This book was great! I loved the dynamic between the two main characters, even when they're at each other's throats.

Second chance always gets me, and The Love Rematch is no exception.

"You're about to spend six weeks with thirty guys fighting for your attention, and your ex-boyfriend has to film every glorious moment of it."

If you have an ex you didn't end things on good terms with, then this is probably your dream. It's been seven years since Jake and Emily have seen each other, and their unexpected reunion takes place on a Bachelorette type show that Emily is starring in, after her mom announced on national television that "Emily Ann needs a man." (We love cute mom jokes). Jake, her ex-boyfriend, happens to be a new producer on the show and now has to watch the previous love of his life date thirty men. What could go wrong?

Emily and Jake were adorable. I loved the flashbacks of them and the angst and heartbreak they brought. Two lovesick kids who did what they thought was best, but in hindsight just hurt each other more. This had everything I wanted in a second chance romance. I loved the premise of the book, it was such a good idea and Kay Marie made me feel like I was actually behind the scenes of a reality dating show! It was such a fun experience. Kay Marie set up the second book in the series very well and I cannot wait to read it after reading that ending!

Tropes: second chance, forced proximity, reality TV, dual POV

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful and entertaining plot driven romcom. The premise was a little slow in the beginning however, in the middle the pacing picked up. I found the characters very relatable and charming. Overall, I had so much fun!

Emily is such a cute character! Her passion for jewellery and her kindness is unmatched. Jake is so sweet and we all love/hate miscommunication this book has me down bad!

Reading in third person made this book seem like a reality show inside a reality show. I was HOOKED.

4/5 stars and I definitely want to read the next book!

I received this book through NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing this book.

★ · . the love rematch – kay marie
(the love match #1)

6⭐
0🌶

Thank you to netgalley and Kay Marie for the arc of the love rematch in exchange for an honest review. (Publication date: 16 october 2023)

In the love rematch, Emily wakes up to find her mother on national television begging America to find her a boyfriend. She becomes a viral sensation and is set to become the new lead of a dating show The Love Match. To her horror, the producer of the show, Jake, was the very man who broke her heart seven years ago. Despite Emily wanting nothing to do with him, they end up being unable to deny their attraction.

The premise of the book was really unique and refreshing, the way that the second-chance romance was set up so differently from others made it stand out. I haven’t read any books with a reality TV setting yet, but learning about the behind the scenes was really exciting.

I really enjoyed the writing, it was easy to read and a short and fun read. The author jumps straight to the issue, making the book a fast-paced read instead of dragging it out.

I really enjoyed learning about the characters too. I loved how they both overcame their problems and insecurities together, working on their lack of communication and actually facing each other instead of running away. The reason for their miscommunication was really realistic.

There’s something so amazing about getting to see their past and how they navigated the future ahead of them, each struggling with their own issues. The chemistry was great and the slow burn wasn’t too slow or too quick, it was just the right amount you needed to be cheering for them and laughing at them unknowingly pining for each other. I devoured every interaction between them, it felt so realistic.

I also adored the relationships she had with her twin sister Samantha, and how protective of her she was, especially near the second half of the book. While she wanted to make sure her sister was alright and that Jake wouldn’t break her heart again, she also wanted her to be happy.

The side characters were also surprisingly well developed and written, like some of the staff (Nina, who is extremely observant) and the matches at the dating show were quite interesting to learn about. I love how she made a friend from one of the matches to talk to and brighten up her life a bit.

The author also touched on some darker topics and weaved them into the book, which added a depth to the characters that was definitely appreciated.

The plot twist was, although expected, still quite shocking at how well it was sprinkled in the book. The ending was perfect, it wrapped it up nicely and left an element of joy.

Overall, I’m so glad I read this book and if you’re looking for a romcom with just the right amount of angst. I’m already looking forward to reading the second book in the series! I’ve found my comfort read of the year, definitely would recommend!

Original review:
SIX STARS FOR THIS. full review will be posted as soon as I recover because I just finished. This read was a crazy experience—I started crying and then BAWLING my eyes out… and when the reveal came I actually dropped my kindle. AMAZING READ TEN OUT OF TEN.

(please check TWs for this book.)
(cross posted from goodreads/netgalley/instagram)

What a fun and delightful rom com! I absolutely loved the premise of the book and it kept me entertained from start to finish. I felt like I was watching a movie in my head as I reading along. With chapters that alternate between Emily and Jake you get such a clear picture of their inner most thoughts and feelings. I liked how the reader gets snippets of the past throughout the book to get the backstory on their relationship from high school. The forced proximity element of the book is done so well and I loved all the building tension between them! This was such a cute story and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you so much NetGalley for the gifted copy!

I did like this book, but it fell somewhat flat for me. Maybe I just didn't connect with the characters enough. I will definitely give it another read when it gets published to see if my mind changes. I also will recommend it to my patrons because I know even if I didn't like it that much, my patrons might like it more!

