I got this book free as an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Things are not always what you assume. In Crush in the Cascades, both leading characters suffered misguided assumptions.

Lisa Gayle's Crush in the Cascades features Cooper and Amity and a reality TV show. Cooper and Amity mark each other as "enemies" at the beginning of the book and the troupe where they are together at the end. Aside from the reality TV challenges Cooper and Amity face, they have personal challenges to overcome which bring them to meeting on a TV show. Luckily we still get thr happily ever after ending we hope for when picking up a romcom book.

I will say this genre is not my normal, so my rating may be a bit skewed compared with others who truly enjoy this type of book. That being said I found the predictability ( because it is a romcom with a recognizable troupe) too predictable.

The question I ask myself is, would I read this book again. My answer is, no. Would I like to see this book made into a movie? Also, no.

Reality TV, riches, and a race for romance! What’s not to like?

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!

Crush in the Cascades is a full-length contemporary romance that can be read as a standalone. It features an emotionally-charged, enemies-to-lovers romance weaved into an action-packed, fast-moving plot.

This book was ok.
I liked Amity rose but I didn't like Cooper that much. He was very judgmental and I didn't like that about him.
Overall I think that the plot was good and it had a lot of potential to be great. I personally love enemies to lovers and this is what caught my eye about this book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

DNF at 25%, the characters were so flat and the writing was cringe worthy at times. I really wanted to like this one for the setting but it just did not work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Amity and Easton don’t start off on the best foot, but they both work hard to get along in the competition on an adventure game show. As their respect for each other rises, so do their feelings. The only problem is whether he/she is doing it for the romance or the riches.

This is an enemies to lovers romance, a trope I’m always a fan of, although sometimes Easton was super punchable which made it a little hard for me to believe she would put up with someone like him.

The romance heat level is open door and there is some language, but it’s not obnoxious.

While this romance started out strongly, it ended up being a but disappointing. The idea of Survivor-style reality show blended with a dating show was pretty unique, and I liked the initial conflict between the two MCs.
However, the Insta-love between them soon took over and although I do love a guy that simps for his girl, it was a little too much for me in this case. Some of his choices were simply unbelievable (feeling her up in full view of the cameras for example) and it was also a too much of a stretch that she happened to be an amazing long-distance runner. These points coupled with the annoying and endlessly boring politicking and strategising of the game made the second half of the book a let-down. The MMC’s grovel at the end was also way stalkery and very much not ok.

This was such a fun, enemies to lovers reality tv romance!!! I requested this book completely on a whim based on the cover and the description and it did NOT disappoint!! Amity and Cooper are two contestants on a Outdoorsy Amazing Race/Survivor style reality show where contestants have to work in pairs for a million dollar prize. Both MCs get off on the wrong foot and people continually underestimate Amity. I REALLY loved how scrappy and skilled she was and the way she just led with her heart. The romance was a bit too instalove form my tastes but I loved these characters too much to care. Recommended for fans of books like The charm offensive or One to watch. I can't wait for the sequel featuring Cooper's sister, Hannah. Much thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advance review copy!! I will definitely be buying a hard copy when the paperback editions become available!

Three stars!

This was actually a pretty cute book. I think that Enemies to Lovers just isn't my trope. I feel like I always rate them pretty average because the being enemies and then falling in love after like a day and a half (exaggerating) is just too unrealistic to me. Amity was really likable but I just couldn't get on board with Easton.

The concept of it being a game show was really enjoyable. I felt like I was watching The Bachelor or something.

Overall! I liked this book. It was cute.

Thanks Netgalley!

I wanted to love this but ultimately it fell really flat. The blurb sounded totally up my alley, and enemies to lovers is a fav trope of mine. I just couldn’t connect with either of the characters to truly enjoy it. But I will say the concept with very unique and fun!

The premise of finding love while competing on a reality TV show mashup of Survivor/Amazing Race/Bachelor in Paradise was really fun! I especially liked that it was set in the Cascades. But, while the idea was interesting, the main characters never completely won me over.

This wasn’t a win for me, but could be for other readers! I’d recommend this one to anyone looking for an adventure romance, and who doesn’t mind insta-love or the miscommunication trope.

Book: Crush In The Cascade
Author: Lisa Gayle
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Review~

Crush In The Cascade is based off of a reality show. It is also a contemporary romance book.

Each contestant is fighting to win a grand prize of 1 million dollars. The competition takes place in the maintains and is fully of survival and athletic events.

