really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. As someone who *loves* made-for-TV romances, the premise of a struggling journalist visiting a small town facing development in hopes of getting a Hallmark type story was promising. I liked the twist that basically the small town wasn't what she was expecting at all and there was no Hallmark story there.

I simply found the main character, Adi, incredibly irritating. The character is naive, immature, and really not very good at her job. She pitches a story with very little research, and spends a good chunk of the book trying to create harebrained scenarios to suit her preconceived views of what the town would be like, rather than actually doing her job competently.

The romance was sweet, but shallow, and just didn't work for me.

I received an ARC from Forever and NetGalley, and this is my (unfortunately) honest review.

Really didn’t love this one. The main characters felt forced, and I felt like the whole “just like hallmark” stuff was way over the top and way took over the story.

Thank you @readforeverpub @netgalley for As Seen On TV. This was a cute small town vs Hallmark movie town. I love the relationship between Adina and her mom and how determined Adina was to be successful to help her mom.

The interaction with the town people was cute. I wasn't a fan of Adina's behavior and she just felt so self centered when she dealt with Finn and his family.

Overall, I thought that this was a pretty cute and quick read. Adina Gellar is a struggling journalist from New York City as well as a huge fan of made-for-TV romance movies (aren’t we all? 😂). She believes that she’ll find love in a small town. So when a big-city real estate magnate targets tiny Pleasant Hollow for development, she believes it’ll be like all the movies she has seen and is the perfect news story. There, she meets Finn, and realizes that maybe what she imagines small town living is in movies might not be so true.

I really liked the premise of the story as I am a huge fan of Hallmark movies and what I see on TV. One thing I really liked was the nods to TV and movies that were scattered all throughout the book! I thought the idea of the story was pretty original, and I liked the overall execution of the story. I also really liked how this rom com showed how real life can be so different than a rom com. I thought it was a different and unique take on romance books.

But as much as I wanted to love this story, I just wasn’t able to connect to the characters, especially Adi. I just was not able to connect to her, and I sometimes felt like she was a bit immature. Then, there was Finn, who I liked, but again, felt like I wasn’t able to connect to. I think that is because I would have liked to know a bit more about him. There was information about him and his past, but I just felt like I wanted a bit more. I also felt like his character journey was a bit confusing… I also felt like their chemistry felt a bit forced at times… This made it a bit difficult to get invested in the story and sometimes made the book feel a bit long and dragged out.

Overall, I don’t think this story was for me. I loved the overall premise of the story and the idea behind it, but felt like it was lacking a bit for me and fell short of what I wanted from this book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for this ARC!

3⭐

This is a new author to me. I definitely enjoyed this book. It had a good storyline and I really enjoyed the characters. I was grateful to receive an advanced copy through Netgalley to read and review.

I wanted so badly to love this book, but instead of being cute and cheesy, this veered into cringey for me. Honestly, this was an enjoyable read, and I loved that it showed the reality of small towns - they're not all Hallmark movie settings! I think part of my problem is that there are so many amazing options for high quality contemporary romances that this one just didn't meet the mark.

The writing and story telling are strong. I also love that this has Jewish representation without it being a central part of the conflict - it's just a fact of their normal lives.

Give this one a read if you're looking for an over-the-top cheesy romance read, it's not the best one ever, but it's still fun.

Adina Gellar is a recent college graduate , a true New Yorker, and an aspiring journalist. She is also obsessed with Hallmark-esque and Lifetime-like romance movies. She and her bestie Kate believe that small towns are just like that of the romance movies. When Adina finds out that a developer is building a huge condo complex in a nearby small town she proposes a story idea to a small-online magazine as if it were a Hallmark Movie.

When Adina heads to the small town, she finds herself confronted with the truth of small towns, but does that align with her views or is she shocked to find out that whats on tv isn't real? And does the man she meet end up being some sweet local or an out of downer? Does Adina find love or a vacation romance?

Read this fun, sweet, sexy romance novel, As Seen On TV to find out the real scoop on all things Adina, small towns and romance! Its well worth the read!

This book is great for anyone looking for a hallmark story with a twist. It focuses on the realities of small town living and how it doesn’t always live up to the movie, while showing that life can be found in the most unexpected places. Adi and Finn are a cute couple together who will appease anyone looking for an easy romance and a happy ending!
I was hoping for more from the story, as the narration fell a bit flat for me and I wasn’t fully bought into the romance, but that is just personal preference

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, or that’s what Adina Gellar, a New Yorker, thinks. Her obsession with the Hallmark Channel drives her infatuation with life in a small town, and she firmly believes that she would be happier there (and so would her dating life). When she ventures to the tiny town of Pleasant Hollow for work, she finds that her preconceived notions of small town life may not be true after all, but there is the matter of a handsome guy named Finn in town that keeps her interested in writing her story.

