Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio is a mix of romance, humor, and adventure — like Survivor meets The Bachelor with a dash of millennial angst. If you’re looking for a rom-com that makes you maybe cringe a little (in the best possible way), this book is exactly what you need.

Orie Lennox has spent years carefully crafting the perfect future, complete with a dream job, a fairytale relationship, and an Instagram-worthy life. But in a fit of spontaneous energy, she applies for a reality show where contestants are stranded on a remote island to play a ridiculously intense game of human chess for the chance to win a million dollars.

At its core, Attached at the Hip is a story about taking risks — both on the island and in your heart. It’s about shaking off the pressures of perfection and embracing the messy, unexpected beauty of relationships, self-discovery, and second chances. Riccio has created a cast of vibrant characters, each navigating their own love and life challenges, and watching Orie grow through it all is a joy from start to finish.

If you’ve ever watched a reality show and thought, I could do better, or I’d totally fall for that person if I were stranded on an island, this book will feel like the most fun, sun-soaked, and slightly insane escape into that world.

A very cute premise with a protagonist that was both annoying and delightful in her own right. I appreciate flawed characters that we can still cheer on, and this book kept me guessing with what we would learn about the various characters and their intentions and fates.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to @macmillan.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Pobody’s Nerfect

Attached at the Hip is a delightful and humorous romantic comedy that celebrates individuality and the power of friendship. Orie Lennox, a quirky and endearing protagonist, navigates a reality TV show with a unique twist, and the results are hilarious and heartwarming.

The author's witty banter and relatable characters make for a captivating read. The friendships formed within the show are genuine and heartwarming, adding depth to the story. The romantic tension is palpable, and the slow-burn romance is satisfying.

The book's unique premise, which blends elements of reality TV and survival challenges, provides a fresh and engaging backdrop for the story. It's a perfect blend of humor, romance, and self-discovery.

Brittany Pressley's narration of Attached at the Hip is exceptional. Her portrayal of Orie's quirky and endearing personality is spot-on, bringing the character to life. Pressley's voice work enhances the listening experience, making it a delightful and engaging audiobook.

Overall, Attached at the Hip is a must-read for fans of romantic comedies. It's a fun, feel-good read that will leave you smiling.

5 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #attachedatthehip #christinericcio #brittanypressley

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This was a fun read that I was able to listen to in mostly one sitting. I easily escaped with the story about Orie Lennox, an influencer who gets a chance to appear in a reality tv show.

I loved the audio performance by narrator Brittany Pressley, who voiced Orie so well!

*many thanks to Macmillan audio, Wednesday books, and Netgalley for the gifted audiobook copy for review

Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio is a lighthearted and witty story about friendship, personal growth, and the challenges of change. Riccio’s relatable characters and humorous dialogue keep the narrative engaging, though the plot at times feels predictable. It’s an enjoyable, quick read for fans of contemporary fiction looking for a feel-good story.

Orie Lennox is an influencer, she is one part of a sister duo acro-yoga group on instagram. After a fight with her sister, who claims she is co-dependent, she decides to apply to Survivor. Next thing she knows, she gets a call from the producers claiming she has been cast on the show. When she arrives to film her intro, she discovers that she will be on a Survivor spin-off show called Attached at the Hip. Along the way, she makes some connections all the while competing for a 1 million dollar cash prize.

This was my favourite of Christine's books, I thought it was a lot of fun. I flew through this book in a few hours and I became invested very quickly. I listened to it on audio, and the narrator did such a great job with the story! I've heard that on page, the book can be a bit jarring with it's writing, so I would definitely recommend the audio version instead. I really enjoyed the characters - for the most part. The characters were silly little gooses, but that made them more endearing. Orie was a great character who went through a lot of growth by the end of the book. I liked how she was still trying to figure out what she wanted in life after college, but she definitely did not feel like a 20-something year old. I think a lot of people will find her relatable. At times, she was a bit annoying... especially with the insistence on being called Piccadilly... Also, she used far too many pop culture references for me. Osprey was my favourite, what a sweet cinnamon roll, we must all protect him. I was also a fan of Kennedi, and thought she was a great addition to the story as well. I loved the competition aspect of the story, and I like how we got to actually see the tasks they were completing.

