This was a cute, fun romcom! This had an unique meet cute, and unique "conflict" that happened towards the end. I LOVED the scenes in the tent and in the cabin (don't want to give spoilers)!!

The one thing I didn't care for was all of the miscommunication and how much Alia jumped to conclusions without talking. This is a common theme on romcoms, and I am just over it! I also would have loved this more if we had chapters from Drew's POV!

Thank you Berkley for my ARC in exchange for a honest review!

This one was SO cute. I love Smith's characters so much. I especially appreciate the women she writes. They are driven and ambitious, but also kind, but also have anxieties. I relate to this so much. It's beautiful to feel yourself in a book!

If you love:
Travel
Not quite enemies to lovers, but more like undeveloped thoughts to more
Hot guys who know when to stay quiet and when to say something
Books to cover important topics like consent/workplace harrassment

GET THIS BOOK!

This was my first Sarah Smith and it was cute and did not disappoint!

Hot Takes:
- I lovedddddddd the location and the fact that they were traveling throughout the National Parks in Utah. It was a gorgeous backdrop!
- Alia's workplace drama is all too familiar to many women, and I was rooting for her the whole time. She's tough and smart and I loved that we got a heroine who had some drama at work and fought her ass off to prove everyone wrong.
- Drew was cute but dude was always miscommunicating! Like sir, you need to work on your approach!
- Regardless, I loved how Drew and Alia built their relationship and I loved the flirting!
- I loved the group of friends as well! They were such a central part of the story but I never felt like they took over.

Read If You Like
- The Ex Talk for workplace happenings and working with someone you maybe have a crush on.
- National Parks and romance in nature.
- Friendships that are just as importance as the romance

I have loved sarah smith from the start. All of her books are fantastic. This one seemed to miss the mark for me. I feel like it was missing something. It built up so much and took its time building up but then nothing... anti climactic. The ending had quite a plot twist but then it didn’t. I feel like the ending was rushed. I’ll continue to read sarah because she’s a beautiful person and she is a fantastic writer but this one just wasn’t for me. I’m sorry.

NetGalley ARC | Last year, we named Sarah Smith's Simmer Down as one of the best romances of 2020.

While Simmer Down took us to Maui's beautiful beaches and food truck scene, On Location is an ode to the national parks, specifically in Utah.

TUL readers will especially love traveling across Utah for breathtaking sunrises, strenuous hikes, and small-town exploration, beer included.

We always champion a feel-good, travel-y read filled with feminism, positive and healthy relationships, and all that steamy romance.

We wouldn't skip On Location this fall. Definitely add this romance to your 2021 TBR pile if you love the NPS.

Read the full review on The Uncorked Librarian (including a book summary): https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/upcoming-2021-new-book-releases/

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Pub for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Sarah Smith book and it won’t be my last. She is a great storyteller and I was immediately smiling and laughing out loud within the first few pages!
This was a steamy romance filled with themes of family, self-growth, and a strong dose of feminism!

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 3 Stars

I really really wanted to like this book. The premise is incredible, and I loved that the women in it all supported each other. Honestly, the friendships were what kept me going in this one. Unfortunately, when the entire plot of a romance novel is dependent on miscommunication, it just isn’t for me. There was constant miscommunication, and it was so clear every single time that the main characters wanted to be together but just weren’t talking about it. Hell, even the major conflict at the end of the book happened because of miscommunication. By about halfway through the book I was screaming at my kindle and begging for the characters to just TALK TO ONE ANOTHER. They were in their thirties!

Additionally, I just really didn’t feel the chemistry between the two main characters. I just didn’t feel their banter or tension. One of my favorite things about romance novels is that when I find a book with a really great couple, I can feel their chemistry and it gives me secondhand butterflies. I was honestly very underwhelmed by the couple in this. Even when they fought, it wasn’t usually founded on anything real. Someone would feel snippy and they’d fight, or there would be another miscommunication and they’d fight. Again, I was much more interested in the friendships than the romance.

