I went into this a bit sceptical due to the magical realism aspects but quickly realised that was the fun part. It was a bit confusing in the beginning but I liked the TV show aspect to the story. I loved Dawson's Creek, The Gilmore Girls and the other 90s TV shows so it was a nice cosy familiar setting. Unique as well.

But the romance itself and the characters could have used more development. It had the TV small town wholesomeness with life lessons and emotional growth but I would have liked to have seen more of Brynn and Josh's romance develop. It was a bit confusing as they were 'cast' in teh rolls of the TV show characters and not themselves. The TV show aspect of it wore thin after a while.

It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't terrific. I thought the author could have done so much more with it. But it's a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial press for the early ARC in exchange for this honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
🏡 Small Town
✨ Magical Realism
🫶🏻 Nostalgia
💜Roommates

Although I have literally never watched Dawson’s Creek, Prime Time Romance made me wish that I did 🤭

I love Kate Robb’s take on magical realism and just like with This Spells Love, this one had me laughing out loud and giggling at my kindle.

Brynn and Josh just made sense together and I enjoyed watching them come to the same conclusion while being stuck in Brynn’s favorite show, Carson’s Cove. Their surface level friendship as roommates slowly develops into more while being stuck together and I thought it was very clever having us learn about Brynn and Josh through their parallels with the characters of the show.

Overall, Prime Time Romance is sweet and super bingeable. When you don’t feel like watching your favorite small town show, pick this one up to read about one instead 🤗

This book is such a fun read and I really enjoyed it. It was very nostalgic and throwback to my younger years. If the shows Dawson's Creek and The Good Place had a baby it would be this book. It was funny, sweet and a throwback to lat e 90's and early 2000's. This book follows Brynn and Josh and their unlikely romance. This book has likable main characters. It is a quick fun read that made me smile and just feel good.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of this book. I read voluntarily read it and gave an honest review.

I will be posting the above review on Goodreads and Instagram shortly and on BookBub and StoryGraph when it is released on Sept. 3, 2024.

Brynn has yet to completely bring herself back to life after a divorce, frequently finding solace in her favorite binge worthy soapy teen drama relegated to syndication on Netflix… haven’t we all? What is surprising is when she actually jumps into the story to love out her teenage dreams amongst those comfort characters.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the teen drama background plot and wanted more substance in the core story of Brynn and her love interest. A HEA that was pretty obvious from the beginning, this felt more lackluster than I wanted after being in love with This Spells Love.

I was provided a complimentary arc via NetGalley by Dial Press / Random House

•Title: Prime Time Romance
•Author: Kate Robb
•Genre: paranormal romance
•Format: ebook
•Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•Premise: *What if you got transported into your favorite sitcom from your teenage years?*
Brynn sits down to watch her comfort show “Carson’s Cove”, and when she falls asleep, she wakes up in the show, and takes her roommate Josh with her. While there, she realizes that everything isn’t as she thought, and learns that change can be a good thing.

•Thoughts: This was SO CUTE! I had such a fun time reading this and felt the nostalgia I feel when I rewatch old comfort shows like One Tree Hill, Dawson’s Creek, etc. It was such an interesting premise and one I haven’t read before. I loved Brynn’s romance with Josh, it just felt so real and believable. Kate Robb’s writing is addictive and truly is done so well that the reader feels as if they’re watching a show/movie. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own

I was really looking forward to reading Kate Robb's second novel because I adored "This Spells Love"! As a huge fan of magical realism, I loved how well she incorporated it into her debut novel and hoped it would be the same in Prime Time Romance. The concept seemed so intriguing!

Unfortunately, I found it a little challenging to get through. The story seemed somewhat rushed and disjointed. I had trouble connecting with most of the characters, except for Josh. His storyline and backstory were compelling, and I felt he had the most development, which kept me invested in his journey. His relationship with Brynn throughout was intriguing, but felt rushed. That said, I did find most of Brynn's one-liners absolutely hilarious.

A major challenge for me was that I hadn't watched the TV shows the book is based on, which made it harder to connect with the plot. However, if you enjoy rom coms and liked Kate's first novel, you'll probably really enjoy this one too!

