I went into this book expecting a dating show style romance book, which was clearly some misunderstanding on my part. Our FMC actually declines the opportunity to be the lead in Real Love, a relating dating show a la The Bachelorette. Instead, her best friend accepts the role, which our FMC only sees from the sidelines, after filming is done.

I struggled a lot with the first 30%-40% of this book. Maya is steamrolled by her friends and manipulated by her sister and borderline gaslighted by her boyfriend of 10 years. Over and over again. Yet, she says her friends are “steady and reliable.” Yikes. Maya has a plan for her life and while her friends and family may not agree with it, they could at least show her some support and respect. I honestly just felt sorry for her initially, and then more annoyed as we got deeper into the book that she continued to let everyone walk all over her.

After a romantic date night gone wrong ends with her boyfriend breaking up with her, Maya meets her sister Ella’s friend Kai, who is arguably Vaughn’s complete opposite. I thought that was where the story would pick up and the romance plot line would come into play, but for the next 20% there was still not a lot of anything actually happening.

I decided to DNF at 57% due to a lack of progression both in the storyline and in character growth.

Given what I read, I would say this book is more of a self-discovery/contemporary fiction than romance novel. I will say it kept me interested enough that I read nearly 60%, when a typical DNF for me would be around 25%-30%, so there’s definitely some potential for this to be a great story! I think others who would find the FMC relatable may really enjoy this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Overall I enjoyed this book. Sometimes the narration confused me due to whether or not they were talking to the reader or if it was the inside thoughts of Maya. I also felt like this book was not really a romance novel ,but more of a coming of age/literary fiction book.

This book was good. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I known who the author was and the story behind it. But not really knowing anything going in, I didn't have that connection with it that many people will. I do believe that fans of hers will absolutely love this.

Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential. The plot sounded interesting but too many things were rushed. The storyline is all over the place and there is no consistency to the pacing.

I’ve never watched the Bachelor or Bachelorette so perhaps this book is more geared toward fans of the shows.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine (Dell)!

(ARC from NetGalley) Rachel Lindsay, you will always be my favorite.
We start off with the responsible (and slightly uptight) Maya who always has The Plan turning down the offer to be the lead of a reality show, Real Love. However, her best friend accepts.
As Maya watches her best friend fall in love, her sister comes to town and pushes her out of her comfort zone. She starts to question her definition of happiness and what it’d be like if she said yes to literally anything. Maya and Ella have a lovingly hateful sibling relationship but you can tell they’d do anything for each other. Maya’s anxieties honestly reflected some of my own and I loved how she never once thought “I’m too old” or “it’s too late” to try new things. I think if you enjoy Emily Henry’s books where it leans more literary fiction than true romance, you’ll love this. Read in one sitting.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This is the debut novel from Rachel Lindsay, yes, that Rachel Lindsay. It centers around a reality TV show and choices to appear on it or not.

To support a friend, Maya auditions for Real Love, a Bachelorette style show. When she is unexpectedly asked to be the lead, she declines and recommends her best work friend instead. The book begins when the season has taped and is just starting to air. We see Maya struggle with her choices in her personal life and her career.

I enjoyed simultaneously getting to hear updates about Delilah's season on the Real Love reality TV show, as we follow Maya. It added an extra plot and complexity to the story.

Despite the two romances, I would classify this more as women's fiction than romance. It primarily focuses on Maya and lots of drama with her family and friends. While she has lots of chemistry with her love interest, it's a very low steam, closed door description. And we don't get much insight into him.

The story predominantly focuses on joy and finding a path that works for her. I didn't love the ending. I expected and hoped for more character growth than we saw from Maya.

3.5 stars rounded up

I am a HUGE Rachel Lindsay fan!! She forever changed the Bach franchise and I really enjoyed her memoir. I was excited to receive an ARC - thanks to NetGalley and Random House!

I really enjoyed how much of Rachel's life and experience influenced this book - but not in an overpowering way. At first, I assumed that Mayha would change her mind and take the lead role on Real Love and her journey would mirror Rachel's - how happy was I to be wrong!

I love a book that has strong friendships and self-discovery. I thought Real Love did this quite well. Where I lost it a bit was on the Bailey and Vaughn storylines. The Bailey one felt particularly forced. And while I loved that Maya wanted a new chapter, following Kai felt a bit TOO far removed from who she was.

Overall, I enjoyed it! I wanted to love it, but the last 1/3, particularly around Bailey and the ending fell too flat for me.

