3 Stars
Our Main Character things all rules are made to be Bent..not broken But Bent... That puts her into a difficult position repeatedly. She may be in over her head and the hunky handsome detective may have to save her.

I went into this book expecting a love story and instead was given a murder mystery with a side of a love triangle. I liked this book aside, who doesn’t love a good whodunit? However, I felt that the crime aspect of the book took away from any real romance building which is the reason why I am reading and reviewing this particular novel. I liked the characters, and I liked the plot. Home shopping channel star host with a mystery to solve? Sign me up! The book definitely did it’s job as a whodunit, it had me guessing the whole time who in fact had done it. The two main love interests failed to intrigue me too much. Lorenzo wasn’t attractive because it seemed that he thought he was above Dana and Ari was unattractive from the start because he was a cop and kind of a jerk. I really enjoyed the main character Dana, her personality made her delight to read about. Although, some parts I found her annoying for not connecting certain dots sooner. I also really loved the rising actress-that-actually-has-a-shot plotline in books so it automatically gained my approval in that department. I give this book three stars from the point of view of a romance novel reviewer, because the mystery really did take away from what the best part of a romance novel is, ignorance AND bliss.

This was such a fun and quick read! The main character Dana was super relatable was really fun to read! I loved the mix of the murder mystery with the romance! Thank you NetGalley And harlequin publishing for the ARC!

I've never read anything by Ellen Meister before, and while I did enjoy her writing style, this book wasn't my favorite. I didn't fall in love with the main character and wasn't rooting for her. Overall, the book felt a bit too cheesy-dramatic. I did enjoy watching Dana grow throughout the book, but it wasn't enough to win me over.

Dana Barry is an actress who likes to live in the world's grey area, aka she enjoys bending the rules. Dana having taken an on air position with the shopping channel is excited for her very first day but the super star of the channel is found dead in her office from a gun shot wound before Dana's contract is even finalized! The sound engineer she was with at the time of murder is one of prime suspects due to his past and small incidents keep happening to the set when she's on air. Will these mysterious happenings continue the entire time she is with the Shopping Channel, will the hot detective who keeps popping up listen to her, because Dana is someone who notices small details and she is pretty sure she knows what happened with the stars death. Meister spins a good mystery and combining a romcom that makes for an interesting and quick read.

RomCom meets murder-mystery in Love Sold Separately by Ellen Meister

Love Sold Separately by Ellen Meister misses the mark.

I read Love Sold Separately by Ellen Meister in one afternoon while laying on my couch during a lazy Sunday. It took me a while to get into it. I found Dana, the main character, arrogant, problematic, and annoying. Eventually, the story and its characters grew on me, but it was too little, too late.

Dana is a struggling actress living in New York City who just got fired from Hot Topic for telling a teenager he wasn’t a “true emo.” (Insert eye-roll here) Her best friend and self-appointed manager, Megan, gets Dana an audition at the Shopping Channel. If only she can sober up quickly enough, she might have a good chance of being the next host for one of their shows!

As expected, our main character uses her wit and charm to nail the audition and wins the support of the queen bee at the network. But the celebrations are short-lived. As she is touring the studios, Dana is the first person at the scene of a crime. The main suspect? The charming Lorenzo, who she knows for a fact did not commit the crime.

Using the same attention to detail that landed her the job as host of a TV shopping show as well as her lack of self-control, Dana decides to unofficially take on the investigation. She must prove to the police Lorenzo is innocent.

Throughout the book, we meet (in no particular order): Olly her sweet and overly fragile assistant; Adam, an overworked producer; Dana’s dad, a rich snob; Sherry, her nemesis at work; Chelsea, her supportive and shopaholic sister; and Ari the tall, handsome, and mysterious lead detective on the case. All enjoyable, but mostly flat and sometimes stereotypical characters.

Love Sold Separately by Ellen Meister was fine. Dana has some relatable storylines and is full of funny clap-backs. Meinster gives us readers some solid romantic interests, although I must admit I wish we had more of them and less of detective-in-training Dana.

This book wasn’t for me. I considered giving up on it multiple times, but in the end, I don’t regret reading it. If you are in the mood for a quick beach or poolside read, this book is short, and the story goes fast (sometimes too fast).

Love Sold Separately by Ellen Meister comes out just before Labor Day weekend, but you can pre-order now.

What delectable rom-com. Sometimes you need that easy read that goes down smooth and I appreciate how well this book accomplished that. The adorable cover perfectly reflects the content inside.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I requested this book awhile ago so I had forgotten what the blurb said it was about when I started to read.
I was pleasantly surprised to find it turn from a whiny underemployed NYC 20 something trying to find a job while dodging her nice but irritating family into a cozy murder mystery.

