I know the main character of this novel, Murray, seemed to think he was a bad man for the entire of this novel but, honestly, it was a refreshing change to see someone who was so self aware of himself and examined the actions of both himself and the others around him.

We'll recognise Murray, of course, from both of the previous two novels in this series, where he has played the producer of the reality TV show 'Marry Me, Juliet'. If anyone reading these novels had thought there was not a third way of spinning this period of six weeks filming and these characters all over again, they would not be the only ones.

Amazing, then, that the author clearly considered the same constraint she had set for herself. Half of this novel ended up taking place in the 12 years prior to this novel, and from Lily's PoV.

We find out the reason for all those strange interactions between Lily and Murray in the past two books is because they have known each other all that time, and worked with each other almost all of that same time. Not only that, but they have been in love with each other, while at separate times married to other people, and never having acted on those feelings for fear of ruining the friendship that exists between them.

Everything changes when Lily's husband Jeff dies a year before this season of Marry Me, Juliet. She has one bad thought and decides from there to completely upend her life as a result.

Hence the setting in the present, which all comes from Murray's PoV. Although I did spy a few lines of dialogue that definitely appeared in the previous books, it was well outnumbered by Murray's maneuvering behind the scenes of the show and his inner dialogues with himself.

Definitely a must read conclusion to anyone who has enjoyed this series.

Not Here To Make Friends is a brilliant third wheel to Jodi McAllister’s trilogy set during one season of the reality television show Marry Me, Juliet. Each of the three books can be read alone, but they complete each other perfectly, so why wouldn’t you read all three, ideally in order. You would certainly want to read Here For The Right Reasons
and Can I Steal You For A Second before Not Here To Make Friends as this one is packed with spoilers for the other two.
In this book, we see the love story developing between show producer Murray O’Connell and his former co-producer and now contestant Lily Ong aka Lily Fireball. These two are fantastic characters. Poor Murray is knee-deep in work, mainlining coffee, not getting any sleep and forgetting to eat, yet somehow manipulating the show’s contestants to produce the TV magic he’s after. Lily, meanwhile, is a complete diva. You want to hate her for the havoc she wreaks, but somehow you just can’t. She is such a dynamic character that she makes for compelling reading, but Lily has a backstory and a long history with Murray. Their story is witty, smart and funny with so many twists it’s hard to keep up. This is a clever book, beautifully written and one I am just so very glad to have had the privilege to enjoy.

Absolutely loved Murray and Lilly's story. They went through so much divorce, husband dying, issues with their friendship and they still made it through to an epic romance. I love how much they cared for eachother. Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes 🥰

Something different….
A fascinating romance that revolves around two reality tv producers and their complex relationship. Lily has just lost her husband and disappears to deal with her grief. When she returns she is a contestant on the show, Marry Me, Juliet! and starts to manipulate the story from the inside. Murray is Lily’s long time best friend and can’t figure out why she doesn’t want to work with him anymore. The story follows these two as they manipulate the show and try to find their way forward together.

This was very complex at the beginning and I nearly gave up because I was so confused. I think the blurb threw me off because it takes a while for the story to get going. There are flashbacks and two points of view.

I really enjoyed this story as it had all the drama of a reality tv show plus some angst and thinking points. I understand why Murray and Lily were the way they were but I would have liked to see more romantic moments. This story does have a happily ever after (was worried at one point).

Read this if you want a romantic story that is a little bit different than the usual.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

he one where the producer falls in love with a contestant, but with twist…

Murray O’Connell has been working in the reality television sphere for thirteen years, and he’s worked hard to get to where he is now - showrunner of season 11 of hit reality dating show Marry Me, Juliet. Only this season, he’s without his best friend, fellow producer, and reality partner Lily Ong. This season is one that Murray and Lily had been pitching for years - one with a diverse cast and not just one token person of colour. It has to be perfect. Running the season was already going to be hard enough with Lily by his side, but now the world has been thrown into a global pandemic resulting in a skeleton crew and the inability to send eliminated contestants home. And Murray not wanting to delegate in order to be across absolutely everything is already causing a world of stress. The last thing Murray expected was Lily Fireball, the network’s last-minute villain, to walk into the pre-villa interviews. Because Lily Fireball is his Lily, the one who cut him out of her life a year ago in order to pick up the pieces of her life. He hasn’t heard a peep from Lily in that entire time, and now she’s suddenly back in his life, and he isn’t sure why she’s reinventing herself as the ruthless Lily Fireball. Murray has dealt with curved balls in reality TV, but this is his biggest curveball yet, and he doesn't know how to craft this story.

