I unfortunately couldn't get past the first few chapters.

But I think the problem is me, not the book.

I loved Christine's first book - Again, But Better - and then hated Better Together. This one fell somewhere in between for me. Not my favorite, but I didn't hate it. It was cute and quirky, a fun read, but a little weird. I really enjoyed the reality show aspect of it. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

Attached at the Hip was a fun mix of Survivor and Bachelor in Paradise. I loved the reality TV aspect of the novel. Most of the novel takes place during the filming, which I enjoyed. The balance between playing the game and developing the relationships was great. I also liked the inclusion of the contestant interviews, it gave an interesting peek into what the other players are thinking (and how they are strategizing).
The beginning almost made me drop the book, the pacing felt so off. It took some time to get into the interesting part (the TV show). I wished the family situation was dropped as flashbacks rather than a long bit at the start.

The writing was fine, a bit better if compared to the other Christine Riccio novel I've read, but I don't think I'm vibing with her comedy. The macaroni is my favourite colour? why? The quirky main character with 🤪random🤪 humour is not my cup of tea. Her obsession with being called Piccadilly for no reason was too much and for what?
However, I quite enjoyed the other contestants (that Orie befriends). They felt fleshed out and the vulnerable moments they shared with her made me root for them. The reality TV scheming and twists were fun and kept me engaged. I liked the romance, though I feel like the ending was a bit rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun ride. I was drawn as soon as Orie entered to be on the reality show Survivor. It was set up well to show the different points of view from the show and as you read the book it was like you were watching it. There was funny banter and it all played out as a reality show would. If you don’t have a love for reality tv this book isn’t for you. But if you have enjoyed watching the reality shows that vote people off and form alliances then you will find some joy in this book.

The FMC reads as more immature than what I’m currently used to reading but I did enjoy her character arc

While the idea was intriguing, the execution was lacking a bit. Personally, I love books that have reality tv in them, but this one fell flat.

I found myself unable to root for the characters and found the dialogue to be a bit cringy.

The setting was definitely cool and whimsical, but it couldn’t save the lack of connection I felt towards the characters.

Christine Riccio's Attached at the Hip is a super sweet, fun and adventurous novel where the main characters go on a Survivor-like TV show. Between surviving, competing and reuniting with someone she knew from HS our leading lady finds a romantic connection. This novel is beautifully written and is quite engaging..

Since Survivor is one of my favorite shows this novel was especially interesting to me. I was engaged and loving the storyline through the entire novel.

What a quick romance read. I am so eager to see what this author puts out next. I was hooked from the first page.

Not always a fan of reality TV show plotted books, but I had high hopes for this one. However, it fell short.

Would recommend for fans of…
🏝️ Survivor
🏝️ The Bachelor
🏝️ The Paradise Problem

Attached at the Hip is the latest title in a slew of reality TV-focused romances that follows Orie, a yoga influencer who is figuring out what she wants her life to look like. At the urging of her sister, she applies for and lands a role on a Survivor-like reality show, only to find the upcoming season is a romantic version.

The thing I liked most about Attached at the Hip was the ages of the characters. There’s just not enough books out there with characters in the 18-22 age range and I really liked that Riccio chose to focus on this group and the feelings that come when you're stuck in the middle of adolescence and adulthood. I think older teens/younger adults will really connect with a lot of Orie’s struggles – I know I would have at that age. Riccio also nailed the reality TV competition aspects of the story, and you can really tell she’s a fan of the genre.

That being said, I did find the writing style to be a bit grating. I crave authenticity and realism in most of the stories I read, and the dialogue felt a bit twee and unrealistic for my liking. (Don’t get me started on “Piccadilly”). I get the sense that this is just Riccio’s writing style, so if you like a bit of whimsy in your stories, you’ll absolutely eat this up.

Attached at the Hip is out now. Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

this survivor meets love island style romcom is interesting at first glance for me personally. As someone who only watched one season of survivor i still found then had that spend to it intriguing, but it lost me me with one love interest. He came across full of himself and very conniving to stay the least. over all with out staying to much if you love realty tv and romcom style books this one for you

I thought I only get my reality show fill on TV. Apparently not! This is my second Christine Riccio book and she has good and not so good style of writing. The plot is like a reality TV show, therefore, the friends to lover's trope is cute. Close proximity and some love triangle for conflicts. I agree with most of the reviews that I have seen that it's a little bit confusing as the whole plot seem to be like a YA/Coming of Age but yet, the adult content is very eminent.
South Pacific location is very romantic touch! Remy's character was packaged okay, but Orie was a little insane and can get to my nerves sometimes. The ending was good as expected for rom-com with HEA. It is a fast read; one you can start when sitting at the airport or at your backyard having coffee and can definitely finish within the day. Would I recommend it to a friend? Sure! Will I read it again? Umm. No.

