5 ⭐️ Review

I absolutely loved this book! Emily has no time for romance as she’s busy building her own jewellery brand. But one day she wakes up to find her mother on national television asking America to find her a boyfriend.

Thanks to this, Emily is offered the lead on a dating show. The dating show that her ex Jake happens to be the producer of….

This dual-POV, forced proximity, second chance romance story is full of emotional scars from their past as well as a wonderful connection.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC. The Love Rematch was a cute, fast read. I at first wanted to punch Jake in the face and was upset that the main character, Emily, gave up her grudge. I would recommend this book as a palate cleanser in between other, more serious books, however it didn't really stick out in my head after I finished.

I loved this book. It is set on a bachelorette-type reality show, and it is a second-chance romance between the star and one of the producers. I loved the characters and their interactions. Second-chance romances are not usually my favorite but I loved how this one was handled, especially the background around their initial breakup. This was a 5-star for me and I can't wait until book two comes out starring the FMC's twin sister!

5 stars
1 spice

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I ADORED this book!!

If you’re a Bachelor/Bachelorette fan, you will 100% eat this book up. I’m not an avid watcher myself but I’ve seen enough clips of the show to appreciate and laugh at how accurate this book is to the drama and the unreality of “reality” TV and a matchmaking show.

Jake and Emily were such a cute couple to read about. I enjoyed seeing glimpses of their pasts and how that played into them seeing each other seven years later. Parts of their relationship and journey just tug on your heartstrings or full on break your heart, but they seem to mend it with their genuine love for each other that even years apart can’t diminish.

I cannot WAIT for book two!

I loved this. Such a fun storyline with some brilliant characters the banter and fun made the story really memorable.

Emily Ann and Jake were high school sweethearts planning a future together until a pregnancy scare caused him to flee in the night. They never speak again until Emily joins the reality show The Love Match as the lead, not knowing that Jake is a lead producer on the show. As Emily dates her 30 suitors, she struggles to move past her lingering feelings for Jake.

I get endlessly frustrated by the “she deserves better than me” trope when it’s used as an excuse for the hero to push away the heroine, as is done here. I really don’t like when he decides for her what she deserves rather than giving her the agency to decide for herself. I had a really hard time liking Jake because of this, because he did it to Emily at 17 and again in the present day when he really should’ve grown in that time apart.

Overall this one was just okay for me, but I did enjoy the set up for book two and will likely pick that one up when it releases!

You might like this one if you enjoy: ❤️‍🩹 second chance romance 🎙️ miscommunication 🌵 “she deserves better than me” 📺 reality tv dating shows

TW: cancer, infertility

What happens when The Bachelorette meets a second chance romance? I was hooked from the first page.
This is the kind of vibe you desire when you're looking for a second chance at love. You want angst, gradual pining, and the want to smash the two characters' heads together so they can eventually get back together. This was fantastic. I'm not afraid to admit that I appreciated how hectic and messy it was.
Emily is a character who is impossible not to fall in love with.
She's been through so much, and I felt an instant connection to her. I wanted to hug her and take away all of her pain, yet her fortitude was unrivaled, and I spent the entire book yearning for her deserved happy ending.
Jake's fear of shattering everything he touches, as well as the pain of his youth following him into adulthood, struck a deep chord with me. Reading about his struggle with his past was terrible, but I appreciated reading about his growth and path to self-acceptance and forgiveness.

The bachelorette meets revenge and second chance romance. That's the words to describe this hilarious and entertaining book. This story had so much potential but I struggled a lot with the writing style. I got confused at times when it was present/past time. I also didn't connect with the characters, they just felt so boring and we didn't get to know them well. There were some heavier themes in this book that I was not expecting, so if you want to read a lighthearted and easy romance book, this may no be the one.

Such a fun read! I thoroughly enjoyed getting a behind the scenes look at one of America’s favorite dating shows. For a second chance romance set in Hollywood, I found the romance to be believable and captivating. There was so much more to the story than the cover reveals and I loved being surprised by part of the storyline. The Love Rematch had all that I love in a fun, swoony rom-com.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Love Island meeting with our fictional dreams. Everything about this book is perfectly balanced. Right amount of love, right amount of angst, right amount of drama and right amount of spice. The book is perfect slow burn to read in cozy autumn nights while all cuddled up in blanket <3

Calling all Bachelor Nation fans! If you are a hopeless romantic and avid viewer of the Bachelor/Bachelorette, The Love Rematch needs to make its way onto your TBR list this fall. I won't lie, I was a little worried in the beginning that the direct parallels to the Bachelor franchise was going to be cringy and give me the ick, but the plot of this was just too much fun.

