okay, so i really wanted to enjoy this book. but it did not work for me. it was way too much and just not what i was looking for. i might come back to it in the future to try again. thanks so much, netgalley!!!

I was thinking of giving it 3 stars but unfortunately this is below average for me. When I finished this book the only thought in my mind was "wow these two definitely broke up after the epilogue". I was not a fan of Easton Cooper at all, there was a lot of casual misogyny in his pov. Amity however was a strong female character, and probably the only reason I finished the book.

I was not a fan of the writing either; there were a lot of "..." for no reason that did not flow well, and the characters' thoughts were a lot of telling instead of showing. I felt like I was guided through everything I was supposed to feel instead of getting it myself through the writing, and I didn't like that. Trust your reader! We can understand nuance and innuendos!

Thank you to Netgalley and Lisa S. Gayle for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading books about dating and reality shows. I don’t know why, but I find them fascinating! Crush in the Cascades combines a dating show with an adventure show, kind of like I’m a Celeb. The characters compete in couples, but those who come first in individual challenges can choose to stick or have a new partner, which of course creates drama!

‘All that matters to me is that I’m with you.’

Easton and Amity don’t make great first impressions on each other, and their relationship hits the rocks quite a few times. This book is an enemies-to-lovers romance, and I ate it up! There was a bit of miscommunication but it was solved quickly. The plot was fast-paced and I found myself rooting for this couple to win the competition. I recommend if you love reality shows and romance!

This book was so much fun and a must read if you like enemies to lovers!

The story follows Amity Roe and Easton Cooper working together at a chance to win a million dollars. However the two don't get along and after a long period of forced proximity the they realize the other isn't so bad.

(Do note the Easton isn't the nicest) but it's still a decent read!

The cover of Crush in the Cascades by Lisa S. Gayle totally got my attention and I really liked the blurb.
And as a lover of reality TV I would definitely watch this book as a show!

Easton and Amity. Both are so different but also part of the new show The Race for Riches or Romances.
When they have to be a team for the first game it's so obvious they don't like each other. Both have so many prejudices it's not even funny.
But... can spending time in the wilderness together change their point of views?

Oooh these two! My head's still spinning around and around.
What a roller coaster ride!
They don't like each other... maybe they like each other?
I liked the storyline and the challenges as well. The whole game to be in the wildlife with different characters and being teamed up with strangers. It really sounds kinda exciting but I'd never wanna be part of it. LOL
Sadly I couldn't totally connect with Easton and Amity. There were a lot of moments were they stole my heart and I was like "YES! Now you've got me!" But... other times they lost me again somehow...
All in all Crush in the Cascades was an easy-to-read and nice summer read for me. I'd give it 3.5 to 4 stars.

Thanks a lot to Lisa S. Gayle and the publisher for this early copy via NetGalley Read Now.

Sorry for my belated review, but it's my honest one in my own words.

From the description I knew this book was going to be fun, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. Amity was a fabulous main character who I couldn't help but love.
I'm personally not a fan of the insta-love trope, but this was so light and easy to read that it was actually manageable in this book.
If you're a a fan of romance novels with an outdoorsy feel, a quirky storyline (even if its a bit unbelievable!) and a super lovable FMC than I could not recommend this for you more.
Will definitely be picking up some more of Gayle's books in the future!

I usually love an enemies to lovers trope, but that fine line between love and hate gets pushed too far to the hate side and then it becomes hard to believe the love. Add to that the pettiness and meanness of reality TV and the romance falls short.

I really wanted to love this book as I the premise held so much promise. Unfortunately, the characters were so unlikable and superficial that I was never reaching for this book and DNF at 37%.

Entertaining, loved the adventure and the steamy scenes. Didn’t fall in love with the characters but enjoyed the story anyway!

(Gave up at 56%)

To be honest, this book was not my cup of tea at all. At no point did I feel eager to flip the page, and I felt like giving up sooo much. It took me more than a month to get the middle, which is quite a lot for me. I just felt to motivation to read it. And I felt it dragged on a bit too much and lost motivation to read it.

However, I will give it the benefit of the doubt because sometimes slow burns get better. But I still felt like when Cooper and Amity got together, it still didn’t have a climax.

Overall it was not a bad story, or as far as I went it wasn’t a bad story. I felt like I could predict most of it, I won’t ever know if that was true, but oh well! I hated having that feeling.

Ahhhh idk about this one. I really wanted to love it and was so intrigued by the setting and I am a diehard Survivor fan but the characters just really didn't do it for me. Particularly Easton, I felt like he was so judgmental, somewhat rude, and casually misogynistic which is not what I want when I read. The pacing also felt off and really slowed down towards the middle. I always feel bad giving ARCs low ratings but I just don't feel like I can give this one any higher than 2.5 stars.

