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.

I wanted to love this one because of the tag line for fans of Gilmore Girls, but the other part of the tagline was for fans of Hallmark Channel and I'm not a fan of Hallmark movies they tend to be hit or miss for me, and more on the miss side. But the aspects of the book that reminded me of Gilmore girls I loved. Just not enough for me to love the whole book.

What happens when your dreams of having a Hallmark romance in a small town, are dashed suddenly by the cold reality that not all small towns are charming? Jaded Adina escapes New York with the hopes of finding a story, and fairy tale ending in the town of Pleasant Hollow. The misadventures that commence were entertaining and very realistic. I loved the introduction of Finn as the antithesis of what she had been hoping to find, but no matter what they were drawn together. Finn and Adina’s journey was so fun and emotional to follow. The ending was the perfect wrap up to their experiences. This book was such a fun mix of real relationship struggles with the cheesiness of a Hallmark movie!

I love Hallmark/Lifetime movies and, having never lived in a small town, have been known to romanticize the idea of leaving city living for a simpler life, so I was sure this book would be a hit for me. Alas, it wasn't really.

Adina, the NYC based journalist attempting to land a full time job by writing an article about a nearby small town, seemed much younger than her stated age. To fully believe that going to a small town a short distance from Manhattan was literally full of characters from a Hallmark movie seems unbelievably naive to say the least. The townspeople were basically written like mean and unintelligent humans who were living their lives wrong, Adina's love interest, Finn, was an interesting character and I would have liked a little less time spent on trying to mold the town into what she needed for her article and more spent on diving into Finn, all of his inner workings, and fleshing out their connection to each other. Their happy ending wasn't super believable to me and I glazed over a bit in the end.

Overall, it's cute enough and a quick read. I'm sure plenty of people will enjoy cozying up with it on a cold winter day while their neighborhood hosts a snowman contest (in their minds).

Thanks Netgalley for providing this arc!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As Seen on TV by Meredith Schorr is the best romance I've read being published in 2022! It reminded me of the viral TikTok where a woman says that she moved to Vermont and no one has approached her to ask about her dating life yet. The story revolves around Adi, a wannabe journalist who moves to the small town of Pleasant Hollows in order to write an expose on how an unscrupulous businessman is out to develop the land. And if she can find love along the way, why not? Except... nothing is as she expects. Is Adi's assignment over before it even began?

Here is a humorous excerpt from Chapter 1:

"Two hours later, after unearthing everything I could about Pleasant Hollow without enlisting the help of a shady character with access to the dark web, I veered my attention to Andrew Hanes. I tracked his professional history, saving articles about his previous ventures—Pleasant Hollow being his first in a small town—into the newly created file.
Finally, I aimed my research at Hallmark movies featuring quaint towns under attack by a big city developer. In the last few years, movies like Love Struck Café, Under the Autumn Moon, Christmas in Love, and The Story of Us had premiered with viewership numbers between two and four million each.
My intense concentration drowned out the clunky sound Mom’s boots made as she walked through the living room from her bedroom to the kitchen and back again while she got ready for work. I shooed away her attempts at conversation with apologetic gestures toward my laptop. By the time she bent down to kiss me goodbye on her way out, I had to pee so bad it hurt. But I had an idea for my next story—my big, career-making breakout story."

Overall, As Seen on TV is an absolutely adorable rom-com perfect for fans of Hallmark movies and Gilmore Girls. One highlight of this book is the romance. I felt the romance between Adi and Finn was realistic and great. There were a lot more obstacles than in a typical rom-com, but that made the ending all the better. Another highlight was the author's sense of humor. I found myself chuckling and even laughing out loud multiple times. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of rom-coms in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in June!

As Seen on TV is a lighthearted rom-com about a city girl who dreams of a small town happily-ever-after only to learn that life - and love - are nothing like the TV movies. - M. Schorr

this was just an okay read to me. i personally only really liked the last 15% of the book because i found it to have the most "action". the small town back and forth just didn't connect with me, and i understand that the town was exactly the opposite of picture perfect and that energy from the sourpuss townspeople bored me to death...

i also found her comparing EVERYTHING to Hallmark a bit too much...and then getting heavily frustrated seemed just a little naive to me.
it was also advertised as a swoony simultaneous grand gesture, and i only found like two scenes with this, as well as adding a "one bed only" situation, yet they already did the dirty ...

but apart from the majority of those things, i really appreciated the mother/best friend relationship. and i still enjoyed the story enough to care how it ended which yet again that last 15% was probably the best regarding the romantic relationship

it's definitely a lighthearted read, quick and easy to get through as well

*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 (𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨) 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*

This one started off a little slow to me, but picked up pace towards the middle. I initially thought it would be a DNF, but for some reason I decided that I needed to see what happened so I kept reading and then I was hooked.

Adina Gella goes to a small town to write the perfect hallmark story - only she finds out the town is anything but pleasant. There are no festivals, local gatherings, bonfires, or town parades. Her small town dreams are crushed and so is her bank account. She meets Finn, the supposed villain in her made up story, only to find out that he's actually a really nice guy with good intentions. Can she get rid of her preconceived notions long enough to get to the true heart of the story?

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hallmark movie lovers should rush to grab this hot new book from Meredith Schorr. As Seen On Tv tells the story of Adina, who admittedly has watched one too many Hallmark romances. Her view of the perfect small town and everything inside comes crashing in when the town of Pleasant Hollow doesn't quite fit the mold. The journalist is intent on writing a piece on the town that could land her dream job. Enter Finn, mistaken for a small town guy, shaking up the story.

