Brynn is recently divorced, heartbroken and living with Josh (a bartender) in order to afford her mortgage. She has ONE thing right now that makes her happy - and it’s binging her favorite series, Carson’s Cove!

I liked a lot of things in this story, and a few things that irritated me. I LOVED the homage to teen dramas of my past like Dawson’s Creek and Pleasantville. I liked the message the author was trying to express like, “The grass isn’t greener.” I didn’t really like some things were censored- like cussing, but other things were not censored- like sex. I just felt all of it should have been “censored,” if that was the route you were going…

*This book is for you if you like: nostalgic tv series, friends to lovers trope, and second chance love.

Prime Time Romance blends comedy and romance with a sprinkling of fantasy.

Brynn turns thirty not too long after her divorce is finalized. Looking to escape the parts of her life she wants to forget, she turns to her favorite early-2000s comfort show Carson’s Cove. After a wish-gone-amiss, Brynn and her roommate, Josh, wind up as the main characters in Carson’s Cove. Brynn attempts to resolve the show’s unsatisfying cliffhanger ending while she processes her feelings about her divorce. As Brynn and Josh navigate their new “reality” Brynn and Josh grapple with the issues they tried to evade in the real world. They also discover newfound feelings for each other.

As a fan of early-2000s teen soaps like One Tree Hill and The O.C., I was excited about the plot to Prime Time Romance. Early 2000s soaps have a blend of nostalgia and heightened emotion. The fantasy element to them is a draw. Robb does a great job of bringing all of the things that make teen soaps compelling to the forefront. She also acknowledges their heightened fantasy elements and how differently relationships play out on T.V. than they do in real life. She also addresses how differently teen soaps look when you’re watching them as an adult.

Josh and Brynn’s soap opera storylines within the story were entertaining. Robb gave both characters their own storylines and issues to work on separately, which made the characters more relatable. The Carson’s Cove setting and characters reminded me of Dawson’s Creek in the best ways. The small-town setting with quirky characters and heightened emotions was the perfect backdrop for Josh and Brynn’s budding relationship.

I also love Robb’s writing style. Her prose and dialogue flow easily, making this a quick and fun read. Her writing has elements of humor and wit. She paced the plot well. Robb included both Josh and Brynn’s perspectives, which helped empathize with both characters and their challenges.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the story line. I did feel like the end was rushed a bit to get to the HEA but still a unique story line.

The premise of this book is so good and I think it was definitely written and executed well, but there was just something about it that I couldn't get into.

I feel like we got so much of Josh in the beginning, which I loved -- he seemed like the only sane character honestly (besides maybe Luce), but I feel like he fell off toward the end to make room for our main female character, Brynn. There was so much more I wanted to see from Josh. I would've loved to see him wake up after the wish was made and at the auction and see him wrestle with buying his dad's old bar and talking to his mom about what he learned being "away". I also feel like his and Brynn's reunion at the end was so rushed and the Josh she ended up with seemed so different form the Josh she got to know while stuck in Carson's Cove.

I also liked the idea of Sheldon's character but I feel like his character got so dark in random moments that it didn't really make sense in some spots, it felt a little awkward. I still don't even know *how* he was able to get them into Carson's Cove considering he *worked* on that set -- how did he come to be this magical being or a being that wields the power to make magical things? That part of the storyline was a little confusing.

I definitely recommend listening to the audiobook while you read, because the narrators definitely helped me lean into the story more. All in all, I enjoyed the characters -- especially Luce and Josh and the bar-owner in Carson's Cove (I forgot her name </3)

While I definitely have a few questions and wishes for the book, I still had a lot of fun reading it! The premise is truly very unique.

This one gives me all the Dawson Creek vibes! (Team Pacey forever)

Read this if you love…
✨magical realism
✨roommates to lovers
✨cheesy 2000’s sitcoms

I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did. I enjoyed This Spells Live, but this one was even better!

We got dual POV! My favorite! I will continue to read from this author. This book might have made her an autobuy author!

5/5

This was such a cute, fun, nostalgic read. The magical realism was satisfying, and the main characters were so lovable! I definitely got Dawson’s Creek, Gilmore Girls, and The Good Place (holy forking shirt-balls!) vibes from Kate Robb’s Prime Time Romance. Loved! Would recommend.

Thank you @prhaudio for the free audiobook and @netgalley & Random House for an eARC.
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Be still my teen drama loving heart. Imagine yourself transported back to 90210 or any number of other shows from your teen years. The dual narration was perfect and this was such a fun book!

The morning after her 30th birthday, Brynn and her roommate Josh wake up to find themselves in Carson's Cove, the small town setting of Brynn's favorite TV drama from the 2000s. The show ended abruptly on a cliffhanger, leaving fans extremely upset. In order to get home, Brynn must step into the role of the show's leading character and give her the happy ending she deserves.

This one was very cute! It definitely felt like a Hallmark/Disney movie (minus the steamy scenes) in book form. I loved the magical realism and the premise of them going into the world of Brynn's comfort TV show. Carson's Cove definitely felt like a true 2000s teen show that we all would have watched when we were younger! I did find the book to be corny and almost YA (again, minus the steam) but I believe that was the point given the setting. There were definitely some funny moments, especially when they couldn't curse, and I liked the growth in the characters. I do wish there was a bit more explanation as to how Sheldon made it all happen in the first place, that part seemed glossed over.

The whole book I kept thinking of the movie Pleasantville. So much nostalgia packed in these pages and an easy one to binge!

3.5 stars rounded up!

Prime Time Romance reminds me of the movie Pleasantville. Instead of brother and sister going in the tv it’s two roommates.

