Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

Okay, so something to know about me, I am not a romance girly. Of the more than 100 books I’ve read this year, this is only the second romance novel. The one romance entertainment that is a constant in my life is The Bachelor. We are proud members of Bachelor Nation in our house (hubby included)!

This book was made for Bachelor Nation. The book revolves around the show Hopelessly Devoted starring a “Beau” and 30 “Devotees” who are looking for love. Each girl has a string around her wrist that they are hoping will stay intact during the “String Cutting Ceremony” and they are all longing for the group date ribbon. I was DYING with all of the similarities to The Bachelor, from the exotic locales and extravagant dates, hometown and overnight dates, and of course drama in the house with the girls. And no season of a dating show would be complete without a fake injury cutting the group date activity short!

Basically, the two main characters are contestants on the show. Krystin is a rodeo queen from Montana who seems to truly be there hoping Josh could be her husband. Lauren, who is only romantically interested in women, is a content creator and, in fact, “here for the wrong reasons.” All of her internal thoughts explain that she really only wants to gain followers. She wants to make it just far enough to get a few corporate sponsorship deals and then expects to be sent home, she hopes, right before hometowns.

Throughout the book, sparks fly between the girls leaving the girls very confused, Krystin about her sexuality and Lauren, who is more used to hook-ups than relationships, about whether this thing could be real. Spice level was a 3.5 🌶️ for me.

As I mentioned before, I’m not much of a romance reader, but the frustrating thing about the plot of this book was their unnecessary miscommunication toward the end. I am involved in enough Bookstagram to realize this is a romance trope, and I do like the way they resolved the issue, but it felt forced.

I thought the premise of this book was fun; however, my main complaint about The Bachelor is that it drags and this book (I guess unsurprisingly) had the same issues. The reality TV script made the pacing feel glacial and we spent so much time on the bachelor man that the main romance lacked substance. So much of the book focused on the other women and the dates that the actual romance read as almost tacked on. Despite the pacing issue, the book was an overall cute and enjoyable read.

Thanks, Netgalley!

A very fun queer take on the Bachelor full of twists and turns. I felt the two main characters had solid internal struggles that they helped each other undo while they partake in the show. I wish there were more moments of them nearly being caught or a caught on camera moment where it really tested their relationship and whether they viewed it as just fun or are serious. They were being watched by so many people and I would have a hard time believing that something hadn't been caught on camera at least once. The epilogue also wasn't satisfactory since I rather the focus be the two main characters getting to be alone and happy rather than the man being there and inserting that he was fine but overall I really enjoyed this story. Absolutely, had fun throughout it and would reccomend it to anybody that absolutely loved the seasons of the Bachelor where the women left the competition to date each other.

What a fun read! I've been an on-and-off fan of The Bachelor for several years, so when I saw this arc was available, I had to request it. And I'm glad I did! As a lifelong horse girl, obviously I loved Krystin, and Lauren grew on me with every page. My dream season of Bachelor/ette would be an all-queer season, so Krystin and Lauren's love story is one I wish the producers had the guts to allow for in reality. The lead in the novel's fictional show was perfectly written — I didn't know shit about him or even care until the end, when he became a little more real. Come for the love, stay for the Bachelor winks and nods.

With a rodeo queen and an enterprising influencer, this is a sapphic romance I really wanted to absolutely adore. There are so many fun tropes in this book, forced proximity, a secret relationship, and a crazy insane love triangle wrapped up in a Bachelor-esque plot.

I really loved Krystin with her heart of gold, her fiery personality, and her ambition. I admired how she knew what she wanted and went to any lengths to get it. Lauren was so cunning and manipulative that I was almost impressed, and then her hard outer shell melted to reveal the insecurity and kindness underneath that made me truly love her as a well-rounded character.

