I really enjoyed the premise of THE REUNION. With shows being rebooted or reunited in real life, it felt like a timely story to bring together the stars of a popular teen drama for a reunion special. It was so nostalgic, as I could imagine the cast of any of my favourite teenage shows being reunited.
This was an entertaining, second chance Hollywood romance that followed main character Liv, as she reacquaints herself with the cast and being back under the microscope of celebrity gossip and the internet. Among the cast is Ransom, who she has a complicated past with.
I was invested in their chemistry, as I could see that Ransom was into Liv from the very beginning. I was cheering for their relationship. I also liked exploring the different dynamics between all of the cast members and Hollywood. The gossip columns sprinkled throughout were a lot of fun.
Thank you Atria Books for the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was very cute. It was a little hard for me to get into at first but I'm glad I kept reading. Once I started getting more into it, it was a very fun and easy read. One thing that I really loved was how descriptive the author is in this book. It was really easy for me to picture exactly what was going on. I also thought that the articles and social media posts at the ends of the chapters really added a lot to the storyline. I will say that I felt like I wanted more from Liv and Ransom. It seemed like by the time they finally decide to be together, the book is basically already over. It would have been nice to see them explore and navigate their romantic relationship a little more imo. Overall, I thought the book was pretty enjoyable and would be interested in reading a sequel if the author were to our one out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was adorable and really enjoyable. As a fan of shows like Dawson's Creek and other 90s dramas, I loved the concept of the TV show reunion and the love story was believable and fun. It was the perfect light, easy read for me after the holidays but didn't feel so light as to be silly either. It would make a perfect summer beach read!

The Reunion is a cute, fun romance set in Hollywood between two child actors all grown up. Fans of romance, celebrity gossip, and your favorite shows from your teens being rebooted will love this one!

Liv and Ransom grew up on the set of Girl on the Verge, a show that ended more than ten years ago. While the press and the public have always wondered if they were together IRL, to Liv's chagrin they were only friends. And they haven't talked since. Now, as adults, the two are able to rekindle their friendship and on-screen chemistry easily, But there are a lot of obstacles to overcome-- costars, the rumor mill, career decisions, etc.

If you liked Birds of California or Funny You Should Ask, you will enjoy this quick romance!

Girl on the Verge ended 14 years ago, and Liv thought her love for Ransom ended then too. It turns out she never got over her unrequited feelings for him, and now that they’re reuniting for a reunion special of their hit TV show, she’ll have to deal. But, maybe the feelings were mutual after all.

This second chance romance is a bit unfocused. The plot is great, and many of the characters were fun to read. There was no character development though; especially the relationship between Liv and Ransom was flat. They barely talked to each other which, surprise, was the reason they had a falling out in the first place. But now, 14 years later, they’re supposedly in love yet they still don’t talk. Bre and Ford were more interesting to read than the main characters. The author made up for the lack of dialogue with distinct wardrobe descriptions though as if cool outfits make up for lack of personality. Also why were names for tech companies fictionalized (Snapaday, Flitterbird, Fanline) but Peloton and FaceTime still exist? The obvious, yet ridiculous names pull readers out of the story. The blogs and blurbs between each chapter were fun though. It may have even been preferable to just get the whole story through outside media like that instead of getting the flat character perspectives.

Thank you to #Netgalley and Atria books for an advanced reader's copy for an honest review.
Liv and Ransom, who previously starred as a couple in a popular teen drama, play each other in this romantic comedy about second chances. For unknown reasons, they moved from being the best of friends to completely cutting off all contact 14 years ago. Hiring them for the reunion episode and possible reboot forces them to face their affections for one other and the events of years past.
I may not be the target audience for this book, I wrote. Though well-written, the article made too many business references in an attempt to sound current. In addition, it includes pages of celebrity gossip and social media posts between each chapter, which boost the ante while also feeling redundant.

I had heard a lot about this book and I'm glad I read it. The premise was really clever, and I enjoyed seeing the characters realize their chemistry. This was a fun read!

DNF @ 15%

I want to like this book, and I think the premise is there, I just don't like the writing style of this book. Written in First-Person Present tense, I really, REALLY hate how the narrator ( Liv) is always internally monologue-ing about the Horrible Event that occurred 20 years ago. I would be fine with the suspense if it was written in any other way, but who, when internally narrating their thoughts and actions think "oh this specific Horrible Event" instead of just actually thinking about the event? I get that it's for the sake of plot development and such, but this kind of writing just bothers me. Also, I don't really like the cattiness that's implied between the two main female actresses, while I do like that Liv has a female bestie, the jealous second lead seems like a cheap trope to throw in.

--
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review

This is easily one of my favorite books of the year already, and I feel fairly confident that it's going to hold that position as the year progresses.

I don't even know where to begin with how much I loved this story. Can I just end the review here and say GO READ IT? No? Alright then.

The plot! I love a Hollywood story--anything surrounding actors, singers, performers of any kind--I'm here for it. This story fed right into that obsession and gave me everything I wanted. Two characters who were secretly in love with each other when they filmed a TV show as teenagers, went their separate ways for YEARS, and reunite for a reunion episode? It was everything.

The characters! All of them were so well developed--the protagonists, the antagonists--everyone. In particular, I want Liv and Bre to be my best friends; their friendship was so well written.