I have been hanging out for the beauty from the moment I finished Can I Steal You For A Second? back in April! And although it’s felt like forever, the wait has been WORTH IT! Jodi has been teasing Murray and Lily throughout the previous two books and she has crafted a story that not only lived up to expectations but exceeded them. I was hooked from page one and couldn’t put the book down until I turned the final page. I know I said my favourite trope within the reality dating show trope is romance between contestants, but I absolutely adore a good crew/contestant romance!

As I mentioned in my previous two reviews for Here For The Right Reasons and Can I Steal You For A Second?, Jodi’s writing style works so well when it comes to inner monologues and flashbacks, and she took the flashbacks to a whole new level in this book. Where the flashbacks were brief and scattered in the first two books, Lily’s entire perspective in this book was flashbacks to key moments in her and Murray’s professional and personal relationship. Meanwhile Murray’s perspective was all current time, with the small scattered flashbacks we’ve been accustomed to. And as much as I was wanting to see Lily’s perspective while being on the show, I actually love how Jodi framed both of their stories before the timelines finally met up at the end.

Through the snippets of Murray and Lily’s relationship in the first two books, you could tell they had chemistry. Their dynamic is such an interesting one because of how compatible they are from both a romantic perspective and a professional one. They just seemed to work on all levels, and you could feel that as the story progressed, even when both of them went on to marry other people. In both the past and the present, Murray and Lily’s romance was a slow-burn that simmered below the surface until it finally boiled over in the most reality TV way. I don’t want to pick favourites, but these two might be it…

If this was an actual season of The Bachelor, I’d be ALL over the messy drama and unintended/unexpected love stories. Jodi pulls back the curtain on the production of a Bachelor-inspired show and delivers all the television magic that goes into crafting the must-watch love stories that they’re trying to create season after season, with a heavy focus on the messy behind-the-scenes drama that we don’t get to see unfold onscreen.

While it definitely doesn’t matter the order in which you read the first two books, this is definitely one to save for last. All the characters have already been introduced, the crazy drama already established, and we’ve already witnessed Murray at breaking point across the perspectives of the previous two books. This book so effortlessly slots into the gaps into a story we’ve already read about twice, and it’s nice to be able to now piece the entire picture together, from all sides of production. You could totally pick this book up first, but I think reading this series in it’s intended order will make for a totally different and better reading experience!

I am seriously hoping Jodi is writing another book because you can’t just casually drop a twist about the follow-up season of Wherefore Art Thou Romeo in the final pages, and then not actually show us how it came about. If these three books are anything to go by, another installment or a spin-off would be absolutely FABULOUS and filled with ALL the juicy reality drama!

If your guilty pleasure if trashy reality television and you absolutely live for the messy drama that unfolds on said reality television, this book, and whole series, needs to be at the top your TBR! Start 2024 off on the right foot with some must-read Aussie romances!

Not Here to Make Friends by Jodi McAlister is the third book in the Marry Me, Juliet trilogy - an Australian contemporary romance set during a reality dating tv show. Each book follows a different couple involved in the filming of the tv show so we experience it in a different way in each book - which is not a concept that usually works for me, but did in this series (so, kudos to Jodi for that!).

Not Here to Make Friends follows show producer, Murray, and the series ‘villain,’ Lily Fireball - two of the most intriguing characters from the previous books. What’s revealed, early on in the books, is that this is not the first time Murray and Lily have met, and the two have quite a long history that causes friction between them when they meet up again at the start of the new season of Marry Me, Juliet. I was fully invested in the characters from the start, and at the end of the book, the two were - hands-down - my favourite couple in the series for the utter messiness that is their relationship. Lily was such an intriguing character to read because she’s deliberately playing a villain, but we understand her motives, even if we don’t always agree with them, and there’s something delightful about a character like that.

