This novel follows on and off again couple Oliva Martin and Chuck Walsh. Olivia is a journalist with dreams of one day becoming an author and Chuck is an up-and-coming actor looking for his next big break. Olivia opts out of staying in the spotlight due to the scrutiny her parents faced when she was a baby whereas Chuck is hoping to redeem himself after being labeled difficult to work with after being fired from an upcoming blockbuster.
Olivia and Chuck have made a habit of fighting and making up, until one fight goes too far which leads to an explosive breakup between the two that was caught on camera. Mortified that the encounter was filmed, Olivia tries to lay low and hopes the whole thing blows over until she receives a call from a television producer saying that a popular network wants to capitalize on the viral video of Olivia and Chuck and feature them both on a new tv show called Name Your Price. The premise of the show is that Olivia and Chuck will have to live in a house together for a month and will be filmed 24/7. The rules of the show are that if they can go one month of living together without either party killing the other then they both will win a million dollars.

Seems simple enough until Olivia and Chuck realize they will be in forced proximity to each other with nowhere else to go. Passionate feelings start to resurface which would be okay in normal circumstances, but they are told after they enter the house that if they touch on another then they will lose money from their one-million-dollar prize. What could possibly go wrong?

<Spoiler>


I can definitely see why this book would be appealing to rom-com and reality show lovers alike. The premise of the show is entirely the plot of the Netflix series “Too Hot to Handle,” in which the contestants are put into a house and are pushed to make connections, but ultimately docked money away from the grand prize for any form of affection. Olivia and Chuck were up to several antics in the book that give off early 2000’s rom-com vibes. Personally, I would have loved to get part of the story from Chuck’s perspective because while Olivia had her own battles she needed to face, I would have loved to read about Chuck’s internal struggles and not be told through a secondhand account from Olivia.

There were sweet and tender moments from flashback accounts told by Olivia that could have been used more throughout the book to show that Olivia and Chuck had much more than just a physical relationship.
With the story only being told from Olivia’s perspective I felt somewhat unattached to the book at times only because I felt Chuck’s character was more compelling. Olivia was able to have her conflict resolved but Chuck was given the short end of the stick in what seemed like a majority of the book. Sure, he had his faults, but Olivia was just as bad and seemed to not take accountability for it and primarily blamed her parents for the way she was, which in my opinion is not really an excuse considering that the characters are in their 30’s. I can see where she was coming from at times because she didn’t have any answers as to who her parents were, but at the same time no questions were asked until close to the final act of the book.

Ultimately it was a nice, quick read with cute moments. I’m curious to see more of this author’s writing style and what she has in store.

- one bed
- exes
-will they won't they
- trapped in a house
-reality tv

Would you stay in a house for a month with your ex to win a million dollars? Olivia and Chuck attempt to. Two broke exes have a very public break up and join a reality tv show to win a million dollars. The tension is high and the show keeps throwing challenges at them. But do they make it?? Olivia and Chuck have an intense kind of love and the book keeps your captivated from page one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Holly James, and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton For the ARC

Pub Date 30 Jul 2024

Would you stay in a house with your (recent) ex for one million dollars? Olivia and Chuck are fire in the bedroom but a mess everywhere else; when their very public breakup leads to an opportunity for them to make one million dollars (each!) they try to put their differences aside for a quick payday. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Olivia and Chuck and was surprised by how much heart their relationship had. What seems to be trivial differences at the beginning of the book are given depth and their characters are given the opportunity to grow and change. The concept is interesting but it was the characters that really kept me engaged with this book. Name Your Price a fun and sometimes steamy romance with heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of the book.

Another hit from Holly James! Name Your Price is another fantastic story, following two toxic exes, with a dash of outrageous reality show twist in there. I loved the chemistry between Olivia and Chuck. They were two feisty individuals with some real-life issues to get through on their own and together. I would have loved to see their time on the reality show fleshed out a little more, and I had to suspend some disbelief in terms of the pace of things for the duration of their relationship and how the show all comes about. I'm a sucker for a second-chance romance and some forced proximity, so this story kept me hooked throughout. A definite read if you're a lover of reality tv or Hollywood drama.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆/5

It was no surprise to me that Holly James wrote another fantastic book! This one follows Chuck and Olivia after their explosive breakup goes viral. As a result, they are approached to star in the reality TV series Name Your Price to win a million dollars each! The catch is, they can’t touch each other or they loose out on of some of the prize money (similar to the show Too Hot to Handle)! I love second chance romance stories and this one was so fun! The two main characters had such fun chemistry, even when they were fighting! The reality show created a fun dynamic between Olivia and Chuck! The book was super quick to read and entertaining the whole way through!

