The anti-Hallmark movie!

I originally thought As Seen on TV would be the usual television movie (you know what I mean) where everything is perfect, and people are really friendly and want to be your best friend the minute they met you. But Adina Gellar found out that nothing is like she expected in Pleasant Hollow trying to write a story about the new development “The Hollows” in a sleepy like town in New York. If she succeeds, she will hopefully get a full-time job at Tea and maybe finding her true love if she opens her heart to Finn Adams.

As Seen on TV is a cute takeoff of an anti-Hallmark movie because falling in love is difficult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a super cute romcom! Who doesn’t love a hallmark loving romantic lead? This was really fun to read because while it seems different than a hallmark movie, it actually ended up fitting into that category perfectly! This was a great book to get you out of a reading slump and perfect summer bead read!

Thank you Forever for my gifted copy!

A small town romance but with big city feels. This slow-burn light hearted story is a hallmark movie in the making. As Seen on TV is a one seat read, and to be honest I've never seen the Gilmore Girls so I did not get the references. Adi and Finn were adorable love interests. My overall rating is 3.5

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5

A cute, fun romance that incorporates my absolute favorite thing - Hallmark movies. Journalist Adina Gellar discovers a story that has all the makings of a Hallmark movie - a small town is targeted by a big-city real estate magnate for development. She pitches her idea and goes to the small town of Pleasant Hollow to cover the story. She meets Finn and believes he may be the star of her own small town romance..until she discovers he works for the company she is trying to bring down.

This was such a great premise and my love of hallmark movies made me love this even more. It was hilarious how Schorr twisted the Hallmark tropes and the banter was on point. I wanted a bit more chemistry, but overall, this was a solid romance.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars (release date June 7, 2022)

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a cute contemporary rom-com set in upper New York. Adina Geller is a struggling NYC journalist trying to land her first full-time writing job and weed through a dismal pool of men uninterested in a real relationship. She is enamored with made-for-tv romance movies, the Gilmore Girls, and the allure of small town life. When she finds out about a big city real estate magnet developing a large complex in a small town, she thinks she's finally found the perfect story that will finally land her the dream job and maybe even her dream man. Except the small town is nothing like the ones on tv, the only man she's found, Finn, is from NYC, and the story she thought she could write doesn't exist.

I liked the flirtation between Adina and Finn and there was definitely chemistry. There are plenty of pop culture mentions and while I don't watch made-for-tv romances, I do love Gilmore Girls and loved all of the references. Initially I liked Adina's energy and the fact that she didn't give up, but she eventually started to come off as self-obsessed and tone-deaf to what others around her are going through. There was one scene in particular with Finn about 80% into the book in which she was so off the mark, so selfish and in the wrong, that if I had been reading a physical book instead of my ipad, I would have thrown it against the wall. Trust me, you'll know it when you read it. For that reason, I had to lower my rating. The ending of the book in which we got our HEA seemed rushed to me, but I did like how it ultimately ended. The spice level in this book is a 1.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing). All opinions are my own.

I love Hallmark movies, but always yearn for a bit more spice. This book totally delivered on that vibe!

Adi is looking for her Hallmark movie moment when she stumbles on the perfect town: Pleasant Hollow. A big city developer is working on bringing housing to this small town, which fits in perfectly to her expectations. Except, nothing is pleasant in this town: the townspeople are rude to her, they don’t dislike the idea of the development, the single guy is hot with an unpleasant personality, and, worst of all, there’s no homemade pie.

Adi expects to meet the big bad developer, but instead finds Finn. Who is smoking hot with a large helping of dysfunction. In Adi’s attempt at recreating a Hallmark movie a la lifestyle article, she never dreamed she’d fall for the city guy.

Books that make me feel good are my jam and I just adored Adi and Finn together! He made me feel exasperated at times, but his grand gesture more than made up for it. Adi as a character grew throughout the story and I’m glad she found a voice for herself.

Finn’s back story was heart-wrenching and, while I understood his actions, I wanted to throttle him several times. There were plenty of steamy moments to make up for it, though! There was undeniable chemistry and my favorite scene was where he pushed her up against his car.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Pub for an ARC!