The biggest problem I had with this book was the pacing. There were times when it went by so fast and I enjoyed myself so much that I almost forgot the times when the book dragged on and I drew close to marking it as a DNF. With its large cast of characters, I felt like often I was forgetting who was who and which women were still in the running and the others who had been sent home. Having a lot of characters also made many of them seem very one-dimensional and trying to put a name to a personality and keep track of the different relationships between the two main characters as well as the rest of the contestants was a job in itself.

While there were ups and downs, the end of the book left me with the warm fuzzies, and I enjoyed all the fun and games that led up to it. Like Krystin and Lauren, the book isn't perfect, but the joy is in loving it all the same.

Four out of five stars.

This is definitely a shut of your brain and enjoy type of book. It was not entirely my cup of tea, mostly because I could 0% relate to either the premise (I have never seen the bachelor) or either of the main characters. I mean, a rodeo queen and an influencer are about the two furthest people away from myself. But they clearly had chemistry and it was cool to see them each work through their issues in order to (spoiler alert) choose each other.

I think Never Ever Getting Back Together may be a better (and more relatable) version of this book, but it turns out I do enjoy a bit of competition and drama in my (queer) love stories.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun book! I loved the rodeo queen's queer awakening. At first I had a hard time keeping track of all the women contestants, but once they started getting let go, I was able to really get to know the characters. I liked that the male lead in the dating show was a genuinely nice guy, and I was actually rooting for him too. This was a quick, steamy read!

"Here for the Wrong Reasons" by Annabel Paulsen and Lydia Wang is a contemporary romcom that, unfortunately, failed to capture my attention due to its painfully slow pacing. The narrative moved at a pace that felt unnecessarily drawn out, making it difficult for me to maintain interest in the unfolding events. The dynamics between Krystin and Lauren, which could have been a source of intrigue, were affected by the slow development of their connection.

Despite my difficulties with the pacing, the authors' writing style is accessible and occasionally injects moments of humor into the narrative. The attempt to challenge heteronormative norms within a reality TV setting is fun and offers a new angle to the romance genre.

I have been wishing for this book for years. It did not disappoint!

✨ About the Book ✨

Krystin knows exactly what she wants: a husband, a horse, and a place to hang all her competitive rodeo blue ribbons. But when none of the eligible bachelors in Montana end up being right for her, she turns to reality TV. On Hopelessly Devoted, Krystin will compete against dozens of other women for the heart of this season’s Hopeless Romantic, Josh Rosen. She’s determined to win the perfect life she came here for—if she can just ignore the glossy brunette whose crimson smile gives her goosebumps.

Lauren has never done anything for the right reasons—and she’s definitely not on Hopelessly Devoted to win Josh’s heart. Lauren’s plan is simple: stay on the show long enough to build her social media following, and then gracefully leave when it's her turn to be eliminated. With enough followers, she’ll finally have the clout to do whatever she wants—including come out of the proverbial walk-in closet. But the longer she stays on the show, the more she finds herself tangled up in a certain blonde’s lasso.

Author: Annabel Paulsen & Lydia Wang
Release Date:May 21, 2024 by Alcove Press
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Pages: 336 pages, Paperback
Star Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5


📚 How I See it 📚

I have been waiting for this book my entire life - or at least since I started watching The Bachelor. How many times have I thought that I'd love to see the contestants on The Bachelor fall for each other rather than for the leading man? And finally, my wish came true!

This book was just the best romantic comedy I've read in a while. It felt like binging episodes of The Bachelor but with more juicy behind-the-scenes, nuances, and funny scenes.

Krystin and Lauren's love story was heartwarming and reading about their chemistry had me smiling page after page. Loved it!

What I Liked:

🩵 Fun, light, and lovely read
🩵 Steamy
🩵 The Bachelor Riff
🩵 Had me laughing out loud

What I Didn’t Like:

💔 I wish some characters would have been a little more developed (like Josh for ex.)

