Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of reality shows such as The Bachelor, Love Island, and The Circle, I was super excited to read this one! When Orie spontaneously applies for a reality show, she thinks she is signing up for one of her all-time favorite shows, Survivor. However, she soon finds out that she’s actually been casted onto a brand new romantic version of the show instead where she is literally attached at the hip to another person. What’s even crazier? That person just so happens to be an old high school crush of hers. Over the next few weeks she is competing for a million dollars while simultaneously forming new friendships with her competitors and possibly a new romance…

I thought this book was so so cute and fun! The characters are likeable, and the bonds that Orie forms with her castmates are heartwarming. The reality show aspect also keeps things interesting. I found myself having a tough time putting this one down once I got into it.

However, there are some moments that are maybe a bit on the cheesy/quirky side, which I know isn’t for everyone. But I still think the story was worthwhile. And it was definitely a quick and easy read!

⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️

This was a fun concept, but fell a little flat for me. I'm a huge fan of survivor and thought a little romcom twist would be fun, but ultimately the compete priorities of mashing two games was a little rough for me.

But! I do think it would be appealing to a broader audience that isn't me. There was a lot to love and a decent build up of tension. I definitely giggled a few times and rolled my eyes (in a good way) at others.

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I love reality tv and was excited for a fun light read set in that world, but this read like fan fiction. The characters were flat with too much forced quirk. The writing was juvenile and needed an edit from top to bottom.

This was so cute and really funny in some parts. I loved it! I loved the concept of the reality show our FMC is on and the fact that she’s awkward and clueless at times was super relatable.

So when I started this book and the storyline of survivor came up, I was thinking come-on. But Alda’s this is a good storyline. So glad I read it It’s a fast paced book. My daughter wants to read it now, she was in the room as I was reading and heard the giggles as I was zooming along

First of Remy!!! Secondly Osprey 🥰

Glad how this book built up and would highly recommend

Orie Lennox, the FMC is passively floating through life, unable to make any decisions or take charge of her own destiny. An argument with her older sister, spurs her to apply to be on the reality show survivor. She is selected to be on the show, the only catch…. It’s actually a survivor dating show hybrid instead. However, she is determined to win the reality show and save her family with the cash prize.

This book was an entertaining rom-com, and the reality show aspect with all the unexpected twists and turns was entertaining. Orie is likeable, and has some major personal growth during the filming.

Overall, this is a cute light read. As fun to binge as your favourite reality show.

Thank you to St.Martins Press and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

This book was a lot of fun! I am a huge reality TV competition fan and when I heard about this book, I couldn’t wait to pick it up. Sometimes I get nervous when a book comps a reality tv show, but this book hit all of the things I wanted. The show aspect of this book really delievered, the game was fun, the challenges were entertaining, and the production part of the show was carried throughout—all of which are exactly what I wanted. The pacing of this book was also great. Christine is really good at making each scene/chapter interesting withe tension and intrigue. I will, say, there were a lot of cheesy bits in here. Orie is a very unique character and while I can completely understand how she might not be for everyone, I don’t think I’ve read a book with a similar voice before so I did find that it didn’t bother me too much. Overall, though, I found this book to be a lot of fun. And as mood reader, it hit me at the right time.

What a fun premise! Definitely a nice change of pace from standard romances and it was funny! I do think this book missed the mark on a few points. First the references seemed a little outdated for folks in their early 20s, and second, no epilogue with a check in on the shows contestants?? Missed opportunity! But only because I loved the show and characters and wanted to see what was next for them!

Are we seeing a trend with reality TV show tropes? Because I am here for it! I liked the element of the reality TV show as the main backdrop, but I found our characters to be funny, the chemistry was palpable and overall this was a great read.

I am what you call a survivor super fan and was ECSTATIC to read this, but I simply could not get into it. While the idea was neat, the constant attempt for the characters to be so quirky really annoyed me. I think this would have thrived if it this book followed the typical game of survivor and depicted a showmance instead of this weird twist of survivor. While I get this book is fiction, I could not believe that a change to the game of survivor like this would happen.

Due to my low rating and dnf of the book at 80% I will not be sharing my review on Goodreads or Storygraph.

This was such a fun read. I’m a huge fan of Survivor and reality tv so I was really excited to start this. The main character is HILARIOUS. I laughed out loud more times than I can count. I will definitely be recommending this one to upper YA readers.

