AUTHOR: Jodi McAlister GENRE: Adult Romance PAGES: 336 pages RELEASED: 6 July 2022 SERIES: Marry Me, Juliet #1 SYNOPSIS: When Cece James agrees to be cast as a ‘Juliet’ on the next season of the hit television show Marry Me, Juliet, it’s certainly not for the right reasons. She’s knee deep in debt and desperate for the associated paycheck. The last thing on her mind is the hunky ‘Romeo’ waiting for her at the end of the gravel driveway. But Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor isn’t your usual fame-hungry TV star. An Olympic gold medallist with calloused hands, kind eyes and a propensity for panic attacks, it turns out he’s not here for the right reasons either. As spokesperson for a men’s mental health foundation, and the franchise’s first non-white male lead, Dylan’s got a charity to plug and something to prove. When Cece gets eliminated on the first night, it seems like her and Dylan’s awkward first meeting will be their last conversation. But when the TV set is shut down unexpectedly, Cece and Dylan suddenly get a little more time together than they’d expected. Will love bloom when the cameras stop rolling? Who says you can’t find your soul mate on a reality dating show…
One drunken night with her best friends leads to Cece applying to her favourite reality dating show Marry Me, Juliet, hoping to finally find The One. But when the world starts shutting down because of the pandemic and Cece is out of a job, she can’t turn down the opportunity to also earn a little money from the experience if she wants to keep a roof over her head. Her goal is to stay on the show until the final few weeks, knowing she’ll be able to score some pretty good Instagram deals the longer she’s on the show. And if the Romeo falls in love with her, then that’s even better. But an awkward first encounter with Romeo Dylan and a fall in the pool has her eliminated on the first night. However, with the pandemic ramping up outside the fantasy of the villa, it turns out that the eliminated contestants can’t go home - they’re to stay on the property until restrictions ease. When the cameras stop rolling that first night, Cece and Dylan realise they have a way to help each other in this weird experience and so they strike up a deal with production that will allow Cece to get more screen-time, even though she’s been eliminated from the competition. Cece might not be a Juliet anymore, but that doesn’t stop the heart from wanting what it can’t have… I read this book in one day. In ten hours to be precise. I just could not stop reaching for it while I was trying to be productive - I just needed to see how this story panned out and I wasn’t going to let my daily life get in the way until I got to the last page. For someone who doesn’t really watch reality dating shows, I’m a sucker for that trope in romance novels! There’s just something about seeing the messy behind-the-scenes drama, and unintended love stories that I just crave. If The Bachelor showed all the production drama and secret relationships, I’d definitely start watching regularly! Jodi pulls back the curtain on the production of a Bachelor-inspired show and delivers all the television magic that goes into crafting the must-watch love stories that they’re trying to create season after season. And of course, all the drama that happens on the other side of the camera, and more importantly, when the cameras aren’t rolling. You think the onscreen drama is messy? You haven’t even seen what’s happening offscreen! I really enjoyed how Jodi utilised the pandemic for this story - I’ve not read too many books that feature/mention the pandemic, but each one has used it to their advantage to craft interesting stories that ultimately don’t focus on the pandemic too much and have a happy ending, despite the shitty situation. And Here For The Right Reasons is no different. Jodi was able to balance to anxiety surrounding the pandemic and loss of work with the uplifting hope of new romance and opportunities - I never want to go back and physically relive those days of intense lockdown, but I didn’t mind venturing there with this story. Both Cece and Dylan were really interesting characters with their own intriguing stories to tell, and it was really nice to watch their friendship unfold as they embarked on their best friend deal. And because Cece had been eliminated from the competition at the beginning, the whole premise was a really interesting approach to being on the set of a reality dating show, because we experienced most of the show from the conversations between Dylan and Cece, rather than actually seeing it play out from the perspective of someone still in the competition. The romance itself was a bit of a slow burn, but the wait was certainly worth it once things truly kicked off for the couple. Jodi’s writing style lent itself really well to the inner monologues and flashbacks scattered throughout, and I could really feel myself getting into Cece’s head, rather than just observing her like a fly on the wall. I feel like the only thing lacking was time inside Dylan’s head - as someone who reads a LOT of romances with alternating perspectives, I’m used to and quiet enjoy getting inside the minds of both characters. While, overall, it wasn’t necessary to have Dylan’s perspective, there were definitely moments where I wish I could have read about his reactions and thoughts on the entire situation. While we didn’t get to learn a great deal about all the other Juliet’s, mainly because Cece doesn’t get to learn a lot about them either, there were a few who stood out as the leading ladies for future books, which I’m really excited about (I may or may not be writing this review after having also read Can I Steal You For A Second?). Even through the tidbits we got to see, they were all a really intriguing bunch of characters that certainly all have potential to be developed more in other books, whether it be as leading ladies or still as secondary characters. If you’re a sucker for trashy reality television and live for the messy drama that unfolds on said reality television, this is definitely a book to add to your TBR. It’s a sweet romance with lots of heart that definitely can’t be missed. |
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