Read this if you:
•like Gilmore Girls
•like Hallmark movies
•want a far fetched read 🤷‍♀️

This book started off well. Adina put love on a pedestal and wanted everything to be a Hallmark movie. She went to a small town called Pleasant Hallow to write a story. She expected this town to be exactly like Stars Hallow from Gilmore Girls. At first it was funny how much she wanted the town to be like Stars Hallow, but then it was basically just the same thing over and over. There was also insta love when she met Finn. Usually I don’t mind insta love when there’s mutual connection and they’ve said more than 100 words to each other. This one felt forced and/or abrupt. There were a lot of themes in this book that had potential, but it fell short for me.

Thank you NetGalley & Forever publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: June 7

As Seen on TV by Meredith Schorr is a charming read that will appeal to lovers of a small town vibe that offers the ever present possibility of romance. This was my first read from this author, and while I was not tearing through the pages, the storyline is one that was interesting enough to draw me into the setting of Pleasant Hollow, and to feel mostly engaged.

Adina Gellar is a New York based journalist who has become jaded by big city life, and she is seeking the romance that a small town seems to offer up on a plate if the Hallmark movies are to be believed. When a story presents itself in the sleepy town of Pleasant Hollow, Adina knows that this is her chance to live out her Hallmark moment. But unlike in the movies, this town is not the fairytale setting of her dreams and is, in fact, pleasant in name only. Will she find a way to realize her dream, or will the Hallmark franchise leave her wanting?

Ms Schorr delivers a satisfying tale that will certainly find an audience, but I am not sure if this one will stay with me any longer than the duration of a Hallmark movie. 3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC.

Adina is from NYC and goes to a small town upstate to write about her experience, thinking it will be like the towns she sees on Hallmark Channel. However, when she arrives, she realizes it is nothing like the Hallmark Channel. She meets the love interest when she arrives, but soon finds out that he is also from NYC.

This was a good concept, but it struggled to capture my attention and I didn’t connect to either of the main characters. It was a cute book, but it wasn’t for me.

DNF

Pretty sure this is a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.”

I kept waiting for the story to hook me, but alas after 35% it did not. So I had to call it. I thought the premise was cute from the description and something I would enjoy, but the lack of depth in character of Adina wasn’t working for me. She came off kind of silly and naive. Maybe that was on purpose, but it didn’t work for me.

In retrospect, maybe my lack of hallmark movie knowledge or desire to watch them plays a role in my expectations as well. Who knows

While it didn’t work for me, I’m sure it will work for others.

I started this book while driving home from vacation and I couldn't put it down. Thank you to Forever Publishing for sending me a physical copy to review. I can't wait until this book is officially out in the world because it already means so much to me. I loved that Adina was a journalist, and I loved that she was Jewish as well. The inclusion of the Rosh Hashanah dinner was such a delightful and heartwarming scene and seeing Jewish joy on the page is magnanimous. Adina also went to Hofstra and I loved seeing my undergraduate alma mater highlighted. This book also had amazing pop culture references including Gilmore Girls, hallmark movies, and great rom com novels/movies. Adina's passion for finding her story and determination to write it had me so emotional and I really felt seen in this story. Adina was amazingly headstrong and I cheered for her journey the whole time. I also enjoyed the nod to healing and communicating within families. The romance was a roller-coaster, but it was so meaningful at the same time. Of course I enjoyed the spice, but there was so much to fully and wholly love about this book. My Jewish and writing soul are so happy. I highly recommend this for the laughs cozy vibes and joy I love to find while reading.

I'm having a hard time rating this book.
First, what I really enjoyed:
Adina's perception of small town life having only experienced them through Hallmark movies.
Struggling to write a story
Chemistry between Adina and Finn
Adina's relationship with her mother

What troubled me:
Although Adina had.a few thoughts about how she should be more in tune with her best friend's terrible news, she continues to just focus on her own problems and do absolutely nothing to help or console her friend.

The extremely dark, and unresolved, backstory for Finn. Did not see that coming in my romcom.

