The premise is cute and fun which should have made for a quick, enjoyable read but I found myself really struggling to get through this. The characters felt very one dimensional which perhaps was intended based on the tv world pre use but ultimately meant that I didn’t care what happened with Brynn and Josh. Thank you to Random House Publishing, NetGalley and the author for this ARC.

Oh the way Kate Robb plays with the space time continuum!!! Love it.

Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️.5
Romance: ♥️♥️♥️
Character Development: 💚💚💚

The thing I love about Kate’s books is that she takes a cute fluffy contemporary romance and turns it upside down with the magical realism. Messing with alternate realities and asking you to believe in something completely nonsensical!! It really makes for a totally unique romance book!!

While not super deep this book was truly whimsical and such a fun wink and nod to 90’s and early 2000’s teen dramas!! Brynn’s journey to figuring out what she truly wanted was really fun to watch play out. And oh Josh….Josh Josh Josh. My gold retriever cinnamon roll baby. We love you so!!!!! Watching him fall in love was just the sweetest.

The spice in Kate’s books is always more realistic feeling and lovely. There isn’t a ton of it but it’s well placed and makes you so happy for the characters.

Watching Josh and Brynn navigate being sucked into a fictional town of an old tv show was truly so much fun. Ridiculously hysterical and such interesting way to tell a contemporary romance story.

If you need a fluffy palette cleanser book this is it!!!

This was fun! I had thoroughly enjoyed THIS SPELLS LOVE and I had high hopes for this one… it wasn’t quite as satisfying as its predecessor, but still a fun read with a quirky premise!

This book is SO cute and everything you want in a rom-com! Have you ever hated the ending your favorite show and wished you could change it? Well this book is for you!! Such a fun concept and I absolutely loved it from start to finish!

Brynn on the eve of her thirtieth birthday and still dealing with her divorce makes a wish for her life to be simpler. When she wakes up she finds her self in the middle of her favorite teenage drama Carson's Cove with her roommate Josh. Brynn is going to give the show the ending it never got as the girl next door falling in love with teenage crush, while Josh will play the town "bad boy". While there Brynn realizes nothing really was as simple as it seemed and she doesn't feel the same way about the boy of her dreams. I really liked the nostalgia of this book and loved the small town setting, the friends to lovers between the main characters, and the magical realism. This was a quick easy read perfect for the beach/vacation would absolutely recommend. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings with this book. I rated This Spells Love as 5 star and this didn’t quite live up to that. I actually really loved the characters and their love story, but some parts of the magical realism were just strange at the beginning to me.

Brynn is a 30 year old divorcee who isn’t happy with her life. To escape, she binge watches her favorite teenage television show, Carson’s Cove. A mysterious cake shows up on midnight of her birthday where she wishes for her life to be her perfect ending. Unknowingly that wish transports her and her roommate Josh to the fictional Carson’s Cove.

Overall, it was entertaining; it was quick; it was definitely nostalgic to my own favorite teenage shows. I’d probably keep reading more Kate Robb books!

Thank you to Random House Publishing, NetGalley and the author for this ARC.

What a cute premise! The idea of getting sucked into your favorite TV show grabbed me right off the bat! Brynn, newly divorced, is plopped right in the center of Carson’s Cove (which gave big Dawson’s Creek vibes and I’m sooo not mad about it!) This friends to lovers, small town romance is a delight!

This was an overall extremely cute read. I love the roommates to lovers trope and the added touch of magical realism. It made me think of some of my favorite shows I loved watching when I was younger. The only problem is I didn't feel the love connection between the two characters. There were some swoony moments but they didn't make sense together.

I initially requested this NetGalley book because the synopsis gave me Pleasantville vibes, which I adored, but with a romantic twist. Instead of siblings being stuck in a show, it’s a pair of roommates who didn’t get to know each other until this moment. While I still got the Pleasantville moments I expected, it also mixed in Dawson’s Creek, 90210, and The Truman Show.

There were definitely some plot holes, like how Sheldon got the power he did to suck them into this world & show, but I still enjoyed myself.

"Prime Time Romance" is a delightful and inventive romance novel that combines nostalgia, fantasy, and heartfelt emotion in a unique package. Brynn, recently divorced, finds solace in binge-watching "Carson’s Cove," her favorite 90s teenage soap. This immediately made Brynn a relatable character for me, having sought comfort in TV shows more than once.

The story takes an intriguing turn when Brynn’s birthday wish for her own happily-ever-after leads to a surreal experience. She wakes up not in her apartment, but in the fictional world of Carson’s Cove, with Josh, her roommate, by her side. This unexpected twist catapults them into the roles of the show’s sweetheart and bad boy, presenting a fresh and exciting narrative. The concept of waking up in a fictional universe is brilliantly executed. The familiar tropes of 90s teen dramas are mixed with the characters’ real-world complexities, creating a story that is both whimsical and grounded. As Brynn and Josh navigate their new reality, the book explores the idea that fictional worlds, while alluring, are not always as perfect as they seem.

The narrative is well-paced, keeping readers engaged as Brynn and Josh’s journey unfolds. The setting of Carson’s Cove is vividly brought to life, evoking a sense of nostalgia for fans of 90s television. The secondary characters, drawn from the soap’s ensemble cast, provide additional charm and complexity to the story.

