STOP this was so cute. Honestly this is the story we head-canon every season of the Bachelor-- "wow those girls are so cute they should just date each other instead of that smelly man." It was obviously written by a big fan of the bachelor, with a lot of random bachelor nation trivia (no eating on camera, up all night, hosing down the driveway, etc) and I loved all the references to things like Bachelor in Paradise, Nick's podcast, etc but under other names.

I wish the narration of the characters was a little more distinct: sometimes I got them mixed up since they didn't seem super differentiated. But probably in book form it would be different. Overall, it left me smiling BIG and was a really nice "refresher" from the sad twisty books I usually read.

With kicking feet, chuckles, and shoulders-to-ears cringe moments, "Here for the Wrong Reasons" will make a reality-show lover of any curmudgeon.

Kristen is a rodeo horse girl, Lauren is a closeted social media icon, can that make it anymore obvious? Kristen has never had a serious boyfriend and has decided that she will compete on this knock-off bachelor to finally find love. Lauren on the other hand, has only been in a serious relationship with her phone for years and knows she can score a lot more lucrative deals by rising to D-list reality stardom. She won't get her heartbroken, there is literally nothing to lose, right? It gets a little more complicated when they start falling for one another.

This is a sweet book and features absolutely terribly moraled characters. It stars all the worst kinds of personalities you would find in any love-based reality show which makes it an easy novel to enjoy. It's funny, cringey, and definitely steamy. I think it won't be a romance for everyone but I had a great time with this one.

I read it via audiobook and my issue with the narration falls primarily in one of the voice actors rendition of Josh. It was comically bad and definitely felt super cheesy. It doesn't ruin the book but just be ready for the goofy male imitation.

For lovers of trash tv, morally deplorable characters, and sapphic love stories = 3.5/5!

Content warnings: alcohol consumption, comphet, sexually explicit content.

Rep: Krystin (MC) is cis, white, and lesbian. Lauren is cis and lesbian (please correct me if I am wrong - I read this via audio, but there weren't any physical descriptors for Lauren other than she had dark hair). Josh (SC) is Jewish. Side POC. Side queer characters.


This was such a wild ride of a book.

I admit, I didn't expect the reality TV part to go as long as it did, but I guess it was fitting.

Lauren and Krystin are contestants on a reality TV show (similar to the Bachelor? IDK, I don't watch reality TV, but that's the vibe?) where a bunch of women are vying for the attention of one <s>mediocre white</s> guy.

Lauren, a closeted lesbian is only in it for the instagram followers and sponsorships she's sure to get by being on the show. She isn't there for love, she's lesbian, so of course she isn't going to fall for the guy.

Krystin is looking for love - she has tried all of the guys in her town and hasn't found a spark with any of them, so why not try a TV show aimed at falling for the <i>right guy</i>. Someone she can take home to her parents.

As the story progresses, Lauren and Krystin's friendship develops into something more. Their chemistry is palpable from their first interaction and it's so great to see.

Krystin doesn't know she's lesbian, she's so deep in compulsive heterosexuality that it doesn't even occur to her that she may not be straight until she's up close and personal with Lauren.

Anyway, I adored them together. They were fun, hot, and had great scenes together.

I would've loved a little less of the reality TV show part, and a little more of Krystin and Lauren's relationship outside of that environment, but that is a me thing.

Otherwise this was fantastic.

The narrators were also superb, and favourites of mine - Mara Wilson and Lindsay Dorcus are narrators I can listen to for hours on end and not get tired. Bless these two for bringing these characters to life!

This book was a quick read and the premise was so much fun to me. The story existing within within a Bachelor style reality show made the book engaging and fast paced. It felt like getting a humorous behind the scenes look at how these shows play out.

I loved the main characters and their personalities. Although I think they were all corny in their own ways, I live life on the cob, so it made them more relatable and funny to me.

I enjoyed the way the book followed the progression of the show and after. It make the pacing quick and never felt drawn out. I also appreciated that the author was still able to give each important character a decent backstory, to ensure the reader could connect and understand the characters and their motivations.

Overall I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a lighthearted novel. If solely looking for a sapphic novel,this may not be sufficient since the main focus is a heterosexual reality show.

Thank you #NetGalley for this awesome ARC!

