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Marry Me, Juliet #3
Not Here to Make Friends
In this “full-on villain romance” (The New York Times) a group of women on a reality dating show should be vying for the love of their Romeo, but it turns out one of them only has eyes for the showrunner.
Murray O’Connell is standing on the greatest precipice of his career. As showrunner of the reality dating show Marry Me, Juliet, Murray is determined to make this season a success.
Nothing and nobody will stand in his way.
Except perhaps Lily Fireball, the network’s choice for this season’s villain. Lily has classic reality TV appeal: She’s feisty, dramatic, and never backs down from a fight. She also happens to be Murray’s estranged best friend and former co-showrunner.
What was once a perfectly planned season turns to chaos as the two battle for control. Working in reality television, they’re used to drama, secrets, and romance. But what happens when suddenly they’re at the center of the storyline?
Murray O’Connell is standing on the greatest precipice of his career. As showrunner of the reality dating show Marry Me, Juliet, Murray is determined to make this season a success.
Nothing and nobody will stand in his way.
Except perhaps Lily Fireball, the network’s choice for this season’s villain. Lily has classic reality TV appeal: She’s feisty, dramatic, and never backs down from a fight. She also happens to be Murray’s estranged best friend and former co-showrunner.
What was once a perfectly planned season turns to chaos as the two battle for control. Working in reality television, they’re used to drama, secrets, and romance. But what happens when suddenly they’re at the center of the storyline?
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2024
215 people are currently reading
9336 people want to read
About the author
Jodi McAlister
18 books586 followersBy day, Jodi McAlister writes romance novels. By other time of day, Dr Jodi McAlister studies them. She's written romantic comedies for adults, romantasy and contemporary romance for young adults, and several academic books.
For adults
If you're a reality TV lover, the Marry Me, Juliet series are the books for you. Even if you're not a reality TV lover, they might be the books for you - several reality TV haters have enjoyed them.
The trilogy all take place at the same time on the same season of a reality dating show called Marry Me, Juliet (which bears a very strong resemblance to The Bachelor). While they all stand alone and can be read in any order, they work best when read in order.
Start with Here For The Right Reasons (he's the series lead, she's the contestant he eliminates on the first night), move on to Can I Steal You For A Second? (she's a contestant, she's... also a contestant), and finish with the book the New York Times called a "full-on villain romance", Not Here To Make Friends (she's the villain, he's the producer who's pining for her).
For young adults
If you're a romantasy reader, you'll like the Valentine series, a young adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy series about smart girls, small towns, and scary fairies. There are three books: Valentine, Ironheart, and Misrule. If Picnic at Hanging Rock meets Holly Black sounds like something you’d be into, these are the books for you.
And if you're a theatre kid, Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending is the book for you. It's my love letter to theatre kids as someone who used to be one.
Academic books
No one really cares much about these on Goodreads, do they? More info on my website if you're interested.
About Jodi
Jodi is originally from Kiama, a seaside holiday town on the south coast of New South Wales, and has lived in a bunch of different cities: Canberra (where she did her undergrad degrees), Wollongong (where she lived while she did her PhD in Sydney), and Hobart (where she held her first academic job) among them. Currently, she lives in Melbourne, where she works as a Senior Lecturer in Writing, Literature and Culture at Deakin University.
When she’s not writing about romance, Jodi is an academic studying romance. Her research focuses on representations of love in popular culture and fiction. It means that reading romance novels and watching (and let’s be real, writing huge amounts about) The Bachelor/ette is technically work for her.
**Want to dip your toes into the Valentine universe? Try the free short story Galentine, set a year and a bit before the events of Valentine. http://jodimcalister.com.au/galentine/ **
**Want to read a bonus epilogue to Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending? Check it out here: https://jodimcalister.com.au/libby-la... **
For adults
If you're a reality TV lover, the Marry Me, Juliet series are the books for you. Even if you're not a reality TV lover, they might be the books for you - several reality TV haters have enjoyed them.
The trilogy all take place at the same time on the same season of a reality dating show called Marry Me, Juliet (which bears a very strong resemblance to The Bachelor). While they all stand alone and can be read in any order, they work best when read in order.
Start with Here For The Right Reasons (he's the series lead, she's the contestant he eliminates on the first night), move on to Can I Steal You For A Second? (she's a contestant, she's... also a contestant), and finish with the book the New York Times called a "full-on villain romance", Not Here To Make Friends (she's the villain, he's the producer who's pining for her).
For young adults
If you're a romantasy reader, you'll like the Valentine series, a young adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy series about smart girls, small towns, and scary fairies. There are three books: Valentine, Ironheart, and Misrule. If Picnic at Hanging Rock meets Holly Black sounds like something you’d be into, these are the books for you.
And if you're a theatre kid, Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending is the book for you. It's my love letter to theatre kids as someone who used to be one.
Academic books
No one really cares much about these on Goodreads, do they? More info on my website if you're interested.
