Attached at the Hip is a romcom that is a mix between Survivor and a dating show. I wasn't sure what to except when I began the book. I can appreciate that this book focused on the main character and her overall personal growth rather than just the romance.

This story follows Orie, a 23-y/o social media influencer who lives and home and is/feels dependent on others. When her sister calls her out for being lazy Orie decides to prove them wrong and impulsively decides to applies for Surviver-like show (romance edition) not thinking she will get in.

Throughout this book- Orie experiences a lot of personal growth and overcomes obstacles and becoming more independent despite having a partner that she is always attached at the hip with. I enjoyed the friendships that were formed in the book.

Attached at the Hip was a bit tricky for me. There were some parts that were great, yet just as many, if not more, that were really awkward and cringy, or didn’t seem necessary at all. The FMC was trying way too hard to be a “quirky girl” which was a bit off putting. I may have liked this more if it was significantly edited down, but it seemed like there was so much going on, but at the same time nothing. It briefly touched on a couple of things that could have added depth only to be complexly dropped. Some aspects also seemed unresolved for a standalone.

I’m not a person who knows Christine Riccio outside of being a writer. I think she’s a YouTuber, and I’ve been finding a lot of people who have reviews out already are just 100% into this book because they know her from there. That is not my experience and I feel it’s important to put that out there. I also read Again, But Better five years ago, so I didn’t remember a single thing and missed out on those Easter eggs, which I guess proves you don’t need them. All that being said, I *loved* this book. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken up an entire weekend day reading—and this is how I spent my Victoria Day weekend Sunday. It’s a quick read that I think anyone who loves Survivor and The Bachelor (or any of those amazingly trashy reality TV shows) will enjoy.

What didn’t work for me

The character names: I’m noticing that the more books I read, the more outrageous the names are. Orielle is nice (Orie worked), but her thinking that it wasn’t unique enough and that she should go by Piccadilly was silly. Plus, Kennedi, Osprey, Lark… I just. I can’t. And sometimes they shortened Orie to Or and I found that hard to follow a bit.

A bit more about the game as a whole: They mentioned a few times when explaining the premise of the game that everyone had three potential matches. We quickly learn about Orie’s (if we assume Kennedi is one in a friend kind of way), but I don’t see how all the other characters could have been matched with each other. Remy, especially, seemed like an odd man out. I wish we could have seen a bit more from the other players in the game. I also really don’t believe Remy’s mom would have done what she did in real life. It seemed really rushed and random.

What I liked

The love triangle: I thought I knew where the love story was going to go—and man, was I (pleasantly) wrong! I’m so glad it didn’t go the way I thought. The love story between the two that ended up together was really sweet, and I think both characters grew a lot as they got to know each other (especially Orie).

The pop culture references: I think this is a specialty of Riccio’s, but I loved all the pop culture references—especially the books. There were only a few I didn’t know, but I wrote them down because I now want to read them. Plus, I had Katy Perry’s Firework in my head for days afterward.

4.5 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced book copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have watched about 12 seasons of Survivor and even more seasons of Big Brother. My family watched a bunch of other reality TV when i was growing up ( The Bachelor is the only exception- we watched season 1 of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette). So when I saw Attached at the Hip on NetGalley I decided to read it.

Overall it's a fun read. It's like reading a very short, highlights only version of a reality show. There are a few things that happen to create drama that didn't feel too realistic. I think Christine should have found a different route but it's not a deal breaker. If you enjoyed or still enjoy Survivor and want something on the lighter side to read, Attached at the Hip would be a good choice. Overall rating 3.5/5 stars.

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to read and review.

This was a cute book but a miss for me overall. As a lifelong Survivor fan I LOVED the survivor with a romantic twist premise. The show was my favorite part of this book but I didn’t find any of the characters likable and the romance twist was a miss for me.

If you like YA/New Adult I think this is a book you’ll like.

