Here for the Right Reasons

Wow! What can I say? This book has EVERYTHING you would want in a romance. Love, passion, chemistry, drama and twists you cannot see coming!

I cannot fault this book, fans of The Bachelor or other dating reality tv shows will love this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this novel

Jodi McAlister is an author to watch out for....
If you love any love reality dating shows, this is the book for you. I was hooked from the first page. It has everything, suspense, drama, love, sadnesses, and friendship. But even if you don't love reality dating shows, read it. 'Here for the Right Reasons' is a fun loving book that keeps you guessing and you just want more.....
Thank you to Netgallery and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I absolutely inhaled 'Here for the Right Reasons'! One to add to your pre-orders!

Cecilia ‘Cece’ James is a 26 year old unemployed masters student. She’s broke, and having grown up in foster care, she’s got no one but herself to rely on. Six weeks on the set of Marry Me, Juliet (a superbly crafted reimagining of the Australian Bachelor) will at least pay her rent and maybe she’ll get semi insta famous afterwards and people will keep on paying her.

Enter gorgeous, ex-Olympian and certified soft boy, Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor as the Romeo. Son of an Aussie diplomat dad and Sri Lankan interpreter mum. Set against the backdrop of the global pandemic (which I was initially iffy about, but is used cleverly as a plot device) alongside a diverse cast of accomplished women as the other Juliets, the stage is set for hilarious rom-com antics.

McAlister is in her prime when we get to experience the completely bonkers world of Marry Me, Juliet in the form of contestant challenges and dates. I read that she's got another book set in the Marry Me, Juliet world coming out, and I am desperately hoping it follows the romance that is hinted at in the final pages!

I really enjoyed Here for the Right Reasons - it had the perfect balance of tension and fluffiness for me to absolutely fly through it.
It’s one of those books that can help you escape a bad day and feel cosy, and I loved how easy it was to not only read, but also get into and remain captivated by.

Filled with a wholehearted joyous love for its subject matter, and a genuine thoughtfulness, intention, and social awareness that speaks of the authors academic career. Here For the Right Reason’s CeCe is charming and chaotic and honestly the kind of woman that I would happily drink vodka pineapples with while watching Netflix.

I applaud McAlister’s decision to go all in on HFTRR’s Pandemic origins, and the way in which she focuses on mental health without crossing into over earnest lecturing. Plus, to be honest, I’ll never looks at reality tv the same way again. 9/10

I am a sucker for a heart-warming romance, especially friends to lovers, and this book ticked all my boxes! Here for the Right Reasons follows Cece as she drunkenly applies for the matchmaking TV series, ‘Marry Me Juliet’ as one of the Juliets competing for the Romeo, Dylan. When the producers love her application, Cece reluctantly agrees to join the show, thinking that the paycheck will help pay her rent, but finds herself enjoying her time with Dylan more than she had anticipated.

I picked this book up when I was in the mood for a fun romance, and this book delivered. I read the entire novel in one sitting! As someone who doesn’t typically watch The Bachelor or any reality TV shows, I definitely didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. I loved that the book didn’t rely on the TV show setting too much, as it allowed the relationship between Cece and Dylan to feel very grounded and realistic. Similarly, I appreciated that the typical character archetypes found on these TV shows were well-developed and not one-dimensional. I also thought that the themes explored, such as racism, stereotyping, and mental health, were treated with a lot of care and sensitivity.

Overall, I absolutely loved this novel, and I would recommend it to any romance fans, whether you enjoy reality TV or not!

I’m in love with this book! I started reading this before bed, planning on getting through a couple chapters then going to sleep… I stayed up until midnight finishing this book. It’s one of my new favourite romance novels. I can’t even put my emotions into words. I think this novel is just the epitome of that warm, fuzzy, feeling in your stomach. This book made me smile, laugh, and cry.

The characters are so sweet. Cece was a strong but still emotional female main character. I teared up multiple times reading her back story and inner monologue. Dylan was also one of the best love interests I’ve read in a romance novel ever. I’m sick of emotionally shut-off grumpy male love interests. Dylan was so refreshing to read and I loved him.

The romance was amazing. It was great to see a couple that actually communicate their feelings with each other. The friends to lovers story line was also the cutest thing ever. It hit me right in the feels.

The novel also covers important topics like representation in the media, and discussion of mental health.

Highly, highly recommend! Absolutely loved the novel and I will definitely be buying a physical copy when it comes out

eARC provided by NetGalley for an impartial review. .

A wonderful romantic comedy full of love, passion and humour. There are surprising twists in this well-balanced novel and the story keeps you enthralled as you journey along with Cece and Dylan. Once again Jodi McAlister keeps you glued to pages with a captivating romantic read. Highly recommended read to all contemporary romance lovers and well worth five (5) stars.