The premise of this book was so interesting! However, I did find the execution lacking and disappointing.

Brynn is a recent divorcee who is trying to navigate this new phase of her life, and start over fresh. She happens to have a roommate named Josh, a bartender, who moved in when her little brother moved out.
On the night of her 30th birthday, she receives a random cake from a stranger and when she makes a wish for "a perfect life", she gets magically transported into her favorite comfort television show from her teenage years called Carson's Cove that she grew up watching. Josh also gets transported, and together they have to figure out how to complete whatever mission they need to in order to return home.

What I liked:
-there were cute moments of banter between Brynn and Josh, and I liked how their friendship started to develop
-I found Josh's backstory to be quite interesting, and would have loved more about it.
-some of the characters in the show world were quite interesting
-I loved that Luce and Sloan/Brynn bonded and developed a friendship!
-I like the spin of making the perfect guy (Spencer) as the unattractive choice and Josh/Fletch the bad guy as the perfect guy for her.
-An overall happy ending.
-the book paid homage to a lot of classic television shows I know and love! Dawson's Creek, Pretty Little Liars, One Tree Hill and more.

What I didn't really enjoy:
-the romance felt so rushed and a little non-existent. if we had more time seeing Brynn and Josh bond and get to know each other, or if their friendship became established way before they got transported into the show world, I would have found it more believable.
-the explicit scenes felt out of place and a little...wrong? it's probably because they were dropped into a family-friendly PG rated show with no cursing, so when things went down, it felt as if it didn't fit the overall narrative
-some elements were quite predictable
-Sheldon, the guy who was responsible for having them transported into the show, started to feel very dark and eery and this romance novel started to feel like a dark horror book.


overall still a fun read!

Brynn and Josh are living every TV journalists dream by getting sucked into their favorite throwback teen soap. The beginning of this book is so fun and I was so enthralled, but it starts to drag in the middle. It's obvious from the start that Brynn and Josh are meant to be together, so the work around of trying to hook her up with Spencer just feels tedious. Having that unnecessary and see-through obstacle in the way just made it feel too long until Brynn and Josh finally got on the same page. It's a cute read, but I found it frustrating from mid-way until the final act.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕚𝕤𝕥:
Newly divorced Brynn lives with her roommate, Josh, and escapes into her favorite 90s soap, Carson’s Cove. After wishing for her own happily-ever-after on her birthday, she wakes up inside Carson's Cove with Josh.

Now playing the roles of the show's sweetheart and bad boy, Brynn and Josh must decide whether to stick to the script or let real love rewrite their story.

𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤:
✨ 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮
❤️‍🩹 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬
😍 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦
📺 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸
🏘️ 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯

𝕊𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕣 𝕍𝕚𝕓𝕖𝕤:
🎥 𝗜𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰
📚 𝗔 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 ʙʏ ᴀsʜʟᴇʏ ᴘᴏsᴛᴏɴ

𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
Picture your go-to comfort movie or TV series. That early 2000s romcom that never fails to put a smile on your face, or the sitcom re-runs you watch when you need to escape reality for a bit. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 does a great job of capturing that nostalgic feeling and how important comfort films and shows can be. Escaping into familiar stories through books, movies, and television is sometimes just what you need when times get tough.

I absolutely loved the concept of this story, and overall, it was a great quick and easy read. There was a good mix of humor, sweet moments, some self discovery, and some more serious moments. I enjoyed Brynn’s growth- I was happy to see her confidence developed post divorce. I wish there had been a little more depth to the other characters, though. I found they they felt a little flat overall. I also was left with a lot of questions at the end of the story.

All in all, this was a really cute read! I love Kate Robb and was very excited to read this one. I can’t wait to read more of her magical books in the future!

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗯, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.

𝕄𝕪 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (𝟯.𝟱/𝟱)

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
🌶️ (𝟭/𝟱)

So perfect for today’s day and age when we get so wrapped up in romance in the media. What a cute story about finding love again and such a good millennial connection to Dawson’s Creek!

