Member Reviews
Name Your Price is a quick and engrossing rom-com about Olivia Martin and Chuck Walsh who although having sizzling chemistry cannot seem to stop fighting. After a video of their latest breakup spat goes viral they are approached to go on a reality television show where people are asked to do something they wouldn't do for large sums of money. For Olivia and Chuck it is being locked in a house together for a month with a cash payout of a million dollars. Money that can be used to help Olivia continue to pay for her grandmother's care and Chuck to keep himself afloat after losing out on a major acting gig. Once locked in the house challenges begin and Olivia and Chuck find themselves a new enemy - the production of the show.
I enjoyed this book, it was a fast read and the characters definitely had a lot of chemistry. Olivia and Chuck were the highlight of the book, the side characters were not the best and some of the pacing at the end was odd. I understand that there needed to be a happy ending but some of the chapters between did not fully explain why Olivia made the choices she did regarding her parents.
This was slightly cringe for me. Do I want to be a million dollar richer? Yes. Would I want to do it with my ex? Absolutely not. It game me typical reality show plot… nothing was different-
Big Brother, meets second chance romance, meets enemies to lovers?! Loved this! This was a perfect, swoony, romance for a summer day!
This book was so quirky and cute. Olivia is the daughter of 2 very famous parents but she has lived a life out of the spotlight...until now. Her parents have passed away some years back but they were rumored to be having an affair while her dad was married to a high profile up and coming actress. Olivia just happens to fall in love with a movie star and they have strived for privacy.
Chuck Walsh is a Hollywood hottie who is getting started in his career. The privacy Olivia was able to live in is shattered the day they have a very public fight and it happened to be filmed. Chuck was keeping a secret about why he was fired from the set of a movie too. Olivia had just had enough and says she is done with their relationship.
Olivia pays for her gram's care at a nursing home and she's running out of funds to keep her there. The answer to her problems comes in the form of a knock on her door. The Name Your Price game/reality shows wants her and Chuck to get locked in a house for a set period of time. No touching and they have to do challenges to earn things like an extra bathroom or dishwasher use. Sounds easy to make that million when you can't stand the person you have to live with.
Every time they touch, they are fined. Their prize money decreases. Chuck and Olivia start to realize they know a lot about each other and they start to find it harder than they thought to stay hands off. Olivia's gram drops quite the bombshell on her and this changes Olivia's whole outlook on her life both past and present time. Is this enough to keep her in the house with Chuck? Will he tell her why he was fired? Are her parents who she really thought they were? Phew the answers to those questions are wild!
Thank you to @NetGalley, @duttonbooks, and @hellohollyjames for my ARC copy to read in exchange for my honest review.
4.25🌟 I had such a good time reading this book! The concept was unique and clever, all while utilizing some of my classic favorite tropes like forced proximity, second chance romance, and more.
The story follows Olivia and Chuck whose passion isn't just limited to the bedroom but also their arguments. After a very heated, and unfortunately public, fight leaves them broken up, a video of their argument goes viral, leading a reality show to give them an offer they can't refuse. The catch? They have to stay locked in a house together for an entire month.
I have to say, the premise of the book was so much fun. The banter between Olivia and Chuck was fantastic, but not only that, they had moments of genuine love and care that left me seriously rooting for their relationship. In addition to Olivia and Chuck, I loved the side characters within the story. Sometimes it feels like these types of characters just exist to fill space, but this was not the case in Name Your Price. I loved Grandma Ruby, Chelsea, and Mansi and enjoyed the scenes of the book with them and the relationship they had with the main characters. Shout out to Tyler as well!
In the end, my only complaint is that I wish the book had been a little longer, although, I actually really do appreciate the author for not feeling the need to drag it out beyond what was necessary. She definitely left me wanting more! Holly James somehow managed to create a fun, quick read that still had characters with depth, a back story, and a steamy and complex romance. I can't wait to read more from this amazing author!
Name Your Price was my first Holly James’ book I’ve read, but it will not be my last! A book about a game show was very intriguing to me. It was a quick, light read which I like to mix in to the books I read. What I did not enjoy about the book was that the couple seemed only connected physically, not emotionally. The things they argued about seemed minuscule and silly. Although the premise of this book was fun to read and I enjoyed reading the forced proximity, I feel as if I did not connect to the characters and that the ending was a bit rushed.