This book was so much fun to read! I flew right through the book because it was engaging and quite frankly, entertaining.
The main character, Orie, is, as her sister suggested before the adventure takes off, codependent on everyone around her. She’s a twenty three year-old with no idea what she wants to do with her life and can’t seem to make any decisions on her own. On a whim, she signs up for Survivor to prove everyone wrong. Before she leaves, her world blows apart and she starts the show off trying to put the pieces back together, while trying to figure out how she didn’t see any of it coming. When she arrives on site, not only are her survival skills put to the test, she finds herself tethered to one teammate after another.
The fun part of the book comes from the challenges the characters must undergo, as well as how some of these play out; there are several laugh out loud moments. My favourite part of the book is Orie’s character growth. Putting all shenanigans aside, her characters develops a lot over the course of the 21 days she is participating in the reality show. As she is navigating the game, she learns much about and becomes more confident.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read or if you are still trying to figure out where you belong. This is a great summer read with a touch of coming-of-age.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the e-arc. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

I've never watched Survivor or any reality TV really, save for a few episodes of Bridezillas and Love is Blind, so I had absolutely no background on what was going on or what the premise would be like, which is what interested me most about the book.

Orie is a really quirky and interesting character, with a name that she doesn't think is interesting so she wants everyone to call he Picadilly (is this a survivor thing? Because I could not get over this). She made me cringe more times than not and the love triangle (which I already hate on principle) felt like insta-love (another trope I don't really like).

HOWEVER, the book was fun, with some witty/fun lines and the Survivor game kept me reading more than anything.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to love this one but the book really grew on me!

The main character Orie started out as a bit of a douche - she talks so badly about her boyfriend in the beginning.. It was honestly giving Rory Gilmore forgetting she has a boyfriend in the Gilmore Girls reboot.. But then she grew on me as the story progressed. Despite.. her wanting her nickname to be Piccadilly.. After the London tube stop… (girl what?!)

I am a huge lover of reality tv so Orie going on a Survivor/Dating show was right up my alley for a romance. It gave a fun setting and also gave me the same vibes as the tv show UnReal and I really loved that!

I found myself laughing throughout this book and the vibes were just great! I loved the drama, the romance, and everything! I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun summer read!

Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio is a RomCom where Survivor meets The Bachelor. It’s clean and funny as we follow Orie onto a dating/survivor/fear-factor television show.
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Orie is a 23-year-old still trying to figure out how to be an adult and has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She is hilarious, saying things that others only think, and being forced to do things that will make you cringe. There is bathroom humor and scary spiders.
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I loved her growth through mistakes and triumphs as she gets to know all the people she’s literally attached to by a rope (aka attached at the hip) and competes against them in various challenges.
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There is a lot of pop culture and bookish references which also made this a lot of fun. I giggled a lot. Seeing who she ended up with was very satisfying. Another favorite read of mine this year.
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Thanks, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Orie’s life isn’t what she envisioned it would be after graduation, and one night after a fight with her sister, Orie decides to apply to be on Survivor. She’s shocked when she gets cast on the show, and even more surprised when she finds out it’s a new spin off that has a romantic twist. The surprises keep coming when her first partner on the show is Remy, her high school crush. Over the next few weeks she not only has to navigate competing for the ultimate prize, but forming alliances, and figuring out potential love interests, all at the same time she’s surviving on a deserted island.
I’ve never found a reality show that didn
’t immediately suck me in, so a romance based on a reality show? Absolutely the book for me. This book drew me in and I did not want to put it down. When I couldn’t physically read, I was listening to the audiobook, and kept switching back and forth until I finished in less than a day). This book is marketed as Survivor meets The Bachelor, but I also got F-Boy Island, and Perfect Match vibes and I was here for the drama. This book was a wild ride and I could perfectly envision the way the show was playing out. (Sidenote: can we please make this a real show?) I had so much fun reading this book!

While the characters here seem very immature at times, it was important for me to keep 2 things in mind when reading: 1 - this is marketed and published as a YA (more new adult book), so yes, the character act a bit young at times, and 2 - when have you ever watched a reality show with mature characters who aren’t a bit dramatic? For me, the answer is never. So to me that felt very true to the theme of the book. Even with their immaturity, I appreciated how Orie found her voice while on the show, and I loved the friendships made between contestants.

The audiobook was phenomenal. I loved Brittany Pressley’s narration and how she brought all of the characters and the drama to life. It was a great listen!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio is a delightful romcom, set in a reality competition game reminiscent of Survivor, but with a unique speed dating-type vibe. It's a perfect blend of romance and comedy that kept me entertained from start to finish.

Orie Lenox is an AcroYoga Influencer with her sister Lark, who keeps getting increasingly frustrated because Orie cannot make any decisions independently.  She doesn't even live independently, choosing to live in her parent's basement.  Orie doesn't love her boyfriend, who she's been with since she was a teen, but she can't even decide to end that relationship.  When things spiral out of control, Orie sends her try-out tape to Survivor to prove that she can act independently. And the rest is just pure entertainment.