Prime Time Romance is a love letter to classic 90s teen angst shows with nods to Dawson’s Creek, Buffy, and Saved by the Bell. Get ready to be thrust into the perfect world of Carson’s Cove as Brynn and Josh are responsible for giving the perfect ending to the series that fans were denied of when it was unexpectedly canceled. As Brynn and Josh play out the fantasy, Brynn starts to realize that Carson’s Cove might not be as perfect as she once believed it to be.

Prime Time Romance is fun and cute as Brynn lives out her teen fantasy. However, it quickly became apparent that Prime Time Romance is more than just a teen fantasy becoming reality. Instead, it’s a story about growing up and learning that life doesn’t always turn out the way you think you want it to and that’s okay.

Robb also spent time deconstructing the tropes and cliches favored by these types of shows.
One of my biggest criticisms of Prime Time Romance, and the reason I gave it 3.5 stars, is the instalove. Brynn and Josh confess their love for each other quickly and after spending almost no time together.

Spice level: 🌶️

Overall, Prime Time Romance is a cute and fun read about teenage fantasies and learning about life.

Cute romance full of teen TV drama nostalgia. 90210, The OC, One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls, Dawson's Creek...you name it, and there's a dash of that show in Carson's Cove, the once-popular, now-streaming TV show that Brynn and her roommate Josh magically find themselves in.

Brynn's had a hard run of it the past few years, and she find solace in watching Carson's Cove endlessly. On the eve of her 30th birthday, a strange delivery driver with shows up at her door with a birthday cake. After she makes a wish for a future that is low-drama and predictable, one where she can find her happily ever after, she awakes in the home of the wallflower, girl-next-door of her favorite show. Josh, too, has been sucked into this world. If Brynn plays by the rules and helps the lead characters find the ending they didn't get on the show, she and Josh may one day find their way home. Of course, with Josh being cast in the role of the resident bad boy, Brynn will have to stay away from him in order to help them achieve this goal...just as she and Josh are developing feelings for each other.

There's a whole magical element here that makes absolutely no sense, so you just have to let go of that to enjoy this book. Focus on the 90s/00s nostalgia and you'll enjoy the little Easter eggs dropped here and there. (My favorite was the name-checking of a secondary actor from a popular teen vampire series.)

The romance itself is a bit ho-hum. I imagine if there had been something between Brynn and Josh before they got sucked into the alternate universe, it would have made more sense to see it develop as it did. That said, they were agreeable and had some sparks of chemistry (literally, at one point). Other relationships, such as the one between Brynn and her new friend, were just as engaging.

It was a sweet book with messages of empowerment tossed in there with the romance. If you are a fan of any of those teen dramas and like a heroine looking to find her voice + a warm, cuddly hero, you'll probably enjoy this novel.

Stars: 4.5
Spice: R
52 Book Club Summer Prompt #17 - Team Pursuit: Featuring a Group of Friends

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Ok, for a prompt about a group of friends, what could be better than a romance about a woman who makes a wish on her birthday and wakes up to find herself in the fictional world of her favorite teenage drama series?

Brynn is an almost 30-something divorcee living in Toronto. Josh is her 30-something bartender roommate. After Josh comes to Brynn’s rescue the night before her birthday, they spend the evening watching Brynn’s favorite show, the 90s teen drama, Carson’s Cove. But just after midnight, and before they can watch the show’s cliffhanger, a stranger appears at their door, cake in hand, and tells Brynn to make a wish. Next thing she knows, she and Josh are in Carson’s Cove and in order to get home, they need to bring the series to its conclusion. But what happens when Brynn realizes that the teenage heartthrob she thought she would want can’t really compare to Josh? Will they be able to break the spell and return home?

So I sat down to just read a little bit of this book before I got started with my day and you know what happened? Nothing, nothing happened because I spent the next five hours devouring this novel. Much like Robb, I am a huge lover of 90s teen dramas, so this was a true homage to the genre (and Josh Jackson). But I wouldn’t have torn through this book if it just existed on that superficial level. No, Robb writes these two wonderful characters who are struggling to find themselves after the dreams that they thought were realized had been ripped from them. And, like all good romances, they start to grow together and find new dreams.

