Adorable premise and technical competence, but amateur writing and annoying characters. I'm genuinely sorry to say it but the bad outweighs the good for me.

As intended, I'm sure, this book reminded me a lot of a Hallmark movie - both in its pace and its characters and conflict and meet cute etc. It was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed the characters and the challenges they faced and OF COURSE, the ending. A small town setting is always fun - especially a small town that is a bit unexpected in its "charms". ;) Finn and Adina and Kate & Adina's mom - really just loved them all and the dialogue and banter and steam in this book worked really well.

Now I want to go back and read Meredith Schorr's self-published works because they seem delightful too!!
Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of Hallmark movies and Gilmore Girls, this one gave me the perfect combination of both! Adina Gellar is over the dating scene in New York so as a journalist she decides to take on the story of the big, bad corporation building in a small town. She finds that this small town might not be what Hallmark movies are made of and the big, bad city guy might be just the man she could fall in love with. This is such a fun, heartfelt read! Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

I’m torn with this one. I love a good Hallmark movie, and even though this felt like that, I just couldn’t get into it entirely.

The main character, Adina, drove me nuts. She felt immature and judgmental towards those around her just because they didn’t live up to her small town Hallmark storyline.

She did have growth throughout the book so I will give her that! It was just difficult because by that point I wasn’t invested in her story until the VERY end.

I did love the grand gestures that happened in the final chapters…they were cute.

Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the arc in exchange for my honest review 💜

It took me a little while to get into As Seen on TV, but once I did I really enjoyed it! Adina is struggling to make it as a journalist and with her love life in NYC when she pitches a story about a small town to a magazine and it’s approved. She goes to the town and finds out it’s nothing like what you see on tv. She’s struggling to find a story. She doesn’t find any small town heroes to fall in love with, but she does meet Finn, who works for the developer and there are instant sparks. I really loved the banter and chemistry between Adina and Finn. There were a lot of sweet moments between them. It seemed like Adina did a decent amount of personal growth during the book from thinking all small towns are what you see on Hallmark to figuring out how to support Finn in tonight moments. I wish Adina would’ve been a little more mature to start, but overall I enjoyed the book.

Journalist Adina Gellar is sick of dating in NYC. She’s convinced she’ll have better luck in the nearby “Hallmark town” of Pleasant Hollow. She’s hoping to kill two birds with one stone: find love and also sell a story about the town. Unfortunately, Pleasant Hollow isn’t at all what she expected.

If you’re a Hallmark fan, you will appreciate so much of this book. There’s a lot of Hallmark movie and actor name dropping. You’ll also laugh about just how un-Hallmark the town turns out to be. No friendly townspeople, no cute restaurants and bookstores, no fun town events.

I sometimes found Adi’s insistence to get her happily ever after a little repetitive and naive but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this sweet story.

Read if you like:
-small towns
-a touch of Judaism
-mother/daughter relationships
-nods to Hallmark
-funny moments and mishaps

Ok this was SUCH a cute rom com. Hallmark meets Gilmore girls is RIGHT! Only, minus the unbelievable qualities in Hallmark movies. I loved every minute of this book, and it was exactly the refreshing read I needed. It was realistic in ways I wish all contemporary romance books would be. It wasn’t cheesy, it wasn’t full of the predicable clichés, and best of all, I loved Adi and Finns connection! This was the perfect feel good book I was hoping it would be.

I am having a hard time reviewing this book, because there was about 20% of it that I really loved and I felt was very well done. The other 80% was just...OK? I guess? As Seen on TV is a story about love as seen in Hallmark movies. Adina is an NYC girl through and through, and aspires to be a lifestyle journalist. She makes a pitch to an editor in hopes of landing a full-time position with the publication. Her idea? Go to a small town where a big developer is swooping in to develop some local real estate. Once there, she will interview all of the quirky and loveable residents, who will of course be battling the big bad meanie developer to save their quirky and loveable town. What she really finds is that the developer is doing great things for the town and the residents are supportive of the new construction (because life is not a Hallmark movie).