About Jodi
Jodi is originally from Kiama, a seaside holiday town on the south coast of New South Wales, and has lived in a bunch of different cities: Canberra (where she did her undergrad degrees), Wollongong (where she lived while she did her PhD in Sydney), and Hobart (where she held her first academic job) among them. Currently, she lives in Melbourne, where she works as a Senior Lecturer in Writing, Literature and Culture at Deakin University.
When she’s not writing about romance, Jodi is an academic studying romance. Her research focuses on representations of love in popular culture and fiction. It means that reading romance novels and watching (and let’s be real, writing huge amounts about) The Bachelor/ette is technically work for her.
**Want to dip your toes into the Valentine universe? Try the free short story Galentine, set a year and a bit before the events of Valentine. http://jodimcalister.com.au/galentine/ **
**Want to read a bonus epilogue to Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending? Check it out here: https://jodimcalister.com.au/libby-la... **
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 410 reviews
January 29, 2024
I couldn’t finish it. I very rarely do this. I thought the author definitely knows how to write, I was just not a fan of the zillion character names, the constant talk of the ‘unreal’ ‘reality’ tv concept, and the fact they loved each other but both married others. I couldn’t sit on a book I didn’t want to open. My thanks to @betterreading for my copy, which I tried my best with.
29/01/24. Just found this on audio, it might be a fun way to finish this.. 😊
29/01/24. Just found this on audio, it might be a fun way to finish this.. 😊
November 23, 2023
This series is an incredible accomplishment, deconstructing love stories at the same time as it embraces and celebrates them. Jodi McAlister has ruined this setting for all future writers—no-one will ever capture the goofy, over-the-top world of reality dating shows so authentically, and Not Here To Make Friends puts a giant satin bow on this wonderful series. Lily Fireball and I had a real enemies-to-lovers arc—at first I hated her as much as the other contestants did, but soon I was head over heels, desperate for her to find her Romeo. Not Here To Make Friends has a twinkle in its eye and a fire in its heart—I loved every minute of it.
January 27, 2024
Trigger warnings: death of a spouse, car accident, divorce, grief, mental health, racism, misogyny, violence, COVID pandemic
4.5 stars
I'm going out on a limb and saying that this is my favourite of the three books. And I think that's in part the split narration and in part the history between the two of them, and the mutual pining, which I freaking LOVE. I've been intrigued about the dynamic between Murray and Lily from the get go, and intrigued about Lily in particular from part way through the first book. And this one? This filled in ALL The gaps I needed filled in, and it did it in a spectacular fashion.
I can fully understand how this book has received more of a mixed response than the other two, but there was just something about the dynamic of these two that WORKED for me, and I had a truly wonderful time reading it.
4.5 stars
I'm going out on a limb and saying that this is my favourite of the three books. And I think that's in part the split narration and in part the history between the two of them, and the mutual pining, which I freaking LOVE. I've been intrigued about the dynamic between Murray and Lily from the get go, and intrigued about Lily in particular from part way through the first book. And this one? This filled in ALL The gaps I needed filled in, and it did it in a spectacular fashion.
I can fully understand how this book has received more of a mixed response than the other two, but there was just something about the dynamic of these two that WORKED for me, and I had a truly wonderful time reading it.
February 29, 2024
This book proves, in case you weren’t already convinced, that McAlister is a storytelling genius. It’s all so meta, layered and structurally complex I can’t quite figure out how she did it but it’s storytelling within storytelling within storytelling. And you will gulp it down. I have never watched an online reality dating show but I love these books set in that world. The main reason why is these characters who McAlister brings to life and renders as complex and real and believable in this very contrived world they’re inhabiting. My heart exploded with joy reading this. The first two books were excellent but this is without doubt my favourite. Lily Fireball, I am yours heart and soul. This was a perfect finale to a brilliant series.
November 24, 2024
Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to review the ARC of this book.
This book ticked all of my favorite book trope boxes 📦
Angst, with a constant push and pull between the MMC and FMC- ✔️
Constant Misunderstanding keeping the MCs apart even when they are within eachothers orbit- ✔️
Second Chance Romance- ✔️
Best Friends to Lovers- ✔️
Murray and Lilly are best friends and coworkers on various reality tv shows in Australia. Lilly's loved Murray from the moment she met him.
Lilly's POV is told from snapshots of the past mostly from the moment she met until the present. Murray has always seemed to be unattainable, from being engaged when they met and then married. She settled for being his best friend and work partner.
Murray has always been in love with Lilly and has pined for her heart since they met, but never communicated that information to Lilly. He tells her he loves her but not that he is in love with her so Lilly tries to move on. His POV is told in the present, where he a producer on the show ' Marry me Juliet' where a Romeo is being set up with his future Juliet from multiple contestants.
He is shocked when Lilly comes back into his life as a contestant on the show named Lilly Fireball afyer the loss of her hisband. She is different then before, casting herself as the villian of the show.
I really liked the way that there were dual storyline conveyed between the various contestants and Lilly and Murray because their live story forced Lilly and Murray to realize how they felt about eachother .
Sometimes I wanted to slap Murray across the face at his focusing more on the success of the show rather then realizing what was really important to him was right in front of him. He kept shutting out Lilly instead of letting her in to his heart.
I haven't 📚 read the other books in the series yet but am excited to read other books by the Author.
