Love island for college students? SIGN ME UP!

The premise of this book was interesting. Who would think to make love island but for college students? Mia Yoon that’s who! Mia is better than me because I wouldn’t want my crush/“enemy” to work on my project with me.

I liked the commentary from the side characters because they provided comedic relief and insight into the main characters. Mia and Noah had an interesting start to their relationship.

Where this story fell short for me was the relationship development between Mia and Noah. It didn’t feel authentic or linear. It felt forced and underdeveloped. I enjoyed seeing the diverse representation in all the characters. Both main characters are Korean which I rarely see in romances. Hopefully, this book will help gain recognition for an underrepresented group.

I’m interested to see what Lyla Lee comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow I loved this book! It’s so well-written. I hadn’t heard of it before seeing it on NetGalley but I loved it and will be reading the author’s other books! So cozy and beautiful.

“The Cuffing Game” by Lyla Lee was a cute YA story. It was an inclusive book. It made Mia’s school sound so cool in what they were able to accomplish. So Mia’s character is so likable. Thanks for allowing me to read this book!

I found the premise of the book intriguing and the cover really drew me in, but right off the bat I wasn’t a fan of the main characters. It felt that them being “enemies” was unnecessary. They also went from hating to loving each other very quickly, which I did not enjoy. I did like how the book was set up based on each day and the dating show was interesting to follow. I think this book just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for providing an e-ARC.

this was so cute! i love mia and noah and the game show aspect was so fun in this! i really liked how unique the idea was put into words, and i enjoyed learning about the side characters too! it was well paced, and few dull moments, and i enjoyed the dual povs. this was my first lyla lee book, and i can't wait to read more from her!

thank you to netgalley and lyla lee for an arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

Before sending my complete review I would like to give some notes specific to this platform.

Comments for author:
- Chapter formatting came out weird, possibly just how it looked when NetGalley formatted the Table of Contents. Maybe worth checking out.
- Inconsistencies with Noah's last name. In book it says Jang, in the description of the book it says Cho on NetGalley.
- Pronouns in the cast list would be helpful.

Now below is the actual review as it will be posted on different platforms...

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THE CUFFING GAME BY LYLA LEE (REVIEW): I Need A Season Two!!

The Cuffing Game
by Lyla Lee

MY Synopsis: The Cuffing Game by Lyla Lee is standalone YA romance. :) The Cuffing Game follows Mia Yoon and Noah Jang, two film majors at their university. And the premise of this book couldn't be more adorble! Mia's got a crush she just can't ignore— and how do artists cope with their problems? They make art! So Mia makes The Cuffing Game, a reality tv dating show with contestants from her school. On thing leads to another and Noah, the school's most famous influencer, makes it onto the show. Pretty unique, right? Readers get to watch Mia handle her crush behind the cameras, all while Noah's on screen dating other contestants. The Cuffing Game is filmed in a cozy cabin, making the forced proximity even more meaningful. Check out this reverse grumpy x sunshine for lots of swooning and genuine intrigue into the game show itself. The contestants were great and personally, I'm hopeful they show up again and we get a season two of The Cuffing Game.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5.0/5.0)
- I loved getting an insight on Korean culture. This is the first book I've read where BOTH leads are Korean. It was amazing!
- You can tell Lyla Lee put her heart and soul into writing this, making it such a fun read!
- Genuinely SO much fun watching— well reading— The Cuffing Game. I don't watch reality TV with the exception of Big Brother and it was so much fun to read the competition show. I would read a whole book about this show tbh.
- Such a unique setting with them being film students! I texted my film major bestie to read it immediately.
- Be prepared to swoon the whole time!

SPICE: 🍦 (0/3)
- College-aged characters, the genre is YA, so there was no more than some on page kisses. No dirty jokes either or cursing.
- In general, I was way more interested in the game show aspect itself than the chemistry. That's not to say they don't have chemistry, they totally do, it just wasn't the selling point to me.
- Loved the drama of the competition the most. I kept hoping viewers would ship Mia and Noah.
- Shared calendars are sexy ;)
- Please note, a lower score here does not affect my enjoyment of the book. I love all spice levels and would not consider 0/3 or 3/3, good or bad.

