As many people know, I really, really love reality/game show romances. Plus, I very much enjoyed Kelly Ohlert's debut, TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE. So when I saw her sophomore novel, LET'S GET QUIZZICAL, I knew I had to request it. And I was not disappointed! It's such a fun and cute story, and I loved the relationship between the main characters! I maybe would've liked a few more game show scenes, but overall, it's a great book!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

As a trivia nerd, I was so excited to dive into Let's Get Quizzical, a second-chance romance about high school exes in need of cash who end up as partners on a game show.

And as much as I enjoyed the concept of this book, the central issue these characters face is rooted in moral righteousness. Charlotte has grown up in a family that is nearly fanatical about honesty – and as the story progress, you learn to understand why that is, but, Charlotte believes it in a way that is rigid and inflexible. And though that means there is room for lots of character growth here (for both characters – not that Eli is a compulsive liar, but compared to Charlotte, he's practically morally grey), Charlotte is often at odds with even her own feelings because of her insistence on honesty and truthfulness – she can't even go along with a "lie" for the greater good or for the sake of people she loves. Because of this, I found myself very frustrated with her, and considered putting it down on several occasions.

But! I continued on, and though I wasn't in love with the humor and writing style for the first 40% of the book or so, it did finally find its stride and pick up after that. Ultimately, this is a quick and sweet second-chance romance with a bit of kicky spice and a happy ending. And hey, if you're into trivia, then you'll have a blast with all the random facts that pepper the story.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book. But it did end up being cute and fun in the end.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars, It was a cute story idea,

I did feel the lead in of the book was a bit short and choppy. It was hard to understand who these characters were before it jumped straight into the gameshow angle. The other part that was less convincing was how quickly Charlotte was willing to forgive Eli for a wrong she had been holding onto for 10+ years.

I really enjoyed the dual perspective, getting to see what was happening in both Charlotte and Eli's head and better understand their motivations, concerns, and goals. I also really enjoyed how their rekindled romance was a somewhat slow burn and allowed them to not just remember what they knew of each other from their high school romance, but also learn the new things about each other as the grew into their adult versions of themselves.

Thank you for the eARC!

I have never read a book with romance at a game show which made this one so exciting for me. I absolutely adored the characters and, overall just really loved the book.

Kelly Ohlert charms me once more with her ability to not annoy me while doing things in books that generally annoy me. Most of the romance books have a bit of miscommunication trope to make their books exciting which I absolutely hate but surprise I didn't hate it at all in this book.

They were so cute together and their chemistry was just bursting, and I loved the scenes during the shows. Overall, I think this was a great read, and I would recommend it to everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Charlotte has been dreaming of a chance on her favourite trivia show, Brain Battle. Her opportunity comes at a perfect time, as her family is facing financial troubles due to her beloved Grandmother’s health problems.

Eli is facing struggles of his own, as his dad just got out of jail and they are trying to keep up on their bills and make a better life for themselves. He sees his appearance on Brain Battle as the hail mary they need.

It isn’t until Charlotte and Eli come face-to-face on their episode do old feelings come to the surface. Charlotte was hurt in the past by Eli, and Eli has been looking for the chance to make it right - he just didn’t realize it would be on tv.

Eli is offered a chance to go further on the show, but he’s not sure what to do - do the right thing to earn back Charlotte’s respect and, hopefully, love or do what helps his family the most.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I thought the premise was interesting, and the pacing was well done. I just found Charlotte and her inability to see the grey between the black and white of life unbearable. And that’s totally fine! She was just 2-note character (truth and trivia, babyyyyy).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publiser for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was excited about the game show premise as someone who's always loved trivia and grew up watching Jeopardy! with my family. However, this story and I unfortunately just didn't click. I wasn't convinced by the relationship between Eli and Charlotte, especially considering how quickly they reconciled. I also found their chemistry to be lacking, possibly because the plot felt so all over the place that their romance and characterization weren't given enough space to flesh out fully. I do think there are individual scenes that worked well, but the overall story just wasn't for me.

