super cute book i loved the storyline remind me of gilmore girls i just love reading it coudnt stop, to see more.. 5 stars

Prime Time Romance is a teen drama nostalgia fest, perfect for fans of Dawson's Creek and similar shows. It's also a steamy friends-to-lovers romance with subplots about second chances in life.

I loved the setting - inside the world of the Carson's Cove television show - and the chemistry between the two leads. But I didn't feel like I knew the main character, Brynn, as well as I wanted to. Because the story moves so quickly into the Carson's Creek world, we don't see a lot of Brynn's real life, and that made it hard for me to connect with her - and especially with her desire for stories to have happy, neat endings, which is the story's animating force. Still, this was a great read and I was rooting for Brynn and Josh.

Well, I have a quick confession: firstly, I’m thankful to 2000’s TV series that made me spend my twenties glued to the TV with my friends and enjoy them fully as a kind of celebration with theme parties, before "Netflix and chill" was invented and binge-watching became a terminology.

Kate Robb’s latest book presents a tribute to one of these shows: "Dawson’s Creek" and its highly questioned ending (another quick confession, at the risk of getting booed by several fans: I’m still satisfied with the conclusion as a devoted member of Team Pacey. Don’t you think Joshua Jackson is still, even though he’s middle-aged now, turning into creepy Doctor Death?)

Anyways, in this book, Brynn, recently divorced and financially struggling, shares her house with her roommate Josh. She finds happiness getting connected with the characters of Carson’s Cove (a.k.a. "Dawson’s Creek"). But when the show finishes with a cliffhanger after five seasons, where Sloane (a.k.a. Joey Potter) and Spencer (a.k.a. Dawson Leery) couldn’t come clean with their feelings, she gets frustrated just like other show fans. On the same night, she finds a surprise birthday cake left on her doorstep and celebrates her 30th birthday, wishing herself a happily ever after. The very next day, she opens her eyes to an alternate reality where she turns into Sloane, the girl next door (also Joey Potter), living in the same universe as her favorite series, with a twist: her roommate Josh also appears as Fletch (somewhat Pacey, the bad boy of the town). Instead of chasing her happiness with Spencer, she realizes she starts catching feelings for Fletch. Sparks keep flying around them, and their chemistry is undeniably palpable. So, what kind of happily ever after awaits Brynn in this universe, and can she carry this hard-found happiness into her new divorced, fresh-start life?

Well, I think 2000’s dramas as alternative universe themes are a little bit past their expiration date to intrigue me as inspiring themes. And I also had a little hard time connecting with the characters, finding the progression of the romance story a little rushed, insta without much development. I enjoyed this entertaining reading, but I guess I expected to like it a little more, and it didn’t fully meet my expectations. So I decided to give it three stars, which means I had no negative feelings, but I wish I could love it more.

I hope I enjoy the next book by the author a little more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Dial Trade Paperback for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Despite a promising plot, Prime Time Romance really let me down.
Brynn is a divorcee superfan of Carson’s Cove (i.e. Dawson’s Creek) looking for her happily ever after. She and her bartender roommate are whisked away in an alternate reality (Carson’s Cove) to give the characters an ending they deserve (she show was canceled and left the fans unsatisfied with the cliff hanger).

In this alternate reality, Brynn takes on the role of girl-next-door fan favorite Sloane, and Josh is cast as the troubled bartender Fletcher. In the show, Sloane is fated for Spencer, her best friend, but they could never get things right. Their mission is to fix the series finale and rewrite the ending.

What to expect:
✅ magical realism
✅ 90s/2000s nostalgia
✅ dual POV
✅ complex love interests
✅ spice 🌶️

Because Brynn & Josh are masquerading as fictional TV characters, it’s hard to get a sense who they are as unique individuals.
Neither character seems to have any personality…if anything, they’re generic copies of the TV characters they’re standing in for, which lead to me disassociating from them.