This book is for anyone who binged the CW shows, love the movie 13 Going On 30 or had a crush on their next door neighbor. I thought it was super cute!

puh-lease!!!! this was so fudging cute!!!! it’s nostalgic, a tad sinister, and extremely charming. it felt like one of the trickster episodes from supernatural (my fave!!) and i adored the teen drama aspect. the only minor negative thing i have to say is it lacked build up, both between the main characters and the tv show development, in the first few chapters that could have made this a perfect read for me

even so, this book is sooo fun and sweet. i loved this spells love when i read it last year, but prime time romance def solidifies kate robb’s spot on my fave romance authors list!

For The Xennials. Yes, we are a tighter demographic than most others, but we - those born roughly 1978 to 1983 - are still mighty, and this book hits us pretty directly. While directly pulling from a hidden-just-enough-to-prevent-copyright-claims version of Dawson's Creek, there are also *several* other TV shows and movies of our teen generation (specifically that late 90s/ early 2000s period) referenced here. Pleasantville being not even that arguably the second most obvious, but also The Notebook and Miss Congeniality, among others. So for us + those just older or younger than us who grew up/ became "new adults" watching these things, this was a great nostalgic trip into an interesting romcom premise that I, despite reading roughly 200 books per year, had never come across something *quite* like this.

And yes, it also "draws inspiration from" others of the same period of different forms, such as The Family Man in particular, and it is truly this combination of The Family Man + Pleasantville where the romance side of this truly comes home and works quite well.

As a side note for those who clearly feel opposite from how I do, please stop rating a book 1* if you DNF'd it. I understand Goodreads and their corporate overlords at Amazon don't allow you to have a direct DNF option, but other alternatives such as Hardcover.app *do* allow you to explicitly note a DNF without giving a star rating - and you can still review the book. It just doesn't plummet the ratings average the way a 1* is when you didn't even finish the book, and at least to me, rating a book you didn't finish feels dishonest - though clearly, you do you.

With that aside out of the way, again, I truly enjoyed this book and its premise really hit home as exactly that age group that it was very clearly targeting, but clearly there are a wide variety of views on this particular book. You, dear reader of this review, should absolutely read it for yourself and make your own call there. (And, remember, if you DNF it, please review it on Goodreads alternatives like Hardcover.app and use their explicit "DNF" option. :D)

Very much recommended.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It reminded me of A Novel Love Story, similar premise but in the aspect of a TV show rather than a book. It was a good quick read. I preferred this over A Novel Love Story though. Liked the concept enough, but wish it wasn’t so cookie cutter.

Katie Robb has something special with Prime Time Romance. Brynn and Josh’s adventure through some of my favorite 90’s-2000’s teen drama tropes and plot lines made me so nostalgic. This was such a refreshing book to read since I haven’t read anything like it and I actually laughed out loud at some parts. I love the way Brynn’s goals/ideas about what happiness looks like started to shift as she unraveled her time in Carson’s Cove. I also love how psychotic Sheldon was. Lmaoooo. Poppy made my eye twitch and there were definitely moments when Brynn’s naïveté almost made me fling my device but I really enjoyed these characters. So quintessentially teen drama. Great Job, Kate!

DNF at 54%
I usually DNF much sooner than over halfway through but I suddenly realized I didn’t care about the characters or what was happening. The premise was really fun and I loved the nods to popular TV shows from the ‘90s and early 2000s but I didn’t feel remotely interested or invested in what was going on.

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb had a cute premise. I thought the idea of a 2000s drama setting in Carson's Cove (a.k.a. Dawson's Creek) would be fun. Unfortunately, it confused me because I didn't know the TV show (Dawson's Creek) characters well. This distracted me from the story because I kept asking myself, "Am I supposed to know this character from a show?" I would be here for it if this were set in a fictional One Tree Hill world. I also felt the romance between Brynn and Jason was cute, but I wanted more from their romance.

I look forward to reading another book by this author because maybe it was more of a "me" thing instead of a story plot miss.

Imagine waking up in the fictional town of your favorite rom-com. But, you are the character of the sweet, hometown girl fifteen years after the show was over. It is your chance to give her the ending she deserves. And, for some reason, your male roommate is along for the ride. Crazy, imaginative, and fun novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4/5

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it took me back to early 2000s chick flicks. ( I would love to see this as a movie!). It was a quick upbeat read with a “how are they gonna make this work” third act moment. Also I’m just a sucker for some magical realism

The Easter eggs were such a little delightful surprise, I loved all the subtle nods to teen dramas I watched growing up.

