2.5⭐

This was okay. Definitely not memorable for me. I think Sheldon's character wasn't necessary to the plot. I kept asking myself why he had the capability to send Brynn and Josh to Carson's Cove and why he was forcing Brynn and Josh to complete the happy ever after for Sloan and Spencer. We could've just had them magically appear in Carson's Cove without Sheldon as a go between. I also struggled a lot with the romance here. There was no chemistry whatsoever. Brynn and Josh's feelings for one another just developed out of nowhere and all of a sudden they are calling each other the love of their lives. I wasn't fully invested in the story or characters which is very unfortunate, because I really enjoyed her previous book, This Spells Love. I did like the concept of getting sucked into a tv show, but the execution didn't quite work for me.

What would you do if you were sucked into your comfort TV show?? And then made to play the staring role??

Well that’s what happens to Brynn and her unsuspecting roommate, Josh, after a late night binge watch on her birthday! Brynn is then made to play the role of the girl next door returned to her hometown, and give the show the ending it never got back in the day! But things aren’t quite what they seem in this early 2000s town. And Brynn and Josh might want to shake up the love interests anyways 👀

This book was fun! But the longer it went on, the weirder it got. It was a little flat, and unfortunately I kept comparing it to Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston (where her favorite book series comes to life) and it just fell short of expectations when held up to something similar.

However, if you were a big fan of early 2000s teen dramas, this one might really scratch an itch in your brain! I wasn’t that big into them, so it just didn’t do for me what it might do for others.

Thank you to @netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for access to this eARC! This title is out now!

This was interesting. I went into it expecting vibes like Pleasantville the movie. You know outsiders coming in and making everything go haywire.

I always loved a good wish made that goes wrong and this was very similar. I enjoyed seeing how they were going to get back on track to get home and how our fmc slowly fell for Josh. I was nervous with how it would go after the opening with the crap friends.

There were moments that felt over explained but when you’re explaining another show inside a book you kind of have to. I did enjoy the juxtaposition of having the perfect guy on paper or the perfect guy for who you are. 3.75/5 rounded up

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK.

I loved the little magical aspects and just how cozy it made me feel. The perfect book to snuggle up with!

Genuinely I love Kate Robb but I struggled with this book. I just didn’t feel the chemistry between the main characters as much as I thought it should. No butterflies while I read it sort of thing. All in all it wasn’t bad but it not going in my top reads for the year.

I wanted to love this, but I found myself struggling to get into the story for so long. I kept trying to start, and something about it kept me from diving in. Finally, I sat down and just read. Then I was in it, but it lulled heavily in the middle. The connection of “Sheldon” was frustrating for most of his appearances. I was rooting for Brynn and Josh, but I didn’t know how it would resolve for Sloan and Spencer. I was a very big fan of Brynn’s solution to the conflict, and I appreciated her breaking the patterns of the show. Ultimately, my complaints were similar to ones I had with Robb’s first book. I will still read her writing again in the future though because she eventually pulls it out

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC!

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

As a huge One Tree Hill fan, I thought I’d love Prime Time Romance, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The concept of getting stuck in a TV show was fun, but I think it would’ve worked better if the main characters were somehow themselves in the show, rather than replacing existing characters. It just felt a bit off.

I also love magical realism, but would have preferred the magic to be unexplained and mysterious. The whole "bad guy” or puppet master trying to control everything, felt unnecessary in a romance.

That said, the nods to Buffy, Riverdale, and other teen dramas were fun. Overall, it was a decent read, but not 5 stars.

I was super excited for this book. I only made it 30% in before putting it down. It just ended up not being for me.

The beginning of this book was so great and I really liked the premise for the story line, but it really wasn’t for me. I was hoping for stronger character development and plot. Wanted to like it!!

Brynn is having a tough go with life. She's been recently divorced, lost friends and us living with Josh in order to afford rent. Her one solace in all this turmoil is watching her favorite teen soap opera, Carson's Cove with Josh. On the night if her 30th birthday, a stranger brings a cake where she makes a wish for her happily ever after. When Brynn and Josh wake up, they find themselves in Carson Cove where they have turned into Sloan and Fletcher, the main characters in Carson's Cove. What they soon find is that in order to leave, Brynn (Sloan) and Josh (Fletcher) have to give the main characters their happpily ever after.

This book gave such strong Pleasantville and Dawson's Creek vibes. I was really looking forward to this book and the premise of it, unfortunately, I don't feel like it really hit it's mark. I feel like the characters could have been more fleshed out and an ending that was somewhat more comprehensive. Regardless of that, there were some very funny moments (like not being able to swear) and spicy moments.

I received this advanced copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

Brynn is on the eve of her 30th birthday and sick of heartbreak after her divorce. Instead of getting back out there, she spends her nights bingeing her favorite teen drama from the 2000s, Carson’s Cove. When Brynn makes a wish on a mysterious birthday cake, she wakes up the next day to find herself - and her hot roommate, Josh - in Carson’s Cove. The more time the two spend in the fictional town, the more they realize they have feelings for each other - and that things might not be as perfect there as they thought.

