There are not words to adequately express how much I loved this book. I had not read the first two books in the series, but I’m almost glad I hadn’t. Getting to know Lily and Murray organically through THEIR story, while still getting to see the couples from the other two books just means I have two other books to read now.

My ONLY complaint was that Lily’s Big Event that happens at the start of the book was almost too shocking to happen so soon at the start of a new book. Other than that, the pacing, the characterization, the dialogue, the plot, everything… it was perfect.

I wish it had a LITTLE more spicy action but I’ll take what I can get.

Lily, as both herself and Lily Fireball, was a lovable and hate-able character, and you still cheered for her. I will forever go down with a friends to lovers trope, so this one had me by the neck.

Thank you to Simon and Shuster and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This book was hard to follow, and honestly lost me right at the sound of pandemic, covid, etc. I lived it and don't need to be reminded of the hard times we all experienced in 2020+
The concept of reality TV set is hard to consider when you are either fully gullible into reality tv or use it to escape reality yourself much like books do for so many people.
I wanted to enjoy this book and romance but the plot was lost on me trying to follow along with TV characters, other participants on the TV show and the producers and writers of the show. etc. It was very overwhelming.

A poorly written attempt to mimic the bachelor franchise however the author refused to use the characters actual names and everything was Juliet-Dylan, juliet-Amanda.

This book is hard to review, because to some extent it is a relief of COVID protocols that are understandably hard to write around. Leaving those side, this book dragged a bit--it was very internal and flat. Really couldn't stand Lily, but sure was weirdly not much of a presence in the book. I want to try something else from this author, though, as I think she's a good storyteller.

Thank you for the ARC!

I liked the idea behind the book more than the execution of it. The pacing of the story was really slow and it was really hard to connect with the characters. I probably will not be reading the rest of the series, unfortunately.

I loved this book's behind-the-scenes peek at shows like the Bachelor franchise and I thought the Murray character was complicated and generally likable. I did not feel the same about Lily. I honestly wished the ending had been where it was left about 90% in rather than how it actually ended. Overall, the story was interesting because of the setting and situations and I'd recommend to fans of the Bachelor/ette franchises! It was fun.

the idea for this was so fun but i just had a hard time connecting with murray and lily, they didn’t quite feel real to me

thank you netgalley for an arc of this in exchange for my honest review!

If you watch The Bachelor franchise and enjoy reading, this one is for you! I found it fascinating and felt like I was one of the producers. I loved both characters and the also the contestant drama. Felt very on brand. I also enjoyed the format of the book, with the female MC starting in the past and the male MC in the present. Very well done and I highly enjoyed, Would rank 3.5 if I could. thanks to netgalley for an arc!

Absolute candy for fans of the Bachelor and Unreal. This tells the behind-scenes story with plenty of details on how each show is made. Driving it all is the relationship between Murray and Lily, two veterans of the reality television scene. Like many real-life Bachelor contestants, they aren't always likable but they are relatable and the twists and turns of their relationship and their manipulations kept me guessing!

I want to start this review by being clear: I am a huge fan of reality television, and the more dramatic, the better. I cannot get enough of Vanderpump Rules. I always keep up with The Bachelor Franchise and devour any Netflix series hosted by the Lacheys. Additionally, I used to be a huge follower of Unreal. If any of the above also applies to you, Not Here to Make Friends will be your kind of read.

A quick overview: Murray is the showrunner of a reality dating show, and this is his first season where he gets to tell the story that he wants to tell. However, when his former best friend and co-showrunner shows up unannounced as this season's villain, they suddenly start butting heads for control of the season.

To truly enjoy this book, you have to know how reality television is produced and manipulated. Our main characters are not heroes, nor are they arguably good people. These are two cutthroat reality television producers, and once you accept that, you're going to have a much better time.

What I loved:
-The timeline of the story is set in the present, while Murray's POV is in the past. This really sets up the story from two different directions. Some readers had issues with Lilly and Murray being married at different points in their lives. I think having the story told throughout the span of time really solidifies that there is no overlap. It also runs a knife through your heart.
-The reality television aspect. The Romeo-Dylan and Juliet-Dylan are a treat to read.
-The structure. It was an easy read in the sense that everything flowed together nicely. I could feel Murray's stress and frustration throughout the book, which heightened my emotions.
-The effort to address the lack of BIPOC in reality television and how it shapes the media as a whole.

What I didn't love as much:
-I got really tired of reading "Lily Fireball" over and over. I understand why; it's the branding, but it got exhausting.
-You will have to suspend some disbelief. Things do sort of magically come together in a productive way despite all the mess and drama. It's not completely out of the realm of possibilities, but it is a bit far-fetched.

I had a really great time reading this book. I wouldn't categorize it as a "fun light" read, but it's not overly dark and heavy—it's somewhere in between.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jodi McAlister for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was a cute book. It goes with the trope of reality TV of a dating show and the Romeo and multiple Juliet's. So the Romeo-Dylan was very nice and did not like some of the candidates. He also did not want to go along with what the producer decided to do with the plot line. However, the producer gets a shock himself by falling back in love with his old co-producer. I don't want to give too much information to not spoil the surprises and plot line. I'm not a reality TV show watcher and this towards the end was a little hard to follow at who was with who. It was a cute "nice book" and a quick read. If you are someone who enjoys the "Bachelor/Bachelorette" type reality TV shows you will think this is a great read.

