Member Reviews
Emily Ann needs a man! This was such a fun read. As an avid Bachelor/Bachelorette fan through the years, I loved the point of view told from behind the scenes of the show. Ever since reuniting, the chemistry between Emily and Jake was sizzling off the charts. You could tell they both suffered from the lack of closure from their relationship. I really enjoyed watching them slowly reconnect. The main pain point for me with this novel was the weight the miscommunication placed on their relationship. I get some level, but it's so hard to believe both of them would let simmer without closure for 7 years. But all's well that ends well, and I still really enjoyed this one! I CANNOT wait to read about Sam's adventure!!
I am a sucker for a faux bachelor tv show situation and I was SO INVESTED in this story the whole time; I loved Emily and Jake separately and together- getting glimpses into their past made the present that much sweeter. The pining and the build up were a treat, although I wanted a chance to get to know the men on the show a little more? I didn’t necessarily need the high stakes emotional ending reveal but it didn’t take away from the chemistry that these two had! I can’t wait to see what comes next from Kay Marie!
I couldn't stop reading this book!!! Like I mean it I stayed up to 3am to finish my ARC (even though my kid woke at 6:30am 🙃).
I'll also say I am not a fan of reality dating tv shows but I love the premise in a book. Especially when it's second chance romance and they have a history together! It's so satisfying to then see the love interest get jealous 😏
I loved how this book dealt with more serious issues too once they were eventually revealed. It added more depth to the characters and the plot.
And might I say I can't wait to find out more on Sam and Cooper 👀
Emily lands the lead on a dating show. Her dream gig becomes a nightmare when she discovers her producer is Jake, her ex. Behind the scenes, their clashes reignite a buried attraction. Will this reality show rekindle their their romance, or extinguish it forever?
This bright, sparkling rom com made me smile. I especially enjoyed Emily, who has good reasons to feel betrayed by Jake after he ghosted her. I was unimpressed by his sense that he was unworthy of her—as if that makes it okay to treat her badly—but I understood that he was affected by trauma. The antics of some of the suitors on the show were fun.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC! This book…wow. Totally surprised me. I was immediately hooked by the idea of an ex-boyfriend producer and a romance reality show, because DUH the recipe for jealousy and groveling is perfect. And of course this book delivered, but it also had SO MUCH MORE. I loved the characters, the story arc, the twists and turns. I laughed, I cried, I felt warm and fuzzy. This was an incredible story!!!!
This was super cute! The premise was intriguing and the writing was good. I think my biggest issue was that the plot relied HEAVILY on the miscommunication trope. Overall though I enjoyed reading and I think fans of romcoms and/or The Bachelor franchise will eat this up!
I enjoyed that this book follows through on the premise of a dating show and shows us behind the scenes and makes it feel as though there was a purpose for Kay Marie choosing to set the book here. The dual POV and well executed second chance romance made my romantic heart so happy. I really felt like they deserved to have a second chance with us flashing back to them when they were younger and can see the love has continued on.
My one gripe is the miscommunication trope as the basis for a second chance romance as this does make me frustrated as it feels like all of this could have been solved with a conversation, but when reading romance I feel as though you sometimes have to remove you're logical brain. I enjoyed some of the surrounding characters but have read so many romance series now where they've really paid attention to those mentioned and everyone feels like they have a life before and after this book which I didn't necessarily feel for all the characters in this book. For this reason The Love Rematch may not be the first book I go to to reread but it will be an option.
I recommend this to second chance romance romance or Batchelornation but will warn you that if 3rd person writing of miscommunication is a dealbreaker for you, this book is not for you.
Bachelor Nation will love this book! I adored this book! I fell in love with the characters! Emily, Sam and Jake were so loveable! There were so many laughs, so much chemistry, and a bit of tension that kept me reading this book in 1 day! It's one that I will read over and over again, and I can't wait to read the next book!
The Love Rematch was a sweet, funny second-chance romance!
While this wasn't the first romance book I read about the FMC being on a dating show (i.e. The True Love Experiment), I definitely loved how this one really focused on the actual Reality show. We get to see behind the scenes AND in front of the camera, which I really enjoyed!
I did feel like the characters had a lot of chemistry and you could definitely feel the tension and longing between the two. I also loved the flashbacks and getting to see into their past as teenagers/young adults.
If you enjoy watching dating shows or just Reality TV in general (I mean, let's face it, we all kinda do), you will definitely enjoy The Love Rematch! It's also the perfect second-chance romance, so make sure to pick it up when it comes out on Oct. 16, 2023!
I loved this book! It was the perfect mix between The Charm Offensive x Love & Other Words. I loved the dual perspective and the flashbacks to when they were younger. As always, I loved bachelor style books, and particularly enjoyed the preexisting relationship between producer and contestant trope. I’m very excited to read the next book in the series!
