What happens when two former teen stars reconnect at the reunion for their hit TV show, fourteen years after the finale? Will things be strained? Or will their chemistry pick up right where they left off?

I thought this was a really cute book and loved the cover art. It was a fast, sweet read. However, I wish there was a little bit...more. I really liked the characters and the story, I just thought that there could have been more...action.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Liv is returning to the hit show that made her a teen star, and the coworker who she was in love with, but walked away from when the show ended. As much as I loved the romance between Liv and Ransom, I think my favorite part was all the Hollywood stuff going on with gossip sites and Liv deciding on her next projects. I wish there had been more with Sasha-Kate, Millie, and Ford, but it was a very fun read.

I received a reviewer copy of The Reunion by Kayla Olson, from the publisher Atria Books from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Liv Latimer was the star of a teen drama, going through the loss of her father and the parting from her co-star and best friend Ransom Joel. When the show ended, Liv retreated to a more normal life, but ultimately came back to the acting scene because she missed the art part. Now twenty years after the show premiered, the cast is back to film a reunion special. Now all of a sudden Liv and Ransom are reunited and its time to work through their past and see if their chemistry can actually survive.

What I Loved: This has a really interesting plot. I genuinely thought this could be about like a The OC reunion and I found the plot really interesting. I also found the grief string of losing a father and how that plays out and stays with you, I wish this had been explored more. I also liked some of the back scenes Hollywood work.

What I didn’t like so much: Honestly, overall this book didn't work for me. I didn't really buy into the romance. I think it read more like insta-love instead of the years long friendship and longtime unrequited love. I also found a lot of the drama a bit contrived. Perhaps, it's because I don't know Hollywood but like some of the plot lines just seemed a bit annoying, the being late, the agent, and the constant blogging. I understand the plot device of the blog post, but it really interrupted story for me.

Who Should Read It: People who love books set in Hollywood. People who loved watching the WB/CW as kids.

Summary: A reunion of a classic teen drama and two actors and the one who got away.

I thought this was a pretty cute Hollywood romance. I thought Ransom and Liv had great chemistry and while the outside drama was a little annoying, it was to be expected. I liked how we got a dual timeline, it really added to the progression of the character development. I'm always a sucker for second chance romances and overall, I thought this one was done well.

THE REUNION is a lovely novel about former co-stars, and best friends, Liv and Ransom, reuniting on a reunion of their beloved TV show. The setting and premise hooked me - I love a good second chance love story - and I really enjoyed Kayla Olson's world building and writing.

Overall, this story was fun, easy to read, and enjoyable! The love story felt a little fast and I would have loved a few more scenes with Ransom and Liv rekindling their feelings before falling right into love - but overall, an enjoyable story all the same.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review!

The Reunion by Kayla Olson is a second chance love story featuring two teen stars that grew up on a show together. They reconnect 14 years later at the reunion for their hit show and seemingly pick up where they left off.

I was really excited about the premise of this one - I love a celebrity love story and generally found the plot to be intriguing. Unfortunately, the writing fell really flat for me on this one. I wish the author went deeper with the experiences and feelings of the characters - it felt like we were often being told vs shown. The characters also instantly reconnected after so much time apart and a falling out - this felt less believable to me and I wanted that build and reconnection to get excited about their second chance.

Overall, this was a contemporary and fun novel but fell short for me personally. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Reunion is out now!

This was so fun and heartwarming! I love the best friends to lovers trope! And i got serious One Tree Hill cast vibes from this book! I highlight recommend it!

This book is adorable. It offers nostalgia, a fun peek behind the Hollywood curtain, fun interstitials with blog posts and articles, and a romance to make your heart melt. What more could you want in a rom-com?

I loved this book, definitely a standout for what’s been put out in the market in January. A first round purchase for most libraries

The Reunion tells the story of Liv and Ransom, former child co-stars and best friends who are brought back together when the show they starred in gets a reboot twenty years later. In the intervening years, Liv and Ransom have gone their separate ways, taking very different approaches to their careers and falling out with one another. The first day back proves that all those years and diversions have done nothing to dull the chemistry that connected them decades before. But Liv has grown up and experienced grief and anxiety, making her a more cautious adult. The book centers on this will they-won’t they as Liv decides the course she wants her adult life to take.

I enjoyed this one. It was quick and kept my interest. I loved the behind-the-scenes feel of the story and liked the addition of news articles and social media posts.

Right off the bat, I'm a sucker for a great, eye-catching cover. I knew that when I first came across those orange and pink hues on the front cover, it demanded my attention, and I wanted to read this book.

Secondly, I loved the story's concept of a reunion for a well-beloved tv show and that it wasn't really about the show but more about the kinship between co-stars. In particular, I liked the 'what if' aspect between the main character Liv Latimer and her co-star, Ransom Joel.

