A sweet, celebrity, second chance romance. The premise of the book was very intriguing and instantly made me want to read it. The book kept my interest the entire time, but it was very easy to put down and come back to later. I liked how each chapter ended with a gossip article about either things going on or a side story. Overall this was a nice slow rom com!
Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

Liv and Ransom reunite when the tv show they starred on as kids comes back to do a reunion show. They haven't spoken since the show went off the air and feelings arise as they get to know one another again. Drama on set occurs and Liv and Ransom both must each decide what their futures hold, including if those futures hold each other.

This book made me think of all of the teen shows I used to watch that I always wanted to have reunion shows! There was always such chemistry between the main characters and you wanted them to end up together but there was always something that kept them apart. The reunion episode was supposed to be where we found out what happened between Liv and Ransom's characters. This is what drew me to this book. I could easily fill in all of my favorite lead tv characters: Brandon and Kelly, Felicity and Noel (yes, not Ben), Pacey and Joey (do they stay together), etc and even have some off screen drama with the actors.

I think Olson put all of Liv's feelings out there for us to see where Ransom was concerned. We could feel her loss when they were no longer friends and how it feels now for her to be around him again. She wants to trust him but at the same time, he has already hurt her. She felt real and you felt for her.

This was a great read and I very much enjoyed the Hollywood drama that it entailed. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Many thanks to Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: January 17, 2023

I love me a Hollywood romance, and a friends-to-strangers-to-lovers story at that, but the juvenile writing level of this story did not work for me.

I have to get this off my chest: why was every single outfit of every single character described in heavy detail. Down to jewelry, shoes, and hairstyle. It was extremely unnecessary, did not add substance to the story, and exposed the author as a novice. I would have loved to see this all nixed during editing.

The general skeleton of the story was very intriguing, but the execution, dialogue, and plot progression was very bland. Neither of the main protagonists were very three dimensional, and I would go as far as to say several of the side female characters were given stereotypical characterizations that set 21st century feminism back a few years.

Slow burn romance lovers look the other way because this one jumped way too quickly into the deep end from the very first interaction. I would have loved to see more of a transition or progression back into acquaintances, co-stars, friends, lovers. After all, these characters haven't seen each other in person in over a decade, and their last conversation was a major falling-out. Their first interaction was giving heavy flirtation, insta-love, and complete denial of past problems. It is a difficult task to convince the reader of past romantic feelings between two characters, and I don't think this author is advanced enough yet to accomplish that.

Loved the cover though.

The Reunion is a super cute story about Liv and Randsom, former teenage superstars. They used to be super tight when filming their teenage drama but haven’t spoken for more than 14 years. While filming a reunion special, they reconnect and start to talk about the past and future. I thought this was a fun cute fast read. I would recommend to friends.

The Reunion is a second-chance romance centering on two famous actors who once worked together on a now classic show. Liv Latimer is a female protagonist people want to get behind. Calm and cool and collected, everyone remembers her fame from an old TV show and, unlike her counter-star Ransom Joel, Liv has spent the years since the show ended picking indie projects to work on that test her skills and capture her interest. Everything is working for her except one thing: she still can’t get over that almost relationship she very nearly had with Ransom in her teenage years.
Olson does an excellent job of creating a fun romance with characters that are, if a bit predictable, fairly well rounded. The romance is more intriguing in the narrative choices that holds back the reasons why it never worked out between Liv and Ransom years ago, and only fills in the cracks slowly throughout the novel so that the characters’ mistakes are made more noticeable and more relatable.
However, even though Liv does so many things right to be a strong female protagonist, as soon as Ransom comes back into her life, she centers nearly everything around him, almost enough to destroy every detail about her character that makes her strong. This is saved, I think, even if just barely, by her decision to pursue some other projects, even if it means pushing back a date with Ransom.
The Reunion is a good modern romance, perfect for reading on a spring day in the park or during a summer afternoon by the waves. Readers who enjoyed Funny You Should Ask Elissa Sussman will probably enjoy The Reunion, too.