I can’t wait for my physical copy to arrive so I can add it to my collection!

Five easy stars given to this 3rd installment in McAlister's stellar Marry Me, Juliet series. There was nothing about this that I didn't like. I was very excited for the final reveal as to what Murray and Lily were up to the entire time two other couples were falling in love during a season of a reality dating show where filming was stuck in a quarantine bubble - and the author delivered.

Firstly, let's talk about the execution. If you weren't aware, each book in the series is set in the same time period, we just switch perspectives as we follow three different couples' "journey" towards romance. The amount of planning involved in actually weaving the plot of all six main characters together is staggering but McAlister makes it look easy. I am imaging spreadsheets and post-it notes everywhere when this was being drafted.

Secondly, let's talk about the REVEAL ie. who Lily Fireball actually is. While reading the first two books, we got the feeling that yes, she definitely already knows Murray from before the show and they're probably friends. But who she actually is to him, and her role in the show is a massive surprise that is dropped in the first few pages. I loved it. Talk about Machiavellian stuff.

Thirdly, let's talk about how this is just a really great romantic story. I don't think it's too spoilery to reveal that this time around, the trope is friends-to-lovers, but it is so much more than that. There's such depth to their relationship that is prodded and poked and at times completely slashed apart. I never really warmed to Lily as a person but honestly I don't think we have to - because it's Murray that wins our hearts and warms our lonely souls. The long-suffering, stressed out, non-sleeping, control-freak producer is now one of my fave book boyfriends. He made me want to do all the hurt/comfort looking-after but then let him manipulate my life for ratings.

Lastly, this book was spicier than the two previous! Whilst still mostly closed door we do still get some steamy scenes from these two when they start going at it like horny teens.

I would not recommend reading these books out of order, you'd get so much more if you do tick them off as intended. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you start with Here for the Right Reasons and plow through the trilogy.

PS - the one question I really need answered by McAlister now is - will there be spin-off series set during the filming of the next fictional tv series, Wherefore Art Thou, Romeo??? I screamed when the next couple was hinted at during the end of this book!

I really enjoyed the third book set in the same series of the reality TV show Marry Me, Juliet where we get Lily Fireball and Murray's story. We met and loved to hate Lily during the first 2 books in the series, and it was clear that Lily knew Murray - the show runner. But we didn't know the details.
I enjoyed the multiple time points, from the current Marry Me, Juliet series, from Murray's point of view, and moving from when Lily and Murray first met, from Lily's point of view. There was plenty going on behind the scenes, which we didn't see in the first 2 books. Very fun read.

This was such a cool and unexpected angle to view the Marry Me Juliet series from. I never thought I'd be rooting for grumpy Murray or aggressive Lily to find happiness, but here I am. It was great to see things from behind the scenes. I have enjoyed this whole series and the different POVs we have seen on the fictional Bachelor-esque reality show set during the pandemic. It was not a premise I would normally pick up, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying this contemporary romance series.

I can’t say enough how obsessed I am with this series and I definitely wasn’t let down by this book. A trope I have seen fail time and time again is the girl best friend trope, but this time, it didn’t fail. On top of that, there was also a dual POV layout in this book but set with Murray during ‘Marry Me, Juliet’ and Lily’s set in the past over the years of her and Murray’s friendship.
This was done so well that I was thoroughly engaged and DEVOURED this book.
If you enjoyed the previous books apart of this trilogy, then you will love this one!!

This book is definitely my favourite from the Marry Me Juliet series! I've been waiting for the story of Lily and Murray from the first book because I knew something was there. I certainly didn't expect some of what happened (no spoilers). Lily and Murray have somewhat of a star-crossed lovers situation going where they're clearly meant for each other from the very beginning but ultimately things get in the way, both from themselves and from other people. This book also tied the series up nicely in my opinion though I am definitely interested in the pairing you discover right at the end of the book!
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

A sassy, unexpected friends-to-lovers (kinda!) romcom.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jodi McAlister, and the story hooked me from the beginning. Although it’s the third book in the series, I had no problem reading this without the backstory. I enjoyed being introduced to this series through the perspective and relationship of the reality TV show producers, rather than the cast, after I read the blurbs for the first and second books.

