"The Villain Edit" by Laurie Devore offers a searing look into the world of reality TV, exploring how our assumptions about others shape our own identities. Far more than a mere romance, this novel delves into the behind-the-scenes machinations of reality shows like "The Bachelor," presenting Jac as a complex and relatable villain. The tension between Jac and Henry is palpable, and the love interests keep readers guessing. While the book is occasionally disjointed and the ending may leave some conflicted, it remains an addictive read, rich with social commentary and suspense. A solid 3.5 stars for its engaging, if sometimes frustrating, dive into reality TV's gritty underbelly.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!!! If you love the bachelor - you will LOVE this book.

Although I'm not a Bachelor fan, I thought the premise of this book sounded interesting, peeling back the curtain of a reality show. None of the characters were particularly likeable and I found myself not really interested in the overall story quite as much as I'd hoped. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review - pub day is 7/2/24!

I really enjoyed this book. I'm not an avid watcher of reality dating shows, but I'm familiar enough to get the idea and appreciate what the author has achieved with this book. And the title is brilliant,

I will say this book is a bit dark and not a delightful rompy rom-com. Not a complaint, just an observation. Jac could be written off as unlikeable or a villain, but I see her more as very flawed and someone who doesn't sugar coat things. Both she and the book grapple with the both the mundaneness and ethics of being on a reality show. The story and writing had a lot of empathy which was a nice juxtaposition to the entries highlighting the toxic fan culture for the show.

I love the choice to introduce Henry before filming begins was very smart and signals something deeper than if theirs had just been an onset romance. Based on the description of Jac's novel I wasn't sure if there would be a happy ending and how she'd come out the other side from the experience of being on the show. The end did not disappoint.

Also, a terrific cover design — great font pick and the colors work so well together.

I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this book, it seemed like lots of fun and I was absolutely hooked from the beginning.

The mixed media storytelling was fun and added depth to what was going on. I loved the context it brought into what we knew was happening currently by including podcasts and the like as things were happening real time as the show aired. You get to see tabloids, podcasts, message boards, etc., and it made things more interesting.
Jac was a great main character. She was likable in a realistic way, not hiding her flaws or denying them, that really made you root for her. She made poor choices but embraced them every step of the way. Sometimes everyone does things we can’t explain or aren’t logical and she was the same.
I kind of loved that she embraced the edit she was getting and became the character of the villain. I almost wish she would have leaned more into it though because when she was nice to the other girls after they were awful to her it made me mad.
The semi love triangle was good in a non traditional way. Until a certain point you genuinely have no idea where it’s going.
The other girls also add to the storyline in a fun, dramatic way.
I really loved that despite it being a book about a dating show that wasn’t real at all, the feelings it elicited were absolutely real. It did an excellent job portraying how others perception of you can change your perception of yourself.

The Villain Edit was a binge worthy read perfect for summer. It was very well written and I had a great time reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 7/2/24

Jac Matthis is a failed romance author, and decides to audition for The 1, a dating reality show, akin to the Bachelor/Bachelorette. The problem is she hooked up with one of the producers 5 days before filming started, and despite her best laid plans, the shows editors cast her as a villain. This book is sold as a mashup of Fleabag and Emily Henry, and while I didn't particularly care for Fleabag, I love Emily Henry and this just didn't scratch that itch for me. I'm also not a lover of reality television, esp dating shows.
From the beginning, Jac just feels mis-characterized to me, she tells us she's created a character and she understands herself and has this plan for success, but it all goes awry as soon as she opens her mouth. Somehow, she's mystified about how she becomes this villain, all while telling the reader that she knows she's a bit of a bitch and says the wrong thing quite often. The romantic aspect between both her and Marcus, the male lead of The 1, as well as with Henry, the producer on the show, was a bit forced too. She has this insta-chemistry with them both, while everyone else hates her. Honestly, overall I finished this book because I felt obligated to do so, but it really wasn't for me. The writing was good, acerbic and cutting when appropriate, and I could see lovers of reality dating shows eating this up, but it just left me feeling unsatisfied and a bit concerned for the mental wellbeing of contestants on these shows.
Thank you to Avon, BookClub Girl, and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

I support women's rights and women's WRONGS and Laurie Devore's "The Villain Edit" gives us both in spades.

If you love messy relationship dynamics, reality dating shows, and the personalities on them that get "The Villain Edit" like me, you won't be able to put this book down.