When Charlotte finally fulfils her lifelong dream of appearing on her favourite Game Show the last thing she expects is to come face to face with Eli. . . .
With memories of the past coming back around, emotions run high as they embark on the journey of game show TV together. . . . Will they be able to overcome the past to work as a team and win the money they both need?

This was super cute and enjoyable story (as someone who enjoys watching game shows - especially quiz and trivia - it was great to dive in a little bit with a behind the scenes look!). Charlotte and Eli are both interesting characters with good background stories and a lovely chemistry between them which translated well onto written page. The side characters were also interesting and I thought it was all very cleverly applied within the game show setting.

Overall was a sweet , heartwarming and easy read :) which I can only say could have used a touch more substance but nothing major as it was perfectly enjoyable and relatable as is.

Thank YOU to NetGalley, Kelly Ohlert and Alcove Publishing for the opportunity to experience this book as an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Let's Get Quizzical by Kelly Ohlert is a delightful and heartwarming second-chance romance that offers a truly unique premise and an undeniable spark of chemistry.

This wasn't a bad book, I just wasn't a fan. In contemporary romance the characters are what drive the story and I didn't really care about Charlie or Eli. I also didn't think the two of them together were particularly romantic. The plot behind the romance was a little too predictable too.

Blah! This book jumped straight into the plot without giving us any sort of background on the characters and expected us to catch up! For a rom com it also dives into weirdly heavy stuff and also weirdly light stuff (there is prison/bribery but also the reason they broke up in the first place is because he did not ditch high school with her??) it feels flimsy and stupid and I was the opposite of invested. Thank you to the author, Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC

There were some really fun elements to this story - all of the random and amazing trivia, the extremely vivid seedy motel descriptions, the spicy scenes. However, the characters were so singularly focused that they ended up feeling a little two-dimensional. It really bugged me that neither of the main characters seemed to have good friends in their lives, like they were just in stasis because of a high school relationship - it just didn't quite land for me. Overall, it was a fun pool read, but not one I see myself re-reading.

"Let's Get Quizzical" by Kelly Ohlert is a delightful and heartwarming romance novel that explores the themes of second chances and unexpected connections. Ohlert's storytelling charm shines as she crafts a tale of rekindled love, personal growth, and the power of revisiting the past. The book's engaging plot and relatable characters create an immersive reading experience that resonates with fans of romance and second chance stories. Ohlert skillfully navigates the emotions of nostalgia, forgiveness, and the journey of self-discovery, adding depth to the narrative. "Let's Get Quizzical" is a heartwarming reminder that sometimes the best way to move forward is to reconnect with our past, leaving readers with a sense of hope and a renewed appreciation for the transformative power of love's second chances.

Charlotte and her family are longtime game show lovers so when she finds out she’s been selected to be on her favorite trivia fame show, it’s a dream come true. Not only because of her love for the show, but also because her family could really use the money to help cover her grandmother’s medical bills. Unfortunately, she soon discovers that her high school boyfriend who broke her heart is going to be a contestant as well as he needs the money to help bail him and his father out of debt. With the stakes being so high, they decide to put the past behind them and work together so they can win the money. But there are a few kinks going to be thrown in their plan. Can they get through them and come out on top?
I didn’t love this one but it wasn’t bad. My main issue with it was that it wrapped up too quickly leaving several questions unanswered.
It’s just your average story. Fine but nothing super memorable about this for me.
Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review

I requested this book from NetGalley immediately after seeing the title.
I love the quiz show premise, being a big fan of quiz tv shows myself, and I really loved the random general knowledge trivia facts which are peppered into the prose. There was also good humour in this book, it made for a very enjoyable and easy read.
This book is written in two POVs, which I usually enjoy, but unfortunately they read too similar and I frequently was confused whose POV I was reading from which was a shame.
I think the main issue with this book was the repetitiveness, I think the plot just isn't strong or developed enough. The main plot of the book is a moral dilemma which I found interesting but I think possibly it took away from the romance of the book.
Both of the main characters have good development arcs and I liked them both a lot, especially Charlotte. I just wished they each had a more distinct personality and voice. But I really rooted for their romance throughout and wished for their HEA.
Let's Get Quizzical is a cute second-chance romance which I would especially recommend if you personally enjoy quiz and trivia.
⭐⭐⭐ 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press and Kelly Ohlert for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

Review is posted to Goodreads and to be posted on Amazon on publication date.

