requested this on netgalley after reading and enjoying ‘the charm offensive’ not long ago — i actually think books set on dating shows, (though that’s a very specific niche storyline) are a lot of fun.

it did take me a couple chapters to get into this but once the ball was rolling i really enjoyed myself. though there was a big cast of characters, each one felt very well-rounded with a distinct personality. krystin and lauren, the main characters, both had a heartwarming storyline — on their own but also with each other. i loved reading their relationship developed.

funny at times, with a sweet ending for all, i’d definitely recommend it to fellow romcom enjoyers.

Received a free ARC from Netgalley and I'm voluntarily writing this review.
I really enjoyed the premise in theory. I'm a 2nd hand watcher of these sorts of shows. I would never go out of my way to watch it, but I overhear or see my roommate watching them, not my kind of entertainment. That being said, yes, the premise of this book caught my interest. But especially at the beginning, there were so many characters that it was truly hard to keep them straight (an unfortunate side effect of having soooo many contestants).
Also, a little sad that there weren't any dental hygienists (everyone interested in reading this book should check out the old webseries "burning love", they'd definitely enjoy it, and this is kind of a joke from that)

Anyways, I'm getting sidetracked. I liked the premise of this, but I thought it would have been better as a movie or miniseries rather than a book because there were so many characters that giving them all a proper flesh-out wouldn't work either, but I wish I could better see the mains and supporting in my head. But it was cute.

This would be an interesting audiobook either with an ensemble cast, or a singular *very talented* narrator to differentiate all of the personalities to lift the story off the page a bit more.

Probably the nature of being an ARC, but there were some typos and the kindle formatting left a lot to be desired (where are the page breaks? some line breaks are messed up) and I felt like the book ended abruptly.

In any case congrats on this debut novel, and anyone who finds this premise interesting should definitely still check it out.

I will NEVER STOP SQUEALING ABOUT THIS BOOK.

This book is probably my favorite sapphic romance now—it is the perfect blend of witty, charming, and so sweet. This is one of my favorite books of the year. This is the perfect read for anyone who loves dating shows and has always secretly wondered if the contestants ever fall in love for each other.

I'm not a Bachelor watching girly, purely because I can't believe that you shove that many people together and they're all straight every time. I absolutely loved this book because the girls take the whole man out of the equation and it is chef's kiss, perfection!

While Krystin tries from the moment she nominated herself for "Hopelessly Devoted" to convince her mind that all she wants is the perfect husband and the perfect life, Lauren was only there to amp up her influencer base. A moment of mud wrestling might just be enough to prove that they're both there for the wrong reasons...

I loved Never Ever Getting Back Together so I thought I would devour this, unfortunately i just didnt.

Okay so this debut novel is centered around a romance that I think a lot of us have been wanting to happen for a long time. That the contestants on the Bachelor and the Bachelorette ditch the lead, and fall in love with eachother instead. I have not watched the franchise for a few years now, but I used to be quite the avid watcher (mostly for the drama) and it was so fun to read a LGBTQIAP+ romcom surrounding that show. In this book it’s of course called ”Hopelessly Devoted”, and insteaf of roses they use strings. Which make the eleminating ceremonys that much harsher, the lead uses a pair of gilded scissors and cut of the string around the ”Devotees” wrist when sent home. The drama! You get to follow the entire season down to ”After the final string” (see what they did there) and I do think some of it could have been cut out, got a liiiittle bit boring from time to time to read several episodes of Bachelor, but the good parts did make up for it. All in all, this was a very fun and sweet sapphic romance, and I’m very happy I got to read it!

I feel like this book was custom-made for me-- it's the lesbian Bachelor homage of my dreams.

Without spoilers: two of the contestants on a Bachelor-style reality show begin to notice that their affection for each other might overshadow their feelings for the lead. Fans of The Bachelor franchise, up to and including members of The Pit (iykyk), will find many tongue-in-cheek easter eggs/references to the game and non-fans will begin to see the game behind the game of The Bachelor.

. I thought the romance between the two protagonists was painfully sapphic, by which I mean very realistic in the mutual pining and generally being obtuse about the other person's obvious feelings about them,. VERY relatable, unfortunately.

I'm so glad this book exists. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The interactions between the main characters was cute and funny. The execution of the conflict and resolution made me lose interest a bit.

3.5 rounded up

Overall I really enjoyed this book. However I did feel like the chemistry between the two main characters was lacking from time to time and it took a bit to long before anything started happening. I’m always in for a good slowburn, but they didn’t even have a proper conversation until like 100 pages in.

I really liked Josh as a character, but I did wish they would have highlighted the fact he was Jewish a bit more. In the “show” it was a big deal, but they only mentioned it twice afterwards.

I did really enjoy the arcs both woman went through, and felt like they really developed

3.5⭐ Krystin knows exactly what she 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 enough influencer 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.

I've never seen the Bachelor, but I enjoy reality shows in general. I really enjoyed The Charm Offensive (and another similar-themed Never Ever Getting Back Together, by Sophie Gonzales), so I was looking forward to this one. It was fun. I enjoyed the characters and the vibe of this. I enjoyed Sophie Gonzales book better. I think I just had high hopes (AHB is one of my favorite writers of all time, so to tease me with that wasn't the best ploy!) This was a fun read, but not very memorable (which is okay for me).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.

First off, this was a very light hearted and fun read. If you enjoy reality TV shows like The Bachelor, then you will love this book.

