I love a good reality-TV romance, and this one did not disappoint! Murray and Lily are long-time co-showrunners for a "Bachelor"-esque franchise. After a tragedy in her life, Lily leaves her job only to return a year later as the best villain the show has ever seen. I don't know what view we get of these characters in previous books, but I enjoyed the back-story and flashback scenes that help make these anti-heroes feel more real and nuanced. I received this one as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for review and did not know there were two books before. I picked this one based on vibes rather than research, and it's definitely readable as a standalone. Now I have to go back and read the other two, and hopefully any more that will come after this one!

This book does deal with some heavy topics, such as grief/loss of a spouse, racism, sexism, and the pandemic. I think all were thoughtfully handled, but trigger warnings all the same.

As someone that loves the bachelor franchise, this book is a prime example of the behind-the-scenes aspect, but giving it a romantic twist. I do think the synopsis of the book was a bit misleading and I don’t think that villain will categorically describe the FMC.

A fun Bachelor-themed romance that was perfect for Us Weekly readers. Taking one of the brand's favorite show's and turning into fiction — and with the behind-the-scenes element too — it was a major win!

This was an ok story, I'm not a fan of the bachelor or bachelorette tv show but I can see those that do enjoying this book.

#NotHereToMakeFriends:⁣
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Thank you @simon.audio and @atriabooks #AtriaPartner for my gifted copy! ⁣
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This was such a fun read. Think The Bachelor but basically very unhinged.. err, more unhinged than most. I loved the characters, the behind the scenes, and the HEA. ⁣
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I do feel like the synopsis was misleading. I didn’t realize that the show Lily was a coworker with and show runner was the literal show she was going on and had just left! It gave for more extra juicy drama that I needed and wanted so it was a pleasant surprise. ⁣
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So I loved the audio, but now we can all have a giggle. This is originally from S&S Australia, so the audiobook has the same accent. Lily tells everyone to call her “Lily Fireball” as the contestant. When the reader was saying it out loud, I thought it was “Lily Fieval” (Like the mouse who goes West!) I didn’t understand what was so cool about her name and thinking I was missing out on pop culture. Nope. Just me not reading and heavily relying on the audio. When I picked up the book to read I laughed so hard at the realization.⁣
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This is book 3 in a series, but I don’t see the other 2 out in the US. I loved the characters 1&2 surround, so I really hope I get to see them out soon! This one is out now!⁣
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QOTD: Whats your favorite reality show? Don’t like tv, then what are you currently reading?

This is such a fun read, especially if you’ve ever watched The Bachelor or any other reality dating shows. Lily Ong and Murray have been working on reality shows together for a few years until they’re jointly promoted to be the show runners for a reality dating show called Marry Me Juliet.

They’ve been just friends for the entire time, with their own spouses etc., even though privately they have deeper feelings. After LIly’s husband dies, they don’t see each other for a year until Lily comes back as a contestant called Lily Fireball. She fully intends to be the villain on the new season.

Murray is torn between joy at seeing Lily again, and anger that she’s going to play a character that will ruin her reputation. He’s admitted to himself that he loves her and can’t handle seeing her like this.

There’s so much anger, betrayal, and sexual tension running between these characters. They must resolve their issues somehow even if it means saying goodbye. 4 stars.

From the publisher:
In this “full-on villain romance” (The New York Times) a group of women on a reality dating show should be vying for the love of their Romeo, but it turns out one of them only has eyes for the showrunner.

I really couldn’t get into this book so it’s a DNF for me. I’m not sure if it was because Lily was a villain who was tough to root for, or why exactly.

If you love watching The Bachelor, then read this! Just like the show except it’s from the behind the cameras pov; all the work that goes into the show. I loved every second of this book, every page, every chapter… just everything!! I had no idea this was a series so now I’m interested in reading the other 2!!

It’s Lily’s question to the contestants on the dating reality show Marry Me, Juliet, where she is a producer. When she needs a contestant to go all in on an idea, she asks them, “Are you ready to be brave?” It almost always works. It’s what makes her so good at her job. She is a fierce competitor, a Vietnamese woman whose signature lipstick color is called Blood of My Enemies. And Lily and Murray have co-produced reality shows for years. They manage their contestants. They massage the story lines. They make unforgettable television for millions of viewers. And then her life was upended, and she disappeared.

