I ended up having a lot more to talk about than I thought with this book. I figured it would be a predictable but fun romance with an island competition and maybe a love triangle. There were actually some twists I did not predict and deeper topics explored like addiction, family relationships, and how we box ourselves in.I took a star away because although it wasn't on every page there was too much language for me.

I liked the concept of this book being about a reality tv show but I honestly could not stand the main character…

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for both a digital ARC and ALC of this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have to be honest in staying, the only reality tv I have watched in the past year or so is old episodes of The Great British Bake Off or Antiques Roadshow. It's not my bread and butter. I think that might have worked to my advantage for this book. I didn't have a lot of shows to compare it to and the plot felt fresh if not predictable,

I read most of this on audiobook. You know the narrator is doing their job when I circle my neighborhood a bit to keep listening. I did that. Several times, in fact. I recommend this title in audio over print.

This story follows Orie Lennox on her journey into adulthood and whatever that might mean. After a fight with her sister, in which she is called co-dependent, she impulsively applies to be on Survivor. To her shock, she is cast on the show, but finds out it's actually a romantically based spinoff. Attached at the Hip is a Survivor type challenge show, but you are tethered to another rotating castmate the entire time. The producers specifically chose people from contestant's pasts or someone they knew they'd be compatible with. Imagine Orie's surprise when the first person she is tethered to is someone she silently crushed on all throughout high school. Is this the start of her very own HEA?

There were enough twists to the plot to keep me interested, and enough romance that I was able to suspend my disbelief and not get distracted by anything contrived. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author found a way to make me root for the leads, but also question everything. I feel like this is well done and I would love to get the opinion of someone who is an avid challenge show watcher.

I'm also questioning if I need to give shows like Survivor or Love is Blind another chance.

TW: Gambling addiction, alcoholism, gaslighting, fire related injury

Orie has spent her life in the shadow of others, happily going with the flow of both her influencer business with her sister and her first boyfriend...who she's now been with for 10 years despite not really loving.

When the chance arises to go on Survivor, a lifelong dream she's had with her sister, she realizes it's time to stand up for herself and learn to be independent. However, a surprise twist has her in a reality show that's not quite what she expected.

This spinoff is a mashup of Survivor and a reality dating show! She's literally attached to different men and women, including a crush from her past who sparks fly with immediately!

This was such a fun spin on a reality show dating plot - with the added survival aspect. It felt like a mix between young adult and new adult, with characters in high school through a few years out of college.

There was a bit of suspense as motives were revealed and not everyone was who they said they were! Overall, a fun, unique read!

I love the premise of this book! Orie is out of college but she’s drifting, making AstroYoga videos with her sister. She decides to apply to be on the reality TV show Survivor, she’s seen every season and knows how to play. When she gets to the island, Orie finds out she’s been cast in a spinoff, a Survivor type dating show.
The first person she sees is her old high school crush Remy. They’re paired together, quite literally, they’re physically hooked together and can’t remove the rope. Orie discovers that she still has feelings for Remy, and it’s apparent he’s finding his feelings for her.
Without spoilers, Orie must be hooked to other players and she finds that something about Remy bothers her.
If you’ve ever watched Survivor you’ll recognize the challenges and rewards. I enjoyed reading about the hypothetical spinoff. This a fun read, 4 stars.

From the publisher:
Orie Lennox has spent her entire life prepping for her happily ever after -- and now that she’s graduated, she’s low-key wondering, when the heck is it gonna hit. One evening, on a whim, she applies for a reality show where she’ll be stranded on an island, with a bunch of strangers, to play a game of human chess for a shot at a million dollars.

Orie's shocked when she ends up cast in an experimental romantic edition of the show: and even more surprised to find that her old high school crush, Remy, has been cast as well. Orie's one of ten contestants, set to compete in formidable challenges, while speed dating, in the wilderness: without deodorant, toilets, shaving cream, or showers.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of [this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow I had so much fun reading this book! The perfect mix of rom/com meets Bachelor meets Survivor.

I personally loveeeee the Bachelor, which is what originally drew me to this book. I will definitely be reading more from this author as I could not put this one down!