I needed a few days to gather my thoughts about this book because what a rollercoaster it was - and sadly, I don't mean it in a good way. While the premise was promising I knew from the start this book isn't gonna hold up to it. The writing, the characters and the plot - especially the plot twist - felt like a Wattpad story I would read in the middle of the night when I was 15. And while that definitely would appeal to some people (even me at some point), it was simply not what I wanted from this book. However, I have to admit that even though the romance was cringy, the characters did have good chemistry and made a believable couple which many romances lack.

I really loved this book. I'm always a sucker for a book with a reality show setting and this one was executed so well. Orie was a very relatable and likable main character. I really liked that there was romance while also having so much more going on at the same time. There were a lot of family and friend connections that were just as important as the romantic ones. I liked that we got to see so much depth in Orie's life and other things going on in the show and her personal life which added a lot of richness to the story. It also made everything feel a lot more believable and interesting. All the characters had a lot of depth and were easy to keep track of and tell apart. I also was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of LGBT+ representation in the book.

Funny, quirky Survivor meets the Bachelor (ish) story! Orie gets selected to be on Survivor (or so she thought)! Turns out, she got selected to be on the romance/speed dating version of survivor. So she’s trying to find love while trying to win the game. Honestly surprised this isn’t a real thing.
The FMC Orie was awkward and quirky which made her that much more relatable. I loved her awkwardness because we’ve all been there and it’s refreshing to see characters like that. She got flustered and embarrassed herself but she didn’t let it hold her back.
I loved the idea of this story, the concept sounded so interesting! And it worked. I loved the bonus chapters with the contestant interviews. They were creative and funny. 10/10
The book itself has a lot of pop culture references, and I mean ALOT. I felt that there were too many and it took away from the story. Some were unneeded and just felt extra.
Overall, I enjoyed the story but the pop culture references were so abundant that I got tired of them. Other than that, absolutely loved. The characters were different and had their own personalities that worked well with the story.
Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I DNF’d this about 30% in NOT because it is a bad book, the genre just wasn’t for me. Overall, this book as a young adult romance is a 4/5. Riccio puts together a very unique and creative plot and truly knows how to deliver on it. Unfortunately, for me it felt like there were a lot of outdated pop culture references that some teens may not understand. For example, it mentions jersey shore; I am 26 and that show was before my time, but it could be more popular than I think. For the book itself I saw a lot of potential and was intrigued by the characters and story. I just don’t think young adult romance is for me personally.

WOW!!! This is not what I was expecting at all in the best way! I loved how it really was a combination of Survivor and The Bachelor with the love match element and the different competitions to stay on the island. I also love how well each character was written and was able to imagine them so vividly! What didn’t come across in the description of this book was the depth of Orie’s family, her own mental state and personal development, and the suspense/mystery element (not going to spoil anything, you’ll have to read it yourself). This was so much more than a cutesy romance novel; Orie was quirky and relatable, and the discussions of following your dreams and falling in love were so meaningful. I absolutely loved this book and now only wish it was in the format of a TV series too!!!

I liked the vibe of reality tv shows this book gave off. This book was funny, full of drama with an added love triangle like any reality tv show. not a typical trope I would reach for but not disappointed

The story and the writing were pretty solid. The characters were cute. Overall, a fun book for some teens. Definitely not for everyone as it's very Instagram/social media/contemporary.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC! Truly enjoyed this one- I loved the story and the overall concept of the game. I really fell in love with the characters and the style of the book- the end and the twists were so good! Really kept me engaged and interested from start to finish. Really a fun and charming read!

Orie is 23 and coasting along in life working as a social media influencer with her sister and living at home. She does what is needed to get by but generally lets others take care of her. When her sister calls her out and she realizes that her life is not what she truly envisioned, Orie applies for her favorite show, Survivor. But she is accepted to a new reality TV show that blends a dating show with survivor-type challenges while being stranded on an Island and actually attached to another person. I find the interpersonal relationships on reality TV shows endlessly interesting. The author really highlights the friendships and relationships that were ongoing while Orie was playing the game.

Another thing that I like is character growth. Orie is mostly lacking self-motivation and is completely codependent when we meet her. But we see her become a much better version of herself. To compete in the show, she must dig deep and find her internal strength. I was so happy to see her blossom throughout the story.

Thank you, Net Galley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.