ACCESS: Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC. I'm so buying a physical copy once this book comes out on November 18th 2025.

CLOSING COMMENTS:
- When contestants I wanted together got together I would literally squeal!!
- No ostracizing pop culture references. Very well placed and written ones. If you didn't get the reference, it did not take away from the dialogue.
- I would book mark the cast list, for the first few chapters of Part Two it comes in handy, after that you'll totally have a hang of all their backstories though!

*You can find me on Instagram @rhiannonreads24.7*

This was a cute book! I was unsure if I would like it, but I did! I have to say this caught me by surprise.
It was a fast read and well paced.
The characters were well developed, and I did connect with them despite how different they were from me.
The plot was well structured. Dual POV.
It was also my first Lyla Lee book.
I loved that there was representation in this book. We need more Asian representation!
It was high stakes, dramatic, twisty, reality show, enemies to lovers, and chosen family, YOU WILL LOVE THIS!
As the reality show progresses, the two MCs, Noah and Mia, develop feelings. However, they bicker constantly, so Noah assumes that Mia has no interest in him. Meanwhile, Mia is trying to protect her heart.
See if they figure out if their crushes are worth a chance together!
Thank you to NetGalley and Lyla Lee for the opportunity to review this ARC.
Happy Reading.

**Thank you to HarperCollins for an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts!**

This book was fun! I enjoyed the characters and the story, but I think it was actually a little too short. I was underwhelmed by the growth of the main characters, but I still enjoyed reading about them. I especially loved that they actually communicated with each other!

I think some of the backstories of the characters and the romance could have both been built up a little more. I didn't really feel the "enemies to lovers" part, and I wish the trauma backgrounds felt more connected to the story. The backstories just felt like trauma for the sake of trauma.

As a Christian, I was caught off-guard by all the LGBTQ+ stuff, but I didn't take any stars off the review for it. Just be aware of that if you pick this book up.

The plot was really fun! It reminded me a lot of Finding Mr. Christmas (a Hallmark show). Overall, I enjoyed this book and would cautiously recommend for those who don't mind the things above that bothered me.

As a lover of k-dramas I was instantly drawn to this. Add in that it is a Pride and Prejudice reimagining, and I was automatically, yes give it to me. Unfortunately for me, I'm really not a fan of dating reality TV shows, or reality TV in general, so that part of the plot just fell a bit flat for me. Luckily it didn't take away from the main characters too much, so I was still able to enjoy it. While I can enjoy a YA every once in a while, this one just fell a little flat for me. I might have been going in expecting a little too much (think the swoon of the Darcy hand flex) and it just didn't deliver that for me. Maybe I just can't immerse myself into a relationship between such young characters, thinking that they will last forever. And that is, unfortunately, how I want to feel about my romance characters.

The characters themselves, were lovely. We can all relate to Mia in some way. And Noah wasn't cringe in his hotness, like so many young love interests tend to be.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book, just think not for me overall. *Sigh* I have gotten too old for the YA romances.

This Book was provided by NetGalley but all opinions and reviews are my own.

Mia Yoon is determined to succeed as a freshman at Marlon University by creating a reality TV show for her film class. However, when her roommate suggests she go on the show alongside another influencer that she is crushing on. Mia, unfortunately, isn't quite thrilled with the idea.

Noah Jang is a well-known influencer and a ton of girls are quite attracted by his online demeanor. When Mia approaches the idea of having him join this reality show, he isn't quite sure if he should, but since it's another online presence. He realizes that it could improve his social media influence even more.

"She made this entire TV show because she likes someone? Instead of just telling him? That's so wild"

As the reality show progresses, Noah and Mia both start to realize that they might have feelings for one another. But due to their constant bickering in class, Noah just assumed Mia may have disliked him. It never occurred to him that she was secretly crushing on him. The whole reason she acted the way she did was fear of rejection and to keep a safe distance.

