Queer romcoms will forever be my favorite and this one didn't disappoint. I love ones that are super tropey as well, which this title was in spades.

I have mix feelings about this book, it’s a pretty good book. I don’t hate it but it’s not as fantastic as I hoped it would be.

Let’s talk about the good things first.
I love the premise of this story, a summer romance with friends to lovers trope sounds like a cute and light hearted rom-com to me.
I adore the main characters (Sloane and Liam) relationships, they are both good for each other. I love seeing how they explore this new feeling they started to feel toward each other.

I also like how this book offers the readers a glimpse of what it’s like behind the scenes of a reality/ tv show which can be really stressful with a lot of pressure to get the rating as high as possible for the show.

However, there are some things that makes me didn’t fully enjoy the whole story.
The reality dating show itself which brings out ‘The Bachelor’ vibes is fine but I don’t really agree with teenagers as the contestant on the show. The whole vibes feels different, some parts feels a bit too childish.
There’s also the issue of the parents from the main characters, they don’t really care about their child but this issue is only partially resolved at the epilogue. I wish there's a scene where the parents try to mend things with their children.

Overall, the ending is quite satisfying with all girls ganging up together to expose the bad guy. It’s still a pretty good story but I wish there’s more in some parts of the story.
You can give this one a try if you like a reality dating show with friends to lovers summer romance!

<i>Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley and the author for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily! </i>

This was a really cute lighthearted read! The only reason I didn’t give it a 5 star was due to how cliche it felt. It’s not a bad thing per say but it just gets old.

As someone who has loved reality TV and is a big fan of friends to lovers... this book was great! I had a lot of fun reading it from both POVs. It was really quick and kept me interested throughout. I think i enjoyed this more than Kaitlyn Hill's first book, which i also loved! She writes such cute YA books and i can't wait to read whatever she puts out next!

Not Here To Stay Friends was a YA friends-to-lovers romance set around a teen dating show and it surprised me with how much fun it was! It had the right dose of humor, fun and romance without too much drama - I thought it'd have more drama or some love triangle-ish scenario but thankfully there wasn't much of that, so I'm very happy about this😂 Also, extra points for the dual pov!❣️

Sloane McKinney is pretty excited about coming to LA for the summer to meet her childhood best friend - Liam Daniels. It's been a few years since they last saw each other and though they've kept in touch, it's not the same thing as spending some time together, especially when they share a lot of common interests - mainly tv shows and this also includes The Cove - a teen drama that stars Aspen Woods. And to Sloane's surprise she finds out that Liam might not have that much time to hang out with her as he'll be working on the set of the dating reality show that his dad is producing - Aspen Woods Future Leading Lady(AWFLL - this acronym is too funny lol 🤣). And 25 girls will be competing for the chance to date Aspen and in an unexpected twist when they find themselves short of one girl, Sloane ends up agreeing to participate as Liam's dad promises to help her with her future in screenwriting. But, in an unexpected plot twist, Sloane and Liam find themselves falling for each other.

I absolutely loved both Sloane and Liam in this one - they were so cute together! The friendship that they have is so beautiful and enviable tbh! They are so comfortable around each other and make each other so happy while being supportive without any judgment. At the same time, there's this spark of attraction between them as they're meeting in person after many years and this brings up some hidden feelings to the surface. The friends to lovers development was done so well here!

And Sloane was an amazing MC - she's funny, smart and relatable with her own set of insecurities that stems from being the middle child in her family, but she doesn't let that stop her. Liam is also a genuine guy who cares about everyone while trying his best to make his dad happy too. I was quite intrigued by how the reality show angle would play out here, especially after Aspen's entry. It was pretty hilarious at times with some nice moments between Sloane and the other girls. I also loved the fact that none of the characters were stereotypically bad/good and they all had a role to play. There was a nice twist at the end with the finale of the show and that was pretty satisfying to see😆

In the end, this was an amazing read that surprised me in a good way and I think many others would love it too!❣️✨

Sloane goes to La to visit her best friend.
Instead of a summer having fun he is working on a reality TV show of their favorite show and she gets to be a girl on the show.
Will she have a whirlwind romance with a TV star or will she fall for her best friend.
It's a basic ya romance novel.

