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A review by flightyreads
Here for the Wrong Reasons by Lydia Wang, Annabel Paulsen
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Note: I received an ARC from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lauren and Krystin are on a Bachelor-esque show. One of them knows exactly what she wants and has a plan, and the other has no idea what her life is turning into. They start as competitors but gradually get to know each other better.
I read a book with a similar concept last year, so I was excited to see a fresh take on this plotline. I think it is difficult to be uber original on such a plot, but there were several instances that surprised me in this book in a good way. Ultimately, my favorite parts of the book were the actual “reality TV” snippets at the end of each chapter, containing confessionals from each contestant. I thought this was a great way to get to know key characters in such a large cast, and it made it way easier to follow along. I also appreciate that there was no external homophobia written in the book. This was truly a sapphic book made to bring enjoyment, not turmoil.
Ultimately, I think this book suffered from two things that affected my enjoyment while reading. A small part was due to a lot of formatting mistakes, but I imagine these will be fixed before official release. The main issue I had was that I struggled to tell what demographic this was targeted to beyond “generally queer women”. The writing, especially earlier in the book, often feels as though lifted directly from an episode of The Bachelor. At first I took it that this was aimed younger audiences due to this, but there are also themes that felt more geared towards older/new adult audiences.
Ultimately, I think fans of reality TV will enjoy this regardless of sexuality and I rated it a 3.75/5 stars.
Lauren and Krystin are on a Bachelor-esque show. One of them knows exactly what she wants and has a plan, and the other has no idea what her life is turning into. They start as competitors but gradually get to know each other better.
I read a book with a similar concept last year, so I was excited to see a fresh take on this plotline. I think it is difficult to be uber original on such a plot, but there were several instances that surprised me in this book in a good way. Ultimately, my favorite parts of the book were the actual “reality TV” snippets at the end of each chapter, containing confessionals from each contestant. I thought this was a great way to get to know key characters in such a large cast, and it made it way easier to follow along. I also appreciate that there was no external homophobia written in the book. This was truly a sapphic book made to bring enjoyment, not turmoil.
Ultimately, I think this book suffered from two things that affected my enjoyment while reading. A small part was due to a lot of formatting mistakes, but I imagine these will be fixed before official release. The main issue I had was that I struggled to tell what demographic this was targeted to beyond “generally queer women”. The writing, especially earlier in the book, often feels as though lifted directly from an episode of The Bachelor. At first I took it that this was aimed younger audiences due to this, but there are also themes that felt more geared towards older/new adult audiences.
Ultimately, I think fans of reality TV will enjoy this regardless of sexuality and I rated it a 3.75/5 stars.