Really enjoyed Lily and Murray’s friendship, and thought Lily’s flashbacks every few chapters were great for building context and intimacy between them. I also appreciated the flashbacks because they helped me understand Lily better, as I was unsure about her at first. Thought Murray was outstanding off the bat, even if his job pushed him beyond his limits... or he pushed others beyond theirs. With countless complications between Murray and Lily, I was uncertain how the story would conclude, but they eventually made it!

Note to readers: this story has a heck of a lot of f-bombs and several on-page sex scenes.

NB I received an advanced reader copy of this novel.

For fans of this series, I am guessing that a quite few people are going to have issues with Murray and Lily – let’s just say they aren’t the most wholesome of the characters introduced in the series and I’m sure a lot of readers’ moral compasses were going berserk.

I on the other hand, don’t care about this and I think their morally grey-ness and messiness lends a bit of weight and ‘reality’ to their characters. Yes, this book has ‘emotional cheating’, I guess, but it isn’t that exactly like all those bachelor/bachelorette type shows – a person is ‘dating’ someone, whispering sweet nothings in their ear, and then doing the exact same thing 2 hours later on a different date? Like I said, these things aren’t an issue for me and I liked the characters, the plot twists and the development of the story and ultimately the series to date.

As always, I somehow feel vindicated when you read the BTS stuff for reality shows in order to make them more appealing, addictive and compulsive viewing.

I've never really liked Lily and at points of this book I found her to be a frustrating character who liked to call things out, but seemed to miss the hypocrisy of what she herself was doing/saying, was railing against. However, she does redeem herself for me in this book, and she is a lot more complex than I gave her credit for. Murray? Well, I loved Murray. He’s hardworking, focused and the moments where he puts himself forward and stands up…well, it’s really quite lovely.

I am a fan of this series, so I am not sure if my overall happiness of this book was impacted by that or not, but I was not disappointed and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book (well, the series).

I could not believe how much I loved the first book of the series, and I've waited very impatiently for this!
NHTMF lived up to the hype I had created and then some, truly such enjoyable and meaningful stories.
The characters are written in such a way that you never stop learning about them, and they continually surprise you. So refreshing and it keeps you on your toes, especially if like me you tend to judge or pigeonhole characters and can get bored of them easily.
Now to just wait for the next book...

I hated it. DNF-ed I just couldn't connect with the charcters and the beginning just felt like it dragged on and on for so long and i had no idea how could continue the book.

I loved this rom com, just as I loved the two novels which preceded it in this loose series. It’s full of heart and humor, with just the right dash of cynicism to keep it grounded.

All three novels are set within the one season of a reality dating show, a device which works remarkably well. If you’ve read the earlier novels – and you really should, they’re delightful – then sure, you’ll know that certain events are going to happen. However, the wildly different perspectives mean this doesn’t feel repetitive at all. It just feels like you’re getting a more in depth understanding of what’s going on.

At the end of “Can I Steal You For A Second?” I found myself hoping for a third novel, featuring showrunner Murray O’Connell and Lily Fireball. And here I am, wish granted!

Murray is very stressed as he commences this season of “Marry Me, Juliet”. He’s finally got the diverse casting he and his best friend – and professional partner – Lily, have been advocating for. But that means there’s a lot riding on this season. It absolutely has to rate highly. The newly announced pandemic lockdown adds a whole new layer of stress and competition.

Worst of all, Murray is doing this solo. Lily has been MIA for a year, sunk in grief and regret. She won’t even talk to him.

Then Murray meets the last minute, unscreened, contestant the network has lumped him with. Will she save the show, Murray’s career, and his love life – or burn them all down?