This YA adventure by Christine Riccio is so much fun. When Orie gets accepted as a contestant in a romance version of Survivor, she feels a bit of her identity slipping away. She's recently broken up with her longtime boyfriend, she and her sister have built an Instagram empire with acro-yoga that she has to pause, and her parents have earth-shattering news...landing on a remote island with just the clothes on her back is quite the time to reset. This is a really fun romance for older YA audiences (not because of the content, but the main characters are in that post-high school/pre-college stage of life). This book will have extra appeal for any readers who enjoy reality television.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for the Advanced Listener's Copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio caught my attention because of its unique premise—a reality show with a twist reminiscent of Survivor, which I’m a fan of. At first, the main character seemed a bit immature, but I found her growth throughout the story to be well done. The time she spent on the show was particularly engaging, offering interesting dynamics and insights. The ending took me by surprise, adding an unexpected twist that made the story even more memorable. The narrator's voice suited the story and was easy to listen to.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This book was…a book.

This book was put together in the way books are, beginning, middle, end. But I did not love it, I got the audiobook version and something about the way this dialogue is written is somehow worse put with an actual voice than I think it would be if I’d just imagined it myself, but really the dialogue was just not great, if I have to hear Picadilly or Remy’s full name one more time I’m going to scream. This was not a hit for me and I don’t think I would read anything else from this Author. 2 ⭐️’s (because it was a book, with a beginning, middle and end, not great standard to go on, but trust me there wasn’t much else I could say, I had to give ‘em something 🥴)

Thank you to the Author Christine Riccio, for sending me some of your work.

Thank you as well to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my no cost Audiobook copy of “Attached at the Hip”.

I received this advance review copy at no personal cost and all opinions are my own.

"Attached at the Hip" was a fun story about Orie Lennox, a twenty-something influencer who has been coasting for a while now. She really doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, and when her older sister kind of calls her on her stuff, she's inspired to take a leap and do something totally different.

That lands her on a show that she *thought* was Survivor, but that turns out to be a spin-off of the reality TV show with a romantic twist.

Overall, I enjoyed the storyline. But I will say that if you're going to reference a real TV show in your story, you've got to get the details right. There were a couple of places where elements of Survivor were mentioned, but the details were wrong. For example, When votes are cast at the final tribal council, there are three contestants left, not two.

Despite little issues like that, I enjoyed the story and the questions it posed about the difference between being content with one's life and letting others dictate one's life.

Thanks to Christine Riccio, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

OK, I truly want this to be a REAL reality show! There are few books I don’t know a lot about before diving in, and this was one of them. I am so glad I didn’t know because the excitement about what was happening was real! I sped through it because I could not get enough. Legit! I was sad when it ended because I needed to know more!

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley!!

I think this book should be considered new adult, not young adult. They have both graduated college and have careers.

I enjoyed this book. I did not expect the ending, honestly. I’m not sure if it was obvious, but I didn’t see it. Which was a nice surprise for me, because I feel like I don’t often feel surprised with a book anymore. And I didn’t feel like the romance at the end was forced since there were all of those little moments between the two of them throughout the books.

I feel like the main character’s growth was done so well and did not feel forced. She was able to find herself in an environment that really would prompt that kind of self reflection. I wish we would have seen a bit more of the behind the scenes of him planning everything, but I didn’t feel too disappointed

Thank you so much to @macmillan.audio @wednesdaybooks for the ALC/ARC!
#MacAudio2024

🌿 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 🌿
If you are a fan of reality tv shows like Survivor or Love Island, this is the book for you! This is an ode to all Survivor fans, with a fun romance twist mixed in. I was impressed with the detail the author put into the Survivor like competitions! She definitely did her research.

This books main character is Orie, who is a bit of a lost girl at the beginning of our book, floating through life as it goes by. She has a long time boyfriend she isn’t really into and a job she does that she isn’t passionate about.

She applies for Survivor on a whim, makes it, and finds out when she arrives that it is actually going to a a spin off show called Attached at the Hip. The rules and concept were pretty clever and I could actually envision this as a spin off show, so kudos to the author!

The book really picked up halfway through when the competition was heating up and some people were not all they appeared to be. I loved seeing Orie go through the struggles on the show figuring out who to trust.

