Dawson’s Creek was one of my favorite shows as a tween (Team Pacey always), as well as the movie Pleasantville. So, when I found out that Kate Robb’s PRIME TIME ROMANCE is a fun combination of both, I just had to read it.

Brynn Smothers is recently divorced and still reeling from the end of her marriage. Her source of escape is her favorite show Carson’s Cove, a teen drama with a will-they-or-won’t-they romance that never got resolved due to the show’s abrupt cancellation. Meanwhile, her roommate and local bartender, Josh Bishop, is dealing with his own regret over the sale of his father’s bar he once ran.

After Brynn makes a wish on a mysterious birthday cake she receives, she and Josh are transported into the world of Carson’s Cove. However, they are not there as themselves, but as the characters from the show: Brynn as girl next door Sloan and Josh as town bad boy Fletch. It’s up to them to finally give the series the happy ending it deserves and maybe find their own in the process.

I came into this book with a few expectations, but by the end had a great time reading it. I love all the Easter eggs to various TV shows, Dawson’s Creek especially, and how Kate Robb plays around with the soapy teen drama tropes while still paying homage to it. Beneath the fun, I also like the deeper themes regarding Brynn and Josh that relate back to the idea of rewatching a favorite series.

Brynn sees Carson’s Cove as her comfort show because after each episode’s dilemma, it all turns out alright in the end. She wants that for herself too, but may have stopped believing in it since her divorce. As Sloan, she begins to see that just as these characters find a way forward, so can she. The same goes for Josh while being Fletch. As he runs Fletch’s bar, he starts to reconcile with his own self-doubts.

The romance could have been built up more as there is something missing before it gets there. I will say though that I really like their chemistry. It’s like what Joey Potter said on Dawson’s Creek: “You got to learn to read between the banter.”

Thank you so much NetGalley and Dial Press for the eARC!

This was a well-paced, easy read. I was not expecting the magical-realism but it was a lovely touch to this really really sweet story. This was my first book by this author but my overall impression of her is great thus far! I loved watching a Brynn grow so much as a person and the acceptance she found in herself. She is a very relatable character! Carson’s active immediately gave Dawson’s Creek vibes so that translated perfectly! Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

After reading “This Spells Love”, and really enjoying it, I was thrilled for the next book by Kate Robb. For me, this one didn’t capture the same level of magic that This Spells Love did, but I binged it nonetheless. The “magic” behind the cake wasn’t really fleshed out enough for my liking, nor was Sheldon’s bitterness, Poppy’s meanness, or a true conclusion to the Carson’s Cove cast. After spending so much time in that “realm”, the ending felt rushed and limited. I feel like with more character development the book could have been really great, but unfortunately, it fell kind of flat. I’m also not a fan of love triangles or insta-love, so those tropes took away a bit for me as well. I did enjoy Josh’s redemption arc but would have liked a deeper dive into personal growth for Brynn. The nostalgia evoked is real though, and I now want to rewatch Dawson’s Creek in it’s entirety and fall in love with Pacey all over again. I always was a sucker for a bad boy/black sheep.

Thank you for the author and publisher for this free copy in exchange for my honest review.

If Kate Robb writes it, I will read it! Her storytelling and humor is exactly my brand. This was such a fun romp for fans of 90s/2000s teen shows and the movie Pleasantville! I was left wondering how it would be resolved until the very end. The perfect blend of romcom with magical realism!

3.5 stars - i enjoyed this book but wasn’t on the edge of my seat the whole time. although it’s not meant to be super realistic, i just wasn’t girpped with the storyline like i usually am. However i find that there was good character development

Thank you Dial Press Trade Paperback, Kate Robb, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

I wanted to love this book since I enjoyed This Spells Love, but it just fell flat for me. I loved the concept and i think it had so much potential, but in the end the book just kind of dragged for me. Brynn is just a mess with bad friends and her and Josh didn’t really feel like they had chemistry. Any romance between them felt kind of forced and didn’t make sense. I wish I had more to say, but I unfortunately don’t. If you want something lighthearted, go ahead and read this one!