What I really enjoyed was the focus on nature. The Author did a great job of highlighting the parks they visited, and I can honestly say that I would love to visit Utah, which is not a sentence I expected to type in a book review.

In Sarah Smith's ON LOCATION, ambitious travel TV showrunner Alia engages in a clandestine love affair with gorgeous crew member Drew while shooting in Utah. Not only does Smith craft one of the best cinnamon roll heroes, but she also brilliantly tackles issues of gender inequality and harassment in the workplace.

This low-angst romance is an emotional and deliciously steamy read.

Yay for Alia who has the chance to make a series about the parks in Utah, a place she enjoyed with her grandmother. One problem, though- Blaine, who is meant to be the host is horrible and has to put it mildly, issues. Oh, and then there's Drew, her PA who, as it turns out is the same man she met on the subway, enjoyed an evening with and then was ghosted by. Yes it's a bit trope-y but it's also fun. The dialogue between Drew and Alia is snappy and I bet you'll recognize echoes of various personalities in Blaine. And it's a delightful setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. There are no big surprises here but you'll laugh and you'll root for Alia.

I adored every moment of On Location by Sarah Echavarre Smith (author of Simmer Down) and I devoured this book in a day. I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters, the setting, the Utah National Parks, and the boldness of the main character, Alia.

Alia works for the Expedition Network and she finally has the opportunity to be a showrunner and producer for her own show, highlighting the natural beauty of Utah. Complicating the shoot of her show is a washed-up reality TV star who is cast as the host and threatens to ruin the show. Luckily, not all hope is lost, as one time date #subwaygentleman, aka Drew, the field coordinator is there to help Alia in more than one way. This book is steamy and not for the faint of heart ;)

On Location

Alia Dunn has finally gotten her big break- a chance to serve a show-runner for a series she pitched to the outdoor travel channel she works for about Utah’s national parks. The host chosen for her by the channel’s executives may not have been her first choice (or even her fourth or fifth choice), but it’s a chance for her to prove herself and honor her late apong, so Alia is ready to give it her all. Then Drew, the highly recommended location scout she hired, turns out to be the same guy that ghosted her weeks before after a seemingly perfect first date. Not to worry though, Alia is a professional and she intends to power through the shoot without letting their burning-hot chemistry phase her, but after long hours together in the desert fighting against the most unprofessional host ever, Alia may have to fully give in and trust Drew and the rest of her crew to help her turn the show around and save her apong’s tribute, before it’s too late.

I absolutely adored this story. I love to read a strong female protagonist and enjoyed seeing Alia fight against sexism in her workplace and finally win her chance to produce her own show (with the help of another female producer/mentor in her corner-love women who reach back and pull others up with them!). I also never had a strong desire to travel to Utah and see all the National Parks it has to offer, but after reading this book and spending so much of the past 18-months inside, I just might need to plan a trip. The concept for the show seemed to be a great one to me, and I loved the personal connection that kept Alia driven and focused to make the show happen and be the best it could be.

I also thought that Drew was a well-written love interest. He was gorgeous (of course) and talented, but I also loved that he was portrayed with excellent allyship – he stood up against their male co-host when sexist or other gross behaviors occurred. There were times that his allyship wasn’t as strong as it could be, like when he wanted to take a path of less resistance in dealing with the host. But when Alia explained to him why she wouldn’t allow this toxic male to get away with his current behavior, Drew came back and showed that he learned and absorbed what Alia said to him and then demonstrated that he had taken something away from their conversations in his actions that followed as well. And, you know, his bedroom skills didn’t seem to be lacking anything either ;).

Beyond the sparkling romance and the strong female protagonist, this one also had what I felt was some great mental health representation: characters acknowledged past experiences had impacted them and that they had sought therapy! Yay! It also really portrayed an excellent found family vibe between the crew; I always love when a group comes together and supports each other.

