While I love the idea behind this book I wish the main character had a little bit less anger because it seemed to overshadow all of her relationships.

Fans of Gilmore Girls, this book was basically made for you. A story of a single mother and her daughter, both struggling to find love, propelled by hefty doses of sarcasm and coffee, this is a great read if you’re looking for something sweet, fast, and fun. And, more importantly, it has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome representation!

Tl;dr, this was such a fun book. With echoes of The Bachelorette (come on, even the title echoes that common drama-inciting line from the show–“so-and-so isn’t here for the right reasons!”) and Gilmore Girls, coupled with a lot of highly relatable content for me (the pain of divorced parents, the craziness of having a mom who runs marathons for fun–yes, my mom runs marathons, including doing Boston twice–and specific disability rep), I enjoyed it a lot!

I really appreciated how this book managed to balance some of the very real struggles of living with a single parent, and the general skepticism about love that it generates, with a lot of fun and humor. Cara is sarcastic beyond belief, and her mother is as well–for the Gilmore Girls fans, it truly is like the Rory/Lorelai dynamic. And that brings me to something else I liked a lot: even though the book is pitched as a romance of sorts, the real focus of the book isn’t on the dating; it’s on the mother-daughter relationship at the heart of it all. A lot of YA books feature absent or difficult mothers, and it was nice seeing one where the main character and her mother are actually friends with each other. Sure, they fight, but it’s very standard and not a toxic thing.

I’m not saying this book was perfect. It had some flaws, including some antagonists that felt very two-dimensional to me, and the occasional line that just didn’t make any sense–you know, characters saying things that are probably supposed to be witty but come out as awkward? The romance was also too insta-love-y for my taste, but that’s more of an “it’s not you, it’s me” problem. Especially since the whole thing takes place on a show where producers were constantly trying to stir up drama and really push all possible romances, I guess I could understand where it’s coming from.

Finally, speaking of the love interest, I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome representation. I have EDS, a connective tissue disorder which basically means that the stuff holding my body (especially joints) together…doesn’t really work. It leads to joint dislocations, pain, super fragile skin, and a lot of physical therapy. It’s why I had to get major shoulder surgery last summer. It’s a rare condition, but not that rare–roughly 1 in 5,000 people have it, according to some estimates. It is way more common than, for example, ALS, which 1 in 50,000 people have. And yet, while ALS is well-known and gets its own “Ice Bucket Challenge,” EDS is still largely unrecognized. This is only the second time I have ever seen EDS mentioned in a book–and the first time I’ve seen it from an author who has the condition, and the first time it has appeared in a lighter, happier read (the other book, Creature by Hunter Shea, had great rep, but it was a horror novel and was pretty bleak). I really appreciated the rep in this book, and while my EDS isn’t exactly the same as that of the character who has it in this book, seeing our commonalities–that awkward conversation of having to explain that your joints don’t stay in place, talking about constant physical therapy sessions, having your arm in weird slings or tape–was so validating.

All in all, this is a great book for disability rep, and an enjoyable read for anyone who wants a little more focus on the mother-daughter love, rather than just their dating lives.

I think that this was was just okay, sorry to say.

The first half of the book was SUCH a slog, like I was thinking of dnfing it. The mother daughter relationship was sweet, and the disability rep was great, but that is where my appreciation for this book ends. It felt very shallow and surface level overall.

2.5 stars

All the Right Reasons - Bethany Mangle ⭐️ 4
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As soon as I read the synopsis for this book I was really intrigued! The reality tv show setting definitely added to my interest as I love reality tv but I was apprehensive as I had read a book in a similar setting and didn’t enjoy it that much but I enjoyed this one!
Right off the bat I was team Julia and Cara and despised Rick and LeeAnn! I loved the mother daughter relationship they had. I enjoyed their rating scales “from 1 to Nicholas cage characters” and my favourite “from 1 to Andy in the Devil Wears Pravda”.
I loved the sort of forbidden romance aspect between Cara and a contestants son, it just added that much more to the story.
I don’t want to spoil it but I was rooting for someone from the very beginning and I may have been right, which made this book that much better!

