So, I attempted to read this book because I was really excited about the ARC I had from Netgalley. I purchased the audiobook because I haven't been in the mood to read with my eyes and I... did not like this at all. Not even a little. I know that romanticizing small towns is a thing. I get it. I love Hallmark movies too. What I don't understand is banking your professional career on a view of small towns ENTIRELY based on Hallmark movies. And I kept telling myself that our main character would learn from her mistakes and get better, but there were so many things about this book grating on my nerves that I gave up at about 30%. Also there were a few discomforting things said offhandedly that struck me as being a little gender role rigid for lack of a better way to phrase that. Anyway, I hope this book finds the right audience, but unfortunately, that audience is not me.

I love the premise for this story - who DOESN’T want to encounter a small town hunk and fall in love a la Hallmark?

The Gilmore Girls references? More love.

Much like Adi’s experience in a small town wasn’t what she expected, this book also wasn’t what I expected. For me, it was a slower start to the story. I think what kept me going was trying to figure out how she would fix the major problem she ran into.

I had a hard time liking Adi at times. Also, I didn’t feel like the relationship between her and her love interest was super well developed. I don’t want to include any spoilers but from their initial rapport to the point they reached at the end of the novel… I felt like I needed to see more credible development of how they got there.

Overall, it wasn’t a book I disliked but I did feel slightly underwhelmed by it.

3.5 stars. I was drawn to the story as a big fan of Hallmark movies and fun romance novels, and was curious how the author would interpret those elements in her story.

Overall this was a fun read. There are some heavier moments, such as Finn’s dealings with his Dad. I loved the town’s characters and would enjoy a sequel set in that town just to revisit with all of them!

Adi got a little grating and immature at times, and some of the focus on the 🔥🔥 moments took away from the plot a little. She was a little self-centered as well which made it hard to root for her at times.

A good summer/beach read.

Thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for a copy of the book.

Aspiring entertainment journalist Adina adores Hallmark movies and any romance show that features a small town. Her big break finally comes with the opportunity to visit a small town called Pleasant Hollow and write a story comparing it to Hallmark films. However, she is quickly disillusioned by the lack of charming whimsy, and even falls for the city boy helping to develop fancy condos in town.

This was a cute and fun story that flips some of the Hallmark tropes on its head while also respecting why people love them. I couldn't help but crack up at Adina's continued deflation as she visits each terrible small business in Pleasant Hollow and realizes her Gilmore Girls dreams are not going to come true.

However, I found Adina kind of insufferable. She's pretty immature throughout the novel, and while her disillusionment is the point, her naivety at the beginning bordered on unrealistic. Too many cringe moments where she would talk to the townsfolk like they were quirky TV characters and not real people. She also says things like "Annoying AF" out loud, which is, well, Annoying AF.

All my opinion, though. I do recommend if you're looking for a breezy romance this summer and are a connoisseur of Hallmark.

This is a fun book. As someone from a small town at first I was a little annoyed with the perception of small town life and the implication that the town needed some big city gal to come save them. However, those feelings went away as the town folk began to express their own, incorrect, thoughts about how the thought the big city worked.

It was fun to read a book that took that typical Hallmark movie idea and turned it on its head. To see the main characters struggle and have to show the actual realness, and sometimes ugliness, of their lives and not just have everything be total perfect. And to then learn how to adjust and work together to get to their happily ever after.

I also really loved how no one had to give up on their dreams in order to be together. That's always so frustrating in the Hallmark movies! It's so nice to see a couple come up with something that's perfect for them, even if the traditional Hallmark crowd might find it horrifying that the couple isn't curled up in a house in the small town together every single night. This is the perfect solution for this couple and the perfect way to wrap up this book.

Adina Gellar is a part-time barista trying to be a full time writer. She wants to work for the website Tea. She keeps coming up with ideas for articles to send to her wannabe boss, Derek. Finally he agrees with her idea to go to a small town and find out how they feel about a new residential property.

She's hoping the small town will be quaint and quirky like Stars Hollow or like a Hallmark movie. She meets a local boy, Finn. When the town doesn't live up to her expectations she tries to force it into the box.

I initially was hooked at the beginning of this book. But when I got to the town I struggled to like Adi. She was kind of annoying. I tried my hardest to really love the book. But I wasn't feeling it with the characters. 🤷 I enjoyed the writing. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc - it was so much fun to read!
Adi Gellar is a city girl who is obsessed with the quintessential small town that you see in Hallmark movies. She is also done with dating in New York City and wants to try dating outside of the city and experience a small-town romance. She's also an aspiring journalist who just can't seem to get her big break. When she gets the opportunity to write an article about an apartment complex that's about to take over Pleasant Hallow - a small town in upstate NY - for the chance to land her dream job at Tea, she takes it.

