I hated it. DNF-ed I just couldn't connect with the charcters and the beginning just felt like it dragged on and on for so long and i had no idea how could continue the book.

I loved this rom com, just as I loved the two novels which preceded it in this loose series. It’s full of heart and humor, with just the right dash of cynicism to keep it grounded.

All three novels are set within the one season of a reality dating show, a device which works remarkably well. If you’ve read the earlier novels – and you really should, they’re delightful – then sure, you’ll know that certain events are going to happen. However, the wildly different perspectives mean this doesn’t feel repetitive at all. It just feels like you’re getting a more in depth understanding of what’s going on.

At the end of “Can I Steal You For A Second?” I found myself hoping for a third novel, featuring showrunner Murray O’Connell and Lily Fireball. And here I am, wish granted!

Murray is very stressed as he commences this season of “Marry Me, Juliet”. He’s finally got the diverse casting he and his best friend – and professional partner – Lily, have been advocating for. But that means there’s a lot riding on this season. It absolutely has to rate highly. The newly announced pandemic lockdown adds a whole new layer of stress and competition.

Worst of all, Murray is doing this solo. Lily has been MIA for a year, sunk in grief and regret. She won’t even talk to him.

Then Murray meets the last minute, unscreened, contestant the network has lumped him with. Will she save the show, Murray’s career, and his love life – or burn them all down?

I really admire the way McAlister has told multiple stories within one rather restricted framework. She’s used the framing device of the reality show very cleverly. There’s the sly sense of letting us see behind the scenes, the humor of the situation, the stresses and pressures. The stakes feel high for each person involved.

If you’ve read the earlier novels, then you’ll feel that this one has another layer – an awareness of what’s happening to other characters “off-screen”, so to speak. If you haven’t, don’t worry. This is a complete story with considerable depth even without that layer.

Both Murray and Lily are strong and vivid characters. You’ll quickly care a great deal about what happens to them. The story of their relationship is a little broader than the stories told in the first two novels. Those were relationships that began and flowered almost entirely on the show.

Murray and Lily, on the other hand, have a long and complicated relationship that stretches back for years. The problems and ups and downs, fears, hesitations and obstacles will feel familiar and real to many readers.

Although a touch darker than the earlier novels, I found this a joy to read. McAlister has an easy reading style that helps absorb you in the characters and situations. There’s enough humor to leaven the darker parts (which aren’t all that dark, truth be told). And at this point, I’m feeling pretty invested in a reality show I’ve never seen.
If you like your rom coms fun but with a little meat, this is the perfect read.

I will return to add links once this is posted to my blog

This book was so good! Jodi McAlister truly writes the best characters and I really enjoyed their love story ! Cannot wait to read more from Jodi 😊

Not Here to Make Friends is not the first book I’ve read from Jodie McAlister, and I don’t think it will be the last. It was well written and flowed very well. However since a lot of this book was the same overarching story from another of her books but from a different perspective I really struggled it get into it until about 280+ pages in. I felt like I already had alot of the information and for me it was very difficult to get into the story because of this.

The characters were well written and well rounded and there was plot twists that I didn’t see coming. Overall the book was a good read, but not something I’m overall thrilled to have read.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read

This was such a wonderful and enjoyable read!!!! I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

EDITORIAL NOTE: around chapter 6(?), Lily references the "not in front of my salad" meme. This meme became popular in 2017 (and fun fact, came from a scene in a gay NSFW movie hahaha), but the scene in the book takes place about 10-12 years before 2020 I think? So it doesn't make sense for her to use that phrase as it wasn't a cultural thing at that point in time.

OKAY, ACTUAL REVIEW:
It pains me deeply to say this because I have adored and raved about the first two books in this series, but surely the point of a review is my honest opinion? And honestly, I just didn't have a good time with this one.

I actually would have DNF'd at about 50-60% if it weren't for the fact that it's an arc and I have loyalty to this series from the first two.

I need to give big kudos, though, to the author for staying true to her characters. I feel like the temptation would have been there to soften them in order to make them likeable main characters in a romance story. But they have always been extremely morally grey characters and this book really does stay true to that and even leans into it, and I respect that a lot.

I just didn't *enjoy* it.

For starters, I very rarely enjoy a book that goes backwards and forwards in time, I find it boring and frustrating to have forward plot movement constantly interrupted by backstory. I realise that's a personal preference but this is my personal experience of the book, so that's how I felt.