Look, this was a delight of a book, it made my entire day just getting to spend it with Brynn and Josh and all those crazy kids in Carson’s Cove. This one is out in September, just in time for back to school, so put it on your list.

And oh my god, Kate Robb, anyone that loves both Jann Arden and Don’t Trust the The B—-- In Apartment 23 is just good people.

I was really looking forward to reading this one after absolutely adoring Kate Robb’s debut novel, 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞, as it was probably one of my favourites of 2023. The premises of 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 sounded like a continuation of Robb’s whimsical style with Brynn and her roommate Josh finding themselves transported into Brynn’s favourite TV show, Carson’s Cove. The show ended abruptly 15 years ago, leaving its fans unhappy about its lack of closure. Brynn and Josh quickly realize that they have been sent into an alternate TV world to give the show the happy ever after ending every fan deserved, by taking on the roles of its main characters.

As much as I wanted to adore this book, it fell flat on a few aspects for me. At times, I found myself really disliking or annoyed with most of the characters, especially the FMC, Brynn. Josh on the other hand was a gem and I enjoyed his POV. I wanted to feel more of connection between the two, but it felt rushed and forced.

I do believe I might have been at a slight disadvantage (by my own fault) going into this novel, with all the 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤 references, when I never actually watched the show (I know, I know).

All and all, great concept, I adore Kate Robb and her writing style nonetheless and can’t wait to read more of her novels!

✵𝖬𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖱𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗈𝗆 𝖧𝗈𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝖯𝗎𝖻𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖦𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗉, 𝖪𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝖱𝗈𝖻𝖻＆ 𝖭𝖾𝗍𝖦𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝖿𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋’𝗌 𝖢𝗈𝗉𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐.✵

loved this plot of the book, really enjoyed the characters and the way they were with each other! Loved the banter and the character development between the fmc and mmc

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
DNF around 30%.
I wanted to like this one. I was really intrigued by the premise and the beginning completely held my attention. But once the MCs starting becoming physically transformed into the TV show characters and falling in love with fictional characters, I found it hard to suspend disbelief and enjoy the plot. It was just too weird.

This was a really cute, light and fluffy romance. I enjoyed the magical realism and the nostalgia. While I haven't seen Dawson's Creek, which this is heavily influenced by, that didn't take away from my enjoyment. I still felt the early 2000s teen tv show vibes from the many other influences. I flew through the book, finishing it in just a few hours. There were a few points where I felt like I didn't quite understand the rules of the 'magic' but overall this was bingeable and a nice refreshing break from some of the heavier books I've read lately. I also felt like it ended a little too soon for my liking and I would have liked another couple chapters for the relationship to develop a bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! This book had such cozy vibes. It was pure nostalgia from start to finish and I absolutely devoured it! If you grew up watching fun little teen dramas in the 90s or 2000s I think you’ll adore this book. And you’ll probably spot all of the cute little nod’s to them that the author put in, I know I did 😂 but if you don’t there’s a fun little check list at the end. If you’re in the mood for a love story that feels like coming home, with just the right amount of spice, then I definitely recommend adding this one to your list!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a weird read, I'm kind of unsure where to begin but bare with me while I attempt to summarize my thoughts.

In this story, Brynn has been having a pretty rough go of things and is feeling a bit lost in her life. She has recently gone through a divorce, wherein she also lost a lot of friends due to them being mutual friends with her ex-husband, and feels a bit like she's floating through life. She is living with our MMC Josh to help afford rent, and taking comfort in her favorite teenage soap, Carson's Cove. Suddenly, her and Josh find themselves having been transported to Carson's Cove and are expected to live out the remainder of the soap's storyline to give it a proper ending as the sweetheart FMC and the town bad boy.

