I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, I didn't. With the storyline being another "The Bachelor" rip-off I thought it would be a home-run, but it turned out to be a strike-out.

I liked the concept of the story, but I just couldn't get behind Lily, and how she acted. Her love for Murray was clear BUT she had a very messed up way of showing it. Passive-aggressive much??

I did enjoy the 2 love stories that resulted from the season she hijacked though. They were sweet.

I don't think I'd recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this! The reviews were absolutely correct; this was a hilarious love story with witty, fun characters. I love reality TV and dating shows, and this was the perfect book for anyone who's a sucker for those type of shows.

Okay so I'm a big bachelor fan, so I was very intrigued about this one. It's the third in the series but can definitely be read without reading the others. I haven't read the first two, but went back and read about them. Turns out all 3 books take place during the same season of "Marry Me Juliet" but focus on different characters. I kind of like that I went into this without reading the first two.
First of all I am loving the rom-com turned reality television genre that seems to be becoming more prevalent lately. Mixing my two fav things together is bound to get me excited.
What I Liked: The behind the scenes and focus on the production of the show, rather than the show itself.
Overall the first half of the book was enjoyable. However I just wasn't a fan of the romance between Lucy and Murray. I found the last half of the book just wasn't for me. I didn't care for the characters and because of that didn't feel invested in the love story.

Started out strong, but fell a little flat for me.
I would recommend it to any fans of the bachelor franchise. If you don't like the show, this book definitely isn't for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

If you are a reality TV fan, you’ll likely know exactly what this book is going to be about based on the title alone, and it feels like a guilty pleasure in the same way that the TV franchise does.

Producers Murray and Lily have worked together for over a decade on a show where one contestant dates a large group of women or men, depending on the season. After a horrible event in her personal life, Lily stepped away for a year. This year, she shows up as a network plant, playing the villain on the newest season and flipping the show upside down.

I found the premise to be juicy, fun entertainment, and would definitely place it in the guilty pleasure category. The characters are honestly so unlikeable that I didn’t really care if they got their HEA in the end, but it was fun to be along for the wild ride along the way. Lily comes in as the villain, and she actually still feels like a villain even when she isn’t playing one. Her personality and character are just turned up times ten to be on the show, but she clearly loves drama and manipulating people and thrives on chaos. Murray isn’t much better, though at least we know via his POV that every once in awhile he does feel bad about the craziness he causes.

We get all the drama that you might see on the bachelor- racist contestants, a contestant maybe falling for another contestant, bad behavior and drama, and all the behind the scenes producer manipulation. It was an entertaining read, but probably not one that will stick with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC. All opinion are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a funny, light and fluffy rom com. If you are looking for a cute romance to pop into your beach bag, look no further than this book. It is a highly enjoyable read, and a good escape from the stress of every day life. Definitely recommend this book!

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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DNF 10% - I’m not loving the overall tone of the book and I don’t like that they killed off Lily’s husband just to set up this book.

Note: I received this book free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this advance readers copy! This book was very interesting, it was fun getting a sneak peak into what it took to produce a reality tv show and what would happen behind the scenes.

This was a very fun romance with morally grey characters although I didn't realize it was the third in a series and was a little confused by all of the MANY side characters. I enjoyed how twisty and turny this is and I will for sure be going back to read the others!

There are not words to adequately express how much I loved this book. I had not read the first two books in the series, but I’m almost glad I hadn’t. Getting to know Lily and Murray organically through THEIR story, while still getting to see the couples from the other two books just means I have two other books to read now.

My ONLY complaint was that Lily’s Big Event that happens at the start of the book was almost too shocking to happen so soon at the start of a new book. Other than that, the pacing, the characterization, the dialogue, the plot, everything… it was perfect.

I wish it had a LITTLE more spicy action but I’ll take what I can get.

Lily, as both herself and Lily Fireball, was a lovable and hate-able character, and you still cheered for her. I will forever go down with a friends to lovers trope, so this one had me by the neck.

Thank you to Simon and Shuster and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This book was hard to follow, and honestly lost me right at the sound of pandemic, covid, etc. I lived it and don't need to be reminded of the hard times we all experienced in 2020+
The concept of reality TV set is hard to consider when you are either fully gullible into reality tv or use it to escape reality yourself much like books do for so many people.
I wanted to enjoy this book and romance but the plot was lost on me trying to follow along with TV characters, other participants on the TV show and the producers and writers of the show. etc. It was very overwhelming.

A poorly written attempt to mimic the bachelor franchise however the author refused to use the characters actual names and everything was Juliet-Dylan, juliet-Amanda.

