I love when romance books happen with a reality show backdrop, and I appreciate how this book acknowledges that the point of Bachelor-style shows isn't really for anyone to find love, they're just influencer farms. Personally I couldn't really buy into the chemistry between the characters, personally, and for a bunch of would-be influencers I found them unfortunately unmemorable.

This book gave me *everything* I wanted. I've been waiting for a sapphic Bachelor-esque romance and this book delivered in the best way. It has all the romantic tension and yearning, spice, and a conclusion that left me so satisfied. Truly can't wait for this book to be published so I can get a copy for my favorite romance shelf.

I particularly loved seeing representation for "late bloomer lesbian" and the discussion around what it means to be publicly out. The authors handled it really thoughtfully, and these character arcs were lovely to watch unfold.

When I tell you I ATE this book up I’m not lying. As an avid follower of the show this is loosely based on, it was a great premise that I can see unfurling. It was a book that made it feel like it could be real life and those are books that I absolutely love! You also get to know the personalities of the other contestants and also root for them as side characters while the main plot unfurls.

I loved that it was dual POV switching between chapters and gave you perspective of what they were thinking throughout the book and the hidden thoughts of each other as the story progressed.

I was super happy with the ending (no spoilers) and thought it wrapped up the book really well!

Did I read another sapphic book? Yes. Are we surprised? No.

Here for the Wrong Reasons follows Krystin, a rodeo queen, and Lauren, a wannabe social media influencer, as they navigate through the storymaking and villain arcs that one would expect from a reality dating show. Was Lauren there for fame and not love? Yes. Did she end up finding love anyway when she knows that she's a lesbian? Also yes.

All in all, I found this novel enjoyable and that’s all I can really ask for

Things I liked
Love reality dating troupes
Rival to lovers
Lauren as a villain i kinda liked at the start

Things I didn’t like
Didn’t really not like this but… I would’ve liked if the main characters made more deep friendships with the other cast members

In Here for the Wrong Reasons, Krystin and Lauren go on a dating television show to compete against dozens of other girls to win over the bachelor, Josh. Krystin is a rodeo queen and hasn't dated in general, and is genuinely looking for love. Lauren, however, has no intentions of finding love on the show. She knows she can make it far, and she's just hoping it's far enough to gain a following on social media. Plus, she's a lesbian and knows it. As the story unfolds, Krystin and Lauren develop a connection and attraction--one neither of them has for Josh. The conflict and relationships are done well. The author does a great job of making something incredibly visible (a television show) and making it visual on paper. I personally, wasn't a fan of the plotline. All the girls/contestants were vying for a single man's attention, kissing him and sleeping with him while knowing he was doing it with others. It just seemed really heterosexually aimed and gross, especially from the perspective of an LGBT reader. Just because it wasn't for me, however, doesn't mean it wasn't well written. The conflict at the end wrapped up nicely with some grand, massive heartwarming confessions from the main characters. Overall, good character development, but I think the angle just wasn't for me.

This book had me interested just from reading the description, and kept me interested the entire time! I loved the Bachelor-like spinoff (and especially loved that it ended in a wlw couple instead). The author developed the two main characters and I felt like I was able to connect with them, but I do wish that we would have gotten to know Josh more, and maybe some of the other contestants too. All in all it was a good read, and I'm excited to get to promote it and share it with others!

This book was so cute and fun, I will admit that I knew nothing about it but picked it because of the cover alone. I was not disappointed! I had a great time with these gals.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

Have you ever watched The Bachelor and thought, "what if some of the contestants were queer?" If you have, like I have, then this book is definitely for you. I am a huge fan of all of the cheesy dating shows and this book felt exactly like watching one. Krystin and Lauren are adorable and watching this story play out left me laughing and crying in the best way.

3.25/5⭐️

This was cute! I loved watching The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise so it was fun to read a book that took me into that environment! I loved how it included the weekly confessionals because those scenes are soooooo much fun to watch during reality shows. Overall, it was an enjoyable, cute read with a little bit of smut. I wouldn’t call this extremely spicy; more like, tongue tingly.

Here For The Wrong Reasons by Annabel Paulsen & Lydia Wang is a great story about a -esque type dating show where the female characters fall for one another instead of the male bachelor.

This is a F/F trope, forbidden, spicy romance that just hits right. The downside is that parts of the novel drag on further than they should, however it's a great read. Overall it's a fun fast paced read and so much fun.

*Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this ARC*

The bachelor like style and overall concept pulled me into this book as I am a sucker for reality TV dating however I think the concept was better than the execution.

I unfortunately found it hard to like either of the main love interests and particularly any of the side characters, they all came off very one dimensional

As for the romance itself it almost came out of left field. There seem to be no build up to it which I found to be confusing along with the lack of inner dialogue from the characters, this just overall did not work for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Alcove press for the e-arc.

Book: Here For The Wrong Reasons
Author: Annabel Paulsen & Lydia Wang
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

* Thank you to netgalley and the authors for a copy of this ARC

"You don't exist for someone else to be proud of you."

What a great book! The concept is absolutely amazing. The bachelor style show and two female contestants fall for each other! What more could you want?

If the miscommunication trope didn't last as long as it did, I probably would have gave this one a 5 star, but even so I loved it!

