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.

I received an ARC from Alcove Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

With an excruciatingly slow start and a lot of focus on the bachelor, this was not a good fit for me. I was bored as the first half really focuses on the show and all the dates with Josh.

With Lauren firmly in the closet and Krystin not even aware there is a closet, it just didn’t feel very sapphic. When I read a sapphic romance I like for it to feel like a sapphic romance. I can’t even really remember them interacting with each other much before 20%?

I was impressed the authors made such a bold choice to make Lauren such an unlikeable character in a romance. She rude, selfish, manipulative and the list goes on and on. She goes onto the show only wanting to grow her influencer following and I saw basically no growth in the end for her. Or, not real growth as I can completely see her going back to who she was in no time.

Krystin, on the other hand, was sweet and naïve and a little boring. She was there to actually find love and I felt bad that her first relationship would be with someone like Lauren. She deserved better.

I also had a huge issue with the third act breakup situation. It stems from an assumption made by one character which then leads to them no longer speaking. Then the two don’t even get back together on their own. It takes a third party to get them speaking again and it frustrated me a lot. Nothing about them being together makes me think they have a lasting kind of love.

This was simply fine. I had a hard time distinguishing between the two women, and I felt like the ending was maximum drama and maybe not maximum believability. I wanted Lauren to go home or dramatically tell Krystin that she loved her on TV, but playing with other people made me sad.

Thank you so much for letting me read an ARC of this novel! I really enjoyed reading it! I thought the concept of being on a reality dating show was super interesting and was executed very well, I felt like I was watching it in real life while also getting a behind-the-scenes story. I was also always eager to know what would happen next, the story kept me hooked the whole time and was definitely unputdownable! My only critique is that I wish the romance had been developed a bit more, it seemed kind of rushed to me and also a bit random that these two ended up falling for each other; I didn't really understand what drew them to each other or why/how they ended up having a connection. Although I did think each character individually was well-developed and I felt a connection to them. Overall an enjoyable and entertaining read, would recommend!

Here For The Wrong Reasons is a sapphic romance written in the third person POV. It’s set up like a reality TV show, similar to The Bachelor, complete with “confessionals” at the end of some chapters.
Our POV switches between our two main characters— Krystin and Lauren. Krystin is from Montana and is a Rodeo Queen. She’s there because she’s never really had a relationship and she wants to fall in love. Lauren is an influencer and in the closet. She’s always been into women— never been with a man. She is only there to increase her popularity on social media and hopefully get a brand deal. Instead of falling for the man, Josh, they end up falling for each other through a series of group dates, mishaps and moments alone.
Personally, I absolutely loved this read. Parts of it made me cry and others made me smile or laugh. I feel like if I have real emotion when reading a book, then it’s doing its job. I absolutely loved Krystin’s character arc of finding herself throughout the weeks on this show. I did find some of Lauren’s antics annoying but ultimately I rooted for both of them in the end.
If you like sapphic romance and are okay with reading in third person, then this is a must have! I’d like to thank NetGalley and Alcove Press for the read!

Here for the Wrong Reasons is a sapphic reality tv romance and overall I quite enjoyed it. The relationship between Krystin and Lauren felt realistic and well developed. But there was one thing I just couldn’t get past. And that was the amount of times the word ‘like’ was used. It was essentially a comma. I don’t think there was even one dialogue line without ‘like’ in it. Sometimes it was used more than once in a single sentence. I find it annoying enough in real life and I’d rather I didn’t have to deal with it in a book. The written word and dialogues in literature, even contemporary romance, obviously aren’t exactly like casual conversations in real life and have their own rules, therefore they should be properly adjusted.
One more thing I think this book is lacking is a proper epilogue. It shows Krystin and Lauren’s relationship 3 month into the future (kinda), but I would’ve loved to see how their relationship developed over time and how their dynamics changed and settled.

this one’s for the girls who watched the bachelor and constantly wondered, “why don’t the contestants just date each other?!” 🌹✂️💘

Here For the Wrong Reasons was a fun book with an opposites attract/forbidden romance dynamic, with a closeted lesbian influencer trying to boost her career via reality TV, and a nearing-retirement rodeo queen determined to find true love. The set up is almost a replica of the bachelor, except with a string cutting ceremony rather than rose ceremony. If you love trash reality tv and sapphic awakenings, you will adore this book!

"Here for the Wrong Reasons" follows Krystin and Lauren, two twenty-something-year-olds competing on a Bachelor-like reality show. While Lauren is only looking for a way to enhance her social-media popularity, Krystin is genuinely trying to win Josh's (the lead of the show) heart. Even though they're quite different, they soon start to get along very well, maybe even too well. The further into the show they get, the more they realise that they may not want to be with Josh, but they definitely want to be together. Will they be able to figure out their feelings before it's too late?

3.5 stars
I had some mixed feelings about this book at first. They first third of the book progressed really slowly and about halfway through, I started to wonder how there could still be enough story left for the second half. Surprisingly, the second part was way more enjoyable. I think that may be because that's when we start to really get into the story of Lauren and Krystin's relationship, while the first part was just a lot of reality show, which I'm not very interested in, and not much romance, which is what I was here for. The story was a bit predictable at some points, but I did ultimately enjoy it. They used the miscommunication trope, so keep that in mind if you aren't a fan of it. Overall a great debut, I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for a fun and silly romance book, especially if you also happen to be a fan of dating shows. Oh, also, if this wasn't inspired by Hayley Kiyoko's music video for "For the girls" (girl arriving on a hoby-horse and all), I don't know what is.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lydia Wang & Annabel Paulsen and their team for providing me with an ARC!