The way Brynn and Josh end up in the tv show Carson’s Cove is a little strange. Josh and Brynn live in our world where there is no magic so the fact they both get sucked into the fictional world of Carson’s Cove makes zero sense to me.

Sheldon makes even less sense to me. I understand his place in the show but I don’t fully understand his motivation (it is explained in the book but I don’t get how he is able to orchestrate everything) and the end with him….just didn’t work for me.

Once Josh and Brynn are in the show playing two of the characters the story isn’t bad. If the getting there and back made more sense or played a little more like Wizard of Oz I would have rated a little higher.

This was heavy on the nostalgia and it definitely worked for me! I loved the alternate reality and Josh and Brynn’s relationship. It was very feel-good and fun!

FMC gets thrown into an alternate universe along with her roommate she barely speaks to and finds that it is the exact town of her favorite off air teen drama, and everyone thinks she's the main character. Roommate Josh also has a role, but not of her love interest as much as they find more time together they might have had a connection all along.

I really read this so quickly because I was having so much fun with it. I am a major fan of Dawson's Creek, every once in awhile I need a comfort rewatch and I picked up on all the references. There's an author's note at the end with some of her inspo and it's not all Dawson's Creek which just keeps it fun throwing in more Easter eggs.

I also loved the romance. It felt like a more mature TV show romance in itself with how much the FMC feels like she needs to play out with the show's lead and lost love when her true love all along could be the bad boy MMC. There are about 2ish open door scenes and so fire.

Unfortunately, the magic system kind of let me down by the end. This Spells Love (author's first book) was one of my top reads last year and I felt it was perfectly magical and made total sense to me, open shut case. This is obviously a different world/different story and so even with a fresh scheme of reference it didn't fully make sense and I still have so many questions I feel should have been answered. That's my reasoning even though it pains me to not give this 5 stars because I really thought it was well written otherwise. Thank you to Dial/Random House for the eARC!

This was really fun. I loved that there were two couples chasing their happily ever after, and that there was some suspense in which one would get it. The message of the book about what happily ever after actually means and what it also means to love yourself really came through and added to the book a lot. It was different from a lot of other books that I’ve read lately and that’s one thing that I really appreciated it about it.

Unfortunately, Prime Time Romance was a huge miss for me. I just couldn’t connect with the characters, and I felt like the story was just all over the place. I almost DNF’d it, but I powered through.

I loved the first book I read by Kate Robb but this one didn't start out good for me and I just don't care. I read the first chapter, took a break for a few days and couldn't even remember what I had read. There are too many other books out there that I want to read for this one to be meh! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

This was literally such a good time! I forgot how much I love Kate Robb’s writing. This book felt too appropriate to read during my Gilmore Girl’s rewatch, since the whole premise works because the fmc, Brynn, thinks life will be better in her fictional favorite TV show.

This was truly such a fun time. I enjoyed the whole magical realism aspect of the plot, and cannot wait for Kate Robb’s next book. Also the cover?? Stunning.

Thank you to Dial Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Can dreams and fiction really be better than reality? Have you ever wanted to be a main character and want to live their "perfect lives" on a Prime-Time TV show?

This is a really interesting twist on a rom-com. I really liked the chemistry between Brynn, MFC, and Josh, MMC. The banter between the two was entertaining. Brynn had to do some "soul searching" to figure out what she really needed in her life, as well as her love life. Finding true love in a fictional world and realizing what you want in life. very nostalgic to the 90s/00s era of teen dramas.

Dual POVs. Likeable characters. Your typical feel-good romance story with a little bit of spice. I would recommend this read overall.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story about a woman getting sucked into her favorite comfort show and how she adjusted to this change as well as realizing that it may not have been as perfect as she thought it would be. Of course, Xennial that I am, I adored all the references to the popular teen shows at the time, besides the obvious one. I think that Brynn's internal journey was handled well. The connection was a bit insta-lovey/too fast for me because besides being put into the show together, there wasn't a lot that Brynn and Josh had in common and it seemed to develop exceedingly fast. Even as roommates they seemed just that. But I did love how and that they fell in love so I can overlook that especially since it was real because of how the story ended. Would recommend and will read more from this author.

Prime Time Romance was a fun and quick read that was full of 90's nostalgia! I really enjoyed the characters and the magic/time travel aspect of the book. There wasn't as much character building as I would have liked but I was happy with the ending, especially the epilogue.

4⭐️

This was such a fun read from author Kate Robb. I have not read This Spells Love, but I definitely want to check it out now!

Prime Time Romance definitely took me back to those days watching One Tree Hill and every other 90s drama (maybe even 7th Heaven?), and it was such a cozy and feel-good book to read!

I definitely recommend adding this to your TBR when it is released on September 3, 2024, especially if you were a super fan of literally any teen drama ♥️

Read this book if you enjoy:
📺 Friends to lovers
📺 Forced proximity
📺 90s teen dramas
📺 Magical realism
📺 Dual POV

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Kate Robb for this ARC!

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb is such a good read! I fell in love with Robb's writing with This Spells Love, and her sophomore book does not disappoint!

Brynn is a 29-year-old recent divorcee trying to find her way in life. While facing the Toronto dating scene and building friendships, she leans on her comfort show Carson's Cove (based loosely on the vibes of Dawson's Creek). Josh, the new roommate and bartender, is so sweet! But he has a past he is struggling with his: disappointment for her dad's bar closing. While watching episodes late one night, the two are seemingly sucked into Carson's Cove!

Brynn and Josh are so good together! I love their banter and how their relationship builds throughout the book. We get to see that sometimes real life is better than the screen.

Kate Robb does it again with a lovely example of magical realism in romance!