
Member Reviews

Easton Cooper needs to win the money on this reality show and isn't looking for love. Amity Rose claims she doesn't want the money. She just wants the adventure. The reality show is The race to riches and romance. Can you have it all?
I enjoyed this book. It's a fun light romance.

This really worked for me! I’ve had this arc for a while and was in a bit of a reading slump, so I didn’t expect much from a breezy romcom. BUT, it was absolutely adorable! Cooper is a grumpy hero, and although seemingly chauvinistic, his inner dialogue helps us to understand that he can’t say the right thing around Amity, our heroine, and that’s so dang relatable! He also reacts appropriately to other male characters’ awful-isms. I saw a few reviews criticizing Cooper, and honestly, did they read it?! He’s a marshmallow, instantly protective of her, and it’s sooooo goooooood. The forced proximity trope is one of my favs, and set in the woods it’s fire. Loved every minute of this book and stayed up all night reading it. It’s cute, it’s funny and I can’t wait for more in the series!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC, in exchange for my review!

This has an enemies to lovers premise set on a Survivor type reality TV show. I liked the banter between Amity and Cooper - that being said, it did seem super quick how they went from hating each other’s guts to all the sudden feeling like they’re in love. The characters weren’t very complex, which makes sense given it’s a quick read. All in all, it was still a fun read.

Fast paced and super unique, this was a fun rom com with adventure and a game show/reality TV twist! There was action, beautiful scenery, likable characters, humour, romance, friendship, and personal growth. In addition to the adventure and comedy, Crush In The Cascades also brings a sweet and satisfying romance for Amity and Cooper. I loved the banter between these two as well as the gradually developed friendship and mutual respect that deepened into more. I loved it!
It actually surprised me how much I enjoyed the wilderness aspects. I am NOT an outdoorsy person, nor am I a reality TV show fan, but I found the outdoor survival and game show portion of the story exciting and interesting. I shared their joy when they finished different challenges, and bit my nails when they got into some precarious positions. But it wasn't just a rush of adrenaline I experienced, I also loved seeing Amity and Cooper grow closer. The isolation of the setting allowed them to really peel back their layers and reveal a lot about themselves. I learned so much about both of them and enjoyed watching them slowly fall for each other. There are sparks between this couple that light up the page, their banter is incredibly fun to read, but it’s their tenderness that gives their story its heart. The two of them are such great characters, brave, devoted, adventurous, and delightful. The scenes on the Oregon Cascade Mountains brought an unexpected layer of action/adventure, sacrifice, and risk-taking that took my breath away.
This was a fun, fast and easy read, and the premise was awesome. The author delivered a romance that both made my heart race and melt, while taking me to new heights. I am already anticipating the next book in the series.

The premise of reading about a reality tv/game show was so intriguing that I couldn't let an opportunity pass me by to read this book. If you like Love Island, Survivor, or other similar shows, this book is definitely for you!
Taking on the challenges as well as the drama along with the contestants made this a fun and interesting read, albeit a little predictive. But definitely up there if you need a light and fluffy read!

I read some reviews before going into this book and it had some very mixed ones but I never let that stop me from reading the book.
This was a fun read for the most part but will i think about it often? probably not but thats not to say it wasn’t a good book. I just didn’t really feel connected to the characters but other people might which is why it is important to go into any book with an open mind.
Thank you NetGalley for the Arc and i would be more than happy to review more of them

REVIEW: Reading this book was like, to be watching Survivors but reading instead. Really nice the details of the scenery.
I love books “enemies to lovers”, for me it was a bit fast the change from enemies to lovers in this one, but I liked the chemistry.
It was funny to see how bad Cooper was falling for her, without knowing what was happening or why. But not really the best guy, but at the end it was ‘mh ok’. I couldn´t connect with Amity either, maybe, because it was to repetitive the background of her.
I think there were to many things happening in the book, from the past, the present, the reality tv show, so I couldn´t get into the story properly.
What I really enjoyed was the challengs. It was a nice book, I had good time reading it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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RESEÑA: Leer este libro era como estar viendo Supervivientes, pero en lectura. Me gustaron los detalles de los paisajes.
Me encantan los libros “enemies to lovers”, pero para mí este ha pasado muy rápido de enemigos a amantes, aunque la química entre los protagonistas me ha gustado.
Fue divertido ver como a Cooper le estaba gustando Amity casi sin darse cuenta o sin entender por qué. No el mejor tipo para mi gusto, pero al final era ‘mh ok’. No he podido conectar con Amity, a lo mejor porque repetían mucho su pasado, no lo sé.
Creo que pasan demasiadas cosas en el libro que no te dejan terminar de conectar con la historia, cosas del pasado, del presente, en el concurso.
Lo que sí me gustó fueron las pruebas del concurso. Es un libro agradable, pase un buen rato leyéndolo.
Gracias a Netgalley y a la editorial por dejarme leerlo a cambio de una honesta reseña.

