I did not finish this one - I tried to push through, it just wasn’t for me unfortunately. I can see why others love it, I just couldn’t get into it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Olivia and Chuck have amazing chemistry! Major sexual tension and then explosive arguments. When someone videotapes their dramatic fight in the street, it goes viral. A reality show, Name Your Price, offers them each a million dollars to live in the house together for one month. Olivia needs the money and Chuck just wants to win Olivia back. Can they follow the rules including no touching, to win?

This was such a cute idea for a book. I thought it was an adorable and fun read. I loved Olivia and Chuck together! Plus this had two of my favorite tropes, forced proximity and second chance romance. Such a good book and I definitely recommend reading it!

📘: Name Your Price by Holly James
🗓️: July 30, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Holly James, and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads.

I didn’t hate this but I also didn’t love it. I think the start of the story but decent but towards the middle it just felt so very unbelievable. I wish there was more backstory involving Olivia’s parents and how that came to me. Overall not terrible but not my favorite.

I was not the target audience for this book. Miscommunication is just not for me. It drives me crazy. The miscommunication in this book was just absolutely unnecessary.

Chuck and Olivia have a relationship perfect for reality TV. And when one of their explosive, passionate fights spills onto the street with people recording them reality show producers take notice. As this argument ends with them breaking up Olivia names her price for them getting back together. The producers at the reality show Name Your Price are given the perfect scenario to get them on their show. Because Olivia has the responsibility of taking care of her aging grandma she can't say no and Chuck agrees since he also needs money after just being fired from his latest movie. The situation they are put into offers many fun and tense moments to create a perfect dramatic reality show.
Even though the reality show is a big part of this book, it is not what makes Chuck and Olivia's story worth reading. The chemistry between these characters is undeniable and it creates so many heartwarming and heartbreaking moments that keep things interesting. The things Olivia has been through in her life have made her a very skeptical of anything related to love. But as things are revealed to her the more she realizes things are not always what they seem.
The growth of these characters throughout this book is realistic and kept me turning the pages to find out if things will finally work out for the best. A wonderfully written story with so much heart and depth. I highly recommend this entertaining and heartwarming book!
I am extremely grateful to Penguin Group - Dutton Books for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this book through Netgalley. All of the thoughts in this review are my own and not influenced by any outside sources.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first title by Holly James and overall, I enjoyed it. You've got second chance and forced proximity, which are a dynamite duo, and Holly's writing is fun and quick-paced, making the book hard to put down. Plus the premise had me hooked from the start.

However, I will say that based on the description of the book, I was expecting them to be in the house/on the show a lot longer, and I expected them to go a lot deeper than they did. The relationship between Olivia and Chuck was pretty surface level and remained that way until the end of the book, but I was hoping they would dive deeper and have some true emotional bonding. Also, they couldn't go online, but could text? If you have internet access to text...couldn't you...use the internet? The math wasn't mathing there.

I'm also not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope, but this one in particular felt so unnecessary. It didn't feel believable that Olivia, of ALL people, with famous parents who were treated poorly and misrepresented by the media, would jump to the conclusion of him cheating on her. It did serve the purpose of angering Olivia enough that she left the house and helped move the story along, but it felt...cheap.

Besides those few things, I did enjoy the book and look forward to reading other books by Holly James. If you're looking for a fast-paced rom com with a hit of heat, this will definitely satisfy.

Holly James has written a fun easy beach read. This was just what the doctor ordered.

Olivia Martin and Chuck Walsh have chemistry. There is no doubt about this. It is a vicious cycle of fighting and then making up. But when an explosive breakup is recorded, a TV show wants to offer the pair a deal that is just too good to pass up. Live together for a month in a house together, don't leave and don't touch each other and there is a payout that neither can refuse.

Lots of sparks and lots of sparing.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First of all I want to apologize for this being late. I both got a new job and have been dealing with a reading slump. So I'm sorry for that.
Anyways, now for the review.

Y'all ever heard of r/arethestraightsok? Well this book is the epitome of that.