I absolutely loved the magical realism of Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb. As someone who is a massive fan of 90s and early 2000s rom-coms, this gave me all the sweet feels. Highly recommend if you like a touch of magic with your romance!

Nothing like a dip into your favorite tv show where you are the main girl and you get to try to find her happily ever after to get your head spinning.

Taylor Swift songs: “state of grace (tv)”

Age rating: 15+ (2-3 spicy scenes, 1/5🌶️)

The concept?? Amazing! I was hooked!! I am loving magical realism books and this did not disappoint! It was so funny but also so sweet! So many moments had me giggling and kicking my feet! This was a slower burn but it was so worth it!! If you want a more lighthearted read, I highly recommend this! Loved it! I will definitely be reading all Kate Robb books in the future, she doesn’t miss!!

As a die hard Dawson’s Creek fan, I was immediately invested in this story! I had a hard time connecting with the characters though and found the nostalgia to get a bit tedious over time. Overall, a fun idea and if you can suspend reality then you will enjoy it! A bit too over the top for my tastes to the point it felt a bit campy.

This book was adorable. Brynn and her roommate Josh wake up in Carson’s Cove, the setting of Brynn’s favorite tv drama that ended unexpectedly. The only way to get back to their real lives is by giving the characters the ending they deserved before the show was cancelled after 5 seasons.

Prime Time Romance was clearly inspired by One Tree Hill, Dawson’s Creek and 90210. Growing up watching all these teen dramas made me loved this book. If you're wanting a feel-good book that seamlessly blends romcom charm with a healthy dose of nostalgia, look no further than Prime Time Romance

Tropes:
- small town
- roommates
- dual POV

ARC kindly provided by the Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Robb is quickly becoming one of my “must buy” authors. Her novel This Spells Love was a favorite from last year and I think I liked Prime Time Romance even better. I was a huge soap opera fan back in the 1990’s and this book was so magically nostalgic for me. I loved it so much.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Boy this one was a total trip. As a huge Dawsons Creek fan, AND a huge Pleasantville fan I was into this book from the very first page. I was obsessed with Josh Aka Fletch. He had massive book boyfriend energy. I felt for Brynn aka Sloan as she navigated her feelings for what was clearly a fictional love (something I know quite well) and real love. This book wasn't insane on the spice level. More like. 2/5 for spice, but 4.5/5 on story, humor, and adorable story. looking forward to whatever Kate Robb does next!

Kate Robb has done it again! I absolutely loved her first book, This Spells Love, and was thrilled when I got to review Prime Time Romance as well. Alternate realties/parallel universes are one of my favorite tropes, and Robb excels at creating unique and fully-formed dimensions ruled by their own systems of magical realism. Brynn and Josh's love story and path to their HEA was a fun ride all on its own, but the campy, tongue-in-cheek antics of the characters in the town of Carson's Cove were endlessly entertaining. The entire concept of this book was so unique, while also paying homage to the characters, plots, and places of cult-favorites like the Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow, and so many others mentioned in the author's Easter Egg end notes. I especially loved the nod to The Good Place; I fudging loved this book!

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title!

If you like magical realism, then you're the perfect candidate for PRIME TIME ROMANCE.

Divorced and about to turn thirty, Brynn is depressed that she's single and living with a roommate, a bartender named Josh. When someone delivers a birthday cake to her apartment, Brynn wishes for a happily ever after. The next morning... she wakes up somewhere strange. She's in Carson's Cove, her favorite soap from the 2000s. But somehow she's the main character Sloan, who never received her happy ending with her childhood friend, Spencer. And Josh is Fletch, the town's bad boy. The two are stuck in Carson's Cove--at the whim of an extra from the show who demands that Sloan and Spencer finally receive their happy ending.