And Adi herself is...annoying? Immature? Apt to lean a bit too heavily into Gilmore Girls references? Yes to all of the above. Her character comes off as shallow and a bit ditzy. Hot guy Finn was a much better character; I felt he had more depth and was a lot more likeable than Adi. I kind of wish this had been a dual POV so that we could have gotten more of the difficult relationship between Finn and his father, because I found that storyline much more interesting that the one we got.

I've seen a lot of good reviews for this book, and I'm sure it will appeal to a lot of people, but unfortunately I am not among their number.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the blurb, I thought this looked like a really cute read. I love Hallmark movies, small town vibes, and Gilmore Girls, so it seemed like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me.

Adina Geller is an aspiring journalist who has sworn off dating in New York City and is in love with with the idea of living in a small town. She's painted a picture in her head, based off of her guilty-pleasure, made-for-TV Hallmark movies, filled with quirky but welcoming townies, fun small town traditions, and hot and eligible bachelors who are looking for the real thing, not a fling.

She lands an opportunity to both kickstart her career and live out her small-town dreams. Her task: to write a story about the major real estate magnate that's targeted a little town named Pleasant Hollow for development. Except the story she's already written in her head doesn't exactly align with reality once she gets there. Pleasant Hollow is nothing like the small towns in the movies, and the story she pitched is quickly falling apart.

And to complicate things further, Adi keeps running into a cute guy named Finn who is very distracting, not at all what she's looking for - and he happens to work for the real estate magnate she's writing about.

What I liked:

This was an easy read: cute and fluffy, and I loved the Gilmore Girls and Hallmark references. I also liked Finn and the endearingly normal if somewhat unfriendly townies Adina meets.

What I didn't like:

As a former journalist, I couldn't get past Adina's naivete and complete lack of ethics while working on her story. I think I would've enjoyed this more if I didn't have a background in news.

I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but there are several moments where Adina hits a roadblock and does the opposite of what a journalist should do in that situation. She comes across as a fresh-faced student who's just learning the ropes, not a professional, so her constantly referring to herself as a "journalist" was just kind of cringey to me.

She was very attached to her preconceived notions, when it came to both Pleasant Hollow and Finn, and it made it hard to connect with her.

Bottom line:

If you happen to have a news background - I'd probably skip this one.

If you're looking for a cute, easy read to bring with you on vacation or enjoy in bed on a rainy day, I'd say give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an advanced copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Forever for the gifted ebook of As Seen on TV! All opinions in this review are my own.

It's hard for me write this review because I feel like I read two different books. I loved the first half which was true to the premise and included tons of pop culture references! However, I was a little concerned after passing the 50% mark because it seemed like the whole story had been told.

I did not like the second half and the sole reason is the love interest. When a fight broke out between him and Adina, he would mimic her words and was incredibly immature. When they did finally get back together, it was after doing the bare minimum and he never showed that anything would be different. I wanted more for Adi!

In an ode to all the messiness of real-life love stories, this book subverts all the tropes of small-town romance and delivers a heartfelt, steamy happily ever after.

I adored this book! Better than any Hallmark movie and totally swoon worthy. Adi is from NYC and hustling to get by and trying to become a full time journalist. Bring in a small town story, sort of, a sweet handsome man and a lot of fun along the way. 2022 needed this romance! I loved it so much.

I loved the premise and I really liked this book at the beginning. I felt the middle dragged as Adi tried to make the town into what she wanted it to be and not what it actually was. For a love letter to Hallmark movies, I had trouble with Adi’s age. She was far younger (25), and definitely less mature, than I expected based on the premise and most Hallmark heroines (the actresses are all in their late 30/40s, so I view them as age appropriate in the films). Worth a read to track all the references and NY landmarks.

Twenty-five-year-old Adina Geller lives in Manhattan with her mother. They have a wonderful relationship but it’s time for Adina to move her aspiring career as a journalist forward. As a fan of Hallmark movies, she is inspired by a story she learns about on Million Dollar Listings. An online editor is pitched and is interested so she heads to Pleasant Hollow, two hours north of the city to write her story, which could be her big break. Knowing that a New York City developer is building affordably priced luxury apartments, she is set to pit the big, bad developer, who also has plans to add shops to the project, against the local townspeople who surely must hate the idea of an outsider building in their sweet, quaint town. And she has visions of meeting an attractive, sensitive local man who will sweep her off her feet. Well Adina, you’ve been watching too many cozy TV movies.