You get:
• F/F
• Reality show
• Confessionals
• I have never felt this way before
• Forbidden romance
• Spicy

I would highly suggest you pick this one up! Such a great, fast paced read!

"And then, Krystin looks at her, and for a selfish, sappy, scary moment, Lauren thinks that she doesn't regret any of the horrible or misguided things she's ever done, actually, because every single decision she's ever made led her to this evening and this chair and this gorgeous, confusing person smiling at her for the first time in weeks."

*I received an ARC through Netgalley, this in no way affected my review*

This was basically The Bachelor and at the veeeeeery last end, you get a lesbian couple.
I just felt like this book could have been way shorter or more spread out? The two main characters ‘fall’ for each other around the 50% mark, but then it’s just a back and forth of ‘i like you, but should we do this?’ to ‘I think I like you, but we shouldn’t act on this.’

And they still kept going for the guy that honestly gave me the ick???

Here for the Wrong Reasons is a really fun approach to a bachelor-style showmance. Even though a reader might be unlikely to find themselves on a reality show, the feelings the two protagonists struggle with feel so relatable

This was a really lovely, enjoyable book to read! I'm not a Bachelor/reality tv dating show fan, and this was still great. The romance and most importantly the conflict were believable, and the characters were written to be realistic and charming. I've been on a tear of romance-novels-set-on-tv-shows, and this was a really tremendous entry in the genre.

Whew, one of my favorite books in recent memory. I was expecting a light and breezy Bachelor parody and instead I got a gorgeous, complex and sexy sapphic love story with a smart deconstruction of reality television and how it dehumanizes its stars. If you are a Bachelor franchise devotee (hate watchers included!), this book truly understands the tropes, tradeoffs and dubious ethics of the show. It was a real treat for me as a longtime viewer, especially as a queer woman who wonders all the time about the compulsory heterosexuality of its stories and depiction of gender. If you're familiar with reality television and its fraught issues of agency and power (between producers, cast members, and the viewing audience), this book is a real treat.

The way HERE FOR THE WRONG REASONS represents lesbian identity is refreshing and layered. Krystin grew up in a very traditional heterosexual environment, and as a result didn't have the framework she needed to recognize her queerness. This book nails compulsive heterosexuality and how it convinces so many queer folks that there is no real alternative to a straight marriage, 2.5 kids and a picket fence. Meanwhile, Lauren has known she is a lesbian for years but has chosen to remain closeted for complicated and understandable reasons. Her decision to go on a straight dating show to boost her profile as an influencer is, frankly, fun as heck. Are Lauren's choices morally ambiguous? Sure. But this book never loses sight of the artifice of reality television show itself, asking us who we really owe the truth of ourselves in a fundamentally exploitative environment.

Putting aside my queer feminist jargon, HERE FOR THE WRONG REASONS is hot and surprising and clever with a lot of depth and heart. Everyone is afforded complexity and dignity and happiness in the end, even if they really have to earn it. I cannot recommend this debut strongly enough!!

The premise was interesting, and I was curious as to how this would work in a novel format. My first thoughts after finishing the book are I hope this gets a movie/TV adaptation as I think it could really work in that format. As for the book, it was good, but not great.

Krystin is desperate to live out the life she thinks she should have, which includes finding a guy to marry. After years of being a rodeo queen and using this as her reason to not date men, it becomes obvious that she is denying her sexuality. Her character is written as being sweet and genuine, but her reasons for going on a dating show make her come across as the opposite.

Lauren from the start has a selfish and somewhat bitchy personality and is knowingly playing the game to help her career. While everyone knows there are at least a few there for the exposure and hoping for some influencer deals, it felt terrible reading the story from the POV of one such character.

We don’t learn too much besides the superficial facts about most of the characters. Even Josh – the man they're all there to date – doesn’t get much focus, though he does seem like a decent guy just looking for someone to fall in love with.

Krystin and Lauren’s relationship was shallow, based purely on physical attraction. While I appreciate Krystin’s journey to accepting her sexuality, that felt like the only positive in an otherwise toxic situation where both women then also manipulated a man who, as far as the story suggests, genuinely wanted to find love. I think if their story had ended differently, I wouldn’t have minded so much, but the end of the ‘show’ and the overall story felt very superficial.

The style of writing was fine, with little contestant interviews at the start of each chapter similar to how they occur on dating shows, but parts of the story did seem to drag on a little. There were a few risqué scenes, but not much beyond what you would expect from a dating show.

Overall, I think it had the potential to be better, but it was a decent read for what it was.

OMG WAS THIS A READ
I read the premise and was so excited to learn so much more and I simply can't believe the journey this book took me on. I am definitely recommending my friends and loved ones to pick this up. I'm sure it's going to fly off of shelves!

Here for the Wrong Reasons by Annabel Paulsen; Lydia Wang was a fun lesbian romcom debut.
I enjoyed reading this contemporary romance.
This story was such a great story that pulled me in from the very start and kept me engrossed till the end.
The characters were well-developed and relatable and I was immediately endeared to them.
This was a wonderful debut novel and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank You NetGalley and Alcove Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

dnf'd at 15%.

i love this concept but it's hardly ever done right. the characters were fairly unlikeable, the pacing was a bit odd & the writing style felt flat & wasn't one that I enjoyed so it didn't feel worth it to continue reading.

thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review.