"This YA friends-to-lovers spin on The Bachelor from Kaitlin Hill follows two childhood friends whose lives take an unexpected turn for the unreal."

Okay, so this book is based on The Bachelor *which I do not watch*, but I can only imagine this version/ending of The Bachelor is much better than the one on the show.

I found the main characters, Sloan and Liam, had realistic personalities, and the story kept me engaged practically the whole time.

This is a wicked, fun read, and I appreciate the women's support that came to light.

Thank you, NetGalley, for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review. This one was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed my reading! Somehow I've been reading a lot of books lately that have a behind-the-scenes of a dating reality TV show trope, even though I don't really watch them on TV. But it's a super fun premise that allows you to suspend some disbelief and sit back and enjoy because you just know chaotic things are going to happen! I did find the teenage version of the dating show to be a hurdle for me -- I think teens would enjoy it more, picturing how it would work and putting themselves in the main characters', but I did keep wondering what the parents in this situation were even thinking. Actually, maybe if there were more specific reasons the other contestants on the show joined, I'd fully believe it (like I could totally imagine teens with big social media followings or girls in pageants or with acting/dancing/etc. ambitions being really well suited for the show and that would directly contrast with our lead, Sloane, but otherwise Sloane didn't feel like she was out of the ordinary to be on the show? besides that she didn't audition...) But the friends-to-lovers journey was more enjoyable than any of the reality TV scenes, and mostly because we got to see Liam finding ways to enrich the whole experience for Sloane (like be a part of the behind-the-scenes rather than worry about the show) and WHAT'S CUTER THAN THAT KIND OF SUPPORT??

Cute book!

This book made me overly giddish, I loved every second of it! It gave The Bachelor vibes but make it YA. Honestly, such a fun rom-com with great main characters. Read this book, it is great!

My first Kaitlyn Hill book and it won’t be the last. (Been meaning to read Love from Scratch since last year! I will, I promise.)

Not Here to Stay Friends was such a fun, lighthearted ride, and it made me smile and laugh and aww so many times. I love the main characters, Sloane and Liam, and the distinctness of each of their POV chapters; they’re both funny and amusing in different ways. Liam’s humor feels like it’s more of a dry, sometimes self-deprecating humor and Sloane’s is charming in the sometimes ridiculous but always entertaining and endearing manner of hers. Reading this book made me remember all the reasons I love best friends to lovers in romance. I love enemies to lovers, too, don’t get me wrong, but best friends to lovers has so much good mutual pining and confusion and awkwardness over the will-they-or-won’t-they finally say something and move beyond being just friends. I love it so much, and Kaitlyn Hill captured all of that so well with these adorably awkward teenage best friends who are confused over why they’re attracted to each other, haha.

The likability of almost all the characters makes this book a joy to read. Sloane and Liam both know what they want to do in the future, which is awesome (I did not when I was seventeen haha), and I love that they’re passionate about it and serious about making it happen. I loved getting to see Liam’s confidence in his ability and work grow with Garrett’s encouragement and advice (and that Garrett was just such a great mentor), and that Garrett also encouraged him to think about how he could potentially do other work at the same time while he gets his woodworking business off the ground, until it’s enough to sustain him. It’s practical and sound advice and helped Liam to feel like his dreams are within reach. And Sloane learning how to be the main character of her own story and being empowered by her experience on AWFLL (love that Liam’s the one that introduced that acronym to Sloane) and the friendships she made, to work on communicating with her family at the end (important!! People grow and learn and hopefully her parents can change for the better.). And the bit about Liam and his dad going to family therapy, too—I do hope his father learns, since it seems like his father has his own end of marriage issues he’s never worked through as well, but also because Sloane is right and Liam deserves the world.