This book ticked all of my favorite book trope boxes 📦
Angst, with a constant push and pull between the MMC and FMC- ✔️
Constant Misunderstanding keeping the MCs apart even when they are within eachothers orbit- ✔️
Second Chance Romance- ✔️
Best Friends to Lovers- ✔️
Murray and Lilly are best friends and coworkers on various reality tv shows in Australia. Lilly's loved Murray from the moment she met him.
Lilly's POV is told from snapshots of the past mostly from the moment she met until the present. Murray has always seemed to be unattainable, from being engaged when they met and then married. She settled for being his best friend and work partner.
Murray has always been in love with Lilly and has pined for her heart since they met, but never communicated that information to Lilly. He tells her he loves her but not that he is in love with her so Lilly tries to move on. His POV is told in the present, where he a producer on the show ' Marry me Juliet' where a Romeo is being set up with his future Juliet from multiple contestants.
He is shocked when Lilly comes back into his life as a contestant on the show named Lilly Fireball afyer the loss of her hisband. She is different then before, casting herself as the villian of the show.
I really liked the way that there were dual storyline conveyed between the various contestants and Lilly and Murray because their live story forced Lilly and Murray to realize how they felt about eachother .
Sometimes I wanted to slap Murray across the face at his focusing more on the success of the show rather then realizing what was really important to him was right in front of him. He kept shutting out Lilly instead of letting her in to his heart.
I haven't 📚 read the other books in the series yet but am excited to read other books by the Author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2024
This was a fun, drama filled, dual POV, friends to lovers romance set in the reality dating tv show world similar to The Bachelor that sees two former besties who have unknowingly been pining for one another for YEARS finding their way back to each other as one produces the show and the other is one of the contestants. I loved the emphasis on diversifying these kinds of shows and the use of flashbacks. I did feel like the two leads came together rather quickly in the end but there was a lot of history there to help make it more believable. The third in a series, this can definitely be read as a standalone and is highly recommended for fans of books like If the shoe fits or On the plus side. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
September 13, 2024
If you enjoy “unlikable” FMCs, have I got the book for you! Lily is the villain of Marry Me, Juliet but it’s clear she’s doing it for the show and is not as big of a monster as she’s pretending to be. I’ve been dying to find out her story.
Lily and show runner Murray used to be a reality TV dream team. Right up until her husband died in a car accident. Lily asked for space and for Murray not to contact her for a while. One year has passed and the next thing Murray knows, Lily is walking on to the set as a contestant. He’s horrified and concerned and absolutely confused. But she can’t be talked out of it and a network exec is in on it so the show must go on. It’s extremely unlikely that a reality show would let a former producer be a contestant or that the news wouldn’t be leaked, if they did, so you have to hand wave that aside and roll with it.
This happens concurrently with the first two books in the series but it stands alone fairly well on its own. I would still recommend reading in order because Lily doesn’t always come across well and it might help to have other context for her. While she thinks she might have sociopathic tendencies, there isn’t much evidence. She and Murray are for sure morally gray as reality TV producers and the way they toe the line of emotional infidelity while involved with other people. I can see how some will struggle to root for either. But because of my investment with the first two books, I wanted to see how everything would play out.
The behind-the-scenes aspect of producing a dating show was fascinating: what’s real, what’s manufactured, and so on. I would have liked to know why Murray and Lily continues to work for the shows in spite of the network’s blatant sexism and racism. Why did they want to try to change it from within? They’d still be working within a troubled system. Or does that just point to their relationship and they couldn’t imagine working elsewhere without one another?
Murray is our primary POV and we get flashbacks from Lily starting when they met 13 years prior and working our way up to the present. It was very helpful in establishing their deep friendship, as well as the false starts toward something more. This doesn’t fully explain Lily’s decision to become a contestant, much less to become the villain. (She doesn’t want to grieve or feel her feelings and she’s punishing herself??) Nor did I understand why Murray could give her so many chances. Don’t get me wrong: I liked them together but my gracious they both needed therapy.
I still have qualms about the way race/racism is depicted in this series. Lily is, I assume, Vietnamese Australian but that’s based on conjecture since she’s always talking about her mom’s Vietnamese cooking. Food as a signifier for representation is not great. Lily does not shy away from identifying as a Southeast Asian woman or pointing out the racism she’s experienced. But I don’t have a sense of what it means for her to be Asian, and more specifically Vietnamese, in Australia. I also wish there had been more about what went into casting, how many Asian contestants there were, and why Murray decided his Asian leading man should be paired with a Black contestant, instead of an Asian woman. The way the racist Heather subplot played out continues to disappoint me; the show has zero tolerance policy for racism but that doesn’t mean anything when she doesn’t pay any consequences until the show airs and then presumably social media has a field day with her. That’s not really paying consequences. I’m not sure what the point was in including this subplot when Murray had tried to do due diligence and prevent such a scenario from happening. You don’t need to depict racism in order to feature characters of color. That’s especially true when the author is white.