Secondly, both Lily and Murray are pretty clearly swimming in the murky waters of emotional cheating when they both are in love with each other while marrying other people, and while I understand that fits the grey morality of their characters, it also makes it extremely hard for me to even care about them or their story, let alone root for them.

Their relationship seems to involve a lot of game playing and emotional manipulation, and while again, that's their characters - again, it's just not what I enjoy reading. They're both just pretty garbage tbh and I didn't care at all what happened to them because I didn't like them.

I do also think that I have now read enough of this particular season of Marry Me Juliet, and it started to feel slightly overdone in this book, but maybe that's just because I wasn't enjoying the story overall.

I do think this is mostly a case of "it's not you, it's me". I loved the first two books because they were really sweet and wholesome, and this one takes a different tack, one that's just not my jam. As I said, I appreciate that the author stayed true to her characters and the story was probably the right one for them. I just don't like them and I only dislike them more after this book.

I would absolutely still read more from this author and would love to see more books in a similar setting but perhaps to move on from this particular season - I'm kind of hoping the ending of this book hints at a possible Kumiko book!

I was so excited to be accepted to read an Advanced copy of Not Here To Make Friends, Lily and Murray had my heart from Jodis' first book in the Marry Me, Juliet series.
Another fantastic read that I could not put down. It was such a thrill to read from Lily and Murray's POV's.

Not Here To Make Friends by Jodi McAllister is the third book in the Marry Me, Juliet series. It's also my FAVOURITE.

I absolutely loved Murray and Lily's story. This book had less focus on the pandemic than the previous two books, instead focusing more on the complexity of Lily and Murray's friendship and history.

Lily Fireball's motives in the previous two books were kept under wraps. We knew that she wasn't as bad as she pretended, but until this book, the reasons why were mostly underwraps. She is such a fascinating character, with so much depth and complexities. After this book, she is 100% my absolute favourite character in this series.

Honestly I can't rave about this book enough - This is a fantastic story, Lily and Murray are the most perfectly imperfect characters and I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend!!

I loved getting to read more about the Marry Me, Juliet show from a producers view. It's really interesting how much work they have to put in to make a show. But I didn't love the end. Whilst I did enjoy it and it wrapped everything up, it seemed a little bit rushed.

This is the third book in the Marry Me, Juliet series. And just like the previous two, it doesn't disappoint!! Lily is the villain you love to hate and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the stuff she gets up to behind the scenes!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

I have no complaints about this book because I was completely engrossed.

Lily Fireball is a complex and intriguing character. Because of her aggressive, unapologetic demeanor, I occasionally found her to be difficult, but generally, I was still cheering for her. Murray is likable and highly dedicated; when he speaks up for himself, I feel proud of him.

The tension in this novel was just right throughout, and it addressed some difficult subjects nicely. This was my first book by McAlister, and I will definitely read more of her work soon!

I originally rated this book 4 stars but after writing this review, I'm changing it to 5. I can't fault this book, it had me hooked the whole way through.

Murray O'Connell is a tv producer working on a reality show called Marry Me, Juliet. He's thrown a curveball when the big boss (who gives Michael Scott from The Office vibes) sends in a "spicy meatball" for the new season, Lily Fireball.

Lily Fireball is an interesting character. At times, I found her to be frustrating due to her forceful, unapologetic nature but overall, I was still rooting for her. Murray is likeable and incredibly hard-working, I felt proud in the moments where he stands up for himself. This book held the perfect amount of tension the whole way through and handled some tricky topics well. This was my first McAlister book and I absolutely will be going to read her other books asap!

Murray O’Connell needs to produce another season of reality show Marry Me, Juliet and he has to do it without his best friend, Lily Ong. Or so he thought. After a year of silence, she's back - as Lily Fireball, not a producer and not the woman he knew, but the villain of his season. She could completely derail his plans...or help him make the most brilliant season of reality television ever.

I don't often get obsessed with a series. I'm extremely obsessed with this one.

I devoured the first two books, so of course I did my damndest to pick up an ARC of the third instalment. I was not at all disappointed! It was so much fun to read about two MCs who are such a mess - especially when they are so delightfully messier when put together. Lily Fireball is one of the most complex characters I've ever encountered and you will easily find yourself rooting for the "villain" here. McAlister has done it again - and yes, I'm still obsessed.