Most of the book centers around the TV show “Hopelessly Devoted” and as a subplot it has the budding relationship between the two female main characters. I mean, we do see their relationship develop, but the main focus of the plot, in my opinion, is the TV show. And that isn’t bad, it was still very light and fun and cute and it stayed true to the title of the book.

Krystin has your typical western horse girl aesthetic. She doesn’t seem to really know herself or her desires. She goes on the show, as the other contestants did, to find a husband. While she was there for the ‘right’ reasons, and she does ultimately fall in love, spoiler alert - it’s not with the main male character like she had planned.

Lauren seems to know herself better than Kristyn does. She knows why she’s on the show, and it isn’t to fall in love. She’s achingly aware of her sexuality and her desire for women. And she never planned to fall in love while on the show. Another spoiled alert - she does though but not with the main male character either.

Krystin & Lauren’s relationship is definitely hot and spicy, but I do wish I had seen it get a little deeper, especially at the end of the book. What you can’t deny is that these characters have chemistry with each other from the very beginning of the book. I loved reading how they interacted with each other. Overall I enjoyed this book and would suggest it to other readers.

Not a lot of romcoms are actually funny, but this one is. It’s funny, sexy, and filled with the kind of reality TV drama that had me pausing the new season of Selling Sunset to keep reading. And Here for the Wrong Reasons feels so much more real than any reality show.

Here for the Wrong Reasons takes place throughout the season of a fictional The Bachelor-like reality show, and the novel somehow manages to hilariously satirize reality shows while also providing all of the escapist drama.

The writing in Here for the Wrong Reasons is incredibly smooth and engaging. The writing flows and is varied, interesting, and witty. The dialogue is natural, believable, and full of deadpan humor. The chemistry and growing attraction between Krystin and Lauren resonate with a palpable sense of yearning without tipping into cheesiness, making it especially relatable for those who have had to hide or deny how they feel, especially when they haven’t yet realized that being queer is an option.

Rounding up from 4.5 stars

I received this book for netgally for a honest review. I’m not really actually into reality dating shows irl but there is something about the trope that i really enjoy when its written well like this book was. The book doest start a little slow and with a lot of characters but those issues clear up fast enough and as the characters whittle down and the leads start interacting more the book gets really good.

i had a few formatting issues on kindlestarting in chapter 10 there are some errors and it goes on for the first 5ish pages . sentence’s look off and its a quite distracting to read. It happens again 4 pages into chapter 18
“sure, Thanks.” she says , scanning the group. Kaydie
and lily
are chatting with their legs dangling in the infinity

Absolutely delightful! The two main characters had great chemistry and lots of wonderfully witty banter. I thoroughly enjoyed this and would like more from this author!

While I might not like most reality TV shows there is something about reading fictional versions of them that always gets my full attention. This book had The Bachelor vibes and while I never watched that show this book did such a good job of bringing to life a reality show.

The rivalry was so funny to watch considering neither Krystin nor Lauren wanted anything to do with Josh. I loved their dynamic and how their characters interacted, the pool scene alone was memorable.

This book was so enjoyable. The authors did such a good job of creating a good cast of characters, the relationships, and friendships made throughout, creating a detailed setting, and having a nice balance of behind-the-scenes vs what was aired on television. Not to mention the iconic ending that had all the producers wanting to scream. Josh really came through though with being a big ally.

3.5
Krystin is a rodeo queen. She knows just about everyone in her small town and has decided that she'll need to branch out to find love.
Lauren is an influencer, hoping to reach a bigger audience.
Both join a season of Hopelessly Devoted (the Bachelor) with these aspirations in mind.

At first it seemed like a lot of characters to keep straight, but thankfully the main characters are whittled down fairly quickly. Our bachelor, Josh, is a pushover. He's sweet, but easy to win over with a little bit of teasing and kisses.
The romance that eventually develops as Krystin and Lauren gravitate toward each other is an awakening for Krystin, and causes them both to examine their romantic pasts.
<spoiler>I've rounded this down only because I didn't feel good about how the last portions of the "show" went down, in spite of Josh seeming ok in the end.</spoiler>
Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This was so cute!!! I love the concept of the contestants falling in love on a dating show, it's so fun. Thank you for the early read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a big fan of "The Bachelor" and all the spinoff shows that came from it. I've seen them all and loved them all. Even when the relationships don't work out in the end I always enjoy the journey.

I can say the same about this book. "Hopelessly Devoted" is the dating show and Josh is the lead. He has 35 women vying for his heart and hoping for a proposal at the end.

Lauren and Krystin are two of those women. Lauren has dubious reasons for being on the show while Krystin's are pure. Throughout the process they both learn things about themselves and what they'll do for love.

I don't know if this has happened on "The Bachelor" before but I'd be shocked if it hasn't. I think you don't always know what you want until it's right in front of you. That's what happened with Lauren and Krystin and while their relationship might not have happened in a traditional way it was so fun to read.

I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it.

I have become a Bachelor-inspired-romance-novel fan, and Here for the Wrong Reasons is another fun, flirty book to add to my shelf. I loved the LGBTQ twist on this micro-genre, which made it feel fresh and new.

This is the perfect book for anyone who has ever watched any type of reality dating show. It is funny, sweet and filled with cute romantic moments that will have your squealing and jumping in your seat. If you have loved books like Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales or The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun, then you’ll want to pick this up for yourself asap.