Murray and Lily are friends and Co workers on a "Bachelor" style reality TV show. And they also love each other but married other people. Told in the present from Murray's POV and in flashbacks from Lily's POV we find out more about their history and life as TV producers.

Sadly this book was not my favorite. I previously may have loved this book 10 years ago when I was obsessed with reality TV dating shows but I feel like their time in the spotlight has passed for me. So to be reading a book set in that world just wasn't my preference. I also didn't appreciate that they were in love with each other but were dating or married to other people. It felt like emotional cheating and I don't want that in a "fun romance book".

My review will be posted to Goodreads now and Instagram on the publish date

This was a really good book. It was the first one I've read by Jodi Mcalister. I can see why people like watching the bachelor so much. I might even myself. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not a fan of The Bachelor, but I was definitely a fan of this.

The love story between Murray and Lily was just so good. The mutual pining over the years, the recognition of different kinds of love, the dual POV with Lily set entirely in the past and Murray set in the present. These two deeply flawed, conniving, lovely human beings have a beautiful story of finding each other again after loss. From Lily's need to reinvent herself after the loss of her husband to Murray's desire to make everything perfect for the love of his life, to the point of rigging an entire season of a reality show, it was just stunning. I loved the meta looks at reality TV, and McAlister's research acumen is in full force here.

The best part of the book was definitely Lily's POV in the flashbacks. What a stand-out narrative device! The quasi-emotional cheating never really bothered me, especially since we already know these characters are morally grey.

I went into this book cold; I had never read anything by this author. While reading, I found myself getting confused a lot by the sheer number of side characters, especially since we are supposed to care about these other romances as well. It wasn't until I was so frustrated that I looked it up and found out this was the third in a series! It's pretty ambitious of McAlister to set three romances in the exact same time frame (we love subplots), but it was definitely confusing at times and took away from the central relationship. I'm sure for long-time fans of this series, seeing an alternate perspective to beloved characters was wonderful, but I found it distracting. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them. Maybe I'm the morally grey one here.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Partially my fault: I hadn't realized this was the third book in a series! I think I probably would have enjoyed it more with the background from the previous books.

Otherwise, it was fun, though sometimes the characters were a smidge unlikable.

Murray and Lily were friends… once. Co-producers… once. Something more… once. Then Lily went through a personal tragedy, and everything changed. After a year of no contact with Murray, she is now in front of the camera on Marry Me, Juliet as this season’s villain. Through both Murray and Lily’s perspectives, “the most dramatic season” of reality TV unfolds, giving readers a peek behind the curtain and into the editing bay.

I enjoyed the book as a whole, but what held it back from being a 4-star book was how difficult it was to connect with Lily at first. She was calculating in an Amy-Dunne-from-Gone-Girl kind of way. Dramatic in a Regina George kind of way. And tragic backstory aside, her motivations didn’t click for me. It didn’t help that the concept of “Lily Fireball” was cringe-worthy from the start. I was surprised that the persona was meant to be a jumping-off point for a reality TV influencer career - the name alone would get any modern bachelorette eaten alive. About halfway in, she did grow on me. Seeing her soften around Murray was key to this. You get to see the depth that she cares for him and understands him, which smooths her hard edges somewhat, putting me more firmly on her team, wanting her to succeed.

Connecting with - and rooting for - Murray was easier by comparison. He is just as calculating as Lily, but maybe because we are along for the ride of the main narrative with him (rather than through flashbacks to past years with Lily), we can see the reasons behind the choices he makes, even if we don’t agree with them.

In all, it’s a sweet story, and I do feel compelled to seek out the other two books to find out if Jodi McAlister had all the character interactions and relationships planned from the beginning (if so, kudos - interweaving multiple narratives can’t be easy!). You don’t have to have read the other books to pick up on what is going on; it seems like you can enter this series at any point along the way. If you liked The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren, this one will be right up your alley.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Jodi McAlister, and Atria Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

loved this friends to lovers and working on a bachelor show. I loved that had their own language and both loved each other and supported them while they were married to other people. Loved the sexy times and they found love.

This was a hard to read book for me.

There is so many different layers, feelings when there shouldn't be, loss, love, TV, and then current vs in the past.

The book sort of fell flat for me. It took a while for the slow burn to become a flame, like 75% mark honestly.

Overall, it was alright, lots of characters, lots of back and forth.

Thank you nNetGalley and publisher for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Not one of my favorites. Holding grudges is one thing, but this grudge didn’t make enough sense for the characters to have gone years without speaking.

I enjoyed Not Here to Make Friends the reality tv setting gives such a clear way to include absurd hijinks. I have not read the other two books in this series so I was unfamiliar with the two other love stories happening in the background, but Lily and Murray were fascinating to read. A former producer who after a devastating loss returns to her dating show not to work but as a contestant where her former partner in crime/not entirely platonic best friend is now the sole showrunner without telling him. She shows up with the plan to be the season's villain, to ruin who she used to be because she cannot be her anymore. The current story is told primarily in Murray's POV being blindsided by Lily but we learn through flashbacks the history between him and Lily.

It was a fun time and these two though sometimes kind of terrible were definitely the perfect team.