A quirky story of Charlie and Eli in a second chance romance. While I loved it, and it had me hooked from the get go, I did find some of the story line a bit far fetched. But it had all my favourite elements - both characters POVs, a bad guy, angst and eventually a happily ever after :)

This is a cute romance that tackles some heavy subjects but I never felt emotionally connected to the characters or their relationship, something was missing from the writing.

Charlotte's life long dream has been to appear on a game show and when she finally gets the chance, one of the other contestants is her high school boyfriend who ditched her and never spoke to her again 13 years ago. Tensions are high at first but the two must work together to win the money they each need to provide for their families.

One thing that bugged me about this story was that throughout the whole thing, there is talk of the "winnings" but never how much money they get. Knowing an amount would have made the thing feel more real to me.

There are funny moments throughout the book and some touching ones plus some sexy times. It was a fine read but didn't land for me the way I hoped it would considering how much I love second chance romances.

*3.75*

Let's get Quizzical was an absolute delight to read and a very original romance story. I've never read anything set in the TV quizzes world and in this aspect I really liked the setting. I'm a big fan of TV quizzes, they help me unravel after a long day and I was absolutely delighted to see a novel in my favourite genre explore this side of television.

I also particularly enjoy the second chance trope and how it was the main one in this novel. The main characters, Charlotte and Eli, were together during their high school year, but then Eli betrayed Charlotte's trust and they never talked to each other again. Until they meet again on a quiz show where they have to play together. And they both need to win, desperately.

I liked how this novel was structured and given its lenght (280 pages more or less) the two reconnected quite quickly, an aspect I particularly enjoyed. And the communication between them was great, so I can't complain about that. One thing that didn't particularly meet my taste was the obsession Charlotte had with always telling the truth, and shutting our of her life everyone who told her even a little white lie. I totally agree that lying is bad, and honesty should be the best way to conduct oneself, but in this case I think it was really exagerrated and a bit over the top, even if I understood the motivations behind it.

The humor was good, and the bickering between Charlotte and Eli during the quiz was hilarious and overall I think this was a good romance novel that I would totally recommend.

Overall this is a witty, funny, charming romance novel. I loved the idea for this book. Two people who don’t get along have to compete with each other on a game show is a concept that is rife with potential. The game show element is fun, and it adds tension throughout the book. It’s very lighthearted and fun to read. It would have been nice if there had actually been more of the game show in the novel. Ultimately, Ohlert is unable to determine what direction to take the book into, so it becomes a little jumbled after the start.

At its core, this novel is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance. The romance between Eli and Charlotte is sweet and charming. The chemistry between the two is very good, especially in the middle. It’s a very believable romance. Eli is a rock throughout the novel. He doesn’t really change or grow throughout, all of his change happens off the page in the past. His desires also do not change, he constantly just wants to date Charlotte. Charlotte, however, does have significant growth throughout the novel. Her characterization in the beginning and middle can be a little unlikeable. She is very unyielding, unreasonable, and self-centered. This does allow her to grow, and she does get better as the book progresses.

The conflicts in this novel don’t always make much sense, and there are too many. It reads like Ohlert couldn’t quite decide where she wanted she wanted to take the story. There is family conflict, there’s some poorly researched conflict with the law, there’s the conflict between Eli and Charlotte, and there’s the conflict with the show. There is a lot of time in the novel spent on Charlotte’s family, and understanding them and where they come from. Ohlert seems very invested in Charlotte’s family and their conflicts. She’s so invested in Charlotte’s family that Eli’s family seems like an afterthought. There’s an entire plot point involving Charlotte’s grandfather that just seems that it wasn’t necessary. The issue is never fully resolved, and it takes away from the larger story that is being told. Ohlert would have been well served to focus only on a couple of conflicts.

