Member Reviews
As Seen on TV was the perfect winter distraction. It was fast paced, which I appreciated and loved. The author did a fantastic job of keeping things realistic but yet hopeful. As a Hallmark movie lover, I loved the whole premise. I will be recommending this book to my reader friends!
4.25/5 stars
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Adi, an aspiring journalist, is hunting for the perfect job in New York City that will allow her to put her journalism major to use. But when she meets Finn in the small town of Pleasant Hollow, she may be getting more than just her life-changing story…
Was I attracted to this book simply because the cover was so dang cute? Uh, yes. Did I absolutely end up loving it for a bunch of other reasons? UH, YES!
Absolutely loved the whole “Hallmark movie” concept. And the banter? Yes, please.
Although I couldn’t get into this book immediately, I’m so glad I read this. Finn has my heart. Forever.
So many readers/consumers are hungry to see the Hallmark tropes flipped on it's head, and the author delivered!
Adina's naivety about what it would take to attain that "perfect life" and tension with her expectations versus reality drive the narrative. Nothing in Pleasant Hollow is what she expects. The themes were achingly real and relatable; we all want to believe there is a small town HEA experience out there for the taking, if only we are brave enough to seek it. But relationships are MESSY and take work, and this author managed to tackle that topic while still keeping the read breezy and in the spirit of "rom-com". And YAY for Jewish representation, and fabulous banter with the MC!
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read and review the ARC of As Seen on TV.
Adina's Geller's life is in limbo. While she is waiting to get a job in journalism she has been doing some freelance writing and building up her portfolio and trying to find any opportunities she can. So far she has been supplementing her income by teaching spin classes and working part time as a Barrista. Adina is still living at home with her mom because she doesn't make enough money to support herself which she hopes will change in the near future. Adina comes up with a cute story line about going to the small town Pleasant Hollow that is obviously similar to small towns that she has seen on Hallmark Movies. It's a great opportunity as there is a big bad developer who is planning on building a condominium project which no one wants. So Adina heads to Pleasant Hollow to write her article only to discover that Pleasant Hollow isn't anything like she envisioned from the Hallmark movies she's watched. The people aren't friendly and are actually looking forward to the new development. Adina's story to launch her career has crashed and burned.
I was looking forward to reading another romcom with a jewish character. This was a cute read and kept my interest the whole way through the story. There were some parts of the plot that I felt weren't believable but overall the story was wonderful. I did enjoy this story and was happy to read another book with a bit of jewish representation in it. If you are looking for a cute read with a little bit of steam but not too much heat this is for you. The pace of the story was good and I didn't feel like it dragged on at all. I would give this book a 7.5/10 and I would recommend it to someone who was looking for a light read.
Thank you so much for approving me to read an early copy of this book!
This was such a cute spin on the city girl falling in love in the country town trope. I love those for Hallmark movies and this book really was a great spin on a classic idea. It was really easy to get immersed in the story and I really loved Finn immediately. All the characters were really fun, and I loved Ami's relationship with her mom. I did struggle at times to really connect with Ami, but it wasn't too bad or enough to really pull me from the story. This was a fast paced, fun read and I think romcom fans will really enjoy it.
Fun story about Adi, who is looking for her real life Hallmark movie, and Finn a city boy who finds himself in the same town as Adi. It’s a cute story, realistic dating/relationship/coming of age troubles. It’s a bit far fetched in parts, but aren’t all Hallmark stories?! That’s the charm and Happily Ever After.
This was a quick, fun, unique, and relaxing read. I’m not someone who particularly likes Hallmark movies, but found the story line of this book to be the perfect ode to it without being overly cheesy.
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
A small town based on Anti- Hallmark universe and sweet banters with entertaining Gilmore Girls references, a slow burn lighthearted romance that can cure any cruel hearts and brooding souls! Yes, this book won my heart with this simple formula: less cheesy and without cliches, more realistic approach to the small town dynamics and promising conclusion which gives up full of hopes!
“As seen on TV” is definitely one sit read with its riveting and interesting development, colorful and cute characters steal your hearts and entertaining story building to keep you hooked up!
I liked the author’s motive to give us more credible version of small town lives and I certainly giggled each time I recognized a Gilmore Girls reference.
Adi and Finn were adorable love interests to connect with.
