This premise is kind of silly but I had hopes for some romcom shenanigans. 25-year-old Adina moves into a small town in New York, planning to write an article about its Hallmark TV type qualities. She also thinks she has a good chance of falling in love. But what she finds in Pleasant Hollow is a regular town with regular problems and an annoying real estate developer, Fin.

The characters are flat and immature and did not have much chemistry. I did like the ending gesture and some of the townspeople are funny and cute. 2 stars

Where do I even start? This book has the least immature 25yo protagonist I've ever seen. Who thinks that any small town would look like the small towns in Hallmark movies?  

Our homegirl Adina is trying to make it as an writer and one night gets an inspiration to write an article about a real estate developer going to a small town (a sleepy upstate NY town) and  changing the fabric of this charming town, town people resisting the change, you know the whole spiel if you've seen any Hallmark movies. Adina thinks she lives in the Hallmark world. She thinks she'll step into town, will meet the bachelor mayor or hot single hunky firefighter and fall in love. and somehow also write an article about herself (?) it is not clear what her angle was. Anyway the town turns out the be your run of the mill town, no charming cafe with in-house bakery (it turns out this is a deal breaker for Adina), no bed and breakfast with a grandmotherly owner, no bar where the town gets together, you know this fictional Pleasant Hollow is not our beloved Stars Hollow, Adina meets Fin, an attractive guy who is also a fellow New Yorker and who works for the enemy (the real estate developer) but Adina is disappointed because she thought she would fall for a small town guy and Finn is not it. and the town is not the town she had in mind. So what does she do? She tries to turn the town to a more Hallmark-like town. How you ask? I know it sounds ridiculous. She interviews small business owners! She tries to convince the local bar owners to host Oktoberfest activities! I know I use a lot of exclamation marks. Feel free to replace the exclamation marks with eye rolls.

Long story short, Adina and Fin do some horizontal activities, but Fin thinks he is not boyfriend material, and even though Adina was very eager to start this initially physical relationship she gets disappointed by Fin's reluctance. Oh and she is still trying to write an article that makes some sense!

The ending of the book was the only silver lining for me. There is a sweet grand gesture. and the article she writes at the end is not half as bad. But reading this book was almost painful. It wasn't for me.

4 stars based on the quote that spoke to me... The main character, Adina, is talking about an ex-love interest, "So many times he'd blown me off when something else suddenly came up. When I called him on it, he would insist our plans had been tentative, then turn it around on me and call me needy or overly sensitive for being upset."

I can't even count how many times this has happened to me, except I wasn't blown off, it's just my husband thinking he told me one thing when really he said the opposite. Needless to say, that quote got me. It's so. Freaking. True.

The first third of this book felt slow. Really slow. Like molasses in winter time on the set of a cold Hallmark movie with big fat snowflakes drifting down through a midnight sky. Yes...that. At 40% was where I was hooked and felt invested.

Adina wants to be a journalist, but lives at home with her mom and works two jobs before she can make journalism her mainstream gig. Got it. She goes from NYC to a small town to freelance a story. Cool. The people don't invite her in for tea, have a parade, or a town festival ready to greet her. Adina has to cope and find a new story center, pronto. Not everything is all sunshine and roses Adina. Welcome to the real world with the rest of us. Adulting is hard, but you get used to it.

Adina meets Finn, and he comes with his own baggage. Baggage that he's reluctant to share with Adina for reasons he ends up explaining later on. But they make a muddy mess of things and come back to their own Grand Gestures and everything is sorted out at the end. Life is messy. You clean it up and live it as best you can. Adina and Finn are no exception.

AS SEEN ON TV - Meredith Schorr

💖 A beautiful and cute rom-com about city girl Adina Gellar who goes in search of small-town happiness and love. Only to discover life in general and love are nothing like the TV.

👀 Adi is determined to fulfill her dream of being a journalist. Sometimes naive , but overall funny , cute and smart. I liked how relatable she is and how she never stopped believing in her small town romance. Such as searching for her own Luke Danes in Pleasant Hollows.

✨I devoured this book in 2 hours. I didn't see the time go by so much I was in the middle of the characters.
The cute cover and the title made it a must read for me.
Being already a big fan of Gilmore girls, I loved the universe of this book.

🖊 The author’s writing was smooth and well-paced. The book itself is well writing. The plot and the pacing of the story was entraining. I enjoyed the romance between Adi & Finn. Their ending is really cute.
I identified with the characters, and attached myself to the story that the author delivers to us.

🎞 There are a lot of pop culture references ( Sex and the city , Gilmore girls , Heart of Dixie , Bachelorette .. )

🍿 Anyone who enjoys Hallmark movies , homemade pies and small town romance novels will love this book.

💭 My favorite quote from the book :

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨"

♥️ I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley , Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and the author for the opportunity to read and review this adorable story.

Adina (Adi) Geller is a struggling journalist trying to land a full time position writing lifestyle stories for Tea, an online magazine. But for the time being, Adi is strapped with juggling three jobs. One as spin instructor, the other a barista at a nearby coffee house, and lastly a freelance writer which just didn’t cut the mustard.