Murray is preparing to produce the newest season of Marry Me, Juliet. He’d finally been able to convince his boss to do a season with some diversity, so this Romeo is not another white guy. Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor is an Olympic gold medalist, and he is not the only person of color in the cast. Some of the Juliets are also, so Murray is happy to finally have a chance to do something meaningful with the show. It would have been better of Lily were there too, but they had worked hard to make it happen, and he was going to do everything in his power to make it a memorable season.

But then Lily shows up, in a killer red dress, and upends Murray. She’s calling herself Lily Fireball and has shaved at least a decade off her age in order to compete on the show. Murray tries to stop her, but she won’t be deterred. She introduces herself to Dylan and makes an immediate impression. While she may not be on the show to look for love, she is definitely looking forward to stirring things up in the house. And while Murray had been blindsided by Lily’s return as a contestant, he is told that he can’t let Dylan send her home until at least week eight.

And then Murray gets hit with yet another twist to this season. Because of Covid restrictions, they’ve had to cut their staff to the bones. And when the restrictions tightened a little bit more, the women were no longer able to leave when Dylan sent them home. The production staff had to keep everyone in the bubble until all the filming was completed. He had to find a place to set up the Juliets who Dylan decided he didn’t have enough chemistry with, so he set up the house at the bottom of the hill for the rejected contestants and called it The Convent.

Having all the women stay the entire time created extra drama for the show, as the women were fighting in the main house, and there were women fighting in The Convent, and they had cameras up to catch it all. But the drama was also building up behind the scenes, because Murray was absolutely, completely, 100 percent certain that he was in love with Lily. He had set up this whole season for her. And now she’s all over the set, creating drama in all the best ways.

Murray’s job is to create romance for people who are practically strangers. He knows how to guide a conversation to open someone to the possibility of love. He knows how to set the scene. He knows how to increase the sexual tension, how to use humor, how to bring people closer together without them even realizing it. He’s done it for years, and he’s very good at it. But when the one woman he loves is right in front of him, can Murray bring about the happiest ending of them all for himself? Or will he choke when it’s everything that’s on the line?

Not Here to Make Friends is a novel from Australia’s Jodi McAlister, based on her years of studying pop culture as a college professor. Her take on the backstage happenings of a dating reality show based clearly on The Bachelor is such an amazing ride. It’s smart and funny, and McAlister clearly understands the emotional ride that is a perfectly produced reality show, because she recreates that in this book.

From the first page, I was hooked. I could barely set this book aside, even to get snacks, until I got to the end. I loved these characters, and I just wanted to spend so much more time with them. Fans of reality shows will love the look behind the scenes, and anyone who loves that big reality show drama can soak it up here. This is a must read for fans of The Bachelor, and also for those (like me) who don’t really watch the dating shows but just love to read stories with big drama.

Egalleys for Not Here to Make Friends were provided by Atria Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I love a reality dating show, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book that dove into the villain storyline of a Bachelor-like franchise. I'd love to see a Lily Fireball hit our screens.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

It’s probably not the best idea to start reading an author with the third book in a trilogy, especially a trilogy about a reality show, when you have strong negative opinions about reality shows, but who says I follow any sort of Earth logic?

I was hooked from the first scene.

The story is narrated in first person, past tense, in alternating chapters from both the lead characters’ points of view: Murray, the showrunner, as he produces the current season of a reality show, and watches impotently as what was supposed to be a sure-fire success implodes, thanks to the machinations of the evil Lily–last minute contestant, his former co-producer and best friend, and whose chapters help fill in some of the blanks of their long and intimate backstory.

Full disclosure: back when I was on twitter, I was friendly with the author. We weren’t particularly friendly, mostly we both followed several of the same people, from back when blogs were much more of a thing.

Beware: enough swearing to make me proud; sex on page; disordered eating; racism; alcoholism; death of a spouse; grief; guilt; mental health issues.

First things first: I don’t watch, and have never watched, reality tv. In fact, I have always had a visceral negative reaction to it, ever since the first season of Survivor was all everyone could talk about, back in the dark ages of 2000.

So when I tell you that I inhaled this book, please note that it was almost against my will.

Second: the events of the three books in the series happen simultaneously during the shooting of the 2021 season of the fictional Marry Me, Juliet show, which means that I am now technically spoiled for the other two–but not much more really than if I had read the blurbs for the three novels before starting to read this one.

