Hi! Yes, I am back with another romance review and this one, oh goodness, let's get into it.

What's it about? Wedding gown designer Andie signs up for a reality show to get the potential $100,000 prize to help fund her spot in Atlanta's Fashion Week, and all she has to do is marry a stranger signs unseen. No big deal, until the person she says "I do" to is the same person she said "I love you to", the same person who left and destroyed her 7 years ago.

I truly am trying so hard to write this as professionally as I can, but I am just going to word vomit for a minute so hang with me. ANDIE IS PERFECT. Andie is the most darling hyper focused wedding dress designer and I think she might be one of my most favorite MC's. She is feisty, strong, brave, caring, silly, smart, I think I personally fell in love with her. THEN, insert stage right, comes KIT. Kit is a cinnamon roll with thighs to die for and a heart that tries with all its might to protect the ones he loves.

I adored this book. And not just adored it, I immediately restarted it so I can go back through and take notes and highlight my favorite quotes. This is cheeky, silly, fun, light hearted, with serious heart wrenching moments that brought tears to my eyes. Did I say light hearted and heart wrenching in the same sentence? Yes, yes I did. Just read the book, it's worth it.

I loved this one! It was a fresh, funny take on the reality show Married at First Sight....except with the inventive twist of the participants being exes who'd never quite over each other. When they end up marrying each other unexpectedly, sparks fly (again), only this time they have a whole lot of baggage to work through. I loved the characters, especially Kit, who was refreshingly NOT broody and sweet in that delicious way that made this feel less like a romance novel and more like a real-life experience I was lucky enough to get to read about. I loved how the heroine and hero forced each other to grow and their chemistry was palpable on the page. I'll be looking for more from this author!

In Ingrid Pierce's romantic comedy, "Not You Again," Andie Dresser, a wedding gown designer, finds herself in a whirlwind of love and opportunity when she signs up for a reality show with a chance to win $100,000. Desperate to expand her business, Andie agrees to marry a stranger on camera, only to discover that her groom is Kit Watson, the man who left her without explanation ten years ago. As they navigate the challenges of the reality show, Andie and Kit realize that their feelings for each other are far from over. Amidst zip-lining adventures and ax-throwing therapy sessions, they find themselves falling in love again. However, with the show's decision day and Andie's Fashion Week dreams looming, she must decide whether the manufactured scenarios for TV are enough to choose love over her ambitions. Pierce's writing is witty and engaging, bringing Andie and Kit's characters to life with humor and depth. The supporting cast adds layers of complexity to the story, with Andie's best friend, Sasha, and Kit's mother, Gloria, playing pivotal roles in their journey. The reality show setting provides a unique backdrop for their romance, adding a layer of excitement and unpredictability to the plot. "Not You Again" is a delightful read for fans of romantic comedies and reality TV enthusiasts alike. Pierce deftly explores the themes of second chances, forgiveness, and the pursuit of dreams, all while delivering a heartwarming and entertaining story.

“You really can’t survive without me, can you?” She scowls , but drops her hands at her sides, balled into fists. “Amazing I’m still alive, then.”“A miracle.” I say dryly. “Don’t worry, I’m here now.”

I was really excited to read this book and it was better than I was expecting it to be! Andie & Kit were perfect for each other and the history between them served angst! The writing was fantastic and kept me engaged. There was so much left to be resolved between Andie & Kit and it was entertaining to watch them figure out how to act around each other and I loved the activities that their show kept arranging because it helped bring them closer. At first, I was thinking that Andie was really being selfish but towards the end, I could understand her pov and Kit was somewhere to be blamed for their break up too. Both of them did have good character development and I loved how they communicated in the end. Their story was sometimes painful but it was nice watching them fall in love all over again. I went in without having any expectations and this book did surprise me, big time! It was really well written and Andie & Kit both had some flaws but it was what made them feel realistic and relatable. So in fact, I loved the book, it was super enjoyable and really impressive!

Thank you so much Netgalley for providing me the ARC in exchange of an honest review

This was such a sweet story and an unusual set-up. Reality TV, former couple now unexpectedly reunited, trying to navigate a path forward while reconciling the past. I recommend this for anyone looking for a sweet love story where you're rooting for the couple.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC.

