Set during the COVID-19 pandemic on the set of a reality tv show (think The Bachelor type), two best friends/ex-coproducers are once again on the same show. Except now, one of them is a contestant.
Can these two who have been secretly pining for each other for years finally figure out their feelings?

I think I would've enjoyed this more if I had read the first two books in the series (which I didn't know there was). I think it would have clarified a few things/characters that I had questions about when I was reading.

I liked the premise of the story, but I'm just not a huge fan of messy MCs. I really didn't connect with either one of them and I feel like that is why I didn't enjoy it more!

This book was amazing! I didn't realize it was the third in a series, and I still loved it. The writing was fantastic, despite not having watched The Bachelor since I was in university (18 years ago) the series still sticks with you, and it was just so fun to read.

Murray and Lily are reality TV’s power couple, except their personal lives are a bit more Real Housewives and less behind-the-scenes magic. After Lily’s husband unexpectedly passes away, she ghosts Murray for a year, only to reappear as a villain on Marry Me, Juliet. Cue the drama!
We get mostly Murray’s POV in the present and Lily’s flashbacks, revealing their epic, tangled connection. Murray’s obsessed with protecting Lily’s image while she’s making sure he eats more than just takeout. These two are basically soulmates who just need to admit it,and stop being so scared of their own villainous vibes. I picked this up without realizing it was book three, but now I’m hooked and ready to binge the rest. This book had me laughing, crying, and kicking my feet in joy.
Thank you to the publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC and the feels!

Out of the three couples in the series, I enjoyed Lily and Murray’s story the best. They had a lot of passion and history that lent itself to the romance building and HEA.

Lily Fireball was someone that I hated to love. She was built up as such a villain to the other contestants that as I learned what was going on with her story, it became clearer what she was trying to accomplish for herself and what she really needed to do in order to grieve. Murray just needed a long nap. That’s all I have to say about him. I thought Lily Fireball really stole the show.

The story weaving that happened between the three books was interesting. I remember reading the first book and wondering what happened to Lily when she showed up at the convent looking like she just wrestled with a tree - and two books later I find out what actually went down! The forethought that had to go into that is cool to see come to fruition.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jodi McAlister for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars Not Here to make Friends by Jodi McAlister

🌹 The Bachelor/Bachelorette
🌹 reality tv behind the scenes
🌹 friends to lovers
🌹 workplace romance

This book was an enjoyable read with all the drama and excitement that comes with behind the scenes reality tv. At times, I got a little confused by the multiple character names and the story going back and fourth in time. However, it was entertaining and had me laughing and trying to guess what was going to happen. The MC’s Maury and Lily are the producers of a reality tv show like The Bachelor. They met early on in their career and grew into an unbeatable team. Can best friends just be friends or is there more to the story?

I didn't make it very far because this book is set right after the pandemic/in the midst of the end of the pandemic (contestants have to quarantine), which I didn't know going into the book and wouldn't have requested based on this alone. But then it also has a dead spouse plotline that I didn't know going into the book and wouldn't have requested based on this alone. One of them, I could've overlooked because it was a Netgalley book, but unfortunately, both of them would affect my enjoyment of the book, unfairly so to the author.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to review the ARC of this book.

This book ticked all of my favorite book trope boxes 📦

Angst, with a constant push and pull between the MMC and FMC- ✔️

Constant Misunderstanding keeping the MCs apart even when they are within eachothers orbit- ✔️

Second Chance Romance- ✔️

Best Friends to Lovers- ✔️

Murray and Lilly are best friends and coworkers on various reality tv shows in Australia. Lilly's loved Murray from the moment she met him. Lilly's POV is told from snapshots of the past mostly from the moment she met until the present. Murray has always seemed to be unattainable, from being engaged when they met and then married. She settled for being his best friend and work partner.
Murray has always been in love with Lilly and has pined for her heart since they met, but never communicated that information to Lilly. He tells her he loves her but not that he is in love with her so Lilly tries to move on. His POV is told in the present, where he a producer on the show ' Marry me Juliet' where a Romeo is being set up with his future Juliet from multiple contestants.

He is shocked when Lilly comes back into his life as a contestant on the show named Lilly Fireball afyer the loss of her hisband. She is different then before, casting herself as the villian of the show.

I really liked the way that there were dual storyline conveyed between the various contestants and Lilly and Murray because their live story forced Lilly and Murray to realize how they felt about eachother .

Sometimes I wanted to slap Murray across the face at his focusing more on the success of the show rather then realizing what was really important to him was right in front of him. He kept shutting out Lilly instead of letting her in to his heart.

I haven't 📚 read the other books in the series yet but am excited to read other books by the Author.

I was hoping this would capture my attention more than it ultimately did. I came back to this book time and again but was unable to finish reading it.

