A classic rivals-to-lovers, filled with laugh-out-loud moments, and fun reality-tv side-edits. Our heroine, Alice, is self sufficient and overly competitive, but all she wants in the world is to make her mom happy. My favorite part of the story was the tender mother and daughter dynamic; I wanted to know their relationship on a deeper level.
The plot turns quite chaotic in the reality show with near-death attempts, amateur sleuthing, and a mysterious murder. While vaguely interesting, I did feel like it took away from the central plot and main motivation for Alice to worry and care for her mom and winning the competition.
Our couple, Alice and Daniel, are pretty swoon worthy; they have undeniable chemistry, fun antics, and a deep understanding of each other— their relationship was truly a highlight of this novel. But what was confusing to me with the switching around of relationships: some of these events and emotional-processing times seemed a bit too rushed to be believable, and didn’t quite fall in line with what we were taught to believe about these characters, especially Chase and Alice.
In all, I loved seeing Loo and Young’s creativity shine, especially in the reality show challenges; these passages felt fresh, fun and unpredictable. I found to be a cozy and easy read. The romance (sworn nemesis, fake dating, one bed) was sweet and I appreciated how the ending was wrapped up!

Alice Chen needs money to pay for her mother’s cancer treatment. When her fiancé suggests going on a reality dating show to win $1 Million dollars, it’s not her first choice but she really needs the money. She works as a middle school math teacher and she has student loans.

This was such a fun book! It was lighthearted, entertaining and funny! The reality show aspect had plenty of moments that were over the top but it was a great ride. There are little press releases between chapters which really helped give insight into what was going on behind the scenes and to push the pace of the book. I went into this completely blind so was pleasantly surprised to find out there was a mystery aspect to this as well!

Alice joins the show with her fiancé Chase but once she arrives, she discovers her high school rival Daniel is also on the show. I really enjoyed these two characters and their banter and dynamic. Their romance was adorable but I think their chemistry could have been built up a bit more. I could see this would be challenging to navigate as a writer since there was so much going on with the show that the focus wasn’t just on the main couple all the time.

If you enjoy rivals to lovers, reality tv, fake dating and a bit of adventure, I’m sure you’d enjoy this!

Thank you to @netgalley and @quirkbooks for the arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

5/5 loved Alice Chen's Reality Check. It's as fun as the cover suggests, while also hitting on deep (and spicy) topics that make it perfect for a grown-up beach read. My favorite aspects were how well the main characters were developed, especially if you grew up Asian-American and have fallen in and out of love with the wrong person a few times. Seeing the world through Alice's eyes means being unapologetically nerdy, embracing your awkwardness, fiercely fighting for your loved ones, overcoming your own vulnerabilities, and yes, giving in to your hornball tendencies sometimes. How freakin' refreshing and real.

This book will resonate with reality TV fans and hilariously filled the void in my life when I stopped watching Love Island and the Bachelor (because justice for Jen, duh). The romance feels relatable and swoon-y, the murder mystery plot is suspenseful without being scary, and the authors do a really good job of keeping us guessing on both until the end. The side characters were also a bonus, from Alice's best friend Cindy (who I'm convinced should have her own book) to the other reality show contestants who are perfectly personified from internet memes. The chapter titles and production notes were great tongue-in-cheek interstitials throughout, and they made me chuckle out loud more than a few times.

I will be recommending ACRC to all my reality TV and romcom-loving friends this summer. I hope there's a sequel!

Rivals-to-Lovers, fake dating, and romantic suspense wrapped up in a tropical, reality TV package.

Alice Chen finds herself on a Hell themed reality TV show with her fiancé and her high school rival. When someone turns up dead, it raises the stakes for everyone.

This would make a great beach read! You get to experience the show aspect both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. The concept for the reality show is honestly something I would watch in real life. There are transcripts in between chapters that are really effective at moving the plot along and keeping the reader grounded in the reality TV setting.

It’s really fun to watch two ultra-competitive academics turn their analytical focus on fake dating, but I do wish we got more romantic tension between them. I could see the chemistry with their banter but felt like it dropped off during the actual romance.

The plot was consistently engaging from the start, but really hooked my interest once the suspense kicked in. The authors do a good job of making multiple people suspicious for different reasons, and I wanted to take notes to see if I could figure things out first. The climax of the show and the mystery felt a little over-the-top and cheesy. I wish there had been more foreshadowing for some of the reveals because it does feel like some of it comes out of nowhere.

