Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb offers a unique blend of romance and fantasy, with a plot that takes a surprising and delightful twist. The story follows a recently divorced woman who suddenly finds herself living within the world of her favorite TV show. What begins as an escapist fantasy soon turns into a journey of love, self-discovery, and a quest for closure—not just in her own life but also in the storylines of the show she adores.

The book starts off a bit slow, with the first few chapters laying down the groundwork for the protagonist's transition into the TV world. However, once the story picks up pace, it becomes increasingly compelling. About halfway through, the narrative really hits its stride, making it hard to put the book down. Kate Robb does a wonderful job of balancing the whimsical elements of the story with deeper emotional moments, ensuring that readers remain invested in the protagonist's journey.

Character development is one of the strengths of this novel. The protagonist's evolution from a heartbroken divorcee to someone who actively shapes her destiny is both believable and inspiring. The supporting characters—many of whom are familiar faces from the TV show within the book—are also well-drawn, adding layers of intrigue and humor to the story.

While the initial pacing might require some patience, Prime Time Romance ultimately rewards readers with a satisfying and heartwarming tale. It's a book that will resonate with anyone who has ever dreamed of escaping into their favorite TV show and finding both adventure and love along the way.

Overall, I would recommend Prime Time Romance to fans of lighthearted romance with a touch of magic. It's a fun and engaging read that will leave you smiling long after you've turned the last page.

Everybody has wanted to live in their favorite TV show at some point in their life. Brynn gets to experience this exact thing in the story. She thought she had her happy ending with her marriage but now she's almost 30 and single with a roommate (a hot guy, Josh, but not her romantic partner). So she makes a tiny wish and ends up in Carson Cove, the fictional town of her favorite show. She has accidentally brought Josh with her. The twist is she is the lead character, Sloan, and Josh is the town bad boy, Fletch. All Brynn has to do is fix Sloan's life to her happily ever after, and she & Josh can go home. Easy, right? As you've probably figured out, it's not that straight forward. This is well worth reading to see what happens. I highly recommend it!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

4/5 stars

Quick Summary: Brynn makes a wish on her birthday and gets sucked into her favorite TV show with her roommate Josh. Follow Brynn and Josh as they navigate and interact with the characters of the TV show.

I loved this book and the storyline. I thought it was unique and it was so fun to watch Brynn and Josh interact with each other. Both characters have great character developments and obstacles that they get through together. (PS I've also become a sucker for the roommate trope). The pacing of the book was good and I enjoyed the budding romance between Josh and Brynn. Overall, I do recommend this book as it was a fun romance to read with some spice sprinkled in there as well.

Thank you Netgalley, Kate Robb and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this was so promising, but I’m not exactly sure what happened with the execution. The beginning started out okay, but it went downhill for me pretty fast.

I didn’t feel any chemistry between the main characters, and I felt just pretty bored most of the book. I was left wanting a lot more from this book.

This novel is too cute! It was everything I wanted it to be. Light and fluffy and I just sunk right in. While it is a little on the long side I still enjoyed it!

Brynn is getting a divorce, her life is messy! On her birthday she makes a wish. She wants to get the happily ever after she always dreamed of.

She wakes up in Sloans bed. The main character in her favorite teen drama. The romance spark doesn't quite hit for me but this book is still worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

Thank you, Random House and NetGalley, for an advanced copy of Prime Time Romance.

This book started super strong! I was loving it, but then.... it just kind of fell flat. It seemed to drag after the first few chapters. The throwback Easter eggs to the 90s TV shows were great. Probably the best part of the book. It gave me nostalgia where it lacked in depth. If you're looking for a light read, check it out. It's not bad, just not a favorite.

Thank you The Dial Press for my #gifted ARCt and thank you @PRHAudio for the #gifted listening copy of Prime Time Romance! #thedialpress #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #PrimeTimeRomance #katerobb #randomhouse

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐛
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐙𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

4.5★

This book gave off such Dawson’s Creek vibes and I loved it! I’m a sucker for books with magical realism elements and this one was such a sweet rom-com. This was the second book by author Kate Robb and I LOVED her first book, This Spells Love, so I had high expectations for this one, and it delivered. It was such a fun rom-com and I loved the concept of Brynn, main character, waking up in Carson’s Cove, her beloved teenage television show along with her roommate, Josh. This was such a nostalgic read and I would definitely recommend this one!

