Prime Time Romance
Ratings2
Average rating5
15
Ratings2
Average rating5
Is love on the small screen better than the real thing?
A young divorcee finds herself in the ideal world of her favorite 2000s teen soap in this second-chance, whimsical romantic comedy from the author of This Spells Love.
Newly divorced on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Brynn is sick of heartbreak. She thought she had found her happy ending, but now she’s living with a roommate, Josh, to afford her mortgage, and she’s trying to adjust to her new single life. At least she’s got Carson’s Cove to binge, her beloved 2000s teenage soap. The show ended unexpectantly on a cliffhanger after five seasons, and the two main characters, Sloan and Spencer, never got to declare their love for each other. The show is still perfect in Brynn’s eyes; despite all the drama that goes down, things always have a way of working out in Carson’s Cove . . . unlike her own life.
So when a birthday cake surprisingly shows up on her and Josh’s doorstep, Brynn makes a wish for the one thing she’s always wanted (but has failed to achieve herself): a happily-ever-after.
The next morning, she doesn’t wake up in her apartment. She’s in Carson’s Cove . . . and Josh is there too. Everyone seems to know them, except they’re not Brynn and Josh; they’re Sloan, the sweetheart of Carson’s Cove, and Fletch, the town’s bad boy. And to get home, they have to make Brynn’s wish come true by ensuring Sloan and Spencer, the hometown heartthrob, end up together at last. But as they spend more time together, Brynn and Josh realize that Carson’s Cove might not be as perfect as seen on television . . . especially when they start developing feelings for each other in a plot twist no one has expected. Will they stick to the script, or will real love change the story forever?
Reviews with the most likes.
For those of us Millenials who grew up loving shows like Dawson's Creek, you'll love this novel.
Brynn's life sucks. She's newly divorced and unlucky at love. On the night of her 30th birthday, she goes out with “friends” and finds herself promptly ignored. Thankfully, she's saved from a disastrous night by her roommate, Josh, at the bar where he works. Josh gets her home safe, where she can watch her favorite show, Carson's Cove. But a birthday wish for a better life winds up with both Brynn and Josh being sucked into Carson's Cove. Not only do they have to navigate this new world, but Brynn is required to give the show's leads the happy ending they never got. But threatening that is her newfound feelings for Josh. Can she save the show and get them back to the real world?
I absolutely love this book. The main characters are relatable and fun, and the premise is literally out of this world. Kate Robb tells a great story filled with humor, passion, and magic. I love this so much I now want to check out Robb's first book.
For The Xennials. Yes, we are a tighter demographic than most others, but we - those born roughly 1978 to 1983 - are still mighty, and this book hits us pretty directly. While directly pulling from a hidden-just-enough-to-prevent-copyright-claims version of Dawson's Creek, there are also *several* other TV shows and movies of our teen generation (specifically that late 90s/ early 2000s period) referenced here. Pleasantville being not even that arguably the second most obvious, but also The Notebook and Miss Congeniality, among others. So for us + those just older or younger than us who grew up/ became "new adults" watching these things, this was a great nostalgic trip into an interesting romcom premise that I, despite reading roughly 200 books per year, had never come across something *quite* like this.
And yes, it also "draws inspiration from" others of the same period of different forms, such as The Family Man in particular, and it is truly this combination of The Family Man + Pleasantville where the romance side of this truly comes home and works quite well.
As a side note for those who clearly feel opposite from how I do, please stop rating a book 1* if you DNF'd it. I understand Goodreads and their corporate overlords at Amazon don't allow you to have a direct DNF option, but other alternatives such as Hardcover.app *do* allow you to explicitly note a DNF without giving a star rating - and you can still review the book. It just doesn't plummet the ratings average the way a 1* is when you didn't even finish the book, and at least to me, rating a book you didn't finish feels dishonest - though clearly, you do you.
With that aside out of the way, again, I truly enjoyed this book and its premise really hit home as exactly that age group that it was very clearly targeting, but clearly there are a wide variety of views on this particular book. You, dear reader of this review, should absolutely read it for yourself and make your own call there. (And, remember, if you DNF it, please review it on Goodreads alternatives like Hardcover.app and use their explicit "DNF" option. :D)
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
