Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Here For The Right Reasons by Jodi McAllister.

An easy read with lots of twists and an ending that wasn't expected.

26 year old Cece is a Uni Student struggling to make ends meet when the pandemic strikes. She applies to go on the show Marry Me Juliet never thinking that she'd be given a place on the show. Through lots of plot changes she realises that she may finally get what she's craved her whole life growing up in the foster system - love.

A must read if you love watching the Batchelor.

As a fan of the YA Valentine series by Jodi McAlister I was keen to read an adult novel by her and I was not disappointed. The setting of a TV show, Marry Me, Juliet, is sure to engage anyone who is a fan of the TV show Bachelor, while people like me who do not watch reality TV will enjoy learning about how such shows are set up and filmed. Cece James and Olympic gold medallist Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor are both characters that readers can emphasise with. Cece has been brought up in foster homes and has trouble believing anyone can stay with her, while Dylan is plagued with anxiety attacks. Both have their own reasons for being on the show – Cece is an unemployed student and really needs the money, while Dylan wants to promote his men’s mental health charity. When Cece gets eliminated on the first night of the show, she thinks that everything is over for her, but the director of the show is persuaded to film a developing friendship between Dylan and Cece.
The other Juliets on the show are all accomplished and clever women and could become Juliet to Dylan’s Romeo and tension is built up amongst them. The global pandemic and lockdowns also mean that the women must stay in a bubble, and this gives McAlister the opportunity for the reader to get to know many of them.
This is a feel-good romantic comedy with some great dialogue. It is enjoyable to read about the antics of the Juliets to win over Romeo while the slow growth of friendship and attraction between Cece and Dylan is a delight to read.

Just finished an #AdvanceReadingCopy of Here for the Right Reasons by Jodi Mcalister, coming out next month from Simon&Schuster AU - a fun Aussie romcom set in a fictional COVID-bubble contemporary of The Batchelor. An easy, heart-warming read that goes behind the scenes of reality tv and the hidden motivations of its stars, and delves thoughtfully into diverse casting, the responsibilities of representation, and the challenges of making content within a pandemic.

The Bachelor during Covid. Imagine being locked in a reality show with people you hardly know. This is what happened to Cece James. What starts as a way to make money in an unprecedented time turns into an often humorous extended stay.

Rejected on her first night, and stage four lockdown implemented at the same time Cece and fellow contestants are placed in a covid bubble where the drama continues even when your story is done. Making the best of a bad situation and still participating from the side-lines Cece and the bachelor Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor are still in contact throughout the series.

Here for the Right Reasons takes you on a behind-the-scenes look into reality tv. It gives the appearance that reality television is the most scripted television (which is a personal belief of mine also)

Even though you know how the book will end from the start, the journey to this destination is enjoyable, often amusing and medium paced. This is a great weekend read especially if you're into reality tv shows.

Thank you to Netgallery and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I enjoyed this book so much!! Jodi McAlister's writing style hooked me straight away,I read the book in one sitting I couldn't put it down!! The main character applying for a dating show on a drunken night was such a fun concept which I've never read before. If you watch the Bachelor or Bachelorette then give this book a go because it feels like you're getting an inside look into that world even though the story is fiction. It was interesting to see how the show might work due to it being set during the pandemic.

I really liked Cece as a main character and getting more information on how her past struggles influenced her actions. It was interesting to see how she went on the show to help her pay her rent and maybe make a little money on Instagram afterwards. I loved how she was bit of a mess, clumsy and wasn't a fan of the spotlight which I found relatable. The relationships she had with the other contestants was interesting as it was highly competitive and I really liked how the author touched on what makes 'good' tv ratings. For example, one character is the typical mean girl and creates drama to stay on the show whilst increasing publicity.

I loved Dylan as the love interest, he was really charming and caring. We see him deal with anxiety and panic attacks throughout filming the show which was refreshing because I don't think men are represented that way in romance novels usually. I liked how Cece was kicked off the show in the first vote but was given a friend role to support Dylan in this reimagining of the Bachelor. This made their friends to lovers relationship more believable as you saw them get to know each other first and was nice to see a couple who knew how to communicate with each other.

