** Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday books for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

When we last left our hero, I had sworn off Christine Riccio books entirely. I am a thirty-three year old stay-at-home-mom and though I've been an avid reader my entire life, I am finding it increasingly hard these days to read books from the pov of the young people. I was determined to part ways with Christine after Better Together because it was a very young book and all aging the characters up accomplished was breaking the plot.

I decided to give her another chance. I'm glad that I did. Here's why:

The Pitch: Attached at the Hip is marketed as a rom-com set on a tropical Survivor-esque spin-off. Our main character is tethered to her highschool crush with eight feet of rope and must survive challenges, the elements, and others for a shot at a million dollars.

Promise of the premise achieved. That's exactly what you get. I've never seen Survivor (and still won't, sorry Christine) but I think reality shows/tournaments are great plot devices and I never turn them down. But if anything was lost on me because I haven't seen that show or know the ships that were referenced -- now you know why. But if you're thinking of buying this book and like me you're not familiar with those other things -- just know that the book is still completely understandable/enjoyable with out it. It stands on its own.

What I liked about it: The book is laugh out loud funny. More than once I was cracking up audibly while reading and when I had to explain why to my hubby, he cracked up too.

The book is super quick and fast-paced and she really hit on something with the action sequences. I am terrible at understanding game rules in books. I didn't understand how quidditch worked until the movies. But she explained everything in such a way that I got it and wasn't bogged down with that 'is this going to be on the test?' feeling I sometimes get. I was right there with them and that was such a relief.

The book is twisty. I wasn't expecting a lot of the turns that this took and that was fantastic. I was on the edge of my seat a lot of the time or screeching at the betrayal. It kept me engaged, it kept me on my toes, and it was highly entertaining from start to finish. The twist this time is not magical. We love the progress. I read this over Spring Break, and can confirm that it is the perfect summer vacation book.

What I didn't care for: Remember that book of hers I said made me swear off all future books? Three of those characters came back. It wasn't as awful as I thought it would be but just know that Jamie and Zarar host and produce the show. I could have lived without it. Also Shane is back from Again, But Better and she has Christine's exact career as an author. And wouldn't you know it, our leading lady Orie thinks that these are THE BEST books she's ever read and takes a minute to gush about it. Mmmkay.

I didn't like that one of the contestants was 18. That's a nit pick. I don't know if there are similarly aged people on survivor. What was she doing when the other contestants were rewarded booze? Another nit pick - I think their formal wear magically disappeared at the end. I didn't see them get their original outfits back ...one minute she's macheteing her skirt and the next she's back in macaroni and polka dots.

I wasn't really a fan of the structure of the finale. For it to be a reality dating show, it's weird to me that a couple only has to share the prize if they want to. I know there were three in the final challenge, but I think there should have been a choosing ceremony and then the exile could try and compete for the money alone, and the couple that chose to pair would either win or lose together. And then you know. Share the money. More dramatic. I like chaos.

If I could change anything about the book: We're told that there's going to be a reunion episode that shows us what everyone is doing post show. There was not. We see Orie and her boy. We'll never know what everyone else is up to, and I would have LOVED to.

I like this romcom era that Christine is in, and overall I liked the book much more than I cared about any of the things that brought it down. She's really hitting her stride and I'm here for it.

I had such high hopes for this one. The premise sounded amazing, but it’s a DNF for me. I found Orie extremely annoying and unlikable, which I understand is likely part of the story, that she’ll change. But she kept getting more unlikable. I think I could have muscled my way through the book, but the rough start wasn’t something I’d be able to look past.

Bachelor in Paradise meets Survivor? Didn’t know this was something I was missing in my life, but I am so here for it!

Orie has just gotten a dose of tough love from her older sister/business partner. So, she decides to do something impulsive, and answers a casting call for the upcoming season of Survivor, and to her shock, she gets accepted. Except, right before she officially gets taken to the island, she learns that she has not actually been cast on Survivor, but rather a spin off; Attached at the Hip. Literally tethered to other another person, and who does she happen to be paired with? Her secret high school crush, Remy!

I could not put this book down. Not only was I keen to see what would happen, but also, I would genuinely love watching this show. I also loved that it kept me on my toes, where I thought I knew what was going to happen, and then something would spin the story in a new direction. Kennedi and Osprey were amazing, and I loved how the book gave us romance, friendship, and sisterly love.

Big thank you to NetGalley for this ARC because it was ahhhhhmazing!