Rodeo queen Krystin hopes to find her soulmate in bachelor Josh on a reality TV show. Fellow contestant Lauren, by contrast, is there to boost her social media presence. As the two women develop feelings for each other, their initial goals fade, leading them to question their true desires.

This novel left me with a smile on my face. It’s one of my favorite books so far this year. I loved the characters—they’re well-developed and relatable. The story was emotional and engaging, keeping me guessing until the end. The audiobook narration was well done and added to the enjoyment of the novel.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Here for the Wrong Reasons follows two dating show contestants, Lauren and Krystin, competing to win Josh Rosen's heart on "Hopelessly Devoted". While Krystin is there to find a husband after not ever seriously dating anyone, Lauren is there to further her career - she knows she doesn't want Josh but she's determined to stay on the show as long as possible without actually getting chosen in the end. However, Lauren finds her plans might be changing because of the pull that she feels towards Krystin.

And really...almost nothing about this book worked for me. I thought both main characters were naiive, immature, manipulative and frankly unlikeable. I disliked Lauren the most since she entered the show purposely to further her career. I don't know guys I just...don't love a character who is purposely lying to everyone. I know, really a hot take there. If I could somehow forgive her lying and manipulating, the lying went on wayyyy too long! Like she literally was the final contestant left and he was about to propose to her!!! I would feel bad for Josh but I don't know that I particularly liked him either? And Lauren basically never feels remorse for lying the whole time.

And honestly I thought that the dating show in this book was SO boring. It's literally the Bachelor exactly - sometimes even word for word like "hometown dates". I suppose they did cut "strings" instead of give out roses...so, if you were looking for a creative take on a dating show, maybe look elsewhere.

The romance between Lauren and Krystin (as an aside, I just had to look up how to spell her name because I listened to the audio and YIKES that spelling is a choice) came totally out of left field. Like genuinely I had to rewind the audiobook because it was just so unexpected and out of nowhere after them spending very little time together. I don't know that they interacted at all in the first 30% of the book. I also hated the third act conflict with such a passion - basically Lauren assumes something about Krystin and just doesn't ask her what actually happened and then they're no longer together!

I liked...that there were lesbian characters? and that Josh was supportive at the end I guess? and I guess the title isn't wrong, Lauren in particular sure was there for the wrong reasons.

I thought the narration by Mara Wilson and Lindsey Dorcus was fine, but I ended up speeding up to 3x to just get through this book and spite finish.

In the past few years, there was a YA book with a similar/near identical premise - two dating show contestants falling in love. I read and mostly enjoyed that one but said I would have liked it better if it was aged up to an adult book. Well, I sure got what I was asking for. I truly have liked some dating show romance books before (Charm Offensive!!!!) but this was a huge miss for me.

What if 2 contestants on The Bachelor fall in love….with each other?

Krystin is a 23 year old rodeo queen from Montana - a devoted fan of the dating show and looking to recreate the loving relationship her parents have. She is truly hoping to find love on this show and while she likes Josh, he doesn’t make her heart pound the way Lauren does, which is…confusing. Lauren is an extremely closed off influencer who is deep in the closet out of fear and wants to make it close to the end (not to the end, mind you) to bolster her influencer status. She doesn’t count on falling for another contestant.

This is definitely a slow burn - in fact it feels entirely hereto until we’re 40% into the book and then, bam, Lauren and Kristyn figure some things out. Honestly, the attraction between the MCs was not particularly clear - attraction is sometimes just there, but it was definitely a tell, not show kind of relationship. Although, to be fair, making 2 pretty contained characters fall in love in an environment where they are supposed to be straight and vying for the same man is not a simple task. Ultimately I believed that they were truly falling, even as they were unable to get out of their own ways and have a real conversation about what was going on between them.

I have read a few queer books that take place in a reality TV dating game format, and frankly this was my least favorite so far. I should admit that I am not a devotee of The Bachelor and other shows like it - the idea that one will find love in that environment doesn’t make any sense to me and they are SO heteronormative. In some ways, this book went out of its way to validate my pre-existing opinions - the women were mostly just scheming conniving women who were ridiculously vapid and just there to make themselves better influencers. Maybe that was meant to bring people like me along. But there were just so many contestants and I didn’t really care about most of them, and the descriptions of the dates and show format were unnecessarily detailed.

