11.16.2024

finished reading

I'm a fan of reality TV, so I was quite interested in this book about a Bachelor-esque dating show.  The main character, Jac, is snarky and intends to boost her stalled writing career with a stint on a reality show. The book is about how the production team manipulates and molds the narrative.  The secondary characters are compelling--especially Marcus.  It seemed a bit draggy, maybe because there's not a lot of action to the plot.

From the publisher:
Emily Henry meets Fleabag ...and The Bachelor ! An irresistibly sharp and sexy dramedy about a cynical romance novelist who goes on a  Bachelor -like reality show to revive her flagging career, only to discover that while she may have just met the love of her life, the producers have turned her into the show’s villain.

Good villains make good TV.

Romance novelist Jacqueline Matthis’s big career has gone bust and she’s ditched the bright lights of New York City for her more affordable South Carolina hometown. Desperate, Jac dreams up a comeback plan—she is going to be a contestant on the 1, the most obsessively watched reality dating show in the world.

After all Jac is a romance writer—she knows how to pull off a meet-cute and create a spicy plotline.

On set, Jac quickly establishes herself as a front-runner for bachelor Marcus’s heart, but she’s shocked to discover who’s actually pulling the strings. How was she to know that Henry Foster, her last one-night stand before the show, was actually a longtime producer on the 1? Henry is just as horrified…but they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other.

As Jac plays the game and the show unfurls, she slowly discovers that she’s getting the villain edit. They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but as Jac’s secret plan begins crumbling around her, she’s not so sure. What happens if Marcus chooses her? Worse, what happens if her affair with Henry comes to light? What if, in trying to save her career, Jac has ruined her life?

Heartbreaking, smart, and sexy, this novel is for anyone who has ever secretly rooted for—or felt like—the villain.

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