Thank you Netgalley and Kay Marie for providing me the ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This is such a cute story with well rounded characters. I loved the romance in this and the dual perspectives of the main characters.

The only thing that confused me at times was the story written in the present tense which sometimes made it difficult to know that the scene/conversation happened in the past.

A sweet story overall!

Finally, after months of going without a five-star book, this one hit the spot! Kay Marie, I am now your biggest fan. This was the most perfect Bachelorette-esque book I've ever read. I LOVED the tension between Emily and Jake, and it felt like I was watching this book as a movie. I could picture every scene so clearly and the anticipation of learning what happened between the two main characters had me hooked. Seeing their relationship in the past as flashbacks gave so much more to the story, and it felt like such realistic all-consuming teen love. The group dates and traveling that took place added such a great element to the story. I found myself laughing out loud at certain points which helped break through some of the emotional parts. There was never one point where I questioned the chemistry between the two characters because it felt so real. When I thought everything was clearing up around the 80 percent mark another bomb was dropped that captured my interest all over again. I cannot wait to read about Sam and her story! I will definitely be buying this book on October 16th for my bookshelf.

“The Love Rematch” is a bachelorette reality show inspired second chance romance that left me wanting more. Literally.


Of course with reality shows running rampant in the last few years, I was immediately intrigued by the premise and of course off-set romance between the once upon a time lovers but it was difficult to connect with Emily or Jake. Maybe it was just me but I found them to be terribly boring. The side-characters, moreso—the producers, contestants and my girl Sam were far more entertaining.


What’s more—I wasn’t a fan of how the author would weave in details of the past/previous memories in the middle of present tense dialogue. There were a few instances that I had to reread the passage to verify what tense I was in and where the heck I was at. It didn’t flow naturally nor was it consistent. It threw off the pacing and I had difficulty immersing myself into the read because of that.


All in all—predictable storyline, dull characters, odd and confusing pacing, and lack of wow factor to really lock me in.

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book so much! As soon as I started reading it, I was INTO it. I had to stop for some time and I kept thinking about it (even though it was only the beggining). I loved the concept and Emily was the sweetest.

There was a revelation that I found rather underwhelming and I thought that it was not a great justification. But I still had a great time with this book and I would LOVE to read the second book featuring Sam, as she has a great personnality.

Thank you NetGalley and Kay Marie for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an amazing, heartwarming and hilarious contemporary romance that takes place behind the scenes of a reality tv show that is similar to The Bachelorette with a twist of revenge. It is a second chance romance filled with angst, tension, humor, chemistry and spice. After reading the synopsis, I knew I had to read this book! I mean who doesn't love a story about the lead star of the show who is still in love with her ex-boyfriend and he happens to be the producer of the show!?! Bachelor Nation this story is for you!! I absolutely loved this book so much!! Literally, could not put it down and finished it in a day. I loved that it gave me all the feels!💓💓💓💓💓

Emily Peters wakes up one morning to find her mother on national television begging America to find her a boyfriend! It just so happens that The Love Match, which is a tv reality dating show, is in dire need of a star. When the segment goes viral, America falls in love with Emily and she becomes the new lead. What Emily does not expect is for Jake, her ex-boyfriend who broke her heart, to be the new producer of the show. Now Jake gets to watch Emily date thirty male contestants! What better revenge, right?! The thing is that Jake has never been able to move on and still loves Emily.

I also loved Sam who is Emily's twin sister. Sam definitely brought the drama and had no problems telling you what needed to be said.🤣😂 I enjoyed that this was told from the dual prospectives of Emily and Jake. This was so much more than a romance! It dealt with deep real life topics that I felt were handled in a proper way.

Overall, I highly recoomend this book and it deserves ALL the stars!! I am super excited for Cooper and Sam's story next.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

TW: Cancer & Domestic Abuse (both past tense)

First of all, I want to thank the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The love rematch by Kay Marie is coming out on October 16, 2023.

Loved this book!! Such a good read if you love romance books. This is such a cute summer read and the characters are easy to fall in love with. This is a second chance romance book that follows Jake and Emily. If you are a fan of the Bachelor series..this is a great book for you! I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future. #TheLoveRematch #NetGalley

If you love romance books and “The Bachelor” this book is for you! In this second chance romance, we get a meddling mom, 30 single men, dreamy dates, laugh out loud banter, quiet longing, surprise friendships, and professions of love that will leave you teary-eyed. I absolutely adored both Emily and Jake’s characters and the dual perspectives in this book. The simmering longing made me want to read more and more! A fantastic read!

a cute, easy summer read i breezed through although it does have have weird political undertones and felt like maybe the author had an agenda…but i could potentially be overthinking this a wee bit

After ending their relationship in Highschool I'm sure Jake never expected to see Emily again. He especially never expected to see Emily on national tv with her mother dropping insider knowledge to make her the lead on the TV show he produces. Seeing Emily again definitely stirs up feelings fast and he finds himself taking risks for her that could cost her her job, but Emily has to ask herself is he worth opening her heart to again.