The way Adina dealt with Finn's father's alcoholism was very uncomfortable for me. Family traumas like that are very delicate. For Adina to act like Finn hadn't figured out the best way to get through one of his father's benders and just walk up in there and attack Finn for not putting her feelings first did not paint her in a good light at all. The cycle of abuse and addiction is a lot more painful and complicated than this story would have you believe. So after 15 years, Adina comes along and suddenly Finn is going to set up boundaries that his father will respect? His dad is just going to head off to AA again, after he's fallen off the bandwagon so many times and it's just going to click because she's in the picture now?

I'd been leaning toward giving the book 4-5 stars until that difficult scene with Finn, his dad, and Adina. That changed the whole vibe of the book and I never came back on board with the light-hearted romance spin after that.

This book had the premise and the idea that I had hoped would be a fun and easy read. The idea of the book was what I wanted but the actuality of it was not my favorite. The nods to the different tv shows and movies was fun, but the characters and the story lagged way too much. Not something I wanted to come back to, but felt like I should. It was not a favorite, but hoped it would be, so the book just left me lackluster and bored with it. Not for me, and hopefully others will enjoy it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoy this cute story. The plot kept me interested and I will definitely recommend to my friends!

Adina is so over New York. Dating especially. When she gets the opportunity to write an article about a real life Hallmark situation in a small town, she is out the door faster than you can even imagine. Unfortunately, when she arrives in Pleasant Hollow, the people are less than pleasant. Not only that, but nobody seems to care about the real estate monster building a new apartment building. She does however meet Finn, who is a bright light, but at the end of the day, she needs a story to hand in so she can help her mom pay their rent.

Ok so I have a confession to make. I don’t generally watch/enjoy Hallmark movies. When everyone I know is glued to the tv during the holidays, I am doing anything else. That said, I love a good rom com love story, so maybe I just prefer to read them than watch? I thought the references, the story, the laughs, the tears were all what made this book so good. While Adi was a bit naive, I kind of loved how naive she was, and how she always expected the best out of the small town businesses. Overall this was a great rom com that gives you your hallmark book fix, but add in some sex!

This book was definitely a pleasant surprise. I thought it was going one way and it ended up going in a different one altogether. I truly enjoyed how these two characters grew and found their happiness. This is the first time I read this author's work and it won't be my last. I definitely recommend it.

I loved this charming romance that played with the idyllic Hallmark town trope. With her life and career in limbo, aspiring journalist Adina proposes an article about a Hallmark-esque town, Pleasant Grove and the ‘evil’ developer that is threatening it’s small town charm. But when Adina gets there, Pleasant Grove isn’t at all what she expected-not everyone is as friendly as they are on TV and that big, bad development? The town actually welcomes it.

The romance between Finn (aka the “evil” developer) and Adina is sweet and the banter between them is perfection. It’s also a slower burn, which is my catnip.

I also loved the realistic Jewish rep. As a fellow bacon-eating Jew, I loved seeing myself in Adina and loved the inclusion of the Jewish holidays.

This was such a great read, and felt like a cozy hug while wearing a warm cable knit sweater and cute boots. If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls or Hart of Dixie, you will love this book!

As Seen on TV releases on June 7th!

This was a cute read. I really loved the story on how Adina goes to the small Town to find the story and romance of a Hallmark movie! It was funny reading how she ends up being disappointed. I cracked up on how she tries really hard asking around for all the Hallmark things you would find in a small town and then only to be turned down in the end. Her determination to write a story what’s something I really enjoyed reading. I like how strong she becomes and how she fights for it.
Finn was really sweet! I love how at first Adina thought he lived in a small town. It was funny when she finds out the truth about him. His backstory was a sad one and I really wanted to give him a hug.
I found the pacing a little slow but overall tho was a nice book. I absolutely loved the ending of this book!
This is an open door romance but I will say the book doesn’t go into so much detail with the sex scenes. For those who like closed door romance books this isn’t too bad for them!

Read if you like:
Heroine’s POV
Small town romance
Hallmark references
Open door romance

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
2/5 stars
While this book certainly was entertaining, it was a bit of a letdown. I think I went into it expecting more and when I just got a charmingly funny story I felt disappointed.

Adina is a journalist struggling to get a permanent writing job when she finds the apparent story opportunity of a lifetime. As a long time Hallmark movie fan, Adina recognizes the plot of her favourite movie when she hears about a nearby small town that a local developer is threatening to overtake. However, when she travels there, she is shocked to learn that not all small towns are cute and full of character, and the main lead on the property development project may not be the villain she was expecting.