If you're into watching straight people being fools and trash reality tv than honey this is the book for you!
Yeah if the blatant sarcasm didn't make it obvious I didn't like this book. I'm not against the whole "falling in love via reality tv" plot. I was actually intrigued by that, but the couple I just couldn't believe that they were romantically into each other. For the first 50% of the book it just talked about how physically into each other they were. And honestly, there's only so much talk of how physically attractive you find each other before I get tired. Like ok cool you wanna bone, what else? What do you like about her besides her body? What do you like about him besides his butt? By the time it got to the What they liked about each other as people, I just couldn't believe it. Not just because of the physical attraction stuff, but also Chuck and Olivia were just really emotionally immature characters. Like they couldn't just talk to each other like adults until the very tail end of the book. Like cmon man. This book wasn't all bad though, the writing was good at least, I do plan on reading other books by this author because of that. Also the subplot with Olivia parents was good. Kind of wish the book had been about that instead to be honest. Honestly I could go into more details but I don't want to make this review longer than it already is. If you want a more in depth review, I do plan on going into more detail on my booktube channel. I'll link the review once it's made. Anyways that's it. 2 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's a fun story that deals with issues from reality TV and handling family and relationship strife. I found the concept to be really unique, and the book's main plot—involving the slow burning and passionate romance —made it an engaging read.

Chuck and Olivia had such great chemistry throughout the entire story. The tension and humor between the two was something I really enjoyed. The flashbacks from the beginning of their relationship were especially interesting to me because they gave the characters a genuine sense and increased the intensity of their emotions. This is a book you will like if you like romance novels that don't have a lot of smut.

Olivia had such a rich past, which gave her character so much depth, and I also loved it. The relationship between Olivia and her grandmother is also one of my favorite aspects of this novel. Olivia's character gains depth from the sacrifices she takes to provide her grandmother with a lovely and carefree life.

The book, in my opinion, concluded quite nicely. The writer provided us with further information regarding the course of their lives following the program and the outcomes that affected them both.

Two of my favorite tropes are forced proximity and second-chance relationships, and both are done incredibly well in this book. Anyone who like such tropes or decent reality TV should absolutely check this out.

Enjoyed the different aspect of this book and how it took our cultures love of game shows and reality TV and made it into a romance. The chemistry was also cute between these two.

3.5!

This book was a lot of fun! I’ve realized that I really enjoy a reality TV show premise in a novel. Name Your Price was a quick, enjoyable read with likable characters and a solid plot. It took a bit for me to warm up to Olivia and Chuck, but once they met the producers and got into the house, I was hooked. The only thing I wish there was more of was time in the house and more challenges. I understand why their stay was short, but it was so entertaining and different from other romcoms that I wanted more!

Olivia and Chuck are a great example of a well-done second-chance romance. Their chemistry is strong from the start, but they face real issues that need to be resolved before they can reconnect. Being locked in a house together forces them to confront their problems and remember what they like about each other. They aren’t perfect, but they feel like real people who genuinely care for each other and put in the effort to work through their issues, even if some of it happens off-page in the epilogue.

And can we talk about the subplot with Olivia’s parents? I loved it. Hollywood drama, whether real or fictional, is always fascinating, and watching Olivia uncover the truth about her parents with Astrid’s help was beautifully handled. It added depth without overshadowing the main storyline. Honestly, I’d read an entire book focused on that aspect.

All in all, Name Your Price was a fun, engaging romcom that kept me invested the whole way through and delivered a satisfying happily-ever-after.

Name Your Price is a sweet little celeb romance about a struggling actor and struggling journalist who fight and fuck and fight some more. They get caught breaking up on the street and when the video goes viral they get invited onto a reality show where they live in a house, big brother style together for 30 days and can’t touch each other. If they last without boning each other, they each win 1 million bones.

I’m not gonna spoil what happens, but if you dirty little voyeurs are hoping that cameras capture some rated X footage, look elsewhere. This book is pg-13. Despite the lack of public fornication, I liked this book and the hot headed characters with their million dollar blue balls. Def recommend.

Smut- 2.91 stars
Romance- a white hot rage filled 4.25 stars
Story- 4.31 stars
Anger Banging- 8.87 stars

This is a unique concept for a book and I had a good time. They had such strong chemistry. I loved this so much just as much as her debut.

3.5 stars truly, it was a perfect read. Left me happy, but one I’m not likely to pick up again.

This book was short, sweet and such a tender hearted romp of a read. All the while, it epitomized the phrase- “to know her is to love her.” Our mains, Chuck and Olivia had so much love for each other throughout the entirety of the book that it absorbed the basic bare bones plot and added a shine to it. However, a caveat is that it was almost too shiny, the bow wrapped so neatly around it.

Definitely recommend for a quick rom-com read that won’t leave you unfulfilled or frustrated from poor use of tropes.