Adina is a fierce character who tends to say everything we wish we did. Her courage is empowering and makes this story an easy read. Even stepping outside New York City, anything can happen.

This review was also posted on goodreads at the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4406464049

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.

Originally hearing that this book took inspiration from Gilmore girls and Hallmark movies i was hooked although I was not expecting it to take a twist into showing that not all small towns are like the movies and for the Gilmore girls comparison to have the mom and Adina be close for about 3 chapters and did not have that Lorelai and Rory relationship because it wasn't consistently shown but implied.

The romance in this book was cute but it just felt like it was a slow burn of interest to each other then instant love at the end to close up the story. The fight that always splits them up before they come back together was kind of awkward as it had shown Finns father would be an issue than saying she can handle it and the second he shows up, she's backed out.

Though I personally didn't like some parts of the plot and the pace, this book was well written and I believe most romance and Hallmark enjoyers will love it. Im so glad I got to read it.

Things are not going Adina Gellar's way. She's trying to make her way as a journalism while working two side jobs. And she's not found much success while dating. Adina often wishes her life was more like a Hallmark movie -- where she goes to a cute small town and quickly finds love with one of the eligible single men. So when she discovers that a New York developer is planning a project in a small town a few hours away, Pleasant Hollow, Adina decides to do a story on the real-life Hallmark movie come to life -- hoping to use the story as a launching pad to a full-time job at an online magazine and, maybe, her own love connection. The only problem is Pleasant Hollow is nothing like she expected -- it is not at all charming, the residents are not welcoming, and the person she has a spark with, Finn, is working for the developer.

This is a fun and creative twist on the Hallmark movie. The main character is a delight, and the supporting cast, including Adina's mother and best friends and the residents of Pleasant Town, make for a sweet and often funny story. Highly recommended!

It’s always Hallmark movie season (Winterfest, Countdown to Valentine’s Day, Spring Fling, June Weddings, Christmas in July, Summer Nights, Fall Harvest, and finally Countdown to Christmas) and therefore always a perfect time to read Meredith Schorr’s first trade paperback which is about…making Hallmark movie plots come true!

Adina Gellar is a big city girl with fantasies about life in small towns — retro diners with homemade pies, innkeepers offering hot cocoa by the fireplace, hunky men in flannel shirts strolling the town square, and a craft brewery with adorable characters behind the bar like Luke from the Gilmore Girls. She’s an aspiring journalist who’s seen a tad too many Lifetime Channel films about big developers destroying quaint villages, and she’s on a real assignment in Pleasant Hollow where that particular scenario appears to actually be happening, so she hopes to get writing her big break and dream job from the article she’s here to research. Except….nope. The townsfolk are happy (or blasé) about impending change, and there’s not much quaint or cute or folksy around town. A new affordable condo complex (but with luxurious amenities and new shops) might benefit everyone. The only person who’s engaging enough the spend any time with Adina is the corporate developer’s on-site henchman, Finn. And Adi knows from her Hallmark plot experience that she’s supposed to dislike him and lead some kind of town revolt against the gentrification occurring. Of course, Finn is the only other guest at the B&B that she’s staying at, which complicates things. She sees a frenemy; he sees a sweet girl. How will this end satisfactorily for both of them?

The writing was charming and delightful and I found myself rooting for both Adi and Finn, even though they had competing interests. I couldn’t put the book down once I started it! Five stars! Hallmark movies are over in a couple of hours, but this story delightfully lasted much longer. Bonus points for the couple watching Frances Ha, a B&W edgy indie movie I saw at the Toronto Film festival and assumed no one else ever would.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the advanced reader copy! Looking forward to Meredith Schorr’s next books with delightful characters.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Our lead character’s eyes are brown and green with flecks of gold.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO I had expected description of romantic wisteria arches, streets lined with hanging flower baskets, and fields of random wildflowers, but since this was the anti-quaint town, they were absent.

This was a fairly interesting story that kept my attention grasped till the very end. The characters and their story was quite entertaining. Also, I really like the pace with which events unfold. I really like the writing style, although, I felt the beginning a bit slow. Nevertheless, it was a very fun read for me!!

If any book deserved an all night we read, it was definitely this one!! Gosh, I just devoured it. I was so invested in it that I didn’t even realise that I have reached the end. The story was so entertaining and engaging. I quite liked the characters too, they were relatable and adorable. Along with that, I really like the pace and the word building. All in all, it’s a 4 star read for me.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Delightful, charming and adorable read.

3.5⭐️ I didn’t LOVE this book but it was definitely entertaining and enjoyable!!

Adina Geller is an aspiring journalist who has hopes of finding love in a small suburban town just as she’s seen on TV. When she gets the opportunity to chase down what she thinks is a career changing story- a big developer’s new project disrupting a small town’s community- her perception of what she thought this town would be like is quite different than the reality. Along with that, Adina quickly develops feelings for the project manager, Finn, who’s view of dating is not what Adina is looking for.

Read if you like:
-Hallmark movies
-Tons of TV show references (Hart of Dixie, Sex in the City, Gillmore Girls )
-Honesty and being upfront in relationships
-Modern dating references
-NYC suburbs
-Low steam and low angst