This is a second chance romance about two teen Hollywood stars. First off Ransom ( god, what a sexy name.)
The chemistry between the two MC's was wonderful and super hot, I definitely believed the story they were telling. The ending was very satisfying and sweet!
Read if you like:
•friends to lovers
•second chance love
•hollywood romance
•closed door
•celebrity gossip
I really enjoyed this read!! I'm giving it three stars because it was just lacking something for me? I can't put my finger on it, but anyway!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!!

This was cute! Nothing about it really stood out as super different, but it wasn’t bad by any means. Overall, it was a fast paced, quick read. The characters we’re interesting and distinct from each other, and I really enjoyed the different relationships, romantic, platonic, or otherwise. I would recommend this book!

This was a really cute second chance romance centred around two teen stars who reconnect at the 20-year reunion of their hit show.

I loved Liv and Ransom. They have huge crushes on each other throughout this whole book, including references made to the past, and it’s so satisfying when they finally admit these feelings to each other and get together. That being said, I would have liked more time spent on them as a couple.

While this book is a romance, there is a lot of non-romantic plot surrounding the filming of the reunion, career prospects, and character drama. I really enjoyed what each of these elements brought to the book, I just wish it had been a little longer so there could have been more scenes between Liv and Ransom mixed in throughout.

The side characters, especially Bre and Ford, were great additions to this story and really fun to read about. I also enjoyed the gossip articles that happened between chapters and how they played into the story overall.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With all the classic remakes occurring in Hollywood right now I loved the idea of this one. I loved the characters and the addition of blog posts and tabloid articles but overall I was bored and needed more from the plot itself

Characters: 3/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Steam: 🔥/5
Plot: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was totally drawn in by the blurb with this one. The Reunion is a sweet Hollywood rom com about two former co-stars reuniting for the 20 year anniversary episode of the show that skyrocketed their success. Liv and Ransom played the two starring love interests long ago, while constantly denying their feelings for each other. When they meet up for what could be one last hurrah as Duke and Honor, many repressed feelings come to light.

I was mostly pleased by this book. It’s been a while since I read a rom com, but once I got back into the sweet tone of the genre, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I liked most of the characters, the romance was utterly adorable, and the plot was interesting and easy to follow.

There were a few characters who thought weren’t written very well, but I won’t go into detail because spoilers.

If you’re a fan of adorable romance novels, I highly suggest you go pick this one up!

Book Review 🎥-

This month I’ve been catching up on some ARC’s from NetGalley and I’m honestly kicking myself that I didn’t start this one sooner!

What I loved 🥰:
•This book brought out all that teen drama nostalgia of the shows and heart throbs from when I was younger.
•Loved the characters! Liv and Ransom were both amazing characters but also loved the side characters. I even felt for Sasha Kate.
•This book is adorable 🥰. It was so cute and even though it was definitely closed door, the longing and tension was still too notch!
•Pacing! I never felt like the story stalled out of got boring. It was the perfect length as well.

What I didn’t love 🖤:
•Nothing! I really enjoyed this the whole book through!

The Reunion by Kayla Olsen comes out January 17, 2022. Thank you for my advanced copy!

This book was 3.5 stars for me, I really enjoyed it but felt a bit of character development lacking at times, it was well written otherwise and I love the storyline. I’m a sucker for second chance romances . The writer really captured my interest right away and I did really become invested in the characters . I know I have friends who will also enjoy reading this book .

I voluntarily received an advanced copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Friends to lovers romance, with a big dose of Hollywood and fame

Liv and Ransom are back in each other's orbit for a 20 year reunion special of the teen drama that put both stars on the map. For the 6 years they were on the show they were the best of friends and inseparable. When they took space from each other as the show was ending that extended into over a decade of not talking or seeing each other. Now they are back in the other's orbit, will they settle back into where they left off or finally act on the chemistry they built all those years ago?

This one really worked for me. I can see that this one who not be for everyone with all the gossip columns and tweets scattered throughout. The book was very predictable and dramatic, but it was just the right amount for me. I like when friends to lovers, who were close to getting together in the past, who then take a break, and when they get together again years later with the maturity to handle their emotions find each other again and build a beautiful relationship. I also really enjoy stories with famous people and celebrities.

Immediately got the vibes of “Funny You Should Ask” and “The Roughest Draft”.