I really admire the way McAlister has told multiple stories within one rather restricted framework. She’s used the framing device of the reality show very cleverly. There’s the sly sense of letting us see behind the scenes, the humor of the situation, the stresses and pressures. The stakes feel high for each person involved.

If you’ve read the earlier novels, then you’ll feel that this one has another layer – an awareness of what’s happening to other characters “off-screen”, so to speak. If you haven’t, don’t worry. This is a complete story with considerable depth even without that layer.

Both Murray and Lily are strong and vivid characters. You’ll quickly care a great deal about what happens to them. The story of their relationship is a little broader than the stories told in the first two novels. Those were relationships that began and flowered almost entirely on the show.

Murray and Lily, on the other hand, have a long and complicated relationship that stretches back for years. The problems and ups and downs, fears, hesitations and obstacles will feel familiar and real to many readers.

Although a touch darker than the earlier novels, I found this a joy to read. McAlister has an easy reading style that helps absorb you in the characters and situations. There’s enough humor to leaven the darker parts (which aren’t all that dark, truth be told). And at this point, I’m feeling pretty invested in a reality show I’ve never seen.
If you like your rom coms fun but with a little meat, this is the perfect read.

I will return to add links once this is posted to my blog

This book was so good! Jodi McAlister truly writes the best characters and I really enjoyed their love story ! Cannot wait to read more from Jodi 😊

Not Here to Make Friends is not the first book I’ve read from Jodie McAlister, and I don’t think it will be the last. It was well written and flowed very well. However since a lot of this book was the same overarching story from another of her books but from a different perspective I really struggled it get into it until about 280+ pages in. I felt like I already had alot of the information and for me it was very difficult to get into the story because of this.

The characters were well written and well rounded and there was plot twists that I didn’t see coming. Overall the book was a good read, but not something I’m overall thrilled to have read.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read

This was such a wonderful and enjoyable read!!!! I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

EDITORIAL NOTE: around chapter 6(?), Lily references the "not in front of my salad" meme. This meme became popular in 2017 (and fun fact, came from a scene in a gay NSFW movie hahaha), but the scene in the book takes place about 10-12 years before 2020 I think? So it doesn't make sense for her to use that phrase as it wasn't a cultural thing at that point in time.

OKAY, ACTUAL REVIEW:
It pains me deeply to say this because I have adored and raved about the first two books in this series, but surely the point of a review is my honest opinion? And honestly, I just didn't have a good time with this one.

I actually would have DNF'd at about 50-60% if it weren't for the fact that it's an arc and I have loyalty to this series from the first two.

I need to give big kudos, though, to the author for staying true to her characters. I feel like the temptation would have been there to soften them in order to make them likeable main characters in a romance story. But they have always been extremely morally grey characters and this book really does stay true to that and even leans into it, and I respect that a lot.

I just didn't *enjoy* it.

For starters, I very rarely enjoy a book that goes backwards and forwards in time, I find it boring and frustrating to have forward plot movement constantly interrupted by backstory. I realise that's a personal preference but this is my personal experience of the book, so that's how I felt.

Secondly, both Lily and Murray are pretty clearly swimming in the murky waters of emotional cheating when they both are in love with each other while marrying other people, and while I understand that fits the grey morality of their characters, it also makes it extremely hard for me to even care about them or their story, let alone root for them.

Their relationship seems to involve a lot of game playing and emotional manipulation, and while again, that's their characters - again, it's just not what I enjoy reading. They're both just pretty garbage tbh and I didn't care at all what happened to them because I didn't like them.

I do also think that I have now read enough of this particular season of Marry Me Juliet, and it started to feel slightly overdone in this book, but maybe that's just because I wasn't enjoying the story overall.

I do think this is mostly a case of "it's not you, it's me". I loved the first two books because they were really sweet and wholesome, and this one takes a different tack, one that's just not my jam. As I said, I appreciate that the author stayed true to her characters and the story was probably the right one for them. I just don't like them and I only dislike them more after this book.

I would absolutely still read more from this author and would love to see more books in a similar setting but perhaps to move on from this particular season - I'm kind of hoping the ending of this book hints at a possible Kumiko book!