There are some declarations of love that are so painfully cringe I almost stopped reading
These characters do not know each other enough to have any meaningful connection, declarations of like, let alone love.

In the end, I felt zero chemistry between the main characters, but did enjoy parts of this nostalgic romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my very honest review.

Imagine being transported into your favorite television show and living out the main character's life. I adored this premise because I have felt the same way at one point in my life. This novel alternates between Brynn and Josh's point of view. Both are characters that you can fall in love with. Brynn is struggling with her new life which means the loss of her best friend after her divorce and a roommate, Josh. Josh is a bartender struggling with the loss of his father and his family's bar. They both get transported into Brynn's favorite television show that was canceled years ago. What follows is a magical rom-com that I adore.

There were so many moments to fall in love with in this book. This is a great romance with some steamy scenes. It also has great characters that you are rooting for as well as a dash of magic. There is also a wonderful message at the heart of this book. I highly recommend Prime Time Romance. It is one of those books that you can escape with and feel happier because you read it.

Thank you to Random House Publishing/Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for this Arc.

Prime Time Romance is a fun, unique rom-com that combines the alternate reality space/time travel of the film Pleasantville with the nostalgia of late 90s/late 2000s CW/WB television shows. If you were ever a fan of Dawson's Creek, Riverdale or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there are plenty of Easter eggs to be found as our protagonists find themselves transported into a real-life version of a popular teen drama. Prime Time Romance is cozy, sweet and romantic.

This book is told in two points of view. The first is Brynn, recently divorced and nursing her grief by watching old episodes of Carson's Cove, her favorite teen drama from her childhood. Then there is Josh, Brynn's bartender roommate who is still dealing with feelings of failure after he couldn't keep his late father's bar afloat. Through a series of events and some unexplained magic, the two find themselves transported into a real version of Carson's Cove, where Brynn must give the drama's characters a happy ending before the two can return home.

I went into this book not knowing the premise, so it was rather jarring when it went from a standard rom-com into a supernatural, pseudo-romantasy. But I adjusted. I really enjoyed the movie Pleasantville (except the ending was a little weird), so I loved twisting the concept for the Millennial generation. The residents of Carson's Cove were a play on the archetypes that we often saw in those old teen dramas--the beautiful best friend/boy next door, the town bad boy, the high school mean girl, and the ride-or-die bestie girlfriend. But Prime Time Romance turned these archetypes on their head in a satisfying way.

Brynn and Josh have great chemistry. I did find myself, however, forgetting in the middle of a chapter whose point-of-view I was reading, as their voices sometimes weren't distinctive enough from each other. I also got a little frustrated at times when Brynn chose--for seemingly no reason other than pure storytelling purposes--to not communicate her intentions to Josh. I'm a big fan of communication in romance books.

That said, I had a lot of fun with this book and I think I caught most of the Easter eggs (I didn't watch Riverdale past the first season, though). If you're looking for a cute romance with a healthy dose of nostalgia, I would highly recommend.

**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

This book sounded like my own personal dream of being sent through a space time continuum into my favorite nostalgic TV show. It started off pretty good with giving background info and the things the two main characters were dealing with but then it took a downright creepy turn. These two people were basically kidnapped against their will... and then threatened when they wanted to deviate from the wish mans plan. I found some parts kind of cliche but also like realistic where the FMC realizes some of the aspects of the show were pretty outdated and didn't fit with how she actually wanted to live her life.

I also found the romance part nice but it fell a bit flat for me. It was a lot of telling not showing how they fell for eachother and when they dropped the first I love yous I was like woah wait how did we get here????

Overall I would say the book was fine, just a pretty middle ranking book for me.

What would you do if your favorite scripted tv show ended and it didn’t end the way it should have but you have a chance to fix it. The only catch is you’re the one who’s the main star and get to fix it. This book gave me MAJOR the OC vibes. On brynns 30th birthday she gets a mysterious cake delivered and makes a wish and her roommate Josh end up being the stars of the show and get to right at three wrongs from the shows series finale. They get stuck and things don’t to the way they should. They both have to figure out how to get back to Toronto or face living through a real life grounhound day. It was super cute and whimsical.

