DNF at 45%

I have watched my share of Hallmark movies and was looking forward to diving into this novel. It's set in the town of Pleasant Hollow, which sounds like the quintessential Hallmark town with its small town charm, but it's anything but. Much like a Hallmark film, As Seen on TV held promise to be more that what it seemed, but for this reader it wasn't. I failed to fall enough in love with this story to care about the narrative to keep going after actions that took place in the first half. The writing felt very flat to me making the characters feel very one note. Additionally, there wasn't enough action to propel me as reader forward with the narrative. Besides the Hallmark callbacks, Gilmore Girls fans will also notice a few Easter Eggs as well placed in the narrative, at least in the first half of the book.

I DNF'd at 58%, I have been trying to get through it for weeks and really struggling. I'm talking like it is taking me days to get through 1 chapter at a time.

I really liked the idea of the book but it is just really not for me.

I DNF'd this book at 30%. I really wanted to like this book. The writing is charming and well done and I liked the relationship between Adina and her mother that was deftly established at the beginning. Finn is a great love interest and I appreciated how he and Adina are seemingly at separate ends of an issue but he remains warm and open to her as she is clearly struggling.

I wish I could have given this more of a shot, but I personally kept getting more and more frustrated by Adina. She came to Pleasant Hollow with very clear biases and desires to write this one story. I'm sure there is a lesson to be learned and that at the end of the book she will write a great story based on her experiences but it was very frustrating for me, 30% in, to hear over and over again how the town was falling sort of Adina's vision for it. I also found her journalistic ethics lacking - she had a very clear bias and asked a lot of leading questions that made me feel uncomfortable. It is hard for me to root for her and her writing career when she keeps making the same blunders over and over again. She touts how good she is at research, but then clearly didn't do anything more than a cursory google search of this town and the corporate entity that was in town.

I know this is a romance book but I just couldn't get invested in the romance when I was distracted by the other issues. I know of a lot of people that would enjoy this book and be charmed by the Hallmark beginnings of this idea. I personally don't really like pop culture references in books and this entire book hinges on so many pop culture references (Gilmore Girls and Hallmark Movies etc) so I feel like I was poised to dislike it before I even started - let alone when Adina calls Chicago pizza "disgusting" which...how would you know Adina you clearly haven't been outside of New York?

I am positive that a lot of my concerns would probably be null and void by the end of it and I'm sure I would be rooting for Andi. As it stands, though, I think I am better suited to abandoning this book rather than continuing on with my personal bias.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an opportunity to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

(my star rating of this book is only for the 30% I finished and is not a review of the overall book which I did not finish).

Struggling freelance writer Adina Gellar is working as a barista and spin instructor to stay afloat, until she pitches the perfect story to an online magazine. This story could change her career, and her life. She heads to the small town of Pleasant Hollow, which has been targeted by a big-city real estate developer, in search of her story, only to find that the town is nothing like what she's seen in Hallmark movies and shows like Gilmore Girls and Virgin River (there's not even a bakery!). Can she turn things around in time to find a story?

As Seen on TV by Meredith Schorr
Contemporary romance. New adult.
Adina travels to the far suburbs of New York to Pleasant Hollows to write an article of a new condo development. Her basis of small towns comes from romance movies. She expects to expose the developer, rally the towns people, and maybe fall in love. What she gets is her dream bubble burst and now she needs a new spin on the news column that is supposed to be her big break.

Amusing in her naivety, poor Adina may be New York City street smart but has a lot to learn, especially about small towns. And relationships.
And learn she does but it’s a painful as growth can be. Both for the characters and me as the reader.
All’s well though. I don’t want to spoil it but by the end Adina is truly adulting.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

Small town love. Gilmore Girls and Hallmark references. Spicy Scenes. Fun read, but did not feel like an actual story Hallmark would have.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own

Thank you to Forever & NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC. 

Review & Notes:

Steam Rating: R: Steamy but not in a good way. The language surrounding the intimate scenes are a little vulgar for my taste and there wasn't a lot of sexual tension building up to it.
This book has some funny parts but I was sad to find the writing fell flat for me. I didn't find myself engaged in the story or the characters. It seemed like a fun story plot but the description didn't hit the mark for me.
It mentions Hallmark multiple times and the occasional Gilmore Girl reference but it didn't have a Hallmark Channel vibe which is what I had been wanting. I appreciated the nod to stars hollow in the small town’s name but that’s where the comparison ends.
About 60% in I was starting to warm to the book more. I liked the perspective that there’s always a story, even if it’s not the story you initially thought would be there. I always enjoy learning about people’s lives and how they got where they are. I like the angle that formed of how people put down roots in the town and their own (or their parents own) romantic relationships that blossomed.
The writing style wasn't my favorite but towards the end I found myself somewhat enjoying the story. It kind of reminded me of a hallmark movie with a 5.5 out of 10 on IMDb rating. I usually will only watch those with a 6.0 or higher. Anything less than a 6.0 is borderline if it’s worth watching and they tend to turn out to be okay. They sometime end of being worth watching for one reason or another but usually it’s a little rough and not something you’d recommend because the acting or directing or editing is just okay and could have used more work.
I liked the perspective on book/movie romance vs real life regarding the time frame that they have to tie things together and find resolution when there’s conflict.
Sensitive topics: homelessness, losing a parent as a child to illness, family dynamics and drama
Tropes: meet cute, close proximity, misguided intentions (re the small town vibes and life isn’t always like the movies)
Favorite Quote: Just because I'm a sucker for a sappy romance doesn't mean I expect real life to be that simple.
Recommendation: It wasn’t a favorite and I wouldn’t give it a glowing review but there were redeeming qualities and perspectives. I was expecting it to be more fun but I’m sorry to say it fell a little flat for me. I really wanted to love this and I was sorry that it didn't click for me.

This post contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I get a small commission so I can buy more books to review! Full disclosure here.

With a plot inspired by Hallmark movies, references to 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴, and a Jewish heroine, I was sure 𝗔𝗦 𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗩 was going to be on of my favorite romcoms this summer. I was wrong.

The book is well-written but the main character, Adina, was too self-obsessed, immature and naive for me to connect with. Finn, her love interest, deserved better. Maybe my bar for romcoms is super high (I did read this right after 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴...) but this one wasn't for me. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Forever Publishing for the #gifted copy.

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.