Adina, who lives in NYC, is a struggling freelance writer and a Hallmark movie lover. So when she pitches a story about a big development being built in a Pleasant Hollow and the parallels to the stereotypical small town romances she loves, she’s hopeful this could be her big break. Maybe find that “small town hero” in the process. But Adi quickly discovers Pleasant Hollow isn’t what she made it out to be, and the only man around is from the big city like her.

This was cute, easy read and I was able to finish it in under a day. I always enjoy a strangers to friends to lovers trope with a “it’s just a hook up” mixed in. And I love how Adi set her limits with Finn when she needed to. I especially loved the ending!

But I couldn’t get myself past “like” to “love” this one. I think it was primarily because I had a hard time connecting with Adi. While it was entertaining to watch her realize Pleasant Hollow is anything but pleasant, I couldn’t wrap my head around an educated woman in her mid 20’s having these preconceived notions on small town life.

Read if you like:

•Small Town Romances
•Hallmark Movies
•Heroine’s POV
•Strangers to Friends to Lovers
•It’s Just A Hook Up

Thank you to Forever and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's really difficult to write a review for a book that I didn't particularly like and I only felt relief that it's over the moment I closed my reader.

I requested this since I was pulled by the cover and description and I can appreciate and even obsess over any feel-good romcom movie. However, the execution felt poor and lacking.

Firstly, I did not feel any chemistry between the main leads, Finn and Adi. I cannot even figure out what drew them to each other, much less, how they fell in love. Secondly, Adi, from whose POV this was written, was unrealistic at best and deluded at worst. Thirdly, the secondary characters seemed like caricatures.

The book had its moments, I laughed at a few scenes, and the ending was sweet. I think I was not the book's target audience and this just wasn't for me. Still, pick this one up if you're a fan of Hallmark movies or looking for a spin on small-town romances and a fast read.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for my early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was in a reading slump due to personal things going on, but this book helped me get back into reading. I read this in less than a day.
I love the characters and the storyline. It is not your average Hallmark movie! Rom-com worthy!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a super cute book perfect for a quick escape. Adina is looking for her big break as a writer and decides to head to Pleasant Hollow to do a story on the joys of small town living. A big fan of Hallmark movies, Adina believes she will be able to report on the town festivals, the cozy inns, the bar where everyone knows everyone and neighbors helping one another while fighting against the new developer that has come to town. What she finds couldn't be more different. The only bright side is Finn Adams.

Finn is in Pleasant Hollow to work on his company's new development complex. He is instantly intrigued by Adina and her story. These two are super cute together. They have a natural chemistry and are able to bond instantly over their love for their hometown of New York City. While things don't go as planned for Adina, Finn is there to support her and cheer her on. While life in Pleasant Hollow isn't nearly as idyllic as is found on tv, there is still a sort of charm to it and the people who live there. I found myself taken in despite the negatives to the town. While I didn't love the way that things wrapped up with Finn and his alcoholic father, I still found myself engaged and overall enjoying this story.

This is a fun, easy read with a satisfying ending. I would say anyone who is a fan of the Hallmark setting and the quirks of that may love this one despite Pleasant Hollow being so different. As Seen on TV is the first book I have read by Schorr but I will definitely look for more from this author in the future.

DNF @ 27%

Since I did not finish this book, I will not be writing a full review and will, instead, share a few thoughts on why I DNFed here. I love Hallmark movies. I love them so much that I have a sizable DVD collection of my favorite ones. I track the ones I’ve watched or want to watch in the Hallmark app, just like I track my books here. This book? It’s a cliche Hallmark movie ad, and I can’t stand it. The heroine travels to a small town to write all about how it’s just like the movies. She’s hoping to find people that fit into those Hallmark movie character molds. She’s disappointed when she discovers that Pleasant Hollow is nothing like a Hallmark movie. And you know what? Duh. A woman her age should know that Hallmark movies are not real life. The hot single handyman in town does not go caroling in his spare time. The B&B innkeeper is working a thankless job in hospitality. She’s not going to bubble over with happiness that you’ve come to her inn, hoping she’s a caricature. Hallmark movies are charming and happy and wonderful because they’re not real life. They’re an escape. If real life were like them, nobody would want to watch them. Lol. It bugged me so much that Adina kept being surprised and disappointed that Pleasant Hollow and its people are not baking pies, hosting fall festivals and tree lightings, and are serving store bought pastries for breakfast. “Does anyone bake in this town?”, she asks. She’s just so ridiculous. Lol. She’s also a crummy journalist, continually making rookie mistakes. I’d rather watch the movies this book is referencing than read this book. I’d rather watch the Hallmark actors on TV than read about what Adina thinks of them in this book.