THOROUGHLY enjoyed the characters. Their personalities were SO enjoyable and lovely to read about. When you can read about characters you like, it makes the story so much more enjoyable and intriguing.

I enjoyed the way that Kayla Olson told this story. The way the story unfolds and the pace was perfect and not boring. I continued to look forward to how the story would unfold!

I wish I got a little more at the end with Ransom and Liv and how they interacted as a couple.

Liv and Ransom were childhood co-stars on a hit TV show when they were teens. They were best friends, but due to a conflict on the last season of the show they haven’t had any contact for 14 years. Now they are thrown back together because they are filming a follow up episode to the show.

Initially this story, and the characters piqued my interested and I was enjoying this sweet read. The two MC’s had some hilarious banter going at the start of the novel. However, about 1/4 of the way into the book it started to feel a little flat to me. There just didn’t seem to be enough emotional depth to the characters. The romance seemed to lack chemistry, and it was hard to believe that they fell in love so quickly without some in depth conversations about the 14 year lack of communication. Liv and Ransom also seemed to be in some type of arrested development, more like teen characters than fully functioning adults.

Overall, this book was ok but not great.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review!

This is a very cute friends to lovers second chance story, and I personally love romances that take place on film sets so it was right up my alley.

Former child stars who grew up on set together as best friends reconnect when they come back for a reunion episode. It's been 14 years since they've spoken, after misunderstandings and unrequited love blew up their friendship, makes sense because they were just kids, but they're not anymore so maybe things can be different.

I do wish that the characters had a bit more chemistry, all the relationships including the romance felt pretty surface level but I still enjoyed it overall.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon&Schuster Canada for the advanced copy!

Child stars turned best friends turned acquaintances-at-best come together for the reunion of their incredibly popular TV show called "Girl on the Verge" 16 years after it's final season. Kind of like a Saved By The Bell or Friends reunion but better.

3.5 stars!

Plot Summary:

"Girl on the Verge" was a ground-breaking teen drama that was beyond its time and broke records like no other. Made up of a cast of young newbies to Hollywood, the cast grew up with each other and was filled with strong friendships, rivalries and blossoming love.

The main characters of the show are played by Liv Latimer and Ransom Joel (a name that made me burst out laughing - and yeah, that's his real name), who become best friends while on the show with a possibility of something more.

When the show ends on a cliffhanger (what kind of torture) about whether Liv's character will stay behind in her town with the love of her life or move onto greener pastures - heartbroken fans are left wondering for 14 years what choice she must have made.

They're not the only heartbroken ones. Liv and Ransom, on the verge of being something more, take a completely different direction and remain friends instead. When they reunite, sparks fly once again.

Review:

Tropes in The Reunion:
- Second chance romance
- Friends to lovers
- Hollywood drama
- Professional rivalries
- Miscommunication

I really loved the premise of this story! The drama and intrigue of having a second chance romance set in Hollywood? Yeah - that sounded like drama tenfold.

The characters were fantastic and my favourite part of the entire book. Both Ransom and Liv were so easy to root for! Everytime I thought 'this is it - they're gonna get together again', the author was diabolical and kept me waiting.

I enjoyed Liv's POV on her relationship with the industry and Ransom. You can tell that she's nervous about joining a big named show again after working on indie projects for so long but she's so graceful and poised in the limelight. When she's on her own or with her close friends, she falls apart and lets herself feel. And boy does she still feel *very* strongly about Ransom Joel.

Ransom also came off so strong with his interest in Liv (which I think has some drawbacks I'll discuss later) and that was so refreshing. There was no cat and mouse to leave Liv stumbling - Ransom was showing up with twinkling eyes, compliments and enough blushes for our heroine to know what's up. The pain and regrets that come later are very difficult for both, but that undercurrent of passion stayed throughout.

And Ford and Bre! Two side characters that I absolutely loved and felt were great supports to the main characters and comedic relief to the story as a whole. I almost wish there was an extra chapter or epilogue about them. It felt like there was a potential something for them on the horizon.

The Hollywood drama was really fun to keep up with as well! The author did a great job of intercepting the chapters with gossip rag articles and blog posts. The drama of production, directors, cast and crew and the pressure of the public eye really made the story for me. It kept me and the characters on our toes with no idea about what would change for these celebrities with each plot development.