I specifically reviewed the audio version and I gotta say, the narrators don’t sound very different. They were both good, but I didn’t notice a real difference when they switched between chapters or in the dialog, which on one hand was good because it was never jarring, but on the other, made me wonder why they bothered to use 2 narrators.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like the bachelor franchise and have ever thought that two contestants should run off and be together instead of with the main love interest then this book is for you. I really enjoyed this book, as someone who isn’t super into the bachelor world but was pulled in this last season, I loved this. Kristen is a rodeo queen and Lauren is an influencer who fall in love while competing for the same man’s heart. Lauren is there to gain fame and see her follower count go up. Lauren has known she was gay for a long time but it only out to her best friend. Kristen is there because she thinks the only way she ever going to be happy is with a traditional life. Kristen struggles with her sexuality and hasn’t fully come to terms with who she is. It’s a lot of fun but also heartbreaking to see them go through with this experience. The other contestants are funny but it is a lot to keep track of at first but it’s also pretty obvious which ones you should pay attention to. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend!!!

Pretty much as much fun as you can have between the pages... or in my case, between the speakers.

Is this a take on “The Bachelor,” a rom with liberal sprinkles of com added in? Or is it an LGBTQ+ book with a romance?

Perhaps it’s these questions that have led to some of the varied reviews, creating a possible mismatch of expectations. Which, if the case, is most surprising to me because the cover, title, and blurb make it clear this wonderful novel is *all of the above*.

And all the better because of it!

“Here for the Wrong Reasons” is both an homage to and an exposé of unscripted TV dating shows, in particular “The Bachelor,” which it parodies down it to a “t.” The show, though, that contestants Lauren (that’s Lauren C… not to be confused with the “other” Lauren with an H!) and Krystin, find themselves on merely provides the brilliant backdrop for this story, this romance. And be in no doubt that this is romance, a queer one. If it was anything less (or perhaps I should say “different”), then the debut team of Annabel Paulsen and Lydia Wang would not have told the story in an alternating, dual POV. It’s a choice that’s wisely made too, since we get to enjoy the fledgling relationship between the protagonists from very different starting points, perceptions, and hopes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this opposites-attract, forced-proximity romance with dashes of grumpy-sunshine sprinkled in, and which is performed superbly by both narrators in the audio version that I, frankly, devoured. Lauren and Krystin are quite different in their makeup, backgrounds, and traits, but both narratives skewer the dating show they’re on, while still managing to acknowledge why the show is fun for viewers, endearingly popular, and can help people find love… even if not in an expected way. The attraction between the leads is obvious and immediate, and readers/listeners are not kept waiting for too long for the frissons of feels to reverberate.

I have a few pet peeves when I read romance. One (a huge one) is the weak reversal, where the relationship is fractured for some reason. Way too often the reversal is poorly constructed, usually some silly misunderstanding that feels inorganic and forced. The angst is high in places in “Here for the Wrong Reasons,” including its reversal. I don’t think I’m giving much away here, since the reversal is so ubiquitous in the genre. What’s great is the reversal situations that occur are entirely organic due to the pressurized environment the girls, as contestants, find themselves in. The authors deftly take advantage of this to organically construct strains and lack of communication in a relationship that impact what might otherwise be feature more straightforward development.

Another common device used in the genre I don’t care for is public announcements of affection, love, status, and so on. It’s crept in from TV rom-coms, I think. Maybe it’s a cultural thing. I’m a Brit and we are famous for being stiff and reserved (some of us are barely flexible enough to navigate a bend in a twisty road). So a public declaration of emotions?? I.Am.Not.A.Fan.

Except here. Because public declarations of emotions are the entire backdrop. So… will Lauren and/or Krystin and/or Josh—the show’s romantic lead this season—and/or another character finally come to terms with their feelings amid the pressure of a closed community? And if so, who will they tell? And how? And when?

Who knows? Well, I know, obviously. And I urge you to grab a copy of “Here for the Wrong Reasons” so you can to find out and enjoy this super-fun and entirely engaging romance.

My huge thanks to the authors, the publishers, and to NetGalley for the chance to devour and review this superb debut as an (audio) ARC. I giggled my way through a lot of this and full out laughed in places. And yes, I shed a tear or two, I don’t mind admitting.

Buy this, read this, listen to this, and it just might become as standout a literary experience for you as it has been for me, in 2024.