As Seen on tv is very anti Hallmark. This book seemed very YA . It wasn't for me but some one might like it. Thank you NetGalley for this arc

In short: NYC girl goes in search of happiness in a small town, convinced it will be just like a Hallmark movie.

What I liked:
📺 Contrast of assumptions versus reality
📺 Finn. Loved his character, his charm & his great perspectives.
📺 The grand gesture at the end.

What I didn’t like:
📺 Adi, the main character. She was naive and I felt it just took too long for her to realize her assumption of what a small town should be were wrong.
📺 The “fight” and Adi’s response.

Final thoughts: Overall this was a cute book but dragged a bit for me, especially with the drawn out time it took for Adi to realize not every small town is like what you see on Hallmark.

Adina is an aspiring journalist who is over the NYC dating scene and wants her own small-town romance like she sees in the movies. When she hears about a real-life Hallmark scenario about a small town called Pleasant Hollow, where a big-city real estate company has gone in with plans to build, Adina sees this has her opportunity for a big break and a chance to get out of the city for a few weeks. But when she gets there, it isn’t what she expects. Finn, the man in charge of the project isn’t the greedy man she expected, Pleasant Hollow is nothing like the small towns she sees in the movies, and they are happy for the real estate to be coming in. She sticks around looking for a story, but also starts to fall for Finn in the process.

This was truly a Hallmark movie in book form and I loved every second of it. I loved how Adi so deeply believed in Hallmark style romances and was looking for her own. At some points it felt a bit naive but was also so relatable - who hasn’t had that moment of being over the dating scene and wanting someone to sweep you off your feet? I enjoyed all of the pop culture references and most importantly I loved all of the side characters in Pleasant Hollow. They were the comedic relief every good rom com needs. I thought the romance was sweet and I was rooting for Adi and Finn both as individuals and as a couple from the beginning.

I switched between audio and physical copy and both were fantastic. The audio was narrated by Emily Lawrence who did a great job!

Thank you to Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced copies.

Struggling writer Adina Gellar is looking for the perfect story to land her a full-time position as a staff writer at Tea digital magazine. When she hears about a big-time developer planning to build an obnoxious condo development in small town Pleasant Hollow, she sees her chance. After all, it’s a Hallmark movie come to life. She even has her very own meet-cute with Finn Adams right after she arrives in Pleasant Hollow. What can go wrong?

Billing this as Hallmark Movies meets Gilmore Girls had me jumping at the chance to read this. After all, those are two of my favorite things. However, we quickly learn that Pleasant Hollow is the antithesis of all things Hallmark. Adina struggles to find people who will actually talk to her for her story, and when it’s not working she decides to switch her story focus. Finn turns out to be integral to her time in Pleasant Hollow, first as a supporter and then as a friend. I really liked the relationship between Finn and Adina. Adina’s mom and best friend were also great. Dialogue was fun and there were a lot of heartwarming moments. Although not what I initially expected, this was definitely worth the read!

𝟹.𝟻 ⭐️ // 𝙰𝚜 𝚂𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚃𝚅 (ARC ebook)

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
Adina has many jobs, but her dream is to become a journalist for an online magazine called Tea. When she has an idea for an article about a real estate developer creating an exclusive building complex in a small town outside of New York City, she jumps on the opportunity. Her goal is to showcase it as a real-life Hallmark movie, but when she arrives, the town is anything but what’s seen on tv. Will she be able to launch her career without her proposed article, and can she trust her feelings for a man she just met?

