If you were like me and fell in love with all of the late 90's teen dramas on the television, then Kate Robb's Prime Time Romance is the perfect book for you! Fans of Dawson's Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Pleasantville will absolutely fall in love with this "second chance romance" story. Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press Publications for the chance to read this novel.

This book was so different from anything I've read this year! That doesn't mean it's a bad thing! I really enjoyed the characters and really enjoyed the plot. I can't wait to read more from this author.

One of the main reasons I love this author is her characters are always full on adults🥹🫶🏻 I’m talking about truly developed frontal lobes, not just being of age.
A breath of fresh air in the book community.

On the night of her 30th birthday, Brynn was watching her favourite teenage tv show “Carson’s Cove” with her hot roommate, Josh. She is obsessed with it and has rewatched it numerous times since she was a teen herself.

Long story short, a random guy with bleached hair delivers a cake at midnight exactly and she makes a wish to have her happily ever after. Waking up the next morning in Carson’s Cove seems like a dream come true, only she accidentally brought Josh with her.

The plot itself is very entertaining. I loved the whole “be careful what you wish for” idea. I only wished it had a more grandiose plot twist. Who is that bleached blonde? Why does he have magic? How did he do it?
So many unanswered questions.

Additionally, I loved Brynn more than Josh and he seemed to be lacking a little as the main love interest. I expected him to do something when one of the main conflicts happened. But, instead, he just accepts it.

Those are just my little commentaries, otherwise, it’s a solid magical rom-com. If you loved the movie “Isn’t It Romantic?”, you’ll love this book for sure.

I loved the first book by this author, and this one didn’t disappoint either. I’m excited to read more in the future. I love magical realism but with realistic relationships.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I'm not sure quite what to say, other than what a fun read!
A little Dawson's Creek meets The Good Place, Brynn is freshly divorced and still prefers to lick her wounds watching her favourite 90's teen show Carson's Cove, a show that sadly ended on a cliffhanger all those years ago. After a disastrous 30'th birthday, Brynn and her (hot...natch) bartender roommate Josh decide to end the evening watching a little CC on Netflix.
A knock on the door leads to a familiar looking stranger bearing a cake telling Brynn to make a wish...

While a little predictable, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. The one character I wish I had seen more of is Poppy. I would have liked to see her interact more with 'Sloan" and Luce to really get those "mean girl" vibes. Torn between "bestie dreamboat" Spencer and "town bad-boy" Fletch aka Josh (you'll see) Sloan/Brynn has to fight for her happy ending. 3 1/2 stars...rounded up to 4.

This was such a fun, charming story. I feel like I've read a few of these paranormal-esque romances where the characters get sent into the universe of their favorite show or book or where a character comes into the character's present or some sort of spell happens...and I always have fun with them. Robb's first book was delightful and I was so excited to get to her newest book, this time involving getting sent into your favorite television show. Brynn is instantly relatable, a divorced, newly 30-year-old who spends her free time binging her beloved 2000s soap, Carson's Cove (a barely veiled Dawson's Creek proxy although I see you The Bronze reference). Brynn gets the chance a lot of us yearn for, to give her favorite character their happy ending. But Brynn doesn't get sent to Carson's Cove alone, her handsome roommate, Josh, also comes with and I don't want to spoil but let's just say I was always a Pacey girl more than a Dawson girl.

While I don't think you should squint too far into this premise, it is overall a breezy, easy to read romance about giving yourself a happy ending and that sometimes the things that looked like so much fun on our tv screens might not be all that great in reality.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

this book was sooo sweet and had all the elements that i love in a cozy magical read! i really enjoyed the beginning, but the middle was a bit slow for me which made me a tad bored. i'm glad i stuck with it because the ending was perfect and i loved the overall message of the story! i just wish i could have connected more with the characters.

thank you sooo much to netgalley and dial press for this eArc in exchange for my honest thoughts 🫶🏻

This book was a warm hug wrapped up in a 90's TV dramedy! It slogged a bit at the end which pulled it from a 5 star to a 4. But overall another solid romcom from this author. I love magical realism in a romance that this one delivered.