💛 Find Me Here 💛

Blog : themidnightbookclub.com
Instagram : @the.midnight.book.club


Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own thoughts

I am going to start off by saying I have watched The Bachelor here and there but would not call myself a true fan. This book was just not for me and I did end up DNF'ing it, the plot seemed interesting enough but there was just too many childish moments that it was almost like the book cared more about the arguments between characters a less about a romance story. Now I think this story would have been a lot more interesting for me if the dating show was the backdrop not the main plot. But if you are a fan of the Bachelor or reality TV dating shows this book is definitely for you.

This was everything I expected it to be: A fun, lighthearted queer romance. I loved how breezy it felt. While coming out is discussed in its seriousness and it plays a certain part of the plot, I really appreciated that this wasn't the focus of the novel. It doesn't try to be more than a love story with a couple of lovely characters that you can't help but like. The transition from crush to situationship is a bit rushed but other than that, I have no complaints (and even that is a minor complaint).
This is exactly the kind of playful romance lesbians deserve!

I got an ARC of this from netgally but sadly i don’t think this one was for me.
The premise seemed interesting but as i was reading I just kept losing interest in the story. The story basically is like a script for some dating show, which i’m not apposed to at all but we only got the sapphic couple at the end and by that point i had somewhat lost interest. I just think that labelling this an LGBTQ+ book is a bit far-stretch. Ok yes, we get a lesbian couple but most of this book is a straight storyline based around The Bachelor. I think it just slightly misrepresents in the tags and cover slightly.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book to read.

I'm not a fan of Bachelor so it kinda didn't work for me. Some parts were great, but... maybe it's writing, maybe it's me..

If you like Bachelor or rom-com, read along. :)

I'm absolutely dead, this book is incredible and I tore through it in 2 days. Five stars, obvs

It's a gay love story developing during the filming of The Bachelor, where two women contestants fall for each other on accident.

When I say this book is MESSY it's a compliment of the highest order. It's messy like having to sit next to a guy who ghosted you or watching a real housewives episode. The main two characters have well developed personalities and act in ways that make sense given their motivations and, notably, are really bad at knowing themselves. We love relatable queens!

There's not really miscommunication in a way that I didn't like, but maybe more just two people communicating as well as they can and it's still terrible. But it's not annoying in the plot to me at least.

Where do I begin! This whole concept had me hooked right from the word go so to be honest I knew I was going to love it. It’s a cute light read which keeps you hooked from beginning to end with characters you can get invested into.
If you love the setting of tv shows or reality shows then this will be the one for you and adding in a sapphic romance just makes it 10 times better. The characters could not be more different but that was part of the charm.
Very the bachelor but gay… so better… 5 stars!

What a fun story about two women who go on "Hopelessly Devoted" A Bachelor type reality show. What unfolds between Krystin, a Rodeo Queen and Lauren, an influencer is sweet and a bit angsty. I really enjoyed this story and could picture it all playing out on television (Hey a girl can dream).

What a cute read! If you like the bachelor, and you’re a fan of fluffy rom coms you’ll enjoy it 🙂

I always thought the bachelor would be more interesting if two of the contestants fell for each other instead (they spend way too more with each other than the bachelor anyway haha). It’s a cute rivals to friends to lovers story, and worth checking out if that’s your jam!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book to read. This was a cute book it reminded me of a Hallmark movie, cute, cheesy and a “happy ending”. I rate this a solid 3.5/5 and I would purchase this book.

This is the ideal cute and fluffy book for when you just need a break from the real world. The character dynamics are interesting to watch unfold without having an overly-arduous slow burn. The set up of the reality TV show also made for quite a few fun wink-wink-nudge-nudge moments for those of us who may have spent a little too much time watching real reality TV.

All in all, would recommend for your next beach read or travel companion book.

I'm not a huge fan of reality TV or dating shows, but Wang and Paulsen wrote a really beautiful, sweet romance here. It was so lovely to see the two leads fall on love and learn about themselves through a silly but genuine premise. I honestly can't wait to see what these two authors do next.