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb is a good fit for fans of romantic comedies and second-chance love stories who enjoy whimsical tales of finding love in unexpected places.
Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for this ARC! I loved this book more than I thought I was going to. It had such an interesting and different storyline and it brought back all of the nostalgia from loved tv shows and the subtle references of other characters. I loved the development of characters and the empowering feeling and realization of Brynn moving on from her divorce and Josh’s story made me feel hopeful. The ending was everything and made my heart flutter. I will for sure check out more of Katie Robb’s books!

I really wanted to like this one! I LOVED Kate Robb's This Spells Love so I was so excited to get this one on Netgalley. However.... it fell really flat. The concept of a 30 year old divorced women making a wish and then waking up in her favorite TV show was a too strange for me. Her obsession with the TV show, characters, plot and location felt a bit middle school for me.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me to opportunity to read this advance copy of Prime Time Romance.

This book is a millennial’s dream!! Our FMC, Brynn, finds her happily ever after entirely derailed and a wish transports her and her roommate to the world of her favorite teen TV series. There is so much nostalgia here for those of us who grew up with The Gilmore Girls, The OC, etc. Brynn was a little annoying at first but her character developed so beautifully throughout the book. Josh, the MMC, was pretty lovable right from the start! My only complaint is was the pacing. The first third to half of the book felt slow and I was a little bored at times. Not to worry, the rest of the book entirely makes up for it! Kate Robb is now an auto-buy author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

4.5 ⭐️ + 🌶️🌶️

Space time continuum romance story.

Transported me to an era when Disney Channel Movies were at their peak, releasing a new gem each month. Unconstrained by box office demands, these films had the freedom to explore creatively, resulting in either hits or misses. Prime Time Romance is unquestionably is a HIT for me.

Easy pace. Life lessons. Perfect world versus realism.
Touch of a birthday candle magic misinterpretation.

“This town is still stuck. It will never change unless it’s forced to change. The least I can do is make the first baby step.”

Imagine you make a wish on your 30th birthday for a happy ever after and you wake up the next morning in Dawson’s Creek or Stars Hollow, your favorite teen drama. A mean tv genie wants you to finish out the main characters’ love story since they split at the end of the series. In GG example, you come back as Rory 15 years later after the og finale (ignoring the seasons) and a genie is making you rekindle with Logan. Your real hottie roommate also ends up Carson’s Cove and is cast as bad boy Jess. That’s the premise of Prime Time Romance. Brynn wakes up in Carson’s Cove with Josh her roomie and has to find “Sloan’s” HEA in order to return home. Brynn goes off script, much to the chagrin of tv genie Sheldon, and teenage drama plot twists ensue. This is a suspend disbelief story and follows the author’s trope from her first book of “be careful what you wish for”. It was fun picking up easter eggs. It was a predictable story that is trying to fight predictable story lines, so a little mixed messaging there. This is open door for those interested. This is a good library rental IMO.

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

I enjoyed this! It definitely felt like I’d seen this show before and I think that’s exactly what the author was going for! Cute, well thought out. I wish a little more back story to the main couple but all in all an enjoyable reax!

This book was such a roller coaster from start to finish! I’m so thankful to have received an arc for this book. As soon as I read the books description, I was instantly drawn in.

One of my favorite things that instantly hooked me about this book was how fantastic the world building was, and how I could visualize the setting so easily. I felt like I was actually in Carson’s Cove along with the characters! I also felt that the main character was very relatable, and I had a lot of fun reading from her perspective.

The only thing I would really change about the book is the pacing, as I personally felt the pacing was a little off. I absolutely loved the slow-burn, but at a certain point after, the whole story seemed to have been a little rushed for my personal taste.