Another thing I love about this trope: the way they just know each other so well and understand how to support each other, to make each other smile and laugh, the banter and teasing and even the making up; when Liam and Sloane apologize in a glance and accept that because they’ve been friends nearly their whole lives and know the other, it’s the sweetest thing. The newness and uncertainty in if the other has romantic feelings, too; they’re adorably, endearingly awkward and the cutest best friends ever. I love the shared memories and getting glimpses into their lifelong friendship in Sloane recounting her happiest memory, the realization on both their parts that they’ve always been there for each other and feel so comfortable and happy with each other. My heart.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the girls on the show were nice (mostly), although I do wish we got to understand Peyton a little more; she felt a bit hypocritical because she got upset at Sloane when Peyton herself was flirting with Liam while also being on the show to date Aspen, so I’m still kind of eh on her character. It’s difficult given she didn’t have much page time, but it felt like a little bit missing. I liked the commentary on reality TV shows and the way Kristi and the other producers addressed that after the fiasco with Ty, and the way it ended was a bit unexpected but not unwelcome; it also felt like there was some commentary on childhood stardom and the negative impacts of fame and Hollywood on such young kids (I honestly did feel sad for Aspen in that respect; that tour to get to know him was pretty sad and distorted by the reality he’s grown up in, it feels like, and I do wonder what kind of person he might have turned out to be without all of that. He was a baby so it was on his mom who got him into the spotlight; that initial choice was not his own.).

Loved the tension and buildup between Sloane and Liam as they figured out their feelings, and the confusion with the reality TV show situation. The only things keeping me from bumping this up to five stars would be some of the resolution feeling a bit rushed/packed into the epilogue and kind of happening off page, so pacing I suppose, which also affected diving into the start of some of that resolution with their families, for instance. Really cute and gives the warm and fuzzies, though, and a great addition to the best friends to lovers romance stories out there. (Liam is the sweetest boy; the gift for Sloane! How he does anything to make her happy 🥹 and Sloane sticking up for Liam. They’re gonna be just fine.)

I give this book 3/5 stars. Cute rom-com but I cannot say I loved it. I would like to point out that I believe not liking this book is more my fault and not necessarily the book itself. This is a YA rom-com and I just had a difficult time relating to it. I usually really enjoy YA fantasy but reading this book made me realize that YA contemporary romance is not for me. I do think the book is well written and the story was entertaining. Sloane (FMC) joins a teenage version of "the bachelor" and I was pretty excited about that. However, once I read the book I am not really sure how I feel about the teenage version of a dating show. I did think that the interactions between the main character & her love interest was super cute and definitely age appropriate. I think friends-to-lovers & reality TV show enthusiasts will really enjoy this book!

I love this book! It’s such a cute, funny, and smart friends to lovers story. It’s a YA spin on The Bachelor where the lead actor of one of the hottest shows on tv is the star of his own reality dating show. Sloane, who is visiting her longtime best friend Liam in California, gets roped into being one of the contestants. It is so adorable, the dialogue between Sloane and Liam is sweet but also so funny, smart and the chemistry is so palpable! There are epigraphs at the beginning of the chapters that are quotes from the show that the lead actor stars in and they are a little cringey but it’s supposed to be a teen drama set in California so maybe that was the point.

Kaitlyn Hill’s debut novel, Love From Scratch, is one of my favorite romance novels. So, I was excited to read her second book, Not Here to Stay Friends, which is a friends-to-lovers story with a spin on The Bachelor. Sadly, I was largely disappointed with the novel, though I think fans of the trope and T.V. show will enjoy it.

I will start by saying that I’ve yet to find a friends-to-lovers novel that I truly enjoy. More often than not, I feel like the books that incorporate this trope rely too much on a previously established friendship, and the romantic tension and buildup is usually sacrificed. That was the case for this book as well, and I felt like neither the friendship, nor the romance were strong. Similarly, the main character, Sloane, formed friendships with other girls in the book, but these relationships also felt a bit shallow and underdeveloped.

Furthermore, I should have known better than to read a book that was compared to The Bachelor. No shade to anyone who enjoys the show, we all have our guilty pleasures, but the feminist in me can’t stand it. At the beginning of the book, I had hoped Hill was going to put a different sort of spin on it. It seemed like maybe the prize for “winning” would be a guest spot on a T.V. drama, as opposed to a relationship with the actor, but that was not the focus of the story.

Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something incredibly creepy about 20+ people going on reality T.V. in the hopes of forming a relationship with someone, someone who is romantically involved with multiple other people…. Throw in the fact that all the characters are 17-years-old, and the creepiness factor is on overload. Also, the protagonist has to briefly leave the show due to a medical emergency, and not only is she allowed back on the show, she is also allowed to stay at her friend’s house for a night before she returns. So, regardless of the unrealistic elements of The Bachelor, it’s even more unrealistic, as that is not something that is allowed on the reality show in real life.

Finally, I debated on including this part in my review, but I’m a big advocate for awareness about chronic illnesses, and I feel like it would be inauthentic of me to skim over this part. Some brief background information about me, I have an immunological disorder called Mast Cell Activation Disorder, and it causes anaphylactic reactions to numerous triggers. At one point in the book, the protagonist has an allergic reaction to shrimp, and her friend says something like, “Good thing it wasn’t anaphylaxis because anaphylaxis causes you to stop breathing.” (This is not a direct quote.) The issue here is that the protagonist’s reaction WAS anaphylaxis. The innocent ignorance behind the other character’s statement is, quite frankly, dangerous. It’s part of the reason why so many people with MCAS go undiagnosed, and why our concerns are not validated by the medical community unless we stop breathing. So, even though this seems like a small detail, it is important. I would have liked to see anaphylaxis represented more accurately, or not at all. Anaphylaxis can cause someone to stop breathing, or it can be hives, swelling, vomiting, confusion, headaches, and more.

As a whole, I was not a fan of this book, but I loved Kaitlyn Hill’s first book so much that I would still give her future books a chance.

Not Here to Stay Friends is a cute romcom, of a girl who suddenly ended up on a teenage version of the bachelor, featuring the not-so-pleasant star of her favorite TV show, and her much-more-pleasant best friend working behind the scenes.
It’s a fun quick read, with soft, lovable characters, and easy-to-understand but immersive lore about the inside-world TV show “The Cove”, that could easily be any CW teen show, making the whole story feel real. Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite relationship dynamics, and it was lovely to watch the two recognize their feelings for each other.

Another adorable book from the author of Love From Scratch (which I loved reading)

This friends to lovers was cute, sweet with reality show as a plot and girl power as something that shines out.

Sloane being the middle child is not receptive of attention and was always a back character in her own life. However, she has a special summer since she will be spending it in LA with her childhood best friend Liam. She has fun lists made for them for what they will do in LA.

This long distance friendship with couple of video calls never made them feel anything more than being bestfriends but the first impact of seeing each other in person had their brain explode (metaphorically speaking ofcourse). They were shell shocked (again because I was laughing reading their reactions).

They don't act on the immediate chemistry, feelings between them and it goes on to another dramatic level when Liam is going to be a PA on a reality dating teen show where Sloane is pulled in as a last minute contestant. Seeing someone you like competing with 25 other girls to date Aspen Woods a heartthrob is a journey filled with jealousy and slow chemistry which you will love reading.

“The eagle is flying.”
This reminded me of princess diaries where it comes in the last scene thought here I didn't like it since it was related to Aspen Woods, a piece of ...

The swoon worthy YA romance had twists, emotions, made me smile and laugh with a well done and dramatic ending (ofcourse it will be since it is themed as teen dating reality show).

I would recommend it to everyone who loves YA and romance.

Rating ~ 4✨

My favourite quotes ~

"You have to find your passion to be successful in life."

"I’m like coal. Put me in the heat, under pressure, I become a diamond, baby."

"My heart is pounding so hard in my chest, it feels like she should be able to hear it. Or see it, like I’m a cartoon character."

"Time is fleeting. Tell people how you feel when you can, because tomorrow they could get kidnapped by a bicycle gang."