Definitely will be purchasing the physical copy for my shelves!!

This book sounded right up my alley, as I love survivor and reality dating shows! Unfortunately this prose wasn't for me, and I will need to decline writing a review.

Thank you to Christine Riccio, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love romance books, but this one was a little corny for me. Don't get me wrong I liked Orie, but some of the dialogue was iffy, like the whole favorite color thing.

I liked the bonds that Orie has with her castmates. But honestly, that was about it.

Orie has been so used to being with her long-time boyfriend and one half of a yoga influencer sister duo that she hasn't paid much attention to whether either are what she actually wants. But when he sister calls her out for coasting in their business and she realizes she's not even that attracted to her supposed soulmate, she applies for Survivor on a whim. She's ecstatic when she's cast, but nervous when she shows up and it turns out she's actually on a spin-off survival show where she's also attached at the hip to another contestant... including her old high school crush.

This book was fascinating. As someone who loves reality television, I couldn't resist picking it up, and this one is a unique take on the series. I'm not sure I'd truly categorize it as romance (if it were an adult novel, I'd probably say it's more women's fiction, but I think this one is being marketed as young or new adult), given its single POV and focus on Orie's personal growth and journey. As a whole, it was so much fun to read and you really feel in Orie's shoes. Part of it were a bit cheesy, but so is reality television! There's a big twist that I don't want to spoil, and I think the HOW was explained quite well, but not the WHY. I really could have used more explanation on that front. But this is a fun one that I would recommend to all reality television fans.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for my ARC and finished copy!

5 stars - 8/10

I wanted to like this one. I really did. I love the idea of a reality game show as the premise of the book. I was a big Survivor fan when it first came out. But I don't really think this book was for me. I couldn't connect or root for the characters at all. Some parts of the book were ok, but I don't think is one I will be able to recommend.

No public review as I don't believe in giving less than 3 stars on social media or good reads.

This book was seriously so much funnier than I expected! I laughed out loud multiple times and I enjoyed the banter between Oss & Tube Car a lot. The ending was a whirlwind and I'm so proud of how far Orie grew during and after the show.

This is a fantastic summer read!
Survivor meets Bachelor in Paradise!

Enter our FMC: Orie who has been with the same guy since middle school and is the second half of a sister Acroyoga Instagram, a lover of quotes and a survivor superfan. She seems to be someone who does want to let anyone down and just goes with the flow…….until her sister, Lark, talks to her about never being able to do anything alone…..until she sends in an audition to be on a new spinoff of survivor….only she doesn’t realize it’s a spinoff until she’s sitting on a beach in Fiji!

This book had me actually laughing out loud and kicking my feet in giddy response to the banter between characters. The book and movie references are chefs kiss…..and the awkward interactions and inner monologue of Orie is sooooo relatable.

This summer’s bestseller!!

Unfortunately, I ended up DNF-ing this book. I was excited about the concept, but I just wasn't vibing with how quirky the main character was. Even though I know that's her vibe, but I couldn't get into it.

This book is a treat for rom-com lovers and die-hard Survivor fans alike. You don't have to have read Riccio's other books to appreciate this one, although former characters do show up in the plot of this one. A basic premise of the Survivor television show is that away from civilization, people learn hard lessons about themselves that transform them long after the actual game is over. Such is the case for Orie, a new adult who, in reaction to some tough love from her older sister, is trying to forge a new life path for herself. She auditions and is accepted for what she thinks is albeit new era, regular Survivor. But this is a story of taking what works from your old life and molding it into something new, so any security Orie had going into the game is dashed pretty quickly. Orie has been cast in a Survivor spin-off in which competitors are "attached at the hip." Literally. About 9 feet apart and hooked at the waist.

