The cover of this book made it a must-read, but the pages inside turned it into a favorite that I'll be recommending all year long. If AS SEEN ON TV isn't already on your TBR, and you're a Hallmark romance lover with a soft spot for small towns that remind you of favorites like Gilmore Girls, if you're a fan of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days (my FAVORITE) or have ever been disappointed your town doesn't hold an annual fall festival, tree lighting or otherwise adorable couples activity, this one is for you!

Schorr will steal your heart with her debut novel, as Adi hunts for the story to cement her career, save her home and find the guy of her dreams.

"Perhaps it was too much to ask to leave Pleasant Hollow with both a promising love life and a career, but I'd be damned if I left without at least one of them."

In my opinion, this book had the perfect amount of steam, with a realistic vision of what it's like to be a single lady trying to find love in the big city while dreaming of being swept off your feet with the grand gesture romance. It made me so happy to find the consenting, respectful relationship Adi and Finn created from the very beginning, something I felt was written in a way I hadn't come across before.

The cast of characters introduced in each aspect of their lives added to the story, full of comic relief, drama, and interesting personalities that I couldn't get enough of. Even the tough situations, were beautifully written, giving them places to grow and give hope.

I fell in love with all the references to things I loved, and am so excited for more readers to pick up this adorable romance, that left me with such warm fuzzy feelings and joy, I hope others feel the same!

Thank you Forever Publishing for providing an advance copy to read and review.

Adina is a down on her luck journalist who decides to follow a property development story in a small New York town for the promise of a promotion. While in Pleasant Hollow she meets Finn, who is more integral to the story then Adina realizes. As Adina struggles to write her article, she becomes closer to the community and Finn. Can their burgeoning relationship survive Adina’s story and the transformation of Pleasant Hollow? This was such a fun read, I enjoyed all the Hallmark and pop culture references!

Loved this cozy Rom-Com. It definitely got a little slow like Gilmore girls, but picked up a lot in the last 25%! Would still recommend though!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing)!

Part-time journalist Adina Gellar needs the perfect story to achieve her dream job. She comes across what appears to be a small town about to be taken over by big city developers but looks can be deceiving. The town of Pleasant Hollow is not quite what she expected and now she has to salvage her story or lose her job.

The plot of As Seen On TV sounded so interesting but it just fell flat for me. There were just too many conflicting plot points. Surely a journalist would do more research before just showing up in a town she’s never been to. Adina was fed up with dating and wanted to concentrate on her job but fell into Finn’s arms after the most minor inconvenience. The characters’ compatibility seemed to be based purely on the fact that they were both outsiders to the small town. Both Adina and Finn’s backstories could have been developed more.

Although I think the book was a little too long, I did enjoy the ending. The author wraps up everything nicely with a sweet final chapter.

I really enjoyed enjoyed plot of As Seen on TV, but I just couldn't connect with the main characters Adina. She came across as far too immature. Maybe it's because I am from a small town, but I think common sense would tell you that small towns aren't going to be like the movies, and it took her way too long to come to terms with that. I did really like Finn though and wished I had been able to learn more about him.

Are you obsessed with Hallmark movies about a big city woman moving into a small town saving something or other and finding TRUE LOve? Are you?
Well this book might maybe be a book for you.
Adina is a struggling writer ( like I’m not kidding our girl is also a spin instructor and a barista) trying to get her BIG break in the online magazine world. When a big Conglomerate decides to build a HUGE new housing development in a tiny town. Adi decides to write about how big companies destroy small town life. So she heads to this small town to get the dirt and maybe even stop the project. In her head she scripts a whole hallmark movie of how this would happen. She might even meet a hunky town guy and fall madly in love.
Her dreams are crushed when she arrives because she finds that not only are the people nothing like the movies. They are seem to be looking forward to the housing. So now Adi must scramble to figure out a new angle for her story or JUST MAKE ONE UP.
Here lies my problem with the book. Adi’s obsession with fictional small towns is charming at first. But COME ON! no one believes Stars Hallow is real. Also she’s terrible at her job. She constantly assumes and never checks before jumping to conclusions. When we eventually do meet the love interest ( in the bed and breakfast SHES staying at), she’s excited she’s found her small town hunky dude and starts planning their romance. Only to be angry later when she finds he is actually the guy in charge of the new development. Like GIRL! You meet him at the hotel!! Anyhow
This book is not terrible but I would not say YOU HAVE TO READ IT ASAP.
Oh I got this book for free in return for an honest review from NetGalley