Emily Ann needs a man... or at least according to her mother, who goes on national television telling the world that she does and campaigning for her to be the next star of The Love Match, the famous dating show where the contestant walks away engaged. Luckily for her mother, and unluckily for Emily, her scheme works, and Emily is whisked away to find love on reality television.

She isn't totally set on the idea, but when she learns that her ex-boyfriend (and the reason she hasn't found a man) is the producer, and he'll have to watch multiple men compete for her love? Sign. Her. Up. Revenge is sweet, and she wants Jake to get a taste of the pain he caused her.

The whole time I was reading the Emily/Jake storyline, I had Olivia Rodrigo's Get Him Back stuck in my head. That's essentially her motive in this whole thing after all! It's the perfect lovers to enemies story arc that is really enjoyable to watch unfold.

Told through a dual POV between Emily and Jake, with flashbacks to their connected histories sprinkled throughout, this was a quintessential contemporary romance that deserves to have a spot on your list. The reality dating plot line is clearly not new, but this still felt fresh, unique, and fun.

And I simply CANNOT wait for book two and Sam and Cooper's story! SOOOO many questions left unanswered!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kay Marie for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

YES! I loved this- and that's coming from someone who doesn't always love second-chance romances. This was just so well done. I loved the grand gesture of love, the flashbacks were the perfect way to show their history, the plot twists were JAWDROPPING.
Emily was such a loveable character. Jake....was not. BUT he grew on me lol
I am so sooo happy the second book is following Sam. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to these characters yet

This is an excellently written, entertaining book and I loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars!

I really enjoyed Emily and Jake’s story in the backdrop of a Bachelorette-inspired setting. I intermittently watch the real life version and loved how Kay Marie took something familiar and made it her own. Any fan of the Bachelor franchise, even if you hate-watch it like I sometimes do, will love this book!

Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes, and I loved how past scenes were sprinkled throughout to understand why Jake and Emily still feel so strongly for each other but they did not overwhelm the present story.

who doesn’t love a little forbidden romance? Kay Marie really makes you feel for Jake and Emily and root for them to find their way back to each other.

This was a great book, and I can’t wait for the second!

This book wasn't as cute as I was hoping - it was a solidly...okay book.

I will say that the author needs to include trigger warnings for false positive pregnancy, cancer (specifically ovarian), and spousal abuse.

As I've mentioned in other reviews, I take notes while reading to help me write my review. Instead of writing out my review, I'm just going to copy and paste my notes below:

- Jumping right into things
- There are a LOT of names to keep straight with Jake's team
- Really? Jake told his Mom, who told Emily's mom? That happened quick.
- Both of the main characters have a flair for the dramatic, to be sure.
- LOTS of flashbacks...like, holy moly.
- SO many flashbacks.
- One guy left...so now she's afraid no one will stay? I'm not buying it.
- Lots of alluding to the reason he left, and his Dad...but his Dad dies?
- Should include a warning about spousal abuse.
- Does Emily know Samantha ripped up a note from Jake?
- Good for him for telling Samantha to back off.
- I can't with the angst.
- ALL the flashbacks, jeez.
- It doesn't even sound like they were together that long...
- Third conflict will either be Nina outing Jake and Emily, or Jake coming clean about being the leak...or both.
- There's no way Rita doesn't hear Jake yelling...why wouldn't she knock on his door?
- The way Emily is trying to get Jake's attention is childish.
- I'm not understanding how he's a "screwup"?
- False positive pregnancy - also needs a trigger warning.
- Ballsy for him to leave after getting the news...
- I'm over all the alluding to these "secrets" they both have.
- This third act conflict is never going to end.
- Because of course the note Jake wrote disappears.
- Another trigger warning for ovarian cancer.
- What's with all the bombshells? The pregnancy, the cancer, the selling of the house, a chance she can't get pregant...what else?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks NetGallery and Kay Marie for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

"Seven years ago, he walked away from the love of his life. It was torturous, the hardest thing he’d ever done."

This book is a second chance romance about facing the past and it's dual POV! I don't usually read second chance book but I enjoyed this one.

When Emily Peters becomes the new lead of the hit dating show, The Love Match, she believes she can move on from her past and fall in love again. However, things will get complicated when she finds out that one of the producers is her ex-boyfriend who broke her heart 7 years ago.

First of all, I liked the reality show setting a lot because it led to many funny moments and jealousy scenes (I loved those ones). Jake cannot avoid Emily due to his job, so they must hide their past together and pretend they aren't familiar with each other. That's why I love their interactions trying to hide their feelings.

At the beginning, the miscommunication trope makes them resent each other, which was a little bit frustrating sometimes because I wanted them to talk and clear up their situation. But the tension was really good!! Emily and Jake deserved to have a happy ending after all they suffered in the past.