The opening of the book does not make Dana very likeable. Thank goodness for her BFF / manager Megan who gets her an audition at the Shopping Channel. It does seem that her talents are well suited for that kind of gig and she thrives as an on air host.

She's just not a very nice person. She's observant and she can be charming but I'd suggest not dating her because she has a temper and holds a grudge. Although at the end of the book she does recognize all the people around growing and evolving so maybe there's hope for her?

I enjoyed the Shopping Channel content. That was a different setting for this kind of book instead of a bakery / flower shop / dog groomer.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

This was such a quaint little romance/mystery. It felt like the book version of a Hallmark Channel movie and I was here for it. It was a quick and easy read with a great pace. It has a love triangle, a mysterious death and secrets - what more could you want for in a cozy mystery. This is a great book to curl up with on a rainy summer day and enjoy.

This book wasn't bad, the expectations I had for it just weren't accurate. I was hoping for more of a romance, and the main plot of this book is more mystery/thriller. While that isn't necessarily bad, it wasn't what I was thinking it was going into the book and therefore had a skewed enjoyment level. As a mystery, this book did it well. I enjoyed the characters and the writing style

This book was cute, but nothing that blew me away. I liked the characters, but the plot seemed like it has been overdone a few times.

In Ellen Meister’s new novel, Love Sold Separately, forget all preconceived notions about rom-coms or mysteries. This murder mystery set against the backdrop of a shopping television network is quite unique and hilarious to read about, but will also leave you guessing until the end of the novel.
This book was a unique mix of romance, drama, mystery, and comedy. Dana is a woman who is trying to catch a break and just keeps getting caught up in drama and trouble, but her sleuthing skills show her grit and determination to defend herself and those she cares about. I loved the development of the characters and, while I wished we got some more closure at the end about some of them, everything wrapped up very nicely!
The mystery itself wasn’t overtly obvious either. Everyone seems guilty and the killer was unexpected to me! I found it to be more on the side of mystery than thriller and didn’t find the book scary or creepy at all. There also wasn't much smut either, making this a tamer on both the mystery and romance fronts.
Without giving too much away, I think this book is definitely one to add to your list when it comes out August 25th! It’s engaging, unique, and will have you questioning everyone’s motives and intentions!

This book was a great cozy mystery and romance mixed together.
Ari and Dana love each other, you can tell by how they play hard to get through the whole story. I really loved this book so much...
It was a book like nothing else I have read before, so it was a very nice change of pace for me.

I have to say though that suicide/murder twist was a very big shock to me..

Thank you Netgalley for my arc of this book for my honest review.

Love Sold Separately leans more on the mystery side than on the love side, though there is an element of that. Some of the character depictions fell a little flat for me. It was a quick read, however!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I wanted to like this more than I did. It was enjoyable enough, but the characterization was lacking for me. I found both characters and certain situations to be a bit unbelievable. I would not necessarily recommend this title.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of Love Sold Separately!

The story starts off with Dana Barry trying to figure out her life in NYC. She's 29 years old, with no career and no boyfriend and no savings. Her life is the complete opposite of her sister Chelsea's, as her dad will never let Dana forget. Dana's sister is married to a wonderful man, with amazing children, and living an amazing life. Dana's best friend, Megan, aka her manager, arranges Dana for an audition on The Shopping Channel. Dana kills it with her audition, impressing the toughest critic out there, The Shopping Channels #1 rated celebrity, Kitty Todd.

On the day that Dana signs her contract for her new job, chaos ensues as someone dies! Is it a suicide? a murder? someone seeking revenge? Dana, the ever inquisitive person that she is, with an amazing memory for detail, uncovers clues that supports Detective Marks investigation, all the while falling for his incredible charm and smarts.

This is a fun, quirky rom-com about a girl searching for love and the truth while uncovering deeper secrets of blackmail, theft, and all at the highly regarded Shopping Channel.

The story keeps you guessing at every turn, right up until the end!

I put this book down at 20%. I flew through it but not because it was written well. There was no character development. The plot was poor. Relationships were rushed. I wouldn’t recommend this.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I don't think that I would be able to recommend this book to people, because I don't think that I liked it all that much. It just wasn't what I expected it to be, and I think that the audience for this book is a little different than what I'm used to. I guess I just found a lot of the things going on a little too dramatic and inauthentic. Overall, I thought that the characters were fine, and the romance aspect was good. I just didn't think it was for me, but it definitely has it's audience somewhere else!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read this in advance! All opinions are my own.

I loved the book! It took me a while to read it — thanks Covid! — but it won me over. The plot (actress, coworkers, a big mystery) was amazing and was written in a good and funny way.

There is romance, there is mystery, there is tension. Loved the couple too.