Overall, this book really had the best vibes, and I had such a hard time putting it down. I really felt so immersed in the story with characters that I’m constantly rooting for, and Kate Robb does a fantastic job of making her readers feel like they’re actually in Carson’s Cove with the characters. I highly recommend checking this book out!

This book is so good from how they went from one world to reality is really intriguing and I was so pulled to it because I was like what just happened all in all it is to say I love this book!!

A super fun book idea! Reminded me of being plopped into a show like one tree hill or Gilmore girls. The small town vibes. A fun play on a romance.

Plot: Resembles Teen Beach Movie Rating: 4.5 stars Genre: Contemporary Romance Tags: Friends to lovers, small town romance

A Journey Through Nostalgia: Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb invites you on a delightful journey through nostalgia, blending the charm of 90's TV shows with a compelling romantic narrative. Robb skillfully weaves together elements of the beloved era with the use of Easter eggs that pay homage to classic 90's TV shows. These subtle nods add an extra layer of enjoyment if you're familiar with the era.

Brynn and Josh's chemistry leaps off the pages. Robb masterfully crafts their interactions, infusing them with tension, humor, and genuine emotion. The dynamic between Brynn and Josh is electric, and it kept me eagerly turning pages, rooting for their love to blossom.

However, amidst the nostalgia and romance, there is a notable flaw in the character development of Brynn. While her attempts to emulate the iconic Sloan may initially seem intriguing, they ultimately detract from her individuality. As a result, I found myself longing for a deeper exploration of Brynn's personality and motivations beyond her desire to embody a TV character.

Prime Time Romance is a charming and nostalgic journey that celebrates the magic of 90's television. With its captivating romance, clever references, and endearing characters, Kate Robb delivers a delightful read that will leave you reminiscing about your favorite TV shows long after the final page is turned.


Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of this book.
This book has such an interesting concept. It was nice to read a different type of romance novel. This book has magical realism and it not something I commonly read. I was very skeptical at first, but ended up loving this book.
I am a fan of 'The Truman Show' and 'Pleasantville' and could feel their similarities to this book.
Have you ever been so obsessed with a tv show and wish you could change the way the series ended?
Brynn is in her 30's, recently divorced, living with a hot bartender (Josh) in order to pay rent. On her birthday, a stranger arrives at her door to deliver a birthday cake for her. She blows out the candle, makes a wish, and wakes up in an alternate reality in the town of her favorite tv show.
Plot twist, hot bartender gets sucked into this vortex too. They have to figure out how to get the characters a happy ending in order to find their way home. A "perfect world" doesn't really exist, even in the land of television. People aren't who they seem, you can't force feelings that aren't there, and sacrifices have to be made.
This was a very fun and entertaining read. I loved the character development and the way that Brynn and Josh's relationship changes over the course of their time in Carson's Cove.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
This book is like a favorite teenage drama meeting adulthood with some spice, sweetness, and some unexpected twists.
When Brynn is turning 30, missing the life she expected to have by now, she chooses to watch the show that’s always brought her comfort in difficult times, a teenage drama that always has things work out how they are expected. This time, her roommate, Josh, joins to watch her favorite show. Brynn later gets an unexpected visitor with a cake, a chance to make a wish, and wakes up in a different place through a space-time continuum with some unexpected rules to follow. This book shows what Brynn goes through as she navigates living in this favored beach town from her favorite show as an adult. Josh is there too, and has his own things to learn and grow with, while also looking out for Brynn throughout the story. Will they help out in Carson’s Cove or will they be stuck?
I really enjoyed the premise of this story, the tie in to favorite 90’s teenage dramas, the growth of the characters, and the space-time continuum! I had to keep reading to find out what would happen to Brynn and Josh, and loved the growth of them apart as well as together. I highly recommend Prime Time Romance for anyone who enjoys dual POV, sweetness and spice, a space-time continuum jump, and reading about character growth.