As Seen on TV is a cute book. Author Meredith Schorr has created an appealing, albeit naïve main character in Adina. Her love interest Finn is sufficiently complex to creative some conflict. And her mother and best friend couldn’t be nicer. Also, it was great to see a main character with a Jewish identity that is presented in a genuine, realistic manner. And this book is chock full of sweetness and humor. I enjoyed taking a break from heavier books. I think this book would have the greatest appeal to someone who is in Adina’s stage of life and career. I'd love to see a follow-up book about Adina’s mother’s quest for love and happiness.

I really liked As Seen on TV. It has a fun premise, and I enjoyed the twist on a small-town romance.

Adina Gellar is a freelance journalist in New York City who teaches spin classes and works as a barista to pay the bills. She’s also obsessed with Hallmark movies. Frustrated with dating in Manhattan, she dreams of having her own small-town romance in a town just like the ones in the movies. She pitches a story to a magazine editor: she’ll go to a small town where a developer is planning to put up a fancy condo building, and get the locals’ perspective. The story could lead to a full-time position at the magazine, which she desperately needs.

The town of Pleasant Hollow is nothing like what she was expecting. It’s actually a miserable place. But she does find a hot guy, Finn Adams, who works for the real estate company building the condo development. She finds he’s not what he seems— and he’s nothing like the evil real estate developers portrayed in her favorite TV movies.

This is a cute rom-com with some steam. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh spin on Hallmark movie tropes or if you’re looking for a book with Gilmore Girls vibes.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Adi is looking to write a great story to land her dream job so when she learns about a big time developer building in a small town in upstate New York it seems like the perfect Hallmark story. But what she finds isn't anything like a Hallmark movie and when she submits her first draft, she's told to find the real story. Her best friend hopes she'll also find love in a small town, after all it happens in the movies. Her chemistry with the small town hottie isn't there but it is with Finn who's the "enemy," since he's the boss for the big development and he happens to be a big city guy which she's never had luck with. He's not a relationship kind of guy so it's a short term fling. The attraction is strong and they try to overcome the obstacles in their path while she's trying to find the right angle for the story. What she ends up with is more of a twist on the original idea but will the right people read it and will it be enough to get the guy and the job? I received an ARC from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This book is the story of Adi, a New York City native, who loves movies, tv shows, and books that take place in small towns. She learns of a small town a couple hours out of the city that is being developed by a big-city real estate magnate. She decides to go to the town and write a scathing expose about how the town does not want the development as it will ruin their way of life. When she arrive she learns the reality of the town is not what she thought and begins a fling with Finn, who works for the developer, which turns into more.

FINALLY a pair navigating a new relationship that can effectively communicate with each other. Both are up front and direct about their wants and needs. When Adi’s friend Kate learns something bad about Finn, Adi confronts him directly. There is still a third act breakup, but it isn’t due to a misunderstanding or lack of communication. Along those lines the grand gesture(s) in this book are actually cute and nothing that would make a sane person die of embarrassment.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a charming read. Lots of Hallmark movie references which was unfortunate because I’ve never seen a Hallmark movie! I like how the small town doesn’t fit into the FMC’s pre-conceived narrative. I also like the romance, it feels natural and the characters have lots of chemistry. The book shows the darker side of addiction through the MMC’s father, I don’t often see difficult situations like this in romances. I recommend this one, 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the gifted copy!

This absolutely breaks my heart to say this, but I did not finish reading As Seen on TV. Maybe I never should have requested it as I actually really am not a fan of Gilmore girls and kind of knew that this would not be my vibe but because of the Jewish representation I wanted to give it a shot. I found the main character to be very unlikable and the story was very cheesy, and not in a cute way but in a cringe way. I am still soooo thankful to have received a paperback ARC and will come back to this at a later date to give it another shot, but I'm not sure this book is for me.

This is a cute and cozy romance, similar to cozy Hallmark romances on television. It’s not super cheesy, but it’s still perfect. Also I think there is a lot of banter in this book, and because it’s in a book, it feels slower than it does in a movie. It knows exactly how to tug on your heartstrings. Four stars.