It's a weird premise, yes. I love 2000s soaps, but Dawson's Creek was one I never really watched. Still it's easy to recognize allusions to that show and plenty of others from the era. That part is fun. I had an issue wrapping my mind around the fact that everyone else had no problem with Brynn seeming to be Sloan and Josh as Fletch-- not sure why that part bothered me, but not them stuck in the set of a defunct TV show!

The story is cute even when it's bizarre. Brynn/Sloan starts to fall for Spencer--she adored him (and Sloan) as a teen. But the more she explores Carson's Cove, the more she realizes that it might not be the perfect place that she idealized when she was younger. She sees bullying and poverty and more. As for Sloan and Spencer... well, Brynn can't help returning to Fletch/Josh. As for Josh (who was easily my favorite), he is loving running his "aunt's" bar in the Cove. In real life, Josh lost his dad and eventually had to sell his dad's bar, which destroyed him.

There's no huge conflict in ROMANCE, it's more about Brynn and Josh attempting to escape Carson's Cove. There's also Brynn realizing that perfection isn't everything. The story does a good job of exploring life lessons about mean girls and how perfection on the surface can mean darkness lies beneath. It also shows how you need to go for what makes you happy instead of what might seem right.

This is a quirky story, a little strange, but it's cute and fun too.

This was so much fun! I absolutely love the way Kate Robb writes romance! She nails it every time. Definitely a new auto-buy author for me!

I think that maybe it was a case of "right book wrong time" for me with this one. I went into it completely prepared to be obsessed and found myself struggling to return to it and finish. This is nothing to do with the author's writing, but I just did not connect with the character at all. I loved the premise, and I think I might go back someday and reread as an audiobook because I do genuinely think I would love it in that format.

I do have to say, I LOVED Josh!

Based on the premise, I wanted to love this one but sadly it fell pretty short to me. I did love all the references to the WB tv line up of my youth, and it very much reminded me of the movie Pleasantville which I enjoy watching, but the interactions and hiking in the story often felt cringy and uncomfortable. Additionally this poor girl’s only friend worth a grain of salt outside of her romantic partner exists only in this alternate universe. It left me feeling like the only thing she took from the journey was a boyfriend.

Review will be posted on 10/21/24
Brynn's life wasn't supposed to be this way and things aren't going as planned. At thirty years old, she finds herself divorced and unhappy. Instead of living in a beautiful home, she is in an apartment with a roommate, Josh, whom she barely knows. At least she has her favorite show, Carson's Cove, which is her escape from reality. Who doesn't love to escape in a show that is your favorite sitcom where everything works out and romance abounds? After a cake is mysteriously delivered to her door on her birthday, she makes a wish - that she could have a happy ending like they do on Carson's Cove. The next morning she wakes up and not only is she living inside the show, she is Sloan, a "good girl" character on the show and Josh is Fletch, the love interest who works at the local bar. The more time Brynn stays at Carson's Cove, the more she realizes that maybe things aren't so perfect. Also, there's the issue of her having feelings for Josh, not to mention the fact that they are stuck together in Carson's Cove. How can they return home? Fans of early 2000s sit-coms will especially enjoy Kate Robb's Prime Time Romance.

This was a cute romance, especially all the allusions to some of my favorite TV shows, like Dawson's Creek. This was my favorite aspect of Prime Time Romance, because who hasn't dreamed of waking up at Stars Hollow or hanging out on Dawson's Creek's Capeside? It was interesting to think about the implications of changing the storyline in not only Brynn's actual life but also in Sloan's. The other enjoyable aspect of the novel was the chemistry between Brynn and Josh. This was especially done well and I liked their slow burn. My main issue with Prime Time Romance was the fact that it wasn't overly memorable; in fact, the characters did not stand out to me at all. If teen dramas from the 2000s are your thing, give Prime Time Romance a try, but if it isn't, I'd skip this one as the genre is already saturated with some fantastic options.

This was such a cute book. I loved the characters and the development of each character. Everything comes together so nicely, the plot, the characters, the ending. Watching Brynn become Sloan and working hard to get what she wants is comical and a breath of fresh air.