Everything Christine Riccio writes is a delight. I can’t believe I just finished an ARC of her third book. I am so immensely proud, I don’t have the words.

Obviously, I’m a little biased. But I genuinely think this is her best book yet.

CW/TW: I didn’t keep a terribly thorough list, but note that this takes place on an island. There are bugs, a lack of food, and nature at its worst. There are multiple mentions of spiders. Chapter 32: Challenge Three needs an immense warning for bugs, spiders, and vomiting. It is a bug eating challenge. In my digital ARC, the worst parts are 45%-47%. Once the final copy is out and I receive it, I’ll try to update with page numbers.

You can feel Christine’s passion for Survivor oozing through the pages. As someone who has never seen an episode, I’m excited to check it out.

At first I thought I knew where this book was going. Then it flipped all my expectations on their head and had me up reading until 3am two nights in a row.

I haven’t felt the absolute need to know what happens, to finish a story IMMEDIATELY in a bit now, and I’m so glad that it was Christine that brought me out of it. She’s helped me so much throughout the years, what’s one more thing?🤣

Again. I am obviously biased. I’ve been a Christine fan since 2013. But this is a fun read with lots of pop culture references. And not even new pop culture! If you grew up in the 2000s and 2010s, you’ll have a blast.

Also!! There’s some fun nods to at least one of Christine’s previous books. I’d need to reread the other to remind myself of what happens in it and see if there are any connections to this book. But there’s some fun tidbits for people who love lampposts.

Anyway! As I alluded to above, it is almost 3am, so I must go to bed because I have to be a functioning human tomorrow. Now I am left to eagerly anticipate my signed copy from The Ripped Bodice.

✨Huge thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC of this!✨

I ate this book up. It was the perfect weekend read and I was sucked in. Honestly, I love the conversation in the book about Young Adult really being that New Adult age (side tangent).
I love Survivor and have dreamed on being on the show. I cannot imagine getting myself prepared to be on the show and then having the wool pulled over my eyes and ending up on a dating show. The twist of her needing to be single before the show starts was a little fast and anti-climatic, but it ended up working out.
I loved the cast of characters. But man, I was left reeling with the end of the show and things that were said. I would have loved to understand the motivations a bit more.
This is a great summer read and perfect for the beach!

Attached at the Hip is a fun beach read. Orie is stuck in a rut and after a confrontation with her sister she applies to be on Survivor. She gets selected not for Survivor, but for a dating spinoff show called Attached at the Hip where contestants are attached by a rope to their partner and compete in challenges for money and love. All of the castmates of the show have been selected because they should have chemistry with each other, which includes Orie's old high school crush Remy. The author has a very distinct, enthusiastic voice with a lot of references to pop culture, which some people will enjoy and others might not. This book will be enjoyable for fans of Christine Riccio as well as fans of reality tv.

Attached at the Hip is such a fun read! As a lifelong Survivor fan, it was such a joy to see that world come to life in this book. I loved the descriptions of building shelters, bathing in the ocean, competing in challenges, voting strategy, and food rewards - it all felt exactly right. Once I started, I couldn’t put this book down. It’s a great mix of plot and engaging characters with a little bit of intrigue and romance. A must-read for Survivor fans!

I enjoyed this book a lot. I haven’t seen Survivor but I enjoyed the way it was set up as a story and got a real feel for what the show must be like. I really liked the characters. Especially Orie, Osprey and Kennedie. And I hated Remy - he was written particularly well!! A really enjoyable read with just the right amount of romance

I feel like this book delivered on it's promise - Survivor x Bachelorette. If you've enjoyed other reality tv show romance books like One to Watch, Here for the Wrong Reasons, or On the Plus Side, you should read the preview of this.

While I found the main character to be cheesy but generally fine, I can see how some folks may not want to hang out with her in their brain for hours. Listen to the audiobook preview or read a few pages - if her narration vibes with you, I think you'll like this!

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC.