This is a feel good book with a sweet romance. As Seen on TV is a great escape. It’s a rather quick read. So it’s easy to finish in a couple hours.

I have read some great rom-coms this year so the bar was set high and, unfortunately, As Seen on Tv, just didn’t meet my expectations. Adi was immature and naive and hard to relate to and the plot was too sweet, slow and uneventful. To me, this story read like a young adult novel which was not what I was looking for nor expecting.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for this ARC for which I provided an honest review.

WHAT I LIKED
- The Premise: A New York City journalist visits a small town upstate looking for the story that will jumpstart her career. When she arrives, she discovers that the town is not what she envisioned. What's not to love?!
- The Ending: The ending was pretty epic and definitely swoon-worthy!

WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME
- The Characters: The characters fell flat for me. There was enough backstory to give them substance, but they never felt quite real to me.
- The Writing: The writing felt a bit clunky, especially in the beginning. The dialogue didn't flow well, either.

Overall, this wasn't a hit for me, but remember...you may love it!

Read this if you liked The Dating Dare or How Sweet It Is.

Read this if you like: Small towns, Gilmore Girls, steamy ❤️‍🔥

Adina Gellar wants to be a journalist and she is done with dating in New York City. She’s obsessed with made-for-TV romance movies. She dreams of the small town feel, complete with harvest festivals, delightful but quirky characters, and scores of delectable single dudes. So when a big-city real estate magnate targets tiny Pleasant Hollow for development, Adi knows she’s found the perfect story. This is one that will earn her a position at a coveted online magazine, she just knows it. She heads to the town and hopes she may find her dream man too.

Pleasant Hollow isn’t exactly “pleasant” nor does it resemble any Hallmark movie that Ari has ever seen. There’s no charming bakery, no quaint seasonal festivals, and the residents are rude, not welcoming. The only upside is Finn. He is charming and gorgeous but he works for the company she is hoping to bring down.

I really liked this one. I enjoyed the characters though I liked Finn more than Ari. It was a little on the repetitive side. I get that they were trying to paint how the town was not like a sweet cheesy movie. The towns people seemed obnoxiously rude, almost unrealistic. The rest of the book was very realistic. The pacing of the relationship was perfect. The ending was so swoon worthy. I loved it. Highly recommend you picking this one up June 7th or pre-ordering it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the gifted copy! ❤️

Adulting is over-rated Adina. That's what I was screaming at the book in front of me. Then, of course, I'd laugh. In a city filled with millions, dating was a chore and Adina was trying to find her place in this world. I think we have all been there. Hallmark most definitely makes finding "the One" seem easy peasy while simultaneously landing your perfect "big girl" job. But as I said, adulting is over-rated.

What I love about this book is that rather than mimic a Hallmark movie, it shows just how unrealistic they can actually be - and I love that. Real life comes with tough decisions, real places aren't always magical, and the perfect job isn't always the one you actually end up loving. I think that Meredith taking something beloved (Hallmark plots) and mixing it with reality is what absolutely won me over to this book. Along the way, I fell in love with Adina - rooting for her to find her place in this great big world. And of course, rooting for Finn to see that Adina is worth it all!

This book gives all the small-town/Hallmark pop culture references. While Adi, the main character, is the quintessential New York City journalist who is struggling to find love.

I enjoyed that this book was a play on the Hallmark movie trope. Where the main character leaves the city for a fresh start (save a small town) and meets the quirky townspeople while also falling in love with the brooding local. Adi, partly because she is so well versed in this Hallmark culture, believes that it is all possible. So when she goes to upstate New York for a story about a big developer building a new complex in a small town. She assumes that the town will riot and she can come and save the day with her story.

The plot twist is that the town, in fact, does not really care. If anything, they are all for the big developer bringing in new business. They are neither friendly nor quirky. The supposed small-town guy she meets when she arrives at the B&B lives in the city.

This book had an interesting concept for sure! I think it played at the fact that many 20-somethings are now gravitating toward small-town romance and gravitating away from the city life. So it was funny to see every single trope employed in the opposite way.