I really enjoyed this series overall. It was interesting to learn more about Australia’s approach to the pandemic and how that would impact reality TV and thereby create some interesting conditions for love. That reveal in the epilogue…will there be a book covering Kumiko’s season of Where Art Thou, Romeo? I hope so!
Characters: Murray is a 35 year old white reality TV show runner. Lily is a 35 year old Vietnamese Australian reality TV contestant and former producer. They started working together and became friends 13 years ago. This is set in Australia.
Content notes: intention of infidelity (FMC wants to seduce MMC even though he’s engaged but he’s not interested), closeted secondary character concerned about forced outing on the show by MMC, MMC outs closeted bisexual contestant to FMC, MMC can be verbally abusive to co-workers, off page physical assault of contestant, COVID, racism, misogynist showrunner, insomnia, anxiety (secondary character), panic attack (secondary character), past death of FMC’s husband (car accident one year ago), past divorce, forgetting to eat, female secondary character in male drag for photo shoot, contestant in remission from cancer, on page sex (not explicit), alcohol, past hangover, gendered pejoratives, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction
Lily and show runner Murray used to be a reality TV dream team. Right up until her husband died in a car accident. Lily asked for space and for Murray not to contact her for a while. One year has passed and the next thing Murray knows, Lily is walking on to the set as a contestant. He’s horrified and concerned and absolutely confused. But she can’t be talked out of it and a network exec is in on it so the show must go on. It’s extremely unlikely that a reality show would let a former producer be a contestant or that the news wouldn’t be leaked, if they did, so you have to hand wave that aside and roll with it.
This happens concurrently with the first two books in the series but it stands alone fairly well on its own. I would still recommend reading in order because Lily doesn’t always come across well and it might help to have other context for her. While she thinks she might have sociopathic tendencies, there isn’t much evidence. She and Murray are for sure morally gray as reality TV producers and the way they toe the line of emotional infidelity while involved with other people. I can see how some will struggle to root for either. But because of my investment with the first two books, I wanted to see how everything would play out.
The behind-the-scenes aspect of producing a dating show was fascinating: what’s real, what’s manufactured, and so on. I would have liked to know why Murray and Lily continues to work for the shows in spite of the network’s blatant sexism and racism. Why did they want to try to change it from within? They’d still be working within a troubled system. Or does that just point to their relationship and they couldn’t imagine working elsewhere without one another?
Murray is our primary POV and we get flashbacks from Lily starting when they met 13 years prior and working our way up to the present. It was very helpful in establishing their deep friendship, as well as the false starts toward something more. This doesn’t fully explain Lily’s decision to become a contestant, much less to become the villain. (She doesn’t want to grieve or feel her feelings and she’s punishing herself??) Nor did I understand why Murray could give her so many chances. Don’t get me wrong: I liked them together but my gracious they both needed therapy.
I still have qualms about the way race/racism is depicted in this series. Lily is, I assume, Vietnamese Australian but that’s based on conjecture since she’s always talking about her mom’s Vietnamese cooking. Food as a signifier for representation is not great. Lily does not shy away from identifying as a Southeast Asian woman or pointing out the racism she’s experienced. But I don’t have a sense of what it means for her to be Asian, and more specifically Vietnamese, in Australia. I also wish there had been more about what went into casting, how many Asian contestants there were, and why Murray decided his Asian leading man should be paired with a Black contestant, instead of an Asian woman. The way the racist Heather subplot played out continues to disappoint me; the show has zero tolerance policy for racism but that doesn’t mean anything when she doesn’t pay any consequences until the show airs and then presumably social media has a field day with her. That’s not really paying consequences. I’m not sure what the point was in including this subplot when Murray had tried to do due diligence and prevent such a scenario from happening. You don’t need to depict racism in order to feature characters of color. That’s especially true when the author is white.
I really enjoyed this series overall. It was interesting to learn more about Australia’s approach to the pandemic and how that would impact reality TV and thereby create some interesting conditions for love. That reveal in the epilogue…will there be a book covering Kumiko’s season of Where Art Thou, Romeo? I hope so!
Characters: Murray is a 35 year old white reality TV show runner. Lily is a 35 year old Vietnamese Australian reality TV contestant and former producer. They started working together and became friends 13 years ago. This is set in Australia.
Content notes: intention of infidelity (FMC wants to seduce MMC even though he’s engaged but he’s not interested), closeted secondary character concerned about forced outing on the show by MMC, MMC outs closeted bisexual contestant to FMC, MMC can be verbally abusive to co-workers, off page physical assault of contestant, COVID, racism, misogynist showrunner, insomnia, anxiety (secondary character), panic attack (secondary character), past death of FMC’s husband (car accident one year ago), past divorce, forgetting to eat, female secondary character in male drag for photo shoot, contestant in remission from cancer, on page sex (not explicit), alcohol, past hangover, gendered pejoratives, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction
October 29, 2023
It pains me deeply to say this because I have adored and raved about the first two books in this series, but surely the point of a review is my honest opinion? And honestly, I just didn't have a good time with this one.
I actually would have DNF'd at about 50-60% if it weren't for the fact that it's an arc and I have loyalty to this series from the first two.
