The description of this book reminded me of watching dawsons creek (I think because of the name of the show) but I found it interesting that the main characters would be a part of the show in some alternate reality. I know these types of stories are fairly predictable but I love them none the less. This one was a cute read with likable characters. I’d recommend to anyone who likes cheesy romcoms (I do🤣)

If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a character in your favorite TV show, then you may love getting lost in this book.

‘Prime Time Romance’ follows a woman named Brynn, a 29-year-old divorcee who has lost her belief in life’s happily ever afters. On the eve of her thirtieth birthday, she makes a wish for a perfect life — and she gets it. She has now woken up in an alternate world, playing the part of the girl next door in a fictional town from her favorite teen television soap opera, Carson’s Cove. There, she has everything she’s ever dreamed of: an attractive leading man, a lifelong BFF by her side, and a successful design career. Everything is perfect and predictable — until real life begins to seep into the script.

Being the same age as Brynn, I questioned the motivation behind many of her actions — but, as her character points out, it’s important to remember that this story isn’t based in reality. I had to repeatedly remind myself of some of my favorite shows that I watched as a teenager in order to keep the tone of this book in mind, which felt very ‘Pleasantville’-esque. In the end, it’s these traditional characters and over-the-top cheesy cliches that are what we love most about classic teen television shows. (And yes, there is a flash mob scene in the book.)

The story includes many nostalgic nods to television shows like ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ ‘Riverdale,’ ‘Pretty Little Liars,’ ‘The O.C.,’ ‘Saved by the Bell,’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries.’ For anyone who grew up watching these, this a fun book to read and try to pick up on all of the parallels.

You can grab your copy of ‘Prime Time Romance’ in bookstores on September 3! 📺 Thank you so much to @randomhouse and @netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

For fans of Dawson's Creek and The Good Place

This was a quick read, but also a little bit of a confusing read for me. I wasn't expecting this storyline to be so heavily centered on a TV show, perhaps my fault for not reading more about the story before diving in.
Almost right off the bat we are thrust into a fictional TV series called Carson's Cove. There is not much of an intro to the premise before you find yourself thrust into it. Carson's Cove borders on too wholesome, with cliche life lessons. It's almost eerie in it's cheesiness. It took me a minute to feel immersed in the book because we spent so long hearing about the show. Even though I didn't get much exposition coming into the magical realism...I got almost too much once in the show.
The plot was pretty predictable but I do appreciate the lesson that we are all supposed to grow and change as we age. We experience life and we learn from those experiences and from each other.
Overall I thought the book was fine, I didn’t love it or hate it. I enjoyed the ending more than I anticipated. But it just took me a little too long to get into the story.

(3.5 stars rounded up)

I loved the premise of this book. I definitely got Dawson’s Creek vibes from Carson’s Cove, which was fun. I liked the romance between Brynn and Josh. This was a pleasant, sweet read.

I really enjoyed the author’s last book and thought the premise of this one was interesting. It just fell a bit flat for me, unfortunately. The main characters had chemistry but it did feel a bit rushed.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. I requested this book because I loved the premise and had really high hopes. I love the idea of characters somehow becoming main characters in their own favorite tv shows/movies/books. However after the beginning which felt so strong, the book started to drag and the romance was lacking in some parts. The book is mainly about recently divorced Brynn who after a disappointing night out on her birthday wakes up in an alternate universe in her favorite comfort tv show starring as the main character Sloane. Brynn's roommate Josh also lands up as a character in the alternate reality tv show and you can guess where this is going. It is the perfect light beach read :)

Years after her divorce and on the eve of her birthday, Brynn Smothers finds herself at an all-time low and she looks for solace in Carson’s Cove, her favorite teenage soap. But when she makes a wish for her HEA on a cake delivered at midnight, her reality won’t be the same and she’ll have to follow the script in order to get back both hers and her roommate’s Josh lives.
I have to admit I failed to pay attention to the blurb and thought I was reading something totally different which led to major disappointment. I’ve never watched an episode of Dawson’s Creek and could see it a mile away without even knowing the details and Pleasantville is a movie that never made a mark either so reading this Pleasantville meets Dawson’s Creek story was not my cup of tea.
It’s a cute story of self-discovery and second chances and it has a lot of fun moments, but I didn’t care all that much for it and didn’t like the ending.