However, this means that the other two couples’ relationship shenanigans take up quite a bit of page space; this is done within the framing of shooting a show about romantic relationships, of course, but if you are not into dating shows, this may feel intrusive or excessive.

On a related note: I am sure I missed at least some of the nuances of the story due to my ignorance of shows such as The Bachelor; there were some conversations where the characters seemed to be speaking in a kind of shorthand, the full meaning of which escaped me, but which is sure to increase the enjoyment of readers who are also fans of these shows.

What is spelled out in the text is how much of what is aired at the end is fully scripted, and how the participants’ emotions are manipulated as much as those of the audience. The producers coach the contestants–“do this, and you’ll look good to the audience; do that, and you’ll win points with the season’s Romeo; mention your charity or cause here”–in order to get footage that they can edit and splice together to fit whatever storyline they’ve mapped out for the season.

The narrative assures us that Murray–and Lily, when she was still his partner–actually wants what’s best for the contestants; if it were up to him, he’d ensure that every couple at the end of every season actually loved each other and had a good shot at a lasting relationship.

Of course, being aware of the power of mass manipulation inherent to reality shows such as the fictional Marry Me, Juliet, he plans to use the success of this, the very first season where he’s been allowed to cast diverse aspiring Juliets and a non-white Romeo, to sell the fantasy of equality and inclusion; maybe, if he does it well enough and if enough people watch the season, maybe the world could become at little bit less racist, a little bit less bigoted.

Bonus points: this was one of Murray’s professional goals from the start of his career as a very junior production assistant, before meeting one Lily Ong, the fiery Vietnamese girl and fellow P.A. who would become his best friend.

As the story proper starts, the COVID pandemic is ongoing, and the production of this latest season of the show is subject to a number of strict health safety protocols, which have increased the difficulty of shooting such a production. Not only is the crew allowed in the production’s “bubble” severely limited in number, thus creating a much heavier work load for everyone and especially Murray, but a change in government regulations means that anyone entering said bubble at the beginning of filming is now forced to remain within it for the duration. In a show where contestants are eliminated every episode, and usually sent home forthwith, having the discarded Juliets sit around is bound to create tension.

And boy, is there tension enough already.

The conflict between Lily and Murray is that they have been each other’s person essentially since the moment they met; for a good dozen years prior to the beginning of the book, they saw each other through the thick and thin–until her husband dies in an accident, and Lily falls apart.

It is now a year later, and the Lily who shows up–as a contestant, rather than as a co-producer–is carrying a year’s worth of unresolved grief, guilt and regrets, and is set on a path of professional self-destruction, aimed squarely at Murray’s plan for this season.

And so, naturally, they clash.

While Murray sees Lily as going through an emotional breakdown (and she is), she sees him half-killing himself through overwork; he barely eats, sleeps even more rarely, and absolutely never stops working. He wants to protect her from herself, which she resents, and she wants to take care of him, which he won’t allow.

This is not a cuddly or comfortable relationship; for one thing, there’s so much history between them, most of it is emotionally tangled with their relationships with other people. For another, they are both ruthless professional manipulators, and they know exactly where the other’s weak spots are. And when they go for blood, they don’t miss.

A couple of times, i felt that the push and pull between Lily and Murray was dragging a bit too long, apparently for no reason, but the reveal for this puts everything in perspective, while breaking the reader’s heart.

There is a last act separation, but it’s actually fairly short in page space, and not too long in duration, given everything else. And the climax and final reconciliation are suitably dramatic and satisfying; I believe these two will work their problems out and be happy and fulfilled together.

Not Here to Make Friends gets 8.75 out of 10, and it would get a higher rating if I could have enjoyed the setting of the story more.

I’m sad to say I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first 2. While I understand that it was a POV of mostly Murray’s side of the story of what happened in the season they were shooting Marry Me, Juliet, I was honestly over the fact of having to relive through the same events over and over again.

I also did not like the whole loving each other more than just friends, while still married to other people? I don’t know why it gave me an ick but it did.

Overall, I think they’re both just toxic. Yes they agree to therapy but I just wasn’t sold on their love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise is intriguing: Murray and Lily, once best friends and co-showrunners, find themselves at odds as Lily becomes a wildcard contestant on Murray's show. The tension between their past and present adds complexity to the narrative, and McAlister effectively captures the high-stakes, manipulative nature of reality TV production.

