this was cute but not my favorite kate robb book. I found it entertaining and the concept was really unique, it was just missing something for me. nonetheless im looking forward to more from her!

Brynn has gone through a divorce and now nothing seems to go her way. She’s stuck living with a roommate and ends up being used by fake friends on her birthday when all she wants to do is go home and watch her favorite show. So when a birthday cake shows up at her door, she makes a wish. Now she’s thrown into the middle of the town of her favorite show, as one of the main characters.

This book gives me mild The Good Place vibes, with Sheldon controlling the whole thing and not being able to swear. I thought it was funny.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. Love a dual POV. I wish there would have been a bit of expansion on the whole *how* of it all, but as far as Brynn and Josh, it was cute and a good pace. A nice quick read. If you liked This Spells Love, definitely give this one a shot.

If you don't think too deeply about the mechanics of the plot, Prime Time Romance isn't bad! Just like her first book, Robb's writing style flows smoothly. I thought the main character's POV's were natural and interesting to read. Robb did a great job setting the scene. The setting read like a teen drama town. What I struggled with was the magical elements of the story. In my opinion, that part of the story could have used more editing. There were some things that didn't make sense to me. For example, when Brynn sees Poppy for the first time, she acts like she hasn't seen her in forever (which Brynn hasn't). But based on the context of their "friendship", Sloan should have kept up with Poppy via social media. I also couldn't wrap my head around Brynn pushing the Spencer story line for so long. That plot point made it hard for me to root for Brynn and Josh. I wanted more scenes and development between Josh and Brynn. It was hard to believe that they fell in love with each other that quickly, especially with Brynn's plotline with Spencer. Overall, this was an okay read. Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kate Robb's books always seem so interesting, but I feel like the execution never meets my expectations upon reading. I'm not sure what doesn't click with me. I don't think it's the writing, because its immersive and fun. I think it may be the characters and the chemistry between them. This was just okay.

Prime Time Romance pulled all the nostalgia strings! I felt like I was reading an early 2000s teenage drama show and I loved every minute of it! I loved the fact that it also had a touch of magic/alternate reality.
Brynn is recently divorced and just trying to figure her way through life. While doing so she rewatches her favorite teenage drama show for the 100th time.
Josh is Brynn's roommate who works at the local bar as a bartender. They have not really spoken much to each other in the time that they have been living together until one night Brynn winds up at the same bar that Josh bartends at and she needs help getting home.
Josh gets Brynn home and decides to keep her company while watching Carson's Cove together.
Brynn and Josh get pulled into Carson's Cove to give the show a chance at a better ending rather than the cliff hanger it was left on when the show ended.
Throughout this you see Brynn try to fall for the main character of Carson's Cove but really she just starts falling for Josh.
The way the two connect through this experience is great. I loved seeing them fall for each other while trying to give a better ending for the show.
This was such a different read for me and I loved every minute of it. I loved that it played off of the TV show Dawson's Creek as I loved watching that show! This book was a perfect feel good story! I cannot wait to read more books by Kate Robb.

This book gives all the early 2000s teen drama vibes with so many nods to my favorite shows like one tree hill and Dawsons creek. It had elements of magical realism that made it different and fun. I flew through this book and loved it. Very easy/ light read. The little spice in the book was cringe to me so bumped it down a star.

I really enjoyed the ending though and the journey that Josh and Brynn went on!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Kate Robb for the ARC of Prime Time Romance !!!

This was a cool premise and I wanted to love it, but for me it didn’t really live up to This Spells Love. Who wouldn’t want to live in their favorite tv show?? Unfortunately, I found the pacing to be slow and the plot to be repetitive. (How many awkward interactions with Spencer were really necessary?) It was obvious to me what needed to happen by halfway through the book and I was just waaaaaiting for the characters to catch up. I understand the reasoning behind many of the creative choices (language, tropes, caricatures) but it left me feeling like the story was being spoon-fed to me with how simple it was. Perhaps I was reading it as more lighthearted even when there was meant to be tension? Unsure. I tried to overlook the holes in the magical realism but had a hard time and ultimately just had to force myself to finish. The ending was cute though!