I need to give big kudos, though, to the author for staying true to her characters. I feel like the temptation would have been there to soften them in order to make them likeable main characters in a romance story. But they have always been extremely morally grey characters and this book really does stay true to that and even leans into it, and I respect that a lot.
I just didn't *enjoy* it.
For starters, I very rarely enjoy a book that goes backwards and forwards in time, I find it boring and frustrating to have forward plot movement constantly interrupted by backstory. I realise that's a personal preference but this is my personal experience of the book, so that's how I felt.
Secondly, both Lily and Murray are pretty clearly swimming in the murky waters of emotional cheating when they both are in love with each other while marrying other people, and while I understand that fits the grey morality of their characters, it also makes it extremely hard for me to even care about them or their story, let alone root for them.
Their relationship seems to involve a lot of game playing and emotional manipulation, and while again, that's their characters - again, it's just not what I enjoy reading. They're both just pretty garbage tbh and I didn't care at all what happened to them because I didn't like them.
I do also think that I have now read enough of this particular season of Marry Me Juliet, and it started to feel slightly overdone in this book, but maybe that's just because I wasn't enjoying the story overall.
I do think this is mostly a case of "it's not you, it's me". I loved the first two books because they were really sweet and wholesome, and this one takes a different tack, one that's just not my jam. As I said, I appreciate that the author stayed true to her characters and the story was probably the right one for them. I just don't like them and I only dislike them more after this book.
I would absolutely still read more from this author and would love to see more books in a similar setting but perhaps to move on from this particular season - I'm kind of hoping the ending of this book hints at a possible Kumiko book!
I actually would have DNF'd at about 50-60% if it weren't for the fact that it's an arc and I have loyalty to this series from the first two.
I need to give big kudos, though, to the author for staying true to her characters. I feel like the temptation would have been there to soften them in order to make them likeable main characters in a romance story. But they have always been extremely morally grey characters and this book really does stay true to that and even leans into it, and I respect that a lot.
I just didn't *enjoy* it.
For starters, I very rarely enjoy a book that goes backwards and forwards in time, I find it boring and frustrating to have forward plot movement constantly interrupted by backstory. I realise that's a personal preference but this is my personal experience of the book, so that's how I felt.
Secondly, both Lily and Murray are pretty clearly swimming in the murky waters of emotional cheating when they both are in love with each other while marrying other people, and while I understand that fits the grey morality of their characters, it also makes it extremely hard for me to even care about them or their story, let alone root for them.
Their relationship seems to involve a lot of game playing and emotional manipulation, and while again, that's their characters - again, it's just not what I enjoy reading. They're both just pretty garbage tbh and I didn't care at all what happened to them because I didn't like them.
I do also think that I have now read enough of this particular season of Marry Me Juliet, and it started to feel slightly overdone in this book, but maybe that's just because I wasn't enjoying the story overall.
I do think this is mostly a case of "it's not you, it's me". I loved the first two books because they were really sweet and wholesome, and this one takes a different tack, one that's just not my jam. As I said, I appreciate that the author stayed true to her characters and the story was probably the right one for them. I just don't like them and I only dislike them more after this book.
I would absolutely still read more from this author and would love to see more books in a similar setting but perhaps to move on from this particular season - I'm kind of hoping the ending of this book hints at a possible Kumiko book!
September 26, 2023
I originally rated this book 4 stars but after writing this review, I'm changing it to 5. I can't fault this book, it had me hooked the whole way through.
Murray O'Connell is a tv producer working on a reality show called Marry Me, Juliet. He's thrown a curveball when the big boss (who gives Michael Scott from The Office vibes) sends in a "spicy meatball" for the new season, Lily Fireball.
Lily Fireball is an interesting character with a lot of depth. At times, I found her to be frustrating due to her forceful, unapologetic nature but overall, I was still rooting for her. Murray is likeable and incredibly hard-working, I felt proud in the moments where he stands up for himself. This book held the perfect amount of tension the whole way through and handled some tricky topics well. This was my first McAlister book and I absolutely will be going to read her other books asap!
I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster Australia (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Murray O'Connell is a tv producer working on a reality show called Marry Me, Juliet. He's thrown a curveball when the big boss (who gives Michael Scott from The Office vibes) sends in a "spicy meatball" for the new season, Lily Fireball.
Lily Fireball is an interesting character with a lot of depth. At times, I found her to be frustrating due to her forceful, unapologetic nature but overall, I was still rooting for her. Murray is likeable and incredibly hard-working, I felt proud in the moments where he stands up for himself. This book held the perfect amount of tension the whole way through and handled some tricky topics well. This was my first McAlister book and I absolutely will be going to read her other books asap!
I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster Australia (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2025
I never would have thought I'd enjoy the same story told from three different perspectives but honestly each book made me enjoy the previous even more. I really liked the dual timeline in this story and getting to see beyond Lily m's dramatic personality was well earned.
September 10, 2023
I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster Australia (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Murray O’Connell needs to produce another season of reality show Marry Me, Juliet and he has to do it without his best friend, Lily Ong. Or so he thought. After a year of silence, she's back - as Lily Fireball, not a producer and not the woman he knew, but the villain of his season. She could completely derail his plans...or help him make the most brilliant season of reality television ever.
