I can't believe it, but I think I've read one too many Bachelor-esque retellings. This was a fun and light sapphic story that explores what it would look like if two contestants fell for one another rather than for the main man they're competing to marry. I loved that aspect of the story and felt it was pretty believable considering the circumstances and whatnot, but it did feel very messy and had me wincing. Such is the life of a contestant on one of these shows, though... and it had me wondering how often this actually does/doesn't happen.

I am going to take responsibility for it not fully clicking in my head that the title Here For the Wrong Reasons was literal. As a fan of reality love shows. I was super excited for this. However, learning of especially one of the main characters less than forthcoming reasons for being there didn’t adhere me to the story. Miscommunication/lack of communication is one of my least favorite tropes so it kept me from fully falling for this story.

I think many people will enjoy this & I did like the author’s writing.

Thanks to NetGalley & Alcove Press for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Because of my lower rating, I will not be posting this anywhere else.

This book was fun and overall fairly enjoyable but I wanted more of a focus on the romantic leads and their romance and less focus on their individual relationships with the dating shows leading man and on the other women that were on the dating show.

I have enjoyed books with similar prefaces to this one before (such as The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun), but I was not a fan of this book. All the characters were portrayed in a seemingly one-dimensional way and it felt like the authors were trying too hard to make them seem special, which only made them seem a bit caricature-y. The writing also felt disjointed and very simplistic, which further detracted from my enjoyment. It was a very cool idea, but the book itself didn't quite work for me.

I am not a huge romance reader, but I am trying to branch out read more of this genre. As a dating show/bachelor fan I thought this would be perfect for me! The premise and set up of this story was so fun! Especially because typically after watching Bachelor seasons, the female friendships that develop are normally my favorite part--so I loved the concept of what if they fell in love! However, I didn't like how some things played out and I felt like some things didn't make sense with the story. For example, when the two MC were falling in love and were clearly not into the Bachelor, it felt unbelievable that he wouldn't pick up on their disinterest. Also, since the Bachelor was portrayed as such a sweet guy, it was hard to read them lying and playing him.

This was a really cute book. I think the pacing, dates and characters was all perfect. Wished we had a bit more of main characters falling for each other but loved how this was.

I had a blast reading this one!

*Here for the Wrong Reasons* is the sapphic romance we all need, where contestants fall for each other instead of the boring bachelor. The chemistry, sexual exploration, and delightful messiness pull you right in. Lauren and Krystin both had their (wrong) reasons for joining the dating show, and it was fun watching them accidentally fall for each other after starting in less-than-ideal circumstances.

This book delivers on humour, heart, and a fresh take on reality TV romance.

This book reminded me so much of Sophie Gonzales NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER--it bugged me forever until I remembered! There's something slightly upsetting when it's a queer story yet centered around a variety of women competing for the affections of a straight man. REASONS focuses on the reality show Hopelessly Devoted, a knockoff of The Bachelor. Two of the contestants are Krystin, a young rodeo queen from Montana, who really wants to find love, and Lauren, a social media influencer, who hopes to use the show to gain followers.

But as Lauren and Krystin spend time together on the show, they soon realize they care more for each other than the man on Devoted, Josh. This comes as less of a surprise to Lauren, who knows she's gay, but keeps it to herself for social media purposes, than for Krystin, who's never had a relationship of any kind, and her newfound attraction to Lauren scares her.

Krystin often seems really young and confused in this story, and it sometimes seems like it would fitter better as YA, despite the overall plot. It makes sense that two young women would be undecided about their sexuality (and completely okay), but it makes for a very long heterosexual story with the dating show as the backdrop. When the story focuses on finding yourself and figuring out your sexuality, it's much better. Because all the women are competing for a straight man, the queer moments are stolen; this heightens them, but also makes the story very closeted.

The book is often cheesy but has some funny satire about online culture and dating shows. I couldn't help but feel protective of Krystin, and Lauren certainly grew on me over time. There's not a lot of character development or a ton of chemistry, unfortunately, but it's cute.

I didn’t vibe with the writing at all, kristen was cringey af and lauren talked too much about her influencer goals. the way the romance started to be paved made me understand that I would potentially not like the way it would be set the more we read about it

the plot itself is such an entertaining idea but I don’t like the way the author decided to conduct it. it felt too millenial in the most embarrassing way

also I don’t mind closeted gays AT ALL but the way it was portrayed in here bothered me

DNF

I’m a big fan of dating shows and always complain that there aren’t enough queer reality shows, so I jumped at the chance to read this book. It was hard to keep up with the sheer number of characters in the beginning and I was a little confused trying to remember all the names, but the plot moves fast enough and we are left with the key characters. The two leads were both well developed and had chemistry that developed naturally. The author had avoided cliches like the couple getting caught and producers scapegoating them - it was a fairly light read without much angst. Great book for the summer.

I really liked the premise and for the most part cute but I wasn’t 100% all in on them as a couple. I think we could have gotten a bit more character development for both of them from the start, it seemed like there was a lot going on and all of it got resolved all at the end too quickly, I would’ve liked a more even pace.

This book gives the Bachelor in the best way, it's every bit as cringey and fun as a reality dating show. It took me a little while to warm up to the main characters who seemed a little one dimensional at the beginning but I definitely came around and I loved the ending. I wish things had gone a little smoother for Josh, but he was such a good sport about things. Also his door puns were ridiculous and corny in the best way.

Another year, another bachelor-inspired romance book… In all honesty, Here For The Wrong Reasons did not bring anything new to the table. It relied heavily on the reality show premise and not enough on the development of its characters and their relationships. I suggest reading The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun instead of this title as it has a similar storyline and is well written.

