After reading so many romance novels set in picture-perfect small towns, I was very intrigued by the premise of a less than welcoming town. Because let's be honest, anyone who has spent any length of time in an American small town, that isn't a tourist hot-spot, knows that the reality often isn't exactly hallmark worthy. And while I did enjoy the aspect of Adi's disillusionment as a larger plot device and showing how we often romanticize what we don't have, having her be so convinced of the movie reality of small towns was exhausting. Honestly, if I had met her in real I would have been more than I little bemused. In my opinion this unnecessary level of her strong believe in hallmark movies dragged on a bit too long. Overall the pacing with the novel just felt a bit off. While the romance initially progresses very quickly, after that it becomes a bit tedious with frequent ups and downs. Coupled with Adi's frustration with the story she is supposed to submit to her publisher, the story drags on a bit too much.
For me there were a lot of good ideas in the book and the execution just fell a little bit flat. For example Adi's passion for her job was definitely a strong point of the book but.... she doesn't seem especially good at it. She has such a negative view of her publisher, but he actually seems pretty reasonable. She also doesn't approach her sources very professionally and just seems very naive and inexperienced in writing her story. I would have liked to see her written a bit more competently.
Overall I still kind of enjoyed the story and as Adi stopped believing to much in small town perfection, she became a lot more likeable and fun. I would have liked Finn to be a bit more fleshed out. While he did get a pretty extensive background, I didn't get a good feel for him as a person, beyond being very attractive and good at his job. I also liked the narrator and think she was a good match for the book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was an okay story of romance and small towns. I struggled just a bit with the overly sparkly-eyed view of small towns. I mean I loved Gilmore Girls too, but I also grew up in a small town, so I know the difference. It just seemed a little farfetched that she was truly expecting a movie-scene atmosphere. Outside of that, I didn't love the enemies-to-lovers feel between the two MCs. It felt so strained, and I just didn't fully believe her anger at him.

Dnf
Narration:
I really liked the narrator for this story she did a good job with characterisation for our mc and I would definitely listen to more books narrated by her.
Story:
I adored the sound of this. I absolutely love small town romances but this just fell flat for me. It didn't give me the small town vibe I was after everyone felt kinda rude and boring. I guess the plot straight away and the mc was a bit to over the top for me. Lots of hallmark references which I may have enjoyed more if I'd ever seen a hallmark film to understand what the hype was around them. Sadly not for me

For a lover of Hallmark movies, this book was the perfect surprise. It redefines the meaning of home, love, family and community. Although the reality of movie set perfect Hallmark movies is fictional, which this book cleverly examines, we are shown how we can find the same emotions, feelings and meaning right in our own current environment. It makes us take a look at our own lives. Super fun!

It was a great audio. I went blind to listenig this and was a big suprise. It has something special, something to remember. Not big settings but big obstacles, specially mental once had to be surpased here. We need to make decisions and make our priorities. Respect for others and listen to our heart it is not always the easier thing to do. I loved this story with all the emotions, fears, addictions and I just loved the whole package is also spiced up.

Thank you Hachettw Audio and Netgalley.com for this great alc

This was a fun, steamy romance featuring an aspiring NYC journalist and Hallmark movie enthusiast who hopes to find inspiration in a quaint, Stars Hollow-esque town. When Adina arrives in Pleasant Hollow she thinks she'll be able to find a made for tv movie type style of love story good enough to sell to an online magazine. Instead she finds the town isn't the picture perfect one she had envisioned and Finn, the hot NYC transplant, isn't the man she thought he was either.

Full of heart, humor and great characters. I loved how the author doesn't shy away from tough topics, like homelessness or the challenges of having an alcoholic parent. Adina and Finn have to fight for their HEA and I soooo enjoyed the ride. Perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and great on audio narrated by Emily Lawrence. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copies!

I really liked the premise of this one and thought how the author took a typical small town romance story and flipped everything upside down was not only adorable but also clever. I adore both small town romance movies and books so many of the references made me giggle in appreciation. Small town life does not always mean cute little festivals, insta love and quirky neighbors and that’s more than apparent in Pleasant Hollow. It was a really unique take on the genre and I totally appreciated reading something fresh. I found Adi to be very relatable, she was fun and witty and said so many things that made me laugh. Finn as a sort of anti hero was still charming in his own right and I believed their relationship story as well as their chemistry. I think the narrator, Emily Lawrence was great too, she made listening an enjoyable experience. Overall a fun and light read that will be perfect this summer.

If your a fan of small town romance, hallmark movies, two relatable characters who want to love but have certain obstacles from keeping one from the other this is one you will need to pick up! I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed Adi’s story of being so close to her mom and striving to be a journalist and working multiple jobs to make her dreams happen… which then lead her to Pleasant Hollow where she knows a story will come from this small town… where she meets Finn and hopes to find the story that makes her become noticed by her boss! A cute one that I listened to in a a day.

This was a pretty funny read. Adi and Finn were cute together in the end! The romance is open door. All of the levels of Hallmark movies in this was honestly kinda hilarious. Adi loves Hallmark movies, she heads out to a small town looking for a real life Hallmark town to write about, then realizes that isn’t the case, but then starts to fall in love and has her own Hallmark moment, and honestly it keeps going from there. That’s not a roast from me, the book is very self aware of this. It was pretty funny.
This book comes out 6/7/22 and if this kind of story is your vibe check it out. I was certainly entertained.