I loved feeling like I was in Jacqueline Matthis' shoes, questioning reality and who to trust.

Definitely recommend this book!

You know what they say..good villains make great Tv.

Romance writer Jacqueline Matthis and her glass half empty outlook on life are staring down a dead end. With her failed attempt at her ideal life as a successful writer still a stinging wound, she concocts a comeback plan to get her back on track…she’s going to be the next contestant on the popular reality tv dating show The One. Realizing while she’s on the show that she has possibly met the love of her life, she has also realized that they intend to play her as the villain. Juggling her love life and the relentless producers gunning for her downfall may prove to be her undoing. Or will it give her the freedom she wanted?

This book is so ideal for lovers of reality tv shows like The Bachelor. It truly gave me a different view point of how those shows work. I was mislead just as much as the main character was while reading. I was frustrated with her. Rooting for her. Questioning her thoughts. I was so unsure of what was going to happen next the entire time. But one things for sure..I definitely identified with Jacs tendency to self destruct. Fortunately for her..I think it worked out in her favor.

A fast and interesting read for those who are interested in reality shows and the production that goes behind it. I really enjoyed the writing and the narrator’s inner dialogue.

The FMC of this novel was clearly flawed and arguably unlikable, but you end up rebooting for her anyway, which is my favorite. Yay for cheering for realistic women and not expecting them to be perfect and likable to want a win for them! The MMC was equally flawed, although I felt that the chemistry between them was somewhat lacking. The character development in the other guy in the love triangle was interesting. The behind-the-scenes perspective on the production of reality tv shows was a good take. Spice was meh. Character development of side characters outside the love triangle was meh to non existent. The ending felt very rushed and kind of awkward. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will likely think about it randomly in the future, but it did not emotionally devastate me at any point (which I like in books marketed as a romance).

I had difficulty with this book. I found it boring and the pacing was off. Chapters were also going back and forth in time and I found myself getting confused. Overall the writing just could not keep me engaged and it seemed like the plot was just going to be similar to the Bachelor? Which I’ve seen so many times? I’ve been trying to pick it up for over a month and just could not finish.

I absolutely devoured this book in one day, I could not stop reading once I started. As an avid reality tv watcher, I knew this would be right up my alley. This book follows Jac, an author whose career is tanking, who goes on "The 1" as a chance to gain some publicity and attempt to save her career. As a bit of added mess, her most recent one night stand before starting the show, Henry, is one of the producers. Jac is super blunt and not always the most tactful, but she is super real, which she slowly realizes is causing the producers to paint her in an even worse light as the villain. She also quickly finds herself wrapped up in the romance of the show and falling for the lead as well, which was another added layer of mess. I cannot stress enough how much I loved this book, and I could not get through it quick enough. As a Bachelor fan, it was so fun to see some nods to the real show, and real cast members on it as well. Amazing summer read, can't wait to read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I LOVED The Villain Edit. It was so well-done. A romcom, with an heroine who's not all hearts and flowers. I loved the honesty, the vulnerability, and the depth. It was wickedly funny, really sexy, and also had that feel, like the Bachelor, that you just can't look away.

Highly recommended, especially if you enjoy The Bachelor franchise or edgy/more honest romcoms.

As a reluctant Bachelor fan, this felt like peering behind the curtains of the show everyone loves (or loves to hate). You can tell Devore did her homework, and clearly borrowed characteristics from a few "favorite" Bachelor villains. The main character was frustrating yet redeeming* enough to keep you turning the pages, despite some repetitive passages and periods of slow pacing. Overall, I had fun reading this, and would recommend it to fans of The Bachelor or similar reality TV shows, as that was the most compelling part of the story.

*Redeeming might not be the right word, but if you're fan of generally unlikeable characters, Jac may entertain you.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

I am a fan of reality tv dating shows having watched the Bachelor and all it's crazy iterations for years. When I saw that they book was kind of a behind the scene look a dating shows written in a tongue and cheek romance manner I was all in. Unfortunately, it just didn't sit well with me. I just found Jac and most of the character's insufferable. The pacing was slow and tedious and I just wasn't into it. It seems like most people did enjoy it so maybe it's just a me problem.

2.5 stars rounded up

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
#netgalley #TheVillianEdit #AvonHarperVoyager

The Villain Edit was an interesting read, not something I thought I would enjoy, but it turned out to be decent. Not ever being a fan of reality tv, and especially not The Bachelor, it took me a bit to get into the book, but once I hit the 30% mark, I was invested.