All in all, this one is an excellent read and I highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this rom com set against the scenic views of Utah. Alia works for months to pitch a new show for Expedition TV, the travel-focused television channel where she works. Initially it gets rejected, but her mentor steps in and helps convince the execs to push it through. Meanwhile, she meets a hot guy on the subway and they have a magical first date and he... never calls her again. She surprised when she gets to Moab to start filming and finds out that he (Drew) is one and the same as her new freelance field coordinator (though her boss, who recommended him, called him Andrew). She's angry and they get in some tiffs before finally admitting they're into each other and then trying to hide it from the rest of the crew. Meanwhile the channel execs have saddled Alia with a truly nightmarish host for her series, an unprofessional, washed up reality TV star with a massive social media following mostly as a result of the antics he pulls while drunk/high. The crew comes up with a workaround, but that ends up pissing the host off and he ultimately threatens Alia and attempts to assault a young PA when she rebuffs his advances. Some heavy stuff in here (content warning for workplaces sexual harassment), but I really liked Smith's character development and the "on location" setting in Utah was a refreshing twist on a workplace romance.

This is exactly a kind of book I like. Forced proximity, show ratings involved, and enemies to lovers. I am so here for all of it. I also think the cover is gorgeous.

This was a really solid romcom read. Alia, a showrunner, has finally gotten the opportunity to take on her own show--Discovering Utah. But when it turns out her new coworker is a guy she went on a date with, Drew, who then ghosted her, it makes for a less than stellar start. Add to that a completely unreliable host saddled on her by the old boys' club network execs and she worries she's just being set up to fail. But can Alia turn it around and make the show--and a potential relationship with Drew--work out?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I love when stories give us insight into unique careers, and I liked learning more about producing a docuseries. I also loved learning more about Utah! Alia and Drew also had great chemistry and made for an explosive couple. However, I did love the ending. The Big HurdleTM came too late and was too manufactured. I can't say more without spoiling, but it's standard romcom fare--the "thing" to separate the title couple as something to overcome (normally a miscommunication about something stupid or a secret reveal that should have come out earlier). I also really, truly, hated the epilogue. I wish it hadn't been included. The book would have been so much better without it. It was like Smith got 90% of the way through writing and thought "not rom com enough" and recycled some overused tropes and tied everything up with a bow. But given the stellar majority of the book, I can't fault it too much, and would recommend it to others.

Thanks for Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 7/10

4.5/5 stars

Okay so I really enjoyed this and I think it’s Smith’s strongest work so far and this probably would have been a five-star read for me but for the fact that a lot of the conflict stemmed from a lack of communication. That being said, I do think it made more sense in the context of this book given Alia’s trust issues and the very specific way that she’d been burned before, and so the misunderstanding didn’t feel as contrived as it could have. I’m just not a fan of the use of miscommunication as conflict.

What I am a fan of, however, is tension—lots of it—and ON LOCATION delivered! Alia and Drew had unbelievable chemistry from the moment they met. And speaking of their meeting, their meet cute was adorable and perfect; one of my favorite meet cutes I’ve ever read. Oh, also, you know what’s better than the one bed trope? One sleeping bag.

Like all of Smith’s books, ON LOCATION is infused with warmth, culture, and the importance of family. Alia’s memories of her apong were so special and made the fictional show feel that much more real and important.

This was such a great book, and I read it at the absolute perfect time. I've been wanting to return to Zion and explore more of the surrounding areas, and I'm planning a trip there next month. Cue: On Location. I got so many great tips from it on where to go and what to see! Plus, it was such a fun book! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the romance, and I loved the behind-the-scenes glimpse of filming. Perfect escape.

I've read Sarah Smith's construction site romance "Faker" and food truck-set "Simmer Down" before this, but "On Location" is by far my favorite. Partly it's because Smith has come more fully into her storytelling skills, and partly because I enjoyed much of the behind-the-scenes specificity of the world of entertainment production.

