Thank you NetGalley & Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read this ebook!
Fan Favorite by Adrienne Gunn is coming your way on June 24th and you don't want to miss it if you are a lover of Reality TV! Edie Pepper, a 35-year-old copywriter, enters the reality dating show The Key to win back her high school sweetheart, Charlie Bennett, who’s had a major glow-up since their teen years. But as Edie dives into absurd challenges, she discovers Charlie isn’t the same person she remembers—and sparks unexpectedly fly with the show’s cranky yet charming producer, Peter. With love, self-discovery, and chaos at every turn, Edie must decide if her Happily Ever After lies in her past or her future.
This was my first book by this author and it won't be my last, I loved the quirky writing style, I recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of The Bachelor, you're going to love this!!

Edie is wallowing in the throes of breakup when she spots her nerdy high school ex-boyfriend and former BFF being interview on tv as the next star of a reality dating show--and he's now hotter than ever. Desperate and maybe a little bit wine drunk, Edie tweets at one of the show's producers, and soon enough, she's flying to LA to join the cast. But at 34, she's almost ten years older than most of the other women, and while she considers herself cute, she's not exactly an Instagram model. Between manipulative producers, villainous woman, and a man she can't quite tell if she's destined to be with or so over, Edie is in for the adventure of a lifetime.

I loved this book so much. I was on a reality television romance kick, and this was the book I needed to get me out of a slump. It's super unique, with a multi-POV take that keeps you guessing as to who, if anyone, Edie will end up with. But make no mistakes, Edie is the star. It has a realness to it that we don't see often in romcoms, somewhat reminiscent of another author I love, Fallon Ballard. Edie is very three-dimensional and we get to see all sides of her, the good, the bad, and the awkward. For fans of The Bachelor or books like One to Watch, this is sure to be a hit.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

This one was so much fun! I was dying laughing the first 15%--so funny! There were some really cute twists, and I just overall adored this one. The humor slowed down, after the first quarter, but overall, FAN FAVORITE was just really fun. Thoroughly enjoyed. Recommended. 4.5 stars.

"Fan Favorite" by Adrienne Gunn is an enjoyable romcom set in the world of reality TV dating. I rarely watch reality shows - aside from the occasional dating episode - but I love reading about them.

Thirty-five-year-old Edie Pepper, a copywriter from Chicago, wants love, marriage, and the whole package. After her boyfriend dumps her and a series of disastrous dates, she faces an existential crisis - especially when her latest date tells her she’s "too old" for marriage. Yet, she hasn’t given up on love. When she sees her high school sweetheart, Charlie Bennett, on America’s biggest reality dating show, The Key, she convinces herself he’s the one. She reaches out to Jessa, one of the show’s producers, who eagerly brings her on board to boost ratings.

Petter, The Key's cynical showrunner, is unimpressed - Edie doesn’t fit the typical contestant mold, nor does he believe in love after his rough divorce. Meanwhile, Charlie isn’t the man she remembers. He’s reinvented himself and has no intention of looking back. When Edie unexpectedly joins the show, he’s less than thrilled. Expecting fireworks and a rekindled romance, Edie instead finds herself entangled in the ruthless world of reality TV. She soon realizes that reality is far from glamorous - and that love often appears where you least expect it.

I enjoyed this book very much. While it has plenty of lighthearted moments, it also explores serious themes - love and the need to be loved, friendship, self-image, and the lengths people will go for fame. Though written in third person, the novel skillfully delves into the perspectives of Edie, Charlie, and Petter, making them feel like real, fleshed-out people. The character interactions felt authentic and added depth to the story.

The novel pokes fun at modern dating, exposing the unrealistic expectations shaped by books and movies, while offering a sharp critique of reality TV’s behind-the-scenes manipulations - not a pretty picture. I especially loved the small touches, like the memos between the producers, the TV interviews, and the raw behind-the-scenes look at how "reality" is crafted.

There was a bit of excessive name-dropping, which felt over the top at times. Edie, as the quintessential all-American girl, struggles with self-esteem, even comparing herself to skinny celebrities at one point (not exactly the best role models). Still, I liked her, and I appreciated how both she and the other characters evolved throughout the story. She learns important lessons and, more importantly, finds herself along the way.

Overall, I loved the book and its refreshing take on social media, dating, and reality TV. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a light read with deeper themes. While the ending was predictable, the journey was anything but. It makes you reflect on the choices we make and serves as a reminder to believe in yourself.

