This book is so fun. Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio is a fun contemporary romance that centers around the protagonist, Orie, as she ends up on a Survivor-type TV show that also serves as a show centering around relationships (both romantic and platonic). It is a lighthearted and emotional story of Orie finding out how to be her own, individual person while also falling in love with another person.

The story follows Orie primarily, who is such a fantastic protagonist. I will say, at the beginning especially, I found Orie to be a little annoying with her inability to be alone and independent. This is the point of the story though as she does have to learn to be her own person, and her character arc is absolutely fantastic. I adored her as a character. I also loved the background characters and some of the supporting characters.

The plot of this story is fun too and not something I have read before. To me, the game show that they are on seems like a mix between Big Brother, Survivor, and Love Island. The book follows Orie as she goes through this show and it is really great and super entertaining. There were so many unexpected twists and turns and I could not anticipate what was going to happen. It is well written and the pacing is a good speed for the story.

Overall, I would give this story 4/5 stars. It is unique, well-written, and I was absolutely hooked from the beginning.It is a fantastic beach read and I recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary romance. It is probably one of my favorite ARCs I’ve read in a while.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Unfortunately this was super disappointing. I loved the premise but found the characters so unrealistic to the point of being unreadable. I don’t need them to be relatable but just people that would actually exist.

If you like Survivor, The Bachelor, Love Island. You will absolutely love this book. I’m loving the fact that I’m reading a reality show. It’s actually really good! So funny! The challenges, the twist and turns of relationships, having to deal with all the different personalities. 5/5 stars.

No but I have so much in common with her I am terrified. I feel like I’m being called out.
I think this book concept is so great.
It’s about Orie who is told she is too dependent on people, doesn’t know how to make decisions for herself, and needs to have a life of her own. She applied for Survivor because she loves the show however she got told right before she was casted for a spin off show. Stranded on an island with 10 strangers who were paired up based on compatibility who are literally attached at the hip. They will compete for money but have the opportunity to build friendships, trust, and find love or take all the money. They have challenges and with challenges come surprises. Everyone has the chance to get to know everyone to find new bonds and create alliances. This story is so fun and exciting. I like how you are getting know other characters and getting to know how and what they think of Orie and other characters. You will seriously be rooting for Piccadilly. You are rooting for everyone, some to fail and some to conquer. There’s BETRAYAL. ANGST. TENSION. You get to know each character and form different connections with them as Orie goes through challenges and is partnered with them or sometimes separated. Watching Orie grow during the show and after the show is so satisfying and amazing. I love her. Her dad that whole plot was so good I got really emotional. I cried. I’m so upset this book isn’t out because I want the paperback now. I can’t wait until I can get it to reread and annotate.

Thank you Christine Roccio you did such an amazing job writing this book. You really outdid yourself. I’m so exited to see what is next. Thank you Netgalley for approving this arc for me. Thank you Wednesday Books as well.

I will post on my tiktok. I will post and talk about this book at the of march for my march reads. I posted on my instagram, storygraph, and goodreads. I will be posting on amazon and barnes and noble today 3/8/24.

Attached at the Hip is a romance story that takes place during a Survivor type
competition. I like romance books that have other story lines, problems or
characters that add more depth to the book. This was one of those books. The
supporting characters were some of my favorite parts (Osprey
Kennedi).
I enjoyed Attached at the Hip and highly recommend it for a fast, lighthearted read
Stars: 4.25/5
Spice: 1/5
Thank you to St. Martin Press, NetGalley, and Christine Riccio for allowing me
to read and review an advance copy of this book.

Super cute, YA rom com about Orie, who applys for survivor on a whim after a fight with her sister. She gets approved to be a contestant, but for a survivor spin off show with a dating twist. She just broke up with her boyfriend of 10 years and runs into the guy she secretly had a crush on growing up.

I really enjoyed Ories quirky, awkwardness. If you’re a survivor fan, you’ll enjoy this. I could hear Jeff’s, i mean Jamie’s, commentary clear as day during the challenges in my head while reading. Despite It being over 400 pages, i read It pretty quickly.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Attached at the Hip! The idea of the Bachelor meets Survivor definitely made me want to read this book. Orie is pushed into stepping outside her comfort zone and applies to be on Survivor. Little did she know she was cast for a Survivor like show, but with a a little twist… She would be attached to another contestant. The first contestant she was attached to happen to be a crush from her past.

As a fan of Survivor, it was easy to imagine everything Orie was going through, from comps to voting people out to the social aspect of the game. And in the end, Orie got her happily ever after! Over all the was a great read!