A book with all the drama of The Bachelor and it has a sapphic twist? Sign me up! Here for the Wrong Reasons follows Krystin and Lauren as they compete for the heart of the Hopeless Romantic, Josh, on the dating show Hopelessly Devoted. But as the show continues, and the two women get closer to the final proposal, they are also getting closer with each other. In the end, is it Josh that they want, or each other?

Here for the Wrong Reasons is equal parts parody, romantic comedy, and LGBTQAI love fest. I couldn't put this one down. The chemistry between Krystin and Lauren was amazing. And, as a late in life queer person myself, I loved reading about Krystin's journey to finding herself and figuring out what she truly wanted.

This book was decently steamy and the third act break up (which I typically hate) made sense in the context of the story.

Two ladies go on a Bachelor-esque TV show for the wrong reasons… and you KNOW they’re gonna fall in love! Sounds good right? Wrong! This was so disappointing I only read to the end because I wanted to see how they were going to manage to wrap this story up without the two FMCs doing something so awful to the MMC but surprise they didn’t manage that at all. The only character with any personality in this book was Lauren C., the New Jersey influencer who only went on the show for more followers. Josh the bachelor was cardboard, Krisytn the Rodeo Queen was blanddddd, her only personality seemed constructed specifically for the plot and felt so disingenuous. Even once the two gal pals realize they’re into each other, the steamy bits were so lackluster and not hot at all so nothing redeeming in that department. The convoluted wrap up was such a perfect happy bow my eyes almost fell out of my head for how hard I rolled them. I know I’m being harsh here but I really thought this would be a good book and it just didn’t do anything good for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Alcove Press, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for this honest review!!

I liked this one, bachelorette/bachelor vibes for sure, but make it queer.

It was a cute fun read, but the character development wasn't exactly what I was looking for, a few of the characters were quite forgettable, and the plot was mainly focused around Krystin and Lauren falling for each other (which works!) instead of the "main character" of the show. I read this while listening to the audio and as much as I wanted to love it, it just fell into the "this was good but I probably won't read it again" category.

I may update this with a longer review this weekend, but all in all it's a super quick and fun/flirty read with just enough drama and silliness to keep it entertaining.

Thank you to Alcove Press for letting me read (and listen!) to this one early!

"I love you in a real, certain way, and I know I'm not good at, like, feelings and words, but I think I've been trying to tell you that for a really, really long time now. And I want to keep doing it, Krystin. For as long as you'll let me."

+ lesbian main characters, queer side characters
+ reality dating show

what made me read this was the dating show theme and the wlw relationship. i was hoping for more because the romance isn't that clear until the last 20% of the book.
some people might argue that the protagonists were very manipulative with which i can agree in a bit, Lauren was in the show only to gain followers while Krystin actually wanted to experience love.

although it wasn't peak wlw romance i had fun while reading this and in my opinion, it is a perfect beach read this year. we've got romance, a little bit of adventure, and a happy ending.

Krystin, a Rodeo Queen is going on the TV reality competition, Hopelessly Devoted, to find love. She had had no luck with the men in Montana. She hopes to win the heart of this year's Hopeless Romantic, Josh Rosen. But she keeps getting distracted by the dazzling Lauren. Lauren isn't there to win. She doesn't even like men. She just wants to gain enough followers to become a full-time influencer and maybe come out on her own terms. They never expected to fall for each other and the challenge of the game would actually be a challenge of their own identities.

Honest and to the point narrative, it's like your enthusiastic friend who's a great storyteller and a bit gossipy telling you what's what. Often endearing and emotive. Other times real and raw. The two POVs each have their own distinct voice. I enjoyed seeing the gradual growing of feelings and the awkwardness and misunderstandings.

I really like that the lead characters are so different: Krystin is sweet, kind, maybe a little naive, and I appreciate how nice she is. A lot nicer than the other contestants. But she is competitive and no pushover and she tries to play the game. Lauren is the 'I know how to impress and I'm not ashamed to do so' type and she goes for what she wants. I like how clever she is and how she uses every opportunity she can to her advantage. Yet they are the same in the loneliness when it comes to relationships.

You feel like you're really watching the show with the interjections of the the contestants' confessionals etc and the appropriate cheesiness and guilty pleasure appeal. It really puts a spotlight on the none reality of reality TV, fake it till you make it blown out of proportion. That fakeness which unfortunately is a protagonist in our socials and spills into everyday life too.

The secondary characters felt underdeveloped, so much so that I kept forgetting who was what. Even Josh was 'meh' but maybe that was the point? There were also bits of lulls that stuttered the pacing. I often needed the drama to feel more... important, if that's the right word? But I did like the leads' inner dialogue: intimate, truthful and natural.

This is a book about discovering yourself. About being who you are without reservations. Liking who you are. How things can change so unexpectedly. There was fun, there was drama, there was reflection about life and who we are. There was an ending you do predict, and a kickass one at that.

4.5 stars. This was really fun, if you like The Bachelor, you’re going to love this book. It’s fun and flirty and queer. Would recommend!!

I will always be drawn in by the premise of two women falling for each other instead of a milquetoast man.

In Here for the Wrong Reasons, Krystin and Lauren are on a Bachelor-esque type show called Hopelessly Devoted, competing to win the affections of Josh Rosen. Krystin is a "horse girl" but also hot and good at seemingly everything. Lauren is an aspiring influencer who sees herself as machiavellian and thus undeserving of good things.

The novel contains a lot of details regarding the show: interactions between contestants, group dates, and one-on-ones with Josh. The first half felt pretty slow to me - the story really picked up once Krystin and Lauren started secretly fooling around.

Overall, a cute, fun read, but I wanted more personality for both leads, and more interaction between the two of them. I believed their chemistry but felt like I didn't really get to see their connection build.