We all remember having those crushes back in school and wondering if it's worth taking a chance. Sometimes it is but other times it's not worth it at all. We may want to stay in our cocoons and wait to be approached instead. I was the latter. Have you ever felt nervous? Did you take a chance?

I thought this book was cute! I think the word "remix" was perfect to describe the relation to Pride and Prejudice because it's not a retelling by any means but it's definitely fun to see the inspiration sprinkled throughout. I do feel like there was almost too many characters so I didn't get as much as I wanted from any of them and many seemed like just a caricature of their stereotype that were kind of just inserted to check a box. I love the concept and thought the idea of a reality show was a lot of fun!

The Cuffing Game by Lyla Lee has a refreshing plot that most romance novels lack. Lively main characters with fantastic backstories, funny, and great chemistry between leads.

I enjoyed this book, but it's tough to rate accurately because I realized a few chapters in this book is not really for me. I'm not a young adult (as much as I feel like it on the inside) and I don't like reality tv. I was drawn in by the claim it was similar to Pride and Prejudice, and as a P&P lover, I have to say, that claim is a stretch. Totally fine if the connections are small and the story is more "inspired by", but don't claim it in the blurbs. Also, this book felt very much like a 30's millennial (like me) writing what they imagine college 20 year olds are like. Just felt off...like very "hello fellow kids!" The story is cute and has some feet kicking moments. The diverse representation is refreshing, but sometimes feels like the characters are reduced to their labels and stereotypes.

This was just so so cute! I loved the balance of this being Pride and Prejudice inspired but also being its own story. If you like adorable fluffy romances this is definitely one to check out - I adored Mia and Noah and the drama of The Cuffing Show was just so fun to read. Definitely give this a go if you like reality TV, enemies(ish) to lovers, and lovable characters all around (Matias is my favorite iykyk)!

I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Cuffing Game was such an enjoyable read! The concept of a film school student creating a dating show for classwork and also to deal with her crush is such a unique idea that had such a fun execution. The relationships between the characters and the interactions they have had me giggling and kicking my feet. I love reading Lyla Lee books and this was no exception.

Mia is a very ambitious college freshman at Marlon University studying film who’s got the next four years completely planned out. The only issue with the plan is Noah Jang. He is completely and totally irritating but Mia just can’t stop thinking about him. Naturally, she creates a student-led dating reality show just to get him off her mind, but that doesn’t really work when Noah joins the show as a cast member. Perfect for fans of Pride and Prejudice and K-dramas, The Cuffing Game is full of heart and fun. I love that a lot of the characters don’t turn out to be exactly how you thought they were, and the Big Bear cabin setting for the show was just so cozy and atmospheric.
I will definitely be recommending this book to teens and college students at the library, and would especially recommend for fans of the K-drama Frankly Speaking.

Lyla Lee had me from the adorable author’s note at the beginning. I love the diversity and representation of love in this book. As a woman in my 30s now 🫣 it’s getting harder to relate to college freshmen and I know nothing about studying film, but I LOVED Mia and Noah’s drive and work ethic. Logistics really are so sexy.
Their story is chaos and drama and vulnerable and all about friendships. It really was a cross between sowing romance novel and bingeable trashy reality TV in a good way (as long as you like me enjoy both of those things).

Pacing-wise, it seemed to happen really fast for me (especially with the episode release timeline) so my brain got caught up on that but it didn’t impact the overall narrative.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
0.5🌶️ (making out)

This was such a cute, heartwarming book! I loved that the whole reality dating production offered the perfect formula for a forced proximity romance. Mia and Noah create such an adorable dynamic. I love seeing their journey through dual POV.

While the characters are technically in college, to me they read younger than expected. This is true YA. Overall I enjoyed the writing, and am thankful to NetGalley for the ARC.

I wanted to love this book, however it felt very slow and drawn out at points. The idea of students hosting a dating game was unique and very cute, but I had a hard time "feeling" any chemistry between the main characters and that part felt a little forced. I might have liked this book when I was a teenager but overall, it isn't something I would reread.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

Pretty much perfection. So cute, I ate it UP. More cute scenes could be added, though