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 / 𝚁𝚎𝚜𝚎ñ𝚊 𝙰𝚁𝙲 📚✨
𝙴𝚜𝚙𝚊ñ𝚘𝚕 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚓𝚘 👇🏻
A second chance romance, fun and easy to read ☺️
We follow the story of Emily, a girl who is exposed on national TV by her mother as a girl desperate to find love and ends up entering her favorite reality show "The Love Match."
All very funny until she realizes that her ex-boyfriend (who dumped her seven years ago) is one of the show's producers, specifically the one who is in charge of the 30 men among whom she must find her future husband.
Unfortunately, it has not been to my total liking 😔
I think the idea is very original and that it had dual POV is also very good, but I didn't like that it was narrated in third person.
The truth is that I liked Emily, but I found Jake quite irritating.
Aside from Sam and Cooper, the secondary characters felt pretty flat (even Nina, who seemed like a very promising character)
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me this copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬
Un romance de segunda oportunidad, divertido y fácil de leer ☺️
Seguimos la historia de Emily, una chica a la que su madre expone en televisión nacional como una chica desesperada por encontrar el amor y que termina entrando en su reality show favorito “The Love Match”
Todo muy divertido hasta que se da cuenta de que su exnovio (quien la abandonó hace siete años) es uno de los productores del show, específicamente es quien se hace cargo de los 30 hombres entre los que debe encontrar a su futuro esposo.
Lamentablemente, no ha sido de mi total agrado 😔
Creo que la idea es muy original y que tuviera doble punto de vista también es muy bueno, pero no me gustó que estuviera narrado en tercera persona.
La verdad es que Emily me ha gustado, pero Jake me pareció bastante irritante.
Aparte de Sam y Cooper, los personajes secundarios se sienten bastante planos (incluso Nina, que parecía un personaje muy prometedor)
Love a book that starts with a suburban mom airing secret dating reality tv drama on a NATIONAL TALK SHOW to get her daughter on said dating reality tv show. Overall, this book was enjoyable. There were moments I liked and moments I didn't.
I thought it was well written, and I'm interested in reading the next book in the series (which I assume is about her twin sister Sam). Honestly, I generally don't like second-chance romance books because I find a lot of it is caused by miscommunication, and this book was no different. ALSO CW for domestic abuse and cancer? I can't catch a break reading a happy lil love story without some parent-death trauma.
Likes:
It was funny, and a great reality tv adjacent story. It was like that show from 2015 UnReal, except it's a second-chance romance. Its the bare minimum, but I love that he could easily tell the twin sisters apart, made for a great lil easter egg later on.
Dislikes:
for me PERSONALLY, i hate haTE HATE miscommunication tropes like the one in this book. I get its purpose in the story, but i swear to god if someone wronged me and came up to me 10 years later with some BS excuse like the miscommunication stories always have, i would set fire to something. I get annoyed when people are so completely unable to converse like adults. It also made me a lil sad that she was so broken up about the relationship ending. Again, I completely understand why, but when the girl is down bad, i tend to root against the man getting her back bc how DARE you make a woman feel bad. When the man is down bad? Let him win her back I'm loving it.
Despite a couple things that would have made me annoyed at this book enough to never pick it up or DNF it, I had a good time reading it, and probably would read it again to refresh my recollection. The writing was good, and besides the specific tropes that I didn't like, the rest of the book was enjoyable.
and LOVE that he's like "how tf did this news get out there damnit bc now i have to watch my ex find someone new, oh... turns out it might've been my fault bc i told my mom and the moms are besties." that did crack me up.
In summary, fun, worth the read, but I will ALWAUS be apprehensive about a man trying to win over a girl who is still in her feels about him. MOVE ON GIRL! BE A BAD BITCH! MAKE HIM CRY AND GROVEL! and then you can secretly think and say once you accept him back "oh by the way i was also not happy with anyone else," but you gotta make him WORK. FOR. IT.
This was well written and a cute story...but there was one thing that really bugged me throughout the entire book. I WISH the dual POV was written in first person.
Dual POV in third person just doesn't hit the same. Example:
'Strangers, Jake think as he arrives on location the next day. I can do this. I don't know her.
We're strangers.'
Maybe it's me, maybe I'm the problem.
But seriously, it was well done (please check trigger warnings), but the dual POV in third person leaves me rating this as a 3.75-4 star.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Where do I start? Oh I know... I LOVED this book!
This book quickly gained my attention and interest because I am a fan of reality dating shows like The Bachelor/Bachelorette. The primary setting of this book is on a reality dating show called The Love Rematch.