I’ll start by saying I myself am also a huge fan of the TV show Survivor and was super excited to read a book about a spin off of that. I think it’s a cool, unique concept which I could see playing out on TV. Definitely structured a bit different, but I could see it.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted (free) ARC

I struggled with the genre of this book. Is it YA? Is it an adult romance? It leaned very YA feeling for me, especially with the repeated mentions of restroom use. Sorry, I don’t need to see that represented in a book. We know all the characters must use the restroom at some point, but I as a reader am not annoyed by that being left to my imagination. I prefer it.

Orie, the MC, is also very immature. Further pulling me into a YA feeling read.

I think with any fiction book there comes a time when there are too many real world things inserted into the story. I don’t need a gazillion pop culture references to understand the plot or the characters. It doesn’t add anything for me, it just takes me out of the book itself.

I haven’t read the authors other works, but I have watched her YouTube channel for eleven years off and on. It does feel like she draws a lot of her own life experiences or feelings into the character. Which of course each character is apart of the author, but I don’t necessarily think that also means the author is/should be apart of the character.

Overall, I wouldn’t discourage the read. But I won’t be adding it to my list of recs.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a big Survivor fan and loved this take on a Survivor spin off. Orie is trying to branch out on her own and is cast on Survivor. When she starts filming the show, she is surprised to find out it is a Survivor spin off with a romantic element called Attached at the Hip. I did not see the ending coming and I enjoyed it.

I am going to start off by saying I did not finish this book. I DNF’ed at around 42% because I knew I wouldn’t enjoy it. While I will not be rating this book (only on Netgalley because I have to give some sort of rating), I do want to talk about some of the issues I had. I DO think this book has an audience, but if you have issues with what I talk about, I’d suggest skipping this one.

THE PLOT
- One of my FAVORITE plots in a romance is when the characters are on reality TV shows. I don’t even watch reality TV shows in real life but in a book? The tension makes the romance so much better. This was part of the reason I requested this book. A Survivor / The Bachelor mash-up? Say less. Sadly, I just didn’t understand the concept of the show. I thought I was starting to figure out the logistics, but then something else would happen that would make me confused again.
- The biggest reason I did not connect with this book was Orie, the main character. While I can definitely see how some can relate to her, she was just a little too much for me. I think a lot of that had to do with the writing style though, which I will get into down below.
- Also, the name Orie is so cool…she wanted to be called Piccadilly? Y’all, this book is so unserious.

THE WRITING
- While I appreciated the attempt at giving the character personality, Orie’s inner thoughts were so scattered and choppy. I also think there was too much inner monologue. I really think if the book were cut down (I’m talking 50 less pages), it would have been a lot stronger. I think Orie could have been such a strong character if she had had a little more mystery and growth to her.
- The story jumps around a lot, leaving out information that I think would have made the story a lot stronger. For example, when Orie and Remy win the first challenge, we don’t get to see it. How did they react? It would’ve been such a good time to develop their tension. Instead, it just said after the fact, “We won! We’re one of the two teams that won! We’re going to eat!” This also confused me because does no one else get to eat??
- I do not mind cultural references here and there (and I mind even less when I understand them), but even though I knew a lot of the references, there were just SO MANY OF THEM. One I couldn’t stop thinking about was “I’m Blake Lively in that random movie with a shark.” What?? How many people actually understand that reference? Was this a necessary metaphor?
There were so many words capitalized. I CAN’T FEEL COMFORTABLE READING A BOOK WHEN IT KEEPS SHOUTING AT ME OVER AND OVER (this might be a pet peeve of mine, but it did take me out of the book a lot).

OVERALL THOUGHTS
While I enjoyed Christine’s first book, the last two books haven’t been for me. I can see why some people would enjoy this book, but sadly, I could not finish it. I have seen in other reviews that the plot gets stronger towards the end, so if none of the things I talked about bother you, I think you should give the book a try.

Those are all of my thoughts on Attached at the Hip. I am so bummed I didn’t enjoy this one, but I hope Christine continues to write and grow. I am a big fan, and she has some fun ideas!

*Review will be posted to my blog April 22nd

This was so different! It was fun and I enjoyed every second of it. It kept you guessing and I really liked the message it sent about following your dreams and going after what you want. I loved the side characters. Where is the Kennedi spin off?? I wanted to learn more about Rick and Leo! and Osprey.. oh sweet Osprey!

loved this romance and learning about oneself. I loved that she figured out more about herself and made some friends along the way and even found love while being on a survivor like game and finding love. Loved the family and her sister and that she figured out some lying and exposed the liar. great story and will read this author again.