With tons of references to the Hallmark Channel and its movies throughout, this story was very enjoyable for a fan of it like myself. I liked hearing familiar movies, actors, and actresses mentioned and thought it was a fun addition to the story. The spin that this novel had was that it added some steamy scenes and language that would not be featured on any of the romantic Hallmark movies, and I really appreciated that. It made things more realistic and not as fluffy, as real life is not that way. This was a very cute read and I flew right through it - it really held my attention. I truly enjoyed it.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for giving me the opportunity to read this Advanced Review Copy of this publication in exchange for an honest review.

This premise is kind of silly but I had hopes for some romcom shenanigans. 25-year-old Adina moves into a small town in New York, planning to write an article about its Hallmark TV type qualities. She also thinks she has a good chance of falling in love. But what she finds in Pleasant Hollow is a regular town with regular problems and an annoying real estate developer, Fin.

The characters are flat and immature and did not have much chemistry. I did like the ending gesture and some of the townspeople are funny and cute. 2 stars

Where do I even start? This book has the least immature 25yo protagonist I've ever seen. Who thinks that any small town would look like the small towns in Hallmark movies?  

Our homegirl Adina is trying to make it as an writer and one night gets an inspiration to write an article about a real estate developer going to a small town (a sleepy upstate NY town) and  changing the fabric of this charming town, town people resisting the change, you know the whole spiel if you've seen any Hallmark movies. Adina thinks she lives in the Hallmark world. She thinks she'll step into town, will meet the bachelor mayor or hot single hunky firefighter and fall in love. and somehow also write an article about herself (?) it is not clear what her angle was. Anyway the town turns out the be your run of the mill town, no charming cafe with in-house bakery (it turns out this is a deal breaker for Adina), no bed and breakfast with a grandmotherly owner, no bar where the town gets together, you know this fictional Pleasant Hollow is not our beloved Stars Hollow, Adina meets Fin, an attractive guy who is also a fellow New Yorker and who works for the enemy (the real estate developer) but Adina is disappointed because she thought she would fall for a small town guy and Finn is not it. and the town is not the town she had in mind. So what does she do? She tries to turn the town to a more Hallmark-like town. How you ask? I know it sounds ridiculous. She interviews small business owners! She tries to convince the local bar owners to host Oktoberfest activities! I know I use a lot of exclamation marks. Feel free to replace the exclamation marks with eye rolls.

Long story short, Adina and Fin do some horizontal activities, but Fin thinks he is not boyfriend material, and even though Adina was very eager to start this initially physical relationship she gets disappointed by Fin's reluctance. Oh and she is still trying to write an article that makes some sense!

The ending of the book was the only silver lining for me. There is a sweet grand gesture. and the article she writes at the end is not half as bad. But reading this book was almost painful. It wasn't for me.

4 stars based on the quote that spoke to me... The main character, Adina, is talking about an ex-love interest, "So many times he'd blown me off when something else suddenly came up. When I called him on it, he would insist our plans had been tentative, then turn it around on me and call me needy or overly sensitive for being upset."

I can't even count how many times this has happened to me, except I wasn't blown off, it's just my husband thinking he told me one thing when really he said the opposite. Needless to say, that quote got me. It's so. Freaking. True.

The first third of this book felt slow. Really slow. Like molasses in winter time on the set of a cold Hallmark movie with big fat snowflakes drifting down through a midnight sky. Yes...that. At 40% was where I was hooked and felt invested.

Adina wants to be a journalist, but lives at home with her mom and works two jobs before she can make journalism her mainstream gig. Got it. She goes from NYC to a small town to freelance a story. Cool. The people don't invite her in for tea, have a parade, or a town festival ready to greet her. Adina has to cope and find a new story center, pronto. Not everything is all sunshine and roses Adina. Welcome to the real world with the rest of us. Adulting is hard, but you get used to it.

Adina meets Finn, and he comes with his own baggage. Baggage that he's reluctant to share with Adina for reasons he ends up explaining later on. But they make a muddy mess of things and come back to their own Grand Gestures and everything is sorted out at the end. Life is messy. You clean it up and live it as best you can. Adina and Finn are no exception.

AS SEEN ON TV - Meredith Schorr

💖 A beautiful and cute rom-com about city girl Adina Gellar who goes in search of small-town happiness and love. Only to discover life in general and love are nothing like the TV.

👀 Adi is determined to fulfill her dream of being a journalist. Sometimes naive , but overall funny , cute and smart. I liked how relatable she is and how she never stopped believing in her small town romance. Such as searching for her own Luke Danes in Pleasant Hollows.