The story, while engaging, could have benefited from some trimming. The detailed narrative, while adding depth, at times felt excessive, making the reading experience a bit lengthy.

But it is so much fun! The relationships are messy.  The challenges are compelling.  The strategies are inherently flawed. And even the bad guys are charming.  So, so messy! And I loved that!

I’m a sucker for reality TV and for books so books about reality TV are right up my alley. I was super excited to pick up this book, especially since I’ve recently started binging Survivor and this book takes place on the set of a fictional Survivor spin off.

This was an overall fun read, it just moved too slowly for me. The main character is also over the top quirky in a way that can sometimes come off as inauthentic. I will say that most romances feel really predictable, but I did not expect this one to end the way it did. If you enjoy Survivor and rom coms you should check this book out when it comes out tomorrow!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Orie was always attached to someone’s hip—whether it was her sister Lark who she helps with social media posts, her boyfriend of 10 years Wes, or her parents. To prove to her sister, she is plenty capable of functioning as an independent person, she auditions for Survivor… and actually gets selected. Only it’s not Survivor, but a spin-off with a romantic twist, called Attached at the Hip. Being on a remote island in Fiji for 21 days, Orie forms friendships, alliances, romantic interests, but most of all, a confidence within herself. But come again on the romantic interest part?

Not what I expected at all. I thought there would be more romance, but it was more adventure with the reality game show story line, which was definitely entertaining. The twist about Remy was the part that hooked me because I really wanted to find out what his angle was. The whole Survivor thing was pretty cool and I couldn’t totally see this is as a movie!

Attached at the Hip is a funny and cute YA romantic adventure about a young adult, who isn’t ready to face the real world yet but after having a disagreement with her sister, decides to sign up to be a contestant on Survivor just to prove a point. Orie, is an anxious, quirky but funny, up and coming social media influencer but is oblivious when it comes to being an adult in the real world. She still lies with her parents, works for her sister, and is dating her childhood friend who lives next door only because it's convenient. She prefers her comfort zone and doesn’t realize how much she depends on others until her sister points it out. Trying to prove her wrong, she signs up to be on Survivor and makes the cut, and is 1 of 10 contestants heading off to Fiji. Once she gets there she finds out instead of being a competitor on Survivor, she’s a contestant on a Survivor spin off game that is a social experiment where the contestants are looking to gain friendship, love and a cash prize of a million dollars. It is similar to speed dating but the contestants are literally “Attached at the Hip” by an 8 foot tethered cord for 72 hours all while living in the elements and competing in challenges with some crazy twists along the way.

It seems like the Reality TV Trope has been done a lot lately, but Riccio put a fun spin on this one making it a little different than the others. I thought it was a super cute, funny, light, palette cleansing read. However, this one might not be for everyone. I think you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy this one, if not, I could see the FMC being very annoying. I knew going in that it was YA and knew there was a good chance of immature characters, awkward conversations and quirky banter, which there was. But I liked how we got to see Orie grow and mature over the course of the book, and I found the awkward conversation and quirky banter really funny with several things that made me giggle. I loved all the pop-culture references of books, songs, movies and TV shows!

This is my first audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley and I adored it. Her voice was perfect for this story. I would have given the book 4 stars but Pressley’s narration enhanced the experience and pushed it to a 5 star read for me. There is a huge cast of characters, but she was able to give each character a unique, clearly distinguishable voice bringing the characters to life with impeccable tones and inflections while creating a believable narration. She delivered a spectacular performance from start to finish. I would definitely recommend the audiobook when reading this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio and Christine Riccio for granting me early access to Attached at the Hip in exchange for an honest review.

The quick cut: A twenty three year old girl who just graduated from college applies for a survival show and ends up on a romantic experiment version. Chaos ensues when she doesn't know who to trust.

A real review:
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing the arc for an honest review.

It seems like the more that technology evolves, the harder it is to connect with others in a real way. Everyone has become focused on portraying an image, rather than being themselves. When Orie graduates college and can't find her next step, this becomes a primary issue on a romantic experiment version of Survivor.