Adina is city girl with idealized views of romance. She moves small town in search of her real life Hallmark movie. She soon finds out it is nothing compared to what she’s seen on tv. This is an adorable light and feel good rom-com. I really enjoyed Schorr's writing style and her humor. However the chemistry between Adina and Finn felt a bit forced.

Overall, It was a cute story. If you like Hallmark movies I think you will enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was so cute.
Adina is a freelance journalist trying to get a job in journalism at an online magazine. She pitches a story when she hears about a small town where's big business is going to be building high rise apartments.

She just knows that this town has to have a problem with that. After all, isn't every small town like the Hallmark ones and Gilmore Girls? She will come to find out that they aren't. But she does meet a local, Finn, who turns her world upside down.

I loved the premise of this. It was so fun and sometimes so laughable at how NOT Hallmark-y this town is. I like the banter and chemistry that Adi and Finn have. I got mad at Finn in regards to his relationship with his dad.... especially when Adi meets him. I really liked Adi's mom, who's really funny.

Definitely not the last book I'll read by this author!

I thought this one was really good. I loved the banter and both main characters quite a bit. Can’t wait to pick up a copy.

What a cute, fun book. Easy and quick read and great debut from this author. Laugh out loud funny in some parts and also heartwarmingly relatable!

rating: 3.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
genre: romance, woman's fiction

Let's just jump right in shall we? I read this book with a couple of friends, and here are a few fun quotes from our discussion:

"Has Adina ever been outside before?"
"Does Adina know how to be a journalist?"
"Who in their right mind assumes all small towns are like the movies?"

Adina goes to a small town a couple of hours outside of New York City to follow a story about how a big developer is putting in some luxury apartments. She suggests to her editor that she should write about how angry the residents are about their Hart of Dixie being ruined. But, PLOT TWIST: The town isn't angry. The town doesn't care. The town doesn't have knitting marathons or home baked pies or friendly inn-keepers that want to set you up with their grandson.

Out of curiosity: why would she not investigate the story before pitching it?
Why wouldn't she just tell the editor it wasn't going to work once she got there instead of trying to convince an entire town they were Stars Hollow and really wanted to participate in a town-wide exercise initiative?

Now, what I LOVED was how Finn was the counter-balance to Adina's Hallmark crazy. He played along with her and directed her to the town's "hot spots" and then showed up later to poke fun that it wasn't what she expected. But with all that poking, obviously, the pair fall for each other. Their banter really was fun and their dates were absolutely adorable. He really tried to play into her fantasy of the idyllic small town, even if some of those plans were foiled.

Don't get me wrong - this book (or at least the last half of it) was hilarious and very well done! I loved Schorr's writing style and her humor! Once Adina moved out of her pie-scented haze, she was really a dedicated and motivated journalist. I just wish the fog had cleared earlier in the book.

Adina is an aspiring journalist from New York City who hears of a developer coming to a small town close by. After pitching an article idea to her boss, Adina heads out to Pleasant Hollow in search of a Hallmark-esque story to write about. However, when Adi gets there, she realizes that things aren’t always as perfect as they seem on TV. Then she meets Finn, who works for the developing company, and Adi’s wonders whether she might have found her own happily-ever-after.

Adi is such a relatable character, and I really enjoyed her stories. Adi is driven and determined to fulfill her dream of being a journalist. She juggles a lot of responsibility and faces real-world issues like raised rent, living in a pricey city, working several jobs to make ends meet, and more. I liked her ambition, though some of her actions and decisions were a bit immature and frustrating at times. She is naïve, but I like that she stands up for herself. Adi also loves Hallmark movies, which is so cute considering she begins to experience her own Hallmark-ish romance. She’s funny and hopeful, and she has some great relationships in her life.