I had a huge bucket of popcorn and very delicious crisp white wine during my reading time and finished the satisfying smile with smiling ears to ears. Another great feel-good romance I truly needed!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Forever/ Grand Central Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Thank you so much to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this wonderful book! I absolutely loved reading it and will be publishing my official review on my Instagram on pub day, Jun 7, 2022.
Attached is my Goodreads review of the book, which I am also pasting below. Thank you again!
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Welp, I’m crying! This book is lovely and perfect and sweet as pie, but it also has depth and substance and makes you really deeply care about the characters and their well being. I LOVED Adi and Finn as love interests and was so invested in seeing how they would solve their issues in order to make their relationship work. The ending was so utterly gratifying, and I wept my little heart out.
The Hallmark movie angle is one that I think could have turned out extremely corny, however, the way the author flipped the traditional barrage of stereotypes of Hallmark movies upside down in order to show that real life can actually turn out better than these movies made me so immensely happy.
The Gilmore Girls references sprinkled throughout the story were an added bonus for me personally, and made me continuously smile every time they were brought up. I adored the parallels between Adi and her mom, as well as Adi and her best friend Kate, to Lorelai and Lane, respectively.
Loved, loved, loved!
This was a quick read. Marketed as Hallmark movie meets Gilmore Girls I expected a cute breezy read. I didn’t expect it to be the opposite but it was still a cute book.
City girl, Adina is working as a freelance writer, a barista and a spin instructor trying to make her way to staff writer for a NY online site. In a moment of desperation she turns to hallmark movies and submits a proposal to go a small town and write a story about a corporation moving in.
Once she gets to Pleasant Hollow she was very disappointed to find it not at all like the small town she was dreaming of. Trying to make friends with the locals, find a good angle for her story and flirting with a man she meets at the Inn have her desperately trying to connect.
It was a cute story. If you like Hallmark movies I think you will enjoy.
I'm very conflicted with this story. Realistically, I think while reading this would be lower than a 3 star read (closer to 2 or 2.5), but I'm rounding up because there were some parts of the story I enjoyed. The writing was solid, I enjoyed the initial hook, and the characters of Adi and Finn, as well as the supporting cast, were well crafted.
What didn't vibe with me was the execution of the story and the pacing. It felt off the entire time I was reading it. The aspects of insta-love, Adi's mindset to try and force a town to be something it's not, the fact she could land a job with one article (that was originally pitched without much research). Everything mixed together had me wishing the story would just end at points, which was sad, since this was a story I was excited about.
I have been waiting impatiently for a new Meredith book for a long time and it was well worth the wait!
Adina is a city girl who is obsessed with Hallmark movies and is set on finding a story in a "small town". She pitches a story to a magazine she sometimes freelances for and off she goes, However, what she finds isn't a Hallmark setting at all. She finds a sleepy little town. I can attest to this as my town is around 4,000 people and there aren't any dreamy Hallmark men either! I am also married :)
As she gets to the B&B where she is staying, she meets gorgeous Finn. Could it be? Could she have met the “one” on her first day in the sleepy town? As we all know life is not that simple. Life goes awry for Adina as she starts researching her story. Small town life isn’t exactly what she thought it would be. It isn’t book stores, bakeries and walks in the parks.
Adina finds that she bit off more than she can chew with this story. She will need dig deep to find out what will engage the writers back in the city.
Will she put herself out there to make this happen?
Find out in June of 2022!!
Well done Meredith!
Although romance is not my usual genre, I absolutely loved this story.
Pleasant Hollows may not be the Hallmark movie town that Adi envisioned, but her blooming romance certainly has all the makings of a feel-good, warm and cozy story. I would love to see this on the big screen! Schorr does an excellent job of narrating the story in a way that you can picture every scene, right down to naming possible Hallmark movie actors to play a few of the roles.
As a big-city girl myself, with a penchant for anything set in a small town (including the frequently mentioned Hart of Dixie and Gilmore Girls), I would relate to all of Adi's feelings and cravings for that idyllist setting. She may not find exactly what she is looking for, but what she does find is well worth the journey.
This book was a fun and addictive right from the start. I’m not a fan of Hallmark movies and wondering if that idea would annoy me but it didn’t at all. It was an entertaining ride to read as the MC, Adina, gets a dose of reality and has to figure out how to bounce back. The story is cute all the way to the end and really well written. It had a good pace that kept you wondering what Adina would get caught up in and still balanced it with a realism that made it all very plausible. Such a great read and well worth the hype. I’d recommend it to everyone. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.