This book is perfect for anyone looking for a sweet, heartwarming, second chance romance. It’s funny and witty, and it will keep you engaged all the way through. I would recommend this book to any one who likes second chance romance or romantic comedies.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Charlotte loves quiz shows and applies to go on her favourite to raise money to cover her grans medical bills. Eli needs money to cover his and his fathers debt so he goes on the show. They get paired together and have history- they were high school sweethearts that ended badly.

I found this book enjoyable but missing something to make it great. i found it a bit unrealistic that Charlotte has held onto a grudge for sooo many years only to forgive him within a week. I found Charlotte to be a bit hard to route for as she is so one track minded, I know we get character growth about this but again just personally found it annoying. I loved Eli he had a lot of character growth and was interesting. There is a lot of side stories as well from ill gran, dad dealing with parole, corrupt quiz show and a grandfather coming back into the picture. Its cute story that just missed the mark with me.

This was pretty sweet with a nice concept behind it, and I liked the trivia bits in the story. However, it lacked any real chemistry between the characters. The non-romantic parts of the plot were significantly stronger and I did enjoy the storyline.

2 Stars I requested this title from NetGalley based on the tropes and thought it would be one I'd love, but sadly it wasn't. It was hard to understand some of the characters' motivation and background. Like why the MCs' families expected them to pay for everything, hence them being on the game show. Or why the game show, which is a type of reality tv, wouldn't like the drama from the MCs not getting along. The writing style and lack of character development meant this was a miss for me.

There are a lot of random facts thrown in - which is super fun!

💜 Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

The premise of this book was so cute, and I enjoyed it at the start.
Unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

I was left with a lot of questions and things that just didn’t make sense to me.

I couldn’t understand why a game show WOULDN’T want drama - like everyone was mad at them for (very briefly) not getting along. I also couldn’t wrap my head around their parents/grandparents expecting them to pay for everything.

Tropes + Topics:
🧡 Second chance
🧡 High school sweethearts
🧡 Game show
🧡 Forced proximity
🧡 Only one shower
🧡 Dual POV/first person

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.

** spoiler alert ** I was not a fan of the writing style of this book and ended up dnf-ing it. The main characters were not well developed and it started off with the lady, Charlotte, who has always wanted to go on this quiz game show and she just ads random facts here and there which...one of my faovorite romances has a lady who knows all kinds of random trivia, but it was incorporated into the story so it was just part of who she was. These facts just felt like they were put in just to put them in and it didn't really work. But her grandmother has a mystery illness and so the family needs money to try and help grandma figure it out and hopefully make her better.

The guy, Eli, is...he dated Charlotte in high school until he suddenly cut things off and broke her heart. He has his own issues as his dad has been in and out of jail and they don't have a lot of money to pay rent and everything, so he tries to go on the game show as well to win the money they need.

Now the game show was...it I guess films one episode a week and shows it live maybe? When they see each other for the first time Charlotte is not able to keep her cool and hates Eli for what happened in high school. Now the way they were acting, how Eli was still in love with her and how Charlotte never got over whatever happened I thought a) it must have been something serious to be this upset after so long and b) they seem like they are in their early twenties, but they are both 30. I was surprised when I saw that as they did not act like it.

I kept reading, hoping the story would suddenly start working for me, but it kept going downhill. Charlotte hates Eli, but very quickly softens to him cause he is hot and he is being nice I guess? And when you find out what happened all those years ago it was like really? That is all? Charlotte has a thing for always being honest and well...it was a bit much. Most people are mostly always honest, but she was weird about it. Part of why she was so angry is because Eli had talked her into skipping a class and she got caught and he wasn't even there so she had abandoned her morals for nothing! Plus her family couldn't trust her anymore and it took forever to build that trust again and it was so over the top. For one class being skipped. Once. Like...it was weird. And Eli didn't meet her because he was on parole and if he got caught skipping again he would be expelled and on his way to meet her he saw that they would get caught so he didn't show up. Plus his dad was arrested around the same time (how Charlotte never knew this I don't know) and he thought she was better off without him cause his life was going nowhere. He was 17 so I would forgive him, but there was too much buildup for such a meh reason. So yeah. After that I was just like this is not great, why am I trying to force myself to finish when it just keeps going downhill? So I stopped.