Attached At The Hip was such a fun read. It was as addicting as reality tv. I was hooked from the start. I love shows like the bachelor and survivor so this was right up my alley. The author did such a great job of bringing everything to life. I truly felt like I was on the set in Fiji.

Was the FMC a little young and annoying at times, yes. Was it filled with drama, also yes. But was it such a fun read that I could get past all of it. She did end up growing on me.

I truly think if you're a fan of reality TV you won't be able to stop reading this one and you'll be highly entertained. It was dramatic, all over and yet that's what we love about reality tv, so it was perfect for me.

✨️ Thank you to @netgalley, @wednesdaybooks & @christinericcio for my gifted ARC, ALC & finished copy in exchange for an honest review.

Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio
Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Rating: 5 stars
Steam: kissing only
Pub date: 5/21

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for my gifted copy and to Macmillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook.

What starts as a spur-of-the-moment decision to shake up her life lands Orie in the midst of a reality show like no other: an island adventure filled with challenges, romance, and a hefty dose of unexpected twists. This is a Survivor meets The Bachelor style show, with each contestant guaranteed to meet at least one person who is a perfect match for them. All Orie has to do is create alliances and win everyone’s hearts to win the big prize. Should be easy, right?

This book was unexpectedly hilarious and amazing on so many fronts. Orie navigates the terrain of the island and her own emotions with gusto, hoping to win viewer’s hearts by acting the way she thinks they want her to. She leaps off the page with her relatable quirks and endearing personality. From her old high school crush to newfound friendships, every relationship she forms feels authentic and heartfelt, and I just loved her crazy self from the start. Her inner monologue is funny and snarky and I found myself laughing out loud more than once.

Orie’s journey of self-discovery is a joy to witness, and I loved all of her realizations along the way. From the supportive camaraderie of her fellow contestants to the blossoming romance with her crush, every interaction on the show is infused with warmth and authenticity. I was enthralled from the start and never stopped rooting for Orie and her companions.

Brittany Pressley is one of my favorite narrators, and she really brought Orie to life. I’m not sure if I would have liked the story as much without her incredible narration.

With its charming blend of humor, heart, and a hint of romance, this is a must-read for reality tv fans or anyone craving a feel-good escape.

Read if you like:
*N/A rom-coms
*single POV
*forced proximity
*Survivor
*reality TV

Survivor meets The Bachelor is how I would sum up this book! I'm not a huge reality TV show person, but this is a TV show I could get on board with! Quirky Orie signs up for what she believes is competing in the famous reality TV show, Survivor, but little does she know, she's actually competing in a romance spin-off. I really loved following Orie through the show, hearing her awkward responses that left me laughing out loud while reading, to helping her find true love!!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own!

Orie thought she had everything planned out for her life but nothing is turning out that way. So she applies to be a contestant on a reality show and when she learns she gets to live her Survivor dreams for real, her life starts to be everything she definitely didn't plan on. Upon entering the show, she comes to learn that her high school crush Remy, has also been cast. She finds herself in a handful of compromising positions while on the show and starts to learn what she actually wants out of life.

I wasn't sure how this one was going to be played out but I think it worked! I kind of saw how the ending was going to play out pretty early on, but it didn't impact my thoughts at all. I thought it was super cute and I really related to Orie's anxiety and fears. This would be a great (and quick!) beach read for the summer.

Thank you St Martin's/Wednesday books and MacMillan audio for review copies of Attached at the Hip. This is a fun YA book, I loved the Survivor reality show focus and Orie was an fun character, I appreciated her character growth and the theme on having her figure out who she is independent of her family, her high school boyfriend, and perhaps free even from how she sees herself/how others tell her she is. Orie grows a lot, moving away from being someone's something (girlfriend, influencer partner) into being herself and that was what sold me. I loved the setting that allowed her to explore new friendships, people who just new her without knowing her history, and the chance for a romance that was focused on celebrating her emerging sense of self.
A greatYA book that taps into what happens when you take a chance on believing you are strong and capable.

I was surprised how much I got into Attached at the Hip! It comes out May 21, 2024 and is a great summer adventure read for fans of Survivor and reality tv dating shows.