The romance! The chemistry between Liv and Ransom was out of this world. I don't want to say too much and risk spoiling anything, but their relationship development was incredible.

In case I haven't been clear enough, go pick this up immediately! (Even though I reviewed an ARC copy, it is already published. Thank you, reading slump, for that.)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF 55%
i thought i would love this based off the premis and format i would love this one but it just wasn't doing it for me and i didn't care for the characters. it reminded me of the all the main characters i didn't like on tv

A charming second chance romance. Great escape read.
Many thanks to Atria and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love the writing. I got a little lost with the large early character introduction.
I love this trope- 2nd chance -not quite romance. The actor/Hollywood theme isn't my favorite. Maybe too close to where I live? I'm glad that I found this author. I listened to the audio, so this might be better reading with my eyes. Andi Arndt was so good. She had a tremendous amount of dialogue.
I heard about this on Facebook & TikTok. I will definitely give this author another try.

Cute, fun read of a second chance love story with a big nostalgia factor. GotV definitely reminds me of my favorite teen dramas and I can definitely imagine the craziness it would spark in the fans for a reunion of one of those.
Nice cast of characters and I really liked the scene within a scene aspect with the filming of the reunion show spelled out.
Not a huge fan of the social / blog posts interspersed but that is just a personal preference.
Overall I very much enjoyed this one and would definitely read others by this author.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

The Reunion was a delightful second-chance love story about a popular teen television show that is having a reunion years later, where old feelings between the stars ignite. Was I the only one who pictured the show as similar to Dawson' Creek? I loved this, and tore through it. Recommend for anyone who likes rom coms, television behind the scenes books, and day in the life of a hollywood star stories!

Liv grew up on Girl on the Verge, both quite literally and figuratively. She starred as said Girl. With that came a lot of publicity and being in the public eye. Being the child of a star, she knew very well the consequences of that fame as her father died in a car accident while being chased by the paparazzi. She has since decided to never speak about her father publicly as she feels that anything she says will be twisted for the media's sole purpose of achieving whatever they want to achieve. Now, years after all of that passed, the show is having a reunion. A reunion that means that she will be reconnecting with all the stars of the show including Ransom, her former best friend, her love interest on the show and her crush in real life. While due to a series of inconveniences and misunderstandings, they never actually ended up together while they originally filmed the show, they were both in love with each other. It was not until the reunion that they were both put in situations where they had to confront demons from their pasts and work towards what they actually wanted. It was an interesting take on the toxicity of fame to an extent and a lot of double standards. It was an enjoyable read.

The story was good. However I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the main characters that made my heart really get attached to the characters. I just wish there had been more character development and chemistry building.

This book was fantastic. Amazing. Perfection. A must read by this author. I enjoyed every page.

The book follows Liv, who starred in a popular show, Girl on the Verge, as the main character,, Honor. She acted opposite Ransom Joel, who played Duke, her love interest. As the show filmed, she developed a crush on him but thought he didn't feel the same way. The show ended 10 years earlier and since then, she has had no contact with Ransom per his request all those years ago. Fast forward to today, where they are filming a reunion episode. She hasn't seen him since the finale - though she has followed his career since then. What was seeing him going to be like? Filming with him again? You have to read to find out. A great novel about love and celebrity and finding yourself, all taking place in the beautiful setting of Los Angeles.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Reunion is soapy, romantic, and completely cinematic. There were times I forgot I was reading and instead thought I was watching my favorite teen CW drama!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Reunion is a cute novel following two costars on the twenty year anniversary of their show’s premiere. I loved the premise and I’m so glad I got to read this.

The chemistry between them is amazing. I loved their interactions and the interactions with the side characters.

Honestly this book made me think of Boy/Girl Meets World. It was super fun with cute romance and more serious topics.

Thank you again to the publisher for the copy. I recommend this book for fans of “second” chance romances and friends to lovers.

thanks so much to netgalley and atria for the e-arc!!!

if you know me, you know that early 2000s teen television is the core of who i am. so when i heard that this was about two cast members from one of these shows falling in love at their 20 year reunion…. i was so in.

there’s a lot i enjoyed about this book - the scenes that were scenes from the show (they’re filming a reunion special), the inserts of articles and interviews, and the just the fact that i will always adore a second-chance romance ESPECIALLY set in the glitzy world of hollywood.

however!!! the main relationship between liv and ransom is supposed to be a best friends to strangers to lovers type of thing. and i just couldn’t understand how they basically went 20 years without speaking and then the insta-love was COMPLETELY INTACT. i was obviously anticipating a spark, but the fact that they were so open about their feelings from literally page one made this feel way too low stakes and also frustrated me because wdym they couldn’t have found any other time to talk about this???

the ending was super satisfying, the side characters were likable, and because it was only from livs pov i felt like i really got to know her. i just needed more of a reason to buy them being in love so quickly - maybe flashbacks? just more of something!

overall, i just needed MORE. more reason to root for everyone, more chemistry, more something. which is a shame because everything we did get was so good!!!!!!

(except the big reveal about one of the other actress’s rubbed me soooo the wrong way and everyone’s reaction was even worse)

also, i kinda wish they didn’t set up a romance for ford because i would soooo read his book what a cutie pie!

anyway 3 stars…. and i think i’m off to watch the oc!!!