“That’s it. Talk nerdy to me.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Mentions illegal activities, blackmailing, and reality show corruption. Contains explicit sexual content.

Oh, this was one spicy read, alright? “Let’s Get Quizzical” follows Charlotte (Charlie) and Eli, two estranged high school best friends and lovers, as they reconnect in a trivia game show, in live TV. It was a shock to start for sure, but after they’re paired up as a team, they’re set on advancing in this game show competition, they both can’t afford to lose. They’ll have to look away from their past and into their future—may that be together or as far apart as possible.

Being told through two points of view, this quirky book filled with fun facts and competitiveness is binge-worthy. Kelly Ohlert’s sophomore romantic publishing absolutely exceeded my expectations. Her debut novel, although entertaining, leaned a bit too much into the childish and nonsensical side of fiction for my liking—this was not the case with “Let’s Get Quizzical.” This upcoming novel lets us see more character depth and complexity, while still holding true to its romantic comedy nature. I really can’t wait to see what else Kelly Ohlert has to offer.

Fair warning, this book was a bit more spicy than I had anticipated. And I mean, I was there for it, but just keep that in mind when grabbing this read. Overall, if you’re a sucker for second chance romances, trivia, and nerdy characters, then “Let’s Get Quizzical” has been personally tailored for you.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: October 17, 2023

Let’s Get Quizzical is my first read by Kelly Ohlert. While her other novel, To Get to the Other Side, is on my radar, I, unfortunately, haven’t had the chance to read it yet. The game show premise plus the fun cover were great factors to entice me to read it. The story focuses on Charlotte and Eli who were together when they were 17. After Eli left her, she is not sure she will ever forgive him. When Charlotte arrives on set to compete on her favorite trivia game show, she is shocked to see Eli and now must face her past. I loved this concept as it gave a new twist to the past lovers’ meeting again. There were two issues that I had with this concept, though. The first is the reason behind the initial break-up and the second is the grudge Charlotte holds over Eli 12 years later. For me, even if Eli broke her heart, I have a difficult time comprehending the lack of communication to talk about it then or even years later.

Both Eli and Charlotte have their own motivations to want to win the game show. Eli’s mom left as a child plus his father has been in/out of jail along with him trying to finish his degree. Charlotte wants the money to help her grandmother and family. She can be a frustrating character, though, due to her obsession with honesty. For her, the truth is black and white, when there are bits of grey. Because of this, it was very difficult to connect with her. I like that there was potential for character growth from this, but I think her insistence that the truth is the only way was a bit much. I think some acknowledgement of times when the truth isn’t needed for the greater good would have been nice to insert while keeping the truth as a priority for Charlotte’s character. I loved the concept of the novel, even if some of the details weren’t quite for me. I can see many readers loving this novel and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Alcove Press, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

I read her debut book and this one also slaps. Loved it and the concept of the game show was super unique! I loved how the characters had flaws but they weren’t annoying in a romance novel. They were subtle but relatable. This book had more spice than her first book which was something I wanted! It was a great read over all.

This was an entertaining book. It was fun, sweet and moved along well, though I didn't love the random bits of trivia information that were placed throughout. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

Charlotte and her family are huge game show fans. They have been watching them since she was a kid. She applied to be on any game show for years but had no luck. She even took the time to read each rule to make sure she doesn’t break any in case she was chosen to be on one. One day she was finally chosen to be on her favorite one, and it couldn’t come at a better time. Her and her family need the money for medical bills for her grandma. 

Eli is a personal trainer that is trying to get his degree so he can get a better job. Eli had a rough childhood, his dad has been in and out of jail and is trying to stay on the right track. He can use the money to help him and his dad not struggle so much. He applies to be on the same game show and is picked to compete. 

The day of the first taping we find out that Eli and Charlotte were high school lovers that still had feelings for one another. 