However, what truly sets this novel apart is its underlying message. Brynn’s journey is not just about finding love, but also about understanding that happiness and fulfillment often come from embracing the imperfections of reality. This theme resonates throughout the book, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Maybe 2.5? It was readable and seemed like a really fun premise initially but there just felt like no point? The romance wasn’t there. There was a weird, underlying sinister energy that never got resolved. And there was apparently another dimension completely created by some random guy that we are just supposed to accept as true??

Thank you to NetGalley for this early read! Prime Time Romance is a fun novel that is a fangirl’s biggest dream and nightmare combined into one. It was an interesting mix of sci-fi and a light read. I wish there was a little more dwelling on the character development from her past with her ex to her future with Josh. However, I appreciate how surface it was without digging deep into issues. It was a quick, fun read. Perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Emily Henry.

When a birthday wish is taken too literally, Carson’s Cove super fan Brynn and her roommate Josh are transported to an alternate universe where they are the main characters in the Dawson’s Creek-esque town. Once there, their only hope for getting home is to give main character Sloan, now played by Brynnn, the happily ever after the fans wanted before the show was prematurely cancelled. This book is great for fans of Dawson’s Creek, Gilmore Girls, and Schmigadoon. While the characters and plot successfully hit the tropes and storylines one wants out of a romance novel, this one does take quite a bit suspension of disbelief in order to buy into it.

Imagine getting brought into a canceled tv show that you loved to watch during your teens, by a wish you made on a cake. On top of it, your roommate becomes the bad boy character. Enter one of the characters that seem to be able to make changes in the small town, if you don’t follow the happy ending script. While playing the role of Solane and Fletcher, both Brynn and Josh find out how they feel towards each other. Add in the only town bar that is making a come back, a random flash mob, and becoming friends with a character that you once hated to watch. This book has a bit of spice, romance, and finding what actually makes you happy. Josh is such a green flag🤍

I got all the 90/00s references of the shows I loved, but they just couldn't pull me all the way in.
It felt more that she was fixing the show than learning and healing herself.
And how was no one worried they were gone or comatose for a week?!

Imagine blowing out a candle on your 30th Birthday Cake and making a wish. That night you are transported to a Gilmore Girls/ Dawson's Creek type alternate universe. Surprisingly your hunky roommate (who you may or may not have a thing for) has joined you and you're both recognized as regular characters in the show. That's how Brynn and Josh find themselves lost as characters in Brynn's comfort TV show "Carson's Cove." In Prime Time Romance the journey that comes after feels straight out of the CW channel circa 2005. In order to return to their 'normal lives' they must participate in this epic 4D reboot to give the main characters Sloan and Spencer the happily ever after ending they were never given on the show.
How do they get there? Are they actually physically there or is this all a simulation and the real Brynn and Josh are in some sort of suspended animation? Best not to think about it too hard. This story asks the reader to suspend their disbelief like someone offering a tightrope walk across Niagara falls, and does not reward their trust with any answers.
Also puzzling is the character of Sheldon, as a sort of background "man behind the curtain" character calling the shots who is both menacing and also confusing as his presence created more questions than it answered.
I was really intrigued by the idea of setting a romance in a 2000s teen drama, as I am a big fan of both genres, but I was ultimately disappointed. However the pacing was great, and Kate Robb did a great job of keeping me reading through her fast moving plot and the fun re-imagining of the teen drama, I even loved the guide she included at the end with all her teen drama references. I'm not sure it worked for me, but it was fun to imagine which 2000s teen drama I would like to be dropped into and what story line I would like a chance to fix. The plot, despite its sometimes zany twists, would make a fun book club discussion.

This was a fun read! The story was easy to follow and I really enjoyed the magic of it! Brynn and Josh's story was well written and it had the ending I was hoping for. I had a few ideas of what I thought was going to happen, but was pleasantly surprised when the magic wasn't lost in the end.

*I received a complimentary ecopy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing and Kate Robb

I received an earc from Net Galley/ RHP in exchange for an honest review.
Do you remember that movie where Toby Maguire gets him and his sister trapped in a 1950's sitcom because he thinks WOW that must be the life? This is that book only think Dawson's creek instead of leave it to beaver.
Brynn is recently divorced and lives with her bartender roommate Josh, when her friends forget her birthday she decides to sit and binge her childhood comfort show. Throw in a magic cake, and Josh and Brynn wake up IN her show.
This book had really good bones, the premise was cool, but the romance just wasn't there for her and Josh in my opinion. I found myself more invested in her friendships with characters from the show and honestly the ending just was not it for me. This book was not bad by any means, I really enjoy Katie Robb's writing and if you want a fun plot to read I do recommend this book.

Overall: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plotline: 4/5
World-Building: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Tropes: Magical Wish; Roommates to Lovers; Small Town

Themes: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Spice Factor: 2
Enjoyment Factor: 4/5

Review: This premise was so much fun and had a whimsical flair to it! The Riverdale/Dawson's Creek-esque setting was fun for someone who loved the teen slice-of-life shows. The way these two questioned what was happening to them and constantly went against the grain was refreshing, and it made me believe their love story. Brynn was a hot mess. She was such a realistic character, and Josh was a great hero who knew himself and made the best of what was given to him. I wish we had more explanation for the magic aspect, but this was fun and wholesome.

4.5 stars! This book is like Dawson’s Creek meets Pleasantville with a little Truman Show sprinkled in. Such different concept for a rom-com. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book!