This was exactly the book I needed to read this week. This wonderful read covers self-discovery, sister relationships, friendship, love, and reality dating shows. Truly what more could you want?

I'm a big Rachel Lindsay fan and, if you read her memoir, you'll see echoes of her real life experiences in her first work of fiction. I think this really serves to ground the book, plus give some of those behind-the-scenes reality show tidbits all fans crave!

I feel a little torn on the ending and there is one friendship issue that I thought felt crammed into the book and took away from other parts, but overall a really great read with a strong message.

I have been a huge fan of Rachel Lindsay since she first appeared in the Bachelor world and I was so excited to read her debut novel.

Maya has been living in Miami, working hard towards her life goals, when her sister comes for an unexpected visit and introduces her to a friend name Kai. Maya has an instant attraction toward Kai, and Kai is everything that her previous boyfriend of 10 years was not.

Last year, Maya had passed up the chance to be the lead on a dating show and one of her best friends had taken that spot instead. I loved getting these glimpses in to the reality dating world that Rachel Lindsay is so familiar with. I also really liked that the dating show wasn't the main plot line, there was so much else to the book.

Maya is such a sweet and lovable character, and Kai is so swoony. From the moment they meet I just wanted them to be together, and wanted Maya to have everything she wanted. The side characters -- Maya's sister and her friends - are all well written and very unique, and provide a good contrast to Maya.

Overall a really sweet and swoony romance with characters that show growth and self-reflection.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I enjoyed this book much more than I originally thought I would. At the beginning I thought it would be her dramatizing her life on the Bachelorette as a novel but I quickly realized that wasn't the case. It had very little Bachelor moments with a side character being involved with with the show. However, this book was a lot more about self discovery. How happiness is a part of the journey not a destination, what we do to create our own happiness, happiness is not necessarily a feeling we feel every day but how we get there.

Maya had thought she had been doing everything according to her "plan" but at the end of the day whose plan was it? Who was she making happy? We saw Maya becoming her own person at the end of this book and making her own decisions and coming into her own skin.

This was such a fun and hopeful read! I loved Maya’s humor, especially her internal monologue! It’s a love story but it’s more about finding how to love oneself and choosing happiness. Kai was so loveable! Ella was amazing and so full of life. I would love to read more about these characters!

Thank you to Rachel Lindsay, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advance copy of "Real Love."

First off, I'll start by saying I wanted to love this so much more. The premise was intriguing and unique, as well as having an incredibly strong Black female lead. Rachel Lindsay pulls slightly from her experience on "The Bachelorette" to put together a cute, "what if" novel that is, truthfully, very sweet.

I love the way Lindsay was able to emphasize the importance of making choices for yourself and finding your own path, no matter what everyone else is telling you. I also love the style of writing. It was fun and felt like you were talking to your best friend.

What I had a hard time with was the pacing of the novel. It was slow in the beginning, fell into a whirlwind from the middle to the last third of the book and then picked up significantly in the final acts. Basically, the ending felt rushed and thrown together, as though she said all she wanted to say but needed to create a happy ending.

I wanted to like this so much more but it still is an enjoyable, cute romance with elements of strength that are not common in many other books out there now.

I was excited to learn that Rachel Lindsay was going to be writing a novel. I have followed Rachel since her time on The Bachelor/Bachelorette and was excited to read this book.

Maya Johnson is a young woman who is nearing her thirtieth birthday who is working to obtain a promotion in her finance job. While she tries to do her best at work, she's also always trying to make her Mom proud; that's one of the most important things to her.

We embark upon a journey with Maya as she tries to accomplish her goal of the promotion all while balancing her relationship with her longtime boyfriend, Vaughn, and her friendships with her colleague/friend, Bailey and her best friend Delilah, who is the lead on the Bachelor/Bachelorette type show "Real Love".

The book, to me, was more women's fiction than romance, as Maya really found out who she was as she was finding out what was important to her. The romance was there, but it didn't feel as organic as I thought it could have and it felt rushed at the end. I wish it would have been more fleshed out.

Overall, I thought this was a good debut and I would definitely check out another novel by Lindsay in the future!

**I read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I absolutely adored Rachel Lindsay on The Bachelorette and have been a fan since, so I jumped at the chance to read her debut fiction novel!