It was really entertaining and I would definitely recommend it, but don’t feel any need to reread it in the future. This would be a great choice for readers who love reality TV drama, romantic suspense, and rivals-to-lovers tropes.

Unfortunately I needed to DNF this book due to the content surrounding stage 4 MBC. I was diagnosed not even a year ago and the topic is too heavy & triggering for me. What I did read of this book I did enjoy & I hope that the author can add in a content warning about this before the book is set to release.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for a chance to read this.

Alice Chen’s Reality Check is a refreshing, heartfelt, and engaging story that perfectly blends humor, self-discovery, and the complexities of navigating expectations versus personal aspirations. From the very first page, I was drawn into Alice’s world, and her journey felt both relatable and inspiring.

Alice is a wonderfully dynamic protagonist—smart, determined, and full of personality. Her struggles with balancing her ambitions, family expectations, and personal desires are portrayed with authenticity and depth. The writing is sharp and witty, making Alice’s voice stand out, and her emotional journey is one that resonates deeply.

What I particularly loved was how the book balances lighthearted moments with meaningful introspection. The humor is spot-on, adding charm and levity, while the emotional beats hit just the right notes. The relationships, whether romantic, familial, or friendships, feel organic and add richness to the story.

This is the kind of book that leaves you feeling both entertained and thoughtful, with a protagonist you can’t help but root for. If you love contemporary fiction with humor, heart, and a strong, relatable lead, Alice Chen’s Reality Check is a must-read.

I started reading this because I read a couple of books that were dark and sad in ways I didn’t expect. I decided I needed some levity. A romance where the mom has cancer, the fiancé cheats, and someone dies still fit the bill. It helped the red shirt was very hate-able

Alice goes on reality TV with her fiancé to win money for her mom’s cancer treatment. When her relationship blows up, she has to team up with her high school rival. The show was already an OSHA violation with a camera crew but then someone turns up dead. All of this is on the back so no spoilers.

This book has a little bit of everything. Drama and tough emotions, humor, mystery, high stakes thrills, and romance. The resolution is satisfying and the journey is messy and full of hijinks. The big romance tropes are rivals-to-lovers and the FMC clueless he’s into her. Possibly forced proximity but I’m not as familiar with the mechanics of that trope.

Alice has walls up and I get why. When a big trauma happens in your formative years, you get trust issues. It should still have dawned on her a lot sooner than it did that Daniel was into her from the beginning.

It was easy to read and I had a lot of fun. It’s heavier than your average romance but it didn’t bring me down. It got pretty over the top and ridiculous in places. I’m dubious a seasoned crewed would have kept filming after someone died. Overall, 4/5

For minor errors, reddit doesn’t allow apostrophes in sub names. The usernames were spot on though. ‘Unending possum scream’ sent me.

I will forever be a sucker for (one sided) childhood rivals to lovers, and this book did not disappoint with that, along with all the other great elements of this book. This book is for anyone who loves survivor (especially when there is love on the island), but also wants a bit of a murder mystery.

My favorite part of this book was definitely the romance (and development of it) between Daniel and Alice. It was just so cute, especially when Daniel was so obviously pining the whole time, and Alice was just trying to convince herself it was all for the cameras. I also loved their backstory—I was engaged during all the flashbacks, and it felt like there were the perfect amount of them. They were just so cute.

Thank you to Quirk Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book pulled me in with its mix of humor, heart, and all-too-relatable struggles. The protagonist’s journey of balancing ambition, family expectations, and self-discovery felt so real, like conversations I’ve had with friends. Chen’s writing is sharp and engaging, making even the heavier moments feel digestible. While some plot points were predictable, I still found myself rooting for the characters and reflecting on my own experiences. A thoughtful, fun, and insightful read—I’d definitely recommend it!

Miss Congeniality meets UnREAL! Alice Chen's Reality Check is a fun, fast paced read and a fun combination of romantic comedy and murder mystery.

Alice Chen is a maths teacher who finds herself on a reality show for couples, but she soon has to switch partners when her fiancé cheats, and she finds herself in the middle of a mystery that she can't help but trying to solve. There was always something happening with the reality show challenges, the on-set mystery and the romance with her new partner, Daniel.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

The premise of this book is so fun, and right away, the first chapters grabbed me. However, as I got further into the story, it felt like it was trying to do too much: a satirical commentary, a romance, a mystery, a family story. Certain elements showed up early and then felt a little sidelined, while others didn't enter the plot until way later.