This is a quick and cozy read, perfect for curling up with when your favorite sweet movie isn't on. I love that it takes the traditional Hallmark-script and turns it on its ear. Adina is a bit immature, which is probably my least favorite thing about the plot, as she tries to force this little town to fit into her expectations. I don't always understand her, but it's amusing nonetheless. The story mostly takes place in the small town of Pleasant Hollow, with some important scenes occurring in New York City. That dichotomy between large city and small town - plus the expectations of each - is what brings consistent humor. There is a bit of a moral to the story, and (it's still a Hallmark-style story) the happily ever after....it's just not the journey everyone is accustomed to taking in the movies!
3.5 stars!
This romance was a great quick read and helped me get out of my reading slump! I was so excited when I read Adina was a fan of Hallmark movies and Gilmore Girls, so I was hoping I would see characteristics of both in this book but was a little disappointed.
Adina lives with her mom in NYC in an apartment. This could have led for us to see a Lorelai and Rory type relationship be seen but it never came. Another small thing that annoyed me was Adina's view on small town life and her naive attitude. She's in love with the idea of small towns and romanticizes it, but bases everything on Hallmark movies. This may not bother a lot of people, but it did irritate me.
The romance in this book was nice and cute but I just wasn't a fan of how slow the romance was building between Adi and Finn and then all of a sudden, it was like an instant love.
Overall, I enjoyed the book even though there were some parts I didn't like. I believe Hallmark movie and romance fans will love it. I am happy I got to read it! :)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! :)
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an Earc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this book, and I can see how others would enjoy it. But unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I really think it would be perfect for someone that loves a hallmark film, because reading this book gave me big hallmark vibes. I appreciate what the author was trying to do with this story, and I think that she is a talented writer.
I unfortunately couldn't connect with the main character Adina at all. I didn't love the way that she came into this small town and attempted to alter it to fit the narrative of the story she was writing. Additionally, I found that the relationship in this story was just a little bit too much of an Insta Love situation for me.
I think this book is worth picking up if you enjoy Gilmore Girls, hallmark movies, and small town stories!
This cute Hallmark movie-inspired adult rom-com is an easy read. It plays with the 'small-town' trope and will appeal to those who enjoy Hallmark movies.
A very cute rom com. Adina is a writer coming to a small town for the most picturesque Hallmark movie moment. But it wasn’t… Cue the handsome enemy. A funny love story with many missteps. I like the book isn’t overly cheesy. The town is not quaint where everyone knows your name 🤣 Adina was very relatable. You felt her fall in love, her hope for the town, her awkwardness. You find yourself rooting for her having her own version of a fairy tale ending.
If you have ever dreamed of living in the same town as the Stars Hollow or Bluebell, Alabama, you're gonna love this hilarious and heartwarming book.
Journalist Adina writes for a living but has to supplement her income with non-writing jobs (barista & spin instructor). When she finds out that a bigtime developer is building an apartment complex in a small town in upstate New York, she sees a story. Adina is a huge romance fan and knows that if someone tried to pull this stunt in Stars Hollow or Virgin River, there would be hell to pay.
She pitches the story of a money-hungry contractor ruining a Hallmark town to an editor who not only accepts the pitch but offers her a full time writing job (with health benefits!) if, and only if, the article is a smash. Extra motivated, Adina sets off to the town of Pleasant Hollow ready to attend themed festivals, meet the townsfolk, and amplify the outrage they feel about some NYC hotshot ruining their community.
When she arrives, Adina faces a few issues- this small town is lacking the magic she expected and they seem to be totally fine and even excited about the builder's plans. To make things more complicated, the project foreman, Finn, is a super nice (and gorgeous) guy. Without a scoop and with her career on the line, Adina wonders if she can somehow still spin her Hallmark fantasy into a story, all while figuring out her unexpected and undefined romance with Finn.
For those from small towns and those who romanticize small town life, this romantic comedy is for you because it is a not too harsh reality check. I loved the references to my favorite shows and Hallmark movies.
I could relate to Adina in a lot of ways but I also grew up in a small town and know that there are some not so romantic elements to life outside of the city.
This novel is lighthearted enough to be a fun read but with enough character development to feel like a meaningful experience.