This was meh - I love a reality show plot but this just didn't quite hit the mark. The characters all felt a bit flat and there was quite of lot of suspension of disbelief (or stupidity) required, but it had juicy drama so that's something.

Fans of the bachelor franchise, rejoice! THE VILLAIN EDIT by Laurie Devore is one of my favorite books from 2024 -- such a fun story with equally compelling writing -- a must-read!

A low 2 stars. This wasn’t for me. I was mostly bored and annoyed by the protagonist's constant pity party.

This could have been fun, but it needed a snarky and juicy writing style to pull that off! Unfortunately, the writing felt flat and emotionless to me. It's all so samey! It feels cold, while everyone keeps saying they are feeling big emotions!

The same goes for the characters. They are dull with no personality. Jac is really not bitchy enough to be fun, but also not nice enough that the reader feels sorry for the villain edit she is receiving. She is just very bland! And I didn't care about who the producers were producing. At all.

Overall, it was lifeless and boring. Also, I’m not sure the book knows which genre it wants to be. It's not romance or satire! Maybe bad contemporary fiction?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

- I just can’t pass up a reality dating show novel, and THE VILLAIN EDIT is probably the juiciest one I’ve read yet.
- I didn’t think a lot of the plot made sense - How is “failed author” going to make you a beloved contestant? Could you really not see that everyone hated you? Did you think the cameras were really gone? Why would they let you talk openly about producer machinations on air? Etc. Maybe I just watch too much Bachelor, though.
- However, despite or maybe because of all that, I couldn’t put it down becauseI needed to know what would happen next.

The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore, if I’m being honest, wasn’t my favorite romance. The borderline infidelity that comes from being on a dating reality tv show really isn’t my jam—the show’s lead is dating multiple women at once, which is already icky—but then the FMC is “dating” the guy on the show while hooking up with the producer, too? Eh, I know it’s part of the process she went through to arrive at her happy ending, but I just didn’t love it. I could empathize with Jacqueline, I could understand WHY she made the decisions that she did, but this one was just a little too messy—ALTHOUGH I did enjoy the ending. *smirks* It had a pretty good ending.

If you love shows like The Bachelor or Love Island, then you’ll probably love The Villain Edit.

This book was a read in one sitting sort of novel. It was very compelling and kept me interested. There is reality tv, and the facade these people get in an edit. The Fillain edit was perfect and had a fast plot without being too typical. Definitely a lick it up now.

Oh my what a wild ride! If you like the Bachelor shows you will love this book. I loved every second, definitely one of my favorites this year. Jac's time on the1 with Marcus as lead and Henry as a producer keeps you wanting more. Who gets the happily ever after?

Well, this was an absolute riot! My anxiety was through the roof, actually sweating and panicking but wow. There was so much drama but I also by far enjoyed the exploration of the behind-the-scenes of the reality dating show. I love reality tv and this was so much fun to read! I mean, it really can be blamed on the edit sometimes.

The Villain edit brought you into your favorite reality dating show to make a case that the villains might not always be as bad as we are made to think. Often you don’t even see the true extent of how they ended up there and what parts don’t even factor in.
I went back and forth on liking the main character, which I think was the point. At times I felt for her and didn’t know who to trust either, but then she would try to pass off something she did as a stupid mistake, but instead felt rather calculating.
Overall though I enjoyed the concept and the writing, a fun quick read!

I really enjoyed this book but I had SO MUCH anxiety the entire time😂 There's tons of drama, secrets, scandals, tension, and chemistry that make this a story you won't want to put down!

I recently watched the 2015 show UnREAL which this was giving me similar vibes to -- minus the deaths and awful things that happen in the show. But the anxiety and the questioning of what's sincere or if the producers are just producing you/manipulating you for the show made me think of it. I don't really watch reality tv but I imagine I'd think back on the "villains" of past seasons and feel bad for them if I did after reading this book. We all know that reality tv edits things and takes them out of context to create drama and a show that will sell and get better ratings. This is obviously fiction but I feel like it's probably pretty accurate to how some contestants are feeling on these shows. Since it's about a reality show there are a lot of names thrown into the mix but I didn't find it hard to keep up with at all and each of the girls that made it far in the show were easy to differentiate. The pace was perfect and the chapters were each named after a song which was fun.

I liked Jac and Henry but they also both really frustrated me throughout the entire book because they kept making bad decisions and I could never trust what Henry was really feeling. I was still rooting for them anyway though! And I felt for Jac because the whole process would definitely take a toll on anyone in her shoes. I just kept waiting for good things to happen for her. Marcus made me so angry and some of the other producers/contestants because so many people are producing each other so basically nothing is real which would drive me nuts irl, but of course just added to the drama and made me want to see what would happen next and who was actually good or manipulative. I really liked that we got the inside/behind the scenes look at the show as Jac is actively living it, but we also get the outside perspective from tabloids and podcasts that show how it's playing out outside their little on set bubble. It foreshadows how Jac will be feeling after the show wraps up but doesn't give everything away.