I don't want to knock the authors because, of course, books can be many things and I love that they melded so much into this one. However, I think there could have been more balance so that these themes carried throughout the entire plot, not just in the moments where the authors wanted to touch on them.

All of that said, I will absolutely be reading whatever they publish next!

This cover is gorgeous and fun, the blurb looked intriguing, unfortunately it is not formatted enough for me to be able to read on my ereader.

I’m adding this one to my TBR and will look out for it in stores!

A romance mystery with suspense! Alice Chen is a strong female main character and she leads herself on a beachy escape, the romance comes when she finds a partner to compliment her, not support her. Alice joins a reality tv show to earn money for her mother’s cancer treatments with her fiance, Chase. Alice believes they are the shoe-in winners, but this romantic comedy turns into a murder mystery very quickly.
Great enjoyed! 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the ARC opportunity

Romance x mystery is a cool premise! I wish they had focused a little more time into the mystery, it felt a little weak in my opinion.

I wanted to love this one so badly, but it was just too messy for me...despite how hard I tried, I couldn't like Alice, which made it hard to like the rest of the book. I don't fundamentally think she changed or grew as a person throughout the book, even with everything happening to her. The introduction of the murder mystery felt late in the plot, and in conjunction with the reality TV storyline just felt like way too much happened all at once in a way that was difficult to follow. That being said, this book absolutely reads like a reality TV show on paper, and the competition was interesting. The reality TV parts were funny and tongue-in-cheek, but I think the book would have been more fun if the authors had leaned into those aspects more.

Alice Chen needs money - and going on a Reality Show for couples may be her best chance of winning $1 million dollars. But things get more complicated when her high school rival and a dead body show up.
I really enjoyed this book! It was both a romance and a murder mystery, and the setting on a tropical island made it feel like a great beach read. I loved Alice as a character and felt really invested in her getting her happily ever after. I thought the romance was very believable, the mystery felt possibly a little rushed, but I still found it very enjoyable. Overall this was a great lighthearted read to relax with!
I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start by saying I WANTED to love this so much, and I did have a good time reading it for the most part, but then I couldn’t ignore the problems any longer. I do think a LOT of people will have fun with this, especially if you like its comp title (see below). My biggest issue is the pacing... the whole book is supposed to take place over 11 days, and WAY too much happens in it to be believable, even suspend your disbelief believable. Also, this book pitches that there’s a murder mystery... That doesn’t start until 60% through, which then leaves it rushed. The characters had some potential but then just didn’t feel developed in a way that made sense. I didn’t realize it had two authors till I started this review, and now I’m wondering if that and a lack of a strong editor to focus the story is what led to it feeling all over the place at times. My rating just kept dropping as I read on :(

Some “If you liked” style comparisons: Dial A for Aunties is a good comp title with general reality TV vibes thrown in.

This book really ticks all the boxes:
Fun in the Sun ✅
Steamy romance ✅
Murder mystery ✅

At first I didn’t think the romance/murder mystery combo would work but it really did. At times it did feel a bit rushed and I found the FMC a little annoying at the beginning.

However, the book kinda gave me scooby doo vibes with romance to tie it all together.

I finished this in one sitting and couldn’t put it down!

Thank you NetGalley/quirk books for the opportunity!

This is the most captivating book yet filled with romance and mystery. Would recommend to family and friends.

This book is a mashup of "So We Meet Again" by Suzanne Park (high school rivals meet again in adulthood and romance sparks = the male leads name only differ by one letter too! ), "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" by Andrew Yang. (A group of young adults on a reality game show) and the "Dial A for Aunties" series by Jesse Sutanto. (Maybe a little bit of the "Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery" series by Mia Manansala the character set is similar in terns of LGBTQ+ representation)

The book reads more like a romcom as the mystery suspense doesn't fully kick in until close to half way through, and it slowly builds up from suspicious occurrences on the set to murder. The last half of the book is also when it turns up the "intensity" but upping the instances of swear words and adult content interactions.

I think I would give the book a 3.5. The book had two instances of descriptions of what would be considered "adult content" as well as several instances of the using the f-word. If it were a movie, which I could easily see it becoming one, I'm guessing it would probably be closer to an R rating as is, but could easily be adapted to PG-13. Like mentioned above, the first half was pretty light (PG-13), and then it becomes R. I guess murder is stressful?