Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

The Reunion
by Kayla Olson
Pub Date: 17 Jan 2023

One of my favorite tropes is childhood friends who are secretly in love. While I do find myself at times yelling at the characters to just proclaim their feelings that are completely obvious (sigh.) but then we wouldn't have enough material to put in a book, so...:)

This book focuses on a hit teenage drama where Liv and Ransom were the stars. On the show the characters were best friends and over the six years the show was on air they became more. In real life, the two were best friends who had secret feelings for each other, but of course never shared their truth. Then the show ended as well as their friendship. Double sigh.

Flash forwarded fourteen years later, and the cast is called back to do a reunion show. I loved the whole feel of this book. The story made you nostalgic and so invested in the characters from this show to have true love off the set, too. Even though "Girl on the Verge" is not a legitimate TV show it brings to mind shows from my past that I could easily relate to.

The book is so much fun with plenty of sweet, swoony and chemistry-filled moments and there are kittens! Yes, there is angst. Yes, there is miscommunication. But you will cheer for the path to the satisfying ending...did I mention the kittens? :)

5 stars

This was another adorable romance read. I really enjoyed the story, the characters and their love story. It reminded me of a lot of the TV shows from my childhood. An inside look into the glamorous (and not so glamorous) parts of Hollywood. I read this quickly and truly enjoyed it. It was a really fun book with even more fun characters.

Liv was the star of a popular teen drama. After 20 years, she and the cast are getting back together for a special reunion. Which means that she will have to face her old best friend and love, Ransom Joel. After years with minimal contact, the chemistry is still there. Will Liv be happy to return to the past? Is it what she needs for live her happily ever after?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy!

The Reunion is a fun and delightful romance about Liv and Ransom who meet again as they work on a Reunion for a long time hit TV show. Both Ransom and Liv have moved on and built a life past child/teen stardom but is there unfinished business on a personal level.

The book was a fun breezy read written in an easily accessible style. I enjoyed the TV/movie setting and the main and supporting characters and would definitely recommend this to readers who want a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review This book is available for purchase now.

This was one of my most highly anticipated new releases for 2023 and it honestly really fell flat for me. I’m very much a dialogue person and this book was probably like 60% description. It got really annoying every time a scene changed and we would have to learn every detail about the setting and the clothes everyone was wearing. I honestly just wanted it to get to the point 😅 it got really good at about the 85% mark but at that point I was already pretty over it and just wanted to be finished. I think many people will enjoy it but it just was not for me 🤷🏻‍♀️

I absolutely loved this read. From the second chance romance to the early 2000s nostalgia, this book is a perfect peek into the glitz and not-so-glam of working in Hollywood.

This friends-to-strangers-to-lovers Hollywood romance is so beautifully written. The dual timeline format helps the reader see Liv and Ransom’s backstory and the effects of growing up in Hollywood.

The two main characters had an undeniable chemistry, and even though I was hoping for some more spice, I can 100% appreciate this sweet romance for being just that.

The side characters were beautifully written, and I also loved the incorporation of tabloid articles sprinkled throughout the book.

As a lover of early 2000s teen romance shows like One Tree Hill and The OC, this book definitely filled the spot in my heart that has been vacant since these shows have been off the air.

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the opportunity to read this ebook ARC.

THE REUNION is a nostalgic book for fans of ‘90s teen rom-coms (#TeamPacey) and celebrity gossip. When indie darling Liv agrees to sign onto a reunion special (and possible reboot) for the teen soap that launched her career, she is reunited with her co-stars and thrust back into the spotlight. Liv gets a second chance at romance with fellow lead Ransom after their friendship abruptly ended more than a decade before. Readers who enjoy behind-the-scenes glimpses of show business will enjoy the blurbs and social media fodder that help move the story along in a fun, engaging way.

This was a fun way to start 2023. Thank you to NetGalley, Atria and Kayla Olson for an advance copy of The Reunion.

"The Reunion" follows two former child stars, Liv and Ransom, who reconnect 15 years later to film a reboot for their beloved TV show. For reasons unknown to the reader, the two went from being best friends to not speaking. Now suddenly 15 years later they not only reconnect but immediately start sharing flirty texts after not speaking for a substantial amount of time. One of my least favorite tropes is "insta love" and that's basically what we got here. Ransom (terrible name) is immediately laying it on thick to Liv who reciprocates albeit mild hesitation. The writing was fine but it was missing that witty banter that we get from Emily Henry or Abby Jimenez. I typically like books centered around celebrity or pop culture but this was a miss for me.

2.5 rounded up

3.75 stars ⭐️
Happy publishing day to The Reunion!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC! What a fun, charming romance. I loved the premise here, two co-stars who were on-screen love interests and best friends come together for a reunion show, 14 years later, and old feelings emerge. This was a quick read and even though all of the characters were rich stats they didn’t feel inaccessible. I also loved the use of the articles after each chapter, it went a long way to immerse the reader in the fictional world.