This one took me awhile to get through, it didn't really hold my attention. I liked the reality TV vibe of the story, but the characters were very tough to connect with. I really didn't care for any of them and the MC was so over the top immature that it did not make me want to keep reading. I know it was likely meant to share her growth, but it was too much. If you are really into shows like Survivor or the Bachelor and don't mind a lack of substance, this one may work for you.

OMG, what a fun book! I had such good vibes reading this book. I am a huge Survivor fan, and the Survivor-esque aspect was amazing. The descriptions and sound text were spot on. I could feel and hear how Orielle talked and acted around everyone. The subtle scoffs and tsks just added to a real-life feeling of speaking and reacting.
I did enjoy each of the contestants and what their dynamic with Orielle brought to the book. I loved the attached by an 8 foot rope idea as well. What a great way to force people to get to know each other. Ha!
I saw a video of the author, Christine Riccio, and it's completely her personality in this book. She is a light in any dark place for sure. Her energy is described in Orielle's personality.
As a "new adult" genre, I think this will appeal to YA readers, as well as rom-com and survivor fans.
Thanks to #netgalley for an advanced copy. I am so greatful for the opportunity to read this and critique it.

What a fun concept. I must say I would be mad if I thought I was going to be on Survivor and it ended up being a spin off that was romance based, but I loved reading about it! A great female power story. You are enough on your own, but can still find connections and be independent. My only really complaint was the length of the book. I feel like it could have been rounded out a bit quicker. Also what was with all the bird names. Slightly odd.

I LOVED this book. It was sweet and savory as far as the relationships and flow of dialogue. This book is for Survivor mixed with Love Island fans. I was reading this so quickly I had to slow myself down. Reading it felt relaxing and something akin to watching a comfort show. I was giggling and gasping the whole way through I also felt like this book was a "girls girl" it made fun of things but in a relatable way. This book was a pick me up and made me believe in Rom-Coms again. This was purely a fun time . Please read it and find your new favorite book couple or should I say showmance.

Book: Attached at the Hip
Author: Christine Ricco
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC. I may be a little biased by writing this review, because I have been a follower of Christine’s for a while now and I love her content. I thought that this was one of those books that is just fun. It may not be the best thing out there, but I had a lot of fun with it. I did enjoy it a lot more than Better Together.

This is a game show themed book. Orie has always done things with other people and never by herself. She doesn’t put herself out and takes comfort in knowing what she has. She doesn't want to venture away from that-even though it may be for the best. She decides to do something that she never thought she would do. She decides to try to be on Survivor and much to her surprise, she ends up being casted. Only it turns out that she is not on Survivor, but a new reality show called Attached at the Hip. There are ten cast members and they are all attached at the hip. They have to figure out how to work together and win challenges. The thing is that someone out there is your perfect match and you just have to be able to figure out who that is.

I think what I enjoyed the most about this is that this book has heart. It’s not the best written book out there, but it has heart. Orie is someone who we can all see a little bit of ourselves in. She is the type who thinks she has everything she wants and is fine with that. However, cracks are starting to appear and she is having to come to terms with the fact that what she has may not be what she wants. She finds that she has no joy in her life. It takes a large amount of self-reflecting on her part to see all of this.

By entering the show, Orie has taken herself completely out of her comfort zone. She is being pushed to the limit in ways that she did not think was possible. She’s puttering herself out and allowing herself to see what could be. She is naïve and does get taken advantage of because of this. However, she is the type of character that you cannot help but cheer for. She is us. She takes the dive that so many of us want to take but find ourselves being held back. She actually does it.

One thing that makes this book stand out is that with Better Together, I thought Christine was trying to impress. She listened to what others had been saying and tried to improve on it. This is what authors are supposed to do. However, I felt that the heart of the story was lost in Better Together. That is not the case here. There is plenty of heart and plenty of reasons to support/hate the characters. I found myself pulled into both the story and the world pretty quickly. This is what I want. I want to be pulled in quickly and I want to feel all of the feelings. I want books to have heart and to have a good time. That’s what this is. It’s just a fun read.
Now, I will admit that this is not the best written book out there and that’s okay. Many times, the books that I have the most fun with are not. Books don’t have to have the best writing to pull in readers. There has to be something there for the reader to latch onto and that is what I got here.

