This one's a perfect match for fans of The Bachelorette and second chance romance.

It's set during a reality TV show called Love Match where Emily, an up-and-coming jewelry designer, is corralled into becoming the next lead after her mother gives an #EmilyAnnNeedsAMan interview on a morning talk show, making her and the said hashtag go viral. (Personally, Emily is stronger than I am, because if my mom ever did this, I would disappear into a gaping hole in the ground and never be seen or heard from again. But that's just me!) Even though this is something more her twin sister's speed, Emily decides to give the dating show a go. To complicate matters, however, it just so happens that her ex-boyfriend, Jake, is one of the producers...and they haven't spoken since he slipped out of her bedroom window 7 years ago without a goodbye.

So cue up lots of unresolved tension! Get the camera ready to capture many longing looks and moments of jealousy!

Despite miscommunication being the main driving force in this book, which is one of my least favorite tropes, I still found much to enjoy about it. Emily and Jake are easy to root for. Their history unravels slowly, layering together with relatable traumas and misunderstandings along the way. It was incredibly satisfying to see how they worked through past hurts to reach a more open, honest, and committed place with one one another. I was also pleasantly surprised by some of the emotional turmoil from their upbringings they had to confront, the feelings of self-worth and guilt they had to combat. I loved the behind-the-scenes look at reality TV as well. It was equal parts ruthless and chaotic, genuine and manufactured, which I thought grounded this in another element of reality.

Definitely a good choice if you're in the mood for something sweet and romcom-y!

3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review.

The Love Rematch is set to be published October 16

Thanks to NetGalley and Kay Marie for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

TLR was a very fast-paced read that would be right for fans of The Bachelorette, Unreal, and The True Love Experiment and second chance romances.

The book follows Emily, whose mother - unbeknownst to Em - appears on a Good Morning America spin-off with a sign that has Em’s face on it, campaigning for her to be the next lead on the show.

Surprise of surprises, she’s cast. And surprise! Her ex-boyfriend (from high school) is a handler/producer on the show. What will happen as she tries to date 30 other men as he watches from the sidelines?

What I liked:
- there were some really funny moments
- Em’s sister, Sam, is hilarious, as is their mom
- as a reality TV fan, I like the inside baseball view of how the shows are run. That’s what I liked about Unreal and The True Love Experiment
- I dig angsty, slow burn romances with Mr. Darcy electric hand moments and long glances. We had that here.
- I wasn’t expecting the more emotional and heartfelt aspects of the book, so those were pleasant surprises

Things I didn’t like:
- I’m never a huge miscommunication trope fan, and I want to sit the two down and say, “Figure it out.”
- I like second chance romances, but don’t love when they’re based on high school romances. I understand for the purposes of the plot why they had to be in high school when they dated, but I don’t want to read about high schoolers dating.

I enjoyed this book, and I’m excited to see where the sequel goes!

TW: domestic abuse (past, not between FMC and MMC), cancer (past)

What I liked:
• The glimpses into Emily and Jake’s history.
• How you could feel every emotion the characters were feeling.
• The romance and anticipation of Emily and Jake.
• The plot and perfect pacing.

I want to scream about this book from the rooftops! I read this in under a day and don’t regret a single thing (what are adult responsibilities anyway). I can’t even describe how amazing this book was. The Bachelorette style show, the second chance romance, the characters. Just everything was perfect!

Every emotion and reaction Emily and Jake had, I could feel all the way through. Both characters had such depth to them and the growth of them and the relationship was stunning. I don’t want to let these characters go! The fact we will be getting a second book based on Sam has me full of pure excitement and joy!

There were so many romantic, beautiful scenes, but also some emotional ones. Some of it really pulled on my heart strings, especially the last few chapters. If I could change one thing, it would be to have that a little earlier in the book to build more of an impact. Sam definitely helped bring the lighthearted, fun feel to the story.

I could go on forever about how much I loved this book, but I don’t want to ruin it for everyone. If there’s a romance to be read, make it this one! The Love Rematch now owns my heart!

Thank you NetGalley and Kay Marie for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Another reality tv show inner workings plot winner. Kay Marie hit the spot with Emily and Jake's second chance romance. Two distinctly created characters brought together by the universe once again.

Thank you to Kaitlyn Davis and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This was such a lovely read and exactly what I needed.

