3,5/5 ⭐️

A romance, based on an imaginary reality TV show, in the nature? The premise was different from every other romance you can find now.

It follows Easton Cooper and Amity Rose during a competition where team needs to complete challenge in the nature, use their muscles and brains. If Easton is a nature guy, Amity is far from it. But she has other asset. The winner take one million dollars home. If they find romance along the way? Great, it makes better drama for television!

It's not that I didn't like the story, it has the usual tropes that you kinda expect (and wants) in a romance. The enemies to lovers is the main one. I enjoyed the dual pov but it didn't help rooting for Easton, even knowing why he wanted to win the money, he was a jackass for the most part of the book. It's a book that some people are gonna love, but I had a bit of trouble getting into it. Too much description in the first part of the book for my taste, I wasn't really into it until a good half of it.

A light novel, quick to read and with all the ingredients for a good laugh.

Who doesn't love a beautiful enemies-to-lovers?!
Easton and Amity are like the dog and the cat, but not everything is as it seems.

I really liked the concept of the reality show and the dynamics of the plot. There were some slower and slower moments, but overall it was a good read.
Ideal for those who want a light, fun, adventure-filled and very romantic read.

I thought this was such a clever and unique contemporary romance. I've never read a romance that was set during a survivalist reality TV show and I really enjoyed the concept. I loved all the characters that the author brought to life, with my favorites being Easton (obviously), Amity, and Bria. I thought the author set up the plot really well and developed each of the "challenges" that were a part of the show really well. It did get a little slow at some parts near the 3/4 mark of the book because *slight spoiler* I felt like the character's had completed their romance arc already. That being said, the ending was great and the author beautifully set up and HOOKED ME on her next book! I'm hoping the next book will revolve around Easton's sister Hannah, who I absolutely love and can't wait to see more of.

I received an ARC of this delightful book from Netgalley, thank you!

I didn’t go into this book with any expectations and the beginning was a little rough around the edges, not gonna lie. I disliked both main characters and it took me awhile to get into the whole reality TV atmosphere but let me tell you: it blew my mind!
I ended up rooting for not only the main couple but also the side characters! The race was super fun and I loved to be surprised by the challenges.
This is the perfect summer romance with fluffy plot and lovely characters, I can only recommend this.
And extra points for the incredible scenery of the book: The Pacific Central Trail, a beautiful setting with mountains, lakes, woods and fun racing. This is not your standard romance! I honestly cannot wait for the next book in this fun series!!

I ended up DNF-ing at 20%. The writing wasn’t a fit for me (unnecessarily descriptive and repetitive) and I didn’t like either of the main characters. It may have gotten better, but Cooper rubbed me the wrong way from the start.

Crush in the Cascades is a tale of Man meets Woman while competing on an Action Adventure Reality Show.
Cooper and Amity have that chemistry from the beginning, with angst and tension throughout.

The character interaction lifts this book. You keep you wondering what will happen next and championing for your favorite characters to progress through the challenges and fall in love. I kept reading to see who would win each round and stay in the competition. 

An easy read, rom-com perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey and Emily Henry.

QOTD: Do you watch survival/fitness style reality shows?
My A: Yes! I grew up watching The Real World and then of course, Road Rules and The Challenge. Diem 😇 and CT will forever have my heart.
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Speaking to the people of Goodreads... DID YOU GUYS EVEN READ THE BOOK? I'm pretty positive half of the negative reviews on GR are just copy and paste from one single review. People too lazy to actually read the book themselves, because I can't think of any other reason this book has so many harsh reviews??? I loved this book!!
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A fun and flirty romance set in the mountains, where a group of people are being filmed for a reality TV show while fighting to win 2 million dollars. The ultimate Enemies to Lovers, this book is packed with witty banter, true enemies and a unique setting! It was clear that Lisa S. Gayle put a lot of work into the layout of the challenges and I lOVED rooting for the badass under dog, Amity. The MMC, Easton, seems to be getting the brunt of the hate from readers, and to that I say wahh. He's broody and grumpy and honestly just a guy. He's emotionally unaware but underneath he's such a softy and I was cheering him on while he suffered through getting his crap together.
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This was such a fun read and I'm looking forward to book #2 in The Race for Riches or Romance series!
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BLURB:
For Easton Cooper, everything—except a chance at one million dollars. Desperate for cash, he’ll even compete on an outrageous action-adventure reality show, and he hates reality TV. As luck would have it, he’s thrust into his element, a series of outdoor challenges in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. But there’s a catch—he’s staring across the meadow at his partner—a tan, hot, out-of-place California girl, wearing heels and a formal dress in the middle of freaking nowhere—and she will not bring him down! Even if he has to drag her across the finish line.

