Definitely different and unique. A bit of magical realism and an ideal trope for anyone that enjoys reality TV. Overall it was a decent read just not a favorite.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

5/5 stars

This book is absolutely so creative and fun. Somehow, Brynn and Josh get trapped inside a teen soap and need to play by the rules to get home. The storyline is so unique!

I felt the characters were very nuanced - Kate did a great job allowing the reader to really get to know what Brynn and Josh were feeling, what they were doing, what they’d been through. I also loved Spencer - his character absolutely cracked me up.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone wanting to laugh and read a unique romcom.

Not totally vibing with this. Not finding as a 30-year-old woman, I am connecting with our main character which is making it hard for me to continue on with this story.

I think this book should be just a little shorter and the romance should have more chemistry.

:)

This book was adorable. I love my romance with a little touch of magical realism. I loved all the 2000s teen show references, it made me nostalgic for my high school years. The romance was really sweet too.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why but I don't have much to say about this book. It was very cute and a very fast read. I thought the premise of it was very original and interesting. I did enjoy the book but it did kind of feel like not a ton of stuff really happened in it.

I will definitely give this author's next book a read though because I liked this one and loved her first one. I love the magical realism that she puts into her books.

3.5 stars rounded up

Who hasn't dreamt of waking up in their favourite tv show, being the main character, kissing your teenager fictional crush, give everyone their well-deserved ending… until you're actually trapped there, being a stereotypical 2000s girl-next-door sucks and the one you thought was the love of your life has the sex appeal of a snail.
Well, KR navigates the thin line between dream of a lifetime and psychological horror so well, that I don't think even Joshua Jackson could make me do it.

The Dawson’s Creeks vibes are immaculate: from the little Maine town to the hundreds of seasonal festivals, it's all arguably there.
Fun fact: I'm too young to have grown up with the TV show but for the longest time I thought Dawson was THE guy and then, a couple of years ago, I finally decided to watch and I couldn't pass season two because I couldn't stand his guts. I mean, why doesn't everyone drool on that piece of wood when Pacey is right there?!
Also, the whole thing is a nightmare most of the time, it’s difficult to watch it without cringing, but that's the whole point of this story!

The comparison with her debut novel, This Spells Love, is a must-do, especially since the main aspect - ending up in another dimension because of a magical wish blown after too much wine - is still here.
Both of the main characters being there together is an improvement I didn't know I needed, but the romance was kinda off from time to time - I suppose because it still has to have that 2000s television vibes, but also allowing a couple of chapters of hot steams coming out of the pages.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

An interesting premise although I had a hard time connecting to the characters as a couple. The writing flowed nicely and I had a good time reading this one.

A funny, charming, “what if” story with some tv magic brought to life. Brynn is recently divorced, most of those she thought were her friends chose her ex, made some new friends, but isn’t really sure that they are actual friends and in order to afford her home, has to take in a roommate. Fortunately is it her friend Josh, but she is so so far from where she thought she would be as she was turning the big three oh. She’s definitely having a bit of a mental pity party, but deservedly so. She heads home, goes to sleep and when she awakens she is magically transported into her favorite tv show that ended with no resolution to the cliffhanger. The one that was her favorite form of escapism and that ended unceremoniously with a cliffhanger that literally left everyone hanging. What the what????? It’s an interesting and mostly fun storyline, but at times was a bit hard to stick with for I didn’t really find there to be the MC’s.

this was a very fun read! total nostalgia early 2000s vibes which always makes a millennial girl happy. it kind of gave me slight 13 going on 30 vibes a little bit, but unfortunately didn't hit as good as the movie did. i feel indifferent towards this book because it was enjoyable and fun, but the romance of it all didn't sell me. I see Josh and Brynn having a great chemistry as friends but not romantically. so for this being a romance novel, it wasn't my favorite in that aspect. but again, it was a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC. Kate Robb’s latest book serves up plenty of '90s/2000s nostalgia with a tribute to Dawson’s Creek and its debated ending. The story follows Brynn, a recently divorced woman who finds herself transported into an alternate reality based on her favorite TV show, Carson’s Cove, where she takes on the role of Sloane (Joey) and her roommate Josh becomes Fletch (Pacey). As Brynn navigates this world, sparks fly between her and Fletch, forcing her to rethink her own happily ever after. While the book offers an entertaining dose of nostalgia and fun scenarios that could have fit the original show, the plot felt a bit rushed, and the romance lacked depth, making it hard to fully connect with the characters. Still, Dawson’s Creek fans will likely enjoy this whimsical rom-com, even if it didn’t quite meet all my expectations.

The cover drew me into reading this. Then I read the synopsis and was like, yes! It was such a cute rom com. I loved it and would definitely recommend it and I’d even reread it.

The premise of this book seemed right up my alley. I live a good sit com/rom com. The beginning of the book was really good and stole my attention immediately. About the time we make the jump into the tv show I felt the book beginning to drag. I didn’t really connect much with the characters and felt like they lacked depth.