After reading The True Love Experiment, I was on a hunt to find something that had a similar concept of a reality show going on in the book, and when I found this on a Netgalley, I was hoping that I'd get the opportunity to read this ARC, and I did which I'm very thankful for.

Emily and Jake had such great chemistry with each other, and it was a pleasure to read about. The tension was so good, and I couldn't wait for them to jump on each other because it was unbearable.

I like the mystery aspect of why their ways separated, and it surprised me that it wasn't predictable at all, which I enjoyed a lot.

The reality show aspect had me on my toes with the plot twists and all the schemes that were going on behind the camera. The traveling part was really lovely, and the author was able to transfer me to all the cities and all the experiences Emily had the opportunity to experience.

This is a very good light and quick romance read and I enjoyed every second of this book! It took me less than a day to finish it along with the bonus scene!

Here’s what the story is about. Emily Peters works at her mother’s flower shop while building her own jewellery brand. One day, she found out her mom is on national television holding a banner asking America to find her a boyfriend. The clip goes viral and now she is a lead in a famous dating show, The Love Match. She arrived on set and her nightmare comes true. There, in front of his face, his ex, Jake, is the field director of the show. Emily wanted revenge and Jake is hellbent on keeping is position. But they cannot deny their attraction towards each other despite what happened 7 years ago.

If you love second chance romance, this is such a perfect read. I didn’t expect to love this as much as I do because normally I am not a huge fan of second chance romance especially when there is a miscommunication involved. But this one!! It hooked me from the start because the plot is very interesting to me! The topics discussed are deep but the author describes in in a light way that is easy to understand. Also, I love the writing style of the book. It flashes back into the past seamlessly, it just feels like I was watching a movie.

I love the characters! It’s not hard to love them, although there are some characters that you can’t help but to despise. I feel like the author develops the character so good. I really enjoyed this book! I would recommend it to those who like second chance romance, forced proximity, also, it’s dual pov!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book’s arc! This is my honest review <3 also if you pre-ordered the book, you can enter a giveaway from the author to get 2 post-cards (US residents will receive physical while international residents receive digital copies) the links are in the author’s bio 🫶🏻

For fans of Bachelor-lite reads like The Charm Offensive and One to Watch

Emily’s life is upended when her mom’s elaborate plan lands her the lead role on a reality dating show, but to make matters worse, her ex high school sweetheart is one of the show’s top producer and even the camera can’t help but notice the simmering tension between them…

This was such a fun and cute read!

I enjoyed both Jake and Emily as leads. So appreciate the dual POVs so we got to know them both so deeply. I found them earnest and honest and loved reading their journey as a couple but also as individuals and their own personal growth and reckoning.

They were both so young and naive when they parted so although I usually don’t love second chance romance, I was rooting for this one! So much growth and a love hard won!

The reality show backdrop was fun and all the side characters felt fully realized and only added to the overall story.

I did struggle with the scenes in the past and wish they were more structured. They were almost too seamlessly placed within chapters in the present that I found myself confused on where in the timeline we were at times.

And the ending wrapped up a bit too quick for me and that epilogue only gave me more questions???

However overall a quick read I couldn’t put down!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a sucker for any dating show themed romance and this one was perfection. It also has my favourite trope of enemies to lover. These plot lines are becoming more and more popular but this was still super original and fun.

4.75⭐️


I love how engaging this book was from the very first page, I wasn’t sure at first about Emily as a fmc but she definitely stole my heart as the story went on, just like Jake❤️
The tension between these two was on another lever and i’m soso glad they got over their misunderstanding and insecurities and finally had their much deserved hea!!
My heart absolutely broke for both of them after the truths that were revealed towards the ending but besides a few heart touching moments, this was super fun to read!
It helped me out of a reading slump and i would definitely recommend it!!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for an arc copy, all opinions are my own!

This was a nice read and just what I was in the mood for.
You will find an enemies to lovers and second chance romance that I really enjoyed.
This book is like watching a dating tv show, super addictive and entertaining.

I recommend this , if you are on a reading slump this one will save you.