"You deserve someone who will choose you first every time,"

"Endings …they’re like mirrors for beginnings. But sometimes you have to shatter the mirror and say, “It’s not over yet!"

"There was this really unhelpful shopping companion who lost his ability to speak when I tried it on. Thought that was a good sign."

This YA friends-to-lovers romance is set on a The Bachelor for teens type show and it is flawless. I have never been into reality TV but for whatever reason I love romcoms that have a TV plotline. (Shout out to The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun 🥺)

Sloane is a wonderful FMC, I found her awkward humor charming and laughed out loud several times while reading from her perspective. Liam was totally swoon-worthy and sweet too. 😍

Honestly romcom fans will love this young adult book regardless of age, it's such a fun story!! (And to add - I applaud the heck out of these teenagers communication skills 🙌🏻)

I was a fan of “Love from Scratch”, the author’s prior work, so I thought I’d give this one a read. I have to say, I’m not a fan of “The Bachelor” type shows, but this one was appealing. I loved learning about the other girls that Sloane would be vying for Aspen’s affection. I wish there had gotten to be more girls we learned about. And I loved Liam’s quirky dialogue, like “I will not—ah, okay, that felt involuntary” and “All right, so I whacked him with the boom mic”. It had me laughing out loud at parts like that.

I have to say the part of the book I disliked was Aspen and the conclusion of what he did, but I felt like that was supposed to happen. It’s not that I don’t like how he was written or anything like that. I didn’t like the character. He was kind of a jerk, and I wish I could tell you why, but I’m not doing any spoilers. I also didn’t like Ty, one of the workers on set. You read this and you’ll see why.

All in all, this is an exceptional friends-to-lovers story that will have you reading it until late at night when you’re eyes can’t focus anymore. Teens who are fans of the trope, like me, you’ll enjoy this. Oh, also for fans of “Love from Scratch”. You’ll enjoy this as well.

I love a good bachelor inspired book. This book was light and the characters with interesting. I had an overall good time and this is a pretty cute story.

Not Here to Stay Friends is a cute and lighthearted YA story similar to The Bachelor. I did have to keep myself from questioning the morality of certain parts of the story (teenager reality show dating? Odd.) but overall I was able to suspend believe enough to enjoy the story a bit.

Characters

The characters in this book were delightful, and I loved their personalities. Sloane was the female main character, and her love of writing made me want to continue reading this story. Liam was the male main character, and he was so sweet to read about. You could tell that Liam and Sloane worked well together and that they had a love for each other. The supporting cast was delightful, and I loved how each of the girls each had their own personality.

Plot

I’m not one for Reality TV or books in this genre. What drew me to this book was the fact that you would get a behind-the-scenes look at how they film these types of shows. I thought I was going to enjoy the fact that Liam was working on production, and we would get to see what goes on behind the scenes at these types of shows. What I enjoyed most about the plot of this story was the found family elements between the girls staying at Chelsea’s house. The friends Sloane finds there supported each other, and they were all rooting for the other girls even though they also wanted to have time with Aspen as well. The end of the book was wonderful, and I loved how the story ended.

Writing

Not Here to Stay Friends had a delightful writing style. Kaitlyn Hill uses a light tone to tell parts of the story, and you can tell that the characters were having fun during the scene. The more intense scenes in the book have a serious tone and are handled with care. This book had a writing style that flowed very well and was easy to follow. I enjoyed writing in the book and felt the style worked well to tell the story.

Romance

Romance was one of the best things about this book. I could pick out from early in the book where the romance was going to go. The show had an interesting element, and I thought there would be a twist in the middle of the story. Sloane and Liam were so cute, and they were so sweet. They both cared about each other and because they were best friends growing up, they already had a history with each other. Sloane and Liam were passing letters to each other on set, and they went for a drive when Sloane wasn’t on a solo date, and I just loved the moments between the two of them.

Enjoyment

I really enjoyed this book. I had a great time while reading this book. I would recommend this if you’re a fan of reality tv shows like The Bachelor. This book was a lot of fun, and it also talked about things that should be talked about more, like teens doing what they want to do, rather than what their parents want them to do.