The Race for Riches or Romance is a reality show taking place in the Cascade Mountain Range in Oregon. It’s got The Amazing Race and The Bachelor vibes. I loved all of the references to some of my favorite places in Central Oregon, including the Three Sisters Mountains and Sparks Lake.
If you like enemies to lovers, you will enjoy the banter between two of the contestants- “rich girl” Amity and backpacking guide Easton. Amity is America’s sweetheart for sure! Easton leaves a little to be desired!
Reasons to read:
❤️ Enemies to Lovers
🏔 Beautiful Oregon Landscape
📺 Reality TV vibes
I was excited to read this book and it didn’t disappoint.
Thank you @lisasgayle, @netgalley, and @booksgosocialgroup.

So, I’ve read at least 2 or 3 romance game show themed books with an enemies to lovers trope and have to say, I love to see the contestants love/hate relationships, the behind the scenes and the actual challenges.
I never watch these shows on tv, but I do love the books!
(I’ve read some of the DNF 1-2 star reviews and can’t really agree with the criticism)
These books are usually written like the show would unfold. Yeah, it’s a bit harsher here, but they would cut that all out. I’ve also heard that they pick out contestants to play the villain and be ugly and over the top (see Miles in this book, he’s the perfect candidate for that role).
Easton Cooper is irritated that he gets the young woman who’s wearing a formal dress to an outdoor adventure challenge show. He’s mad that he might not win the $1 Million prize with her. The first challenge is a disaster for Amity Rose and her stupid partner.
Both insult each other back and forth, with the help from other contestants. Both also seem to be attracted to each other and slowly share stuff with each other and grow closer much to the dismay of the other contestants.
I enjoyed this book and can’t wait for Hannahs book!

Crush in the Cascades was not a good book. Right off the bat, the male main character, Cooper, was an asshole. Within the first two chapters, I didn’t like him and it set the mood for the rest of the book. There is a way to write an asshole main character, but this was not it. The author made him irrevocably rude, and there was no coming back from that.
Amity, the female main character, was nice at times. She had some spunk that I could appreciate.
I found the plot to be interesting with the setting being a reality TV show, but the timeline of just a few days, maybe a week, seemed unrealistic for reality TV as well as a romance.
The sex scenes were cringy, as were the words used to build tension between the characters. Using words like "personals" and "private parts" felt like reading a kid's book. "He was sweet on her" sounds like something my grandpa would say. It was just uncomfortable.
Their instant love connection was forced and even with the events that unfolded, the ending felt the same way. It was just a way to wrap up the book with a decent ending.
I don’t know who read this and said, yes, we should publish this. I feel like anyone who rated this over 3 stars was lying to be nice.

I wish the best for the author, but sadly this book didn’t work for me. It was cute and sweet, but I spent most time annoyed by the supporting characters, who didn’t seem to have their own voices. They all sounded the same to me. The main characters are good, their romance was fun... But at times their dialogues also didn’t sound natural. I thought I would enjoy this book, because I love messy reality shows (who doesn’t?!), and it was actually good to see them trying their best to complete the tasks, but I guess I just had different expectations and that ruined the whole experience for me.
* I received this book from BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.

I never connected with the characters, never felt any chemistry, and just didn’t care who won the reality show.
I didn’t mind Cooper’s character, but the rest just didn’t work.