📺Dual POV
📺Slow Burn
📺Magical Realism
📺Stuck In A TV Show
📺Roommates
📺Forced Proximity

Posted on Goodreads on September 2, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around September 3, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on September 3, 2024
**-will post on designated date

Prime Time Romance was one of the most fun books I've picked up so far this year. Overall, I had such a great time with this read! Kate Robb's writing style and the mix of whimsy, slight darkness, and romance altogether was a refreshing take.

The beginning is a bit slow and long just to enforce that Brynn and Josh are both having A Rough Time - especially with Brynn's "friends" that are never mentioned again. This all took up time that could have been better spent showing the relationship dynamic that exists between Brynn and Josh at the start, or maybe allowing more time to get to know each other in the real world first. But once we were past the mysterious cake delivery, I was hooked.

I was expecting more lighthearted sugary-sweet Gilmore Girls-adjacent vibes but we definitely ended up more along the lines of a true teen drama (but 15 years later), with a hint of the Psych episode where they end up in a Twin Peaks-like town. The almost Loki or old school fae-like figure of Sheldon with his unexplained magic and bargaining was such a great tool to keep us questioning what we knew and what would happen. I LOVED the slight mystery angle and higher-stakes worries around if time was passing at home, if people knew they were missing, and if they could get back in time for Josh's family. While I do feel like their feelings for one another almost come out of nowhere, I almost chalked it up to the magical world they were in - maybe it was part of the magic of the place, where it just takes one moment in a teen drama to lead to a whole romantic plotline, or maybe there were sparks between the characters to begin with. Once you can suspend disbelief for the bigger things in this book, it's so easy to do so with the smaller ones and to just enjoy.

I rated this a 4/5, and I'm looking forward to picking up her first book as this was my first Kate Robb read! Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Prime Time Romance is hands down the most unique story I have ever read! Brynn is floundering after divorce and spends most of her nights comfort watching her favorite teen drama, After a rough night she accidently makes a wish sending her into the imaginary town of her favorite show as the lead character searching for the happy ending she never got due to the show's cancellation. Like so many things reality isn't as rosy as the show. She has accidentally brought her hot roommate along for the ride. He's now in a town he doesn't know as the local bad boy. In order to get home they must give "Sloan" a happy ending which Brynn thinks means with the show's heartthrob. Spoiler- she's not feeling it. She is feeling her roommate.

I loved the nostalgia of the book. It's very millennial to comfort watch your favorite shows. "Sheldon" is giving "Kirk" in Gilmore Girls vibes, but creepy. I think there are some deeper themes too about starting over and finding your way as an adult. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group: Dial Press Trade Paperback for this eARC!

I enjoyed this. It was fun, cute & an easy, quick read. My lightning round quick thoughts are as following: I am obsessed with Josh, I like Brynn, but not Sloane-Brynn, Josh’s storyline following The Bronze & Buddy’s was phenomenal, I enjoyed the “sometimes things are supposed to work out differently than we think they should” and the “sometimes our rose colored glasses hide the truth” storylines a lot, but something was just missing for me.

Brynn & Josh – absolutely loved their storyline. Brynn was great, but I felt like Josh was really the one with the character development. From the first time we are in his POV we see his feelings about Brynn & from there it was just one golden retriever moment after another. I wish we had gotten a little more of his backstory before the alternate reality adventure, but regardless his storyline worked really well. Watching him overcome his past assumed-shortcomings & deciding to not let that hinder him was beautiful. I felt like Brynn’s personal story had less growth, but I still enjoyed her as a character. Their relationship may have been face-paced, but they had me kicking my feet & smiling.

