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.

This was a really cute book. I think the pacing, dates and characters was all perfect. Wished we had a bit more of main characters falling for each other but loved how this was.

I had a blast reading this one!

*Here for the Wrong Reasons* is the sapphic romance we all need, where contestants fall for each other instead of the boring bachelor. The chemistry, sexual exploration, and delightful messiness pull you right in. Lauren and Krystin both had their (wrong) reasons for joining the dating show, and it was fun watching them accidentally fall for each other after starting in less-than-ideal circumstances.

This book delivers on humour, heart, and a fresh take on reality TV romance.

This book reminded me so much of Sophie Gonzales NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER--it bugged me forever until I remembered! There's something slightly upsetting when it's a queer story yet centered around a variety of women competing for the affections of a straight man. REASONS focuses on the reality show Hopelessly Devoted, a knockoff of The Bachelor. Two of the contestants are Krystin, a young rodeo queen from Montana, who really wants to find love, and Lauren, a social media influencer, who hopes to use the show to gain followers.

But as Lauren and Krystin spend time together on the show, they soon realize they care more for each other than the man on Devoted, Josh. This comes as less of a surprise to Lauren, who knows she's gay, but keeps it to herself for social media purposes, than for Krystin, who's never had a relationship of any kind, and her newfound attraction to Lauren scares her.

Krystin often seems really young and confused in this story, and it sometimes seems like it would fitter better as YA, despite the overall plot. It makes sense that two young women would be undecided about their sexuality (and completely okay), but it makes for a very long heterosexual story with the dating show as the backdrop. When the story focuses on finding yourself and figuring out your sexuality, it's much better. Because all the women are competing for a straight man, the queer moments are stolen; this heightens them, but also makes the story very closeted.

The book is often cheesy but has some funny satire about online culture and dating shows. I couldn't help but feel protective of Krystin, and Lauren certainly grew on me over time. There's not a lot of character development or a ton of chemistry, unfortunately, but it's cute.

I didn’t vibe with the writing at all, kristen was cringey af and lauren talked too much about her influencer goals. the way the romance started to be paved made me understand that I would potentially not like the way it would be set the more we read about it

the plot itself is such an entertaining idea but I don’t like the way the author decided to conduct it. it felt too millenial in the most embarrassing way

also I don’t mind closeted gays AT ALL but the way it was portrayed in here bothered me

DNF

I’m a big fan of dating shows and always complain that there aren’t enough queer reality shows, so I jumped at the chance to read this book. It was hard to keep up with the sheer number of characters in the beginning and I was a little confused trying to remember all the names, but the plot moves fast enough and we are left with the key characters. The two leads were both well developed and had chemistry that developed naturally. The author had avoided cliches like the couple getting caught and producers scapegoating them - it was a fairly light read without much angst. Great book for the summer.

I really liked the premise and for the most part cute but I wasn’t 100% all in on them as a couple. I think we could have gotten a bit more character development for both of them from the start, it seemed like there was a lot going on and all of it got resolved all at the end too quickly, I would’ve liked a more even pace.

This book gives the Bachelor in the best way, it's every bit as cringey and fun as a reality dating show. It took me a little while to warm up to the main characters who seemed a little one dimensional at the beginning but I definitely came around and I loved the ending. I wish things had gone a little smoother for Josh, but he was such a good sport about things. Also his door puns were ridiculous and corny in the best way.

Another year, another bachelor-inspired romance book… In all honesty, Here For The Wrong Reasons did not bring anything new to the table. It relied heavily on the reality show premise and not enough on the development of its characters and their relationships. I suggest reading The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun instead of this title as it has a similar storyline and is well written.