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
As Seen on TV was marketed towards “fans of Hallmark Channel and Gilmore Girls,” so I was immediately saying, “Sign me up!” While it didn’t give me Gilmore Girls vibes, the cheesy, rom-com movie references made me happy. The story was predictable at times, and I wish the author leaned more into the diversity that was introduced. Overall, the story was still very cute!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
💕 Romance
🗽 Based near New York City
🖤 Diverse Characters
🏃‍♀️ Faced Paced
🥰 Feel-Good Story

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
📺 You enjoy watching Hallmark movies
✍️ You aspire to be a writer
🥧 Homemade apple pie is your favorite desert
😅 You think adulting is hard sometimes
🥓 It’s necessary for you to always order bacon at diner

𝐓𝐖: alcoholism, parental death

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for providing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As Seen on TV is a Hallmark style romance where the main character visits a small town in an attempt to take down the large real estate company buying up land to build on, and also to maybe find love. Adina needs a win, she needs to write a story to solidify a permanent job with the magazine she is working for. But when she gets to Pleasant Hollow, it has none of the aspects of a stereotypical Hallmark movie. Most people aren't friendly, the stores are not cute or quaint, and there's no pie to be found. And the only eligible man is the developer she's come to take down - but she can't seem to stay away.

Maybe I would've had more fun with this one if I was a fan of Hallmark movies - but the whole concept seemed very contrived and Adina just refused to be flexible and she tried to force this town into being something it isn't. And she wasn't always very nice about it. I did appreciate the Jewish representation and the idea that not every small town is this idyllic place made of rainbows and unicorns but that doesn't mean the town isn't fine just the way it is.

Trigger warning for alcoholism and verbal abuse in parts of the book. The hero is dealing with some demons and is the typical "I can only do casual because I'm too broken for a relationship" and Adina is the typical "I can't do casual but will because I hope you will change". Because that ALWAYS works out well?? I don't know, it seemed way too trope-y even for me and I just didn't have a great time with it.

However, if Hallmark movies are your jam - definitely check out this book. Just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean it won't be great for someone else.

**Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

As someone who grew up in a small town and has a deep love of Gilmore Girls and Hallmark movies, I knew I wanted to read this book! Adi is in.a bit of a rut in her life, and especially in her work as a writer. When inspiration strikes, she ventures off to Pleasant Hollow to write a real-life Hallmark story about a sweet, charming small town getting taken over by a big, bad development company. And maybe, while she's there, she'll find her small-town romance too! But when she gets there, she realizes real life is not always what TV makes it out to be. The small town isn't all that sweet and charming, the development company isn't all that bad, and there is a guy she may be falling for - but he's the city guy.

I liked how this story showed the true reality of small towns - they aren't all as charming as Stars Hollow! Though I wish Adi would have seen that reality a little sooner in the book rather than continuing to force something that wasn't there. I adored Finn and felt a lot of empathy for him as he shared about his family and the effects alcoholism had on him and his dad. I actually really liked the ending of this one, with both Finn and Adi trying to grand gesture the other in their own ways, and committing to being open and communicating honestly.

If you are a fan of pop culture - and specifically Hallmark movies (and you don't mind a little spice with your Hallmark!) - you should pick this one up!

I have to be honest – I didn't finish this one. I hope to go back to it and give it another chance in the future, but it honestly just tested every last nerve I had.

I got about 10% into the book when I couldn't take it anymore. It was too much stereotyping, being disappointed, and placing illogical expectations on strangers and inanimate objects that did not live for the sake of meeting the main character's expectations and ideals.

I understand going to a town and being disappointed, but there's a point where you need to adjust your expectations, and she just wouldn't. Instead, she just kept going on and on about her disappointments and couldn't seem to get over herself.

Additionally, while I love Gilmore Girls and Hallmark shows and was excited for the comparison the synopsis and other reviews presented, the fact that they regularly comment on wanting to live a hallmark movie is a bit over the top – especially when it was referenced regularly.

Sadly, this book just isn't for me. I hope many other people enjoy it.

This book is perfectly titled. It's a Hallmark movie transposed directly to page - with a twist.

I really liked the cleverness of this book and how it subverts the expectations of the genre - purposefully.