I never was fully invested in this book. I didn’t care for Lily form the beginning. She had being a minority and a woman against her from the start of her career which made her form a hard shell. She chose to internalize every emotion because of this. Her and Murray were the perfect coworkers , complimenting each other in their work. With them each being in relationships in throughout their working career the timing was never right. After a loss she came back strong wanting to sabotage her whole life, career and rely with Murray. It was entertaining to see what from behind the scenes it takes to make good reality tv. There’s a reason we’re all obsessed with the drama of these shows. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily

I'm not a fan of reality tv and have no interest in it, so I was taken aback by how much I loved NOT HERE TO MAKE FRIENDS. They was nothing fake, calculated or shallow about Murray and Lily's story. In fact I thought the plot and characters were complex with all its and their layers, emotional depth and angsty pining (one of my favorite tropes).

Murray and Lily know how to push people's buttons and find their trigger points to manipulate the story they want to tell that will make for great tv and high ratings for that's what they do for a living running reality shows. They've been working side by side each other for over a decade and can have conversations with just a look. But a year has passed since they've been in contact after the funeral of Lily's husband and Lily pops up as the villain contestant for the next season of "Marry Me, Juliet," in which Murray is producing. She has reinvented herself and Murray doesn't know how to get his best friend back. With all the feelings Murray and Lily have for each other bottled up and all the boundaries drawn to keep those feelings sealed off, what will it take for Murray and Lily to see that the only place they're meant to be is with each other?

I loved this author's writing and look forward to reading whatever she publishes next!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Not Here to Make Friends is a rom com based off a Bachelor type showrunner and a contestant. I wanted to really like this but I was hoping it was a normal contestant meet cute with a producer and instead it was full of insane amounts of miscommunication that really made it difficult to love. I just could not love the characters, they were fine but they continued to just not be able to communicate and ghost each other for significant time periods. It was also not as light hearted as I thought, it dealt with some bigger issues and potential trigger warnings as well.

This was a sweet book at times but the reality show setting wasn’t my favorite. I would definitely read other books by this author.

I do love the concept and the writing of this series, though going through the same season for the third time did get a bit repetitive for me. I liked their story but this kind of thing often frustrates me when they hold love for each other for decades and it doesn't work like it just annoys and hurts me so it was not my fav in the series but man I love reality tv.

Miscommunication trope and unlikeable characters leads to a very dissatisfying book. It's such a shame because I love the book cover and the romance books surrounding a reality tv show and the love that happens behind the scenes.

Not Here to Make Friends by Jodi McAlister was a unique take on the friends to lovers trope with a little bit of a second chance romance hidden in there. Truthfully, I went into this story not thinking I would enjoy it, as these two tropes are not usually my favorite. I was pleasantly surprised when I kept picking this book up and wanting more. As part of the Marry Me, Juliet series, this story follows former friends Murray and Lily as they navigate their friendship and careers. I also enjoyed getting a "behind the scenes" look at a reality tv show where this novel was set. It was fast-paced and constantly had me wanting more. Murray's POV was set in the present while Lily's was set in the past. This back and forth made the story enjoyable for me and invested in seeing their friendship/romance blossom. Although this is the third book in the series, Not Here to Make Friends can serve as a standalone. The other two novels are set in the same timeline, and this element makes the story extra unique. I was invested in the side characters' stories, wanting to see more about how their relationships unfolded. Not Here to Make Friends was my first book by Jodi McAlister, and it certainly will not be my last. I look forward to reading more by this author and recommending you to pick up this book!

Thank you Atria Books & Netgalley for the advance reading copy. I really enjoyed this book, it followed the story of Lily and Murray through 10 years of friends and the highs and lows of life. The reality TV aspect had drama that kept me glued to the pages & howling with laughter at times. The author's depiction of the chaos of grief/loss was so relatable it took my breath away at times. This is a fun book to read in 2024 if you love second chance romance & friends to lovers ❤️


Trigger warning: Death of spouse, grief and loss

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It wasn't until I was almost done with this book that I realized it was part of a series, but the good news is that it is a good representation of a standalone within a series. I didn't feel like I was missing something I have in other stories, and the author did great not reiterating something that happened in the previous novels. In fact, I found that another book in the series has happening concurrent with this book, so now I feel like I want to read that next!

We all love a great reality show villain and Lily, who used to be a showrunner/producer of Marry Me, Juliet, knows exactly how to be the contestant you LOVE to hate. After leaving her job and coming back a year later her work partner Murray is completely blindsided. The story goes with Murray's pov in the present and alternates to Lily's pov over the 13 years of their friendship leading up to where they are now. I had so much fun looking at the bts of reality bachelor type shows and it reminded me vividly of the show unreal with Sheri Appleby and Constance zimmer (would def rec).

Such a fun read! Perfect for fans of The Bachelor franchise or the Lifetime show, unREAL. I loved the complexity of the characters and found all their reasons for not being able to be together very believable. I need to go back and read the first two books in this series now, though this book can very clearly stand on its own.

When i read the tag Full on Villain romance, i was sold instant click. instant read lol

Murray and Lily were once friends and now after being estranged for a while they are thrust back together when Lily is chosen as the villain o the show Murray is a show runner on. Oh my goodness Lily is a force to be reckoned with and I really loved her character, although the thought of someone like her in real life terrifies me lol

I loved the tension and the drama in this book and immediately had to tell my friends about it, so much fun!