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This Romance was adorable! It had me laughing out loud and crying too. The banter and the characters were on point. This is a definitely Reed for this year and I will be watching for this author again!

Thank you Net Galley and publishers for letting me read an arc of this book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book and read it in a day cause I couldn't put it down. It was such a fast and easy read for me. So entertaining! After making a birthday wish, Brynn and Josh end up getting trapped in her comfort tv show that she's watched a million times. Who wouldn't want to live in their favorite tv show. Stuart, the guy who trapped them there, tells them the only way they can go home is if they give the sweetheart main character the ending that she deserves instead of the cliff hanger of the series finale. The main characters were funny and relatable, and I loved that they were in their 30's and had relationship issues of their own, recently divorced and not looking for anything long term. It was very believable instead of a bunch of 20 year olds. I really wish there were more romance and butterfly moments between the two main characters instead of one breath-taking kiss and then bam they love each other. But all the other side tv characters were great and hilarious. In the end Brynn really did get the happily ever after that she desperately wanted. It was right in front of her all along.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this advanced reading copy.

Kate, Kate, Kate you've done it again!

This Spells Love was my favorite RomCom of 2023, and top 5 ARCs of the year so naturally when I scored Prime Time Romance the squeal was real.

Brynn is divorced and doing fine, really. Yes she had to get a roommate (Josh) to help with her mortgage… Yes she has exactly 4 fake friends and 0 real ones and yes… she watches her favorite comfort show on repeat every night on her couch wrapped up tight in her snuggie.

After a night out with her fake friends her roommate Josh, the bartender at the place she'd been dragged to came to her rescue and they find themselves home together, alone, for the first time when a mystery delivery arrives… What would you wish for, if you had one wish?

Swimming with charm, desperation, and realization Prime Time Romance follows Brynn and Josh as they're swept away into Brynn's wish, living live in "Carson Cove" as if they were the hit show's own characters but Brynn is not the girl next door and Josh cares a bit too much for the lousy "bad boy" act he's supposed to play.

I loved every minute, the only thing keeping me from 5-stars, and I don't even know if this is fair but… Josh while the subtly charming type (as his character is supposed to be) is no Dax and I was not 100% invested in him winning as the love interest.

But I loved Brynn, and Carson Cove and I loved, loved, loved the obsessive show references, I may have died inside over a subtle Grey's Anatomy line drop which, by the way, is my repeat show (in which I have watched this series front to back over nine times…. It's disgusting).

Thank you Kate Robb for another ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE romance novel

This was such a fun book. It reminds you of popular tv shows and is fun from the get go. Will recommend to everyone who will listen.

A quick, cute romcom! I was interested in this one because of the Gilmore girls comparison and it did not disappoint!

This book blew me away! I had high expectations because I absolutely adored This Spells Love and this book ended up being even better!

I love the cozy feel of this book! It feels just like watching old teen dramas. I realize this was what the author was going for and she absolutely nailed it!

The characters were also so easy to fall in love with! Not just the main characters, but the side characters too! They all play fairly predictable roles in the beginning (just like a teen drama), but slowly things get shaken up and their true selves shine through! I really enjoyed how everything unfolded!

Overall, I highly recommended reading this book! If you enjoy old teen dramas, magical realism, and swoony romances, then this is the book for you!

I really wanted to like this one as much as This Spells Love but it just fell a bit flat for me. At points it was very predictable and I didn't really get as much chemistry as I usually like between the main characters.

I thought it was good, wasn't my favorite book of all time but I could sit down and read it. I loved the aspect of her being transferred into her TV show world. I thought that was fun, and her interacting with all the characters was cute.