A twist on Dawson’s Creek meets Pleasantville should be catnip for certain pop-culture obsessed readers, but how well this book works will depend on their ability to suspend disbelief. The world-building is missing something, making the jump in the narrative a bit jarring, and the romance never fully gels on the page. The characterization also feels thin, as though the people inhabiting the world are only half-fleshed out. It will likely work for readers who prefer no spice on the page, but it might fall flat for those looking for more depth in their characters and their connection. The book's highlights are definitely the Easter eggs that Robb sprinkles in, but it's not enough to sustain the novel as a whole.

Overall, it was cute book. It wasn’t something I loved, but wasn’t mad about reading this. I would be interested in reading future novels by her and would recommend this as an easy whimsical type of romance.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted e-copy.

I absolutely LOVED This Spells Love, so I was really excited to read this one! I enjoyed it, but I read it right after Christmas and I'm not sure the timing was right for me.

This book gave HUGE Dawson's Creek vibes, and I was totally here for it. I loved that show when I was in college, so it brought back some big nostalgic feels for me.

Brynn and Josh are roommates, not really friends but cordial to each other. Brynn makes a birthday wish, and they both wake up the next day living in this fictional town from Brynn's favorite show (that had been cancelled years earlier). In order to get back home, Brynn needs to give her main character a happy ending and end up with the boy next door crush.

Obviously it won't be that easy, since her and Josh have some chemistry that grows as the book goes on, but she was supposed to be having sparks with Spencer.

I really liked the premise of this book, as I loved the shows like Dawson, Felicity, etc. But there was something about Carson's Cove that hit me wrong. I'm not sure if it was because I never actually watched that show (because it's FICTIONAL and doesn't exist) or what, but I didn't like the characters, and the town itself gave me some super creepy vibes. Also the fact that this book takes place about 10 years after the show "ended" gave me a weird disconnect between Brynn and the characters.

Although I didn't like this one as much as This Spells Love, I still had fun with it, and will look forward to the next book by this author!

3.5 stars, rounded up

Prime Time Romance was just the vibe I was looking for. Cute, fun with side of feelings. Brynn is newly divorced and turning 30 and in general struggling when she ends up making a wish that sends her and her roommate Josh straight into the fictional Carson's Cove, her comfort show. This has Pleasantville vibes so if you enjoyed that movie you will enjoy Prime Time Romance. Brynn is given a mission to "fix" the ending of Carson's Cove (which was cut off abruptly a la My So Called Life). Only things aren't what they seem. As Brynn tries to give Carson's Cove the ending it deserves she starts to discover what she really wants, which appears to be in direct conflict of what she needs to do to get back home. I had so much fun reading this and seeing Brynn discover herself and discover that things aren't always what they seem.

I went into this story not knowing anything about it so it was a fun twist when I got to the morning of Brynn’s birthday. This story kind of gave me Pleasantville vibes. I mostly enjoyed it, but something about it made me a little meh.. maybe the whole Sheldon storyline?

This was such a fun read for me. As a girl who was deeply into Gilmore Girls, and Teen Wolf growing up, I would’ve LOVED to go on those shows and decide the fate of my beloved characters. The amount of investment and time put into watching a favourite tv show or movie and knowing you can choose your own adventure would truly be a dream.

Also, like Brynn, I too love Josh and that was a bonus.

This was such a charming and lighthearted romantic comedy. The story follows a TV producer who unexpectedly finds love while working on a reality dating show. With a mix of humor, heart, and relatable characters, Kate creates a fun and engaging read. It’s an easy, feel-good book perfect for anyone looking for a sweet escape with a touch of romance. Ideal for fans of light, enjoyable stories with happy endings.

I was beyond excited to read this, especially after enjoying This Spells Love. Unfortunately, despite being intrigued by the synopsis, the concepts didn't deliver for me. I wanted to like the characters so bad but something about the storyline and even some of the dialogue didn't sit right with me. It became very difficult to enjoy the story. I did not finish this one. I feel like readers who love Gilmore Girls would love something like this though, it just wasn't for me.

After reading This Spells Love, I was really excited to have the opportunity to read Prime Time Romance. Sadly, I just really felt that this missed the mark for me. I will start off with the good. I really, really liked both Brynn and Josh. I thought their story was lovely and special, and their characters were exactly what I hoped for. I'd read 10 more stories about them.

But sadly, everyone else SUCKED. Well Aunt Sherry wasn't so bad after all. But I'm convinced Sheldon is a psychopath. He could very well have been Jigsaw from Saw with how creepy he made me feel. The parts where he got extra angry just gave me the serious ick. Poppy is a mean girl, which I guess could be expected, but she was awful. I despised her and am glad that we outgrow most of our high school friendships. Spencer read very dim witted until the end.

I'm just so sorry to say that I just didn't enjoy this one. That being said, because I liked This Spells Love as much as I did, I will still pick up Kate Robb's next one and chalk this one up to bad luck.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. Unsurprisingly, all thoughts are 100% my own.