Prime Time Romance — Books, Beauty, & Buys

By: Katie Robb
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: 336
Pages: Dial Press Trade Paperback

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): 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?

First Impressions

This cover is so cute. Add in the fact that the summary says she gets trapped in her favorite 2000s soap opera and I was in. This book made a very strong first impression.

What I thought

This book was really cute, but I did end up having some issues with the magic element.

Brynn makes a wish on her birthday after being given a mysterious cake from an Uber Eats driver. When she wakes up the next morning, she and her hot bartender roommate Josh are in the fictitious town of Carson’s Cove. Brynn watched Carson’s Cover as a teenager and then comfort binged it in her adulthood multiple times. When the show ended, the main character, Sloan, wasn’t given the ending she deserved since the show didn’t get renewed. Sheldon has brought Brynn and Josh back and told them they can’t leave until she gives Sloan the proper ending.

This book felt very much like what would happen if you ended up in Gilmore Girls. Small town, lots of festivals, girl the town sees as picture perfect. It was cute and I enjoyed that part of it a lot. What I didn’t love was that there wasn’t any explanation for the magic. I didn’t understand if this town was real and the show had been filmed in this real town or if this town was created with magic? I was also confused by the other people in the town. How did they not realize Sloan had been replaced? And if they were able to be magiked into not recognizing Sloan, why wouldn’t they be able to be manipulated into making the ending Sheldon wants?

On top of that, Sheldon is seemingly a real person/actor and it is never explained how he finds the magic to make this Carson’s Cove and what he thinks will happen once Brynn acts out the ending as Sloan.

Regardless of the magical plot holes, I loved the romance. Josh and Brynn had really good chemistry and I thought tthey were very cute. I also liked how Josh had his own storyline and issues, but that they never got in the way of him and Brynn being together. This book doesn’t have the miscommunication that makes you want to throw the book against the wall which I appreciated.