Maybe it was me...but I just could not get into this book. dnf at 20%.

I had just finished reading a book that interrupted the storyline with what was supposed to be a newspaper/magazine/online article. Every other chapter the story would have one of these and it just broke the flow of the book. Because of that I could not get invested in the characters and that was it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
While I am not a huge fan of celebrity romances I did enjoy this one!

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Celebrity romances
Childhood friends to lovers
Second chance
Reunion TV show episodes
Super sweet romance
Hollywood drama
Closed door romance
How to Fake it in Hollywood
One Tree Hill or similar shows

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The added gossip articles between the chapters
The side characters- I want more of Bre and Ford

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I’m not a fan of miscommunication
I wanted more romance (i didn’t quite feel their chemistry) and less TV show drama

The blurb on this one absolutely got me hooked. Sadly, the rest of the book did not.

I liked Liv and Ransom a lot together. They were sweet. However, the romance was lacking. There wasn't enough scenes of them together, them talking, and generally connecting. There's a lot of history between them but I wanted to see more present.

Despite this being a romance, I felt like I knew more about their careers and Hollywood stuff more generally. I enjoyed all of this. However, this is a romance and the romance should be front and center.

Also, way too many clothing and food descriptions. It gave 2010s fanfic vibes which is weird in a published novel.

Overall, I just wanted more and found this story didn't live up to it's potential

3 stars

*thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC*

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75 ⭐️


This was so much fun! I loved the way this was set up with the little breaks in between each chapter with the blog posts and the plot itself was so absorbing it felt like it took no time to read. The only reason this is below a four star for me is because I wasn’t at all interested in Ransom and I feel like for a romance book I should’ve been more attached to the love interest. 🫣
I loved this writing style and everything else going on so much that Ransoms entire plot line could’ve been deleted and I think I would’ve actually liked it better.
I don’t think there was anything inherently wrong with Ransom but with the fact that this is first person single POV I got so invested with all the other things going on in Liv’s life that by the time Ransom became a bigger deal I was just waiting to figure out how everything else was going to turn out. Overall I still definitely recommend!

Two famous actors reconnect after more than a decade of estrangement when they agree to sign onto a reunion special of the teen soap that launched their careers in this breezy, compelling romance. Olson's adult debut is a page turner of a novel featuring a particularly strong narrative voice when it comes to indie darling and intensely private Liv Lattimer. The scenes in which Liv navigates her Hollywood life (with the help of a team that is particularly well drawn) are some of the novel's strongest. Readers who like to get behind-the-cameras glimpses into show business and into the life of celebrities will eat these scenes up. What works less well, unfortunately, is the romance at the center of this one: the chemistry is not as strong as it should be to make the relationship between Ransom and Liv believable, and while the stakes are set up to be high, they never feel realistic. Part of the problem might be in Ransom's characterization: while Liv is fully-realized, Ransom never gets a chance to develop as a compelling lead in the story, and as a result it's harder to root for him (or even suss out his motivations). This won't be a problem for a lot of readers, though - this is a solid romcom, guaranteed to find a strong following. Part Abby Jimenez, part Elissa Sussman, this Hollywood romcom is guaranteed to satisfy.

This is a beautiful second chance Hollywood romance story. We see the torment that life in the spotlight can have on actors/actresses private lives. Ransom and Liv were once best friends, always friends, never more, despite the hidden feelings, which eventually tore them apart. Skip forward to the here and now when they're filming a reunion episode for the TV show they were on as teens, and all those feelings come rushing back like they never left. Emotions, physical attraction, and life are bound to get in the way, but with so many years of growing up and maturing, can they survive all that life throws at them again?

Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh I have to much to say, where to even start? If you got the chance to do it all over again, would you? This is the question swirling around Liv's brain like a broken record as she returns to film a reunion episode with the cast of Girl on The Verge. It's been years since she had to slip into her role as Honor on the show alongside her cast mate and big time crush Ransom. Despite so much time passing since the show wrapped with a major cliffhanger, the moment Liv spots Ransom it's like no time has gone by at all. The two pick up without missing a beat...at least on the surface. Internally, Liv's experiencing all the turmoil. Thankfully, she has an incredible team supporting her between Mars, her very protective agent, Bre- her bestie turned assistance, and Attica who is pushy, but wants make sure Liv is a smashing success.

As filming commences and Liv is drawn back into her role of Honor, she is internally struggle to untangle the past and the present and what's real versus make-believe.

Be prepared to need lots of popcorn and gelato as you read this book. My favorite characters in the entire book is Bre by far and Ford. Plus, alongside many of the fans posting throughout the book on message boards, I totally ship Livvie and Ransom over Honor and Duke. Despite the paparazzi hounding them, actors vying for lead roles, and their careers on the precipice of change, can these two figure out where thy stand?