Adi’s relationship with her mother has total Gilmore Girls vibes, which was great. I love this mother-daughter duo. They are so close and staunch supporters of each other. They gain comfort from each other, and their bond is lovely. Finn, Adi’s love interest, is another intriguing character who goes through a lot throughout the story. I liked Finn. He has such admirable and worthy goals, and he sounds almost too good to be true.

The growing romance between Adi and Finn is another part of the story I enjoyed. They have a lot of chemistry, and I like that their road to happily-ever-after has several bumps. Finn has some issues that he needs to work through, and his backstory reveals a lot about his struggles. Their relationship isn’t perfect, but it’s clear Adi and Finn care for each other, and there are parts of their relationship, especially toward the end of the story, that are super sweet and cute.

Overall, I thought this was a charming story. It’s a quick and light read with a cute romance and great relationships. I read it after a particularly heavy book, and it was the sweet, light read that I needed. I think readers who enjoy contemporary romance or rom-coms will probably enjoy the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Billed as a sort of anti-Hallmark story, As Seen on TV by Meredith Schorr (in stores June 7) was meant to show that romance is not always sunshine and rainbows and cute misunderstandings like it seems on TV. And though this story portrayed a side of Adina and Finn’s love story that a Hallmark movie wouldn’t have, all the marks of made-for-television special were still there—falling in love in a matter of days, strange career developments and, spoiler alert, a happily ever after.

I powered through this book in a matter of mere hours because the plot did some twisty things that I found interested and because Schorr is a really good writer, but I had a really hard time getting past Adina’s immaturity. It could be because I know the industry well, but she’s 25 and claims to be a budding journalist, but she’s never really written a true reported story before (it seems) and when her pitch didn’t end up matching what she wanted, she tried to create the story she wanted, which is not the mark of someone who actually wants to follow the story and be a journalist. She also lives in New York City, she didn’t have to have her whole career balance on one digital publication—there are literally hundreds (thousands?) that she could be pitching at all times. I work in the magazine industry and though at 25 I hadn’t had a meteoric rise or anything, I was already on my third promotion, comfortably in the middle of a masthead, and not still learning how to do the basics of my job. This story would have been more believable for me if she were closer to 21—but then I know the love story wouldn’t have worked as well. The epilogue was a little bit cheesy and unnecessary, I thought, but I also know someone who has had that exact experience, and I know it went nothing like that. (Vague, but trying to stay spoiler-free.)

Despite Adina’s flaws, I did enjoy her relationship with Finn, her mother, and even her best friend Kate, even though she was also going a little bit overboard to find Adina a boyfriend. As I mentioned, there were some little twists that I didn’t see coming that fleshed out the story nicely and that kept me reading. There was a comparison to Gilmore Girls in the blurb that I think is overpromising something, but if you like Hallmark-type romances and are looking for a well-written story about people falling in love, there’s definitely something in this for you.

3 STARS

Big city girl with idealized views of romance goes to a small town to find her real-life Hallmark movie. Spoiler alert: things don't go as planned.

I liked the premise of this book and enjoyed how strong and resilient the main character, Adina, was. The town of Pleasant Hollow seemed like a pretty realistic version of a small town. Read: boring and less than idyllic. My problem was the plot. Or lack thereof. Adina spends 90% of the book looking for an angle for the article she's writing and coming up empty. It got redundant after a while. Also, the Big Secret that Finn is keeping from Adina was a bit anticlimactic. I liked the characters but had a hard time getting involved enough to care. Overall, this was a pretty beige rom com.

I loved the mom/daughter relationship vibes and the romance. Thank you for letting me read this story in exchange for an honest review. I would definitely rec to my girlfriends as this story as light-hearted and funny. I wanted to live in this world.

If I hadn't already thoroughly enjoyed "As Seen On TV', I'd have gone looking for it after reading the author's opening comment of the acknowledgements: "If you've gotten this far, it means you've read my book. OH, My God." Somehow that made the author all the more a real person to me, which is silly since, as an author myself, I know how real I am. Oh, wait. (pinches self) Yes, authors are real.