This book comes out on May 21, 2024.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/_EyhwIUiMAw

As someone who is a Survivor Superfan, I knew I had to read this I. Love. This. Book. Orie is lovable, relatable and adorable. She may just be one of my favorite book characters of all time! I loved reading about the challenges, the days on the island and the overall gameplay aspect. It felt authentic to Survivor! The Lennox family felt so familiar, like I’d known them my whole. The twist hit me hard. I never saw it coming (and I’m notorious for predicting twists). I wish I could erase my memory and reread this one fifty million more times. Can not brag enough about this! Thank you Christine Riccio and Net Galley for providing me with the ARC!

Orie signs up to be on a survivor show and I loved how it was a spinoff.. I also loved Orie's growth throughout the book and how she changed from the reliance she had on her sister at the beginning. I wasn't sure what to expect with this book and I am so glad that I read it! The cover makes it look fun and I really enjoyed the story! Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read this book. It will be out May 21st 2024 and will make a great summer read!

I want to start out by saying that this book was amazing. I have been a fan of Christine for years and have met her once in person a few years back and her personality shows in her work.

I am not one for romance books but knew i had to give this book a shot when i saw the arc available and i am so happy i did!

The characters were easily loved and easily hated. I went back and forth on who i wanted her with and how i wanted the story to end and the further i got into the book i loved the direction it went and loved how it ended.

I love the faults of the main character (plus her name) and loved how she learned to take care of herself and learned to do things on her own and figured out life even if it was in a way she hadn’t initially planned to. I loved how even when she still had her family around and still saw hers and there flaws she still continued to better herself and make the life she learned to want.

I would definitely recommend this book to others and will be buying a physical copy of this for my shelf the day it comes out!

It won’t let me do half starts but i definitely rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Oh my gosh, this was just so much fun! As a huge Survivor/Bachelor fan, I knew that I would love this. This book had my complete attention from the very first page and I couldn't read it fast enough. I loved the short chapters, the challenges, and the survival aspect of the book. Honestly, I expected a lot more romance out of this book, but overall I'm content with it.

There were several things in this book that I did not like, but I found the book to be so enjoyable that I didn't really care. If some of the things I didn't like had been a little more buttoned up, this would have been five huge stars. The romance spinoff show should have been more developed...if I had to watch this show on TV, I would have been so disappointed. The scenarios weren't conducive at all to fostering romance. Orie (or if you prefer, "Piccadilly"--LOL what a dumb name) was absolutely insufferable. She had the maturity of a wet leaf and I had a hard time believing that an English major had such a hard time, well...speaking English. Most of her communication consisted of a series of squeaks, squawks, and grunts. Other readers mentioned that they grew tired of the pop culture references, but it didn't bother me terribly (but come on, did Orie watch ANYTHING other than Titanic???). While I was really annoyed with her character, I had such a hard time putting this down and I still had so much fun.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sharing this book with me. It comes out on May 21st, 2024!

If I’m not reading - I am watching Survivor (literally ask @jeffprobst because he has a video in his inbox from me 💁‍♀️)- so when I heard about attached at the hip I tell you I RAN to net galley to request it! I had so much fun reading this book! I think Orie’s story of listlessness post graduation is something most people can relate to. (Going on survivor to find yourself- maybe not as much though?) The banter, the survivorisms, and Orie herself made me love this book. My ONLY gripe is that as a survivor fan I did not believe Orie would be able to pull off some of the strategic movies she did- but that’s the beauty of fiction!

Orie has spent her life waiting for her relationship to become the perfect fairytale she has dreamed it might be. After a fight with her sister that leaves Orie questioning the current state of her relationship, future and life in general, she applies to survivor as a means to prove herself. What she doesn’t expect is to wind up on a spin off dating show version, quite literally attached to her high school crush by an 8 foot rope. Will Orie’s time on the show help her find herself like she hopes it will, and help her win a million dollars to help her family’s financial troubles? Or will just affirm she is following the path others lay before her? And most importantly will she finally get her happily ever after?

I really enjoyed this read, the main character came off a little immature and bratty but I'm certain that was on purpose intended to give her some much necessary growth.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this ARC.
I’m not a big reality show person, but I know enough about how Survivor works to have thought this book sounded like it might be fun. And I was right. I’m team Orie all the way now, I would form an alliance with her in a heartbeat.

I was slow to read in the beginning but the last 50% of the book I’ve flown through, as the challenges got more intense, and I got more interested in the character development. What an ending to the game, I wish I could tell you about it!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! I would probably rate this 2.5 stars just bc it was cute overall, and I’m like seeing a female come into her own. The issue I had was said female was REALLY hard to love at first, when there’s a grown adult talking and acting like a child, I tend to shut down and not want to read the rest. Since it’s an ARC, I do try very hard to finish.I’m glad I did because there were some neat friendships, a fun surprise towards the end, and the Survivor romance spin was a good concept. Overall, I didn’t love it and was annoyed by the way she acted like she knew the ins and outs and eas coming off strong and then went right back to acting like an idiot. I like my protagonists and romance with more substance. FYI It was actually fairly clean, and I don’t recall a ton of profanity. Just hoped for a little more from the book in general.