Overall it was a great book with romance, humour and a little drama!
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I ENJOYED…
☂️
One of my favorite things about All The Right Reasons was definitely the concept. When Cara accidentally posts a video of her ranting about her father and it goes viral, everything changes. They’re cast as leads for a reality TV show, her mother as the lead and a list of suitors ready to marry her. WHAT. a. FUN. Concept, honestly I loved it. I really love any kind of story dealing with TV shows and it was so much fun to see the behind-the-scenes moments, the producers pulling the strings and more. I lived for that!
The mother-daughter relationship is the highlight of the book, that’s for sure. The blurb was right, it did remind me a little bit of Gilmore Girls at times, how close the two of them were, their little inside jokes and more. I found it so interesting to see their relationship grow and be challenged because of the TV show.
Cara was such a great main character to follow. She’s a teenager and she feels a lot, she can be a bit dramatic at times and really bitter, but yet she’s also kind and has such a big heart. The way she acted thorough the story was so realistic, given the circumstances and her age and I couldn’t help but feel for her.

I really liked the cast of characters surrounding the mother-daughter duo. While it wasn’t easy, at first, to keep track of everyone, I found that the little friendships Cara built with some people in the show was really wonderful to see. Oh, and Sam, I adored him as well. He is an assistant in the show, guiding the duo from the very beginning and, while he’s a bit awkward and clumsy, at times, he also has the biggest heart of them all.
Of course, there is a bit of a blooming, forbidden romance in this story between Cara and one of the contestant’s sons, Connor. I found each of their interactions very soft and adorable (just like Connor was!) and I really liked seeing them together.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
I’ll admit it: All the Right Reasons puts the mother-daughter relationship front and center and I LOVED that. Yet, I also happened to be a tiny bit frustrated by the romance part of the story, on Cara’s side. While I enjoyed every single one of her interactions with her love interest, I also craved for a little more depth.

OVERALL
☂️
All The Right Reasons is my first Bethany Mangle book and, let me tell you, it won’t be my last. I had such a great time reading it and I really liked the focus on the mother-daughter relationship. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

“I’m very funny. You’re just cranky. On a scale of one to every single Nicolas Cage character, you’re a seven.”

Gilmore Girls meets the Bachelor in this romantic comedy that has it’s heart in the love shared between mother & daughter. Cara Hawn is a delight of a hot mess. She accidentally posts a video diary ranting to her mom, Julie, about her total trash panda of a dad (who lives it up while they pinch every penny in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment) & it goes viral. Bring in the opportunity, because next thing they know Cara & Julie are interviewing for Second Chance Romance, a “choose-your-own family search for a second chance” with eligible bachelors & their children.

Satisfaction varies as these bachelors range from sweet to douchey to completely unremarkable. Cara forms friendships (& more) with the kids while Julie tries her hand at romance with their dads in an authentic look into the hustle of reality TV.

I was first drawn to this book because it had a disabled love interest & Connor, a contestant’s son, is an absolute delight. He has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome & his desire to just be treated normally really struck a chord for me, as I have the same feeling with my disability. I’ve hidden my own disability many a time just to avoid being treated differently. I loved how his disability really didn’t define him, it was just a small part of a greater, wonderful picture. Just as it should be.

However, as much as I enjoyed Connor, the relationship between Cara & her mother really stole the show. I’ve been watching Gilmore Girls for the first time lately & the ladies Gilmore could not have been a better comparison for this mother daughter relationship. Fans of Stars Hollow, this is a must read! There is comedy, heartache, disagreements, romance, & their strong bond weathers it all. At the end of the day, even if there are hiccups, they are a team.

Coming in at 300 pages this YA contemporary romance is a quick and enjoyable tale. It’s sure to make you smile & keep you turning the pages as you root for family Hawn to get the break they so desperately need (& deserve). It kept me engaged & on my toes until the very end in the best kind of way!

I’m on a blog tour for this book so I will be posting this on my blog on the day of my stop. I loved the Gilmore girls feels in this. All the Right Reasons is a charming romance novel!

Gilmore Girls meets The Bachelor! That's how this book was pitched and that is exactly what it is. We have a mother and daughter who go on a Bachelor style dating reality show for single parents. The banter and wit in this book is next level, especially between mom and daughter. They really feel like they are straight out of Stars Hollow in the best possible way. There are tons of references and nods to The Bachelor as well, and if you've ever watched a season of the show you'll pick up on some of the character archetypes. Throw in a horrible dad, a contestant son who's a little too cute, a charming producer, and some devious would-be step siblings, and there's enough drama for any reality TV show. ALL THE RIGHT REASONS is hilariously fun and perfect for fans of either Gilmore Girls or The Bachelor. I honestly only had one question left when I finished reading: ALL THE RIGHT REASONS, will you accept this bookmark?

All I needed to read was The Bachelor meets Gilmore Girls and I was so sold on this book.
This was a lot of fun and a really cute read! The romance was a bit lighter and less developed than I expected because the book focuses slightly more on the show and the protagonist's relationship with her mom. I did like the development of the mother/daughter relationship but I wish the romance got a little more attention than it did.