The author also doesn't shy away from the kind of threats and abuse Jac was getting from being on the show and how it affected her, as well as a former female lead, which is really important because we see it all the time in the media/online how awful people treat those who are in the public eye. There's a good balance of fun and serious in this story.

Read if you like:
💗reality tv
💗drama (which is probably a given if you like reality tv)
💗forbidden romance
💗secret rendezvous
💗workplace romance
💗love-triangle

I don't actually like reality tv but I do really enjoy fiction about reality tv. So even if you're not a fan of The Bachelor or shows like it, you can still enjoy this book like I did (:

Thank you Avon & NetGalley for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book came out 8/27/24 so go check it out especially if you're a reality tv fan or even critic! The drama will hook you from the start!

The author masterfully portrays flawed, relatable characters navigating the blurry lines between perception and reality, particularly in how we craft our online personas. The story is filled with drama, tension, and thought-provoking moments that will keep readers hooked. Devore's sharp writing and keen insight into the pressures of being young in today's world make this a standout contemporary YA novel. Perfect for fans of character-driven stories with a modern twist!

This was SO FUN! As a self-proclaimed reality TV fanatic, I absolutely loved reading this behind-the-scenes take on a reality TV dating show (based on The Bachelor, obvs). As I've been watching reality TV since finishing this, I've been wondering how much truth there is to the behind-the-scenes content portrayed in this book.

If you're a reality TV fan of any sort, but especially The Bachelor franchise, this is a must-read!

Anything Bachelor-esque is right up my alley. I love reality TV and any media that offers a slightly jaded behind-the-scenes look at it (aka UnReal). Because of that, I really enjoyed this book. My hottest take, of course, is Let Women be Unlikeable! Jac was at times, as is her right, especially in a setting that we know is presented as squeaky clean, like most reality dating shows are.

Fun read for fans of reality TV and the Bachelor franchise. It's a bit predictable, but still fun and I loved the inclusion of articles, podcasts etc

Talk about the best bachelor book. Jac is feisty, puts up with no sh*t and is unapologetically herself. Dual timelines. During the filming and after.

Jac knows she can win Marcos’s heart, but what she didn’t count on was Henry Foster. From ITM (in the moment) interviews to tears to master manipulation. This love story has it all.

If you like the bachelor and revenge. This is for you. I really enjoyed it. You’ll love Jac, hate Jac, and love her again. Anything for that villain edit.

The Villain Edit was a wild, addictive ride from start to finish. Laurie Devore’s deep dive into the world of reality TV, complete with behind-the-scenes manipulation and contracts that hold contestants hostage, gave the book a thrilling and fresh take on the genre. Jac is an unapologetically flawed and complex character—selfish, raw, and refreshingly real, yet lovable enough to root for even when she’s being the "villain." The love triangle was full of tension and kept me guessing, while the social media interludes cleverly heightened the suspense. Although the ending felt a bit rushed, the pacing was perfect, and the drama was juicy and messy in the best way. Devore's sharp commentary on the pressures women face, both on-screen and off, gave the story unexpected depth.

This was a really engaging and quick read about a woman who goes on a Bachelor style TV show. There are a lot of people who aren’t there “for the right reasons” and your typical untrustworthy producers. This was a sort of palate cleanser for me as it was fairly light and I tore through it. I enjoyed the salaciousness, the spice and the pace.

This was cute just not for me!
I did feel it was a fun read & I enjoyed the drama throughout.
I really like dating shows so I thought I’d love this as well, It just wasn’t something I really enjoyed reading about. Cute idea though and I feel a lot of people will love it.

"𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯."
Laurie Devore's 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧 is a clever skewing of dating shows like 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳, but whether you're a fan of reality TV or not, the book is well worth your time.

"𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘰𝘰."

The story centers on Jacqueline, a romance writer who decides to go on a dating show to revive her failing career. She knows how to play the part the producers want - she writes characters like the ones they need all the time - but when she realizes she's getting the villain edit and is also the frontrunner to win, she knows she's in over her head.

I often have a hard time with books set in the world of reality TV since it's what I do for a living but Devore gets a lot of it right. Not all of us producers are as heartless as the ones she writes but the details of process are spot on. I also loved her name checking other authors (Jacqueline picks up books by Mhairi McFarlane, Robinne Lee, Kiley Reid and Adrienne Brodeur at one point) and that all the chapters were named for songs - they make for a great playlist!

Thanks to Harper Voyager and Avon Books for the copy to review.