I loved all the group dates I thought they were hilarious and a lot of fun! This book had all the drama you could expect from a dating show. I was shocked by the ending, there were no clues leading up to that twist!! I hope that means there will be another book.

This book is perfect for someone who loves:
✔️The Bachelor or Bachelorette
✔️Slowburn
✔️A fun romance
✔️Drama
✔️Strangers>Friends>Lovers

Thank you so much for Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of The Bachelor, this is a no-brainer to put on the TBR. I'm in more of the "love-to-hate" the show category, cringing at all the fake drama, yet being unwittingly drawn to it at the same time. So, of course, I finished reading this book in two days. Having read some of the author's previous books, I wasn't surprised the writing was able to hook me in straight away and the story kept unfolding at a quick and natural pace. The hero was of Sri Lankan-Australian background, and I am all for the reflection of our multicultural society in books in media. I want to see more and more of it. There was one stage in the book where I got a slightly icky feeling that here we were reading about the experience of racial discrimination from a white Australian author. I want to see more of these stories being told by people of colour, those who are actually experiencing racism and discrimination and whose works have for so long been overlooked in the publishing industry. However, I also believe that all people should call out racism wherever it is present and I appreciated the fact it was acknowledged by the author in this story. All in all, this was an extremely well-written, enjoyable, fun rom-com that left many a smile on my face.

An enjoyable read, characters and storyline flowed and meshed well. Content not really my thing yet still a good read.

Talk about the right book at the right time. I felt like I was in a reading slump and thought I would take a chance on this, and I am so glad I did. What a fun, heart-warming, page-turner this was. I absolutely loved this book, the issues it addressed, and the path the two protagonists went down. Cece was a great narrator and Dylan is officially on my book boyfriends list. Such a sweetheart, I was smiling multiple times whilst reading this. Jodi McAlister is definitely an author that I will be keeping an eye out for!

What a fun little read that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end!

The storyline is during the pandemic and stage 4 lockdown and the filming of a show where a Romeo choses his Juliet!

Lots of twists and turns, funny and serious moments but all in all a great fun read!

A delightful, heartwarming read that left a smile on my face! I knew as I started reading that I was going to like this one and I wasn’t disappointed! Highly recommended - an uplifting and satisfying love story.

I just finished this book and I'm still smiling. I don't normally read contemporary romance but I was keen for something different, so when this ARC arrived, I was excited!
I'm a fantasy reader. But all those different world and characters and magic systems can make for some heavy reading. I'm discovering that romcoms make for easy reading, but this doesn't make them any less wonderful!

Cece is a criminology student living with her two friends when the pandemic hits and she loses her job. In a night of vodka, gummy bears, and financial desperation, she applies for this story's version of The Batchelor: "Marry Me, Juliet", and subsequently gets cast along with 14 other hopeful women.
Turns out, Cece cannot function in front of cameras, and especially not when the world's hottest man is standing before her. She is emilinated the very first night, but due to the pandemic and stage 4 lockdown, she and the other failed Juliets must remain on site for the remainder of shooting. Suddenly, she and the shows Romeo, Dylan are getting more than just one awkward conversation.

I loved Cece. She was so strong and yet vulnerable. Watching her continuously overthink and overanalyse everything was so relateable. This book is perfect for fans of reality TV shows like The Batchelor, and I'm sure I'll now go hunt down some more of this author's work!

Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t watch reality TV, but I have seen enough to be familiar with the format. It has also been years since I have read a romance novel. I accepted this book for review with the hope it would be a light read and an interesting insight into the way reality shows are presented.

Here for the Right Reasons is a contemporary romance about a dating show set during the Covid pandemic

The main character, Cece, shares a home with her two best friends. They are all huge fans of the reality show Marry Me, Juliet. One evening, a little drunk on vodka pineapples, they decide to submit entries for the show. She is the only one of the three selected to be one of the Juliets hoping to win the heart of Romeo.

Like most of the Juliets selected she is not there for the right reasons, that is to find love.

In Cece’s case, she has lost her job due to Covid and is unable to pay her share of the rent. She is now 26, a maters student and, not having family, only has herself to rely on. Merry Me, Juliet, and the pay given to the competitor as well as social media fame after the show is her only hope.