My main problem with the book is that we got to spend very little time with Ransom and Liv as a couple. The build up was pretty good but when they finally tipped over into officially together territory, their dynamic went a little flat. I find their duo very cute and their initial chemistry was fantastic and held so much promise. It just felt like there was more telling us they had feelings compared to showing us they had feelings and why.

Primarily, I wish we got flashbacks to when they were first together on the show - when they were best friends falling in love. The start of their relationship felt a little hollow without the discussions about their past at the beginning of their reunion or even throughout when they're falling in love again. I think it would have added another level to the romantic build up over all. It picks up again at the end when they come back together but then we don't get to see them get comfortable and grow as a confidently in love couple.

Overall, this was a really quick and fun read! I enjoyed the main cast of characters and a lot and the messiness of Hollywood from the perspective of these actors. This would be a fantastic movie - if there are production houses out there interested.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada, Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Ransom and Liv’s story was a great friends to lovers second chance romance. I loved the formatting of the book getting their POVs and also all the internet posts, articles about the show and the reboot and their lives. It went to show what was fiction and reality in their life really well. I loved reading about this tv show so much, it made me wish Girl on the Verge was real! Definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

Well, I'm sad to say it, but this was kind of a disappointment.

I was SO excited to start this book and up until around 40% of the story, I was absolutely loving it. I mean, two former child stars who starred in the same hit tv show as teens (where they played each other's love interests) and were best friends at the time, reunite after years of not seeing each other to film a reunion special for said show??!! Second chance and childhood best friends are two of my favorite combos in romance and I had never read a book with the child stars concept either, I couldn't wait to start it! And from the very first chapter, I was truly enjoying this story (4-5 star worthy, really) but something changed for me after the first 40% of the book.

Let me start off by saying I loved the characters from beginning to end. That was something that never changed for me. Both Liv and Ransom were great characters that I love getting to know and that I truly rooted for. Liv was, in my opinion, a very well written character (which is great, considering the entire book is written in her POV) and I loved following her journey as she struggled with the choices she had to make throughout the story. Ransom was a literal cinnamon roll, and I love male characters like that. A sweet, animal loving, blushes-every time-Liv-is-close hero that everyone deserves.

But see, my problem lies with the romance. I did feel like they had chemistry, but the development was definitely lacking. They hadn't seen each other in 10+ years, and I felt like the writer barely took the time for them to get to know one another again before they started dating, and after they started dating, they were barely on the same room with one another for more than like 2 scenes! Truly, overall, I can think of 2 scenes between them after they got together, and then the drama/fighting already started, and it was hard for me to care about that when there was barely enough set up for the romance itself. Not to mention how much I think the story would've benefited from some flashback scenes of them when they were teens. I always feel like, with second chance, the romances I get the most attached to are the ones were we get some flashbacks of the times when they were dating/friends etc years before, and this one, in my opinion, definitely would've been better with it. The past explained in more of a tell don't show aspect didn't do justice to the connection these two characters are said to have.

Not to say I didn't think they weren't cute: they were, and I think that's what upsets me the most, because I saw the potential of this romance and there were some really sweet moments between them, but they would've been even better if the couple had been better developed.

Lastly, another thing that pissed me off was the female animosity between Liv and Sasha-Kate... I'm so tired of that in media. I understand the hostility in the past, but by the end I truly thought they would part ways being at least amicable with one another. I didn't need them to become besties or anything, but at least a conversation where they talked to each other and told each other how they felt would've been better than what we got.

I did love the plot of them filming the show, and it definitely made me wish i could watch Girl on the Verge. Also highkey hoping for a Bre and Ford book. I loved the author's writing so will definitely pick up her future books and i hope she writes in this universe more.

Overall, this wasn't what I wanted it to be, and the romance wasn't as amazing as I was expecting, but I won't lie and say i didn't have fun reading it. Not a favorite, but also not a terrible read, and I think it would be an AMAZING movie.

Such a unique book, I loved the plot and oh my god the characters we're so amazing!! I definitely will be recommending!!

Liv was a child star and literally grew up on the screen. After the death of her father and the betrayl of her best friend Ransom, she retreated from hollywood. After twenty years passed by, the cast is invited back for a reunion special. Liv and Ransom renew their relationship... but will it last?

I like books about hollywood so this is great for me. I love Liv... She is great and I love how she stands up for herself. A quick read with no boring parts. :) Love the romance.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.