I really tried it with this book but ended up dnfing this book twice just wasn’t for me i really wanted to like it

On Location 📸
Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the gifted copy of this book {partner}

Genre: Romance
Trope: Enemies to Lovers/Workplace Romance
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆.5
Pub Date:
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

I usually enjoy Sarah Echavarre-Smith's books, but this was not my cup of tea.

For starters, the miscommunication trope was so strong right from the start. There wasn't a third-act break-up because of miscommunication - it was just prevalent from the beginning. Oh, and yes, there was a third-act break-up, too. I couldn't understand why Alia constantly treated Drew the way she did; she was either hot or cold with him, and there was no in-between. At times, the chemistry between them was off the charts, and then it was non-existent in the next scene. I wanted more depth from them as individual people and as a couple.

Some very steamy scenes are sprinkled throughout the book, and while a bit of 🔥 doesn't bother me, a few of these pages left me cringing.

1️⃣ One sleeping bag
🙅🏽‍♀️ Miscommunication
🎥 TV Nature Documentary
📉 Lacked character depth

If you're looking for a Sarah Echavarre-Smith book to read, I recommend Simmer Down. It's full of spice (both in the bedroom and the kitchen 😉).

This story is a delightful blend of adventure, romance, and personal growth. It reminds me that love can blossom in unexpected places, even amidst professional rivalry and high-stakes situations. I would say that the plot is captivating with well-drawn relatable and realistic characters. The author transported me to the stunning landscapes of Utah and allowing me to experience the challenges and triumphs of television production. It's a must-read for fans of contemporary romance and those looking for an entertaining escape into the world of television production

It’s an enemy to lover meet cute novel. It takes place in Utah, and it was a state I didn’t think I would ever want to visit until now.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, a strong female heroine and a hero who encouraged her. The scenery in this book was fantastic and made me want to visit Utah.

However, there was a lot of drama in this book. The whole conflict in this good was miscommunication, the two MCs continued to miscommunication over and over again. I was left with the feeling that these two characters really should not be together.

I thought this was a really cute book, but I didn’t love it. I felt like I didn’t connect with the story. I enjoyed some parts of it though! I know others loved it, so I recommend checking their reviews too!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the travel piece and thought this was really entertaining! I appreciate the gifted ebook!

This is sexy. It is smart. It is escapist. I LOVED THIS BOOK!

I liked the travel element, and I liked that the characters weren't having huge miscommunications that would drive me wild. Easy and breezy. Loved it!

DNF, this one wasn’t for me! I absolutely love the cover of the book though! I have read a lot of other reviews about this book and completely agree! I was not a fan of the miscommunication trope.

I tried about 20% of this one but it just wasn't working for me- after talking with some trusted sources, I don't think this book is for me.

Other Possible Prompts: 8. Involving the art world, 11. A book with less than 2022 Goodreads ratings, 37. Set in a rural area, 41. Involves a second chance, 45. A book with illustrated people on the cover, 50. A person of color as the main character

I am truly on a bad streak right now. On Location fell so flat for me, I’m at a complete loss as to what to try next!

Alia is overjoyed to find her very first solo television project has been greenlit: a series focusing on the National Parks of Utah, a place with special meaning to her from her childhood. She is less thrilled to discover that her host is a washed-up nineties star with a drug problem, and her new field coordinator is her failed date from the previous week: Drew Irons. Determined to keep things professional, she keeps both her host and her feelings for Drew in check.

But when the host misses hours of shoot time, and Drew is so charismatic on camera, Alia hatches a plan that ultimately pushes her and Drew closer. But in the wake of a traumatic relationship, can Alia trust again, even if all the signs are pushing them together?

I felt so very little for both main characters that the romance was just lost on me. Most scenes flopped or fell flat because I felt neutral toward Alia or nothing at all towards Drew (he really didn’t have a personality…or at least not a consistent, pinpointable one). It’s so difficult to enjoy a romance if you don’t like or relate to either character. I think you can still write a good one as long as one of the characters is good and well-written, but not if neither of them are. Alia had a backstory, and a personality, but both were boring! That might be a little harsh, but I just felt nothing for her, I don’t know.

The backdrop of Utah was kind of fun and unique, but I think that fell flat too. There was so much she could’ve done to bring the setting to life, and there wasn’t much detail or imagery. If this book had been rich in setting details, I think it could’ve been more enjoyable and added to the magic. I’ve never been to Utah myself, but one of my friends just recently came back from there armed with tons of photos…so I knew what Smith was writing about, at least from photos, and I don’t think it even remotely captured how magic it looks. It was a great opportunity to use a unique setting that wasn’t fully taken advantage of.