The love interests in this show surprised me. I was pleasantly surprised by the end and was happy with how everything played out. Pick this up for a fun summer reality tv read!!

🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
Brittany Pressley nails this narration, as Orie’s POV. Pressley has always been fun for me to listen to, and she brings Ories character to life, with her quirky personality that was fun to listen to. I definitely recommend this on audio!

📺 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
💙 Survivor Reality TV based shows
💛 Romance Reality TV shows
💙 Secrets and Deceptions
💛 Self-Discovery
💙 Social Media Influencers

Attached At the Hip is a fun, summer read! I enjoyed all the characters and the hilarious banter between Orie and her old high school crush, Remy. There were several laugh out loud moments. I could relate to the main character's thoughts as she navigated between what she wanted in her heart versus head. Surprisingly, I have never watched an episode of Survivor, although I have watched The Bachelor. It's been compared to both but I'd think it is more Naked and Afraid as two are randomly tied together to survive alone on a deserted island with minimal supplies.

One thing I love most about reading is seeing the growth among the main characters. Attached at the Hip showcased an insecure female main character who came into her own and ended the story as a confident woman!

Special thank you to MacMillan Audio for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I’ve never watched Survivor, but I used to be a HUGE fan of the Bachelor and its spinoffs, particularly Bachelor in Paradise. But while BIP features its stars sipping cocktails and sleeping in a fancy house, Attached at the Hip takes a more Survivor approach to a dating show. Literally tied to their partner on the show, Orie and the other contestants must forage for food and compete in challenges after sleeping in caves or on the sand. On the line is a cash prize and a chance at love!
I listened to the audiobook of AATH and I really enjoyed it! The narration was excellent and it felt like I was listening to the podcast version of a reality show! Brittany Pressley portrayed the characters and their various personalities so well, and I was sucked into the drama!
Pop your popcorn and settle in for a lot of laughs but also some sweet and tender moments! This was a really fun read and perfect for summer. I would say this one falls a bit more in the NA category than YA, based on the character ages!

Thank you to Macmillan audio for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

When I think about young adult as a genre, I always consider these books to have people still in their teens in them. However, based on the actual words being in the book, I would categorize Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio as YA... maybe new adult? This was a rom-com that takes Survivor and mixes it with romance. Orie is not my favorite character, she is pretty dramatic and at times rather annoying (screechy is the word that comes to mind), but her naivete felt very authentic to her age of early 20s and I still had a whole lot of fun watching this story play out.

I almost forgot the narrator for the audiobook is Brittany Pressley, maybe because I have never heard her have to narrate a character whose voice went up so many octaves, but she brought it! She completely epitomized Orie's character and I loved her for it. The drama of the TV show aspect as well as the focus on family made this such an interesting read, and I loved those elements the most. There is a little twist in here that I wasn't expecting but really enjoyed, and I was really happy with Orie's growth as well. Attached at the Hip is a great read for someone looking to escape from reality for a minute and a bonus if you enjoy pop culture references!

Despite not being a Survivor fan, this is one reality show I could certainly get behind. Imagine being tethered to a stranger for EVERYTHING, while undergoing a reality show, in the wilderness. Now add to it that 3 of the other cast members are potential romantic matches for you, and one is a familiar individual from your past or present.

This wild game show is so up my alley, I flew through this read wishing it was a real thing. From quirky jobs like "acrobatic yoga" to cutting bangs to be more likeable (terrible idea with no showers or amenities), "Attached at the Hip" will have readers roaring with laughter.

This was a decent read; I liked the island/speed dating aspect, but I do think the characters were a bit shallow and one dimensional.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

A great read for fans of reality shows! My emotions are all over the place with this book. It took me several chapters to like the FMC cuz she's so indecisive and can't do anything on her own, but I get that's what makes the storyline so vital. I was highly entertained by the thought of a reality dating show in a Survivor environment, and the characters did not disappoint.

The only part I really struggled with was not knowing which character I could trust (as I already have huge trust issues, lol), but it ended up keeping me on my toes and really paying attention to every little detail given. I definitely couldn't survive if Attached At The Hip was a real show, but I'd certainly enjoy watching it unfold.