I don't often get obsessed with a series. I'm extremely obsessed with this one.
I devoured the first two books, so of course I did my damndest to pick up an ARC of the third instalment. I was not at all disappointed! It was so much fun to read about two MCs who are such a mess - especially when they are so delightfully messier when put together. Lily Fireball is one of the most complex characters I've ever encountered and you will easily find yourself rooting for the "villain" here. McAlister has done it again - and yes, I'm still obsessed.
Murray O’Connell needs to produce another season of reality show Marry Me, Juliet and he has to do it without his best friend, Lily Ong. Or so he thought. After a year of silence, she's back - as Lily Fireball, not a producer and not the woman he knew, but the villain of his season. She could completely derail his plans...or help him make the most brilliant season of reality television ever.
I don't often get obsessed with a series. I'm extremely obsessed with this one.
I devoured the first two books, so of course I did my damndest to pick up an ARC of the third instalment. I was not at all disappointed! It was so much fun to read about two MCs who are such a mess - especially when they are so delightfully messier when put together. Lily Fireball is one of the most complex characters I've ever encountered and you will easily find yourself rooting for the "villain" here. McAlister has done it again - and yes, I'm still obsessed.
December 15, 2023
Thanks to @betterreading, I got the joy in reading this advanced copy for free in exchange for an honest review that I am leaving completely voluntarily and with love.
.
Set in the world of reality TV in the heights of covid and it’s restrictions, this season of Marry Me Juliet was going to come with its fare share of hurdles.. including producing it without his best friend. This season has to be a hit and Murray is feeling the immense pressure of all that’s weighing on its success. He wants no surprises and is in full control mode so when Lily Fireball walks in.. aka his BFF Lily Ong.. Murray is knocked for six! She is back with a vengeance and not afraid to stir the pot.. her game plan is full blown villian and she has no plans to hold back! Murray can’t seem to work out her agenda, is struggling to focus on the job at hand and is desperate to protect her image from hateful fans.. will the season be all that he has dreamed of.. or will it bubble over and blow up in his face? Only secrets will tell!!
.
I was really excited to read this after enjoying Here for the right reasons earlier this year! But it didn’t give me the same cheesy feel good vibes. It was still easy reading and loaded with sass but this one dips into cringe territory at times. I also found the love struck work friends not lovers storyline a little predictable and repetitive..
.
This is book 3 in the series however you can read them as stand alones or interchangeably as they are just different character points of view of the same events. I love this concept of a mini series of the same plot just through the lens of a different eye!! I personally am yet to read book 2 and I hope to complete the series and read this in early 2024. I feel like book 2 will be juicy and full of goss! I’d also like to see more character takes from the author too! They all bring different variations of the reality TV drama will all hate to love!
.
My favourite character was Lily. She injected life into the pages for me. She had this depth deep down but also comes across as careless at surface level. She neither helps nor hinders half the time but she does it all at top grade intensity with a mouth to boot! And let’s give a special mention to the name Blood of my Enemies. What a label for a lippy that means business!
.
I really rate the undertones within reflecting how people are viewed vs how they actually are. Reality TV is so good at telling the story they wish to be told at the expense of the talent and Lily is full throttle representation of that. The work surrounding this perception done by the author is incredibly well done. Because whilst Lily is made to look feisty and a trouble maker.. she too is love stricken, in denial and reserves her kind side to the eyes of few. A classic case of people see what they want to see!
.
I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it but the ending wrapped the story up nicely! I’m all about a feel good happy ending and so often they miss the mark but this ended on a high and in line with the spunk of the rest of the story.. with tongue in cheek! Overall a pleasant read.
.
Set in the world of reality TV in the heights of covid and it’s restrictions, this season of Marry Me Juliet was going to come with its fare share of hurdles.. including producing it without his best friend. This season has to be a hit and Murray is feeling the immense pressure of all that’s weighing on its success. He wants no surprises and is in full control mode so when Lily Fireball walks in.. aka his BFF Lily Ong.. Murray is knocked for six! She is back with a vengeance and not afraid to stir the pot.. her game plan is full blown villian and she has no plans to hold back! Murray can’t seem to work out her agenda, is struggling to focus on the job at hand and is desperate to protect her image from hateful fans.. will the season be all that he has dreamed of.. or will it bubble over and blow up in his face? Only secrets will tell!!
.
I was really excited to read this after enjoying Here for the right reasons earlier this year! But it didn’t give me the same cheesy feel good vibes. It was still easy reading and loaded with sass but this one dips into cringe territory at times. I also found the love struck work friends not lovers storyline a little predictable and repetitive..
.
This is book 3 in the series however you can read them as stand alones or interchangeably as they are just different character points of view of the same events. I love this concept of a mini series of the same plot just through the lens of a different eye!! I personally am yet to read book 2 and I hope to complete the series and read this in early 2024. I feel like book 2 will be juicy and full of goss! I’d also like to see more character takes from the author too! They all bring different variations of the reality TV drama will all hate to love!
.