City girl, Adi, has a great idea for an article that could help boost her career. However, her falling-in-love-in-a-charming-small-town-like-a-Hallmark-movie trope just doesn’t seem to be working… on so many levels.

Will Adi find love? Will she find a good story so she can get published and maybe get a full-time job as a journalist (instead of working part-time as both a barista and a spin instructor)? You won’t know unless you read As Seen On TV which comes out June 7, 2022.

This book was such a cute read! It reminded me a lot of a Hallmark movie. The storytelling was great and kept me captivated. There’s great chemistry, banter, family drama, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Definitely recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for this cute romcom by Meredith Schor.

Freelance writer Adina Geller is a little sick of her big city life in NYC and desperately wants to impress a magazine to get a full time writing job. When she is green lit to write an article comparing a small town that a developer is taking over to your Hallmark small town movies she sees it as her big break. But when she gets to Pleasant Hollow she finds it not the Hallmarkest small town she pictured it. Her article hits a snag because of that. The only thing impressing her about the small town life is Finn Adams. Although he isn’t the small town boy of her dreams, he runs the developer building project in the town and lives in NYC as well. While they are having fun Adina must salvage this trip to write the article of her life for her dream career. In this town two hours from home that isn’t what she thought it would be help her find the things she wants out of life in ways she didn’t expect?.

Favorite thing about this book Adina and Finn romance. Those are the parts I remember the most and enjoyed the most. There was chemistry, humor, and drama. Although some of the drama didn’t click with me. The story of their romance was with made me keep reading. The ending was very swoony and really fairy tale like. It did take me some time to get into this one. Adina first few chapters in Pleasant Hollow wasn’t the most cheer worthy of character as she tried to fit the town to match her dream of small towns. It got better the longer the story went though. I would like to see her interview more towns people when she saw there was something to the town and the people. Wasn’t the biggest fan of Finn’s issues storyline but could relate to it. Loved Adina’s relationship with her mom and best friend Kate in this. When we started seeing them more was when I started rooting for Adina as a character.

Overall a really cute com com that anyone wanting a big city meets small town feel would want to pick up.

I am giving this 3.5 stars (upgraded to 4 stars on this scale).

As Seen on TV follows Adina Gellar, a journalist who’s trying to break into the field and go from freelancer to a full-time role. When she hears of a businessman targeting a small upstate New York town for development, she thinks it’s the perfect story to give her a break. Only when she arrives in Pleasant Hollow to research the story, it isn’t what she expected. The town isn’t out of a Hallmark movie, and the town isn’t resisting the development. Everything is more complicated when the only person she really connects with in the town works for the company doing the development.

This was an easy read, but it missed the mark for me. There are references that fans of Hallmark movies will appreciate, and there are moments filled with humor. Personally, I had a hard time connecting with and rooting for Adi. I appreciated her ambition, but I didn’t like how she reacted when she learned her story wasn’t what she thought and how treated many of the people in the town. Finn was a highlight for me, but it wasn’t enough to bring the rating up.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As Seen on Tv by Meredith Schorr
337 Pages
Genre: Rom Com/ Romance
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This is my perfect book! The main character Adina is a journalist looking to land her full time dream position. All she needs is the perfect story. Adina is obsessed with Hallmark movies, so when she finds the perfect story in a small town she knows it’s meant to be. However real life is a little different than the movies.

Adi meets who she thinks is the small town sexy guy Finn, who ends up being the big city manager of the company she wants to take down in her story . Finn is sweet but she knows how all those city boys are not what they seem. Adi is surrounded by a loving best friend and mother who are her world. Adi realizes maybe the small town she wanted isn’t truly there. Is she able to figure out how to make it all work out: love, work, life?

This book is my dream book because it’s all things Hallmark and hits on a Gilmore Girls type story also. The town is called Pleasant Hollow I mean that sounds perfectly familiar 😍 I read this book so quick and it will be one of my comfort reads for many years to come. I highly recommend this book especially if you love Hallmark movies, Gilmore Girls or just a great cozy read.

Super cute book if you're all about the Hallmark Movies and enjoy some good banter then this is the book for you. This one was a really good read that would be perfect for the beach or pool side the story just flowed so good. I really enjoyed each of the characters in this book.