📚 The Love Rematch
✍ Kay Marie
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐4.5/5
🌶️ 🌶️ (fade to black)

➡Emily Peters has thrown herself into the family floral business and her start-up jewelry design business, so the fact that her love life is lackluster is no surprise to anyone. And she's fine with that. At least, she thinks she is until she wakes up one morning to find her mother on national television campaigning for her to become the next lead of America's favorite Bachelor-ish show, The Love Match. When the stars align and she's actually selected to become the new lead, she shows up to set with realistic expectations and maybe a little hope. All that is dashed though when she realizes that her ex and high school sweetheart is one of the show's producers: Jake.

Each is determined to make it through filming for their own reasons, so they avoid each other until they can't anymore. And the attraction that once burned so strong is still there. It's only a matter of time before the secrets that drove them apart seven years ago resurface and discover that the only thing worse than working with your ex is helping them fall in love with someone new.
◾
🙏 Thank you to NetGalley and Kaitlyn Davis for the advanced copy of The Love Rematch. All opinions are my own.
◾
🎯 What I loved: The Bachelor meets the one that got away trope in this creative second chance romance. I adored everything about this book: from the hilarious meddling mom drama at the beginning to the slow burn of reconciling a first love gone wrong. This book was a perfect balance of funny 'behind the scenes' type drama related to a lead dating multiple prospects simultaneously balanced out with flashback scenes from a heartwarming first love story. Plus, there's a perfect set up for book 2 which I can't wait to read!

Second chance romances have to address was initially broke the couple up in the first place, so you're bound to encounter lingering tension and lots of miscommunications which definitely existed here. The rationale for the miscommunication was good in this case but I was a little thrown by the severity of the situation that followed their initial separation. Without any spoilers, I'll just say that there was a lot of depth and heart for a traditional RomCom which I actually appreciated.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: I love dual POV romances but didn't really understand the choice to write both perspectives in the 3rd person. Not a huge critique but an interesting style choice?
◾
Read if you love:
*reality dating shows
*second chance romance
*dual POV
◾
See also: The True Love Experiment, Love and Other Words, Twice in a Blue Moon

I'll be reviewing The Love Rematch on my Instagram (@manuscripts_and_margaritas) on pub day (October 15th). I'll also post my Amazon review October 15th.

Cute read! I loved the sexual chemistry between the two main characters. Author has been fairly consistent with her novels and I enjoy that!

3.3 stars ⭐️

• • •

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯,𝘌𝘮. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦."

💌⁀➷

I liked reading a second chance romance minus the overly dragged miscommunication trope but all of that tension,angst and pining added a bit to it. Having it based in a reality tv setting with the fmc being the lead and the mmc the producer brought that extra touch esp showcasing the bts ugly side of filming.

Btw I throughly enjoyed Cooper from the reality show and book 2 will feature him which I'd probably want to read.

The 3rd person pov threw me off at first but as I read I got used to it tho I do prefer 1st pov. Liked that it was dual.

The fmc having a jewelry designer career was refreshing from the usual careers we see instead. Jake's heartfelt confessions was always so sweet! The "plot twist" towards the end touched on serious topics and made me feel bad for Em. Overall nothing too bad nor special, an average general read with some moments that tied it together.

•☆•
p.s. Thank you for the ARC!.
✨️ Review posted to my goodreads and Instagram @adeela_books

If you are like me and you don't read the synopsis of any book, as soon as you start this book you will be glued to the pages because it has a very powerful plot and from the beginning it makes you itch with curiosity. It is true that at the beginning I expected it to be a book with a little more comedy than it has been. It is also true that it has funny scenes, but it is not a book that stands out for its humor, in my point of view, like its now the principal things of it.

Although it is a book that takes place over the course of about six weeks or so, the romance is not an instalove at all because the characters already have a back story. We are facing a second chance romance that I think is very well handled, because although the characters already know each other that does not prevent us from knowing well who they are and little by little we discover things about their past and why they are now in the situation they are in.

The only thing that has not convinced me is the closure that is given to the situation in which the two characters lost contact. I feel that it is an issue that should have been given a little more hype and not almost close as if nothing happened. Being that with 20 more pages, the book would have been completely rounded for me. Still, I really enjoyed the denouement and the characters involved in the novel.

3,75/5 ⭐️

✨ Second Chance Romance
✨ Dating Show (The Bachelorette vibes)
✨ Fast Pace
✨ Childhood Lovers
✨ Fun, witty but with some heavier topics.