I enjoyed the relationship and budding romance of Brynn and Josh. The book was creative in its approach and development of the story was clever. I felt the story was mediocre and a bit cheesy, despite the unpredictable twist of how these characters interacted. The antagonist was strange and therefore, I was unsure of how this plot would unfold. All in all, it's a decent book but not my favorite. There are a few, steamy sex scenes...nothing too extreme. For those who enjoy an easy, affable read, this is for you. It is definitely different than the average romance story. Thank you, NetGalley and The Dial Press for the advanced reader's copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I like everything about this book, except the 'dropped in a tv show' aspect.

I loved this spells love.

I am struggljng to understand how they were suddenly dropped into this TV setting. And how doesn't no one know the main character has become someone else entirely. And fletch has also?

I like the story otherwise, the banter, the love.

I just couldn't wrap my head around the "how we got here" aspect.

Thank you to The Dial Press for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I can’t remember when I first heard of this book, but the moment I learned of the concept I wanted to read it ASAP. It was such a fun book to read and it made me want to dive back into the fanfiction worlds of my favorite movies, TV series, and books. There’s nothing better than getting lost in the world your favorite characters live in.

Synopsis:

“Newly divorced on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Brynn is sick of heartbreak. She thought she had found her happy ending, but now she’s living with a roommate, Josh, to afford her mortgage, and she’s trying to adjust to her new single life. At least she’s got Carson’s Cove to binge, her beloved 2000s teenage soap. The show ended unexpectantly on a cliffhanger after five seasons, and the two main characters, Sloan and Spencer, never got to declare their love for each other. The show is still perfect in Brynn’s eyes; despite all the drama that goes down, things always have a way of working out in Carson’s Cove . . . unlike her own life.So when a birthday cake surprisingly shows up on her and Josh’s doorstep, Brynn makes a wish for the one thing she’s always wanted (but has failed to achieve herself): a happily-ever-after.The next morning, she doesn’t wake up in her apartment. She’s in Carson’s Cove . . . and Josh is there too. Everyone seems to know them, except they’re not Brynn and Josh; they’re Sloan, the sweetheart of Carson’s Cove, and Fletch, the town’s bad boy. And to get home, they have to make Brynn’s wish come true by ensuring Sloan and Spencer, the hometown heartthrob, end up together at last. But as they spend more time together, Brynn and Josh realize that Carson’s Cove might not be as perfect as seen on  television . . . especially when they start developing feelings for each other in a plot twist no one has expected. Will they stick to the script, or will real love change the story forever?” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Concept—When I saw the blurb for this book, I knew it was an immediate must read for me. I think about my favorite comfort TV shows way too often and what I would change if given the chance!

The World—I definitely got all the vibes the author was trying to convey when it came to all the classic teen shows! I would love to watch this as a movie, like a reverse of Life Size.

The Characters—Brynn and Josh were delightful to spend some time with!

What Didn’t Work for Me:

Ending Pacing—Everything felt a little too quick and I would have liked a little bit of higher stakes.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 2/5 Overall Rating: 4/5

Content Warnings:

bullying, toxic friendship

It really took her yeeting this man into a bush to seal the deal for me! The author makes a pretty big ask of you early on and it wasn’t until about 50% that I was sure I could finish this ARC but after that, I let go and let Dawson! If this would have been a longer read it might have lost me and probably .5 stars but the nostalgia is very cute! Once I realized it was also a nod to Pleasantville I was able to get over the unexplained magic and just bask in the slow burn. I appreciated the author adding her callbacks into her notes because I needed to know if Chad Michaels was a CMM reference!

3.5 stars! I had fun with this book! I think if I had been more of a fan of Dawson's Creek and similar shows growing up I would have enjoyed it even more, but I was interested in the premise and went for it anyway. It was a fun read. I enjoyed the romance between the main two characters and the slow burn was satisfying. I think the book lost my interest a little towards the middle, but once the relationship started developing more I did enjoy it more.