This was a very sweet second chance romance. I am not always a fan of that trope because it can be hard for me to believe the relationship held so much power. But for this story - for Liv and Ransom - I believed.

I really liked seeing this story unfold. I enjoyed getting it all from Liv’s perspective, though at times I wish we got Ransom’s too. This is a very slow burn and 0 steam romance. I definitely could have done with a bit more in that area.

There were some moments when I felt like topics were being repeated; but that could be due to the whole story being told from Liv’s perspective. I am glad that Liv and Ransom were able to address that 3rd act drama maturely.

Overall an enjoyable book and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for what is to come from this author.

I enjoyed this book but there were some things missing. Personally i think if it had a little more spice, not a crazy amount, that would have helped. Unfortunately although i understood why the main characters were in love, i did not feel a since on longing from Ransom. Overall I did enjoy the writing and the plot. I found it to be entertaining.

I’ve been excited to read The Reunion by Kayla Olson for a long time so I was especially excited when I got approved on Netgalley to read it early. Following Liv Latimer as she is plugged back into the acting role that made her famous, this emotional novel really digs into the reality of how childhood fame and media attention in general can affecting our favorite celebrities.

This novel was EASY to sink into. I found myself thinking about it even after I’d set the book down. Liv and Ransom felt like real people despite their obvious struggles that come along with fame. This one was just as much a story about them finding themselves as it was romance. Definitely one to keep on your radar!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley & Atria Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Was it perfect? No. Was it a ton of fun? Yes, yes it was. I’m rounding up 3.5 to 4 stars for drama, second chance romance with A+ pining, and lovely side characters.

Liv & Ransom, former besties, are reunited as the show that launched their acting careers returns for a 20 year reunion special. I love this concept! This book did a lot right. Really great banter, good chemistry between Liv & Ransom and the other side characters, and some nice character arcs as well. It fell flat a little with the conflict and lots of telling instead of showing some of the deeper relationship that occurred between Liv and Ransom as teens. I think this would have helped the sort of insta-love that ends up happening once they are reunited. However, I loved the writing of this book & I really enjoyed following along Liv on her journey to discovering what she wants in the end. I highly recommend giving this book a chance, especially if you love second chance romance!!!

Some lovely things:
-friends to lovers
- great female friendship
- fun atmosphere on set of a TV show
- great romantic moments (pining galore!!!)

It was a really sweet second-chance romance. I am not a huge fan of misunderstanding due to miscommunication. As best friends, they should have been better about talking honestly to one another. Overall, a fun, light-hearted read.

The Reunion was so charming! Liv grew up on screen but after a falling out with her best friend/on-screen love interest, Random Joel, l she retreats, only doing select projects over the years, but a reunion of the show that started has her career brings them back together and old feelings resurface. I’m not usually one for a Hollywood romance but I loved the Hollywood dynamic throughout this. Liv was so wonderful and endearing! She felt so down to earth and engaging and I loved her journey through the nostalgia of her old show and her ambition for her career. She’s smart and witty, and I loved her team and drive. I didn’t feel as much spark in the romance but I think it was because it was more Liv’s journey than anything else. But I loved the friendship that was the basis of Liv and Ransom. It was sweet. This read just felt fun and light, and I really enjoyed the writing and the characters!

The Reunion had an interesting and topical enough premise, with so many of the shows from my childhood and teen years going through reboots lately. What surprised me was how much I connected to Liv’s struggles, both career and personal.

There were the early chapters of Liv describing the awkward stages of reconnecting with Ransom again after so many years. Of how they were once each other safe spaces but had put so much distance between themselves over the past 14 years that they were stuck between small talk and lighthearted texts with heavy subtext. It reminded me of the Taylor Swift lyric “Please don’t ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere.”

Then came Liv’s career decisions. Should she continue on with something that’s shaped so much of who she is and that she’s grown up with? The option that’s wrapped up in nostalgia and history and in many ways, comfort? Or should she jump into the relatively unknown? With the sort of projects that’ll challenge and fulfill her?