Attached at the Hip follows Orie who is feeling a little stuck in her life. She applies for what she thinks is Survivor, after being a super fan for her whole life, gets casts, and then after reporting for the show finds out it’s actually a survivor spinoff dating show called Attached at the Hip. Contestants have to survivor while being attached at the hip literally with a rope to another contestant. Some of the contestants are love matches for each person so they are also trying to find their soulmate while surviving on a beach in Fiji.

I was surprised how much I loved this book! I really got into it and I loved the survivor aspect and twist. The action moved the book along quickly and I really liked the characters and all their complexities. Remy, Orie’s missed connection, added an air of mystery to the game and I enjoyed the evolution of that relationship. I was stressin’ at the end! I also liked how everything wrapped up!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC

Read if you like:
🏝️ Tropical Vibes
🌊 Survivor
💋 Dating Shows
🔺 Love Triangles
🧼 Clean/YA romances (only kissing)

If you love a wacky MC, Orie is your girl! She was definitely wacky, especially with her nervous talk and nickname requests, but that also made her a lovable weirdo!

I really enjoyed the slow burn aspect to the book and how it was written to experience from pre to post show with the days of filming included in the meat of the story.

I also loved how the love triangle worked out and how the ending wasn’t super obvious like many romances where you know exactly who the MC will end up with.

I had so much fun reading this it makes me want to start watching Survivor again and some of the beach dating shows to scratch the itch this book is giving for those vibes.

Thank you so much to Wednesday books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This Survivor meets Bachelor In Paradise but make it YA had me laughing at loud with some of its antics. MC Orie was fun and hilarious to follow as she learned to stand on her own as a person and navigate the new terrain of her life- figuratively and literally. I had an issue with some of the pacing- this is one book that would have benefited from flashbacks- and therefore had some trouble connecting with what was going in with Orie's life back home.

My biggest query was who the target audience is for this read as although it read very young adult and the characters lack emotional insight and maturity, in fact the characters were all 18+ with some in their mid-twenties. And there were SO MANY pop culture references, it just felt really young and definitely not for an older reader. I'm also not entirely sure this book had a point... it was a little bit like a reality TV show fanfic and the author didn't know how to end it. So did the book know where it was going? No. Did I enjoy the ride? For the most part. Was the premise unique? Absolutely. Did this story need to be 400 pages? Absolutely not. Not gonna say don't read it but not gonna say read it either...

A great new-adult exploration of family, love, and competition

Many thanks to #NetGalley for the eARC.

Such a fun read. Christine Riccio has swiftly become and auto-read for me. Her story telling continues to fully engage me in the characters and the action. Attached at the Hip is a cute take on the reality competition show. We've got Orie, the main character, who is basically coasting through her life right now. She's got great things going for her, but nothing really inspires her or brings her joy and passion. So when her sister, Lark, calls her out on all the inaction n her life, Orie basically revenge-applies to be a contestant on Survivor.

And suddenly, she's got a call from a producer and she's been chose as a contestant. But in the time leading up to her departure for a remote beach in Fiji, her life at home implodes. Her dad apparently has a gambling problem and is going into a program. Her boyfriend of 10 years and her break up and she finds out that he's been cheating on her. She's vulnerable, overwhelmed, and unprepared for the final twist. When she arrives ready to survive the elements, she finds out this is actually a Survivor spin-off with a romantic twist: Attached at the Hip.

She arrives on the island blindfolded and attached to someone by a long cord at their waist. She can hardly believe her eyes when her first castmate turns out to be Remy Orlando Lasorsa, a dreamy boy from high school that always caught her eye and left her tongue-tied. After her initial surprise and confusion, they hit it off. It seems perfect, a fairytale romance she's always dreamed of come to life. But they can't stay partners forever and after each group challenge the cast is paired off to a different contestant. Orie is able to form deep bonds and learns so much about herself throughout her time on the island.