Adi was fortunate to live rent free with her mother. But with an imminent rent increase looming in the horizon, Adi desperately needed something more substantial. So, a position at Tea would be her ticket to independence. All Adi had to do was come up with the perfect pitch to the editor of Tea. Little did Adi know that the perfect pitch would lead to an extended stay in a small town and a bit of an unexpected romance.

As Seen on TV is a semi steamy romance that will have you turning the pages for more and not wanting the story to end. But the story does end and in an “aww shucks” kind of way.

The characters are lovable and I found them all to be somewhat like the characters from the Hallmark Movie Channel. They all seemed so real.

The plot is a friends to lovers trope. And as friend relationships go, there are the ups and downs of life. But added to the friend relationship, there’s the added complexity of familial ties. Family drama that tarnishes the best of relationships. But with strength, patience, and perseverance, that tarnish can be polished away.

As Seen on TV is a wonderful romance novel that will surely please those die hard romance fans. The author, Meredith Schorr is an excellent storyteller and I’ll be adding her to my favorite authors list. You should too. Five outstanding stars.

I received a digital ARC from Forever (GCP.) The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was a cute read. Adina was likable. I just felt like something was missing. I couldn't connect with her. Finn was also a likable character but at times their romance felt off and almost confusing. The premise was there, and the author was wonderful, but this just wasn't the book for me.

As Seen on TV was a cute "small town" Romance. Adina Geller goes to small town Upstate New York to write an article in hopes of getting the scoop of real life Hallmark movie. But she got a healthy dose of reality as Finn shows her around the small town. Their romance may start in small town but it sure isn't like all the movies Adina loves so much. This romance is more peeking through a cracked door/listening at the door than an open door romance. It was a cute reminder that not everything can be a Hallmark movie, and that close community isn't just for small towns.

Pub date: 6/7/22
Genre: rom com
In one sentence: Adina thinks small town Pleasant Hollow will be just like a Hallmark movie - but not all small towns are picture perfect.

I had high hopes for this one, but sadly it didn't work for me. Adina is a very young 25, and I couldn't connect to her or her insta-love story with Finn. There's wasn't much plot or growth, and I value both of those elements in romance.

That being said, I've seen a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews, so if you're looking for a light read, this may work for you!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was everything you’d expect from a chick lit rom com. This was a little too much of a slow burn for me and I didn’t really care for the main character, Adina. Light read, perfect for poolside, beach reading.

Right from the start it was charming and funny. Also I must mention how much I loved to read a book with a Jewish lead! I don’t think that’s happened to me before with a romance book, so I was just delighted to relate to a book in this way.

In the beginning, Adina seems to have a big stereotype about what small-town life is like. She’s planned her whole article before even arriving in town, and is thrown off to find out the reality doesn’t exactly match her expectations. One thing that surprised me at this point is that it felt like she barely did any research before heading out. Everything about the town was a shock to her!

Finn was a very sweet lead man. He is always running into Adina and trying to help her out. His backstory surprised me, and made for a good contrast to what Adina expected.

I think Adina spent a while dwelling on how she thought the town should be that she didn’t bother thinking about how to truly write an article, just how to write the article she’d imagined. To be honest, it made me wonder a bit how she expected to continue as a writer. You can’t always decide the story beforehand, and often you have to approach things with a rather open mind. This led to her growth as a character though, as she learned to stop talking to people with an angle in mind. It also felt like she made many moments about herself, such as with Finn’s dad. She learned though, in the process of writing her article.
Overall a delightful story for all those who crave the Hallmark movies!

I was personally unable to connect to the voice of the MC, who felt very young, but I think this book will work for many people.

Adina, also known as Adi, is a freelance writer trying to catch her break. She is also a Hallmark-watching romantic who believes a small town is her key to finding love. She's sick of awful Tinder dates, ghosting, and the hook up culture that New York City brings. When she sees that a big name developer is putting up a high rise condo in a small town upstate, she has the perfect story idea. Her hope is that the cute little town will be against such a huge change and she can tell their story. What she thinks will be like a Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow couldn't be more different.

Meanwhile, Finn is leading the construction project. He's a successful New York City boy so of course Adi wants to paint him as the villain, but he's just not that guy. After spending time together, Adi pursues him. What was supposed to be a one-night stand, turns into four and Adi thinks she could see hope of a future with Finn. Just as quickly as she starts feeling something for Finn, he lets her know he isn't boyfriend material.

Adi feels defeated, both professionally and romantically. Where should she go from here? Should she keep pursuing a story that just isn't there or totally switch it up? Should she fight for a possible relationship with a guy who is the opposite of her idealistic, Hallmark, small town hero with troubles of his own?

I enjoyed Adi's journey of finding herself and laughed at her crazy antics throughout 'As Seen on TV.' I was rooting for her and Finn the whole time and I thought the ending was great.

Thank you to NetGalley, Meredith Schorr, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC.