But even though I loved the two MC’s & their relationship, something about the teen-drama tv show alternate reality was off for me. I can’t exactly say what, though. I think maybe the set up needed more setting up? There is a side plot of Brynn not having genuine friendships in her life after her divorce that is set up from almost page one & while it’s touched on a little throughout her time in Carson’s Cove, we don’t see it translate back to her real like. & then the introduction to her fave 2000’s teen drama (Carson’s Cove) is rushed, which is really the set up we needed for the main plot of the story. It made sense in the way the scene was written, but later it led to a lot of after-the-fact explaining (ie., who Sheldon was). Brynn would see or interact with a part of CC & then go “oh btw, that’s [insert].” Maybe it was this, maybe it was pacing, or something else I can’t put my finger on. But something surrounding the aspect of being in CC was just off for me.

All that to say the final scenes in CC really worked for me. I loved the sacrifices Brynn made for those around her & how she finally removed her rose-colored glasses surrounding the town of Carson’s Cove & essentially told them all to do better. It was a great catapult scene & was definitely one of the strongest moments of the book for me. I think I highlighted her entire monologue.

Bottom Line: having read both Kate Robb’s debut & now her follow-up, I think it is safe to say she is a reliable author if you are looking for a light, slightly whimsical, quick read for a weekend afternoon. Both books I read in the span of a day or two & did enjoy, even if I wasn’t completely enthralled. While I did enjoy her debut slightly more than this one, I will definitely continue to pick her books up in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of Prime Time Romance.

Prime Time Romance is nostalgia gold. With nods to Dawson's Creek, it cleverly sucked me in and is now at the top of my favorite romances list. The town, the characters, the magical realism, the main character energy, it's all perfection.

The way Robb weaves magic into her novels, it creates an atmosphere you want to be in and stay in. These main characters are ones you will fall in love with and root for. And I've never cheered on a bar remodel like I did The Bronze!

(Kate, I couldn't agree more - Team Logan & Team Pacey 4ever!)

For every 90s girl that loved teen TV, this one is for you. Brynn is single and obsessed with her comfort show, Carson’s Cove, and Josh is her room mate, that’s a bartender. These two get sucked into a world, not their own, and have to survive as two other people looking for happily ever after.

I enjoyed the characters and the deep dive into the life of a tv show. There was some character building and some where there could have been more character building, but I was happy with the ending.

Oh and at the end of the book the author provides some of the Easter eggs she dropped, I knew 2 of them! Check it out tomorrow to see how many you can find.

A book truly for the stars Hallow/Dawson's Creek girlies. I love books with a dash of magical realism, and Kate does the subgenre SO well! Reading this - especially the parts in Carson's Cove - truly felt like I was watching a teen prime-time drama in the early 00s. She hit EVERY classic beat while also subverting the genre. The way she captured such a specific tone is really what stood out to me about this book.

The friendships and non-romantic relationships were very well done and I love where the trope-subversion came into play here specifically. I wish I had a little more romantic buildup between the MCs, though. That said, for all the Jess lovers out there, our "bad boy" finally wins the day.

This books was so adorably perfect!! We all have tv show we love that doesn’t end the way we want. But is it how it should be?

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Do you have a happy place? A place that brings you comfort? Well, for Brynn, that place was the fictional world of Carson's Cove, and with one wish, Brynn would become the Cove's leading lady.

As a HUGE fan of This Spells Love, I was eager to read Robb's follow up, and I am glad to report that it was a solid hit for me. The premise of this book was so much fun! First, I delighted in the Dawson's Creek-ness of this fictional world, but I also found that the magical element such a great way to set Brynn on her healing journey.

My heart really ached for Brynn. She never saw her divorce coming, and as with most break ups, she lost more than just her husband. Her lifestyle had to change, she lost all their shared friends, and she was just feeling an overall sense of failure.

Carson's Creek came to an end without a definitive conclusion for its characters. Brynn now had the opportunity to finish that story, and it was of the utmost importance to her. She needed the win, she needed to succeed, she could not fail again. But there always is a fine line between what we think we need and what we really need. I thought Brynn discovered so much about herself, and I was so happy she had Josh by her side. He was a wonderful surprise. Josh may not have willingly been in Carson's Cove, but it led to some closure and clarity for him as well.