I still like Smith’s writing, though. I can’t deny it’s easy reading. Though dialogue can be a bit cheesy or clunky at times, overall, I like her books. With a bit more practice, I think she could be up there with more popular authors. I didn’t love this one, no, but I would still read more of her work. Sounds like she has another one coming out. The Boy with the Bookstore… *Adds to tbr*.

I just didn’t really dig this one but there’s so much potential. I wish she would take things just a *little* further, both with character development and romance, so I could rate this a little higher. She’ll get another chance, but this one was a no from me. A copy of On Location was provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It released on September 21, 2021.

Have a great week!

Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me. It was hard to get into the romance because I didn’t care for the characters that much and I’m a character driven reader.

This story has a topical conceit: Our main character meets some hot guy on the subway. She tweets a picture of him, for some reason. They go on an amazing date. He ghosts her. She gets her dream job. He also works at said dream job. He undermines her repeatedly.

How am I supposed to like this character? Why would I root for these two to get together? Even if a handful of these (plus the even more instances of misogyny and dumb guy-ness to come) can be chalked up to miscommunication, guess what? SEXISM-BASED BANTER AND DRAMA DO NOT WORK FOR ME.

My main issues with the leading lady, Alia were that I couldn’t get around her unprofessional behavior and overall lack of situational awareness. She was over the top arrogant and really never redeemed herself. I also couldn’t buy into her romance with Drew. Their will they won’t they dynamic fell flat and I really didn’t feel any chemistry between them. I also found the overall story to be slow and the side characters were super on dimensional. I wish they had been developed a lot more / had their own subplots.

This book could have really been improved with another couple rounds of edits and beta readers.

This was easy to read! I flew through it, and especially appreciated the peek behind the scenes of the television making process. I did find myself wishing for a story with a little more (okay, a lot more) staying power.

This wasn't quite a home run for me because I had read several OMG Amazing books recently, but it was perfectly pleasant.

This was a great read! This was a great read! This was a great read! This was a great read! This was a great read! This was a great read! This was a great read!

I liked the concept of this book so much and I've enjoyed Smith's other books, but the romance in this one wasn't as heart-grabbing for me. The tension didn't feel quite right between the instalove turned enemies to lovers, it just didn't land quite right. But I look forward to Smith's next book!

TW: sexual harassment, misogyny

There were various tropes used in this romance novel including workplace romance, a meet cute, a secret relationship, forced proximity and miscommunication/ misunderstanding.

I enjoyed the unique premise of behind the scenes of a travel show - it made me want to visit Utah's national parks. The forced proximity situations and steamy scenes were fun.

However, overall, this book left more to be desired because the meet cute felt too good to be true. I kept waiting for the leading characters to get caught for their secret relationship but that never happened and it neatly tied up at the end. The only conflict seemed to be with the difficult coworker and the miscommunication/ misunderstanding between the leading characters. The way the difficult coworker was handled was risky but was also neatly tied up in the end. The misunderstanding was resolved after the characters openly communicated which made it clear those situations could have been avoided. I wanted more conflict with the secret relationship and more workplace drama. The main characters kept saying they have never felt this way about anyone else, which also seemed a bit unrealistic.

I am entirely obsessed with the cover for this book! It's bright and super cute, and as a photographer myself, it really caught my eye. I also have been discovering a renewed interest in national parks lately, so it delighted me to no end that the backdrop for this romance was a national park! It was a very cute read, and I look forward to reading Sarah Echavarre Smith's other books.

⭐️⭐️ 1/2 or ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I do love a good "there's only one bed" trope, or in this case, "there's only one sleeping bag"... That coupled with some witty banter and a whole hell of a lot of sexual tension made this a fun read. I also have a background in film, so I'm all for reading a book about women in filmmaking.

Sadly, the one thing I found inconsistent (and ultimately, lacking) was the actual romance! This is something I've actually noticed across a few of Sarah's books... The world building and side characters often entice me more than the central relationship. In the case of Drew and Alia, there was just too much back-and-forth for me. One minute, you'd think they had made some progress in their relationship and then four pages later, not so much. Lots of apologizing, lots of flip-flopping. All of it culminating in... *sigh* a misunderstanding.

Simply said, I liked the tone (I think that's what keeps me coming back to Sarah's books), but the story itself? Meh.

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