~~What I liked~~
-The story was well-written and had a good pace after a slowish start.
-As much as I didn't think I would, I liked how Jac went back and forth between Marcus and Henry. The writing was done in such a way that I wasn't always 100% sure what was going on, who was lying and who wasn't. It added to the drama.
-I liked most of the characters, although there really wasn't much depth to any of them except Jac, slightly. Every other character seemed very surface level.


~~What I didn't like~~
-As much as I liked it eventually, the confusion about what was going on and who was lying initially was off putting. It was too confusing and I wasn't sure where the book was going at times.
-I don't like The Bachelor, so I didn't really like that aspect of the book (cheating, lots of fabricated drama, etc). Of course, this was about 50% of the story, but the other parts made it tolerable.

Overall, I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this book.

As an avowed fan of the Bravo ouevre, I am here for mess and as a character, Jac delivered that in spades. I loved this backstage peek into reality tv and even though I didn't like Jac all the time, I was rooting for her throughout. A deliciously fun read, perfect for summer.

I had so much fun reading this book. It is exactly what I would want from a book about contestants on a bachelor style show.

Our main character was far from perfect and it made her very relatable.

I was living for the romance. I could not put the book down.

Oh, this book was a trip! I was instantly sucked in to this intriguing premise (especially being a Bachelor fan). Jac was such an intriguing character to be in the mind of. She is essentially a bit of an antihero, and she is honest about her shortcomings-- yet we also get to watch her grow into and embrace her strengths. She is a very relatable and grounded character, and I loved her. I also loved her actual voice/the narration. The dry humor and blatant honesty was fantastic and refreshing.

The reality show backdrop was one of the most intriguing settings I have read in a long time. It was so layered and interesting with how we got to see Jac and her inner world, the competition amongst the girls, the nuances with the producers, the will they/won't they romance with Henry, and the confusing dynamic with Marcus. Having this many proverbial playgrounds kept the story moving and interesting the entire time. This premise also led way to creating super engaging characters and dynamics, especially with Jac's questioning what is and is not real.

Another huge win for me was how Jac inserted reflections into the story as it is playing out. When she would include an aside letting us know how it later aired on TV, it added this whole new immersive layer to the story. You really saw the manipulation in live time as she juxtaposed how something happened vs how it played out. It furthered that distrustful air that you as a reader have for the producers alongside Jac.

Finally, the pseudo-epistolary format of this was a slam dunk. Including the TikToks, the chat boards, the podcast transcripts, the group chats, and all of the other external platforms was solid gold genius. It helped to tell the story but also emulated the real-life feel of these shows where they take on such a new life outside of the filming, and it is not always accurate. I got excited to see what kind of tidbit would be next, and they were so creative and engaging each time.

I love a book that surprises me and keeps me guessing, and this one certainly had me conflicted alongside Jac. It was fun, it was different, and yes-- it was sexy in its own right, and I had the best time reading it. Thank you, NetGalley, Avon Books, and Laurie Devore for this treat of a book! I cannot wait for the world to discover it.

(Review will be posted on @bookish.kendall on Instagram per the date sent to the publisher)

Wow is this book a wild ride! It had me on the edge of my seat..really didn’t know how it would end. Laurie Devore does a great job exposing the underbelly of reality dating shows like The Bachelor, and also getting inside the head of a very vulnerable character. It was a nice twist on the heroine trope. There are a lot of themes woven together and explored adeptly…made me think. Queer rep: a smidge towards the end

Short summary: Jac is a once-successful romance author who’s running thin on ideas. She’s approached to appear on The 1 and thinks it’ll be great fodder for writing. Until she gets sucked in…and then there’s the producer she accidentally slept with before filming started, and the lines between reality and TV start to blur.

Thanks to Netgalley, and Avon and Harper Voyager. ARC exchanged for an honest review.

The blurb of this book got my attention immediately. I love reality tv and the show Fleabag. As I continued reading I couldn’t help but think of a fictional TV show that aired a couple of years ago. The show was about reality TV and the producers and cast behind the scenes. The more similar it got to that show the more I got the ick. And it got very similar. I won’t go into details as to avoid spoilers but it was too much for me to get past. Once I tried adding this book to goodreads and StoryGraph I saw that there are several other books with this title.