Amity Rose wants an adventure. No one told her that “dress accordingly” meant deck out in hardcore mountain gear. So she wore strappy heels and a fancy dress to the opening scene. So she hates bugs, cold air, tents, campfires—must she go on? Now all the contestants think she’s a pampered princess—and to add to her bad luck, her partner is the worst—a gangly, overconfident, know-it-all mountain trail guide. Did the directors just add a romantic twist to the drama? Sure, why not? Maybe she’ll leave the race with something more valuable than money. Just not with him!

This book was an extremely fun enemies to lovers romance with an enthralling plot. I loved the way the characters were developed throughout the book. This was such a quick read for me. I can not wait to see what the author does with the next installment in the series.

The Bachelor meets survivor in this heart pumping enemies to lovers romance. Easton practically lives outdoors. As he reluctantly joins a reality show in a desperate attempt to win a million dollars, Easton could not be more thrilled to discover it is a mountainous
adventure he is about to embark on. Amity is a city girl who lands herself in the wilderness in a floor length dress and heels. What ensues in the six week journey to follow is charming banter filled story, packed with heart.

Thank you NetGalley and Lisa S. Gayle for letting me read this ARC!

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I do not think Amnity and Cooper should have ended up together. The insta-love was very superficial and I felt like Cooper sold Amnity short every time. I know Cooper said he would move to California, but I don’t realistically see them lasting :(

Crush in the Cascades is a fun and easy book to read. I really enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, so I highly recommend this title for lovers of contemporary romance.

A group of caricatures compete in a ridiculous wilderness competition television show for the prize of 1 million dollars.

There is nothing overly artful about this book but it was entertaining.

The characters in this story are hard to root for. Easton, the ‘hero’, is fairly judgmental and sexist. Amity, the ‘heroine’, is wildly insecure. Their relationship is practically instant — they are enemies for the total of what is maybe two days? Even then they are more immature differences than actual loathing or enemies. The ending is rushed and leaves the reader wanting more of the life outside of the television show than another running challenge.

Overall the dynamics in this book are as ridiculous and unrealistic as the television shows it is modeled after. It's a quick breezy read for when you want to laugh at some absurdity, which I imagine was the intent.

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

Thank you to the publishers & NetGalley for the ARC!

I was really excited to read this one - not only for the beautiful cover, but because the premise of a reality-adventure show. I love a good enemies to lovers trope & I loved the adventure aspects of the story too.

This is definitely a fun book to read for summer (or anytime of the year really)!

Reality TV, drama at ever turn, romance, comedy, enemies to lovers, PNW based, and a happy ending.

I appreciated the depth of characters and found them relatable. Although Amity and Easton’s relationship was rocky to start, and continued to see bumps in the road to happiness, I found myself rooting for them. I did feel like their passion and love was a bit forced, it kind of just happens after they started out so snippy with each other.

There are a few spicy scenes in the book that made some of the chosen descriptive words elsewhere in the book seem a bit childish (i.e. bottom instead of ass). I felt as though there was a bit too much ‘fluff’ in the story just to take up space which made this book probably 150 pages longer than it needed to be.

All that to say, I did enjoy that it was fast paced, resulted in a happy ending, and would most likely continue the series to see what happens.

**Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review**

I enjoyed everything about this book, especially the concept, which I hadn't seen in any other book. I can't wait for the next series, and I want Easton Cooper in my life!!