This book! Oh my gosh, I both could not devour it fast enough and never wanted it to end. I mean, a book that starts with a breakup and then the twist is that these two RECENTLY SEPARATED people have to try to survive in a house together? COME ON. It was too good. This was my "on the treadmill" book and it actually MOTIVATED me to go to the gym. That's how much I wanted to get back to it.
Highly recommend this strategy (the key being you do not allow yourself to read it when you're NOT at the gym, haha).
Genre: romance
Format: ebook
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Star Rating: 4.5 STARS
The chemistry between Olivia and Chuck just radiated off the page. In their banter, in their arguments, in their deep moments and those more...intimate. You could tell these were two people who really loved each other...but weren't at the right place mentally to meet each other where they were.
The reality TV aspect of this book was really well done in my opinion. There was just enough of the "behind-the-scenes" tidbits mixed in with a lot of moments where you basically forget that they're on TV in the first place. Really enjoyed these parts.
If I had a complaint, and it's a very minor one, it's that Liv and Chuck got over their pettiness a little too fast. I would have loved to see more antics between the two of them as they found their rhythm in the house together.
Read If You Like:
Enemies-to-Lovers
Opposites Attract
Christina Lauren level banter
There's only one bed
Forced Proximity
Lots of Longing
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I didn't hate it but I'm underwhelmed
I didn't love chuck or Olivia they fight so what that earns them a chance at a million dollar. I just didn't buy it. Then they lose and don't get the money but they got to keep the advance? I thought if they lost they got nothing?
I would have loved more about Astrid and Olivia. Was feeling kind of the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I was for it.
This was a fun second chance romance. i thought the concept of the reality show forcing exs together was fun and unique. The challenges put them in such awkward positions, which was entertaining for the reader. The plot moved fast and kept me hooked the entire time. I absolutely loved Olivia and Chuck together and was rooting for them.
4.5⭐️ rounded up.
I LOVED this book! What a volatile couple Olivia and Chuck are. We start right out with them in a huge fight, of course it’s immediately after they were intimate. They fight big and make up bigger over and over, until this particular fight ends up on the sidewalk where they are captured on film.
Chuck is an actor who has a bad reputation and Olivia is the child of a scandalous affair between her celebrity parents who died in an accident before they could raise her. So of course the video end up all over the internet and tv.
This brings in the reality TV show, Name Your Price, who wants to put them together in a house for a month with certain rules and crazy challenges. If they can last they win $1,000,000 which they both desperately need for different reasons.
How long do they last? You’ll have to read to find out. Do they kill each other? Do they fall back in love? Do they confront feelings and past hurts? Again, you’ll have to read to find out. But it is sooo worth it.
What an incredible journey both of their lives take. I couldn’t put this one down, reading through dinner and staying up late. I fell in love with both Olivia and Chuck, as well as Grandma Ruby and Mansi.
In a sea of Romance/Rom-Coms, this one stands out above the others.
*Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.
Initially, I was just as annoyed by Olivia and Chuck as Olivia and Chuck were 😜 But as they started understanding each other better, I found myself going along for the ride. This book turned out to be absolutely adorable and heart-melting and gave me so many warm fuzzies! 🥰 The situations Olivia and Chuck find themselves in are hilarious and ridiculous! While I didn’t love the lack of honest between them, and felt the ending was a bit rushed, I did love seeing how much these two grew and matured and learned about themselves and each other. 3.5 stars ❤️
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this advanced copy of Name Your Price. I really enjoyed Holly James’s other book, The Deja Glitch, and this was a perfect follow-up from the author.
Name Your Price tells the story of Chuck and Olivia, a couple who has amazing chemistry, but cannot communicate for the life of them. They break up pretty explosively on the sidewalk, causing a reality TV to offer them a chance of a lifetime, a million dollars to not get back together while locked in a house together.
They agree thinking their relationship is finally over, and while in the house they realize there is so much more of each other they never even learned.
I love Olivia’s character, how flawed she is from her own trauma. I love her journey of realizing these flaws.
Overall it’s a wonderful romcom with a lot of heart. I’ll be reading any other future books by Holly James.
Explosive rom com with chemistry & love/hate, history & therapy, family secrets & opening up to them.
Olivia and Chuck go viral for a public breakup which was not pretty - they each have their own troubles which we dive deeper into later in the book.
They have an opportunity to make a $1M if they can live together for 1 month with *rules* and challeges.