Bad attempt at a joke aside, this book was a great deal of fun, a distraction from reality. Adina Gellar does come across as rather naive initially, true, but she is genuinely likeable. Finn definitely sounds like a winner. I mean, apart from managing the project Adina initially wants to turn into a evil scheme, he worked for Habitat for Humanity and wants to build low-income housing? Okay, too good to be true but all true. Their cute meet might not be Hallmark movie worthy but it was easy to envision the action as it played out on the pages, even to revealing Adina's frustration as she slowly comes to grips with the fact Pleasant Hollow doesn't fit the stereotypical Hallmark cliche of a small town. Adina's efforts to somehow make it fit that cliche are actually rather amusing, to be honest, especially since it's obvious Finn is amused by both her stick-to-it persistence but doesn't feel offended.

In true Hallmark fashion, of course, the two come together for that happy-ever-after ending, although how they get there isn't easy and is full of surprises. I doubt that saying this is giving away anything, well, at least if you've ever watched a Hallmark movie. This is a Hallmark movie turned on its head initially, then going Hallmark again, if that makes sense. If you enjoy feel-good romance with more than a bit of humor and people with real strengths and weaknesses, not to mention families and friends they care about and that you will like, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. It was fun, in short.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Forever for letting me spend some time with Adina and Finn.

This romance novel didn't hit the right notes for me.

It's about a woman obsessed with Hallmark movies hearing about a small town that is facing a plotline from such movies, and decides to visit and write an article about it. But then the small town is nothing like the movies. However, it tried to hard to be the exact opposite of a Hallmark movie, and just felt a bit fake. No one in a customer service position would be that rude to a customer, small town or not. It just bothered me enough to not really get into the book.

Also, I didn't feel any chemistry between the two leads.

As Seen on TV is a romance that takes its time getting to happily ever after - mostly in a good way.

Adina loves Hallmark movies and inspiration for a story hits her so she travels to a small town a few hours away from NYC looking to write a piece on the quintessential hometown experience. If she happens to meet a cute, single carpenter/mayor/school teacher on the way that’s fine too.

Pleasant Hollow turns out to be anything but quaint with citizens who really don’t care that a hotshot developer is building new condos. And Adina does meet a guy, Finn, but he’s not a local. He’s from the city and works for said developer. Gasp!

The first half of this book was not my favorite. Adina’s inner monologue was sort of awkward and cringey. I felt like she was really out of touch with reality - which I suppose looking back was the point. However at around the 50% mark I started to enjoy the story a lot more with Finn’s complicated history and the rocky start to their relationship.

The ending was slightly unbelievable but still cute. I think I just wanted more of the messy and emotional parts vs Adina complaining about how life isn’t a Hallmark movie. I’d definitely read more by this author and am glad I read this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this read so much, it was very funny & I loved how relatable the characters were. After reading this I literally binge watched a season or two of Gilmore Girls! I absolutely loved its premise of a big city journalist looking for the perfect story in what she thinks is a Hallmark-like small town called Pleasant Hollow. Only, it is nothing compared to what she’s seen on tv or the movies. There is no Luke’s, no Christmas Tree lighting, & no festivals. Her small town fantasies were completely shattered. Although the small town is not what Adina expected, she does find an unexpected love.

There are many references to Gilmore Girls, & if you’re a fan of Stars Hollow, you will enjoy this one! I also appreciated the Jewish rep, which is not something I always see in romcoms. As far as the romance, I feel as if it was very realistic and relatable. Love isn’t always perfect & its sometimes quite messy. I absolutely recommend this, especially if you want a feel-good & cozy romcom read with quirky side characters.

You can expect:
* Jewish Rep
* Laugh Out Loud Romcom
* Slow Burn
* Charming Side Characters
* Gilmore Girls Vibes
* Witty Banter
* Open Door Romance
* Mother/ Daughter Relationships

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Quick read and if you like Hallmark movies, you’ll enjoy this. It had quirky characters, and the hallmark staple of a small town, fish out of water trying to fit in for how ever long. It definitely, had humor so when you get a chance to visit, check it out and enjoy.