This one was super cute! I'll admit that when I picked it up, i had no idea what I was getting into, I just liked the cover. And it stood up to that! The book was just as cute as the cover promised and impossible to put down.

This one accomplished exactly what it set out to do. No, it wasn't the most nuanced read, nor was it amazingly complex. But it was entertaining. It really gave off the reality TV vibes it was going for, and everything about the setting was addicting. I was as sucked into the drama as any of the characters. It was predictable, but that made it even more fun. It really was like reality TV in book form.

As for the romances, they played a smaller role than I was expecting. It mightve just been because this was a shorter book, but everything happened super fast. They were still super enjoyable though. I'll admit that I was more invested in Julia and Sam's relationship than Connor and Cara's, which was the opposite of what I was expecting. Both duos were adorable though, and I could've read a full length book about either one.

Perfect for fans of The Selection by Kiera Cass, I'd definitely recommend this one! It was the perfect summer read; atmospheric and fluffy. While I don't see myself rereading it, I'll be keeping an eye out for the author's future releases.

Thanks to Turn the Page Tours for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a story about family.  Cara Hawn's life has never been the same since her parents divorced after her father cheated on her mother with an instructor at the gym her parents co-own and then married her.  Now living in a small apartment and struggling to make ends meet, Cara is frustrated -- so frustrated that she accidently posts online an epic rant about her father and all the ways he has fallen short that goes viral.  The producers of a new reality dating show, a modern day Brady Bunch where men with children compete to win the heart of a woman with her own children, see the video and cast Cara and her mother as the lead in the new show.

Almost before they know what is happening, Cara and her mom are on their way from Ohio to Key West, where the show is filmed.  They are dropped into an alien world, complete with a beautiful and huge home where the show is filmed, a stylist and tons of clothes, and a large group of eligible suitors and their children.  At the first meeting between Cara and her mom and the suitors and her children, Cara is immediately drawn to Connor, a son of one of the contestants -- and the producers notice.  What follows is several weeks of the producers seeking to make the most interesting tv possible, including by drumming up tension between the contestants and a connection between Cara and Connor, and Cara and her mom trying to pick a suitor they both love, despite their increasingly divergent views of what Cara's mom should be looking for.  As tensions rise, Cara realizes the reality of reality tv may not be all that it is cracked up to be.  

This was a fun read.  The concept for the reality show was a clever setup for exploring both a romance story, for Cara and for her mother, and a story about the complexities of modern families. 

The novel depicted what felt like a very authentic relationship between Cara and her mother -- clearly rooted in deep love but, as would be expected, full of misunderstandings and frustrations.  Cara herself was very relatable, as she navigates the challenges of the aftermath of her parents' split, her relationship with each of her parents, her desire for her mom to be happy while believing that her mom often made the wrong choice, and her own budding feelings for Connor, who seems off limits for several reasons.  It was a joy to spend time in this world -- a perfect read for Valentine's Day week.

Highly recommended!

It’s no big secret that The Bachelor is basically one of my favorite guilty pleasure shows of all time and I am a little bit of a reality TV junkie. So when I see a book about reality TV, I’m in. The book doesn’t even have to be good–I’m not worried about that. I picked up All The Right Reasons for that very reason. Did I expect it to be good? No! But I did expect it to be fun book candy.

All The Right Reasons is the story of a teenage girl, Cara, embarking on a reality TV show journey with her mom, Julia. Julia was selected to be the lead on a dating competition show for single parents with just one kids. Oddly specific? Yes. Plot device to put kids into a reality TV show in a way that “makes sense?” Absolutely. But Cara and Julia are tasked with selecting the father and child combo they want to share a home and life with and the plot of the story follows them as they learn their new reality TV show world and try to find love. Along the way, Cara finds a little love of her own with Connor, the son of one of the contestants on the show.

I thought this story would center more on the budding relationship between Cara and Connor. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the overall story focused more on the behind-the-scenes of the reality show and the relationship between Cara and her mom. My favorite part of the story was the behind-the-scenes imagining of the reality show world, which Cara does not paint a rosy picture of. It consists of a packed schedule of dates, mixers, interviews, B-roll shooting, and conversations with producers. Cara and her mother don’t see eye-to-eye on who Julia should pick and the book explores the pressures they both face to please the men, the producers, the audience, and each other.