I loved the found family aspects and the ending was so feel good, I'm glad everything worked out for them in the end, but seeing the journey to get there made it even more satisfying.
Love this story. Perfect blend of sweet, romantic, spicy and interesting. The characters have great chemistry and lots of fun twists and turns that were expected. The main plot and all the subplots worked well together to make Name Your Prince the perfect weekend read!
Very disappointed with this read. The story sounded interesting enough, even if I had a bit of an eyebrow raise around the premise. The problem for me was that I started off not liking Olivia very much and, as the book continued, I grew to really dislike her. For the entire book, she was so caught up in herself and this strange sexual chemistry with Chuck that she ended up being very one dimensional and, well, not the best person. The whole book starts with Olivia as this emotionally volatile person who blows up in a very public way, despite the fact that she insists she has always been trying to fly under the radar because of her parents and their situation. And she never seems to get any better, always jumping to the worst conclusions, and not really learning from her behaviour. Chuck was generally likeable for the duration of the book. I never found that he was doing anything wrong other than maybe pursuing this person who was really selfish and focused on herself. I definitely have a hard time with women in books who seem to be users, and that was the impression I got of Olivia.
Add to that, the fact that the book and plot made me constantly question it, and you get a recipe for something that just didn't work for me. I felt like the author didn't really think through the story fully, and that she pretty much wrapped it all up with a bow that let Olivia have a wonderful HEA that felt like rewarding a bad person. Boo.
The writing is fine, but I found myself really wanting the story to move along. Chemistry with someone where you constantly picture them naked can be good romance, but this time, it did nothing for me to cement the idea that Olivia and Chuck were truly in love with each other. They seemed to be addicted to the make up sex and fighting which didn't seem healthy or sustainable.
The only thing that bumped this to a 2 star was the actual last few chapters, because the story got more interesting and Olivia seemed to have an attempted redemption arc. Again, though, things just wrapped up too nicely for her and I was a bit grumbly over it because she didn't deserve it.
Holly James is the master of writing romance books that exist in the entertainment industry. It would be so easy to write these stories and make them unapproachable or out of touch with average life, but she does it in such an inviting and fun way that it's almost impossible to not get swept up in it.
I really loved everything about this story. Chuck and Olivia were such interesting characters and their flaws really made them all the more interesting to me. I thought the plot was really well thought out, and I could easily imagine all of this so vividly in my head. I think romance lovers will enjoy this a lot.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this!
Super cute! Decent depth for character development and would be interested in seeing how this author continues to grow and her characters!
It was a very interesting book. I enjoyed the game show aspect. I will definitely read more from this author in the future. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book was a really cute twist on forced proximity. The chemistry between the main characters was great and it was intriguing to see how their story would end. The beginning of the book felt a bit rushed, but the time the characters were on the show and the relationship between the main character and her best friend and grandma were really sweet. A nice light read!
4.25 stars!
Olivia (daughter of Hollywood darlings) and Chuck (B-list movie star) are hot off an incredibly viral public breakup when they’re approached with an opportunity neither of them can refuse.. Live with each other on a reality TV show in the same house for one month and win one million dollars (each). They each have reasons for needing the money, and so this fire and gasoline couple sets out to win a fortune and figure out what to do about their relationship gone wrong.
I was surprised at how much I loved this read! Talk about a heavy hitting, giggly, swoon worthy rom-com. The plot was super unique. Every piece of this story was well written and I read this book in two days easily.
I didn’t know what to expect out of the setting of the book considering most of the book took place with the main characters trapped in a house together, but the story provided lots of twists and turns and I never got bored. Sometimes the Hollywood trope gets cheesy, but this was an excellent example of all of the conflict Hollywood can cause which made it very realistic. All of the subplots pushed the story along and gave a lot of depth to our characters and the book as a whole.
The chemistry between Olivia and Chuck was exploding off the pages and I was rooting so hard for their happily ever after by the end! The romance was perfectly executed. The character development was one of my favorite pieces of the story. It was evident from the start that these two had a lot of growing up to do. We covered a lot throughout the book but both Olivia and Chuck had excellent character arcs that had me hooked and wanting to keep reading.
Oh, and I loved the ending! Add this to your summer TBR immediately.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group- Dutton for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Read if you love..
Forced proximity
Slow burn
A little bit of Hollywood
Sizzling chemistry
Burnt banana pancakes