Prime Time Romance 🎬

I really enjoyed Kate Robb’s first book This Spells Love so I was super excited to pick up the ARC of this book!! I loved the premise: recent divorcee Brynn finds herself trapped in her favorite 90s teen show with her roommate Josh. However, the execution of this was a little more weird and wacky than anticipated. It was a little hard for me to get past the strange god-like character and the fact that Brynn and Josh had assumed the lives of already existing characters but nobody else noticed. Besides the weirdness, it was a really fun and entertaining read. I will definitely be picking up more books from this author!!!

Thank you to Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!!

Author: Kate Robb
Genre: romance, rom com
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Publication date: September 3

This book was a really fun and cute read! Thank you NetGalley and Kate Robb for the opportunity to read!

Here's the thing: I liked this book! The writing style was a bit over-simplified for my taste, but the concept of this was fun, and the execution was decent. My biggest issue with this book is that it simply needed more development. We needed more build up/lead in before transitioning into Carson's Cove, both for Brynn and Josh's characters and their relationship as well as Carson's Cove in general. This concept is so fun and interesting, and it feels like Robb only scratched the surface of what she could do with this. It's a fun, light read with a lot of potential; 3.5 stars!

[NetGalley was kind enough to provide me with an ARC for this title.]

I downloaded this book on my kindle before a trip in which I would have no service. It was my most promising net galley download, so I was excited to read it. But I just couldn't really get into it from the jump. Although, I did try! I didn't actually finish this novel, so I didn't get to read everything about Josh and Brynn's romance.

I started reading and immediately felt like the start of the book was disjointed. It was as if the author knew what they wanted to do with the main part of the book but had no idea how to get there, so the first part just felt disjointed. It was like the beginning was being rushed, and I was supposed to care for Brynn and her love for this show, but I just didn't care, and I didn't care about Josh either. This may have had to do with the writing style? It felt like a list of things that happened until they get transported, and even then, it just kept feeling like list of actions.

When they were suddenly transported into the show, I realized I actually had NO idea what this book was about. I am not opposed to magic realism, but yeah, anyway. I didn't get too far into this story, especially because I knew that this replacement cussing was going to drive me NUTS. And it just had to do too much with this show, that I felt like I wasn't getting what I wanted out of the main characters. I DNFd.

I really enjoyed This Spells Love but I LOVED Prime Time Romance! Kate Robb knows how to infuse magical realism/alternate universes with real life perfectly, and I loved the 90s TV drama vibes. While this is largely a tribute to Dawson's Creek (Carson's Cove gave it away immediately though I haven't seen the show), Robb also uses a blend of other TV shows, a couple of which I have seen but most I have not. That wasn't an issue for me though and I love that she lists many of them at the end of the book. I loved both Brynn and Josh, especially the growth I saw in Brynn as the story went on. There are lots of funny moments that made me laugh out loud, but an important message as well which was a great combination.

I've been trying to read more books with my eyes (and before release day), so it did take a minute for me to finish Prime Time Romance, but it had nothing to do with the pacing which was perfect. I would put it at medium to fast and once I figured out where it was taking me, I didn’t want to put it down. There is plenty of drama (obviously since this is created based on TV dramas), as well as a little bit of comradery. Many of the characters learn important lessons, and I loved the entire vibe of the book as a whole. Of course, I also loved the romance, and it was very swoon-worthy for me! If you were/are a fan of 90s TV dramas, then I have no doubt you will love this book.

I could not get myself to finish this book. I loved the premise and was really invested during the first 25% but the chemistry between the two main characters fell short. Overall, it just fell flat.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb due to be released on September 3, 2024.