What didn’t work for me in this novel was the pacing of the story. I felt like the story went way too fast and didn’t go deep enough in exploring the characters, their relationships, and each stage of the TV show process. While this may have been by design–I’m sure reality TV can feel like getting swept up in a wave–it left me feeling underwhelmed. Cara’s relationship with her mother felt uneven and her relationship with almost all of the other characters left me wanting more. I couldn’t keep any of the kids straight (besides Connor) and wasn’t particularly invested in any of them. Even the romance with Connor felt “meh” and I didn’t understand the attraction beyond him being the only boy her age on the show.

The ending, of course, brings the romances and the TV show to their respective climaxes. I will say that I did LOVE the final choice Julia made and could see it coming from the early chapters in the novel. She absolutely made the right choice and I think the final show would have been fun to watch. The book gives us no glimpse into how the audience receives the show, which would have been fun, but I can imagine it would captivate them. Cara’s romance was relegated to the B-plot, though, and lacked some emotional punch in those final climactic moments. I actually think this book might have worked better if it dropped the teen romance altogether and focused on the relationship between Cara, her mother, and the show.

FINAL GRADE: C Romance fiends might want to skip this one unless they are content with the primary romance being between the adults in a YA story. Overall, this was a fun read but not an overly memorable one. I wished for more depth and exploration of the characters and the TV show, but also didn’t necessarily go into the story expecting it to deliver on those elements. Teens, on the other hand, will be less picky. This won’t be a fly-off-the-shelves hit, and it does lack some of the diversity many teens are looking for (though Connor does have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome), but I do think the premise would be appealing to the right reader.

All the Rights Reasons was a cute story about a mother-daughter pair who go on a really dating show. I enjoyed the relationship and banter between the mom and the daughter, and thought romantic twists were sweet!

A sweet and fun contemporary! I loved reading about Cara and her mother and their progress throughout the story, it felt so honest and wholesome. Connor my sweet boy, I enjoyed his part in the story even though his and Cara's romance is a back burner. Glad to see OwnVoices disability rep too and ultimately the theme of finding and choosing happiness

Gah, this was fun and adorable with a huge focus on mother-daughter relationships, and I really enjoyed it! Maybe I was high key jealous that Cara's mom got picked for the very fun dating show, but alas. She did, and off they went, from their daily grind of trying to make ends meet and dealing with Cara's jerk of a dad and his less-than-stellar new wife, to Key West and the limelight of reality television.

And while it certainly deals with some deeper issues, like the divorce and fallout, but it is a fairly lighthearted novel. There are all kinds of shenanigans that ensue while filming the show, and Cara and her mom have quite a few disagreements about who the perfect stepfamily would be. But Cara's relationship with her mom grows so much during the course of the book, as does each woman's relationship with herself.

I loved that Cara and her mom both started their journey looking for away to escape this crappy dude who kind of ruined their lives, but that wasn't what this process was truly about. They had to navigate their relationship, figure out what they wanted in both romantic relationships, familial relationships, and friendships, and just kind of figure out who they wanted to be in general, what they wanted out of life. Kind of a great message, really.

Bottom Line: Fun and heartfelt, I really enjoyed this mother-daughter adventure!

Reasons to read: you get an inside look at what it's like on a reality dating show, cute romance, and mom and daughter relationship goals.

The second I read the synopsis for this book I had grabby hands. Never mind the fact that I was cooking dinner perusing the internet and may or may not have dropped an egg on the floor (THE WORST). Gilmore Girls is the show that got me through the early days of motherhood when I didn't know wtf I was doing and I was home with a tiny human without anyone else to talk to when the husband was at work. So, when I saw this book had GG as a comp title, I knew I had to find a way to read it ASAP.

Cara's dad is a big ol' poop-head. He dropped the divorce bomb on his anniversary and remarried a woman he met at the gym, where he and Cara's mother work and manage. Cara and her mom are just making ends meet and emotionally, they're both almost out of spoons, so when Cara's accidental viral meltdown sends tv producers knocking on their door, Cara and her mother decide the best revenge is to be happy in any way possible.

But once they arrive at the house and meet the single father's, things get a tad messy with a knowit-all girl making Cara's life miserable and a boy named Conner catches her eye. She quickly realized you cannot push someone into love and that sometimes it comes in the most unexpected ways.

I loved all the reps especially the one where the mother is athletic and driven and doesn't take any s&*t. It's nice to see a woman portrayed that way.

The mother-daughter relationship is reminiscent of GG, especially how much the two love to eat.

I was invested in this story off the bat and the set-up was great. I knew who the endgame would be, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment. My only qualm is that I wished the end had been expanded on and that we had more time with ___(Leaving that there on purpose to create mystery) to see the relationship really blossom as opposed to Cara seeing it so late in the game. I also needed some punishment for the bully.

Overall, I flew through this book and loved every second of it.