I love the title of this book! I loved Ohlert’s previous book as well in this world. Second chance romances are a hit or miss for me. To me this was a miss. The grudge seemed over the top which pulled me out of the story and then the forgiveness part just didn’t work for me. I loved the idea of the tv show and quizzes though! The title is perfect!

There was something about Let's Get Quizzical that caught my attention immediately. I do love a good pun title, and the premise sounded like so much fun with the trivia show and second-chance romance. I've been looking forward to finally read this book, although I confess I was a tad worried about the lower rating on Goodreads... Sadly, I do understand this rating now that I've had the chance to read this story myself.

There is no doubt that the premise of this story is very promising. I loved the sound of the reality TV angle with the trivia show, and Let's Get Quizzical definitely delivered on that front by incorporating lots of nerdy facts as well as the shooting of the actual episodes. This probably ended up being one of my favorite aspects of the book for me, and it was fun learning some of the facts. The second-chance romance also had a lot of potential, with the two main characters not talking for thirteen years and their reunion being shown on live TV. BUT. And here is where it went wrong for me...

I wasn't a fan of the background of that second-chance romance. There is a lot of drama around the past and Eli breaking Charlotte's heart; neither of them seemingly ever getting over the relationship they had as a teenager. The fact that they never talked after what happened just didn't seem credible to me, and especially considering the fact that they went to the same school at the time. The whole reason they stopped talking was so underwhelming as well, and as a result their supposedly strong bond just didn't feel credible either.

I found the whole grudge to be over the top, but if Charlotte was still so angry all those years later, the switch to forgiveness was too abrupt to be believable. I also found that the main characters themselves lacked fleshing out beyond their troubled backgrounds and issues; I somehow never felt like I truly got to know them. Sure, some of their interactions were kind of cute, but I never felt all that invested in their growing relationship. Charlotte could also be considerably frustrating and narrow-minded with her whole 'honesty and truth above all' without thinking about the consequences...

I also felt that Let's Get Quizzical was trying to squeeze to many different elements and storylines into the plot, and as a result the romance was mostly lost. There were some elements with potential, including the corruption, long-lost grandfather and family issues, but they weren't developed in a sufficient way to truly add more dept to the plot. They say that sometimes less is more, and I feel that definitely applies to this story.

All in all I did end up having mixed thoughts about Let's Get Quizzical. There were a couple things I loved including the trivia show and random facts, but as a whole I felt that this story didn't meet its true potential.

2 stars

This book was just a miss for me.

Sure, the blurb and tropes are super compelling, but the execution falls flat in it's attempts to make the readers fall in love with the characters.

Most of the story felt like a bunch of external events being thrown at the characters, and then trying to navigate through them with zero emotion. The so called 'love' between the characters was completely absent, and so was the chemistry.

A constant presence, however, in the story was that of honesty. And honestly, I didn't understand the ruckus created (and a joyless sequence of events) being dragged unnecessarily for its apparent importance.

I had high hopes as a big trivia fan but it did not land well for me. Everything felt so depressing and the romance wasn’t clicking the way I needed it to.

This book is a cute romcom about second chances and quiz games. I liked the second chance romance, but I would really have loved if we had gotten a lot more details about the past.

This first half of the book was a bit slow paced for me, but once I got to the second half of the book it felt a lot faster.
I loved the character development, but I didn’t really connect with any of the characters.

I really loved the authors book To Get to the Other Side, but sadly this one didn’t do it for me. I still think it’s worth giving a chance and I will definitely recommend it, because of the writing and the character development. The plot and the characters just wasn’t something I personally connected with.

I hope to read more of this author, since I really loved her first book!