Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my ARC copy! This review contains my personal thoughts and opinions.

As someone who loves Survivor and dating reality shows, Attached at the Hip was an absolute delight to read! From the very first page, I felt like I was watching a high-stakes reality competition, complete with unexpected twists, dramatic reveals, and just the right amount of romance.

Christina Riccio did an incredible job capturing the chaos and excitement of reality TV, making the book feel like I was binge-watching an addictive new show. I truly never knew what was coming next, and that unpredictability kept me hooked.

While I found the ending a bit lackluster compared to the rest of the story, the journey to get there was so much fun that it more than made up for it. If you’re a fan of reality TV or just looking for a unique, entertaining read, I highly recommend giving Attached at the Hip a try!

Rating: 4.5/5

This book is one of my top reads of 2024! I am a lifelong survivor fan and a lifelong rom-com fan, so this book was a match made in heaven! It had me laughing out loud and constantly telling myself "just one more chapter." I read this book so fast and was genuinely sad when it was over. I can't wait to go back and read this author's other works and wait impatiently for her next release! I definitely recommend this book for Survivor and rom-com fans. Five stars! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the eARC of this one! These are my honest thoughts.

This book was a lot of fun! Survivor meets a reality dating show?? I'm not the biggest fan of reality TV. As in, I don't watch any TV because I'm too busy reading books... lol. But the young adults in this new reality show spin-off of Survivor brought a lot of fun energy and silly drama to this book, and I actually really liked it.

Orie is working through her identity as a new college graduate who has always just gone with the flow. She breaks up with her boyfriend since middle school to join the cast of Attached at the Hip, where producers have vetted missed connections and possible love interests, and contestants are attached at the hip to a partner for chunks of time between challenges... literally. attached. at. the. hip.

I found so many of the funny things that happened to be LOL hysterical. The audio especially brought the challenges and silly mishaps to life.

I think this book lands somewhere between a 3.75 and 4 stars for me. I wanted more from the end and the HEA... no spoilers, but I love who she ended up with!

Oh, my gawd! I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard at a book! All the way through this I was laughing and giggling. I just loved and adored following Orie. Her personality was just amazing, you could easily tell her mind was racing a mile a minute. She had so much word vomit, the things she would say were hilarious, and she was just so anxious and energetic, that her mouth didn’t know when to stop talking. It was so entertaining to follow!

Orie takes a risk applying for the Survivor series after her sister accuses her of never being able to do anything on her own. When Orie gets chosen for a spin-off series with a romantic twist on the survivor show, Orie accepts to prove to her sister, and herself, that she’s wrong. Orie is thrust into a wild ride, exploring relationships, challenging herself mentally, and just soul-searching.

I loved seeing the events of the show and all the challenges Orie faces, navigating the relationships, and learning who to trust. It was entertaining, to say the least.

My only issue with this one was after we finished the filming of the show, the events that followed weren’t fully upfront for us as the reader. We watch as Orie processes what happened as we prepare for the show to premiere. Even as the show starts to air, she’s continuing to learn of further deceit from the other contestants. And I couldn’t help but have so many questions, which I still had plenty from during the filming of the show.

As we near the end of the book, I was still left with a few unanswered questions. And I’m left here going “Wait, that’s it?” It just felt very abrupt with how some things ended.

But other than those few questions, this was such a fun rom-com drama! As I said, I was laughing throughout the whole book. Another one that I just couldn’t put down. I finished this in just over a day!

I highly recommend this if you enjoy reality TV, rom-coms, and drama!

This is an excellent book if you enjoy watching Survivor, and maybe Bachelor in Paradise. In this hilarious romantic adventure, Orie thinks she has signed up to be on Survivor, but it turns out she’s on a Survivor spin-off show that has a romantic pairing element (a la Bachelor in Paradise). As she fights to win the prize to help her family, and prove to everyone that she’s an Adult who can handle herself, she has to navigate tricky alliances between: the one who got away in high school; a parkour star who turns out to love books as much as she does; and the new friend who wants her to stay loyal to the women on the show. It’s a fun story and I really enjoyed the audiobook.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to @macmillan.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Pobody’s Nerfect

Attached at the Hip is a delightful and humorous romantic comedy that celebrates individuality and the power of friendship. Orie Lennox, a quirky and endearing protagonist, navigates a reality TV show with a unique twist, and the results are hilarious and heartwarming.

The author's witty banter and relatable characters make for a captivating read. The friendships formed within the show are genuine and heartwarming, adding depth to the story. The romantic tension is palpable, and the slow-burn romance is satisfying.

The book's unique premise, which blends elements of reality TV and survival challenges, provides a fresh and engaging backdrop for the story. It's a perfect blend of humor, romance, and self-discovery.

Brittany Pressley's narration of Attached at the Hip is exceptional. Her portrayal of Orie's quirky and endearing personality is spot-on, bringing the character to life. Pressley's voice work enhances the listening experience, making it a delightful and engaging audiobook.