When she arrives in Pleasant Hallow, she comes to find that the town isn't the perfect town that she made out it to seem. It is nothing like what you see in a Hallmark film which not only disappoints Adi, but ruins the story she was planning on writing for Tea. No one in the town is upset about the apartment complex and all of the surrounding stores and restaurants are mediocre...at best. Although, she does meet Finn, giving her the chance to have her small-town romance. Until she finds out that Finn is from New York City and is working for the businessman who plans on building the huge apartment complex in Pleasant Hallow.

I loved all the Gilmore Girls and pop culture references in the novel, it was right up my alley! I personally think that the romance could have been better, it felt very flat. I really liked Adi and Finn, but I feel like there was a lot left out in regards to their relationship. I also feel like the storyline was rushed in the beginning and then once it got to the middle of the story, there wasn't much happening. But looking past that, it was a very cute story that played out just like a Hallmark movie in its own way. Overall, I really liked the characters and felt a connection to Adi. I definitely recommend it for anyone who loves pop cultures and has a connection to a small town and a city!

This was cute but ultimately too slow for my tastes. I'm sure plenty of readers will love this, I just needed more!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader.

Jaded big city girl goes to a small town in search of her "Hallmark movie" happily ever after, only to learn the grass isn't always greener. However, she learns that sometimes what you want is right under your nose.

It's been suggested to me that this book was supposed to evoke a Hallmark movie. It did not. There was some very explicit language and sexual scenes that do not jive with my understanding of relatively chaste Hallmark movies.

The book could have benefitted from some serious editing. There was an overuse of similies and metaphors, and way more description than was necessary. Some of it felt like the author was just trying to up her word count. Also, the main character, Adina, was supposed to be a trained (albeit unemployed) journalist and was so unprofessional. The Jewish representation was nice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central) Publishing for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a charming, funny, spicy romance novel, I enjoyed every minute of it!

Adina is an aspiring journalist who is obsessed with Hallmark movies. When she hears about a big developer moving into nearby small town, she becomes convinced this is the story that will kickstart her career.

Then she gets to the small town and things are not as she expected. It was hilarious to see her having realize experiences when she was expecting a fantasy land.

Adi and Finn were great characters both together and separate. They each had a journey that was necessary to complete before they could be together and I always appreciate that in a romance novel.

I highly recommend this one for romance readers.

Well, this one wasn’t for me. I think it’s perfect for those that love Hallmark movies and Gilmore Girls. My main issue was how the main character felt too young or just too naïve for me. I’m also not a big Hallmark fan, and I definitely need to be better at reading synopsis. I know this book has lots of love, and I’ll recommend it to those people that I know will love this story.

Thanks NetGalley for the Arc!

This book was like a quirky version of a Hallmark movie!

Aspiring journalist, Adina, leaves NYC on what she thinks may be the lead to a great story. She actually got the idea watching reality tv! A big time developer is building a complex in a small town. The town sounds like Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. Adina quickly (and sadly) realizes the story may not be going in the direction she had hoped. She imagined the town to be tight knit and so very angry about this monstrosity in their treasured town. To her dismay, the locals don’t seem to have sharpened their pitchforks.

She meets Finn- the leader of the development project. The two immediately have chemistry & we get to watch their story unravel.

This book was cute- not exactly what I expected. Some parts were a bit slow for me. Maybe I needed more drama? I liked Schorrs references and style of writing.

DNF page 41.

Sorry book, it’s not you, it’s me. I tried really hard to like you, but I just couldn’t do it.

This is where my never reading a synopsis bites me in the ass. I feel bad DNFing an ARC, but I just can’t keep forcing myself to read this. If I had read the synopsis I would have seen ‘Gilmore Girls’ and ‘Hallmark Movies’ and known this was not a book for me. I have never watched the Gilmore Girls, but have seen a few snippets here and there and it honestly seemed really obnoxious. And I have never watched a Hallmark movie and I doubt I ever will. That type of sappy love story just doesn’t do it for me.

Despite DNFing it so early, I’m still giving it 3 stars because I can tell it’s a good book, it’s just not for me and I would feel bad giving it a low rating because of my own preferences.

3.5/5 stars

As Seen On TV is a romantic comedy.

