From the publisher:
Fans of the Hallmark Channel and Gilmore Girls will adore this delightful rom‑com about a city girl who goes in search of small-town happiness, only to discover life—and love—are nothing like the TV movies.
Emerging journalist Adina Gellar is done with dating in New York City. If she’s learned anything from made-for-TV romance movies, it’s that she’ll find love in a small town—the kind with harvest festivals, delightful but quirky characters, and scores of delectable single dudes. So when a big-city real estate magnate targets tiny Pleasant Hollow for development, Adi knows she’s found the perfect story—one that will earn her a position at a coveted online magazine, so she can finally start adulting for real . . . and maybe even find her dream man in the process.
Only Pleasant Hollow isn’t exactly “pleasant.” There’s no charming bakery, no quaint seasonal festivals, and the residents are more ambivalent than welcoming. The only upside is Finn Adams, who’s more mouthwatering than the homemade cherry pie Adi can’t seem to find—even if he does work for the company she’d hoped to bring down. Suddenly Adi has to wonder if maybe TV got it all wrong after all. But will following her heart mean losing her chance to break into the big time?
https://amzn.to/3SToAEu
They got me with the first sentence of the synopsis – I’m a huge Gilmore Girls fan, and while I’ve pretty much given up on Hallmark movies (not worth paying for,) I do enjoy them now and then. I was intrigued enough to check out this book, and I’m glad I did – even if I’m a bit late to the party. It came out in 2022!
Adi lives in the city – New York City – and while she loves living there, she hasn’t had much luck in the romance department. Struggling to pay the rent, she juggles different jobs but she really wants to be a journalist. She writes freelance but can’t afford to just do that, until one of the online magazines she writes for dangles a full time position over her head.
Adi comes up with a great premise for a story; she heard about a big developer moving into a small town in upstate New York. She proposes spending a week there to get the lowdown about how the people who live there feel about the big, bad developer moving in. Plus she’s hopeful she’ll meet some good-looking, small-town, fabulous guy who will sweep her off her feet.
Everything Adi knows about small towns is what she’s seen in Hallmark movies and from the Gilmore Girls, so her expectations are high. They are also quickly crushed as she arrived a bit early for check-in and the innkeeper not-so-politely tells her to come back later. She’s not greeted warmly at the local restaurant either, and when she smiles at people on the street, she gets dirty looks in return. And worst of all, the first good-looking guy she meets is running the new project in town – and he’s from NYC.
The town itself is nothing like Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls). There are no quirky residents waiting to greet the newcomer. There are no celebrations or fairs or pie-eating contests. There are no bizarre town meetings. Everyone seems to mind their own business and no one seems interested in Adi’s ideas for turning this town into the one of her dreams.
Finn is a really nice guy, even if he isn’t from the small town. But he’s happy to help her with her article, shows her the plans for the project, and so forth. Adi quickly learns her article may not go the way Hallmark movies do when no one in town seems the least bit upset about the big, bad developer moving in. Adi is going to have to come up with another angle, and she is stumped.
Meanwhile, Finn is trying his best to be helpful and the more time they spend together, well, you know what happens. I have to say the publisher was spot on – this is a really fun read for anyone who enjoys Hallmark movies and the Gilmore Girls. I loved it!
2/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
AS SEEN ON TV by Meredith Schorr. Forever (June 7, 2022). ISBN: 978-1538754764. 352p.
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