Overall, Attached at the Hip is a must-read for fans of romantic comedies. It's a fun, feel-good read that will leave you smiling.

5 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #attachedatthehip #christinericcio #brittanypressley

I loved this books so much. I cannot say enough good things about it. BUT I am a huge fan of Survivor. Lennox is sweet, funny, and awkward but she also has a lot of growing up to do. Life isn't quite what she thought it would be. She's doesn't have a career path, she doesn't think she loves her boyfriend, and her sister told her she needs to be more independent. So on a whim, she decides to apply for Survivor and she gets selected! But she soon finds out that it's not quite Survivor. It's Survivor dating. Lennox really comes into her own while speed dating in the wilderness.

This book was a pretty fun read! Orie decides to join a Survivor style game and has a later stage coming of age. That's a super over simplification, but this book is really about Orie finding her path. She wanted to use Survivor as a launching point, but instead finds herself in a dating/survival style game. Her journey is similar to what she expected, but now her heart is on the line. This was such a fun book, especially as a frequent reader of YA. The style of writing does lean more towards YA romance, but it kind of fits with the drama of a survival show. The challenges are fun and creative and you really get a feel for the characters. I had picked this up expecting more of a romance, but it took a back seat to the drama of the show and Orie's development, which I'm okay with. There was a lot of pop culture references which I am usually not a fan of. It really dates a book and prevents wide appeal (will older adults get the Mean Girls reference?). It suits Orie's personality, but nothing would be missed if it was left out.

Unfortunately this book was not good. As someone who used to follow Christine in 2015, I could see this character as a self insert for her and it was extremely unrelatable and won't age well. Most of the Survivor style action was pretty boring.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

4/5

I had high hopes for *Attached at the Hip*, but unfortunately, it didn't quite hit the mark. The main character, Orie, was challenging to connect with, and her life choices felt a little too contrived to be relatable. The premise of the reality show could have been a fun twist, but the way it played out just didn't hold my attention. The challenges, the romance, the tension all felt a bit forced, and I couldn't help but feel like I was reading more of the same.

The romance with Remy seemed promising at first, but their dynamic never really evolved in a way that kept me engaged. The game of "human chess" was an exciting idea, but the stakes never felt high enough to make me care. There were moments when I thought the book would pick up, but by the end, I had just been waiting for something to click that never did.

Overall, the story was underwhelming. There were too many surface-level relationships and not enough depth to make me truly invested in the characters or the plot.

I thought this was okay. Nothing special and it felt a little weird to me with these characters on this reality tv show setting. I have another book by Riccio though that seems to be more firmly YA and I think that will be more my speed!

As someone who reads quite a lot of romance, this premise and execution swept me off my feet!

In combining so many contemporary favorite shows, plots, and tropes, Attached at the Hip leaves the reader hooked. Orie Lennox, our main character sits in an uncomfortable in-between, deciding whether to end her loveless relationship, navigating sister dynamics, and pondering what she wants to do with her life, getting cast on a Bachelor x Survivor show was probably not on her bingo card. Orie is an extremely relatable character, and this book does a great job of balancing rom-com quirkiness alongside more hard-hitting topics. I was engaged all throughout and it was a very difficult title to put down. I was a bit hesitant towards the premise at first, but I was sorely mistaken with my initial assumptions. Personally, I think that this premise requires a great amount of tedious writing, and can walk a fine line between brilliant and objectively bad. Between the writing, banter, character arcs, and silliness this book really did it for me in a sea of meh reads this year.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an early copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This was a miss for me. I felt the strong was all over the place and I couldn’t focus on it to save my life. The characters were also insufferable.

This book was so freaking fun. Honestly I would watch a reality show with this exact premise. It was cute and so enjoyable and the character growth was superb. My first book by this author but definitely won’t be my last.

survivor meets the bachelor is def the best description of this cute little romance type book. reality show fans, rejoice.

This book was OK but I don’t think it was that great. I had some trouble getting into the main character, because sometimes it was pretty cringey what she said or did, and it made it some of the romance and the rest of the survivor plot feel a bit forced. I think the effort was there and the pitch is a good idea but the execution didn’t really work out as well as I’d hoped.

This book was everything I needed to read this summer. As a long-term fan of Survivor and reality shows, this book was an enjoyable read. Contestants are put on an island, tasked with surviving but also attached to a love interest. Yes, please!

I have never been a fan of reality tv shows as a plot for books so I was pleasantly surprised by Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio.

I loved how flirty and cute this read was. It’s a perfect book for curling up at the beach or snuggling your coziest blanket while you spend your entire evening laughing at the shenanigans that play out during this story.

The pacing was a little off key here and there throughout the story but I think that’s standard for the reality show plot point. It seems hard to carry a good pace all throughout a story especially with the onscreen off screen hype moments of a reality show. Otherwise this was such a good book. Christine Riccio has made it on my Authors to Watch List with this banger!