Romeo for the show is Dylan. He’s good-looking, intelligent and sensitive. He is also the first coloured Romeo.

Cece is eliminated in the first episode but because of the pandemic, all the eliminated girls must stay in lock-down together. The producers agree to introduce a new aspect to the show where Cece and Dylan are to demonstrate men and women can be friends without romantic notions. As the segments are filmed they discover there is an attraction more than just friendship.

Meanwhile, we get the action behind the scenes with the other girls and the production crew.

I felt most of the characters lacked depth and Dylan a little too perfect. Cece was a strong character and the character I did like was Lily, the usual nasty girl of reality shows. She turned out to be nice but with her own agenda for the future.

Themes of racism, mental health, and social media influences were well handled.

Some twists keep you turning the pages but overall, it is predictable. The dialogue was uninspiring and repetitive.

Overall, this book wasn’t for me, but I am sure fans of romance will love it.

Thank you, NetGalley, Simon & Schuster (Australia), and Jodi McAlister for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

My rating 3* but this is a personal viewpoint and I sure fictional romance lovers will enjoy it.

hank you, Net Galley, for the Advanced Reader Copy of "Here for the Right Reason".

What a hilarious setup this contemporary romance delivered. Everything that is the modern world. Girlfriends are obsessed with the reality TV show Marry me: Juliet. Good times, way too much Vodka and crazy applications to be the next Juliet in the new series. Guess what? Cece gets the gig, and once she's sober wonders just what to do. Luckily for us, the reader Cece is conspired against by the pandemic and job loss. In her interview, she seems to show that she is looking for love and will be seeking her Romeo for all the right reasons. In fact, not so. Cece is in desperate need of money. She agrees to be a contestant. And we are off and away into the crazy funny world of making a reality TV show.
Our Romeo has an entirely different agenda. He is a man of colour who is delivering diversity to what has been a white bread TV production. Plus, promote a charity to support men's mental health. He has a history of anxiety himself. He is feeling the pressure of so much responsibility. So was Dylan's most brilliant move to take up the Romeo role?
As you can imagine, the unfolding events as the series get underway in the pandemic bubble. It creates a hothouse environment of temper tantrums and jealousies that were laugh out loud funny reading. Most of the Juliets were there to raise their Instagram brand and have their 15 minutes of fame, and I loved them. The author has an exceptional ability with dialogue and building interesting, intriguing characters. I particularly loved Murray, the director of the TV series and chief wrangler of these crazy participants.

So after this glowing review, why only 3.5 stars? Two thirds into the story, it sank into a sea of internal dialogue with Cece agonising over her attraction to Dylan, her money worries, and her anxieties. The story ceased to go anywhere. It floundered, and it went from fun to being an OK story. In writing novels, the middle section can become flabby, and the author falls into this trap. I suspect the author was asked to write 80,000 words when 65000 would have wrapped it up. The grand gesture was predictable, and the twist in the romance could be seen very early in the story. This is the author's first foray into adult contemporary romance, and I suspect her skill will improve in the next book. This is a fun read, and perhaps I'm being harsh. Still, the book set up delivered such expectations that when it flagged and the sizzle evaporated, it left me, the reader, disappointed.

I adored this story! It’s reality tv behind the scenes, and it does not disappoint.

The pandemic has hit, Cece is in lockdown with her friends and has no cashflow. After a night of drinking she applies to be a contestant on her favourite reality show, Marry me, Juliet?
Picture the most awkward person with cameras in her face to capture every little mistake, and you’ve got Here for the Right Reasons.

I love that we’re taken into the folds and seeing reality tv for what I imagine it truly is. The chemistry between the characters - the Juliets together and with their Romeo - is fabulous, and I found myself grinning from ear to ear throughout.

Thoroughly enjoyed watching the story play out and loved that I was still surprised at the ending.