I loved the reality tv/bachelor tie-in. I loved the blog posts and how she kept this storyline going throughout. I also loved the strong female presence and friendships in this novel! The growth of the FMC especially with her sister I think was the highlight for me.

I was definitely expecting the book to have a lot more romance. Based on the cover, title and bachelor references, I was anticipating romance to be the main plot point, which it definitely is not. While the MMC is swoonworthy, he is a background character.

Overall, it was a bit of a slow read, the pacing was ok and I thought the ending was very rushed, but it was a well-written and executed debut with a fun premise!

Publish date: March 7, 2023.

I have never watched The Bachelorette as I’m not much of a reality tv (or tv in general) fan, but I love that Rachel was able to write this and believe fans of the show will appreciate it. I enjoyed the book but felt as though it was more women’s fiction than romance. The romance that was included was good but felt rushed to me and wasn’t as present as I would have liked for a romance novel. I felt as though information about Delilah on Real Love and the gossip blog felt a bit out of place(?) but I also see how Delilah’s story in the book helped Maya make choices for her own life. I enjoyed seeing Maya and Ella’s, relationship grow as sisters and was really hoping Maya and Kai would have chosen the trip to Brazil so I could read more about their travels and Ella’s carefree nature. Overall, I enjoyed this and would give it 4/5 stars. While it was lacking some of my favorite qualities, it was able to hold my attention quite well. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book!

Instagram where review will be posted on 2-23-2023: @_thebookchamber https://www.instagram.com/_thebookchamber/
Goodreads: Lark Chambers
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/152645241-lark-chambers

DNF @ 30%. I am not enjoying "Real Love" at all. I'm only 1/4th of the way through it, and so far, it feels like absolutely nothing has happened. Nothing really reigned me in and kept my attention. It's so shallow and superficial. I'm not too fond of the main character and her friends. Despite being a people pleaser, Maya is really vapid. I have a feeling I know where this story is going to go: Maya will learn to step outside of her strictly regimented comfort zone and find her own self-worth when the guy she least expected turns out to be better than her ex-boyfriend (Vaughn) ever was. And also, "Real Love" is obviously a double entendre. I don't watch reality TV, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy books about it, and I've read several other, better books that revolve around reality television. Thank you, next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Lindsay, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

"I wish I could say it was one thing. But the truth is, I think occasions I don't even remember might've shaped me the most. All of those instances where I ignored what brought me joy and placed everyone else's happiness over mine turned me into who I am today."

Real Love is a novel about a woman who is taking on the world. She is everything she should be and she wouldn't have it any other way. Until a turned down opportunity to go a Reality TV show shows her everything she just might be missing.

My favorite part of this story was probably the relationship between Maya and Ella. I was rooting for them to really build that sisterly relationship that they'd lost, break down the barriers that they'd put up between each other due to differing life circumstances.

Kai and Delilah were both great. I just wish I'd been able to get to know them more as characters instead of as plot points to move our heroine toward her destination. Because of this lack of depth with Kai the relationship also fell a little flat. I was definitely getting into the new romance when suddenly I was like, wait--are they not talking anymore? Why isn't he around? ... He just wasn't that big a part of the story.

Now my biggest grievance is probably the ending. I'll just say that the ending made me realize all the ways I still don't quite understand Maya. I was told her story but it was still pretty surface level so I didn't feel the connection I sometimes do--the connection that gives you insight into their choices before they make them themselves.

So, with that being said, I did enjoy the story. I don't think I would classify this as a romance per se. It's a book that has romance in it though.

It was a fun, quick read with some great insight on choosing yourself, choosing happiness and not focusing on who others want you to be.

Thank you so much Net Galley and Rachel Lindsay for this eARC.

This was a cute book, definitely not a romance at it's core (maybe women's fiction? Contemporary fiction?). The sisterly relationship was heartwarming to see and the realness between friends was great too. But for me, the romance element fell flat, and the career choices were more than a little far fetched. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and RandomHouse in exchange for a review.

As an avid Bachelor/Bachelorette viewer, I was intrigued that former lead Rachel Lindsay was publishing her first work of fiction and curious to check it out. I still think Rachel Lindsay is awesome, but unfortunately this book was not for me.

I would describe this book as more self-discovery than romance, despite the cover. The premise of the book is interesting. Maya lives her life with a plan, a checklist, and a few spreadsheets. She's generally satisfied with where she is and where she's going, so when she's offered the chance to be the lead on a reality dating show Real Love she turns it down and suggests her best friend, Delilah, for the spot instead. But watching Delilah on the show and seeing her change her life makes Maya question her own choices. Is she happy or is she settling for what's safe?