There are many nods to the actual Survivor series that show me Christine Riccio did her homework. One thing production does seem to give the contestants relative privacy for is voiding your bowels, but sometimes contestants do bemoan the difficulties of going in the jungle with the tribe and crew nearby. Throughout this novel, I laughed out loud several times as Orie and her cast mates not only needed to go, but faced doing so while physically unable to truly get time alone. I howled and cringed as Orie navigated this dilemma throughout the game. Also, many seasons have a contestant who becomes known by only a nickname or last name. This past season, for example, one cast member wanted to be known only as Jelinsky because he thought it would establish his image as a super-player. Orie- who pretty early on falls almost into a stereotype Goldie Hawn kooky, pretty girl- insists on trying to get people to call her Picadilly. It so doesn't work, but one thing Orie does have going for her as a Survivor contestant is resilience. She even survives a major plot twist which hits during a typhoon- a nod to a real-life season of Survivor where they had to put the game on hold and evacuate for a brief time. But there's also the rom-com element of the game, and Orie is trying not only to win the million dollars, but also someone to stand by her as she forges a new life. Over the course of the game, two men end up vying for Orie's heart and attention. One the aforementioned high school crush from back home who makes from a great DESTINY love story, and the other is an extreme sports influencer who pushes Orie to try things that she thinks are out of her skill set. Will Orie win the million dollars? If not, who does? Will Orie find love? If so, with whom? You will speculate like social media does when watching the show in real time and become invested in the outcome. Hey CBS, this book also works as a great show pitch! Think about it! I'd watch it.

It just wasn’t for me. I wish it was but I couldn’t get on board with the story. I’m sure the book would be great for fans of this author.

This has so many elements that I knew I would love. A survivor themed show that is also a reality dating show. The potential was so high.

So I hate to say it, but it dragged. I think if the book was 100 pages shorter it would have packed more punch. It just felt like it kept going and the longer it went the more things bothered me.

I loved the concept and some of the characters and the overall story, it just felt like it needed a hard edit to get to what I wanted.

Pub day: May 21, 2024

This was a cute rom com about a low self esteem young woman who finds self worth through a survivor style dating show she participates in.

Attached at the Hip is probably meant for some one who's familiar with the reality show, Survivor - NOT ME. The absurdity of the offshoot show in this book was difficult to imagine actually happening. Also, the level of maturity for twenty-somethings didn't fit, as they acted incredibly younger.

I honestly couldn't finish the story.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books

I don’t DNF easily, especially when it’s an ARC but this was really intolerable. I love Survivor and was looking forward to reading this. I just could not force myself to read anymore. The writing was terrible and Orie is the most vapid MC I’ve read in a long time. I’m not posting this publicly and I appreciate the chance to have read it but it is definitely not for me.

4.5 Stars (Thank you to Wednesday Books/St Martin's Press for allowing me access to a digital ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review).

When I first heard that Christine Riccio was writing a book with inspiration from Survivor and The Bachelor, I was immediately invested. I have been a longtime fan of Christine's now, and for years, followed her on book tube for her personality, comedic book videos, and book reviews and book talks. I also want to mention, this is her third book, and I still have yet to read her other releases, "Again, But Better" and "Better Together." As my first dive into Christine's writing style and how she crafts stories, I am very happy with the outcome, as I really enjoyed the story and characters.

We follow Orie, who lives a life where she's not as independent, doesn't put herself out there, and usually has someone by her side to guide her through her work adventures, social relationships, etc. At the beginning of the story, we see Orie's life begin to take a turn when her long time boyfriend from middle and high school has emotionally cheated on her with another woman and her sister has feelings wanting to strive away from their ACROyoga social media business. Orie is pushed by these and applies for Survivor, and lands a spot on the cast. One problem, the cast isn't for Survivor, it's for a Survivor spin-off dating show called Attached At The Hip, where contestants navigate a game show with survival and challenge dynamics like Survivor, but the relationship dynamics and compatibility structure of The Bachelor/Bachelor in Paradise.

As a long time Survivor fan, this book did everything it needed to. I was worried about the transfer of how Christine would write challenges and the dynamics of voting others off, but she did an amazing job of documenting scenes in a way that I was able to effortlessly visualize. One thing I absolutely adored about this was the ending and how Christine wrote the lead-up to the live finale, including the scenes of Orie adjusting back to normalcy outside the show.

If you are a fan of rom-coms with rivalry, banter, forced proximity, or just a fan of reality television in general, please pick this book up.

Also, Christine shouting out Boston Rob and Amber in the acknowledgments made my heart swell with joy.