My favourite character was Lily. She injected life into the pages for me. She had this depth deep down but also comes across as careless at surface level. She neither helps nor hinders half the time but she does it all at top grade intensity with a mouth to boot! And let’s give a special mention to the name Blood of my Enemies. What a label for a lippy that means business!
.
I really rate the undertones within reflecting how people are viewed vs how they actually are. Reality TV is so good at telling the story they wish to be told at the expense of the talent and Lily is full throttle representation of that. The work surrounding this perception done by the author is incredibly well done. Because whilst Lily is made to look feisty and a trouble maker.. she too is love stricken, in denial and reserves her kind side to the eyes of few. A classic case of people see what they want to see!
.
I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it but the ending wrapped the story up nicely! I’m all about a feel good happy ending and so often they miss the mark but this ended on a high and in line with the spunk of the rest of the story.. with tongue in cheek! Overall a pleasant read.
February 17, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Thank you @AtriaBooks for my #gifted copy of Not Here to Make Friends. #AtriaPartner
Not Here to Make Friends by Jodi McAlister is a dazzling contemporary novel that deserves a five-star rating for its sharp wit, complex characters, and an engaging exploration of reality television’s intricacies. McAlister masterfully crafts a narrative that takes readers behind the scenes of a high-stakes reality show, where tensions run high and alliances are as fragile as they are strategic. Lily and Murray, whose journey is both tumultuous and inspiring, navigates a world filled with deception and unexpected camaraderie. McAlister’s ability to blend humor with drama creates a compelling atmosphere, making the story as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. The vibrant and diverse cast of characters adds depth to the narrative, each bringing their unique perspectives and motivations to the fore.
The novel’s strength lies in its insightful commentary on the nature of fame, friendship, and competition. McAlister delves into the emotional complexities of the reality TV world, exploring how personal growth and authenticity can emerge amidst the chaos. The pacing is brisk, and the plot twists are both surprising and satisfying, keeping readers eagerly turning pages. Not Here to Make Friends transcends mere entertainment, offering a nuanced look at the pressures of public life and the importance of staying true to oneself. This novel is a must-read for anyone looking for a story that balances humor, heart, and a touch of scandal, all wrapped up in the glitzy world of reality television.
Read this if:
🤍 You like watching the Bachelor or Bachelorette
🤍 Friends to Lovers
🤍 Reality TV set during the Pandemic
🤍 You like an emotional, healing journey with romance sprinkled in
🚨 Be sure to check CW/TW
Thank you @AtriaBooks for my #gifted copy of Not Here to Make Friends. #AtriaPartner
Not Here to Make Friends by Jodi McAlister is a dazzling contemporary novel that deserves a five-star rating for its sharp wit, complex characters, and an engaging exploration of reality television’s intricacies. McAlister masterfully crafts a narrative that takes readers behind the scenes of a high-stakes reality show, where tensions run high and alliances are as fragile as they are strategic. Lily and Murray, whose journey is both tumultuous and inspiring, navigates a world filled with deception and unexpected camaraderie. McAlister’s ability to blend humor with drama creates a compelling atmosphere, making the story as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. The vibrant and diverse cast of characters adds depth to the narrative, each bringing their unique perspectives and motivations to the fore.
The novel’s strength lies in its insightful commentary on the nature of fame, friendship, and competition. McAlister delves into the emotional complexities of the reality TV world, exploring how personal growth and authenticity can emerge amidst the chaos. The pacing is brisk, and the plot twists are both surprising and satisfying, keeping readers eagerly turning pages. Not Here to Make Friends transcends mere entertainment, offering a nuanced look at the pressures of public life and the importance of staying true to oneself. This novel is a must-read for anyone looking for a story that balances humor, heart, and a touch of scandal, all wrapped up in the glitzy world of reality television.
Read this if:
🤍 You like watching the Bachelor or Bachelorette
🤍 Friends to Lovers
🤍 Reality TV set during the Pandemic
🤍 You like an emotional, healing journey with romance sprinkled in
🚨 Be sure to check CW/TW
January 1, 2025
Great dual-timeline structure, great concept. Great characters & relationship dynamic, written well. Although it doesn’t fully work, a fun read - and when it didn’t work, it didn’t work in interesting ways.
*Structure*
The author wrote in the acknowledgements that writing this book while also working as a professor during covid near killed her so I hate to say this, but… it reads like a(n extremely well-written) middle draft. The scene-to-scene-to-scene emotional arc logic isn’t *quite* there, at least not all the time, like the author wrote a bunch of scenes and threaded them together pretty well but hasn’t completely smoothed out the emotional crescendos yet. As a result, it feels a little bit repetitive, or like there are parts that could have been cut. I loved the structure (his POV in present day, hers in short flashbacks getting chronologically closer as the book goes on) but it feels like there was a little bit of padding to balance that out, maybe.
*The Exes*
I know that in Romance World having characters be in other relationships on page is controversial, but I loved that aspect of the story - I loved their exes tbh! They felt like real people who really had chemistry on page with the MCs, it totally made sense why the couples got together and why the relationships didn’t last, and even with Lily’s ex, whose sad fate you learn very quickly, you feel like he was a great guy but not a saint, and never just a plot obstacle.
