As soon as I saw this book being promoted as ‘Miss Congeniality’ meets ‘The Bachelor,’ I knew I needed it in my life!

‘Most Eligible’ follows an investigative journalist named Georgia, who is on a mission: She wants to write an article exposing the unethical practices behind the reality dating show ‘Love Shack.’ And there’s only one way she will be able to accomplish her mission: She will apply to be a contestant on the show and work undercover, dating the bachelor and maybe even falling in love in the process.

You guys, I was laughing out loud during so many scenes in this book! It pokes so much fun at ‘The Bachelor’ franchise; the beginning of each chapter highlights rules from a fictional handbook about how to win a dating show, which were such a fun touch.

While I loved the comedic aspect, what I didn’t fall for was the actual love story. I’m personally not a fan of the insta-love trope, so I had trouble rooting for Georgia’s romance. Instead, it was the quirky characters and their over-the-top storylines that kept my attention in the end.

This is not a book you should take seriously whatsoever, so go into this if you’re wanting a rom-com that makes fun of itself as it goes. The ending left me howling; I think this would be such a great story to see play out on screen!

If you love a reality dating show, you absolutely MUST read this book!

I've read a number of dating show romcoms, but this still felt so fun and fresh - while still talking about a real issue. The character development was wonderful, and I loved all of the women on the show. Sure it was a little predictable at times, but it also made me fully laugh out loud at points. Georgia is so easy to root for, and Lainey is so infuriating - you'll be so invested in how this story ends that you'll finish the book in a weekend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

I appreciate the opportunity to read this book, and I was really intrigued by the premise. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the story and ended up putting it down around the 40% mark. The reality show setting took center stage, and while that might be fun for some readers, I found myself wanting more character depth and emotional connection between the leads. I didn’t quite feel the chemistry, and the lack of background made it hard for me to invest in their journey.
That said, I can see how readers who enjoy drama-filled, fast-paced romance with a reality TV vibe might really enjoy this one—it just wasn't the right fit for me.

Absolutely adored this one!
I've honestly been in a bit of a rut when it comes to RomCom books lately- since the genre has become so oversaturated. However, this one pleasantly surprised me. With all this talk of "Love Island" recently, it only made sense to read a novel like this. A journalist going undercover to write an exposé piece on a reality show? The premise is just perfect. Plus the love interest being a musician definitely played into how much I adored this one. Isabelle Engel did an excellent job balancing out the storyline between plot and character chemistry. (I feel like that's hard to come across nowadays with RomComs). It was funny, fast-paced and just the perfect summer read!

I loved this book so much that I couldn't start another book for days because nothing else lived up to the drama and storytelling in this one!

Journalist Georgia Rose goes undercover as a contestant in a Bachelor-style dating show to expose the showrunner's problematic behavior. She is shocked to find that her one-night stand is this season's host. Georgia finds herself sneaking stolen moments with the host while simultaneously dating the show's lead for the cameras.

This book has SUCH GOOD drama! I loved feeling like I was getting behind-the-scenes access to a reality show.

I highly recommend this book for fans of The Bachelor or any other dating reality TV show!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review!

A must read if you love/have watched the Bachelor franchise (or any reality TV centered around finding love).
Georgia becomes a contestant on a reality (Bachelor-like) TV show, but Georgia is definitely not here for the right reason. She is there to investigate the producers of the show for a career-making expose that she plans to write and uncover. On the first day, she finds out that the host is her unforgettable one-night stand, country singer Rhett, who also ghosted her the very next morning.

I absolutely devoured this book and read it in 1 day. I was hooked. The descriptions of the characters were each very unique and there was everything you could ever want from a reality TV show but in a book. There's drama, anticipation, sabotage, betrayals, twists and turns, LOL moments: it's like you're actually watching on TV. The tension between Rhett and Georgia as they fight to keep their secret one night stand just between them and their unresolved feelings...and the YEARNING were all *chef's kiss*. The ending was surprising yet sweet, and the strong friendships that developed between the girls were unexpected and some of the best parts of the book.