Alia Dunn finally has her first travel docuseries about Utah greenlit, and if she nails this, then the network might let her tackle an even more ambitious series that would let her travel internationally. But the first ill omen is that the network is forcing her to use a jackass celeb as a host ... and then Alia discovers that the last man who ghosted her, Drew Irons (heh that name), is her new location manager. Great.

What I've always appreciated about Smith is her cultural specificity – her female protagonists are Filipina, and Smith incorporates touches that feel natural, not forced. She also tends to be fairly straightforward in setting up her romantic pair, and ratchets up the heat pretty quickly. Emotionally I wasn't too invested in them – there's an issue of trust that could've been developed more – but I wasn't rooting against them either. It's also wacky in the sense that some the jerkwad host tends to get into trouble that would go viral.

But it's the production stuff that really had me. Sure, there's a certain amount of suspension of disbelief - there is no way this shoot would be able to happen with what they try to pull off - but other parts were spot-on: how essential a good crew is, the power of the white male decision-makers, how women and especially women of color have to prove themselves beyond the base-level competence of the men around them.

Review based on an ARC provided by Berkley Publishing and Netgalley

Alia has finally gotten the green light to produce her show. Of course the all white, all male group of execs have chosen the host for her…..the bad boy trying ton fix his reputation Blaine. Not only that, but she hires Drew on the advice of her mentor, only for the she went on one amazing date with that ended in him ghosting her walking in. Between these two men, is her show destined for failure?

I really loved Simmer last summer by Sarah Smith, so I was really excited to see she had a new book coming out! I loved the premise of this one. The backdrop of the Utah sights added so much to the story, it made me want to visit ASAP! I also really loved the Alia/Rylan mentorship. Rylan is the girl Alia use to be and I loved that she showed her that you can and should stand up for yourself! I also really enjoyed Drew’s sweet demeanor. He was for sure a great book boyfriend!

If you like your MCs to be overreactive, look no further than Alia and Drew. My God. In order to create tension and angst, they are continually forcing a state of saltiness over any little thing they can think of. Every other conversation ends in one of them storming off or sinking into self-pity because the other didn't turn for a longing look back.

I will say this book tries its hardest to increase Utah tourism. All for naught, though, at least in my case. I really have no interest in visiting Utah.

Would I recommend this? Hard to say. I honestly wouldn't have chosen to read it had I not been gifted an eARC. I had wanted to read Simmer Down back in the day. But after the mixed reviews I saw, my interest waned. So I would say that this author and I probably aren't a good match.

Alia Dunn has just gotten her big break with the travel channel she works for. She is Utah bound, to explore some of the most beautiful sites at their various national parks. It is a pitch that is dear to her heart, as her grandmother took her to all the same places as a child on a once in a lifetime vacation. To top it all off, she has met an amazing guy on the subway of all places. They seem to make a real connection, and make plans to meet over the weekend, but amazing guy ends up ghosting her.

When Alia gets her crew together for her shoot in Utah, she gets a few surprises. The host turns out to be a pretty boy trouble maker who can’t ever get to work on time, and is often too stoned to manage any of the work, Surprise number two comes in the form of Drew Irons, the amazing guy who never followed through with her.

There were so many great aspects to this book. The small group of characters on the crew are really well developed, and add great personalities. Many very real issues, such as sexual harassment and getting ahead in a male oriented career are discussed throughout In a thoughtful manner, and I love that the romance is between a female superior and a male subordinate without any kind of explaining or posturing being necessary, The amount of work and thought that goes into filming a documentary series was incredibly interesting as well. I thought that this kind of background to a romance novel was very new and different, and found myself having difficulty putting it down.

I hadn’t read anything by this author before, but I’ve since added all her back works to my TBR list, and am looking forward to reading more from her!

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for providing me this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.