I really liked some aspects of this book but the main premise wasn’t for me. I loved Josh and Brynn together but I struggled with them falling for each other as Sloan and Fletch because they didn’t even look like themselves? I really liked Luce but the subplot with Poppy felt a little childish. Also, Sheldon creeped me out. He was way too invested and interfered too much. Overall, the romance was good but I think the premise was trying a little too hard to be unique.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was such a fun, whimsical, and unique read!

Brynn and her roommate Josh wake up in Carson’s Cove, Brynn’s favorite teen drama from the early 2000’s. The only way to return back to the real world is to give the characters the ending they deserved before the show was cancelled.

I loved the dual povs, the 90s/00 nostalgia, and the small town roommates trope! This book was definitely magical and I adored it!

📘: Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb
🗓️: September 3, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Robb, and Random House Publishing Group 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.

Do I love this book? - Yes
Is the ending rushed like a tv episode? - Yes
Do I care? - No

This book was just so good. I absolutely loved the premise, what if you could be transported into your favorite tv show and get a chance to have the characters have the ending you wished for. This is like a Dawsons Creek type show which is so perfectly tailored for the elder millennial audience but also newer shows as well. Its a picture perfect town but is it? At times it was creepy, but mostly it was romantic and fun. Highly recommend.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for this advanced copy!
This was a fun "what if" romance, focused on two roommates who are magically transported back to the town of their favorite teen drama and told to get the story back on track or ELSE. Josh and Brynn are cute as they right wrongs and try to get back home. I appreciated how the author just brought the reader along on this, basically saying "just go with me in this" and Im gad I did.

Dawson’s Creek was one of my favorite shows as a tween (Team Pacey always), as well as the movie Pleasantville. So, when I found out that Kate Robb’s PRIME TIME ROMANCE is a fun combination of both, I just had to read it.

Brynn Smothers is recently divorced and still reeling from the end of her marriage. Her source of escape is her favorite show Carson’s Cove, a teen drama with a will-they-or-won’t-they romance that never got resolved due to the show’s abrupt cancellation. Meanwhile, her roommate and local bartender, Josh Bishop, is dealing with his own regret over the sale of his father’s bar he once ran.

After Brynn makes a wish on a mysterious birthday cake she receives, she and Josh are transported into the world of Carson’s Cove. However, they are not there as themselves, but as the characters from the show: Brynn as girl next door Sloan and Josh as town bad boy Fletch. It’s up to them to finally give the series the happy ending it deserves and maybe find their own in the process.

I came into this book with a few expectations, but by the end had a great time reading it. I love all the Easter eggs to various TV shows, Dawson’s Creek especially, and how Kate Robb plays around with the soapy teen drama tropes while still paying homage to it. Beneath the fun, I also like the deeper themes regarding Brynn and Josh that relate back to the idea of rewatching a favorite series.

Brynn sees Carson’s Cove as her comfort show because after each episode’s dilemma, it all turns out alright in the end. She wants that for herself too, but may have stopped believing in it since her divorce. As Sloan, she begins to see that just as these characters find a way forward, so can she. The same goes for Josh while being Fletch. As he runs Fletch’s bar, he starts to reconcile with his own self-doubts.

The romance could have been built up more as there is something missing before it gets there. I will say though that I really like their chemistry. It’s like what Joey Potter said on Dawson’s Creek: “You got to learn to read between the banter.”

Thank you so much NetGalley and Dial Press for the eARC!

This was a well-paced, easy read. I was not expecting the magical-realism but it was a lovely touch to this really really sweet story. This was my first book by this author but my overall impression of her is great thus far! I loved watching a Brynn grow so much as a person and the acceptance she found in herself. She is a very relatable character! Carson’s active immediately gave Dawson’s Creek vibes so that translated perfectly! Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

After reading “This Spells Love”, and really enjoying it, I was thrilled for the next book by Kate Robb. For me, this one didn’t capture the same level of magic that This Spells Love did, but I binged it nonetheless. The “magic” behind the cake wasn’t really fleshed out enough for my liking, nor was Sheldon’s bitterness, Poppy’s meanness, or a true conclusion to the Carson’s Cove cast. After spending so much time in that “realm”, the ending felt rushed and limited. I feel like with more character development the book could have been really great, but unfortunately, it fell kind of flat. I’m also not a fan of love triangles or insta-love, so those tropes took away a bit for me as well. I did enjoy Josh’s redemption arc but would have liked a deeper dive into personal growth for Brynn. The nostalgia evoked is real though, and I now want to rewatch Dawson’s Creek in it’s entirety and fall in love with Pacey all over again. I always was a sucker for a bad boy/black sheep.

Thank you for the author and publisher for this free copy in exchange for my honest review.

If Kate Robb writes it, I will read it! Her storytelling and humor is exactly my brand. This was such a fun romp for fans of 90s/2000s teen shows and the movie Pleasantville! I was left wondering how it would be resolved until the very end. The perfect blend of romcom with magical realism!