✨I devoured this book in 2 hours. I didn't see the time go by so much I was in the middle of the characters.
The cute cover and the title made it a must read for me.
Being already a big fan of Gilmore girls, I loved the universe of this book.

🖊 The author’s writing was smooth and well-paced. The book itself is well writing. The plot and the pacing of the story was entraining. I enjoyed the romance between Adi & Finn. Their ending is really cute.
I identified with the characters, and attached myself to the story that the author delivers to us.

🎞 There are a lot of pop culture references ( Sex and the city , Gilmore girls , Heart of Dixie , Bachelorette .. )

🍿 Anyone who enjoys Hallmark movies , homemade pies and small town romance novels will love this book.

💭 My favorite quote from the book :

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨"

♥️ I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley , Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and the author for the opportunity to read and review this adorable story.

Adina (Adi) Geller is a struggling journalist trying to land a full time position writing lifestyle stories for Tea, an online magazine. But for the time being, Adi is strapped with juggling three jobs. One as spin instructor, the other a barista at a nearby coffee house, and lastly a freelance writer which just didn’t cut the mustard.

Adi was fortunate to live rent free with her mother. But with an imminent rent increase looming in the horizon, Adi desperately needed something more substantial. So, a position at Tea would be her ticket to independence. All Adi had to do was come up with the perfect pitch to the editor of Tea. Little did Adi know that the perfect pitch would lead to an extended stay in a small town and a bit of an unexpected romance.

As Seen on TV is a semi steamy romance that will have you turning the pages for more and not wanting the story to end. But the story does end and in an “aww shucks” kind of way.

The characters are lovable and I found them all to be somewhat like the characters from the Hallmark Movie Channel. They all seemed so real.

The plot is a friends to lovers trope. And as friend relationships go, there are the ups and downs of life. But added to the friend relationship, there’s the added complexity of familial ties. Family drama that tarnishes the best of relationships. But with strength, patience, and perseverance, that tarnish can be polished away.

As Seen on TV is a wonderful romance novel that will surely please those die hard romance fans. The author, Meredith Schorr is an excellent storyteller and I’ll be adding her to my favorite authors list. You should too. Five outstanding stars.

I received a digital ARC from Forever (GCP.) The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was a cute read. Adina was likable. I just felt like something was missing. I couldn't connect with her. Finn was also a likable character but at times their romance felt off and almost confusing. The premise was there, and the author was wonderful, but this just wasn't the book for me.

As Seen on TV was a cute "small town" Romance. Adina Geller goes to small town Upstate New York to write an article in hopes of getting the scoop of real life Hallmark movie. But she got a healthy dose of reality as Finn shows her around the small town. Their romance may start in small town but it sure isn't like all the movies Adina loves so much. This romance is more peeking through a cracked door/listening at the door than an open door romance. It was a cute reminder that not everything can be a Hallmark movie, and that close community isn't just for small towns.

Pub date: 6/7/22
Genre: rom com
In one sentence: Adina thinks small town Pleasant Hollow will be just like a Hallmark movie - but not all small towns are picture perfect.

I had high hopes for this one, but sadly it didn't work for me. Adina is a very young 25, and I couldn't connect to her or her insta-love story with Finn. There's wasn't much plot or growth, and I value both of those elements in romance.

That being said, I've seen a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews, so if you're looking for a light read, this may work for you!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was everything you’d expect from a chick lit rom com. This was a little too much of a slow burn for me and I didn’t really care for the main character, Adina. Light read, perfect for poolside, beach reading.

Right from the start it was charming and funny. Also I must mention how much I loved to read a book with a Jewish lead! I don’t think that’s happened to me before with a romance book, so I was just delighted to relate to a book in this way.

In the beginning, Adina seems to have a big stereotype about what small-town life is like. She’s planned her whole article before even arriving in town, and is thrown off to find out the reality doesn’t exactly match her expectations. One thing that surprised me at this point is that it felt like she barely did any research before heading out. Everything about the town was a shock to her!

Finn was a very sweet lead man. He is always running into Adina and trying to help her out. His backstory surprised me, and made for a good contrast to what Adina expected.

I think Adina spent a while dwelling on how she thought the town should be that she didn’t bother thinking about how to truly write an article, just how to write the article she’d imagined. To be honest, it made me wonder a bit how she expected to continue as a writer. You can’t always decide the story beforehand, and often you have to approach things with a rather open mind. This led to her growth as a character though, as she learned to stop talking to people with an angle in mind. It also felt like she made many moments about herself, such as with Finn’s dad. She learned though, in the process of writing her article.
Overall a delightful story for all those who crave the Hallmark movies!

I was personally unable to connect to the voice of the MC, who felt very young, but I think this book will work for many people.