After a devastating divorce, Brynn finds solace in her favorite teen drama Carson’s Cove. There is comfort for her in a show where all wrongs are righted — and everything is perfect. The only exception is that the show ends on a cliffhanger after being unexpectedly cancelled before the next season. It’s been years, and that ending still bothers her.

A birthday wish made on a magical cake lands both Brynn and her roommate Josh in Carson’s Cove, and suddenly Brynn is tasked with playing the role of the female lead character Sloane and making sure that Sloane gets the happy ending she deserved, presumably with Spencer.

At first, it seems like a dream come true for Brynn and she happily steps into the life of Sloane. But as time passes and she finds herself falling for Josh (known as resident bad boy and barkeep Fletcher) Carson’s Cove suddenly doesn’t seem so perfect after all.


I’ll admit that it took me a little bit to get into the book, but that was mostly because the beginning was a bit hard to follow. (Going to bed and waking up in a tv show with little explanation to the how and why will do that to you.) As things progressed though and more information came to light, I found myself enjoying the story. Prime Time Romance is cute and fun, and will definitely leave you with both a smile — and an appreciation for living in real life.

This was giving romance with some magical elements which I love. I also really enjoyed the early 2000s references. There was something missing for me but it was still an enjoyable read.

Prime Time Romance
3.75 ⭐️

I flew through this book! If you’re looking for a romance with a little bit of magic thrown in, you need to check this out in September!

Brynn loves the show Carson’s Cove but it ended before the characters could get the ending they deserved. Brynn and her roommate Josh are watching the show when a birthday wish shows up and ports them into the show. But somehow things aren’t quite as idealistic as they were on TV and they need to figure out how to escape and get back to real life.

This was cute! The TV show aspect was a little strange to be inside but I like how Josh and Brynn banded together and figured it out.

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

I want to take a moment to thank the publishing company as well as NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

If you are a fan of Romance, then you need to put this back up. It was beyond adorable and the characters really spoke to me as I was reading this Please put this on your TBR as soon as possible! You will not be disappointed in this book.

This book felt like a mix of Hart of Dixie, Gilmore Girls, a bit of Pleasantville, and for some reason early seasons of the OG Beverly Hills 90210 (??) all rolled into one cute book. As a fan of all of those shows it was right up my alley. There were some parts that were a little outrageous and corny but any show like that also has outrageous and corny parts so that made it feel like they blended in well with the story.
The plot was so fun and I found myself bingeing the book as if I was watching a real-life Carson’s Cove. I was pleasantly surprised to like this book as much as I did.
4/5 ⭐️
2.5/3 🌶️

I enjoyed this book. It was both cute & cozy. Loved all the 90s vibes. Fans of Dawson's Creek will get this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this book. I actually really liked it until the scene where Josh and Brynn left the bar at the beginning. It was that scene that made me realize this wasn’t going to be a good time. After that, It took me almost the same amount of time to read this book as it took me to read War and Peace.
I liked the references to 90s/00s TV shows, but they weren’t subtle enough to be clever, and sometimes it felt a little like they weren’t nods, but just rip offs. I love nostalgic teen dramas as much as the next girl, but it felt like too much of this book is dedicated to the protagonist explaining things that happened in a tv show that has never existed. I am unsure how it could have been written in a less exposition-y way, but as it was, it was too info-dumpy.
I actually really liked Josh as a character, but it didn’t feel like there was enough to drive him and Brynn together in a romantic way, so when they inevitably had the most uninteresting sex I’ve ever read, it felt unearned.
I do like the parts where they try to point out issues within the world of the show- things that didn’t age well- that Brynn maybe didn’t notice until she was in it. This is something I have had to grapple with when rewatching shows I once loved. I wish there was more time spent on this. It would have been more compelling if this could have been the main driving force.
All in all, Prime Time Romance was underwhelming for me. It felt like it was written without a plan- or without much of a plan.