SO CUTE!! and i love a good yearn so that was such a plus! this was both so much fun and also had such good growth for the characters. i would 100% pick this back up and reread

I liked all of the characters I found them really cute and enjoyable. I really liked that there was so much diversity in the book. I thought the reality tv aspect of the book worked really well. I do think that the characters could have used a bit more depth. I enjoyed the moments with Mia and Noah when they would talk about their families or their past and I thought the book could have used some more moments like that. I think there were so many characters with such a good foundation but they just needed to be dug into a little bit more. I love a good enemies to lovers story but i feel even that aspect could have been pushed a bit more. I am so grateful that I got to read the cuffing game. It was a really easy light read. I did enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc and intro to Lyla Lee. I enjoyed Mia & Noah’s story and Lyla’s writing in this, but this book just didn’t fully keep my interest.

I really wanted to like this book, and I loved the idea, but I found that the writing just didn’t quite flow for me. It was cute, and it definitely had a lot of potential, but I just never felt like it was everything it could have been. That being said, it definitely had its enjoyable parts!!

I had a blast. This book was a fun take on pride and prejudice but what if we're in film school and I make a reality tv show about my crush on you. Honestly loved it, it was silly with its jokes and situation but had genuine heart. Their relationship was sweet honestly and I loved getting to see it unfold to what it became with Mia and Noah. Also loved that there was such casual diversity through this book, there were a bunch of bisexual, gay, trans people jsut existing on this campus which is how it was for me going to college! Felt very real and comforting honestly, like how I wanted reality shows to seem. Had a great time, everyone should give it a read

This was a cute YA, but the Pride and Prejudice remakes are getting a little boring for me. The yearning was top notch though. I love when there is yearning instead of insta love.

The Cuffing Game is a K-drama remix of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

This book fell really flat for me. The author's note did warn that this was LOOSELY based on Pride and Prejudice, but there was no resemblance to the inspiration at all in my opinion. I felt like the characters were extremely one dimensional with the type of instant love that can ruin a book. The dialogue felt like aliens trying to blend in with college students and was too cheesy for my taste. I apologize for being blunt, but I really did not enjoy this book. The premise had the potential for so much more and I was disappointed by the execution.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC!

Man, did I eat this book up. I really enjoyed this book and the plot. This describes as a YA K-drama remix of Pride and Prejudice, and it did not disappoint. I loved this idea and then you add the banter/angsty between the characters- YES PLEASE. This is a cute rom com that is fit for YA. They took the idea of reality dating shows and brought it to a film school project. I loved how fast of a read this was and how Lyla Lee also incorporated a unique layout of how the book was delivered. I also enjoyed how divers the characters were and how the show had so many diverse contestants, not just a side character. I will most definitely be reading more of her books,

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so different from what I normally read! As a fan of many reality love shows, I was excited to dive into a book that came with similar vibes. This book didn’t disappoint in that area one bit. I thought it was so fun how it was set up. Mia was such an interesting MMC and I loved how ambitious she is to have created a college dating game. I would’ve liked the romance between Mia and Noah to have felt more natural, because at times it felt so choppy and rushed and I felt like I was missing something important. I think with how much detail was put into the game part of the story, an opportunity was missed for the development of their relationship.

This is a typical, straightforward romance that ends how you think it will. Not a lot of spice, easy to read, great for the beach!

⭐⭐⭐✨ | 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐑𝐂

Bestselling author Lyla Lee delivers a deliciously fun YA K-drama remix of Pride and Prejudice—if Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett were a college-run reality TV dating show

The entire concept of this book was well thought! The film school and the show idea was was really cool and had me hooked to the narrative. The amount for Asian & LGBTQ rep was amazing it just felt more comfortable to read it and gave amazing representation. This book truly had me giggling and giddy for the MMC & FMC on every page. Their interactions are so witty.

Overall, the writing style is smooth flowing, the romance is sweet and swoon worthy, and the characters and loveable and relatable and this is a fun and cost read!

This book is a lot of things, and it does it all pretty well. That being said, there's a LOT going on in this book, and I think the different ideas could have been cleaned up just a little bit.

The idea of this book - twisting a love-island inspired short-term show for college students, was really fun. However, the execution wasn't perfect. The pacing was all over the place, sometimes the show part felt too fast and forced, sometimes it didn't feel like enough was happening. I wanted more about the couples in the show. But I also wanted more romance between the two main characters.

The book was very enjoyable and fun, and I'm definitely going to recommend it to people who are interested in it or looking for a light and fun read. There were just some things that weren't spot on and could have been better.

Mia is a freshman at a private film school and creates her own dating show. She ends up asking Noah for help—a classmate/social media star who she frequently argues with, and secretly has a crush on. They create her dating show, The Cuffing Game, and head to a cabin over winter break to film it.

I was excited for this one, but honestly it fell short for me. The dating show premise was interesting, but something about it being written in third person made it feel impersonal. I found a lot of the dialogue to be cringey, and while I know a lot of the characters didn’t know each other (because dating show) it still felt too cringey and awkward.