As Seen on TV is the perfect book for fans of Gilmore Girls, small towns and Hallmark movies. The story follows Hallmark and Happy Ending obsessed Adina Gellar, a freelance journalist, as she travels to Pleasant Hollow to write her big break article. Unfortunately, Pleasant Hollow isn’t all that pleasant with lackluster dining, grumpy townspeople and no story in sight. The best part of her trip ends up being Finn Adams who is managing a large scale construction project in town. Due to their close quarters and instant chemistry, sparks fly between Adina and Finn. Does Adina write her big story and find her happily ever after? You will have to read to find out!

I enjoyed reading this book. I wish Adina had her epiphany a little bit early about small towns and Hallmark love stories. I felt bad for Finn and the situation he was in with his father. Addiction/ alcoholism are a losing battle and I think it is really easy to enable with the best of intentions.

I was satisfied with the ending of this book! I thought both grand gestures were fitting. I am glad that Adina was able to adjust her view on relationships after talking with her mom. I think it is really easy with social media, movies and the like to see the ending of something without all the hard work that happens in the middle. Relationships are tough, love stories are imperfect but they can be fulfilling and happy just the same.

Overall, I liked it and would recommend for anyone who loves a Hallmark movie. It was a sweet read and surprisingly spicy which I wasn’t expecting!

I would rate this between 3.5 and 4 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love the way As Seen on TV take a hallmark movie and flips it on its head. Instead of portraying everthing as rainbows and butterflies the main character Adina gets to see what small town living is really like and I like the authors attempt at portraying that. The romance was sweet and the dialogue between the two was witty and humorous which made the book much easier to read. I like that both parties of the relationship were fundamentally human with meaningful problems.
However, I feel like the author spent to much time letting the main character be delusional about the small town even when the truth was staring her right in the face, it went on for far to long.
Otherwise it was a solid book and I would like to read more from the author.

The concept of the book was promising but I couldn't connect with the main character at all. She felt a bit immature and close-minded, especially when she first arrived in Pleasant Hollow and her preconceived notions of small town life and its residents. It just felt like she kept getting in her own way and there was little growth or depth to the story and character development.

I seriously loved this book so much!!! It's the perfect romantic comedy book! I loved the hallmark + Gilmore girls references!

It also had such a cute storyline to it, I didn't want to put the book down because I wanted to know what would happen next!

A great book to read if your looking for something light and fun

What an adorable read! I'm so glad I got to read this one early and I will definitely be recommending it to friends of mine. It's a sweet and charming romance and my Hallmark movie loving heart, soaked every moment up! The premise is great, the development of characters is wonderful and the pop culture references are just the icing on top. It's such a cute read and I am so excited to read more from Meredith Schorr in the future! This one is perfect for fans of Hallmark movies and just sweet and swoony romance stories.

I tried, I really tried because I was very excited to read this one! I love Gilmore Girls but honestly, there was very much the air of trying too hard to make this like Gilmore Girls + a Hallmark mash up. I was hoping that Adina would mature but the character development just wasn't there and she's pretty clueless....are you sure she is 25? This was also very much an insta-love story with a major dose of insta-lust. Basically between all of the breaking up and getting back together it felt like high school. The writing was pretty clunky throughout and the plot could have been more developed, but I did like the ending.

It is a quick, quirky and fast read, so if you want to try it give it a go. Also, nice to have some Jewish Rep!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The anti-Hallmark feel of this book was fantastic. Not everything is festivals and romance when you go to a small town. I really enjoyed the premise and execution of this one!

I love all of Meredith Schorr's books and this was no exception. While her previous novels have been light and happy-go-lucky overall, this one had more of an edge to it. I felt like I was seeing a new side of Meredith's mind. Adi and her mom were in a precarious financial situation. Finn had another kind of difficult situation to deal with that also affected Adi.

When Adi gets the go-ahead to write about a new building complex going up in a small town, she is more than thrilled for the chance to write the story that will launch her career. However, she ends up in a town where no one cares about the stuff she sees in Hallmark movies and things just go downhill from there....except for her connection with Finn, of course.

I enjoyed so much about this novel. It had a Kerry Winfrey and Nora Ephron feel. Anyone who loves Hallmark movies and small town romance novels will get a kick out of this story. The characters are interesting and well developed. The dialogue is genuine with great banter. There are a lot of humorous moments and pop culture references too. Meredith also incorporates some elements of Judaism into the story, which I definitely enjoyed. (Even though I'm not ready for Passover yet, let alone Rosh Hashanah!) I love that the story took place in the autumn and I could even feel the crisp weather thanks to some great descriptions.

Since Adi is waiting for something exciting to happen in order to write her news story, I sometimes wondered when something dramatic would happen in the story, as well. On that end, Meredith did not disappoint and the resolution is the best! I don't normally laugh and cry at the same time, but I did with this one.

I highly recommend picking up this adorable and charming novel when it releases in June, but be sure to read Meredith's earlier books in the meantime.

Movie casting suggestions:
Adina: Zoey Deutch
Finn: Bart Edwards
Kate: Midori Francis
Valerie: Neve Campbell
Lorraine: Harriet Sansom Harris
Derek: Mikey Day