The story was slower-paced for my liking. There was a lot of backstory about the show and characters to help catch up to the present day, which is understandable since we, as readers, are unfamiliar with these characters. There was more from the production standpoint of the show than was necessary for the story.

The story was good, but it felt like it was missing something. For some reason, I couldn't get into Liv and Random's will they/won't they moments, even though I was rooting for them the whole way. There wasn't as much antagonism or drama between them or the other cast as I would anticipate for their line of work. It felt like a missed opportunity for many crazy and wild things to happen.

I enjoyed the tabloid-like parts at the end of each chapter. Each one helped tell the story and stirred up or explained the drama linked to the characters.

Thank you, NetGalley, Atria Books, and Kayla Olson, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

It’s been twenty years since everyone watched the original episode of Girl on the Verge, the popular teen show about Honor St. Croix, teen tennis star, and her family and friends. Now, there is a reunion show coming, with rumors of a possible reboot of the series. But can the on-screen drama take center stage over what happens when the cameras aren’t rolling? Everyone will want to know.

Liv Latimer grew up onscreen, as the star of Girl on the Verge and the daughter of famous actor Patrick Latimer. The show had been a huge hit, running for years and creating superfans all over the country. When the show ended, Liv stopped acting for a while and eventually started taking on small, meaningful projects, earning critical success. Now she’s back for the reboot and there is one big question from the original show that still lingers in her head. Will she still have feelings for Ransom Joel?

Ransom had played her best friend and love interest in the show. Behind the scenes, they were best friends. Liv knew that she could count on him, no matter what happened. Especially in the second season, when her father had been killed in a car accident. Ransom had been there to hold her up in a way that no one else could, and Liv thought that that friendship would last forever. But years later, Ransom had confided in her that he was interested in someone else, and he was worried that their close friendship would make any potential dates for him or for her question their true feelings.

So Liv did the only thing she could. She let him go. She had been in love with him for years, but if he wanted to back off from their friendship so he could pursue romantic relationships, she would give him that.

He’d gone on from the show to make a series of successful action movies and possibly an even more popular kitten calendar for the ASPCA. He had been seen with girlfriends through the years before finally settling down with the girl next door, his neighbor from when he’d grown up, Gemma Gardner.

But the first red carpet event, Ransom shows up alone. Sasha-Kate Kilpatrick, who played the middle sister in the family, shows up with her Hollywood entourage and her resentment that she hadn’t been cast as Honor originally. Millie Matson, who played the youngest sister and wasn’t even in grade school in the original series, has grown up and become a pop star. And the drama is on, even before all the paparazzi and gossip columnists get started stirring things up for the online fans (and trolls).

Through all this, Liv has to figure out what it is that she wants. Does she want to be a part of a Girl on the Verge reboot? Does she want to go back to her quiet life making indie films? Does she still love Ransom? And is she willing to put everything on the line for a chance to be with him?

The Reunion is a sweet romance set in the crazy world of modern Hollywood. With the reunions and reboots, agents and publicists, emotions and egos, social media and superfans, the struggle to find the real moments underneath all the extra drama takes on a genuine gravitas for these characters. But the story is broken up by online news articles and gossip that breaks up the serious moments with the absurdities of the modern media, adding another layer of drama to a story that is packed with backstage drama.

I really enjoyed The Reunion. I thought that author Kayla Olson did an amazing job of keeping the story about Liv and her struggles as an actress, as a woman, and as a human. I thought that there might be more frothiness to this, especially with the online gossip popping up between chapters, but Olson kept her eye on the weight of Liv’s decisions and her feelings, giving this romance some weight. This has a bittersweet edge to it, especially when some of the reporting brings back some bad memories for Liv, but overall, this is a lovely second chance romance that just happens to be set in a crazy setting.

Egalleys for The Reunion were provided by Atria Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Loved this book so much! Gave me a Dawsons Creek vibe and I would love to have a reboot of that show. It's a very quick read which i enjoyed, was short and simple.

The Reunion, Kayla Olson's adult rom-com debut, is a cute, fun novel that will evoke the nostalgia of Dawson's Creek and the teen dramedies and sitcoms that ruled the 90s and early ought’s. The fictitious show, Girl on the Verge, set the screen standard for six years. Twenty years later the fandom is stronger than ever-partially due to the hype around the reunion episode and rumors of a reboot. Liv, famous actress and indie It-Girl, is excited and anxious about the reunion-knowing it will take her career even further and unite her with her costars and former best friends. She also knows she's facing Ransom Joel, one of the hottest actors in Hollywood-who just happened to play opposite her character on TV. Best friends for six years, Liv harbored deep feelings for Ransom but felt betrayed by him at the end of the series. Flash forward to today and Liv is loving being back on set, re-connecting with Ransom and the new acting opportunities in the mix. But rivalries from 20 years ago re-emerge, not to mention intense social media attention and Liv isn't sure if this is the reunion of her dreams or a mistake. Told with alternating chapters representing different social media and Internet articles this was a fun, easy read filled with pop culture throwbacks and a "will they, won't they" trope. I found myself wishing GOTV was an actual show-solid adult debut!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback

The Reunion by Kayla Olsen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I adored this novel very much!

