As Seen on TV is about Adina, a New Yorker and aspiring journalist who finally gets her chance when she pitches a story about a small town that’s about to get infiltrated by a
It’s Hallmark in real life! At least, she thought it would be.

I loved the twist on the Hallmark tropes and thought it was very clever. Unfortunately, this book commits one of my pet peeves of over explaining all contexts and I couldn’t quite get over it. Even in the first chapter I felt like the book was dragging. I liked the main characters, but I just wasn’t a fan of the pacing of their relationship.

*Thanks to Netgalley, Forever, and Meredith Schorr for this ARC!

"Fans of the Hallmark Channel and Gilmore Girls will adore this delightful rom‑com about a city girl who goes in search of small-town happiness, only to discover life—and love—are nothing like the TV movies."

I was drawn to this one by its reference to Gilmore Girls and I was not disappointed. As the publisher's blurb said, TV sitcom/romance watchers and romcom movie lovers will love this book and will enjoy all its quirky pop culture references. But it also does something original which changed it up from the expected "big city girl finds love in small town" romance genre. I liked the way the book turned the trope of Hallmark-perfect small town romance on its head, giving it a blast of reality without skimping on the romance. And Finn's family situation brought a healthy dose of conflict and depth to the storyline. The story is all about discovering small-town life, but it does an even better job showing the connection and community that can also exist in the city. THAT'S the stereotype this book busts wide open. The story hits all the typical and expected rom-com notes while also pushing against stereotypes. As the stakes rise for Adina personally and professionally, this funny sometimes steamy love story slowly builds emotional depth that brings a powerful transformation and a satisfying ending.

Probably somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4 but i'll round up :)

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book tired so HARD to be Gilmore Girls + the perfect Hallmark movie and it did not work for me. The dialogue was filled with too many phrases like "you slayed" and "relationship goals". Adi was a very young 25, the relationship felt forced and not authentic.

I would also note that the word gentrification was used repeatedly, another reviewer had mentioned it before I read it, and it did make me uncomfortable.

If you like "made-for-TV movies" or Hallmark movies you'll enjoy As Seen On TV. It's cute and funny, with a healthy amount of steam. It's a solid rom-com with an interesting twist on the typical TV movie feel. The chemistry between Adina and Finn was well done. I also like the pacing of this book. It keeps the reader engaged, such that you don't realize how much you've read or how fast you're moving through the book.

This book feels like a warm cup of tea. Adina has like my dream job, and I loved getting this behind-the-scenes glimpse of the tv romance world. It also made for such a cute backdrop for our characters. I can't wait for this book to shine.

This book was okay. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t mind blowing either. The heroine was a bit immature for my liking. The idyllic town did win me over though. I really liked the setting. It was a good escape read.

Rating: 2.5
This is one of those books that was just kind of "eh." I wasn't BAD by any means, but there was nothing that really stood out about it to make it really good or spectacular either. Adi is sort of ridiculous and I just couldn't get to feel REAL to me, so it was hard to care about her and her story. Also how to you get to be in your 20's and not realize that MOVIES ARE NOT REAL, and expect small towns to be like the ones in Hallmark movies? COME ON, ADI.

Hallmark movie and small-town Gilmore Girl vibes? say less

Loved-
the many pop culture references
city girl in a small-town
things aren't always what they seem
Jewish rep

Eh, didn't love-
Adina is not my favorite FMC, I wasn't crazy about some of her choices/actions


CW-
addiction
alcoholism
mental health struggles
toxic relationship
death of a parent

Ditch the Hallmark movies and pick up "As Seen on TV." This charming romance turns TV movies on their heads. The small town isn't so charming, the city boy (and city) were the fit all along, and let's just say things get a lot spicier than you'd ever see on Hallmark or Lifetime. Perfect for fans of Jean Meltzer!

As seen on TV. Oh yea. This book had me hooked from the title of the book. That i was drawn into. I liked all that i read. Read it today.

Hallmark, rom com and stars hallow vibes and I was all here for this book. When a city girl swears off dating and goes to a small town, you know whats coming next. It seemed a little cliche for me even though I did enjoy the story. It fell a little flat.

This is a super-sweet rom com that had some fun moments, but lacked chemistry between the lead characters.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me which absolutely kills me as a romance reader. I felt the plot just completely dragged and was not engaged at all.

As Seen as TV by Meredith Schorr flips the script on the quirky, lovable, small town trope. This was a cute read and it’s perfect for this time of year with its Hallmark movie vibes.

Main character Adina heads to Pleasant Hollow to write about how the town feels about an upcoming development. But instead of finding a town rallying against a major corporation, she finds a town that’s ambivalent about it.

I had to laugh as Adina made attempt after attempt to prove her point that the small town residents are against the changes, always being met by a lot of “who cares.” And of course her attempt to cast Finn as the villain made for funny, endearing moments.

I loved Adina and Finn and the whole group of small-town and New York side characters that supported the story. I’m always amazed when an author can write a subset of characters that we get to know well enough to add to the plot, but without taking away from the main characters’ actions.

This was my first Schorr novel and I really enjoyed it so I’ll be checking out her backlist now!

Overall, I really enjoyed this one! I thought the premise was so fun and creative - who doesn’t love a good Hallmark movie?! I loved seeing a Jewish MC as well. The pop culture references made this a really fun read. There is a good amount of spice and that is never a bad thing! Overall, a fun, lighthearted read!

For fans of the Hallmark Channel and Gilmore Girls, AS SEEN ON TV is a delightful rom-com about a city girl who goes in search of small-town happiness, only to discover life and love are nothing like the TV movies.

Adi and Finn were such a cute couple, and I was instantly hooked on their story. I both read the physical and audio formats, and the narrator for the audiobook was a great choice!

*many thanks to Forever and Hachette Audio for the gifted copy for review.

As Seen on TV by Meredith Schorr takes the Hallmark rom-com tropes and winks at it to great success. Definitely one for fans of the genre!

Many thanks to the author, publish, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I didn’t end up finishing this book. It should have ended at the 38% mark, which is where I gave up. When Adi realized the town didn’t fit the story she was writing, the book should have ended there. It’s like the story was mimicking real life; she town wasn’t what the journalist thought just like this story wasn’t what the author thought it would be.


I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I love Hallmark movies and I love small town romances so I was so excited to read As Seen on TV. I enjoyed all the movie references but that was about it. The miscommunication between Adi and Finn frustrated me more than the trope usually does. Something was missing for me and I'm not entirely sure what. Unfortunately this was a bit of a miss for me but I do look forward to reading more by the author in the future.

This was fun! I love a small-town romance, and the Hallmark Channel and Gilmore Girls comparisons were spot-on. I loved that this was a twist on the typical small-town romance, where the protagonist realizes the small town isn't as charming or cute as she wanted it to be.