead. He is shown to be physically violent a few times, which felt like an excessive side to his grumpy personality. It's never really discussed as a bad thing, but more or less just gets brushed to the side every time.

In the end, I enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick read, with a lot of funny and romantic moments. I liked the town setting and the interesting characters. Even if this wasn't the perfect book, I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

DNF at 49%. I was really excited for this book and really wanted to love it, but sadly it's a rom com that relies heavily on humor and that humor didn't click with me. I will say I'm glad I gave it a second try via audiobook since the characters came off a lot differently than in my head.