They continue to advance in the game show so that means they have to spend the next few weeks together. The audience loves their dynamic and want to see more, including off the game show. So they decide to explore LA museums and they are seen out and about as much as possible in hopes of the paparazzi seeing them. During this time you see Eli and Charlotte rekindle their love for one another. 

I read this book within 24 hours because I kept wanting to know if they would win the game show. I really liked that aspect of the book but I was a little disappointed that their were a lot of loose ends that we are left with by the conclusion. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Let's Get Quizzical by Kelly Ohlert is a fun time. This second chance romance brings Charlotte and Eli back together to play as a team on the game show "Brain Battle." Both really need the money, but can they play nice to get it?

A game show was a concept that I never read and I thought it was really fun. It also included a slimy tv producer and lots of trivia. Charlotte is very into honesty and was a reason that they had broken up before. This was the only thing that I wasn't a fan of. I think her being so obsessed with the past and honesty was a little over the top. Other than that I thought it was a fun book to pick up.

Thank you @netgalley @alcovepress for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 30%, unfortunately it did not hold my attention and it wasn’t something I wanted to push through. Thank you for the opportunity!

What a fun and charming story! I enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes of the game show and how ratings were so important. It did make me wonder if any game shows use diabolic tactics when they have fan favorites competing. With that said, Charlie’s moral compass was a bit too much for me and I feel like she didn’t always give Eli a fair chance. If you’re looking for a unique storyline in your next rom com than this is for you!

I will start this by saying ... I AM SORRY! I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to love this - and... it hurts to say this but...

I couldn't finish it. I've been trying to read this for over a week and it just isn't clicking with me - I hit 56% of the story, saw that I still had like 3 hours of reading and just couldn't face it. I jumped ahead, read their HEA (but missed all the drama that got it there).

Mostly I dislike of this book comes down to Charlotte. I'm all for a character having to evolve and grow, but she's so.... judgmental? Black and white? Lacks so much empathy. It was all too much.

Eli isn't perfect but at least he was slightly more relatable.

This is a story about second chance at love - however the idea is that Charlotte and Eli "broke up" (aka he ditched her and never spoke to her again) in HIGH SCHOOL. When they were 17 years old. They are now on the cusp of 30 and it feels like reading a story about 22 years old's. Their dynamic just didn't feel like it fit their age.

This book felt like it was trying a little too hard - maybe it would have worked better as a short story that was really only about them re-meeting on the quiz show and their chemistry that made them a fan favourite. But adding in all the other stuff (dad with a record, grandmother that is sick with expensive medical bills, grandfather that comes out of nowhere, producer that is threatening them...) it all felt like too much. Too many random facts, too many smirks (come on Eli!) and too much immaturity.

Thanks Netgalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in return for my honest review. Sorry my opinion isn't as positive as I had hoped it would be.

I thought the premise of this novel sounded like fun and sometimes it was, especially when Eli and Charlotte first reconnected on air on the game show. The audience found their interactions riveting and as a reader, I did too. Where this novel fell flat for me was when they weren’t on the show. Over ten years had gone by and for them to still be in love after all that time didn’t seem very believable and all of the excuses, complaints, and family drama just didn’t seem to be all that interesting. Some of my books have complex characters with family drama but there was also a sidekick or group of friends that provided comic relief or gave the reader another way to connect to the main characters, and these two protagonists were very isolated. Neither had friend groups, just family issues that although rang true, just seemed sad and not very interesting.

It’s rare, but I just didn’t feel that connected to anything in this story. I do wish that the game show was more central to the plot. I mean, it kind of was, but for me it was overshadowed by the more depressing aspects of the story and lacked any kind of fun, other than the moment they first saw each other on set. Sorry, this one just didn’t do it for me.

This was a cute read! I loved how the relationship between Charlotte and Eli grew over the course of the novel. Eli was my favorite character, his personality just poured off the page. I would've liked to see more of Charlotte because she felt very much a secondary character towards the end.