This concept sounded super fun to me and I was very excited to read this, and through the first 20%, I LOVED this. I thought it was going to fall somewhere around a 4-5 stars. I even told friends that I had a super good feeling about this one. I could feel the chemistry/tension between the main characters, the banter was fun, I heavily related to the little bit of the FMC we had gotten to know so far, it was dual POV (which I love as does I think every other person on the planet), I was having a great time. Then we got into Carson's Cove... which I thought is where the story would really pick up and I'd get even more into it, but unfortunately it super lost me. First of all, it got this strange energy about it that felt almost thriller/mystery-ish? But it was still very much a romance book and not really delving into the fact that what was going on was SUPER creepy. Then there was a sort of love triangle between our FMC and MMC and another character on the show, and perhaps it's my personal dislike of love triangles, but this really threw off the romance/chemistry between our 2 main characters for me. Our FMC pining over the other man from the show the whole time TO Josh of all people was super bizarre and instead of rooting for them as a couple, I honestly just started to feel bad for him and wish he would find someone that chose him first, which is not at all what I want to come out of a romance book feeling.

However, all of that said, this did hold my attention and was extremely binge-able. While this storyline was not for me, I think Kate Robb's writing style absolutely was, and I definitely plan to pick up more books from her in the future, as I think there has to be some others from her in the future that will be hits for me. Her writing is addicting honestly, and even though I had some gripes with the storyline, I wanted to keep reading.

Overall: Really fun premise that unfortunately didn't stick the landing for me. 2.75 stars rounded up.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for an early e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Teen Beach Movie meets Funny Story by Emily Henry

The first few chapters had me hooked by giving me roommates with potential vibes. But then they got sucked into a tv show, which also had potential.

However I felt like many things were not developed. There was so much more the author could’ve done with the romance.

I liked aspects of the magical town and the plot of being stuck but it felt predictable. Or I would immediately remember how much potential things could have.

The main characters had deep backstories that really could have been fledged out and weren’t.
Continuity wise the town can’t say cuss words because it’s a tv show- and at one point a side character fully said the s word (felt like a slip of hand)

I am in love as much as Brynn and Josh are! I am obsessed and pleasantly surprised, this is a fun little romcom and it super cute and precious. There was no real couple conflict or third act breakup nearly all of the issues where do by a psycho forcing them to play house. Josh is super chill and supportive i love that for Brynn, Brynn is a bit more in need of a therapist but overall precious and i adore her. I am just like here myself constantly rewatching or rereading my favorite series. I will def be rereading this and i will finally be picking up Kate Robb’s first book This Spells like Love, Kate Robb might just have made it onto my automatic buy pile after this. 10/10. No notes.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I requested a bunch of romance on here because I wanted to try it out. However, romance is just not working for me at the moment. I think its more me than the books themselves so I will be giving this one a neutral rating.

I am not a huge fan of some of the tropes in this book and it just wasn't working for me. There is nothing wrong with this book but it just wasn't my taste.

I hope others love it.

Oh man, this was SO FUN, I loved it. I admit it’s probably not a 5 star book on its own, maybe 4-4.5, but for nostalgia purposes I had to bump it up. I loved the whole Dawson’s Creek-esque setting obviously, but also the Buffy references delighted me, as well as all the littler ones to different shows that I caught and didn’t catch. (I liked that the author included a little section about them at the end!)

I really enjoyed how the sweet happy veneer of Carson’s Cove started to wear off and how Sheldon started to get more and more creepy and menacing as Brynn started to not follow his plan. Brynn and Josh’s chemistry was so good and I really liked their relationship. The third act conflict/climax made me super emotional and the way things resolved was soooo satisfying. One of the things that never worked for me about Dawson’s Creek is how Jen and Joey were so often at odds during the series and they never really became friends, and while that wasn’t quite the same in this universe (with Sloan having Poppy as a best friend), I liked that part of Sloan’s happy ending was becoming real true friends with Luce.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own and freely given.

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb is a delightful read that captivates readers from beginning to end. Robb skillfully creates the charming atmosphere of a small-town Hallmark romance, but with a magical twist that sets it apart from the rest. Whether you find yourself rooting for the bad boy to win the girl, or for the girl to finally achieve her long-deserved happily-ever-after, this original and binge-worthy book is sure to capture your heart.