This book is hard to review, because to some extent it is a relief of COVID protocols that are understandably hard to write around. Leaving those side, this book dragged a bit--it was very internal and flat. Really couldn't stand Lily, but sure was weirdly not much of a presence in the book. I want to try something else from this author, though, as I think she's a good storyteller.

Thank you for the ARC!

I liked the idea behind the book more than the execution of it. The pacing of the story was really slow and it was really hard to connect with the characters. I probably will not be reading the rest of the series, unfortunately.

I loved this book's behind-the-scenes peek at shows like the Bachelor franchise and I thought the Murray character was complicated and generally likable. I did not feel the same about Lily. I honestly wished the ending had been where it was left about 90% in rather than how it actually ended. Overall, the story was interesting because of the setting and situations and I'd recommend to fans of the Bachelor/ette franchises! It was fun.

the idea for this was so fun but i just had a hard time connecting with murray and lily, they didn’t quite feel real to me

thank you netgalley for an arc of this in exchange for my honest review!

If you watch The Bachelor franchise and enjoy reading, this one is for you! I found it fascinating and felt like I was one of the producers. I loved both characters and the also the contestant drama. Felt very on brand. I also enjoyed the format of the book, with the female MC starting in the past and the male MC in the present. Very well done and I highly enjoyed, Would rank 3.5 if I could. thanks to netgalley for an arc!

Absolute candy for fans of the Bachelor and Unreal. This tells the behind-scenes story with plenty of details on how each show is made. Driving it all is the relationship between Murray and Lily, two veterans of the reality television scene. Like many real-life Bachelor contestants, they aren't always likable but they are relatable and the twists and turns of their relationship and their manipulations kept me guessing!

I want to start this review by being clear: I am a huge fan of reality television, and the more dramatic, the better. I cannot get enough of Vanderpump Rules. I always keep up with The Bachelor Franchise and devour any Netflix series hosted by the Lacheys. Additionally, I used to be a huge follower of Unreal. If any of the above also applies to you, Not Here to Make Friends will be your kind of read.

A quick overview: Murray is the showrunner of a reality dating show, and this is his first season where he gets to tell the story that he wants to tell. However, when his former best friend and co-showrunner shows up unannounced as this season's villain, they suddenly start butting heads for control of the season.

To truly enjoy this book, you have to know how reality television is produced and manipulated. Our main characters are not heroes, nor are they arguably good people. These are two cutthroat reality television producers, and once you accept that, you're going to have a much better time.

What I loved:
-The timeline of the story is set in the present, while Murray's POV is in the past. This really sets up the story from two different directions. Some readers had issues with Lilly and Murray being married at different points in their lives. I think having the story told throughout the span of time really solidifies that there is no overlap. It also runs a knife through your heart.
-The reality television aspect. The Romeo-Dylan and Juliet-Dylan are a treat to read.
-The structure. It was an easy read in the sense that everything flowed together nicely. I could feel Murray's stress and frustration throughout the book, which heightened my emotions.
-The effort to address the lack of BIPOC in reality television and how it shapes the media as a whole.

What I didn't love as much:
-I got really tired of reading "Lily Fireball" over and over. I understand why; it's the branding, but it got exhausting.
-You will have to suspend some disbelief. Things do sort of magically come together in a productive way despite all the mess and drama. It's not completely out of the realm of possibilities, but it is a bit far-fetched.

I had a really great time reading this book. I wouldn't categorize it as a "fun light" read, but it's not overly dark and heavy—it's somewhere in between.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jodi McAlister for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was a cute book. It goes with the trope of reality TV of a dating show and the Romeo and multiple Juliet's. So the Romeo-Dylan was very nice and did not like some of the candidates. He also did not want to go along with what the producer decided to do with the plot line. However, the producer gets a shock himself by falling back in love with his old co-producer. I don't want to give too much information to not spoil the surprises and plot line. I'm not a reality TV show watcher and this towards the end was a little hard to follow at who was with who. It was a cute "nice book" and a quick read. If you are someone who enjoys the "Bachelor/Bachelorette" type reality TV shows you will think this is a great read.

Murray and Lily are friends and Co workers on a "Bachelor" style reality TV show. And they also love each other but married other people. Told in the present from Murray's POV and in flashbacks from Lily's POV we find out more about their history and life as TV producers.

Sadly this book was not my favorite. I previously may have loved this book 10 years ago when I was obsessed with reality TV dating shows but I feel like their time in the spotlight has passed for me. So to be reading a book set in that world just wasn't my preference. I also didn't appreciate that they were in love with each other but were dating or married to other people. It felt like emotional cheating and I don't want that in a "fun romance book".

My review will be posted to Goodreads now and Instagram on the publish date