I also want to mention Emily's sister, Sam, because she was totally honest with her and gave her good advice. I liked her a lot and I want to read her book hahahaha.

I hope you give this book a chance, enjoy it!

✨ARC Book Review✨

Book: The Love Rematch
Author: Kay Marie
Rating: 5⭐️
Spice: 1🌶️
Releases: October 16th, 2023

This book was to die for! If you love watching reality dating shows like the Bachelorette, you would absolutely love this book!

You follow Emily who is thrown into a reality dating show when her mom publicizes on National television that “Emily Ann Needs a Man.” Little did she know that her used to be high school sweetheart ex boyfriend, Jake, is one of the producers on this show. She’s not over him completely like she would like to be. So she’s forced into finding her Hollywood love story in front of her ex that she hates for leaving her the way he did, 7 years ago.

This book is so good, I knew that I was going to love it because of the reality dating show aspect. You can expect a forced proximity trope between her and Jake, dual pov, and a second chance romance. The book does have some underlying topics that are talked about in the book that could be sensitive to others, so check your trigger warnings. The author does an amazing job talking about the topics and showing the toll it took on the two main characters.

Be sure to pick up this book when you can! It’s another book that I will need as a trophy on my shelf! I read this book so quickly and I loved it so much and can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out!

A big thank you to @netgalley and @kaymariebooks for letting me read this book as an ARC, in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 Stars!

Seven years ago, Emily Peters suffered an unimaginable heartbreak. As hard as it was, she somehow managed to move on. Her life might not be perfect, but she was happy. The last thing she expected was to wake up one morning to find her mother on TV begging for America to find her a boyfriend. From there, Emily’s life quickly spiraled out of control, as she finds herself the newest lead of a dating reality show. This opportunity was supposed to be a chance of a lifetime until Emily comes face-to-face with the man who broke her heart.

I absolutely adored The Love Rematch. The plot is a ton of fun. I mean, how can you go wrong with a Bachelorette-style TV show and the whole idea of getting revenge on your ex plan, only to find out that you’re both still in love with each other and things aren’t as cut and dry as originally thought. Saying Jake and Emily’s past was complicated is a complete understatement, but if there ever was a couple that deserved a second chance, it was these two.

The Love Rematch is a fantastic read from beginning to end and is just what I was looking for in a second-chance romance. The characters are real, flawed, and easy to connect with. Their story is smartly written, entertaining, and will tug at your heartstrings. It has just the right amount of angst, drama, and romance to keep readers on their toes. This is my first book by this author and I can not wait to read more from her in the future.

The Love Rematch is a second chance romance that you will fall in love with. I loved the characters although her mom and twin sister Sam were my favorite. The story is told from 2 different POV’s Emily and Jake’s.

Imagine waking up one morning to a call from your twin sister telling you to turn your tv on bc your mom is on national tv morning show, begging America to help find her daughter, Emily Peters a boyfriend. Her moms plea goes viral and Emily become the new lead of a dating show called, The Love Match which is like the bachelorette. As it turns out one of the producers on the show is a man named Jake, her high school boyfriend who broke her heart 7 years before when he left her without saying a word. Leaving her feeling like she wasn’t enough for him. Jake left bc he was afraid he was going to ruin her life bc of some past trauma. He couldn’t communicate that to her or anyone so he just left without even telling his parents.

This book brings Emily and Jakes story together very well. It was such a cute second chance love story. I can’t wait to read more about Sam and Cooper in the next book!! Thank you to NetGalley and Kay Marie

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected... the main reason is the use of third person's POV: I don't really like this type of narration in romance books, I find it really difficult to create a deep connection with the characters. In spite of this element, the story was really funny and sweet.

Getting cast as the lead in a Bachelorette-style TV show because your mum makes it onto national TV with a sign making you seem desperate as all heck for love? And your high school sweetheart who left you in the middle of the night without so much as a note being one of the producers who has to watch you fall in love with 30-or-so potential suitors? A second-chance romance? And a cowboy who’s the sweetest? UGH this had me written all over it. I loved it before I even read it. Overall, the writing was really good, although I’m not the biggest fan on 3rd person POV. I did like the dual POV and the development of the characters and story. The setting was so fun! I would 100% recommend reading this book. I loved it. In spite of the one issue I had with it: the cancer reveal at the end. I found it pointless, and don't really know why it was put in. It kinda seemed like a plot device which I think soured the ending for me and is the reason why I knocked half a star off (actual rating 4.5 stars). BUT I NEED COOPER AND SAM’S BOOK. MY SWEET COWBOY AND LOYAL AS HECK SISTER. I want. I need. I must have! Also, I might have missed them, but I don't think there were trigger warnings for this book, and I think there probably should be.

Full review on Goodreads.

Thankyou to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.