This story is a classic enemies to lovers story but set in a reality game show situation which I found very intriguing and original. The characters were flawed but pulled through in the end, I enjoy when characters show development and growth throughout a story. I particularly liked how they gradually showed how strong Amity truly is and highlights not judging a book by its cover. A sweet, enjoyable read and a little bit different.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I got this book free as an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Things are not always what you assume. In Crush in the Cascades, both leading characters suffered misguided assumptions.

Lisa Gayle's Crush in the Cascades features Cooper and Amity and a reality TV show. Cooper and Amity mark each other as "enemies" at the beginning of the book and the troupe where they are together at the end. Aside from the reality TV challenges Cooper and Amity face, they have personal challenges to overcome which bring them to meeting on a TV show. Luckily we still get thr happily ever after ending we hope for when picking up a romcom book.

I will say this genre is not my normal, so my rating may be a bit skewed compared with others who truly enjoy this type of book. That being said I found the predictability ( because it is a romcom with a recognizable troupe) too predictable.

The question I ask myself is, would I read this book again. My answer is, no. Would I like to see this book made into a movie? Also, no.

Reality TV, riches, and a race for romance! What’s not to like?

For Easton Cooper, everything—except a chance at one million dollars. Desperate for cash, he’ll even compete on an outrageous action-adventure reality show, and he hates reality TV. As luck would have it, he’s thrust into his element, a series of outdoor challenges in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. But there’s a catch—he’s staring across the meadow at his partner—a tan, hot, out-of-place California girl, wearing heels and a formal dress in the middle of freaking nowhere—and she will not bring him down! Even if he has to drag her across the finish line.

Amity Rose wants an adventure. No one told her that “dress accordingly” meant deck out in hardcore mountain gear. So she wore strappy heels and a fancy dress to the opening scene. So she hates bugs, cold air, tents, campfires—must she go on? Now all the contestants think she’s a pampered princess—and to add to her bad luck, her partner is the worst—a gangly, overconfident, know-it-all mountain trail guide. Did the directors just add a romantic twist to the drama? Sure, why not? Maybe she’ll leave the race with something more valuable than money. Just not with him!

Crush in the Cascades is a full-length contemporary romance that can be read as a standalone. It features an emotionally-charged, enemies-to-lovers romance weaved into an action-packed, fast-moving plot.

This book was ok.
I liked Amity rose but I didn't like Cooper that much. He was very judgmental and I didn't like that about him.
Overall I think that the plot was good and it had a lot of potential to be great. I personally love enemies to lovers and this is what caught my eye about this book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

DNF at 25%, the characters were so flat and the writing was cringe worthy at times. I really wanted to like this one for the setting but it just did not work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Amity and Easton don’t start off on the best foot, but they both work hard to get along in the competition on an adventure game show. As their respect for each other rises, so do their feelings. The only problem is whether he/she is doing it for the romance or the riches.

This is an enemies to lovers romance, a trope I’m always a fan of, although sometimes Easton was super punchable which made it a little hard for me to believe she would put up with someone like him.

The romance heat level is open door and there is some language, but it’s not obnoxious.

While this romance started out strongly, it ended up being a but disappointing. The idea of Survivor-style reality show blended with a dating show was pretty unique, and I liked the initial conflict between the two MCs.
However, the Insta-love between them soon took over and although I do love a guy that simps for his girl, it was a little too much for me in this case. Some of his choices were simply unbelievable (feeling her up in full view of the cameras for example) and it was also a too much of a stretch that she happened to be an amazing long-distance runner. These points coupled with the annoying and endlessly boring politicking and strategising of the game made the second half of the book a let-down. The MMC’s grovel at the end was also way stalkery and very much not ok.

This was such a fun, enemies to lovers reality tv romance!!! I requested this book completely on a whim based on the cover and the description and it did NOT disappoint!! Amity and Cooper are two contestants on a Outdoorsy Amazing Race/Survivor style reality show where contestants have to work in pairs for a million dollar prize. Both MCs get off on the wrong foot and people continually underestimate Amity. I REALLY loved how scrappy and skilled she was and the way she just led with her heart. The romance was a bit too instalove form my tastes but I loved these characters too much to care. Recommended for fans of books like The charm offensive or One to watch. I can't wait for the sequel featuring Cooper's sister, Hannah. Much thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advance review copy!! I will definitely be buying a hard copy when the paperback editions become available!

Three stars!

This was actually a pretty cute book. I think that Enemies to Lovers just isn't my trope. I feel like I always rate them pretty average because the being enemies and then falling in love after like a day and a half (exaggerating) is just too unrealistic to me. Amity was really likable but I just couldn't get on board with Easton.

The concept of it being a game show was really enjoyable. I felt like I was watching The Bachelor or something.

Overall! I liked this book. It was cute.

Thanks Netgalley!