>> I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review <<

I was drawn to this book because of the bachelorette vibes. It was the perfect mix of angst and pining you want in a second chance romance. When you want to just yell at them to get back to get back together you know you’re in for a good book. The characters were deep and flawed and I loved how real they felt.

What a delight this book is! The Love Rematch is an engaging, well paced, second chance romance. I'm not normally one for second chance romances, but I think this book has changed that. The book had me by the end of chapter one, and I read it in one day.
This book is from a two person POV and jumps between memories from the past and the present.
Jake broke Emily's heart 7 years ago. She woke up, and he was gone, without an explanation. Fast forward 7 years...Emily is the lead of a show called The Love Match (imagine The Bachelorette), and Jake just so happens to be one of the producers of said show. As you can imagine, there's enough fuel here to start a fire. I enjoyed the "behind the scenes" of the show production and the variety pack of bachelors!
This is my first time reading anything by Kay Marie, and I look forward to adding more books by her to my TBR. I can't wait to read Sam's story! (Sam is Emily's twin sister.)
I would like to thank NetGalley and Kay Marie for the ARC of this enjoyable book!

4 STARS
Slow burn, light spice.
This premise of this book is unique and plays through in unexpected ways, both chaotic and deep. The characters are vivid, and the tropes are swirled together and lightly touched on. At first glance, you might say it’s 2nd Chance, Taboo, Slow Burn and *gasp* Miscommunication. But it’s more nuanced than those labels. They blend in a way that is unique.

WHAT I LOVED:
The Cadence. Jake and Em’s story unravels slowly, starting with light and playful then going deeper.
The REAL Reality TV. Kay Marie didn’t present the reader with the version of The Love Match you’d see if you were watching it on television. She showed all the behind the scenes antics, manipulation, ruthlessness, and fabrication. I don’t think any of us are blind to the fact that reality tv is, in fact, not all real, but it was portrayed from both the production and “bachelorette leads” POV, both insightful.
Sweet Gestures. Ughhh, Jake is the new bae when it comes to adorably thoughtful gestures. I said, “Awww” many, many times.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
“This is something else, all jagged lines and rough edges, lightning made of ink, a reflection of her pulse. Part of her wants to rip it out, crumple it into a ball, and toss it in the trash. The artist in her recognizes something worth keeping.”
“He chuckles softly. The deep, throaty sound stays with her long after he leaves. It makes home in the spot where her anger once lived like a new sprout after a forest fire, the first sign of life in a once-barren place.”
“And you know what you taught me? Even the nerdy boys can break your heart, so you might as well date the ones with muscles and enjoy yourself.” Oooouch. The burn!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, Sam’s story! All signs point to hilarity.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kay Marie for the e-ARC. I appreciated the opportunity to read this book and give an honest review.

A reality dating show meets a second chance romance?? This was an absolute winner for me!

First of all the set up for the story had me drawn in immediately. I am an absolute sucker for reality TV dating shows and being able to read it in book form with all of the extra behind-the-scenes content just made it so much better. It felt like being able to see all the secrets that you don’t get to see on TV, and I love that. Not to mention that it’s the perfect set up for some tension which had me hooked.

I love the way that we got to see the present day between Emily and Jake and then also get to see parts of the past through their respective flashbacks. They were so frustrating to read about but in a good way. The tension between them was so obvious, but they were both so oblivious which made me as a reader want to scream at them, but that’s definitely a good thing

I really like the way that the author used their trauma to tell their stories, and compared the way they felt about it to the past in the current situations. They were heartbreaking moments that really show you just how much they belong together!! You can’t help but want these two main characters to just be happy and be happy together.

The second chance romance trope isn’t one that I usually go for, but I think it was so excellently executed in this book. I absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kay Marie for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emily is living a quiet life in her hometown when her Mom goes on national tv looking for a love match for her. Unbelievably Emily ends up as the lead on the reality show Love Match. It is way outside her comfort zone, more like something her twin Samantha would do, but Emily gives it a try. What has she got to lose, 30 hot bachelors and a chance to give her jewelry business exposure? All is good until she discovers Jake, the boy that broke her heart 7 years ago is a producer on the show. Will Emily find love or is it all just a show?

I found myself drawn in and rooting for Emily. A story of figuring out what is truly important and what is just a show.