What I liked: There were some strong moments between Maya and her sister Ella - I totally bought into the sisterly relationship of "You drive me crazy but I love you." The nods to the reality dating show were used effectively, including the blog excerpts.

What didn't work for me: Aside from Maya and her sister Ella, the characters feel one-dimensional. Potential love interest Kai is given no kind of backstory or motivation and is presented without any flaws. I also felt like the pacing in this book was off. Every time there was supposed to be a climactic scene it didn't land with much of an impact, there wasn't enough build-up to the moments of confrontation to make me care about the outcome.

Personally, I am a little over the trope of a woman working in a corporate job who just needs to let loose and find something she loves 100% and the philosophy that "everything will work out." Can we please stop disparaging the choice to have job stability and a 401(k)?

This book had potential but I found myself wondering if the publishers/editors didn't push enough to make it stronger because they knew it would sell copies either way due to the popularity of the author.

Maya is comfortable with her life-- she's good at her job, she and her boyfriend have been together for ten years, there's really nothing to complain about. So when she's offered the lead in a reality dating show, of course she turns it down.
But then her boyfriend breaks up with her. And then her sister comes into town and is adamant that Maya isn't happy with her job, either. And Maya starts to wonder if maybe what she'd mistaken for happiness was actually a comfortable stagnation.

I really loved the first half of this book-- Maya clearly is too much of a people pleaser and really doesn't think about what actually makes her happy, and I loved watching how all of that played out, especially when it comes to her relationship with her sister and with her friends. Maya's relationship with her sister, Ella, is tense but loving, and I really loved watching them hit both of those extremes. Her friendships with Delilah (the woman who starred in the reality show in Maya's place) and Bailey were a nice contrast to her relationship with her Ella, and having them all together was great.
Watching Maya start to recognize her self-worth and just how much she settled with her ex, Vaughn, after meeting Kai was also wonderful--that change felt powerful and real and really, really sweet.
I also like the way the groundwork was laid, that Maya was good at her job and comfortable there, that she was recognized for her talents--and that maybe she was only there out of a sense of obligation she didn't even fully realize she felt.
All in all, the first half really drew me in, even though it wasn't at all what I expected.
However, the ending of the book was rushed in a way that made it feel like Maya never actually had any real character growth--rather, there was a character switch that was flipped.

Spoilers ahead for a lot of plot stuff, mostly focused on the ending.

Maya eases into living her life a bit more freely by taking an art class, which feels like a huge step to her. And then she allows her friends to throw her a party, which she's hesitant about the entire time (which doesn't really show much growth in that area). Her next real growth moment is... turning down the promotion she's been working on, quitting her job effective immediately, and buying a plane ticket so suddenly that she doesn't even have time to organize the movers to get her stuff out of her apartment. Frankly, even though this is the "growth" she was moving toward, I didn't find myself cheering her on; I wanted her to speak with a psychiatrist. The ending was so rushed that I didn't feel any of the justification for these giant life changes-- and, since they were things her sister and friends were pushing for, it just felt like she was leaning into the people pleasing (which is an established flaw that it seemed would be a focus of her character growth) rather than making choices for herself. If the ending had been slowed down more or we had seen more of Maya's internal monologue during these decisions I could have been really excited for her, but as it was it felt way too chaotic and unauthentic to the character.
She also is quick to forgive a few things at the end that, if she'd actually grown from her character-pleasing tendencies, would have at least been a bigger deal. I was hoping for a couple fights, a couple call-outs--something more than her just accepting the behavior, forgiving it relatively quickly, and moving on. While it does seem that she cuts out her friend, I needed more out of that interaction; she let her off way too easily, and it felt like her fear of confrontation was driving that interaction.
I do really like that, at the end, we don't quite know which choice Maya makes (though I do have my suspicions).

The rushed ending and lack of that solid character growth was enough to drop two stars from my review--up until then I really, really loved it. And overall, though I was unsatisfied with the ending, I did still like the book and would read more from this author.

I also went into this expecting a romance, because that's how it was marketed, but--spoiler alert here--it definitely is not one. We aren't introduced to Maya's new love interest until about a third of the way through, he's a bit of an afterthought for about half of the remaining book, and... we don't even know for sure if they end up together. While this book does have a romance, it is not capital-R, Romance as a genre.