I really would have liked this to be a love story that didn't involve the two female love interests making it to the top two in a Bachelor-esque dating show with a male 'bachelor' all while having sex and falling in-love behind the scenes (away from the cameras). Not knowing you feelings towards another person, and the queer coming out experience, are one thing but doing so at the knowing expense of another human, behind their back, while on a very public dating show with them?? I found myself begging for our main characters to be honest with themselves or to just gracefully bow out. I really can't champion this...

Reality tv has never been my thing so I wasnt sure if this book would be for me but I was surprised by how much I loved it! I really enjoyed how unique the characters were and I loved getting to see their journey as they both worked to figure out how to be themselves.

DNF after 20%

I had a very hard time connecting with the two main characters or the story; which makes me so sad since I’ve loved books with similar plots in the past (think The Charm Offensive or Never Ever Getting Back Together). All characters felt underdeveloped and the story was missing heart and that something special to truly grasp my attention and keep me invested.

Tv and you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

So I am a bit of a fan of the 'Bachelor' tv series and am always hoping they do an official lesbian version, thus I was excited to check out this book. I liked how from the beginning the book broke the profiles for the women and male bachelor, just like in the tv show. The two main women we follow, Krystin and Lauren, each having their own agenda as to why they want to win, which like the title states, are, in some way, for the wrong reasons. It was funny to see how they interacted with each other and their competition. I literally felt as if I was watching a more intimate version of the bachelor with them, which I feel you cannot ever get with the tv show. Their vulnerability and doubt throughout the book was It made me wish the tv could spend more time for us viewers to get to know these women like they did in this book and not just take their actions with little depth and understanding. It definitely was a slow burn as both Krystin and Lauren learned more about themselves and each other. I never got bored reading this book. This was a good debut book and I look forward to seeing more by this author.

The premise of this book is outside of my normal comfort zone, but the concept had me intrigued. I wasn't sure how well the reality TV would integrate into a romance plot, but I thought it was really fun to read. It really felt like I was watching The Bachelor, but with the focus on two people discovering themselves and finding unsuspecting love. I do wish we got more of Lauren and Krystin alone outside of the show so that we could see how their relationship developed off of the screen and in real life. Overall, this was a really enjoyable read and I can't wait to see what the authors do next.

A very fun romcom!

Krystin has her life all planned out: husband, horse, rodeo queen. She hopes to find the first one in Hopelessly Devoted, a reality show where she could win the heart of Josh. Lauren, on the other hand, is on the show for one reason only: build her social media following. She's not there to fall in love, especially since she's a lesbian. But when the two meet, things take a twist none of them had expected.

This romcom was very, very fun to read. I had a total blast on this reality show with Josh and all the girls. It's a very interesting and fun setting for a sapphic romance, and the authors really created something quite unique with their characters and the story they lived. The romance was very sweet and exciting and with just the right amount of slow burn. The pacing was quite perfect and the story unfolded beautifully. I loved that the two girls learned new things about themselves thanks to the other and the compromises they had to make throughout the competition to make the other one happy. It was thrilling and exciting, and the ending, although quite sad at first, was beautifu. A great book!

I recommend if you like fun sapphic romcoms.

"Because it's impossible to like someone who's impossible to know."

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am sad to say I did not enjoy this book at all. It was very difficult for me to get into at the beginning, and I felt that the synopsis was kind of misleading. Although we do get a sapphic couple at the end, the entire book had a very straight storyline that was hard to get through. The two main characters were also incredibly annoying and honestly, just not good people. I couldn't make myself root for them or their relationship.

I can't believe it, but I think I've read one too many Bachelor-esque retellings. This was a fun and light sapphic story that explores what it would look like if two contestants fell for one another rather than for the main man they're competing to marry. I loved that aspect of the story and felt it was pretty believable considering the circumstances and whatnot, but it did feel very messy and had me wincing. Such is the life of a contestant on one of these shows, though... and it had me wondering how often this actually does/doesn't happen.

I am going to take responsibility for it not fully clicking in my head that the title Here For the Wrong Reasons was literal. As a fan of reality love shows. I was super excited for this. However, learning of especially one of the main characters less than forthcoming reasons for being there didn’t adhere me to the story. Miscommunication/lack of communication is one of my least favorite tropes so it kept me from fully falling for this story.

I think many people will enjoy this & I did like the author’s writing.

Thanks to NetGalley & Alcove Press for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Because of my lower rating, I will not be posting this anywhere else.

This book was fun and overall fairly enjoyable but I wanted more of a focus on the romantic leads and their romance and less focus on their individual relationships with the dating shows leading man and on the other women that were on the dating show.

I have enjoyed books with similar prefaces to this one before (such as The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun), but I was not a fan of this book. All the characters were portrayed in a seemingly one-dimensional way and it felt like the authors were trying too hard to make them seem special, which only made them seem a bit caricature-y. The writing also felt disjointed and very simplistic, which further detracted from my enjoyment. It was a very cool idea, but the book itself didn't quite work for me.

I am not a huge romance reader, but I am trying to branch out read more of this genre. As a dating show/bachelor fan I thought this would be perfect for me! The premise and set up of this story was so fun! Especially because typically after watching Bachelor seasons, the female friendships that develop are normally my favorite part--so I loved the concept of what if they fell in love! However, I didn't like how some things played out and I felt like some things didn't make sense with the story. For example, when the two MC were falling in love and were clearly not into the Bachelor, it felt unbelievable that he wouldn't pick up on their disinterest. Also, since the Bachelor was portrayed as such a sweet guy, it was hard to read them lying and playing him.