Olivia and Chuck have chemistry like I have never read about! These two fight as much as they make up and when someone catches their explosive break up on camera they are both offered one million dollars to star in a reality tv show called Name Your Price. The catch is they have to live together without leaving the house, no internet and no touching for a month. They are both in need of cash so they agree to the terms. Do they survive or do they bail?
Chuck is a disgraced actor and Olivia is the child of a Hollywood love affair. Raised by her grandmother she is in desperate need of cash to pay for her grandmothers care. Chuck is fired from the set of a movie and now no one wants to hire him. Both find the answer to their money problems with the reality show. Just one month no big deal right? But when you have two very passionate people with horrible communication skills locked in a house together with no where to go something is bound to explode!

This was such a cute, easy to read, rom com! Thank you Holly James and Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

Olivia and Chuck have a very public breakup. A show called ‘Name your price’ that pays people to do ridiculous things. The executive producer calls Olivia and Chuck and offers to pay them 1 million dollars to live together for a month.

I thought this was a cute story. However, the characters were only broken up 1 day before getting this opportunity, which seemed kind of silly. I think maybe the whole concept would have been better if they had split up for a longer period of time and knew what life was like without the other, the whole ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ I overall liked it though.

This was a book that kept me reading and held my attention from start to finish. It was fun to read, and the characters were very well written.
Olivia and Chuck gave me the vibe I was looking for in a book to keep me entertained. They had the chemistry that was a perfect fit for the story.
This is a rom com that I will tell others they should read. We all need this kind of book in our lives and Holly James is an author I will look for when I need a book to read.
Thank you NetGalley, Holly James and Penguin Group Dutton for the copy of Name Your Price. This is my personal review.

Olivia and Chuck have unmistakable chemistry. But fool around with chemistry too much, and it blows up in your face. That’s what happens at the opening of Name Your Price: after a passionate interlude, they end up screaming at each other in the street, this time half-clothed. They loudly declare their final break-up, with Liv uttering the ominous phrase: “I wouldn’t be with you for a million dollars!” The scene gets videoed and, thanks to Chuck’s status as a recently disgraced B-list actor, and their eye-popping physical appearances, it goes viral. That’s when a producer swoops in and offers the struggling pair a chance to live in a house together for a month, all on TV. The offering price: one million dollars.


Gotta love this premise: it’s the “forced proximity” trope defined. James does a great job illustrating the simultaneous attraction and repulsion of the MCs, much like bringing two magnets together. Every few pages, even as Liv rails on about Chuck’s bad habits and defensiveness, she watches him work out or go for a swim, and her mind wanders into their past bedroom/kitchen floor/back of the pantry trysts. Better still, she sits back and observes, and ever so subtly, sees Chuck for those better habits, like caring for his family or defending the little guy. James gives us a clinic on the rom-com genre, hooking us with a little spice, getting us to stay for the emotional tension.

James also does lots of the little things well, dialogue among them. Liv and Chuck are veterans of the verbal battlefield, experts at flinging those sharp daggers precisely on target. Pace is another of the book’s attributes: the language is accessible and easy to digest. The situations move swiftly without too much text, and anyone who’s even glimpsed a reality TV show will smile through them. The novel opens with a bang and progresses without too much exposition, getting right to the good stuff (hee-hee!). Finally, fans of romantic spice will be glued to the pages. (Get your mind out of the gutter, please. I’ll wait.)

Here’s what I think about some of the novel’s shortcomings: I enjoyed it enough that I was willing to overlook some of the less believable plot pieces. For the most part. Declaring these in detail would reveal some important spoilers, so allow me to speak in generalities. There’s a twist in the middle that had me wincing. There are some character reactions that require emotional yoga, a stretch too far here and there. Some character attributes seemed to need a little more…baking?

But it’s a fun story, isn’t it? Like Katherine Center once said (see my review of Hello Stranger), the great thing about this genre is the sense of hope. The idea that things will get better, maybe even great. So, the desire we have that Liv and Chuck will overcome their rivalries and petty anger and get together could (or should, depending on the extent of your affinity for them) overshadow the doubt we have about certain elements. That makes this novel imperfect, but not necessarily unlikeable. Make sense?