Christine's books are always so charming. They make me laugh and feel better inside. They're kind of like a literary hug? The characters in this book? Fantastic. The storyline? Fantastic. Come on, dating? Survivor? Exotic island? All of this is perfect to love. I recommend this to everyone. This isn't my favorite book by Ricco, but it is still lovely and well written.

This YA adventure by Christine Riccio is so much fun. When Orie gets accepted as a contestant in a romance version of Survivor, she feels a bit of her identity slipping away. She's recently broken up with her longtime boyfriend, she and her sister have built an Instagram empire with acro-yoga that she has to pause, and her parents have earth-shattering news...landing on a remote island with just the clothes on her back is quite the time to reset. This is a really fun romance for older YA audiences (not because of the content, but the main characters are in that post-high school/pre-college stage of life). This book will have extra appeal for any readers who enjoy reality television.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

As a fan of the survivor shows, I really enjoyed this book. With the added romance part made it even more enjoyable for me. Our main character Olie grew so much by the end of the book from the overly co-independent sister who cannot make her own decision to someone that is ready to go our on her own and persue her own passion and dreams.


Thank you to Macmillian Publishers and Net Galley for this ARC.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for the advanced reader copy. This review contains some spoilers.

I had a lot of mixed feelings with this book. On the one hand, I was invested and wanted to continue reading but did not find myself “rooting” for any of the characters. I genuinely did not see some of the plot twists and character development either which kept me engaged. As someone who does not watch Survivor, I found some of the dynamics of the set up of the reality show to be a great back drop for the character development, especially with alliance building and character development through the challenges. But sprinkled in were very haphazard plot twists in the show that really had no consequence (e.g., changing number of winners, MVP award, etc.) that took me out of it.

Orie was a grating main character though she had an incredible journey through the book. She really came into her own and did a lot of “unlearning” and confidence building, but I think some of the eccentric qualities were overly caricature. For example, her codependence on others at the beginning of the book was written overly whiny and clingy when I think there could have been more subtleties about the fear and not having the opportunities to branch out on her own. I was really invested when she was piecing together the deception in the book and strategizing her win but some of her overly dense moments took away from that journey.

All and all, it was enjoyable and the overall trajectory of the book and characters turned out well. I think a few tweaks and tightening of the story and characters could have gone a long way.

While I loved the “Survivor meets The Bachelor/Bachelorette” storyline, I didn’t love the book. It was fairly predicated, and as much as I wanted to love Orie’s character, she was a bit much.

This was a fun book! I have never seen Survivor but I still really enjoyed the book. The whole premise of the show was fun and different, and Orie was a lovable character. The drama was fun and at some times frustrating, but not in an overwhelming way. The other characters were funny, and I kind of with we had opportunities to get to know some of the other contestants better, but I understand why we didn't. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!

I thought this book was a fun read. As a Survivor fan, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the fictional spin-off show, Attached at the Hip, that is the base of the story. It really did have that Survivor feel to it, with the unique twist of being tethered to another player. In the beginning, I found the main character, Orie, to feel very immature, but that also allowed for a lot of character growth along the way. I really enjoyed the relationship building between Orie and other contestants from the show, and how complicated it became when they had to routinely vote someone out. The book kept me engaged, and it was hard to put down... I was always excited to see what would happen next.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Attached at the Hip! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

This was so much fun! I loved the gaming aspect of this makeshift reality tv show. The characters playing the game with Orie were a great mix of personality types and I liked seeing each one of them finding their person. It was a classic you can't trust anyone scenario that makes these dating games so additive. We all want to see what alliances are going to take place and who will double cross and betray who. This one definitely helped up to the expectations I look forward to when watching reality tv.

Orie ends up with two potential love interests and I enjoyed watching her falling for each one of them. The banter was so so good! I was thoroughly entertained. I need to get to reading Christine Riccio's backlist! This was so good!