4 stars
2 spice

Kate Robb seems to just know how to write a rom com that I’m going to love. I was a massive fan of This Spells Love and had high hopes for Prime Time Romance. This was absolutely adorable, hilarious, and a wonderful ride. I didn’t watch teen dramas much, but I was still able to immerse myself in this book. Kate is fantastic at writing love interests with sizzling chemistry. I’m still obsessively thinking about Josh and drooling a little. Watching Brynn’s self confidence grow in real time throughout the plot was one of my favorite elements of this story. My only complaint with Prime Time Romance, is I think Brynn and Josh felt a little insta-love for me, seeing as they both used the L word very soon. I can see why this was done though, seeing as they’ve been roommates for a long time, but I wish we could’ve seen a little bit more of their dynamic and relationship before their transpiration across dimensions. Regardless, I really enjoyed Prime Time Romance and Kate Robb has become an autobuy author for me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dial Press, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Kate Robb is officially on my “auto read” list! I absolutely adored her debut book, This Spells Love, so when Prime Time Romance popped up, I had to snag it!! I loved this book! It was so enjoyable and I had a lot of fun trying to pin point Easter eggs within it!! Magical realism is such a fun type of book. It really helps you step away from reality and just enjoy what you’re reading fully! If you haven’t added this to your TBR, please do!!!

Prime Time Romance is a delightful read! Brynn is an almost 30 year old divorcee who is having trouble enjoying life post divorce. Josh is Brynn's bartender roommate who has also had heartbreak with the death of his father and the loss of his father's bar during the pandemic. Josh and Brynn don't usually interact much as roommates, but after a night out at the bar Josh is tending they bond eating popcorn and watching Brynn's comfort show, Carson's Cove, the night before her 30th birthday. Brynn gets a cake delivered and makes a wish, propelling them to the world of Carson's Cove. As Brynn and Josh work together to get back to their world, they find themselves falling for each other. How can they be together if Brynn is destined to be with someone else in Carson's Cove?

I really enjoyed this book! I liked This Spells Love, but Prime Time Romance is my favorite novel of Kate Robb's. Brynn and Josh's romance felt very genuine. The way they cared for one another and respected each other was so refreshing! It was also fun to see the different viewpoints that Brynn had of Carson's Cove and how her views changed once she was there! An enjoyable read with a fun paranormal spin! Highly recommend!

Prime Time Romance focuses on Brynn who is still recovering from her divorce and is celebrating her 30th birthday. A birthday cake is delivered to her front door and she makes a wish with her roommate Josh beside her. She wakes up the next morning in her favorite show Carson's Cove and Josh is there as well.

The characters find out that they need to live in the show until the two main TV characters end up together. Of course, things don't go as smoothly as planned and Brynn and Josh ended up developing feelings for each other.

The story was cute and a bit different from the norm. I was not into it at first but it did make me reminisce about Dawson's Creek which helped. The author really has you rooting for the characters to get together.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a feel good read that best reminds me of Dawson’s Creek meets The Good Place.I love how Kate Robb always puts a unique magical twist in her books, and the concept of this was unlike anything else I read. Robb made the story of Carson’s Cove come to life (at first I googled if this was in fact a real TV show) with fully developed subplots and a full cast of dynamic characters. I loved Brynn and Josh together, but I would have loved even more angst and heartfelt moments between them as their love story moved pretty quickly.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Have you ever wanted to step into your favourite tv show and live amongst its characters? When Brynn and her roommate Josh get transported into Carson’s Cove after her birthday wish takes a magical turn, she gets to do just that! Except it isn’t all that she bargained for.

As fans of Dawson’s Creek (and really anything 90s/00s related), we absolutely loved this book and its Easter egg nods towards the series. Brynn and Josh not only get to live in the fictional Carson’s Cove, they also become some of the main characters. Everything isn’t all perfectly tied up in a bow like in the series though and we really enjoyed how Brynn and Josh had to step in and navigate that. They were sent to learn some hard lessons and did along the way.

The slow burn romance between Brynn and Josh was sweet and spicy. They were strictly roommates when their whole adventure starts but they quickly bond, build a friendship and the romance just comes naturally. We really loved this book!

Kate is now 2 for 2 with her amazing books and has become an auto-read author for us. She is nailing the magical realism genre and can’t wait to read more from her.

Read if you like:
▪️Magical realism
▪️90s/00s nostalgia
▪️Small town
▪️Roommates to lovers
▪️Slow burn
▪️No 3rd act breakup!

📺Book Review📺
*
Summary- Newly divorced on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Brynn is sick of heartbreak. She thought she had found her happy ending, but now she’s living with a roommate, Josh, to afford her mortgage, and she’s trying to adjust to her new single life. At least she’s got Carson’s Cove to binge, her beloved 2000s teenage soap. The show ended unexpectantly on a cliffhanger after five seasons, and the two main characters, Sloan and Spencer, never got to declare their love for each other. The show is still perfect in Brynn’s eyes; despite all the drama that goes down, things always have a way of working out in Carson’s Cove . . . unlike her own life.