Filled with lots of nostalgia and humor, I had a wonderful time with Brynn and Josh as they found their way from Carson's Cove back to themselves.

A perfect end of summer read, with lots of teen drama nostalgia. Very much enjoyed reading this book. I was very much impressed how the author managed to create a show within the book and managed to make it blend in with the real world setting.

Have you ever been so obsessed with your comfort watch post-divorce that you accidentally wake up in an alternate reality where you're forced to live out the love life of the main characters or face death by a Gunther-like extra? Brynn has and she doesn't recommend it.

Prime Time Romance is unlike any contemporary romance I've read lately. It's like if Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls had a kidnapping subplot but also there's a hot bartender. Wait, I'm pretty sure that happened in both of those shows.

I'm still not sure how I felt about it, but I still read every word.

Thank you, Random House.

After a tough divorce and her thirtieth birthday, Brynn makes a wish for a happy ending and wakes up in the world of her favorite soap opera, Carson’s Cove, with her roommate Josh now cast as characters Sloan and Fletch. To return to their reality, they must ensure the soap's iconic couple ends up together, but as they grow closer, they face unexpected feelings and question whether love can rewrite their story.

This book was just pure, nostalgic, millennial coded fun. It is SUPER readable as in I started it this morning and flew through the pages. I fully enjoyed myself being immersed in the story of Brynn and Josh (hot roommate situation, yes!), and how they wound up in her tv show.

I felt all of the vibes, and I was here for them! I loved watching Brynn and Josh fall in love. Their smaller tender moments of love and care, grief and happiness, learning to really trust each other… very magical. I loved how it discussed the idyllic life may not be what it seems.

Oh! And - Her speech at the end? Epic. Very Elle Woods! Really enjoyed this one a lot. It’s out tomorrow 9/3- so make sure you grab a copy!

*I was provided a digital copy of this book by the publisher, all thoughts are my own.*

4.5 ✨

Honestly, I really enjoyed this one. The concept of being able to enter the world of one of your favorite tv shows and change the ending is so appealing. The show in the book "Carson Cove" gave me the OC vibes and I was so here for it.

I think Josh was such a caring "roommate". The fact that he just gave into Brynn's command as soon as they got stuck in the show, (something HE definitely didn't want to happen) showed me he was going to be the one who fell first and he definitely fell hard.

I loved Brynn's character development throughout the book. While she may have been stuck in the past reliving all the nostalgic feels with the characters of her favorite show, she slowly started realizing that what she wanted to happen with the ending of show may not be what the characters actually need to move on.

With that being said, expect me reading more of Kate Robb in the future!

thanks to netgalley and random house publishing for this arc!

me in the beginning of this book: fuck it, i should finally start dawson's creek
me at the end of this book: jk maybe not

prime time romance is as much of an ode to dawson's creek as i can assume, having never seen an episode. to brynn, carson's cove is her comfort show from her teen years that's followed her through life, including turning thirty and still reeling over an early divorce. when she's asked to make a wish for her birthday, she's transported to the town herself... along with her hot bartender roommate, of course.

after reading a novel love story last month, i thought there would be a lot of similarities between the two. but other than a real person being transported into a fictional world, there really was no overlap.

this was my first kate robb book, and her writing was SO fun; i've had her other book this spells love on my shelf for nearly a year now, and will definitely be picking it up soon. but other than the fun writing and likable main characters, i struggled to be too invested in the book--and i think my issues boil down to the plot.

i'm all for magical realism and not every piece of magic needing a "how" behind it (ashley poston does an AMAZING job with this), but the magic behind brynn and josh coming to carson's cove had just enough explanation that made me want more. sheldon being behind it just made it... creepy, ngl! i almost wish she wrote this book with more of a thriller/horror vibe, because what he asks them to do in order to go back home was definitely the workings of a lunatic lol. and unlike the feel-good vibe that came with the plot in a novel love story, it was hard to take a lot of this book's plot seriously. josh getting jealous over a man that brynn has to pretend to be in love with was so crazy, and i almost wish i could've just read a story about brynn and josh falling in love without being transported into a tv show.