While this book did not hit the mark for me, I still enjoyed the reality tv experience, the humor, and the variety of characters.

As I mentioned, I really loved the reality tv show portion of this book. It showed how people can be manipulated and things can be twisted for good tv. It reminded me of ONE TO WATCH with a family/single parent twist to it. It was like reading an episode of The Bachelor and I loved that!

I loved getting to know all the crazy characters this book introduces. The three Mikes were good at their job and gave a great insight into the reality tv industry. Ray and Sabrina were so sweet and thoughtful that I wanted to hug them by the end. And a few of the other contestants were just entertaining to have around.

Unfortunately, there was quite a bit to dislike about this book and most of it leads back to Cara, the main character.
Short version: I didn't like her.
Long version: Cara was not a great main character. She was whiny, had serious anger management issues that were never resolved/worked on, and she was just boring. Honestly, I felt like we never really got to know her beyond the fact that she hated her dad and wanted the best for her mom. We never really learn about her interests, or what kinds of clothes she likes to wear, or even really what she looks like. After finishing the book, I realized my idea of her was super fuzzy. It was not a good time.

Another thing that really tanked my rating of this book was the lack of chemistry between the characters. Cara and Connor clearly like each other and mention it to each other, and others, multiple times, but I don't feel it. There was no magnetic attraction or flow between the two and that kinda sucked. There was a bit of diversity to Connor which was great, but other than that, I was disappointed. Similarly, Cara's mom, Julia, and her man give off no chemistry. When it was revealed that they liked each other, it hit me out of the blue. I never saw it coming and still didn't see it by the end of the book.

Overall, while this book was very disappointing, it was not a complete failure. I loved the idea behind it and even some of the characters, just not the ones that counted. A true shame.

Cara Hawn's father cheated on her mother then married a woman she can't stand. Her online rant went viral, catching the attention of a dating show producer. Cara and her mother are swept up by the show, but clash on the suitors worth keeping around. In doging the producers and paparazzi, Cara can't help but get close to Connor, the son of a contestant. She still has to help her mother pick a bachelor while avoiding her growing feelings and the media, or her family will be fractured even further.

Billed as The Bachelor meets The Gilmore Girls, All the Right Reasons definitely makes me feel for Cara. Her father is intent on making her mother miserable, and the two simply cannot get along. Of course, the show producers are interested in drama on their show and fuel the conflicts between the children and try to influence Julia's decisions. The conflicts spur most of the situations that bring Connor and Cara closer, as well as drive a wedge between Julia and Cara. Isolating all of the contestants from friends and family to produce the show creates a fishbowl effect that only increases drama and emotion.

The impossible situation of being in a dating show with a parent isn't something kids will have experience with, but many will know how it feels to be disappointed, feel abandoned, or not listened to. The dating show aspect puts a deadline on the drama, but still manages to come across as fun to read as well as a source of tension for the characters. I hated Cara's father and the way some of the bachelors acted, so the epilogue especially was a great way to wrap up the story. I loved reading the book, and teens will, too.

I DNFed this. I’m not going to lie. The premise was way outside my comfort zone but I love the Gilmore Girls so I figured I’d give it a go. The Gilmore Girls is so much more than just the mother daughter relationship, and after getting halfway through, the relationship was the only similarity I could find. The exposition was okay, the characters were one dimensional, and overall I just couldn’t bring myself to finish the story.

This was an enjoyable book which is about a girl who captures the attention of tv producers and becomes a lead on a bachelor type show but there is a guy who is off limits she can't have. I have read Bethany's debut novel which was more of a survival book and I enjoy seeing a new different story. Mangle is an incredible writer and can capture many great moments. She has great writing with great pacing, storyline, conflicts, etc. Sbe did an amazing job with balancing the story between on stage and off stage as writing about a show can be very hard as you need a balance of both so the reader isn't bored. With the writing, the author did an amazing job with the story.

The main character is Cara (Korean, white) who joins the show with her mom. I will say that she did kind of annoy me at some times as she would constantly argue with her mom. She did have a character development but it wasn't the best. There are many side characters in this book but the main ones are Julia (the mom) and Conner. I enjoyed the main characters in this book and thought they brought the whole book together. They each have their character development which I think was better then Cara's. This book mostly focuses on a mother-daughter relationship then romance. I enjoyed the whole mother-daughter scenario but I wish there was more romance in the book.

The ending was very well done with a twist. Though I was expecting a meet-cute romance on a tv show, I still did enjoy the family theme in this book. I did have a minor problem with the main character but other than that this book was very well written. I totally recommend reading this book if you love This is Not the Jess Show and The Charm Offensive.