Unfortunately, the chemistry between Noah and Mia wasn’t exactly there. I thought they had potential at first, but as the book went on it just didn’t happen. They didn’t really interact a whole lot and when they did it felt awkward. Their romance at the end felt kind of rushed.

Speaking of, the pacing was kind of wacky. With the dating show, everything felt super fast, which makes sense. But as I said, the romance was also super fast in my opinion. I just wish it was more of a slow burn, or that they had more chemistry.

I did like both Mia and Noah, though. I think if the book were written in first person, I would’ve enjoyed it more (and no, I’m not just anti-third person lol). I just think we didn’t see enough of either character. It would’ve been better to be in their heads so we could see more of their personalities. But of what we did get to see, they were both likeable main characters!

There is also a lot of great representation in this book! Mia is bisexual and there are multiple LGBTQ+ side characters as well! Plus, both Noah and Mia are Korean and there are some side characters who are POC.

While this book fell short for me, I think there’s a lot of people who will enjoy it. In fact, I’ve seen a lot of great reviews already. There’s a good Netflix rom-com vibe to it and it’s a fast read! The writing style is GOOD, and I might still check out one of the author’s other books.

LGBTQ+ representation
Korean main characters
POC side characters
*Family troubles/homophobia mentioned

This was a cute book and a quick, easy read, but fairly predictable. I did enjoy the show in the book and the concept behind the Cuffing Game. The show gives somewhat of Bachelor in Paradise vibes for me, but I enjoyed it. Some of the couples did surprise me though! I don’t want to spoil anything, but I did appreciate the inclusivity. I also enjoyed all of the current pop culture references and they will give nostalgia when people read it in the future after the events and topics are a bit in the past.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for accepting my request for an ACR of this book!
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that when there is a hot person, there is also someone with a crush on them. This crush may be a secret or a well-known fact. It may be voluntary, or completely against their will.
3.75/5
For starters, the confession scene was phenomenal. I personally don’t read a lot of romcoms, but I’m happy when I’m able to read them. This one especially was so different and the concept really pulled you into the story. I enjoyed Mia and Noah a lot. Their chapters were my favorite part of the book. My reason for not rating the book higher, is because I felt the side characters didn’t stand out as much as I had hoped. With that, it was hard to really get into the “Cuffing Game” show in the book. Overall, The Cuffing Game is a fast paced Romcom with an amazing game show premise that keeps people hooked from the first chapter.

When I saw this described as a cross between Pride & Prejudice and a K-drama, I wasn’t sure what to expect — but it delivered on that promise, with a little bit of Love Island flair thrown in! This book doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s part of its charm. It’s a light-hearted, feel-good story about a shy girl who creates a dating show with her friends — and somehow, it actually works out into a happily-ever-after for everyone.

It’s definitely a young adult novel, and while that’s not a bad thing, the writing at times felt like it was trying a little too hard to sound “hip” or trendy. I’m still relatively young myself, but the excessive use of the word crush wore thin quickly. Another thing that stood out: Mia, our fmc and show creator, constantly says “y’all”, I mean a lot — and none of her family does. It came off forced as well and not “quirky” like I think the author intended.
Some of the dialogue is also written how people actually speak, which can work however with the college-aged characters, it occasionally made for awkward feeling convos and hard to get through scenes.

That said, I genuinely enjoyed the plot and where the story went. It has a lot of potential with some polish and refinement. I especially enjoyed the ode to California and that the author was a usc alumni. All in all, it was a fun, easy read and a great palate cleanser between heavier books.

Lastly, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I am so enchanted by the characters and the plot. I wish I could be a part of this story because I felt very welcomed reading it. Definitely one of my best reads of the year. Thank you for the early opportunity. 🥺❤️

Overall this was a very lighthearted and fairly sweet read. The premise of the dating was really intriguing as a fan of Love Island but it felt a little too rushed. There was a lot of focus on all of the contestants so Noah and Mia's connection felt a little of left field and just did not feel like the Pride and Prejudice retelling it was marketed as. There were some aspects I did really though and look forward to reading Lyla's other novel coming out this year.

3.5 stars rounded down because they were mistakes I would have forgiven if it was an indie book, but that there was no excuse for in a trad pubbed work.

I thought this story was super cute, and I REALLY liked the premise, but it felt like it was missing a line edit or dev editor that would have really polished it. There were some tonal and character voice inconsistency (and just general inconsistencies, like them taking the contestants phones for the show, but then in the next scene one of the contestants was using his phone to listen to music). I didn't really buy the enemy's tension beyond the first handful of chapters, which by extension means that I didn't buy the Pride And Prejudice retelling aspect of the story either; I wouldn't have even cared about the lack of P&P feel If the author's note didn't make such a big deal about it, so that part feels like an editing/advertising issue more than a technical issue. In general, I just also thought there could have been more showing of dynamics overall.

That said, I liked the characters, at least from what I was told-not-shown about them. I really enjoyed the premise and plot. I just wish the support team surrounding this book gave it more of the attention that it deserved.

This was a fun read that follows a college romance - something I don't see too much that I end up actually liking. I think the TV show aspect of it was fun and I loved the dual POV. It did seem a little rushed but that's really my only nag about this one.