An excellent debut novel by Isabelle Engel.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

** A copy of Most Eligible was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

I'm not the biggest fan of reality dating shows but I devoured this! Most Eligible is a wonderful debut romance filled with intrigue, emotion and plenty of swoon-worthy moments. I stayed up way past my bed time to read about Georgia's time on Love Shack!

This one was so fun! As a Bachelor franchise girly I love anything having to do with reality tv and I’m such a sucker for a twist on a rom com trope (miss congeniality). Georgia and Rhett were so sweet and silly and I loved reading about them falling in love. Georgia was easy to like and Rhett was swoony and sweet. The best part of this book was BY FAR the side characters however. I looooved reading about their time in the house together and the friendships that developed from it. I loved the real reality behind reality tv shown and I thought this was a super sweet fun summer read.

I found "Most Eligible" to be a very entertaining read! I'm not a Bachelor/Bachelorette fan, but I still found it engaging and was cheering for many of the characters by the end of it. This is the first book by Engel that I've read, but I'll definitely be looking out for more from her!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

If you love romance, reality TV, and love a romance book that has stakes and plot lines outside of just the romance plot, you are going to love Most Eligible. I loved this book - it felt fresh and completely original. The pacing was incredibly well done, and I felt completely engaged with the story the entire time.

This book is single POV, with us only getting Georgia's thoughts here, and while normally I love dual POV in romance books, I think it was exactly the right choice here. It kept me guessing as to what Rhett's motivations were, and you could really understand the choices that Georgia was taking in the moment because of it. When you are as aware of the manipulation as Georgia was going into filming for the show, I think it almost adds a different and more difficult layer to the already tough atmosphere of the show, because you really can trust no one. This made the push and pull between them believable.

I also laughed out loud multiple times, and I loved the cast of the show - each of the girls had fully formed personalities (which sometimes you don't get for side characters of romance books), and by the end I was really rooting for each and every one of them. And having a contestant be a cheese entrepreneur is so true to shows like the Bachelor that I knew we were in good hands (Olie is one of my favorite characters, by the way).

Overall, I'm a huge fan of this book, and even if you aren't a big romance reader, but you like the tension and drama of reality TV, I think you'll love Most Eligible! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this eARC.

3.5 ⭐ (rounded to 4 for social media)

tl/dr: if you love the bachelor franchise (or love to hate it or just watch for the drama) this book is for you!!

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS BELOW

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If anyone has watched & loved (or even hate watched) the Bachelor or Bachelorette, etc this book is for you! It felt like reading the behind the scenes of the show & I really enjoyed that. Such a ridiculous premise but it is always fun to see the drama but also the fun adventures & friendships that form, which I think this book did so well in fictionalizing. I think my biggest gripe is that while I adored Georgia & Rhett's forbidden romance, I was having a hard time suspending my belief that after spending one night together they fell head over heels in love from that one night. Otherwise this was quite a fun book that I enjoyed & would definitely read other books by her!

Most Eligible is a fun beach read based on an undercover journalist trying to get the lowdown on a reality TV production, the Love Shack. Little does Georgia know that means falling in love and facing realities that she doesn't want to face with her insecurities, supposed best friend and her parents' divorce. There were a few scenes (mainly at the end) where I cringed because of how cheesy it was. But, overall, I really enjoyed this book.