I loved reading Emily and Jake's story, I was literally hooked from the first page. It was such an interesting take on second chance romance and it just kept me going. Plus Jake's pining while Emily was going on other dates... yes please.

P.S. I CANNOT wait for Sam and Coopers story to come out.

I loved this book! I didn't know much about it or the author before I started reading, but I was surprised - in a good way.
The book starts in a way that made clear to me that I will be getting the escapism I needed. Romance and reality TV - the perfect mixture.
I read it super quickly because I was flying through the pages and oh - the tension between the characters: *gold*. Nothing is more important in a romance than good tension (not necessarily in a sexual way!) and this book had it.
The main characters are very likeable, the other characters are if not likeable then at least adding to my interest for the story. Some of my favourites are Sam and Cooper. And Emily's iconic mom of course!
I wouldn't say the book was perfect, but I really really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a romance and some escapism. Will I be reading more books by the author? Definitely!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to review. As always, my opinion has not been influenced by this in any way.

Love Love Loved this book!!

The Love Rematch is the perfect second-chance romance book! When Emily's mum goes on National Tv and says her Daughter should be the next lead on a bachelor-inspired dating show, what Emily doesn't realise her ex who walked out on her 7 years ago is a producer on the show. Jake now has to find his ex a husband but what if he's not over her after all?

If you love the Bachelor franchise or any dating reality show then you'll love this story, I devoured this book it has all the best tropes and surprises you just don't see coming. Kay Marie was a new to me author and I'm so thankful I received an advanced reader copy of this book and I'm now going to go back and read her backlog of books!

“Emily Ann needs a man!” Or at least that’s what her mother proclaims to all of America from the crowd at a morning tv show! Next thing Emily knows she’s agreeing to date 30 men as the next female lead on the reality dating show The Love Match! Emily thinks this will be the perfect opportunity to finally get over her Ex who broke her heart 7 years ago and to promote her growing jewelry line. The only problem is that on night one of filming said Ex is revealed to be a producer on the show! Let the second chance romance begin!

I wanted to read this one because the idea of an off-set romance during the bachelorette sounded like so much fun! And I haven’t even watched the actual show in years! 😂

The Love Rematch is a charming easy read perfect for the pool. The main characters are sweet and the cast of side characters, from the male suitors to the other producers, are fun additions. The descriptions of the dates and travel for the show were spot on and fun to read! The big romantic gesture wasn’t at all what I thought it was going to be! The story is told in dual perspectives using the present tense but the author weaves in details from the first time they dated whenever something in the present sparks a memory from the past. This was a nice way to give context to their lasting feelings, but the execution felt clunky at times. I had to reread several passages.

The thing that’s keeping me from giving it the fourth ⭐️ is purely personal preference. There’s just too much reliance on the miscommunications and secret keeping for my taste. My tolerance for those tropes is very low these days. I also do not like to read characters that believe they’re unworthy of love simply because they had a terrible parent and believe that they too must be a terrible person. There are and will be plenty of readers who will be able to see past those things. While I might not have loved this one, the ending did leave me wanting to read book two in the series and I think the author picked the perfect main characters for it! *Closed door*

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my arc. I received an advanced reader copy of this book and reviewed it voluntarily.

[𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.]

I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did. It’s so cute and it put the biggest smile on my face.

This was the first time I read a romance with a reality show setting and I loved the vibes. It was so much fun, I loved seeing the true reality of a reality show (because we all know what they show on tv is fake) and it provided me some laugh out loud moments.

I enjoyed the writing so much, it’s easy to read, and the author doesn't waste time repeating the same information. The pacing of the book was great, this is a slow burn romance, which I love and didn’t feel slow to me. Plus, we have dual pov, wich is always amazing to see in romances.

Emily and Jake won my heart so quickly. I love them individually and I loved them as a couple. They both had so many issues, so many insecurities and fears preventing them from truly living their lives and be 100% honest with each other. The problems in their relationship would’ve easily been solved if they just communicated, however, they were so young when the relationship fell apart and I understand they were not in the right state of mind to be everything each other deserved. I don’t mind miscommunication, as long and it makes sense to me, and even though I wanted to scream at them sometimes, their lack of communication wasn’t something that made me enjoy the book any less.

Something I love about second chance romance is getting to see those little moments when the couple looks at each other and reminisces on their past relationship. I loved seeing that connection, the love that’s still there, the shared memories. It makes my heart fluter and fills my stomach with butterflies. Jake and Emily have great chemistry, there was a lot of tension between them and I loved every second of it. They were both pining for each other the whole time.

This is a light, fun rom-com, but it does delve into some serious topics and I like the way the author handled them.

Overall, I’m so happy, this was such a great read. It’s a little cheesy at times, but it just feels so good to read romances like this once in a while. We all need cute and wholesome romances in our lives. I’m looking forward to reading the next book.