However, while the setup is promising, the execution falls short in several areas. First and foremost, the characters are hard to root for. Lily's selfish and manipulative behavior makes her an unlikable protagonist, and Murray's single-minded determination often feels more like obstinacy than passion. Their romantic tension, while present, lacks the chemistry needed to make their relationship compelling. This disconnect made it difficult to invest in their journey or hope for a happy ending.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

4/5 Stars      Spice level 0/5 *** Pairs well with Tortured Poets Department, by Taylor Swift ***

I'll admit this was not the story I was expecting when I read the back cover copy and so it took me about 100 pages to get into it. However, when I got into it - I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! I read straight through to 3am because I NEEDED to know what happened next, even though I kind of knew based on the hints throughout the story.
The story takes you through the relationship of Lily and Murray who meet early on in their careers and form an alliance that opens many amazing opportunities for them in the reality TV world. This is more than career goals though. There is an air of romantic tension that never quite has the right timing. Until it does. Once it does, the question becomes, will they be able to control the heat or watch everything go up in flames.
Would definitely recommend.

Thank you #NetGalley for this arc.

Reading this book was sort of a confusing experience because both of the main characters were deeply unlikeable. I’m still not sure if I’m even rooting for them. But as a reality tv girl, the concept and setting were quite fun.

Despite the morally grey discomfort, I don’t regret reading it.

3 stars.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Best friends Murray and Lily spent their entire careers together producing reality TV and are co-showrunners on the Bachelor-inspired series, Marry Me, Juliet. One night a tragic accident involving Lily’s husband pulls her away from the show (and Murray) as she processes her grief. The following year Murray, left missing his best friend and co-showrunner, is on his own to produce a history-making season amidst pandemic restrictions and pressure from executives.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The mutual pining layered by Lily’s POV in the past over Murray’s POV in the present built delicious tension and angst. Both MCs were upfront with their skewed moral compass which invited outrageous behavior in their professional and personal lives. I appreciate that the author was direct in her criticism of the history of misogyny and lack of diversity in the Bachelor franchise.

I read as a standalone however, based on other reviews it appears to me that readers were more satisfied with the story when read as a series than as a standalone. The three books make up a series of interconnected romances following three couples all occurring during the same period of time.

Read this book if you are a fan of:
+ the Bachelor franchise and Lifetime series UnREAL
+ morally grey MCs
+ coworkers to best friends to lovers
+ years of mutual pining

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for and advanced reader's copy of this novel.

Not Here to Make Friends by Jodi McAlister follows Lily Ong and Murray O'Connell on the set of Marry Me, Juliet, a Bachelor style reality dating show. Murray is one of the show's producer's and Lily is a wildcard contestant that Murray has a hard time keeping a handle on. And that's because before Lily was the show's villain, she was Murray's best friend. Now, she's throwing a wrench in all his plans for the show. Can the two figure out what they want before the end of the season?

I really enjoyed Not Here to Make Friends. I thought it was a fun twist on the best friends to lovers trope. I liked how the chapters alternated with Lily and Murray's POV. Lily's antics as Lily Fireball were hilarious. I liked Murray as a love interest. I haven't read the other two books in the Marry Me, Juliet series, but this book made me want to read the other two. Overall, it was a really fun read.

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for this ARC!

I really wanted to like this book. The concept had a lot of potential, but I felt like a lot was lacking. I was honestly very bored reading this and just couldn't wait for it to be over. The Lily character was supposed to be a "fun villian" but she was just incredibly annoying.

Unfortunately this romance had a lot of tropes that I don't like and I don't have many good things to say about it.

These feelings are solely on my personal tastes and I understand that many people will love it.

If you love a slow burn, want to learn a whole lot about the behind the scenes of producing and manipulating a reality dating show, and a very slow burn romance- then this will be right for you.

I personally would have liked the spicy scenes to have more chemistry and many of them ended up being "behind closed door's" or cut scenes. The ending felt a little rushed as far as the finale of Lily and Murray's romance goes, but I'm glad it ended on a happy note.

Mutual pining at its finest. Murray and Lily made for get tension and great tv in book form. Their story of friends to lovers who have been in love with each other for years and finally reconnected on a dating reality show who one of them is the producer. So much goodness happens, I loved it.