I went into this book completely blind and I'm so glad that I did. While there seems to be a big following for this book and a lot of YouTube talks about this author I had the pleasure of discovering it all out without any bias opinions to sway me either way. This book is all about our main character, Orie. She is a little bit of a book work and likes to hide behind her sister who is much more of the social butterfly. When Orie's sister implies she never makes any decisions for herself she decides on a whim to apply to survivor not expecting anything of it. When much to everyone's surprise the casting director calls her and informs her that she's been chosen she is no idea what to do. Fast forward a few days later and she suddenly stranded on an island way out of her comfort zone. Then to make matters worse she finds out that she isn't on the show she thought, it's actually a reality dating show where contestants and tied together, literally. And this is when the book really takes place. I really liked our main character because it was nice to see her embracing her quirks / flaws as well as the fact it made for a very fascinating read. I haven't read many books like this one before. I think the best part about this one was how relatable our main character was. This was a nice and simple read however it was a complex story line which says a lot of good things about the authors talent. I loved Orie's character and how seeing how she was able to overcome her personal as well as relationship struggles was something that since the beginning I was rooting for. Even though this was quite a long book at four hundred pages I just couldn't put it down and I never wanted it to end. Really compelling read but what I liked the most about it was how easy it was to read and to fall completely into the story line. This was a beautifully light novel that was just amazing to read and I loved everything about it. after reading this book I am eagerly awaiting the chance to read more by Christina. This is the type of book that creates life long readers and a YA mixed with survivor mixed with romance is everything I dreamed about. Great read and I'm so glad I was give the chance to check it out l, because it definitely checked off all the boxes and more.

4.5 stars - Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book; what an honor to get to read something from one of my childhood favorite booktubers! Even better, this book did not disappoint! Our MC goes on Survivor (the TV show), but this season is a special spin-off with romance elements added. This book is so unique and just as fun and sweet - seriously a delight to read. It wasn't too long (if anything, I wanted MORE detail). Our MC starts out seriously irritating (to me), but Riccio masterfully has crafted this to show us incredible character growth and make the readers fall in love with her anyway. There's some love triangle aspects, some (not too in-depth) discussions about addiction, and a few squeamishly silly scenes. Definitely will be recommending this to anyone who wants a fun, unique, adventure-style romance!

This was so FUN! I’m not a survivor junkie but did watch it back when it first was on with my parents. I AM a Bachelor girlie though so I loved the meld of these two reality show genres- I would totally watch this concept. I didn’t know what to expect going into this, and was pleasantly surprised. The vibes were immaculate. It was incredibly funny, and I laughed out loud multiple times while reading. I loved that at no point did I really know where this was going, and it kept things super interesting. The format of timelines and confessionals was great. I’ll definitely be getting our librarian to order this one for school. Thank you!!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790639-attached-at-the-hip

I thought I was going to read a love story between two people, and what I ended up reading was a love story for the main character learning to love herself, AND I AM HERE FOR IT! All of the turns this book took led in exactly the right direction. The plot of a romantic twist on Survivor was very clever. I would not hesitate to recommend this to a YA reader because it was not overly detailed on romance. Overall, an enjoyable read.

I found the cover and premise of "Attached at the Hip" to be really intriguing initially but unfortunately I really struggled with the writing style of this book.

I do think this book will find it's intended audience and resonate better with its readers, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you Christine Riccio , Net Galley and St. Martin's Press- Wednesday Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

A recently single Survivor super-fan, her high school crush, and 6 other strangers compete in a reality competition/matchmaking show for money and potentially love.

Orie recently graduated college, moved back in with her parents, and became an AcroYoga influencer with her sister. While they may have 700,000 followers, brand deals, and enough sponsorships to make a full time income, it's not what she's passionate about. In her desperation to do SOMETHING she applies and is casted for a Survivor spin-off, Attached at the Hip. When Orie lands in Fiji she learns that her first partner is none other than her high school crush. Orie and her cast mates go head to head in competitions of physical fitness, mental toughness, and emotional vulnerability as they try to win the cash prize and maybe each other's hearts.

I am not specifically a Survivor fan, but I do enjoy some other reality competition shows and understand the premise of Survivor. If you are not either a fan or have some kind of prior knowledge of the franchise you won't really understand this book. That being said the Survivor elements and challenges are really thought out and extensive. Personally, I could have done with less game show content and more interpersonal relationship building. Orie is a bit of a mess, like most 23-year-olds. Sometimes this comes off as incredibly sympathetic but a lot of the time is comes off as cringy and awkward. Ultimately I enjoyed the story as I read it but it's not a story I will really ever think about again.