Let me start by saying, I've never watched a single episode of The Bachelor and/or The Bachelorette. The concept of <i>competing</i> for a cis-het man's affection is not one I can comprehend. So perhaps I'm just not the target audience for this book...

Here's my issue:
🚨<b>(and there may be some potential spoilers, so proceed with caution.)</b>🚨



<u><b>Lauren</b></u>
I get that her whole schtick is that she "doesn't do anything for the right reason", but the fact that she goes through the <b>entire</b> show while watching women who actually have feelings for this mediocre white man being eliminated and has very little remorse about it just rubs me the wrong way. It made her character (for me) unlikeable from page 1.

<u><b>Josh</b></u>
Everything that came out of this man's mouth made me physically cringe. Also just a complete moron to not realize that two women he's dating are clearly not into him. 🥴


<u><b>Krystin</b></u>
Honestly, no real complaints and the weird horse girl. Except for the whole hobby horse entrance situation, that was fucking weird and I absolutely would have made fun of her too.🐴

But perhaps my biggest complaint and the most egregious offense is the "recreation" of the paintball date from <i>10 Things I Hate About You</i>. How are you going to claim it's one of your favorite movies and then <b>get it completely wrong??!!?</b> Any <b>real</b> fan knows they didn't use paintball guns in that scene. My girl Julia Stiles deserves better 😤

Anyway, the spice was decent.

<i>Shout-out to my homies at Netgally for the audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

This book centers around a reality dating show in which the participants are falling and fighting for the same guy. But not every contestant is there for the same reason: two of them are more interested in each other than the guy this should all be about.

I was excited about trying a book that was out of my comfort zone, with the reality dating show aspect in it + the lesbian component. But the combination of a reality dating show and fake, lying characters was not a good one in my opinion. That's on me, I think. This was too far out of my comfort zone. The writing style is not bad, but even though we were given background information on the main characters, actual character growth was sparse and that refrained me from any emotional attachment with the characters. This is always important to me, so that was kind of disappointing.

All in all, this book would suit readers who like reality shows and romance books!

This was an entertaining read that would be perfect for fans of The Bachelor universe. The narrators were great. I would have loved to see more character growth, and it did feel a little long at times. Overall it was fun, and brings the steam!

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review. I was so excited for this lesbian romance which is written by a married couple and narrated by Mara Wilson. Unfortunately I have to be honest and say that it was painful to get through. It was drawn out, the characters were super unlikeable, and the premise was just frustrating. I don’t like when I feel like I can’t root for the characters and if this hadn’t been an advanced copy, I would have DNFed. Sadly even though the description notes the show as being heteronormative, the whole book also read like that and the queer rep just felt forced to me. Looking forward to seeing what this couple comes out with next because maybe if the premise was different, I’d enjoy things more. 2 ⭐️

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, I have to say I’ve never loved an audiobook more, or binged an audiobook faster than this. I just couldn’t stop listening, to see what each week on Hopelessly Devoted would bring to Krystin and Lauren.

Their love story felt so genuine, and natural that it was so easy to root for them and love them. (Obviously there was the element of forbidden romance which brings up the angst). Listening to this book was like binging episode after episode of the Bachelor, with a live look into what the contestants are thinking and feeling.

And the ending of this story was just chefs kiss, absolute perfection. I love how even though the reality show didn’t end the expected way, happily ever afters were found for everyone! I do wish we got somewhat of an extended epilogue to see what life looked like for Krystin and Lauren after the show, but that’s my only feedback to this otherwise delicious and spicy love story!

Krystin and Lauren are both contestants this season on ‘Hopelessly Devoted’ vying for the heart of Josh. But we all know love finds us in the most unexpected ways, and soon enough sparks are flying behind the scenes between the two girls. Fighting against their feelings, and their own truths we watch them navigate their love story and their individual sexuality in this book, and it is perfectly written!

Fans of the Bachelor and any hopeless romantics, you will devour this book!!