Christina Riccio's "Attached at the Hip" immerses readers in the captivating journey of Orie, whose impulsive decision to apply for her favorite show, "Survivor," takes her on an unexpected adventure. What sets this tale apart is the twist: Orie finds herself paired with her former high school crush, Remy, adding layers of complexity to both the game and their evolving relationship.

From the outset, the concept hooks readers, offering a fresh perspective on the familiar terrain of reality television. Riccio's narrative prowess shines as she deftly navigates Orie's emotional landscape, allowing readers to empathize with her fears, aspirations, and burgeoning feelings. Orie emerges as a relatable protagonist, her love for books and movies peppered throughout the story in a manner that feels effortlessly authentic.

As Orie grapples with the challenges of the game and confronts her own insecurities, readers are treated to a rollercoaster of twists and turns that keep them on the edge of their seats. The blurred lines between truth and deception mirror the uncertainty of reality television, immersing readers in a thrilling guessing game reminiscent of their own favorite shows.

However, beyond the adrenaline-fueled gameplay, "Attached at the Hip" excels in its portrayal of friendships. The bond Orie forms with her fellow contestants, particularly Osprey, is a testament to the power of genuine connections forged in adversity. Their unwavering support underscores the novel's heartwarming message of camaraderie and belonging.

Ultimately, Riccio's debut novel is a triumph of storytelling, seamlessly blending elements of romance, suspense, and friendship against the backdrop of reality television. With its engaging plot, well-drawn characters, and poignant themes, "Attached at the Hip" is a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction. Get ready to be swept away on a journey that will leave you eagerly anticipating the next twist in Orie's captivating adventure.

What a surprise! I was honestly so hesitant while going into this book, as I've never really seen Survivor and I've never had much of an interest in its concept. Despite this, the survival game/dating show was super engaging. I loved the concept of the contestants being forced together and the fact that they changed partners throughout the course of the show. It gave me a chance to get to know and care for all of the characters we met along the way.

Though I won't go into too many details, the character twists in this one completely took me by surprise! I thought it was quite creative and made me want to keep reading. I had only intended to read a couple pages last night but found myself unable to stop! I finished the book in about two sittings if that says anything about how hooking this was.

It took me about the first quarter of the book to fully get behind Orie as a main character. I didn't know how I felt about her, but she eventually won me over with her quirkiness. It wasn't too over-the-top (she didn't feel like a caricature), yet her traits made her stand out. I could relate to her fears a lot as well. She doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings to the point where it negatively effects her own feelings. Orie came full circle and I appreciate her growth.

The love story in this was adorable as well. Some of the conversations between the love interests made me giggle at how cute they were! The ending bit at the bookstore was pretty great as well. A bit cheesy but fit well with the rest of the book's vibes. There were some more serious topics discussed in this novel, but they didn't overpower the upbeat tone of the book at all and balanced everything out well. These topics kept the book from feeling like it lacked substance.

The only thing holding me back from rating this higher or considering this a new favorite is the fact that it took me awhile to finally get into the story full. Also, the challenges were a bit hard for me to fully picture in my head. I kind of just kept reading past the explanation parts and jumped to the action bits to actually figure out what was going on. Though I was able to finally get the picture with the other ones, the question-answering challenge never totally clicked for me from words-to-imagination and it killed the tenseness of the scene, unfortunately.

I'm so happy I was able to read this early and I'm definitely going to have to pick up a copy of it when it comes out. I could see myself rereading this in the future when I need a cute pick-me-up.

This book is really interesting. I was never into Survivor, so all of the game play and alliances was fascinating. But like a good new adult book, this is all Orie’s story of finding and believing in herself. And the romance had a twist that I was not at all expecting. It helped keep the story fresh.

I received a copy of this book from Wednesday Books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Christine Ricco is one if my go to authors and I was so excited for this book, but I was so disappointed.

I hated the characters, and the plot was so bad. I jyst found it hard to like anything about this book.

The presentation was bad, character so unbelievable and romance horrible. No slow burn, no getting to know you pages, just bad.

Sorry, had high hopes, but a no from me on this one.