It had all the feels of watching Gossip Girl with little gossip columns at the end of every chapter. Cue the mean girls, jealousy, boy crushes, overbearing parents, and drama filled scenes. 20 years ago, the show was all the craze and the fandom is still strong. It’s a story of a reunion episode that is now 20 years later. So, the gang gets back together featuring the two main characters, Ransom and Liv. They are truly America’s Sweethearts. They handle fame with such grace.

And just the names of these characters made me love them. I mean Ransom, how dangerous and beautiful at the same time? And Liv’s character in the show’s name is Honor….I mean what a name to live up to. Incredible plays on words and symmetry in this fun romance.

During the development of the story, we see the characters grow and learn and become even more than their fans could have asked. The depth here is what made me fall in love even more than I already was.

Go read it ya’ll! And then lets talk!

Trope: Friends to Lovers
Read if you love a quick fun read.—i finished in 24 hours.
Read if you love gossip girl feels.
Read if you are a sucker for kittens.
Absolutely read if you love CLOSED door. There is no spice, but all the romance.

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The Reunion was one of those books that I kept waiting for more; more depth, more emotion, more relationship building, just flat out more. It wasn’t a bad book, but if felt like there was something missing and therefore it was just an okay book for me.

Twenty years after their hit show began and fourteen years after it ended, the cast of Girl on the Verge has been reassembled for a one-off special even though hints have been dropped that if it goes well, a reboot is a possibility. Liv and Ransom were young when the show began and formed an instant friendship that lasted until Ransom blew it apart. When the show ended, Ransom went on to become a major action blockbuster star and Liv disappeared for awhile but since returned to make some critically acclaimed indie films. Despite being best friends once upon a time Liv and Ransom have only conversed through text every once in awhile, but back in the same room for a pre-filming get together the years melt away.

This book was a good look at life in the spotlight and the pressures that come with it from all sides when you are famous. It’s also a testament on how important communication is, really deep, sharing communication. Liv and Ransom lost their friendship because they either wouldn’t or didn’t know how to express to each other what they were feeling. They were very young so it’s not surprising, but the fact they let it go for 14 years instead of being adults and reaching out is sad. They lost a truly solid friendship because they were both hurt by the other when they didn’t have to be.

I kept wanting a big scene where they really bare it all, where the emotion bubbles up from within and spills over and where they grieve for all the time they lost, but sadly that was missing.

There was enough good in this book to keep me reading, but it was lacking heart. However, if you enjoy the world of celebrity gossip then The Reunion is made for you.

I really thought that I would enjoy this book because the synopsis sounded like something right up my alley. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me with a lack of spark that it desperately needed.

Absolutely loved this one! A best friends reunited story with the backdrop of Hollywood celebrity life in the background. I loved the friendship dynamic that these characters brought and that it did feel like there was a lot at stake if these characters (who obviously did have bundled up feelings for one another) were to date, which made reading the book more captivating.

- 3.5 Stars -
I do love a solid celebrity romance. This book definitely hit all of the marks for things I wanted to see in it. It did take me a while to get into this book as there were a lot of names you needed to learn at a rather quick pace. Even after I finished the book, I found myself asking who certain people were or what they would have been important to the plot for.

I really liked Liv and found that a lot of the things she went through were tough. I did however find her annoying in the sense of “oh whoah is me” in regards to Ransom. She was the one who had told him to not contact her and then was upset when he stuck to what she had asked him to do. I hate the miscommunication trope and this was the epitome of what that looks like.

Ransom was a pretty great male lead for this story. I did truly applaud his restraint in not contacting Liv for 14 years. His pursuit of Liv was one that I enjoyed as he really did care about her and you could just sense how much he loved her, even from their early years of being on the show together.

Overall, this book was good! It was a solid debut and did make me feel all the things. However, I just found that I couldn’t connect super well with the characters, and that may be due to the length of time that it took me to read the book (11 days) or maybe just the story that they were telling about their second chance love. But, either way, I did enjoy this read and if you want a celebrity romance you might as well!

⚠️TW: death of parent, car accident, gaslighting, infidelity, death

Thank you @simonschusterca for this finished copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Loved this! The sitcom reminded me of Boy Meets World, which is always a good thing, and the second chance romance was super sweet. I also appreciated that it focused on the emotional connection more, as it's more rare to find lower heat levels these days, and they can be easier to recommend to students. I think anyone who likes second chance romances and celebrity-style books will enjoy this one.