4 ⭐️ This was so much fun. I've learned that I LOVE a book with a reality tv show premise. Name Your Price was such a fun and easy read with incredibly likable characters and a solid plot. It took me a minute to get into the story and start to like our main characters, Olivia and Chuck, but once they met with producers and actually got into the house? I was HOOKED. The only thing I wish we had gotten more of in the book was time actually in the house and more challenges. Don't get me wrong, I 100% understand why they only lasted a few days, I just wish there was more because it was fun and different from other romcoms I've read.

Olivia and Chuck are a perfect example of a second chance romance done well. They have undeniable chemistry from the jump but have real problems that they need sorting through before they get to come back together and walk off into the sunset. Locked in a house together is the perfect setting for forcing our lovers to confront their issues and why their relationship has struggled for so long while also reminding them of what they actually like about each other. Neither of them are perfect but they feel like real people who genuinely love and care for the other and put in the effort to work through their problems (even if some of it is off page in the epilogue) so they can be together.

Also, can we talk about the background story with Olivia's parents? LOVE. Hollywood drama is always fascinating (real or fake) and getting to see Olivia work through her parent's story and bringing light to the truth with the help of Astrid was so beautifully done and entertaining without overshadowing the rest of the storylines throughout. Truthfully, I would read a book focusing on just that aspect.

I said it once but I am saying it again- Name Your price was FUN. It was a great romcom that kept me invested the whole way through and offered a perfectly satisfying HEA.

Read Completed 8/8/24 | 3.5 stars
NAME YOUR PRICE was an easy, fun romance. I've liked Holly James' past works, most specifically THE DEJA GLITCH, so I was excited for another romance from her.

Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of celebrity romcoms. For some reason, I just don't care about the movie/TV industry and sometimes it's a turn-off. I liked that there wasn't a huge focus on that, despite being on a reality TV show. The author made a good focus on the characters and their relationship and I really grew to care about both of them.

I also had a hard time with the "enemies to lovers" and "second chance romance" concepts here. They really weren't enemies but the concept is still kind of the same, having a huge blow-out fight and then another trope -- forced proximity -- takes over as well. I don't necessarily mind it AS MUCH when it's more rivals to lovers, like in a workplace romance, but these two were just MEAN to each other during their fights. It's like a Ross and Rachel thing. They have this romance, passion, are meant to be together, but then they're just mean to each other when they're fighting and they were so inconsiderate when they were together in the beginning. And you know what, they really didn't address that.... They got better at communicating and fixed some things but they barely apologized for how they used to treat each other and despite passion, I would have a hard time if I fought with someone like that during our relationship. Just not the way I handle relationships I guess!

The TV show part was fine, but I didn't really like the way it ended. I did like seeing the couple forced to work together and really starting to get along. They really did have some good chemistry and I loved the close moments where they actually felt like best friends too. This also did have more spice than Holly James' previous books and I really didn't care about it. I liked that her books were low to no spice. This wasn't a lot, but they were a couple that couldn't keep their hands off of each other and eh. Other people will like it but I didn't care.

This was an easy read and fun, but I just didn't love it. Still solid and I can see others connecting with it more than I did! Mostly, I just didn't like the way they treated each other in the beginning and didn't like how they didn't really address is.

*4.5

This is a unique concept for a book and I had a good time. They had such strong chemistry but it was easy to see where they went wrong. Being in the house made them talk about their feelings and it helped them to grow together. The part where they were hugging out by the pool made my heart melt.

I received an arc through netgalley.

⭐3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
🌶️ 2 spice

Name Your Price by Holly James follows the tumultuous couple, Olivia (FMC) and Chuck (MMC). Olivia and Chuck have a passionate but dysfunctional relationship that ends up going viral. The viral video then gets them roped into a reality tv show, where they have the opportunity to win big if they can follow the rules. But doing so, they need to work together to win the game. Will they be able to make it a month without exploding on eachother? Being stuck together will make them face truths they have packed away, will they be able to uncover their secrets in the process?

I really liked the playfulness of this book! You could feel the angst between Olivia and Chuck. I think this book would have rocked if it had dual POV. It was a storyline I have not read before which was very entertaining. I felt like there was a lot of build up and tension between the characters so when we finally got to the spice, it felt like a long time coming! I would have loved to read a bit more spice between the two characters. I would definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a fun, low-spice novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC of Name Your Price by Holly James in exchange for an honest review.

Two hot and bothered exes who still swoon over each other are offered a million dollars to go on a reality tv show where they're locked in a house together for a month.
Call it crazy, maybe.
Challenges, drama, and plenty of LOL moments. This was such a feel good book.

Name Your Price had a fun premise, but the characters were just not likable. I did NOT want a reunion and it was just such a slow story that I ultimately gave up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for a honest review.