If you're a fan of Love is Blind or Married at First Sight, this is the book for you.

A wedding dress designer and an architect, both married to their jobs, are nominated by their friends and family to sign up for a sight-unseen reality show. Come to find out... they had a life-altering love affair as young adults! This modern love story has all the makings of a classic romcom and readers will love every moment of it.

Though all of the secondary characters are a bit underdeveloped, the story offers everything a beach reader could want - "forbidden" romance, characters that are sex on a stick, endearing back stories, a little bit of steam (then a lot of steam!), and an ending that will satisfy the masses.

Well done, Ingrid Pierce.

Andie and Kit get a second chance at love in a “Married At First Sight” inspired romance. While they expected to marry a complete stranger for a reality television show, college sweethearts are surprised to have been put together by the expert matchmakers. Both Andie and Kit were extremely well-rounded characters and I was rooting for them to make their relationship work this time around. For a debut novel, Not You Again was splendid and I look forward to reading more from Pierce in the future.

The premise is fun, the writing flows well, and the pacing is good. I stopped after chapter 1 (3%), but solid three to four stars for the target and five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

💍💍💍💍💍

📄: 𝟸𝟽𝟺𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜
📱: 𝙴-𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔
👍🏻: 𝚈𝚎𝚜 𝙸 𝚆𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍
🗓️: 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟿, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺

𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚜𝚘, 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎.....
*𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝙰𝚝 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚂𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚃𝚅 𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚠
*𝙳𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙿𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚝𝚜
*𝚂𝚎𝚕𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝙼𝙼𝙲

OBSESSED!! I knew early on this was going to be a 5⭐️ read. I love the TV show Married At First Sight so this premise was right up my alley. Not only did I enjoy the main characters but I really liked the minor characters as well. The little snippets/interviews from the show was a great added touch! Highly recommend this one!!

I absolutely loved this one! It was a fresh, funny take on the reality show Married at First Sight....except with the inventive twist of the participants being exes who'd never quite over each other. When they end up marrying each other unexpectedly, sparks fly (again), only this time they have a whole lot of baggage to work through. I loved the characters, especially Kit, who was refreshingly NOT broody and sweet in that delicious way that made this feel less like a romance novel and more like a real-life experience I was lucky enough to get to read about. I loved how the heroine and hero forced each other to grow and their chemistry was palpable on the page. I'll definitely be looking for more from this author!

Thank you to Alcove Press for this ARC!

I devour romance reality TV shows, and this book really felt like a written version of those shows. I really enjoyed this read, and the author does a great job at giving you just enough info on their past to keep reading and root for their future. There was some really good exploration of grief with both Andie and Kit, and even though I normally do not love a second chance romance - it really worked for me in this book.

I do think this book got a little repetitive, but the third act breakup felt realistic and didn't bother me. If you like fake-marriage, second chance romance, grumpy x sunshine (where she's the grumpy), reality tv romance shows, I think you'd love this book!

Wonderfully written love story that captured and held my attention from the start. A story about knowing your worth while also letting others know their worth to you. A perfect quick beach read for when you want a heart warming ending.

This was EXACTLY the kind of romcom I was looking for. I adored it from start to finish. The characters all had arcs and depth. The writing was flawless. Just sublime. 10/10 Would absolutely recommend.

Absolutely loved this one! Was so in the mood for a book like this after seeing Anythung But You. I loved the wedding planning aspect as well as the great chemistry between the mains. I really enjoyed the ipunique storyline and I can’t wait to share more soon. One of my favorite reads in awhile. So so good!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to pick this one up!
I enjoyed this. I love a second chance romance trope and I love reality TV / married at first sight inspired stories, so this was right up my alley. Andie and Wit are previous lovers who broke up unexpectedly and dramatically, brought back together by a reality show that makes them get married on first sight.
I think this story could have really benefited from now/then timelines: I really needed to understand Andie/Wit of the past to really get Andie/Wit of the presence. Their emotions and chemistry was wonderful, but I couldn't really connect with the vagueness of the past relationship timeline. I thought the author did a great job of mixing in their traumas from their parents/past relationships with their current circumstances and molding out their careers and personal aspirations. I wish the reality show was more fleshed out.
All in all a good read.

read if you like

new adult
contemporary romance
women's fiction
reality show
second chance trope
miscommunication
headstrong and stubborn couple
realistic adult relationship representation

review

This book really felt like watching a reality TV show on Netflix, but with one advantage - knowing their inner thoughts. I usually avoid books that contain the tropes of second chances and miscommunication - but I'm so glad I picked this book up. Thank you to @ingrid pierce, @AlcovePress and @Negalley for the ARC of this great book - and here is my honest review, as promised.