Would I ever participate in a reality show? Absolutely not. And after reading this, I’ll never look at them the same way again.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Fan Favorite is an entertaining look at a woman who joins a reality dating show romance, one of the best spins on this idea I’ve read as shows like The Bachelor continues its popular run. Likely it’s due to Edie Pepper, who at 35 has had some terrible dates and is not over her last terrible relationship. Edie is desperate to settle down and be in love, and while that type of person can be a bit cringey, Edie’s arc in realizing that’s not the answer nor is forcing it getting her far is incredibly satisfying.

Edie is still in the stage of trying to rebound when she sees her childhood boyfriend - star of the one mortifying early adult experience we all have blocked in our memory banks - looking attractive and living his best life, starring on The Key, a show where bachelorettes vie to be his future wife. She puts herself out there and the show decides to have her join, if for no other reason that having her obsessive search for love or the nostalgiac appeal of reunited lovers bring in some much needed ratings for the show. While this could and often does spell disaster, Edie’s absolutely hilarious as is the story as a whole, and I was rooting for her by the end as she charms those around her, maybe even finding true love.

I loved the feel good in this book along with the perspectives we get from a few other characters that add a ton of color. While Peter, the showrunner’s, turn in attitude towards Edie feels a bit rushed, in the context of a world where Edie started out thinking Bennet / Charles was her one, I couldn’t help but root for her. If you love lighthearted romances and you’re a fan of dating reality shows - or just the shenanigans they may facilitate in a book - I can promise this is a standout.

I am a big fan of Fan Favorite! In this book, we find Edie Pepper, who deeply wants to get married and yet her love life is the hottest of hot messes. So when she sees that her high school boyfriend, Charlie Bennett (who now goes by Bennett Charles) is the next lead of The Key (basically The Bachelor except no authors get sued), Edie DMs one of the show’s producers who is happy to throw her to the shark infested water of reality TV. Someone less happy about Edie joining is Peter Kennedy, the show’s showrunner, who finds himself very intrigued (in many ways) by Edie.

I am obsessed with Adrienne’s writing. Her way of describing characters, setting, really anything is so exacting and precise that you can understand a character wholly in a few sentences. And the book is laugh out loud funny (not like when you write “lol” in lowercase and don’t even smirk). I re-read the first chapter three times just to catch all of the finer details of jokes and I re-read the scene of Edie and Charlie’s first time together three times just for shits and giggles. It almost feels like watching a comedian recording a comedy special where each word is really well thought out, meaningful, and purposeful to craft the exact right sentences. For example, enjoy this line as a small sample of the teeheehees: “Like Athens bursting fully formed from Zeus’s skull, one day Bennett Charles just appeared, topless and grinning, on Instagram.”

I also really like that Adrienne writes nuanced characters. No one is a true villain or a true hero. Everyone has lots of different shades of grey which makes it so much more interesting to read. You understand why Edie is so obsessed with the idea of marriage. You understand how and why Charlie Bennett morphed into Bennett Charles. You understand what fuels Peter and Edie’s miscommunications. To me as a reader, it feels really satisfying to understand the “why” in each character.

My only slight qualm is that I wanted to understand a bit more about the connection between Edie and Peter. I think at one point Peter is described as having an “inexplicable attraction” to Edie and I wanted it explained. Maybe that is a tad greedy of me but it left like the only loose piece. Either way, I think folks will really enjoy this book and I am excited to read Adrienne’s future books!

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.

After yet another disastrous date, a reality TV-obsessed copywriter is stunned to see her high school sweetheart cast as the lead on a popular dating show—looking nothing like the awkward teen she remembers. Determined to rekindle their romance, she reaches out to the show’s producers, who eagerly add her to the competition—but not for the reasons she expects.

As she navigates outrageous dates and on-screen drama, she soon realizes her ex isn’t quite who she thought he was—and that an unexpected connection may be forming elsewhere. With plenty of humor, heart, and reality TV antics, this debut novel offers a fresh, fun take on modern love and second chances. Great for fans of reality dating shows.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

loved this romance of finding love on the set of reality dating show. Loved edie took a chance on the show and found love. she try to win charlie but realized that she was in love with someone else. loved it .

Edie is 35 years old and she just got dumped. After coming home from a failed first date, she sees someone familiar on a commercial for a new season of her favorite reality show: Charlie Benedict, her childhood friend and high school boyfriend. It suddenly dawns on her that Charlie might be her one true love. In a fit of drunken desperation, she tracks down a producer from the show and sends them a tweet. And suddenly, she is a contestant on the show. She strikes up a fast friendship with show runner Peter. As the book progresses, she finds herself in a bit of a love triangle.

This book was a fun take on the reality show format, depicting a woman in her mid 30s finding love. I found it hard to put down