Amity is one of the contestants who walked into the competition wearing a gown and heals to the competition making everyone thinking she is a spoiled brat and a princess who just wants screen time. Easton is another contestant who was paired with her and throughout the competition they grew really close to each use and had great chemistry.

Overall this book was amazing I highly recommended reading this book. If this was a real reality show I would definitely watch it. There physical connection was really good but I wish it would have been more honest with each other.

This book is about a group of people on a Reality TV adventure show. I loved the main character Amity. I like how the relationship grew over time and how they also how they misunderstood each other. It kept the book interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this free ebook in exchange for my honest feedback!

Contestants are brought to the Oregon Cascade Mountains to compete in a new action-adventure reality TV show. Amity Rose and Easton Cooper are among the contestants, and after a horrible first impression of each other, they immediately get off on the wrong foot. As reality TV shows go, they are pitted against each other and a new forced-proximity / enemies-to-lovers trope is born.

The competitors are matched up in pairs for all of the different challenges, and our hero and heroine are learning more about each other as the show goes on. It's a bumpy road (or should I say trail), but they come to realize that this hate they feel for each other is actually an attraction and try to work together to win the million-dollar prize.

This book had such a cute premise but it just was not for me. I did not feel any sparks between the two MCs, and I really didn't like either one of them individually so it was hard to root for them. Also, being an incredibly indoorsy person, the roughing-it vibe with the heat, mosquitos, freeze-dried food, trail running, blisters, etc. was not the most romantic backdrop for me. Kinda sounds like hell honestly. I thought that Easton really treated Amity pretty badly throughout the book and I didn't think it was a healthy relationship.

Thank you again to NetGallery and BooksGoSocial for sharing this book with me. All opinions are my own. I do think the book was well written and would try reading another book by this author.

I really loved the premise of this book and absolutely LOVED the cover but struggled to finish. I love reality tv and while there were parts that had be giggling I think the characters could have been more developed. If you are looking for a light breezy read, this one is for you.

3.25 stars

It's funny but it didn't keep my attention as it requires a suspension of belief over my intention.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I couldnt really get into this one. I DNF at 25%. The "instant love" was just too unrealistic and there was way too much unnecessary information that made the book way too long. This could be a good book but the execution just isnt there for me.

I’m not going to lie- I DNFed this book. I love a good modern romance as much the next person, but I just could not get into this one. I don’t love reality tv in general but I didn’t think that would matter much, and it probably wouldn’t have if I’d enjoyed the rest of the story. The writing felt clumsy, the characters felt stiff and underdeveloped and I just wasn’t attached to the story at all. Just not for me.

I really liked the premise of this book and zoomed right through it. Amity is charming, though Cooper is admittedly less so. I found their chemistry a little forced and rushed, but enjoyed so many other pieces of the story. One of the best ARCs I’ve read in a long time, especially considering I chose it randomly just based on the cover.

Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

think of “the bachelorette” crossed over with “the hunger games” or “the selection” book series! as a fan of both of those books, i knew i’d be a fan of “crush in the cascades”… and it did not disappoint! this novel is full of friendships, love, adventure, and fun! having so many competitors in the competition, i thought i’d have a hard time putting names to faces. but this was not the case! maybe everyone’s assigned athletic-wear color helped but the descriptions of their personalities and quirks definitely contributed to connected to each of them!

from the start, i was on team amity! she’s definitely the underdog but showed off some serious girl power! i love how she didn’t let any of the guys hold her back! i instantly fell for her banter with easton, which is what i look for in any good enemies-to-lovers trope. i thought the pacing of this novel was *chef’s kiss*. sometimes i feel that after the couple has a big fight, one of the characters are quick to forgive and forget. but here, i thought that everything was spaced out perfectly without anything feels rushed or prolonged. i absolutely loved the set-up of this plot so i’m looking forward to learning about easton’s sister in the sequel!

I’m gonna be honest here: I picked up this book because of the cover. I didn’t know what it was about, and I really should have done my research first. No offense to the author: reality TV is really not my thing. I never could get into it. I thought it could be different in a book, but no. I still kept on reading, thinking I would get attached to the characters eventually. Alas, Easton was unlikable. The occasional misogyny and what he gave off rubbed me the wrong way. As for Amity, I’m sorry but I couldn’t bring myself to care about her. I skimmed through the book because I knew if I didn’t, I wouldn’t finish it. I got through it quicker than I should have, but that’s not the point. The point is, I’m convinced that these two don’t make it past the epilogue. They’re not that kind of couple. The basis for the relationship is not strong, too unstable for my tastes, and the emotional connection was lacking. Crush in the Cascades just isn’t for me.