So, are you looking for a little fun, a little sunny jolt in your everyday drab life? Then go grab a copy of Name Your Price. Maybe a tiny blemish or two, but it’s a sexy, endearing, charming little rom-com. Enjoy!

I am a Holly James Stan! I loved Nothing But the Truth and The Deja Glitch for the magical realism aspect. This one is definitely a step away from that, but it’s still not your basic romance.

I loved the relationship between Chuck and Olivia right from the beginning and it only gets better as the story continues. At first I wasn't sure what the tropes would be. Would it be a second chance romance with Chuck? or would we get another romantic lead?

Read this if...
-you love reality TV
-you follow celebrity news like it's your job
-you enjoy some family drama

This was definitely a unique story/romance and I'd recommend if you like something a little different.

4/5

The CHEMISTRY in this book was absolutely off the charts! Apparently, reality tv settings really work for me, because I loved this. A very quick, enjoyable read with a fresh, new plot that didn’t feel like a “copy and paste” of every other rom com.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this advance read!

My Grade: C+ (3 1/2 stars) A solid read, but I feel it got a bit repetitive and needed more romance, not just lust.
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5. Pretty steamy, but not overly pornographic.

The Good and Meh:
-I love a good forced proximity!
-The game show premise is a great idea! I would have loved more challenges and for it to last longer.
-Mental health, therapy, and counseling representation was such a wonderful addition! I appreciate it when an author actually acknowledges their characters mental health. Thank you to the author for adding this!
-Olivia's bond with her grandmother was so sweet and I loved their scenes together.
-The twist of Olivia's parents/father's relationship was a bit unrealistic and I feel it kind made no sense to me.
-I didn't feel much chemistry between Olivia and Chuck. Besides Olivia's constant lust over Chucks arms and abs, I think that the romance was missing. I just didn't feel the love. I could have used more flashbacks or a dual POV.
-Dogs and puppies are always welcome!
-I wanted Chuck to punch T.J. 😉

Name Your Price follows Olivia and Chuck who after gets into a heated argument leading to a very public break up outside end up being offered to go on a reality show. The catch? They must live together in a house for a whole month without leaving and to make it, win a million dollars! The premise was great. There were moments in the book where it spoke and covered areas such as the reality and ruthlessness of Hollywood, Grief and forgiveness. While there were moments of light heartedness and comedy, the areas where it was deeper uncovering issues that involved forgiveness and more made me fall for the characters and what each of them were going through. I enjoyed the side characters and felt they had much personality especially Olivia’s grandmother who was an important figure in her life. I throughly enjoyed and thought the pacing was pretty well done between the events before the reality show and after. It did not feel rushed and left me wanting more. Not to mention the chemistry between the two MC! Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for granting me the eArc in exchange for an honest review. I will definitely be reading more of Holly James in the future.

After reading the first chapter of this book, I assumed that Chuck and Olivia’s relationship was just going to be filled with anger and toxicity. Honestly, I thought they might just be better off staying away from each other.

I’ll admit I was thankfully wrong about them. Underneath all the misunderstandings, there is potential for an amazing relationship between them! The author, Holly James, does a great job of navigating the ups and downs of their relationship and the characters own self journey.

Throughout this book, Olivia and Chuck both grew into better people that are able to have a healthy and loving relationship and I am so glad that I was able to read their story.

Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton, Holly James, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

I enjoyed the author's previous book, The Deja Glitch. Name Your Price was fun, but overall lacking the swoon I want from my romances. The book begins with Olivia and Chuck fighting in the street, fresh off a break-up. Chuck is a b-list actor, so his status garners enough attention for someone to film this passionate fight, post on socials, and it to go viral. So viral, that they are approached by a reality TV show producer to come on their show. Basically, they have to agree to live together in a house, do challenges, confessionals, and not get physical. It's like Big Brother meets...the worst case scenario for exes. But if they make it through the 30 days, they each will get a million dollars. Olivia reluctantly agrees because she takes care of her grandmother's living facility expenses.

I didn't really get a sense of who Chuck was, and perhaps this could have benefited with alternate chapters from his POV (perhaps in the past, so we could get a better sense of how fiery their love was). But nothing objectionable about this, just would have liked a bit more depth to the characters.

Thank you Penguin Group and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

Do you love reality dating shows but miss that they don’t tell a love story like they used to? (I’m looking at you, Bachelor franchise) This is a book for you. This book combines the fun of a reality dating show with characters you can root for.