The narrator is 25 year old Adina/Adi (1st person POV). She is a journalist and trying to get her big break. She loves Hallmark movies and decides to go to a small town to try to write her perfect story.

Adi is Jewish and I really enjoyed the Jewish content in this book (although I actually wish that there had been even more).

The book was cute. The small town aspect was fun. I loved Kate (Adina's best friend). I liked both main characters, although some of the male's actions drove me crazy. The ending was great! Overall an enjoyable read.

As Seen on TV has romance, Jewish rep, a love for NYC, small town vibes, and family. Although I didn't feel a connection to Adi, the main character, I enjoyed reading the story for what it was... a mid-twenties heroine developing her journalist writing craft and finding love. Adi and the love interest, Finn, held a lot back from one another so it was hard to get too invested in their relationship. The small town vibes were basically the opposite of fictional small towns that you find in Hallmark movies and TV shows which was interesting and different to read!

Thank you to the publisher for sending an advanced copy my way!

I was charmed by As Seen on TV (what a perfect title!) It’s pretty rare for me to laugh out loud while reading, but there were several times I did in this novel! Adi’s naive assumptions about small-town life are subverted at every turn, making this a fresh take on the trope. I cringed on her behalf so many times. She grows so much in the span of the story. Finn is a sweet, sexy love interest who has some growth of his own to do. The story concludes with an ending that satisfies. ❤️

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: Death of a parent (past), alcoholic parent (side-character), toxic relationship with parent (side-character), gender essentialism, mentions of time without housing (side-character)

I enjoyed the writing in this fiction with a romance subplot. Light, forth, bubbly. The beginning especially gave me the feeling of when I was in high school watchingGilmore Girls or another WB show with my mom and sister and that feeling. I loved all of the easter eggs to those shows, and the feeling of wanting what you don't have. Small town kids often dream of the big city and in this book we see the opposite, how romanticized small towns are.

Ali's experience wasn't bad, it was just normal, which was not at all meeting her high expectations. I really enjoyed her relationship with her mom and her own personal growth and she figured out what she wanted in life, learning to appreciate what she already had. And the Jewish rep was lovely.

What stopped me from loving this one was the romance subplot was a miss for me unfortunately. But if you're looking for a softer read, low-angst and a fan of Hallmark movies check this one out.

Steam: 3

Thanks so much netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book follows Adina who lives at home with her mom and has multiple jobs to keep her busy. One of her jobs is that she free lances for a magazine called the Tea. She came up with an article idea where she will go to Pleasant Hallow which is a small town which is about to be taken over by a businessman who wants to revitalize the town. She goes there not really knowing what to expect, and she definitely does not expect to fall in love. This book is a little bit of a slow burn, but it is definitely a cute read- and your perfect small town hallmark story!

Adina knows the formula for every hallmark-ish movie ever. In this case she is the big city woman going to a small town. She is headed there to write an article and save her career and maybe fall for the town handyman/mayor, business owner, nephew of the owner of the Bed and Breakfast, but no that doesn’t happen. Instead, she falls for the enemy, the big city business owner.
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She is shocked to see there is no homemade pie, no one opposing condos being built and even worse no town activities. Everything she thought she knew about small town life from tv is just plain wrong.
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This one is out today! Thank you @readforeverpub for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you live for the seasonal Hallmark specials and adore Rory Gilmore, this is one for your tbr! Adina Gellar is a sassy heroine looking for the kind of story that will get her foot in the door for a full time writing gig. And a dash of small town love wouldn't hurt. Finn is our smokin should-be-enemy who makes the small town stay bearable. The writing was fun and the story moved at a medium pace considering it all took place over a couple weeks.

What I liked:
- small town of your favorite tv show vibes (the Hart of Dixie references were my favorite)
- Hallmark-y happiness with HBO spice
- small town full of cranky old people sounds about right

What was a miss for me:
- Adi reminded me a lot of Rory Gilmore, a character I have never liked
- the romance with Finn was very zero to one hundred, back to zero, back to one hundred
- the grand gesture at the end was so great, but felt wildly out of character for Finn and it felt like his character wasn't fully flushed out

In the end, this one wasn't for me, I struggled to connect or empathize with Adi. Mainly, I was just frustrated with how long it took her to realize that she was a large part of the problem. Walking into a small town and resenting everyone in it for not acting like it's a Hallmark holiday special was all on her. I never thought I would read a hero's *body part* referred to as a "white chocolate banana" and that is absolutely going to haunt me.

If Hallmark specials are your favorite time of year, I think this one resonate more with you than it did me!