This forced proximity/second chance romance is written in third person with a dual POV, flashbacks, and two main characters that are likable. I quickly became invested in Emily and Jake's story. Their chemistry is undeniable and the forced proximity they experience while filming The Love Rematch leads the reader eagerly wondering what will happen next! The author, Kay Marie, skillfully keeps the story fast paced while allowing the reader to gain important information from both main characters and their respective memories.
Trigger Warning: While it is not discussed in great detail or with graphic descriptions, one of the characters does share memories of DV during their childhood.
Book 1 isn't even released yet and I am already so excited for Book 2!
I LOVEDDD THISSS! If you are a fan of the Bachelorette, you need to check this book out!! Such a cute read. I laughed, and cried, and felt all the feelings. I love a good book that will break my heart and then pick up the pieces for me, and this book did just that. A fun read about the newest lead to a popular dating show, and the ex who left her heart broken 7 years ago. The twist? He is one of the producers tasked in finding her a husband during the next 6 weeks of shooting for the show...
Thank you Netgalley, Kaitlyn Davis and Kay Marie for the ARC!
If you like reality TV shows such as The Bachelorette, Love Island, and so many other TV shows where they're there to find love, this is the perfect book for you.
The plot, and honestly, the whole story is so well written that I couldn't put it down, I needed to know every bit of information about this second chance romance, how they first met each other, how they fell in love, what happened to them, and their perspective of the situation. This is why I love dual POVs, because it gives the readers so much more information on what is going on, and in this book is definitely needed, I say this because if it was just one POV I don't think I would truly appreciate the plot as much as I did.
Both Emily and Jake have been through so much, so part of it kept them apart but they never stopped loving each other and you can definitely see that throughout this book. Will absolutely keep an eye on for next books by Kay Marie.
A great romantic comedy, set around the FMC being a contestant on a reality TV dating show after her mum appeared on national television saying “Emily Ann needs a man!”
When she arrives she learns that her ex boyfriend that left without a word seven years ago is the producer of the show. I did find it frustrating that it took Emily and Jake so long to just sit down and talk about what happened, which I felt made it slightly unrealistic.
However, the book made me laugh from the second page and had good humorous moments throughout. The behind the scenes look into producing reality TV was both funny and interesting.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Kay Marie for providing me with an E-Arc in echange for my honest opinion!
I'll admit I was a little worried once I realised the book was written in the second person,but turns out it didn't bother me at all! I finished The Love Rematch in a couple of days, which in my experience, always means there is that *something something* that makes a book unputdownable.
The reality show setting was truly well-executed, I think it's clear the author put a lot of research into making it believable. Emily is a great FMC -- I liked how she was tough but unwilling to spare others her vulnerabilities; I think that's a hugely relatable trait.
That being said, I've got to say it's Jake I wasn't a 100% sold on. Don't get me wrong, I liked him well enough, how protective he was of Emily and how he'd never stopped loving her. I do think the situation from which the entire miscommunication stemmed from (mainly because of Jake) added a layer of drama that could take readers out of the story. That's not to say the themes weren't important or well done -- they were. But something about it wasn't convincing enough to me.
The very last chapter also didn't excite me as much as the rest of the story; I thought the characters had a shift in personality, rather than development, but that is just my opinion.
Overall, it was a fun read with absolutely GREAT writing and banter, and I would recommend it. I'm excited for the next book in the series with Sam and Cooper's story!
LISTEN I will not ever recommend a book as fast as this one. It has 5 stars but it's because I can't give it 6.
They are ex's with a secret that is kind of haunting them from moving on with their lives, while he is the producer at the reality show that is going to get her engaged. THE ANGST AND TENSION IS SOOOO GOOD. It really shows how they both are fighting their past, that they can't escape, while at first pretending neither has existed in each other's life before, and hating each other's presence, but there are still some feelings left behind (*cough* jealous mmc *cough*)
It's a cute, funny and sometimes a little bit steamy story about wanting revenge on your ex who left you, while also being forced to remember the good times between the two, while you want to move on and become a new person.
I am not a fan of Bachelor Nation, but I am all for it when it comes to the romance novels and this one did not disappoint. I will say this second chance romance was one I really needed to read. We have Emily, who is single, a business owner/designer, who has an amazing mom who goes on TV to try to get her to date a feisty and fun twin sister Sam, an ex Jake, who is one of the producers in the show her mom wants her to star in, and a 7 year heartbreak that damn near almost broke me.
Their break up broke Emily, so she took this opportunity to try to get Jake jealous, keep him as a distance but these two couldn’t help it, you can feel the love through this whole book when it came to these two. Of course we get the happenings of these romance matchmaking shows which we all know are mostly fake, and then we get some hardcore stuff. We get the answers to why Jake left, what happened to them, what’s been happening to Emily in those years and why she’s still single. We get our happy ending which I am here for, with a little surprise in the end I don’t want to spoil because I didn’t see it coming until the last minute. Everyone deserves their HEA.
Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.