I will send my review to Goodreads.
I will do an instagram story feature on publication day.

This book quickly became a favorite read of 2024! The theme of reality TV survivor merged with a dating show made this so much fun to read.
Potential spoilers...
The main character grew on me, with her anxiety and speaking troubles in personal relationships. She is a big influencer and has no problems behind the scenes or posting content for her account, but give her 8ft of rope attaching her to her date for 3 days and she doesn't know what to do. This book made me laugh, and was exactly what I needed.
I will definitely recommend this to my friends and followers!

The most adorable feel-good rom-com book I’ve read in awhile.
This book focuses on Orie. She is a young acroyoga influencer who prides herself on going with the flow. However, after a torrential argument with her sister (her acroyoga partner), realizing her relationship with her boyfriend is stagnant, and having some family secrets come to light… Orie decides to do things for herself. She applies and is accepted to a Survivor spin-off gameshow, Attached at the Hip. This is a romantic version of Survivor. Honestly, I’d watch it. She makes connections, drama ensues (as is customary on reality TV), and Orie’s character really develops throughout the book.
The good: The book is very poppy and fast paced. It was so easy to read. It’s upbeat and kept me wanting to read more. I loved Orie’s character and really felt like I could connect to many of the characters. I am a bit older, but when they started singing My Chemical Romance, it really sang to my soul. I thought the references were extremely cute. Although, that does also mean the book may not age well. The witty banter between constestants made the chemistry feel palpable as a reader.
The bad: It’s a little mind numbing at times. It feels almost too reality show trope-filled to work in moments. But honestly, going into it knowing it was going to be a fluffy book, it met all expectations.
I would 100% recommend this to anyone who needs to just feel good when reading. The drama in this isn’t too painful, and it’s just the cutest story. You really want the happily ever after. Is it the best written or more interesting book I’ve ever read? No. Is it an adorable world with a realistic (ish) romance and drama? Yes.

✩ rating: 2/5 ✩

‎˚₊‧⁺˖ plot: this was fun! our main character, orie, applies to be on her favorite show, survivor. only, when she gets there, she finds out she actually applied for a survivor spin-off show called attached at the hip, where the contestants are literally attached via tether. her first match? her high school crush she hasn’t seen in five years.

𐙚 the writing:
˚₊‧꒰ა before i start with the critiques, i want to say that if the entire book was written like chapters 65 and 66, it wouldve easily been at least 4 stars for me. those chapters had me giggling and kicking my feet 🤭. but unfortunately that wasnt the case 😫
˚₊‧꒰ა the overall premise was really good. the execution…? meh. a lot of the chapters seem almost lazily written, and i got the vibe that the author just published the first thing she typed without editing it. the first 70% of the book was dragging, it was like we got extra detail when we didnt need it and minimal detail when it was especially needed.
˚₊‧꒰ა i really hope the chapter names are removed, i thought it was just unnecessary to give a name to 70+ chapters. maybe a cute little design could be put next to the numbers instead ? yk?
˚₊‧꒰ა also, i think the author learned people like short chapters and ran with it, some of the chapters weren’t even different scenes or anything, they were literally one line of dialogue at the end and the next line at the beginning of the next chapter. its like she picked a random paragraph in the middle of a chapter, hit enter a bunch of times, then made that part the next chapter. it was unnecessary tbh.

✮⋆˙ the game: i think this would actually make a great reality game show in real life. i only had one problem with it. why, for a game based on the fact that they are all attached, are they untethered for all of the challenges?!? at least one team challenge couldve been so interesting, but there was NONE😭

‧₊˚🖇️✩.⊹♡ orie: i didnt *hate* her, but man was she annoying. some of her lines were really good and i resonated with a few of them, but the rest? i had to PUSH through them. i fought my way through this book and it’s her fault! orie is *quirky.* she talks in all caps randomly and she embarrasses herself on national tv. you’d think, knowing you’re on national television, you’d watch what you say and do more, but orie cannot relate. i have no idea how she managed to pull one man let alone two!

ִ ࣪𖤐 remy: i actually liked remy when he was introduced. i trusted him wayy more than osprey. i liked how he inspired orie to pursue a career in film. he reminded me of a guy on one season of married at first sight who clearly only went on the show for his own fame.

𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚ ༘ ˚♡ osprey: i actually didnt trust him at the beginning, i thought he would for sure turn on orie. but he absolutely grew on me, i ended up loving him so much<33

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘ thank you to netgalley for providing me this book in exchange for a review!! this is my first arc<33