Wow when I read the synopsis for this book I was very interested as to how it would go, & it didn’t disappoint! It was such a fun book from the first chapter I was hooked! Easton Cooper, Mr. Caveman I loved his character though at times he was confusing & needed to communicate his plans!!! Nevertheless his motive for being on the show I respected. Though he was there for the win from the very beginning his eyes just always seemed to follow Amity he instantly changes from wanting her gone to helping her stay in the game. Amity Rose oh she was amazing! She was really feisty & such a great character. From the very beginning having Easton placed her as a weak link the entire group felt she was not competition. Though the group saw her as someone who would leave the game in the first challenge or have no skills she proved them all wrong time & time again. She used the idea of being weak to win but for the growing love she had for Easton she gave him the win. The entire plot was great and all the side characters were so much fun. I loved Bria, Justin & Miles (though he was a dick) others I couldn’t stand Liam, Cassie & Becky. Overall this was such a great book I really enjoyed it again from the very beginning I was hooked and stay hooked till the end. Happy Release Day Lisa congratulations on such a wonderful book! Thank You NetGallery for the opportunity to read such a fun book & give it a honest review!
4/⭐️

I think I found my new favourite trope… enemies to lovers competing in a reality tv show together! This book was lots of fun and the main characters, Easton and Amity, serve some of my favourite tropes: enemies to lovers, opposites attract, and forced proximity.
Easton and Amity appear to be opposites. Easton is a rugged outdoorsman and Amity shows up to the survivor type competition show in a dress. The two don’t initially hit it off and what follows is tons of angst and pining. The hero also calls the heroine princess… need I say more? Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read and I’m SO excited for Easton’s sister's book! 3.5 stars

Just received this few days ago and completed it in 2 days 😍 . A bit long but it is necessary. I loved it how the characters developed and loved the power of main character also 🥺❤️

Crush in the cascades is a contemporary romance novel with an action-packed plot about a reality competition for 1 million dollars. I’m very competitive so the theme of the book worked really well for me. And it stands out from other romance books I’ve read in the past. The reality show aspect isn’t overwhelming at all. The amount of cameras are mentioned a lot but that’s about it.
I really enjoyed the characters.
Easton the grumpy rock-climber from Colorado. A lovable MC that signed up for the competition to save his friend. And Amity is just to good for this world. She’s there to travel and experiencing the world. Their love hate relationship along with being competitors kept my interest up throughout.
I would definitely recommend this one, it’s a great read. It seems like there will be a sequel so I’ll definitely keep an eye out for that!

This book gets 3.5 stars from me. I thought the premise was interesting. I haven't read a lot of reality show based books - especially out door wilderness reality shows. It did definitely feel plausible from an emotional development perspective - just based on what seems to happen in shows like the Bachelor franchise, etc.
This book felt like it was channeling The Bachelor, Survivor and probably a few other reality tv shows all at the same time. I also like how it wrapped up, I always wonder how contestants deal with watching themselves played back on shows like that - and this book handled that part of it well.
I struggled a bit with the main characters and a lot of how their relationship went down - especially how they treated each other. It's definitely an enemies-to-lovers with a bit of forced proximity thrown in - but the rollercoaster was a rough ride. I appreciated the spice, though it did feel like there was a lot going on and those scenes were almost forced into the storyline.
Overall, a fun, escapist read that was decently enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & author for an early copy of the book to read & review.

✨Book Review✨
Crush in the Cascades
By Lisa S. Gayle
Sigh…..this book……where do I start!?!? Right from the get go this book did not work for me, which was very disappointing, as the synopsis was rather intriguing! I’m a big fan of game shows, and dating themed reality television, so I thought this read was going to be right up my alley!
This book made me feel like I was eavesdropping on two people that are having a feud. The way the dialect was presented was really not my cup of tea.
I really struggled to finish this one, and found the storyline to be very bland, the characters were very one dimensional and contained no depth at all, making it hard to relate or become interested in the story.
The repetition in this book was big. Same phrases and terms used over and over each chapter.
Sadly this one did not work for me. You can read this book for yourself on May 23rd when it’s released!
Rating ⭐️⭐️/5
I did receive this book as an E-ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks to @netgalley for allowing me the opportunity!

A reality TV show offering the chance to win a million dollars is our backdrop for this romance. It relied heavily on the assumptions made by key characters, and while this offered some amusement it felt a little repetitive on occasion.
While there’s a large cast initially taking part, they are whittled down and our attention is - obviously - focused on some key players. The main two are Amity and Easton, both of whom have many redeeming qualities though it takes a bit of time for these to become apparent.
From the outset it was pretty clear that we were going to be watching the romance unfold, while also watching the heavily manipulated drama surrounding the competition.
I enjoyed elements of this a lot. Letting us know the background to Amity and Easton kept us rooting for them as they allowed their own misjudgments to get in the way of their cause. The outdoors setting was a nice distraction, but I found the manipulations of the crew and the rather drawn-out nature of the show frustrating.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this in advance of publication.

Very cute story. Really enjoyed. And set in cascades around my hometown! Would definitely read the sequel.