**3.5 Stars**

Historically, I haven't to resonate with books whose premise centers around a dating reality show, but I enjoyed this one. My biggest complaint is that the pacing is off; things progressed quickly, so when big moments happened, I'd look at my progress, thinking I was farther along in the book than I was. I felt terrible for Josh throughout the book, and even though the title says "Here for the Wrong Reasons," I thought Lauren and Krystin did him dirty. I do think this book does a great job showcasing internalized homophobia with the way that both women struggle with their sexualities; Krystin was afraid of acknowledging how she felt, and Lauren was fearful of how the world would perceive her. I never fully rooted for the two because I never felt the chemistry between them or the characters. Did they all give off friend vibes? For sure, they spent all that time together, so I'm not surprised that everyone became friends especially once the show was done filming and they weren't all vying for Josh's affection.

I'd still recommend the book because I liked the characters and the reality show premise. It didn't steamroll the plot and fit into everything organically (like, drama wasn't created that complicated the characters' lives even more than they already were). Super cute read, great for summer and fans of the bachelor.

3.5 stars
A sapphic twisting take on The Bachelor? I’m there for it!! The narration was superb. The book brought all the drama you’d expect with a group of young women vying for the attention of one lackluster man. Of course two of the women are going to catch feelings in the pad. What else would we expect to happen?!

4⭐ (audio) The narration on this was good—not a total standout, but the two narrators did a good job keeping me engaged with the story! I enjoyed the performance.

4⭐ (story) Krystin knows exactly what she wants: a husband, a horse, and a place to hang all her competitive rodeo blue ribbons. But when none of the eligible bachelors in Montana end up being right for her, she turns to reality TV. On Hopelessly Devoted, Krystin will compete against dozens of other women for the heart of this season’s Hopeless Romantic, Josh Rosen. She’s determined to win the perfect life she came here for—if she can just ignore the glossy brunette whose crimson smile gives her goosebumps.

Lauren has never done anything for the right reasons—and she’s definitely not on Hopelessly Devoted to win Josh’s heart. Lauren’s plan is simple: stay on the show long enough to build her social media following, and then gracefully leave when it's her turn to be eliminated. With enough followers, she’ll finally have enough influencer clout to do whatever she wants—including come out of the proverbial walk-in closet. But the longer she stays on the show, the more she finds herself tangled up in a certain blonde’s lasso.

I've never seen the Bachelor, but I enjoy reality shows to an extent. I really enjoyed The Charm Offensive (and another similar-themed Never Ever Getting Back Together, by Sophie Gonzales), so I was looking forward to this one. It was fun. I enjoyed the characters and the vibe of this. I enjoyed Sophie Gonzales book better. I think I just had high hopes (AHB is one of my favorite writers of all time, so to tease me with that wasn't the best ploy!) This was a fun read, but not very memorable (which is okay for me).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review!

LOVED this premise! A lesbian influencer joins the house of women - Lauren is looking to increase her number of followers and enhance her network of connections. But Josh seems to falling for her.
A great exposure of the double standard - as Montana's rodeo queen, Krystin has never dated. It wasn't allowed. Krystin honestly wants to make a connection with Josh - while catching feelings for Lauren.
There is some predictability - but worth the time! Again I loved the emphasis on the double standard, ridiculous treatment of women.

Two dating show contestants fall in love with each other instead of the show’s lead (aka The Bachelor).

Krystin is a rodeo champion. She’s never been allowed to date and is figuring out her sexuality. Lauren is an aspiring influencer looking to grow her follower count. She has known she’s a lesbian for a long time, but hasn’t come out to her family.

It’s sapphic, and funny, and chaotic. It’s dual POV, and the audiobook has two narrators. The ensemble cast is fun to follow. Bachelor fans will love this!

The main characters are a little bit immature towards the end, but it’s understandable because the main characters are in their early twenties.

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced audiobook copy!

4.5 stars rounded up

For anyone who watches or has watched The Bachelor, loves messiness, and wishes they had sapphic representation, this is a must read. I thought Here for the Wrong Reasons was delightful and it has a ton of nods to the setup of The Bachelor. It follows two women who come on the show- one is a closeted lesbian looking to grow her social media, the other is a rodeo queen who has never had a serious relationship. They're supposed to be falling for the hero of the show, but instead they're falling for each other...

I thought this was a blast to read, as someone who watched the Bachelor franchise for many years. There is definitely some bad behavior, but I liked how it came together at the end and the way amends were made where they were needed. Definitely recommend this for fans of the show! Also, yes it is quite steamy once you get a little ways in! The audio narration is excellent. I received an audio copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.