The setting being a reality tv show is great, but it allows for so many great metaphors that seem relatable even when they really, really, aren't. In one part Orie is in isolation and she has to fend for herself. It makes her confront the idea that she might lean on codependency and forces her to physically and mentally count on herself.

The book is not without it's twists and turns. The whole concept of the show "Attached at the Hip" is to build relationships and bonds and we get to see our characters do that in beautiful ways. I loved the story from start to finish!

This was fun, i found myself laughing on more than one occasion and enjoyed my time listening to it. I loved the main characters growth and journey. The narrator did an amazing job! I really like how for different characters she changes her voice. I did enjoy the audiobook more than the ebook.

Title: Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio
Publication Date- 05/21/24
Publisher- MacMillan
Overall Rating- 5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The way I went to write this review and noticed it’s filed under YA, I was surprised. This very much feels adult or at least new adult. Not because there is any explicit content, it just felt way more new adult, in a positive way. I really enjoyed my time with this story. More so than most romances these days, this book holds up to exactly what it sets out to do. We actually get a game show, and tasks for the contestants to complete. The characters are so relatable, entertaining and hilarious. I have never read anything by Christine Riccio but this will not be my last. The characters were well developed, this is the story of an experienced writer.

If you enjoy reality tv or that as a setup for a book, you don’t want to miss this one. The writing is fun, the main character is fun, it’s just such an enjoyable story. Also, there are heavy hitting topics that are believable, don’t feel like too much for a romance novel, and just make the story even more complete. The characters do things that make sense, I didn’t find it cringey at all (this has been a recent problem for me and romance novels). I really, really enjoyed this story. I can’t wait for her next novel.

I never knew that I was missing a Survivor themed romance novel in my life, but I guess I was! Growing up, I was OBSESSED with Survivor, to the point where I would yell at the tv during challenges and jump up and down when my favorite contestant won. As soon as I read the description for this book, I knew I needed to read it. Young adult isn't typically my genre, as it tends to read a little cheesy for me, but I was thoroughly surprised by how much I loved this book. There were some moments of cheese, like pretty much every moment Orie sees a spider, but other than that, it was easy to fall into this book.

Besides the whole concept of the novel, what I loved about this book was how unpredictable it was. I wasn't sure where the author was going to take things and it made me captivated. I read a majority of this late one night and couldn't put it down once I hit the halfway point. I was speeding through the paragraphs during the challenges and holding my breath just like I used to do when I watched the show on TV. I love how she talked about those days after the show and how much of an adjustment it was. I loved Orie's journey into becoming her own person and how you could really see a difference in her character at the end. Speaking of the end, that finale was WILD and the wrap up of the book was really cute.

Overall, this was a super fun summer read that surprised me in the best ways! I give it 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars for Netgalley and Goodreads.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for my advanced electronic version via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Orie Lennox is having trouble figuring out who she is in her early 20s. To be fair, she always has. For fear of not being good enough, she has played it safe in love, in her studies, and in work. But after a confrontation by her sister, she decides she's going to prove she can go it alone and applies for the next season of Survivor. What she doesn't realize is that it's actually a spin-off: a social experiment aimed at forging and testing platonic and romantic bonds by dropping couples off on a deserted island and putting them through a series of challenges--all while tied together at the hip. What ensues is a hilarious, thought-provoking ride through survival, reality TV, and finding who you are.

This was the book I didn't know I needed, but couldn't put it down once I started. I treasure my sleep, but this one kept me up past bedtime (not my normal!) as I flew through it. It was relatable in so many ways--self-doubt plagues us all, and our coping strategies aren't always healthy. I saw Orie as wanting to start from scratch and figure out who she was, and all the excitement, freedom, and fear that comes with that. But there are things about oneself that cannot be escaped, and when you find your people, that's OK. Trying to be true to yourself while trying to simultaneously find yourself is what young adulthood is all about! I really appreciated how sex-positive (yet closed door) the book is, with a portrayal of romance and sexuality as fluid along a spectrum. I'm definitely going to check out more of Riccio's stuff having read this!