Highly recommend this if you want OTH, Dawson’s Creek, Pretty Little Liars (without the murder)

Katie Robb sprinkles in the Ashley Poston style of subtle magic in her books.

I really enjoyed this delightful follow up to This Spells Love.

This book was like reliving a small part of all the teen dramas I used to be obsessed with. Josh and Brynn were such a great romantic pairing. I loved watching the magic of Brynn seeing past picture perfect and loving what the real world can provide in the way of love.

*Prime Time Romance* by Kate Robb is a charming rom-com that blends nostalgia, humor, and a dash of magical realism, transporting readers into the world of a beloved 2000s teen drama. The story follows Brynn, a 30-year-old recently divorced woman, who, after a disappointing birthday, finds herself and her roommate Josh mysteriously transported into the fictional TV show *Carson's Cove*. Living as the show's characters, they must ensure the show's love story reaches its conclusion while grappling with their own evolving feelings for each other.

The book is a delightful homage to classic teen dramas like *Dawson’s Creek* and *The O.C.*, with a fun twist of fantasy and romance. Readers who grew up watching these shows will appreciate the playful nods and the satisfying exploration of love, both on-screen and off. Brynn’s journey, from mourning her own failed marriage to reevaluating her life while in *Carson's Cove*, brings depth and heart to the story.

This book is not at all what I thought it was going to be about, but I think that's on me. I sometimes go in blind to books and enjoy being surprised. If I like the cover or think it's cute, there's a high chance I'm gonna blind read it. This strategy has led me to both great and terrible books.
Prime Time Romance falls somewhere in the middle of those qualifiers. It wasn't really good, but it also wasn't really bad. It just was.
As Brynn approaches her 30th birthday, she realizes that her life is in a rut of sorts. After getting a divorce in which her ex-husband got custody of their friend group, she realizes she is rather alone - even if she does have a roommate (Josh). This prompts her to wish her life was more like her favorite teen drama, Carson's Cove. (Although why any 30 year old would want their life to be like a cheesy teen drama, I have no idea.)
Brynn and Josh are transported to the fictional world of Carson's Cove where they "take over" the lives of Sloan, the girl next door, and Fletch, the bad boy. There's a love triangle with a Carson's Cove character, Spencer. There's also Sloan's best friend, Poppy, and their nemesis, Luce.
Luce and Sherry, Flech's aunt, ended up being my favorite characters in the book.
The relationship between Brynn and Josh just didn't work for me. They barely spoke before being transported to this place. Once they got there, they had to pretend to be these other characters. So how much was them and how much was their characters. They only had a few interactions; there was not a lot of time to develop the intense feelings they claimed to have. It was all so rushed on top of their lies due to life swapping with fictional television characters and a maybe sinister guy trying to orchestrate a happily ever after for his favorite television show.
So much happened, and yet, absolutely nothing happened. I honestly wasn't hooked on the story as much as I should have been.
I believe this was written as a love story to Joey/Pacey on Dawson's Creek, and I was never a fan of that pairing. That may be where my discontent is.

3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of this title!

Anyone who watched and loved Dawson's Creek in the 90s will love this book! such a clever way to help us see that what's important and real is not the idealized version of romance on a screen, but what's right in front of you. And what you thought was perfect when you were a teenager can turn out to be something a little more problematic as a real-life adult. Not to mention the delicious rapport between the two protagonists!

my Joey & Pacey, Dawson's Creek loving heart is so happy!!
I wish I could jump into my favorite/comfort teen soap
The ending was too cheesy/cliche for 5 stars for me

This book reminded me so much of A Novel Love Story but better! The chemistry between the leads is undeniable. There's so much unspoken pining between the two since the beginning which made up for amazing tension. Would recommend to my friends and followers!

I don't know of an author better than Kate Robb at taking a premise that seems absurd on the surface, and making it work. This Spells Love was great, and Prime Time Romance did it as well. The magic piece isn't important, but the feelings between the characters steal the show and keep you in love with the story.