What a trip Most Eligible was! I don’t watch a lot of reality tv but I love tv shows and books that are set behind the scenes (UnREAL, True Love Experiment, etc) and this was no exception. Such a fun read and I loved Georgia and Rhett’s chemistry!

title: Most Eligible

author: Isabelle Engel

publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

publication date: January 13, 2026

pages: 336

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: cat death (mentioned)

summary: Georgia wants to get a great article/exposé about the evil treatment of contestants on Love Shack, a reality TV show similar to the Bachelor series. Inconveniently, the host of this season's show is Rhett, the one-night stand from a year ago whom she hasn't been able to forget.

tropes:

reality TV
one-night stand
false pretenses

everyone's got secrets

what I liked:

the behind-the-scenes version of reality TV
the producer is a great character
the secrets they keep
realistic-ish obstacles

what I didn’t like:

female main character jumps to conclusions without full information, seems odd trait for a journalist

overall rating: 4 (of 5 stars)

If you're a Bachelor Nation fan, then this is the romance book for you! Georgia has convinced her way into the Love Shack mansion as a contestant in the hopes of writing an expose on what actually goes on behind the scenes of the show. Except the host of this season ends up being Rhett, a one night stand Georgia can't seem to forget.

This was hilarious and as a Bachelor Nation fan IRL, I loved all the drama of the mansion, the other contestants, and producers just like a Bachelor/Bachelorette season. The claws were out, the women were catty, and there can only be on winner. Despite that, I enjoyed the friendships Georgia made on the show and her realization of her friendship with Serena. I wish there was a little more backstory with Georgia and Rhett, but I enjoyed them reconnecting on the show. Overall, this was really fun and I think a lot of people will enjoy it!

DNF’d at 50 percent. I just couldn’t connect to the MC and her hang ups. And I didn’t see her connection with the MMC.

Just not a “me” book

All the fun of your favorite reality TV shows in the pages of book!

MOST ELIGIBLE by Isabelle Engel is just down right fun. Full of backstabbers and gossips, Georgia Rose (I mean- what a name!) finds herself in the middle of filming "Love Shack", a hit reality show centering around dating.
She's there undercover, writing an expose on the producers. But what should be an assignment turns into some real life hot-cha-cha moments for Georgia and co- star Rhett. There's more than one person with a few secrets and this book unfolds in a knock down, drag out, hilarious way.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read prior to it's release in January 2026, I laughed the whole way!

It was like the bachelor but so much more. I couldn't put this one down. My heart was racing with anticipation. This story had everything, the drama, the tension, the chemistry, and romance. Having a journalist go undercover in a love reality tv show was fun. It was exhilarating. Most eligible will have you laugh, biting your nails and swooning. It was absolutely delightful.

While I’ve never really been a fan of The Bachelor specifically, I do love almost anything and everything to do with reality TV. That includes fun books with a reality TV setting, so of course I had to read this one the second I got my hands on it. I’m so glad I did because it was such a perfect summer romance!

Georgia was an easy to root for female lead. Her motives felt believable, and I really liked her personality. I laughed out loud multiple times throughout this one, and I found the romance to be perfectly swoony. Second chance isn’t normally a trope that I go for, but I thought this one worked really well. Rhett was the perfect amount of dreamy and real, and I loved seeing their interactions play out throughout the story. I do wish that perhaps they had previously had more than just that one night together so their history was a little bit deeper; however, it still worked well and that’s a very minor, personal complaint.

The other contestants were really fun, and I liked that this book really tried to show just how not real reality TV is. Everything is usually so scripted and forced, all while they try to make it look as real as possible. Will I ever stop watching reality TV? Probably not. Did I appreciate the fact that Most Eligible showed the behind the scenes of reality TV? 100% yes!

And, for the first time in a long time, a lovey nickname in a book didn’t drive me up the wall! I thought Georgia Peach was perfectly cute, and it honestly didn’t give me an ick like most nicknames in books do. (Hi, I know I’m the problem here. Hahaha) Was it from the main love interest? No. Is that something we need to focus on? Also no.

All in all, this was an incredibly fun, easy to read book and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a cute summer romance!

Thank you SO much to St. Martin's Press and their Early Readers program for the eARC in exchange for my review!

Ok, I read this one so fast! I was invested from the jump! An undercover journalist on a bachelor style dating show - just fully fun and entertaining. You’ll get drama, and laughs, and just enough spice! Highly recommend this one.

4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book!