Highly recommend

I absolutely loved this book and found it so hard to put down. it was the perfect strangers to friends to love with real bachelor reality tv vibes that had my eager to turn the page as all the drama unfolded. Here fore the right reasons also did a great job with the anxiety awareness and promoting male mental health awareness and shining some light on racisms. Unfortunately though I did find my self taking of a 0.5 stars because there were bits I did find a bit slow but it was a still really good and I would 100% recommend you read it.
4.5/5 stars

I loved this book!! 4.5 stars.

Here for the Right Reasons follows Cece, as she is selected to be a Juliet on dating show Marry Me, Juliet. Firstly, this type of book is right up my alley. I am a proud reality/trash TV fan, and having that but in book form is my absolute dream.

Jodi McAlister has done such a good job with this story, giving it a twist to your typical Bachelor/Bachelorette spin-off. Cece is a 26 year old Masters student, who has been financially struggling due to the worldwide pandemic. She and her two best friends get drunk and decide to apply to their favourite TV show, Marry Me, Juliet.

The behind the scenes look into the dating show is fun, and my favourite character would easily be Lily Fireball. Lily is on the show to earn herself some fame, and not quite 'for the right reasons'. She is an explosive and entertaining character, with more to her than meets the eye.

The writing is excellent, Jodi McAlister has a writing style that is easy to read and engaging. Considering it is her first adult book, I think she has done a fantastic job.

I read this in one sitting, I enjoyed it so much. The only reason for 4.5 stars is because I found Cece's inner monologue predicting how conversations would go was a bit overdone. Great read, would definitely recommend it.

Huge thank you to Simon and Schuster (Australia) and Netgalley for approving me to read and review this one.

This book was perfect for a cold rainy night a home.
This is my first time hearing about /trying this author and Im really glad I did. While I don't like to watch these shows on TV I absolutely enjoyed reading about it. Could have done without the pandemic aspect.

Definitely want to try more from this author.

Thank you to Jodi and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Love stories or reality tv like the Bachelor aren't my things so why I picked this story to read baffled🤔 even me. Was I reading📖 it for the right reasons?
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When I started reading it, I was bored, thinking this really isn't me, but it didn't take long for the story to pull me in, that, in my mind is the sign of an excellent writer. It's not gritty like the murder mystery suspense novels I like, more, it's a slow burn building up gradually.
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Lily provides an welcome explosion💥 to the storyline, but also a feeling of, how can anyone be that spiteful, but as the old saying goes never judge a book by its cover.📚
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I've never watched Bachelor ❤ but this has left me wondering probably naively about the set ups, contracts📑 and how much is a foregone conclusion.
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Dylan like any Romeo🥰 in a reality show is portrayed as a perfect man (do they exist!) and the Dylan Juliet as the perfect hero.
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The story about three quarters of a way in feels predictable but there is also an element of, there has to be a twist and this fairytale 🧚‍♂️ really isn't going to happen.
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However no one will see the final line coming, will they Dylan!🤐

Here for the Right Reasons by Jodi McAlister
4⭐️
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One night Cece and her roommates jokingly apply for reality tv show ‘Marry me, Juliet’ but when a pandemic strikes and Cece loses her job and is struggling financially she gets the call to say she has made the cut for the show. She takes the opportunity, think of the Instagram deals! She has a plan, make it to the top 4 and she will get enough sponsorships that she will be financially stable. But night one comes, and she freezes in front of the cameras, she gets caught up with the girl who has the ‘evil edit’ and gets eliminated. How is she going to get through financially now? The pandemic is in stage four restrictions so she has to stay on site, until the show finishes filming. She gets herself more airtime by becoming friends with the ‘Romeo’ but is that all it is?

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥.’

A reality tv bachelor/bachelorette romance, this book was super cheesy and cliché but I loved it. Don’t get me wrong, I hated the whole pandemic being brought into the book but I understand it was needed for the story - it just feels too early to be reading about the pandemic already! Despite the cheesy, reality tv side of things it sucked me right in and made me love the characters story. The ending was very abrupt, but the hidden underlying message was super sweet. This book sucked me in.

A big thank you to Jodi McAlister and Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me an Arc for review.

Here for the Right Reasons is the perfect balance of cute and fluffy and suspenseful romance.
Fans of reality dating shows and Home and Away style romances will eat this one up. Make sure you preorder so you can read it right away!

*Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*