So when a birthday cake surprisingly shows up on her and Josh’s doorstep, Brynn makes a wish for the one thing she’s always wanted (but has failed to achieve herself): a happily-ever-after.

The next morning, she doesn’t wake up in her apartment. She’s in Carson’s Cove . . . and Josh is there too. Everyone seems to know them, except they’re not Brynn and Josh; they’re Sloan, the sweetheart of Carson’s Cove, and Fletch, the town’s bad boy. And to get home, they have to make Brynn’s wish come true by ensuring Sloan and Spencer, the hometown heartthrob, end up together at last. But as they spend more time together, Brynn and Josh realize that Carson’s Cove might not be as perfect as seen on  television . . . especially when they start developing feelings for each other in a plot twist no one has expected. Will they stick to the script, or will real love change the story forever?
*
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
*
My thoughts- I just loved this one so much! If you’re a fan of Dawsons Creek (which I recently binged) you will just adore this book. It was so sweet and pretty much a shot for shot interpretation of Dawson Creek season 3. I think I probably enjoyed that aspect most of all, over the romance. The romance between Brynn and Josh was just sort of sweet opposite attract. It was a super cute little return to the 90s. Happy belated pub day to this beauty @katerobb
*
QOTD- what is your favorite 90s/2000s show ?! Mine is always Dawsons creek and Buffy!

this rom-com reads as both original and nostalgic at the same time. i understand where some reviewers are coming from when they say the romance falls a bit flat, but i think the setting and concept make up for that so that it's still an enjoyable read!

thank you to netgalley and random house publishing group for an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

🎬𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨🎬

📖: Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️{4}
🌶️🌶️{2}

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟗/𝟑/𝟐𝟒!

Okay, this was super cute! Brynn and Josh are roomies who don’t really know each other super well. However, one thing leads to another and they end up getting stuck in Brynne’s favorite tv show after she makes a wish on the night of her 30th bday. In order to escape this alternate universe they’ve been sucked into Brynn agrees to pretend to be Sloan and give her the HEA she deserved on the show. Obvi, things go a little awry. Brynn and Josh were super cute together and I loved (and seriously loathed) some of the side characters. I think anyone who loves or has ever loved any sort of small town tv show will love this book!

𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮:
🎬magical realism
🎬small town tv shows
🎬dual pov
🎬roommates to lovers
🎬slow burn
🎬no 3rd act breakup

𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼:

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦.”

“𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘴. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦.”

“𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘪𝘵.”

“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩-𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵.. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.”

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝙺𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚋𝚋, 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝚐𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝙰𝚁𝙲. 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, I gravitated to this book for nostalgia purposes for 2000s team drama. I feel while the premise of this book was great, it could be fleshed out more because everything felt rushed. 3.5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Brynn just got divorced. It came out of nowhere and left her life in shambles, complete with her ex getting all their friends and her having to live with a roommate, Josh. Her life now consists of binge-watching her favorite show, Carson’s Cove, and dreaming of a world where a happy ending is guaranteed and true love exists. She's accepted that this is her new life when a surprise birthday cake arrives and her wish for a happily ever after transports her and Josh to Carson's Cove with a mission to give the show's main characters the HEA fans thought they deserved. But can a prime-time romance be better than the growing attraction between Brynn and Josh?

There is a lot to unpack with this one and I enjoyed every single moment of it. For any fan who's loved a series and been left unsatisfied after it gets canceled without a proper ending, getting to experience and be part of that ending is a dream until you realize that what works on television would be a bore in real life. I love that Robb brought all that into the story to give Brynn a chance to grow and accept that life is messy. The moments between Brynn and Josh are full of the complicated feelings of real life and the contrast with what Brynn (and TV world) thought were supposed to be ideal moments makes the realness of their developing relationships all the sweeter.

Extra props to Robb for calling out all the things in a typical teen show that somehow felt okay when they originally aired and are deeply problematic in hindsight.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the wonderful read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Robb for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

This book was a lot of fun! It was so easy to relate to Brynn because I too have a major obsession with rewatching my comfort show that didn’t end how I wanted (looking at you, Gilmore Girls). My only complaint is, unfortunately, completely out of the author’s control and is simply that the premise was just similar enough to another book I read recently that it threw me off, but that’s a me issue for sure! (However, if you like the FMC falling into the world of her favorite piece of fiction, have I got another recommendation for you!) Overall, I really enjoyed getting to spend a little while with Brynn and Josh in Carson’s Cove!

Enjoyable and pretty unique in the genre, I really enjoyed the setting and the characters although the tweeness did get a bit grating before long - although I suppose it was to be expected.