I loved this book! It felt like the absolute opposite of Gilmore Girls. Adina and Finn’s romance was very believable to me and I appreciated that their relationship had to face some very realistic challenges. This was such an enjoyable book to read and truly brought me so much comfort.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central) Publishing for the advanced reading copy!

This a lighthearted read with characters that are easy to like and authentic. They are also warm, quirky charming. This sweet and sexy romcom gives you the cozy vibes and brings humor to you with almost every turn of the page.

As Seen On TV follows Adina "Adi" Gellar, an aspiring journalist from NYC looking to have her "big story" about a small town fighting against the new construction of an apartment complex. She travels to this small town, Pleasant Hollow, hoping to find it charming and quaint as all small towns are portrayed in Hallmark movies, but is quickly disappointed by the townspeople's less-than-welcoming nature. Adi struggles to find anything for her story despite multiple attempts to try to play with her original story pitch.

I loved the references to Gilmore Girls (reading some of the other reviews for this book actually pushed me to finally start watching the show, and I'm really enjoying how cozy it is! Definitely the kind of small town that Adi was envisioning for Pleasant Hollow ...). There were a lot more references to presumably movies made by Hallmark, of which I have not watched many, so I didn't really get what they were referencing.

Overall, I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It's cozy, romantic, and felt very genuine in its characters and view of relationships. I do think it veered on a little saccharine for my taste, but lovers of Hallmark and other made-for-TV romance movies would love this book!

Thanks to the publisher, Forever, for providing me a digital review copy via NetGalley.

The book reads like an ode to Hallmark movies, quaint towns, and happy endings. The storyline is predictable and, as expected, has no depth to it. I enjoyed the characters - but would have liked a little more depth. As Seen On TV is a lighthearted read with characters that are easy to like. A must-read if you are a fan of Hallmark movies as there are plenty of film reference.

📺Review - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5📺

As Seen on TV starts out with Adina Gellar, a journalist living in Manhattan with her mom, who is tired of her current dating scene. She decides she needs a change of scenery, as well as a chance for a full time job at an online magazine. After pitching a story to her new potential boss about a big city real estate company that plans to build in a small town known as Pleasant Hollow, she leaves Manhattan to chase the story that could take her to the next step in her career.

Adina loves Hallmark movies and believes Pleasant Hollow is going to be like all the small towns seen on TV (ex: extremely welcoming, festivals every weekend, a close knit community, etc). Adina quickly realizes this town is nothing like the ones on TV. In fact, the only benefit of being in Pleasant Hollow is Finn Adams.

Finn surely looks like one of the leading men in the Hallmark movies, but Adina soon finds out he works for the company that is building in town. After getting to know Finn and the rest of the town, she realizes her story isn’t going to work out and she needs to find a new angle. She also realizes maybe TV and Hallmark movies got it wrong.. Will she be able to find a new story and land the job she’s been dreaming of? Or will she have to sacrifice her chance to follow her heart?

I loved everything about this. I loved the development of Adina and Finn’s characters. I thought Adina was naive in the beginning and Finn was very reluctant to open up. Throughout the story, you saw how these two changed amongst each other and in other relationships.

Adina also faced some relatable problems in today’s society. Potentially losing her home due to a rent increase, inability to find a steady job, working 2-3 small jobs to make ends meet, etc. This made me more invested and engaged while reading.

I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of romantic comedies. I laughed numerous times and loved all of the Gilmore Girl and Hallmark references.

As Seen on TV is set to be released on June 7, 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a charming read and oh so cute, sometimes I need a read like this to keep me going and I love when a book can put a smile on my face as this one had some funny moments as well. I loved Adina as a character and I especially loved her as a couple with Finn, they had some major sparks and their chemistry was palatable. Even though the story isn't entirely realistic I loved being on this fun journey with Adina as she was very relatable and the mother/daughter relationship is totally parent goals worthy! This was such a fun pallet cleanser after a lot of thrillers and I look forward to what Meredith Schorr comes up with next.

I couldn't finish this book because I couldn't stand the main character. Who knows this little about small towns?? Unbelievable.