This book was read thanks to NetGalley

They are part of a reality show, and at first they couldn't be more different, so they sort of become instant enemies, however I think that the author went a little too far with the enemies and make him kind of antagonize the lead character, due her being really girly, taking that, well the book is really enjoyable, and the idea of the reality show was amazing,

I was really interested in reading this based on the title, cover & summary. I love the enemies to lovers trope and the idea of a reality TV competition where two characters fall in love had me very excited. I feel like this book fell short with character development, I didn’t find myself interested in any characters and was not rooting for Amity and Easton to end up together as much as I typically am with other romance novels, I think that could be chalked up to the lack of character development and personality. I think what worked well with this novel was the adventure, atmosphere and the original concept of them being on a reality tv show.

Crush in the Cascades is a chick lit novel that is written in an ultra-light, heavy-character talking way. Amity is introduced as a "rich girl" and Cooper is an outdoorsy woodsman, and they are an unlikely pairing in a new gameshow that is an outdoor challenge with a romance aspect.

In general, the concept of a gameshow was unique to this story. However, I found that there were big underlying themes of misogyny and I was not a fan at how Amity was portrayed, especially as she was "falling in love" with Cooper. The men in the story were all jerks. And there were even some sections where the men became a bit physically aggressive with Amity without any of the gameshow staff stepping in to stop it. The story was very superficial, lacked character development and plot development.

I would probably not recommend this book to others.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book.

This is a contemporary take on enemies to lovers and I think it’s brilliant!! Being contestants on a reality show is such a unique idea that I’d yet to read before this book! I found that the plot moved at a fast pace and really enjoyed the love story between Easton and Amity. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Amity and Cooper meet on a reality adventure-meets-romance television show that is set in the Pacific Northwest. While all camping together, single men and women get partnered for each outdoor challenge. Of course they initially dislike each other, and the banter between them was fun to read. I really enjoyed both Amity and Cooper's point of view of each other, the other contestants, and the show in general. The reality show premise was entertaining and kept me interested. The challenges led to Amity and Cooper discovering different things about each other. I liked how the ending was handled and it felt like it could have been a show that is currently on television. Overall, it was a fun book to read and I enjoyed it! Thank you to NetGalley and the BooksGoSocial for the ARC.

Okay, I want to start this off by saying I got this book for free in exchange for my honest review and that will not reflect in this review at all.

I'll break it down into characters, plot, and overall because I have some things to say.

Character wise, they were so one dimensional. There was next to no personality to any of them and the only personality that showed was either assumed or just really toxic. The way Easton and Amity interacted was so off and on that it was annoying. On top of that it wasn't enemies to lovers really more like a childish teenager got into a relationship and it wasn't full grown adults. Then with a big selection of characters and all of them having zero personality it made it that much harder to get to know them or even like them. If I had to choose a favorite character it would probably be Bria because she was one of them who had some sort of personality, but even then that's giving major upgrades.

The relationship between Easton and Amity honestly felt really toxic. It moved incredibly fast and the way it went from "I hate you" to "I really really like you" to "I'm in love with you" in a span of three weeks max wasn't believable at all. They knew practically nothing about each other and barely knew each other before starting to date and even when finished at the end it was like they were still barely communicating about each other to the other person.

The plot was something I was excited for but it fell so flat. The way it was all written just couldn't be believable and then how it was written just rubbed me the wrong way. There were numerous times throughout the book that I had to stop and really think about what was said. One big thing I had an issue with was the fact that Amity called Easton bipolar just because of how fast his mood fluctuated which is really not a good term to use to describe someone. There's already a bad stigma around people who actually are bipolar and then using it outside of the context really made me dislike this book even more. Then the way it was written was if a cisgender white male wrote it and didn't know how to write anything. I know that sounds harsh but the girls were written in such an objectifying way that a male would've written it, but then the males were also written in such an objectifying way too.

Also, what the hell was with all of the men having fragile masculinities. It was as if they were in middle school fighting to impress the new girl. When most of them were in their 30s it seemed and probably should not be acting that immature.

Overall, was not an enjoyable read and I definitely would NOT recommend it to anyone because of all of this. This was not the vibes and I am kind of upset I wasted time reading this and finishing it just to be this disappointed.