Enemies to lovers + forced proximity unite in this novel where 2 exes must live in a mansion together in LA for 30 days in order to win $1 million… each! It couldn’t be that hard if you just stay on opposite ends of the mansion, right? Nope, a series of challenges are laid in their way, including only 1 bed in the mansion and furniture requiring assembly, a challenge that would foil some happily married couples, let alone Chuck and Olivia whose emotional breakup was such a spectacle that it went viral. Their physical chemistry is undeniable, but they can’t stand each other! How will Chuck and Olivia manage to survive to win the cash they both desperately need?

I enjoyed the reality show hijinks amidst a strong narrative unfolding. Dialogue is witty, the writing descriptive and heartfelt. This was my first read from Holly James but won’t be my last.

I absolutely loved this book! So freaking cute! I love Olivia and Chuck! They are super likable characters. I'm definitely running to preorder a copy of this one! 5 stars!!

Title: Name Your Price by Holly James
Publication Date- 07/30/23
Publisher- Penguin Group Dutton
Overall Rating- 3 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Name Your Price by Holly James is a silly goofy time with some heavier topics surrounding aging family members and other family dynamics. I have to say the premise was really unique and those who enjoy reality tv will enjoy this. Some of the two main tropes are second chance romance and forced proximity. I enjoyed the game show elements and felt that it added an element to the story that wasn’t really like anything I had read before. That being said, I couldn't give it more than 3 stars. I had a hard time with the male love interest. He was not a kind guy. I understand that IRL we all make mistakes, do dumb things and are not always the nicest of humans. However, I felt like the things he did were unforgivable and it got to the point it didn’t make sense for the couple to be together. I enjoy realistic romances which include people making mistakes and the power of forgiveness. This male MC just felt so mean and unlikable that I didn’t enjoy the ending. In fact, I would have liked the novel a lot more had the ending been different. I also struggled with the elements of the game show, some things made sense others felt like convenience that didn’t suit the story as well. I am not normally this picky about romance books but something about this felt frustrating I think because so many elements of it were good and I wanted those to continue. I will say the spice scenes were written well, not too much and were a strong suit of the story (usually something I complain about). Lots of mixed thoughts, overall not mad I read it. If you’re looking for a lighter story with some deeper elements, I would recommend it.

I truly enjoyed Name Your Price by Holly James. I found the quick wit and banter to be a driving force in my will to keep reading. I also thought that the concept was original and relevant to current trends. In the age of reality television I feel that this book is intriguing and familiar without feeling overdone. The characters are lovable and I found myself rooting for them. I would have liked to have seen more information on her parents and the circumstances surrounding their death (not a spoiler) as it is a big theme in the book. Additionally, I felt like the time on the show felt like it was cut a bit short. There were also some issues with the same descriptions being said repeatedly throughout the book, such as the MMC’s smile showing his dimple. It got to a point where I had the feeling of “okay I get it his dimply smile is cute”. However, for the most part I found this book to be a fun and easy read with a really cool plot for a romcom. Of course, as with all reviews this is entirely my opinion and I encourage everyone to form their own opinions as well :)

The book starts out with Chuck and Olivia in an argument match. When the altercation is recorded and goes viral, the popular show “Name Your Price” wants to put them in a house for a month. If they can last, they’ll win money. But there ARE stipulations and penalties that’ll deduct dollars from the amount. Will they last?

First, let me just say Chuck and Olivia are a stick of dynamite just waiting to explode. They were fire and gasoline, just waiting for that match to ignite. The banter between the two is a huge highlight of this book. I couldn’t stop laughing and felt like I was watching a real-life reality show.

Olivia is my girl! She’s a straight to the point, no bull type of woman. But there is a soft spot in her heart for her grandmother who lives in a home. Olivia is extremely behind on making payments and at risk of her grandmother being evicted from the nursing home. On top of that, Olivia struggles with the fact she is the love spawn of a Hollywood scandal. It’s interesting to watch the process she goes through, as she comes to terms with this.

Then there’s Chuck Walsh. Mr. Vain, B-List actor (as Olivia calls him). He’s a picky eater and spends most of his life in the gym, crafting his body’s physique. According to Hollywood, he’s difficult to work with and was recently fired from a Blockbuster movie. At first, I felt this man had love for only person in his life and that was him. Throughout the book, I witness small glimpses of his soft, caring side as the show asked Olivia personal, hard-hitting questions she was not prepared for. He continuously takes up for her.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fun, cute, quirky story, give this one a try. I highly recommend it.

Oh, and don’t forget the word yellow bikini. Just sayin’.