Finally, the doubts that creep into her thoughts about Ransom’s motivations and their relationship were heartbreaking and realistic.

On top of the emotional pieces that really resonated with me throughout this book, I also really liked the backdrop of the once-hit teen drama reunion show, with its cast of lovable secondary characters.

The one thing I wasn’t a fan of was that each chapter started with a tabloid article. I get what the author was trying to accomplish with them but I didn’t really enjoy them and they took me out of a story that I very much did enjoy.

This book was just okay. I understand that it's supposed to be her story but it would be way better if it was dual pov. I also really wanted them to spend more time together. They only had like 2ish dates and that wasn't enough.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I always love a good friends-to-lovers book and this truly did not disappoint because it was also a second-chance romance.

Twenty years ago, Liv Latimer and Ransom Joel skyrocketed to fame thanks to their roles on the hit show Girl On the Verge. Their characters Honor and Duke always had so much chemistry, but was that chemistry only on screen? After years of not seeing each other, Liv and Ransom find themselves together to film a reunion special to celebrate 20 years of the show. What they don't realize is that romance will immediately spark, and they'll pick up exactly where they left off. Unfortunately, they'll go through many tests of their relationship, and Liv has a big decision to make.

I absolutely loved reading Liv and Ransom's story, and I highly recommend you read it too if you like second-chance romances with almost no spice.

This is a lovely, light, escapist read about two child stars on a hit show who come together several years later to film a reunion. Think Boy Meets World except Topanga was in love with Cory IRL. And Cory got really ripped post-show.

Closed door, second chance, celebrity romance.

I am a huge huge HUGE fan of romantic comedies. I honestly don’t even know how many I’ve read over the years. The premise of this one definitely stood out to me as unique and interesting. I was excited to read it. While it was a cute sweet story, I felt that the characters needed to be fleshed out a little more. They fell kind of flat to me. It wasn’t an awful story, I did enjoy parts of it. It just needs a little work :)

Thank you Atria Books & Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. I was drawn to this book based on the premise, a popular show from 20 years ago reunites for a reunion special on a Netflix like streaming platform. The shows leads, Rumor and Liv, used to be the best of friends but pushed each other away. Once they come together again the sparks are still there and maybe this is their chance a second chance romance.

This was cute and insider-y with the impacts of gossip columns/social media on relationships. But, this was just okay. I didn't feel super connected any of the characters, and some of the story lines weren't very fleshed out. It also felt longer than necessary.

This one just wasn't for me.

This was a sweet book. Easy to read, endearing characters, and lots of romance simmering under the premise of a twenty-year reunion between cast members.

This wasn’t an earth-shattering book, but made for a lovely read nonetheless. The characters were well-written, and the will-they-won’t-they kept me hooked until the end.

I would recommend this to any reader looking for a sweet, second-chance romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I requested an ARC of this book based on the adorable cover and the intriguing blurb. A romance book about Teen Stars, 20 years later? Yes please.

Liv and Ransom costarred on a hit show in their teens. They grew up together, they worked together, they were basically always together...until their final season when their friendship ended. Now, 20 years later, they are thrust back together for a reunion episode of their show.

It's a friends to lovers, closed door romance where he falls first and there are delightful Hollywood vibes. I love Liv's character, and how she makes choices that you wouldn't expect of a Hollywood star. Her backstory is well developed, and she thinks things through thoroughly. Her friendship with Bre was perfection, and her relationship with her "team" was relatable. Ransom is a little more of a mystery, since we don't get his POV. Because Liv was so close with him when they were teens, she tells his backstory well, but his current thoughts and feeling are all a secret. The way this book was written really gets the reader invested in the story. I desperately wanted to know what happened back in their final season all those years ago and I really needed to know what was going on in Ransom's head, so I kept turning those pages until I found out. I loved that aspect of it. The show itself, Girl on the Verge, sounded so good. I wish it was a real show I could watch! I loved the side characters, Bre, Ford and even Jimmy the driver. All in all, a very entertaining book.

I loved the premise of The Reunion and I'm a total sucker for second chance romances, but it just didn't work for me.