4⭐ (audio) The narration on this was good—not a total standout, but the two narrators did a good job keeping me engaged with the story! I enjoyed the performance.

4⭐ (story) Krystin knows exactly what she wants: a husband, a horse, and a place to hang all her competitive rodeo blue ribbons. But when none of the eligible bachelors in Montana end up being right for her, she turns to reality TV. On Hopelessly Devoted, Krystin will compete against dozens of other women for the heart of this season’s Hopeless Romantic, Josh Rosen. She’s determined to win the perfect life she came here for—if she can just ignore the glossy brunette whose crimson smile gives her goosebumps.

Lauren has never done anything for the right reasons—and she’s definitely not on Hopelessly Devoted to win Josh’s heart. Lauren’s plan is simple: stay on the show long enough to build her social media following, and then gracefully leave when it's her turn to be eliminated. With enough followers, she’ll finally have enough influencer clout to do whatever she wants—including come out of the proverbial walk-in closet. But the longer she stays on the show, the more she finds herself tangled up in a certain blonde’s lasso.

I've never seen the Bachelor, but I enjoy reality shows to an extent. I really enjoyed The Charm Offensive (and another similar-themed Never Ever Getting Back Together, by Sophie Gonzales), so I was looking forward to this one. It was fun. I enjoyed the characters and the vibe of this. I enjoyed Sophie Gonzales book better. I think I just had high hopes (AHB is one of my favorite writers of all time, so to tease me with that wasn't the best ploy!) This was a fun read, but not very memorable (which is okay for me).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review!

LOVED this premise! A lesbian influencer joins the house of women - Lauren is looking to increase her number of followers and enhance her network of connections. But Josh seems to falling for her.
A great exposure of the double standard - as Montana's rodeo queen, Krystin has never dated. It wasn't allowed. Krystin honestly wants to make a connection with Josh - while catching feelings for Lauren.
There is some predictability - but worth the time! Again I loved the emphasis on the double standard, ridiculous treatment of women.

Two dating show contestants fall in love with each other instead of the show’s lead (aka The Bachelor).

Krystin is a rodeo champion. She’s never been allowed to date and is figuring out her sexuality. Lauren is an aspiring influencer looking to grow her follower count. She has known she’s a lesbian for a long time, but hasn’t come out to her family.

It’s sapphic, and funny, and chaotic. It’s dual POV, and the audiobook has two narrators. The ensemble cast is fun to follow. Bachelor fans will love this!

The main characters are a little bit immature towards the end, but it’s understandable because the main characters are in their early twenties.

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced audiobook copy!

4.5 stars rounded up

For anyone who watches or has watched The Bachelor, loves messiness, and wishes they had sapphic representation, this is a must read. I thought Here for the Wrong Reasons was delightful and it has a ton of nods to the setup of The Bachelor. It follows two women who come on the show- one is a closeted lesbian looking to grow her social media, the other is a rodeo queen who has never had a serious relationship. They're supposed to be falling for the hero of the show, but instead they're falling for each other...

I thought this was a blast to read, as someone who watched the Bachelor franchise for many years. There is definitely some bad behavior, but I liked how it came together at the end and the way amends were made where they were needed. Definitely recommend this for fans of the show! Also, yes it is quite steamy once you get a little ways in! The audio narration is excellent. I received an audio copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

4.5/5 A great romance story. Think sapphic Batchelor. The audiobook was wonderfully narrated. Made me feel like I was watching the show.

If you're in the mood for sapphic The Bachelor fan fiction, Here for the Wrong Reasons might just be the book for you. The story follows Lauren and Krystin who appear as two contestants on the show Hopelessly Devoted. From the beginning, we see that Lauren is on the show for the wrong reasons. As a closeted lesbian, she comes on the show with the goal of making it far along enough in the show to help her gain traction in her career as a social media influencer. And she's willing to do that in whatever means necessary, even if that includes faking insecurities or injury to enthrall herself in the eyes of Josh who is the shows male lead. On the flipside, we see that rodeo queen Krystin comes on Hopelessly Devoted for the right reasons after having little luck dating in her small Montana town. Between her shyness and lack of worldly experience, she finds herself on the outs with the other contestants at times. But as contestants get eliminated, Krystin and Lauren find themselves being drawn closer and closer to another and realize they may actually find love on the show after all.

This book was a lot of fun, albeit it a little predictable at times. I wish we heard a little bit more of Krystin's romantic history prior to the first kiss with Lauren since it seemed sort of out of thin air, but we do get her backstory in the book though. I liked seeing how the walls Lauren has built up around herself started to come down the more time they spent together and the soft spot she carried for Krystin since night one of the show. The story pretty low conflict and minimal (if any) homophobia directed towards the main characters. There were ~5 on page explicit sex scenes between the pair, so if you've ever wondered "what happens in the Bachelor mansion when the cameras aren't on" and are in the mood for something spicy, I highly recommend checking this book out.

I thought Lindsey Dorcus and Mara Wilson did a really good job with the audiobook as the story was duel POV alternating between chapters. Thank you Dreamscape Media and Alcove Press for an advance listener copy of this audiobook. If you like: The Bachelor, sapphic romance, secret/forbidden relationship, or entertainment industry romances I highly suggest checking out Here for the Wrong Reasons when it comes out May 21st!

I have no idea how to rate this book. There was so much cringe and the critique of dating shows is so aggressive and on the nose and while it could have come off as too much I actually really enjoyed it?!?

It was so sarcastic it was actually funny and reflects a lot of thoughts I’ve had while watching reality tv. Is it toxic? Yes. Is almost every character overdramatized and reprehensible in some way? Yes. But… I loved it? Guilty pleasure just like an actual dating show.

This was a fun Sapphic romance debut perfect for fans of the Bachelor that sees a closeted lesbian influencer and a sexually confused barrel racing star falling for each other when they find themselves rivals competing for the love of a man on a reality dating show. Steamy, heartfelt and very relatable, this was great on audio and perfect for fans of Sophie Gonalez's Never getting back together. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio and digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape for the alc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I loved the cover and that the coauthors are a real life couple however so much information about the other contestants I wasn't sure who to keep track of, who was a unimportant side character etc. I do like slow hutlrn but found this one too slow and long book at nearly 12 hour audiobook.

3.5/5☆