When Orie graduated college, she expected her real life to begin: fairy tale romance and all. Instead, she's stuck in a life she doesn't recognize, living with her parents and being a social media influencer with her sister. She's always been a Survivor TV show fan, so she applies and gets on! There's a twist though: this is a new spinoff with a romantic twist called Attached at the Hip. Will she survive, win, and find love?

I'm not a survivor fan at all. In fact, the only shows of that genre I like are the Mole and it's equivalents. This book definitely came with a lot of fun character interactions and ridiculous melodrama. The lead character Orie has her moments of extreme dislike though, especially if you're not a Survivor super fan.

Orie is in that post college graduation phase where everything feels fake because life never comes together afterwards as cleanly as you expect it. I wish they prepared you better on what post college life is really like and the grunt work you have to do to jumpstart a career. That confusion she's feeling is very realistic.

The problem with Orie is that she's insanely self absorbed in a way that is quite misleading. You think she's stuck not knowing what to do when in reality she thinks life should come to her. This is why she ends up in so many sticky situations that are bad for her. If you want a life, be willing to do the work and build it for yourself. She gets there EVENTUALLY, but the road there is very cringe worthy.

Orie has two romantic interests here that I won't name because I don't want to spoil the antics. I will say the chemistry with both is hot, but one is a lie and one is real. Figuring out which is which gets easy fast and I do wish they made that harder to detect. More fun for the reader at least.

A cute romantic survival with a twenty something lead character.

My rating: 4 out of 5

This one sucked me in pretty fast. I am a sucker for competition shows and love. So it immediately caught my interest. It comes to Orie’s attention (bluntly from her sister) that she just goes with the flow and never can make decisions for herself. Out of spite Orie applies to be on Survivor. She gets cast and is on the island ready to compete when she is notified that it isn’t Survivor, but a spin off. She is blindfolded and placed where the game will begin. She takes off her blindfold to find that she’s attached at the hip to her high school crush, Remy. Which is when she’s notified that the show is called “Attached at the Hip.” Orie says it’s fate and her romcom love story coming true. I loved reading the different dynamics of Orie attached to other cast members. Osprey pushes her to do the things that she can do, but is afraid to do. Which leaves her confused with Remy or Orie. But is Remy who she thinks he is? Definitely give this one a read! 5.21.24

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC.

#attachedatthehip #christinericcio #netgalley #bookreview

If you’re a fan of the bachelor or honestly like any competition reality show and are looking for a romcom, this is the one. I spent most of the book laughing and honestly was so smitten with a the characters I wouldn’t mind more of their story. Will definitely be choking out more of the authors writing after this!

Orie Lennox is going through the motions of her life wondering when her own personal rom-com story will start. She’s an acroyoga influencer with her sister and stuck living at home in a relationship going nowhere. After her sister calls her out on her codependency, Orie takes a wild leap. She applies for Survivor, her own superfan dream. As fate would have it, she gets cast…for an experimental new dating spinoff of Survivor. Orie now finds herself stranded in the South Pacific navigating all kinds of new relationships while on her own journey of self discovery, and she’s doing it all on national television.

As a lifelong superfan of Survivor, this book had me from the word go. As soon as I read the synopsis, I was all in, and I was not disappointed. I absolutely devoured the Survivor references in this story (and the musical references), and I was immediately sucked into the game and Orie’s journey. I was dying to see how the show played out, and the supporting cast of characters added so much. I adored the way Orie’s biggest journey was with herself, with a dash of romance thrown in of course. I would absolutely recommend this to all the reality TV fans out there (and it will be a great summer read).

Also, anyone who thanks Boston Rob and Amber in their acknowledgements has my vote!

Thank you to Christine Riccio, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This one hits shelves May 21!

Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio was such a fun and sweet rom-com.
The story is well-written, engaging and delightful on all levels.
The characters are realistic, funny and so very awesome you'll wish they were real.
This was just impossibly charming and I was routing for them the entire time.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I am a HUGE Survivor fan, absolutely love the show and the whole concept. I don’t watch The Bachelor, but I don’t think that being a fan of either of these shows is necessary to liking this book or understanding it. It’s a Survivor meets The Bachelor book, in a very cute rom com type way, and I felt that it was super unique.

While the premise was super cute, I found myself relatively bored up until around 50 ish %. The main character, Ori, came off as a ditz (even though she’s clearly not), and that really bothered me. Obviously she learns a lot about herself during the show, but still, ditzy women who aren’t stupid is a trope that I can’t get behind.

The premise was cute, it just wasn’t for me.