This author's writing style is not for me, unfortunately. Everything felt a bit too forced and over the top, and I found Adi to be an unsympathetic (and at times downright annoying) main character. Having just read Book Lovers which did a great job of weaving in and subverting the Hallmark movie tropes, this ended up feeling disappointing. I'm giving this 2 stars, as I think it could appeal to some readers, but just not to me.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

A Jewish journalist/spin instructor heroine in a Stars Hollow esque setting?! Was this book written specifically for me? In Meredith Schorr's traditionally published debut, Adina Geller is nothing but relatable to this NYC single girl., complete with a Rosh Hashanah dinner scene! Don't even get me started on Finn - the Chris Hemsworth hero who steals Adina's heart.

I have read some of Meredith's prior novels as well and have loved all of them, I certainly look forward to more from her in the future.

Thank you to Forever for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This story had such promise but did not deliver on the description. Adina is not likeable; she's annoying, immature, and bratty. I could not get through this because her need to change everything to her liking was saddening. What is it with New Yorkers leaving NYC and expecting to find the exact same thing everywhere else? If you love it so much, why leave? I get it. NYC is pretty fantastic but there is a whole big world out there with different experiences and maybe instead of expecting to find the same thing, try something new! I couldn't get through this book and can't recommend it.

This was an entertaining spin on your traditional Hallmark small town romances and I loved how Schorr wasn’t scared to add some steam to what are typically pretty tame stories!

It was light, charming and fun and I liked witty banter and pop culture references and all the plays on Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls and this one being set in Pleasant Hollow.

It also felt pretty realistic so that was a very nice bonus as some romcoms tend to feel quite impractical! While I was hoping for a little more out of this one, it was still a cute and enjoyable read!

I received a advanced reading copy via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

As Seen on TV was such a delightful story! Adina Gellar is searching - for a more permanent career, for love, for a place to land. She goes to Pleasant Hollow, a small NY town in search of a story - and nothing is what she expects, especially not Finn Adams.

Adi and Finn’s story was lovely to read and led me to laugh, to tear up, and to cheer them on!

Thank you so much to @readforeverpub for sending me an advance copy of As Seen on TV so I could read it ahead of its publication. This book comes out June 7, 2022 - tomorrow!

As Seen on TV follows Adina Gellar, an aspiring journalist who pitches the perfect story to her online magazine, small town coming together to protect itself when a developer moves in, and is granted the story and sent on location to get the scoop. Once there she meets charming resident Finn sitting in the lobby of her B&B.

I loved that this book spotlighted another normal way to be Jewish in life. Not particularly observant, except for the major holidays, but still identifying as Jewish, because this is so true for so many Jews I know. It's been so great getting to connect with more Jewish characters as authors and publishers keep putting out books like this. (How many times can I use Jew/Jewish in a paragraph huh?)

Unfortunately, I had difficulty connecting with Adnia other than that. I found her to be kind of childish, with huge expectations that could never be met and an unrealistic understanding of what life is like. BUT, this does hit the Hallmark Movie right on the head, which I guess was the point.

The engineering side of me loved Finn's straightforward, precise characteristics.

I really enjoyed all the Gilmore Girls and references to movies I've watched and loved, these were a definite highlight.

This book was just not for me. I love a Hallmark movie but this book was trying too hard and being too obvious with the vibe and similarities. Please just show me don’t tell me. I also found the main character condescending and a bit of a know it all about small town life based on Hallmark movies. It was too much for me. Disappointing because this book was described as Hallmark movie meets Gilmore Girls.

A small town story with sweet
banter, Gilmore Girls references, and a lovely slow burn romance. This book wasn’t too cheesy and didn’t focus too much on cliche tropes, instead it focused on realistic small town atmospheres and a feeling of hopefulness throughout the story.
The story development kept my attention and our main characters Adi and Finn were adorable and easy to connect with. Gilmore Girls references!! That show is my comfort and I loved the pieces that were scattered throughout this book. Definitely a feel good and lighthearted read!
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.