Things I loved in this book? The kittens, the lovely woman at the diner and her habit of providing them milk-shakes (I'll take cookie and cream to split with Ford), and Liv's love for refreshing sauvignon blanc. More deeply, I liked Liv's desire to memorize moments and her unwillingness to let the outside world steal her private moments. I also appreciated her candor about her conflicting desires as an actress and the blurred lines that occur when you slip into an old familiar mask time and time again.

Let me leave you with two quotes that resonated with me:

"No one else should get a say in who we love, how we love." and most importantly, from this book, a healthy reminder, "don't let fear win".

Celeb stories are a dime a dozen, and while this one wasn't particularly unique or groundbreaking, it was immensely readable. The story was cute, and I liked the writing a lot. The juxtaposition of narrative with tabloid bloggers was a nice touch. I'll definitely be on the lookout for other books by Olson.

Recommended for a quick, lighthearted read.

3.5

Liv is an actress who became famous in a teen drama when she was younger. Twenty years later, she joins the cast once again to film a reunion for the series. She reunites with Ransom who was not only her love interest on the show but her best friend and childhood crush. It seemed like there was something more between them, that is until Ransom breaks things off and they don't speak to each other for fourteen years.

This book went beyond the romance as it took a real look at the life of an actor, the drama on and off the set, and being in the public eye. Liv had some big decisions to make with future projects and the direction she wanted to take her relationship with Ransom. I loved the chemistry between Ransom and Liv even after not talking to each other for all those years apart. They eased right back into their flirty and fun relationship.

I wasn't fully invested in this book unfortunately. I found myself skimming too many times. I also didn't feel connected to Liv. This sometimes happens when I read celebrity romances.

4.5 stars

A hollywood romance/friends to lovers that made for some cozy reading.

I definitely loved the nostalgia of this book. Imagine if your favorite show filmed a reunion special and the main couple actually had the hots for each other in real life? Like I used to fantasize about that alone in my room. This book is exactly that! The relationship between Liv and Ransom gave me all the feels and some of their interactions were so cute!

I also enjoyed the "exclusive" peek behind the scenes of a reunion special. It totally feels like you're getting the vip treatment as the book takes you to cast read-throughs, red carpets, interviews, and most importantly....cat catalogue photo shoots!!! I also liked the gossip blog posts that were inserted every chapter. It made for a fun way to get both sides of the story - the inside scoop from Liv herself and what the fans are theorizing is happening from behind closed doors.

This was my first hollywood romance and I really enjoyed it. There isn't any spiciness - the scenes are closed door/fade to black which I really wish they weren't but I feel like it works in this case.

Former teen stars reunite 20 years later to film the reunion special of their hit TV show? And the chemistry between them is just as strong (if not stronger ) after all that time? Sign me up!! This premise + this book’s absolutely adorable cover had me itching to get my hands on this one ASAP!!

My reading experience with The Reunion was somewhat of a mixed bag. On one hand, I adored these characters!! Liv and Ransom, they were just SO CUTE. I am such a sucker for a good second chance romance/childhood friends to lovers and I just wanted to hug them and keep them safe in their happy little bubble. We also are introduced to some wonderful side characters (hello Bre and Ford!). Even though I’d never seen the fictional ‘Girl on the Verge’, there was an element of nostalgia, which I greatly enjoyed.

On the other hand, as much as I loved the characters and the show biz setting… I didn’t love the pacing and the execution. The chapters are broken up by press and gossip articles, and though I’m sure this was intended to be a fun touch, they felt very distracting. In other instances the story felt repetitive and as a result, a bit boring. We are told repeatedly that Liv and Ransom were incredibly close *before*, yet we never get to see any scenes play out on the page. I think flashbacks of some sort or dual perspectives would have been a great addition.

All in all: The Reunion’s characters are its shining stars. And though I may not have loved everything about this book, I greatly enjoying getting to meet them!

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book started out with a strong concept and storyline. I love Hollywood. I love a reboot. I love friends to lovers and second chance tropes. With all this love fresh from the start, I really thought I would love this book. Unfortunately, it fell extremely flat. Liv was such a boring character. Even her internal dialogue was a snoozefest. She should have been a powerful woman in Hollywood that knows her worth and fights for what she wants, but she was so lame. Her affection towards Random was also very boring. There was no build up of their past connection or even friendship. She hinted a lot that there was something there when they worked together the first time around, however I couldn't tell you what it was because it was never mentioned. Random is a big loser who knew what his dad was going to do and he could have prevented it but didn't.

Overall, this book had so much potential but really missed the mark. I am really sad to say but I didn't enjoy the read.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this book in advance.