This book had a very simple plot that centered around the characters, and that's what made this book so special. The story conveyed the emotions, the hidden feelings and the passion of the characters so vividly on the pages that you felt like you were experiencing it first hand.

Andie was a passionate and ambitious wedding designer who was at a pivotal point in her career. She was headstrong, stubborn and so dependent on herself that she found it difficult to express her feelings and trust and rely on other people. Kit was an architect without roots or a home. He worked for a big hotel chain and designed for them. he was observant, caring, and loved providing for his people but had major communication issues. both of them had their walls up so high pretending to be fiercely independent that they had trouble following their heart.

The character growth- more like the character's ups and downs maybe a little frustrating at times, but was really realistic and intriguing to follow. You might punch air sometimes in frustration, but trust me when I say this had the most satisfying endings beautifully showcasing rational adult relationship and the struggles the couple face despite their love for each other.

Another aspect of the story that I loved was the writing of the supporting characters- very mature, sensible, supporting and kind hearted. No petty jealousy or selfishness just adult surviving and communicating in adult world.

I really love the author's writing style. I will surely buy this book and follow her future bookish endeavors.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this ARC.

“I hurt you”…”You were hurting.”

This book was full of tropes I love: second chance romance, forced proximity, slow burn, fake dating, healing.

This book was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting fluff, but this story had heavy AND light moments in equal measure. Written in dual POV, this story follows Andie and Kit, two people with an intertwined past who enter a dating reality show (if you are a fan of Love is Blind, you will love this fresh take. I am a fan of the show, so I ate this up!) for their own separate reasons and hijinks ensue.

There is a little spice, but an even deeper story that keeps you engaged and rooting for them the whole time. The pacing was perfect. The characters are well-crafted and genuine. I loved every character I came across. The dialogue was real, genuine, and enchanting. There were comedic moments to break up heavier moments and vice versa. The storyline was perfectly laid out.

I deeply resonated with one of the characters as the story touches on how it feels to not know how to love. The world and media show you repeatedly what love is and soon enough you think the same as the world. However, every love is different and needs its own set of guidelines. I have struggled in the past to equate love with the things I can do to provide for someone else or what I can offer financially or in acts of service. I have not given others the chance to love me because I thought my actions didn’t make me worthy of love. This book hits some very real struggles, and I really enjoyed seeing some of mine represented in the pages.

This book is a warm hug of a romance book.

I enjoyed this book a lot! While the premise is very similar to the tv show Married at First Sight the characters were so relatable and likable that it made up for not being as original.

I really enjoyed the romance between Kit and Andie and the tension there. Lots of really great complicated feelings and things to unpack and have the characters grow over the course of the book.

I read the whole thing in one sitting just like a reality tv show it is very binge-able. The writing was also a really high quality as sometimes certain romance books have some pretty cringe bits of dialogue etc but this just flowed well. I would purchase it for our library and recommend.

Put 4/5 stars but closer to 4.5/5

Andie, a wedding gown designer, decides to enter a reality TV show and marry a complete stranger at first sight. However, things take a turn when the man she is supposed to marry is none other than her former flame, Kit.

Now, they are both bound by a contract for several weeks, navigating married life as they try to discern whether they can rekindle their love or if it's time to part ways and find their individual happiness.

✨ Thoughts ✨
I loved the premise of this book. It felt like watching the Netflix show Love Is Blind. As a reality TV fanatic, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read this little gem.

I was not disappointed. The author did a fantastic job of bringing forth each emotion and unresolved feeling, making both Kit and Andie endearing characters. It was easy to fall in love with the storyline.

Overall, this is a heartfelt second chance romance, a must-read for those who love reality TV and enjoy tropes such as marriage of convenience.

Thank you NetGalley, Alcove Press, and the talented author for providing me with the ARC of "Not You Again" in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.