Prickle Forrest Books
BOOK REVIEW
April 2024
Dear Readers,
In my latest selection from NetGalley, I extend my gratitude to both the platform and the publishers for providing me with an advance copy of this forthcoming title, slated for release in September 2024. It is my sincere hope that my feedback regarding certain inconsistencies and errors will be considered and addressed prior to publication. Please see below for my detailed rating and commentary.
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Title: Prime Time Romance
Author: Kate Robb
ISBN: 9780593596555
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback
Pub Date: September 3, 2024
Archive Date: September 3, 2024
Genre: Romance (RomCom) Women’s Fiction
Pages: 336
Format: E-book
Price: $19.99 (USD)
Availability: NetGalley
Review Date: April 17, 2024
NetGalley Reviewer: 1375356 (Christina H.)
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Description:
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 now living with a roommate, Josh, to afford her mortgage and 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 one another. 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 always wanted (but 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 tv . . . especially when they start developing feelings for each other in a plot twist nobody expected. Will they stick to the script, or will real love change the story forever?
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My Review:
In her latest novel, Kate Robb ventures into the imaginative with a narrative twist that sends its main characters into a setting on the silver screen as the once youthful leading lady and a quintessential bad boy—fifteen years into their future to offer a finale that promises to captivate. Regrettably, the intended audience is as sparse as it is unexpected, limited to the very individual responsible for their temporal displacement, alongside a backdrop overly cluttered with distracting references to DC, and a surplus of teenage drama tropes.
Set against the charming tableau of a small East Coast town, replete with its distinctive idiosyncrasies, the novel’s environment is vividly painted, successfully immersing readers in its quaint streets and local color.
While the dialogue rings true to life, the sporadic profanity, inconsistent with the established tone of the narrative, suggests a lapse in editorial consistency that detracts from the otherwise immersive experience.
Moreover, the insertion of tepidly executed romantic scenes seems an unnecessary deviation from the established norms of prime-time melodrama, where a slow burn and suggestive fade to black might better serve the genre’s traditional expectations.
As an editor and author who experiences literature through audiobooks due to visual impairment, certain narrative discrepancies particularly stand out:
• The logistical oversight where the main character, Brynn checks her phone—a device previously lost—adds a jarring note of inconsistency.
• A typographical error referring to the "Marching Brand" rather than "Band" disrupts immersion.
• It’s clear that "through" was the intended word in the sentence "A top 40 track booms though a speaker system so loud…," raising questions about the oversight of the editors and proofreaders. I only hope this review is in time to pull the manuscript and correct.
• The believability of a rescue scene amidst a stormy sea stretches credulity, even allowing for dramatic license.
• Additionally, the inclusion of a blind date at the start that fails to propel the narrative forward could have been restructured for greater efficiency and impact.
• Lastly, I recommend that the author relocate the author notes to her website, enticing fans to visit and potentially sign up for her newsletter.
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Despite these critiques, several elements do maintain engagement:
• The dialogue, outside of its occasional harshness, captures the essence of the characters compellingly.
• The secondary characters are robust and intriguing enough to perhaps warrant their own spin-offs, but unfortunately they come from the land of the silver screen where their lives do fade to black.
• The central plot surrounding Josh is particularly well-crafted, though his earlier involvement might have enriched the story further.
• The portrayal of Brynn’s quest for a fairy-tale ending offers a universally relatable thread.
• The slow-burning romance, while appealing, might have either adhered more closely to genre conventions with a fade to black or embraced a bolder approach.
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In conclusion, Robb’s novel presents a mix of small-town romance and comedic elements with a unique twist that, despite its flaws, might prove a delightful read for those seeking a light, escapist narrative in the vein of a romantic comedy. The epilogue aspect adds a pleasing touch, providing a glimpse into the characters’ futures, which is always a gratifying closure for fans of the teenage melodramas.
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My Rating:
I’ll assign it a 4 out of 5, noting the absence of half-point increments.
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Thanks goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback for my opportunity to read and review this novel.
Christina Hartmann Benchoff
Prickle Forrest LLC
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