*Power Balance*
This is a book about two aggressive, manipulative characters battling for control in their workplace, and the book’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t fully assign the “blame” correctly, especially by the end of the book.
Murray is the main POV character, but he’s very static - for most of the book, he’s just reacting to what Lily is doing, and even when he’s trying to take charge he’s really just flailing - I never bought that he had a master plan, or saw the big picture, or wanted anything other than ~have career and relationship success~. This is especially dramatic in comparison to Lily, who clearly does have a consistent plan throughout the entire book.
I think that intersected in an ineffective way with the fact that on the workplace level, Murray is in the power position - practically speaking, he’s the producer. Lily is just the talent, and even though she’s kind of wild, it’s always in service of what Murray wants, or what Lily thinks he wants. She’s taking his direction - explicitly, at multiple points, he literally tells her what he wants to happen in the plot of the reality show and she happily goes off to execute it.
At the same time, structurally within their workplace, Murray is the white man who gets stuff handed to him and who gets credit for all the success, while Lily is the Asian woman who is harassed, discriminated against, and excluded from opportunities unless Murray goes out of his way to help her.
So we have this workplace setup that reinforces that Murray is the one who gets stuff handed to him, while Lily is the one who has to work for it… and that’s what ends up happening in the romantic plot line as well: Murray “takes his space” and passively waits her out, which is portrayed as fair after the way she’s tried to manipulate him and after she hasn’t been fully honest with him about the show or her feelings; at the same time, Lily has to dramatically apologize and confess her love, beg Murray to come back, and burst into tears ON NATIONAL TELEVISION in order to “earn” him back. (I get that part of this is trying to show that she’s finally being emotionally vulnerable, but I think other scenes portrayed that was more effectively.)
Basically the book is trying to argue that this dynamic is totally unfair in the workplace BUT somehow totally correct in their relationship. And giving the author the benefit of the doubt and assuming this is an intentional juxtaposition…. It really doesn’t work at all. I ended the book thinking that Lily had been put through it, way more than necessary, while I was supposed to be thinking Murray was a great guy….. for doing nothing?? And the cherry on the sundae was how he ends the book (a book all about how they’re great work *partners*) by offering her a job working FOR him, because she has no other career options.
Like - what??
I think the intention may have been that it would balance the fact that the book begins with Murray surprised, thrown, and in the dark about Lily’s plans - but it goes too far in the opposite direction. It’s hard for me to see how this book didn’t end with Lily worse off than she was at the beginning, frankly. She’s got a demotion and she’s now working FOR her boyfriend? I liked Lily and Murray both a lot as characters, and I totally bought their chemistry and compatibility. But the way the end of this book played out, I am rooting against their relationship.
(But as I’ve said this book was super readable - if the story had continued I would have kept reading!)
*Misc*
And a few other things that don’t really fit into the above:
- There was this Murray characterization piece about how (over)protective he was toward Lily which brought out some interesting ideas that I would have loved to see explored further. The protectiveness really worked on an individual character level, and given Lily’s husband’s fate, but also intersected with gender/race stuff in and out of their workplace in a specific, realistic way. We didn’t really see much of how Lily felt about it, and earlier in the book I thought Murray might face a ~reckoning~ about the way in which that urge can be harmful as well as helpful… but he did not. (Not that I think he needed one, but it would be a sort of typical way to wrap up that character element. I kind of like that that didn’t happen, but I would have enjoyed if the topic had been explored further, in a more nuanced way.)
- There was this running thing about Murray’s “daddy voice”, which, maybe in Australian it has a different ring to it but every time the word “daddy” was used I recoiled. The voice is supposed to be commanding/scolding (Murray uses it at work a lot!), and nothing about “daddy” says scolding, I could see “dad voice” being a phrase a human being might actually use to describe that tone, but “daddy” never. I hate it lol. (I kept thinking maybe it was hinting at a sexual thing, like the book reveals that Lily likes when Murray has that vibe, but it never really went there.)
- The thing where Lily brings Murray food/coffee and tries to get him to eat… probably a personal thing but I hated this too. It sort of compounded the unaddressed gender/race/power dynamic stuff, and I just wasn’t convinced that she would do that kind of thing. It seemed like an attempt to make her more sympathetic and frankly I didn’t think she needed it. (The head massage thing she did covered that base!)
- I cannot speak personally to the racial/representation stuff in this book, but I think that it was trying to have it both ways by having these manipulative reality producer MCs who were still totally woke and drew the line at racism - for me, it was an attempt but it was not totally successful, in a way that came down in part to the fact that Murray was the main POV character. I guess I appreciated the commitment to telling the story primarily through the eyes of the white MC but as a result I felt like the book spent a lot of time focusing on him wanting to not be racist ~for~ Lily - which tbf felt very realistic! - and not much time focusing on Lily’s experience/thoughts/decisions (so we never got a real sense of whether he was successful).
- As I’m writing this out - interesting that this is a rom com largely from the guy’s perspective, I feel like that’s rare!
- And just to say it - massively impressive to write a trilogy about three different couples that is THIS interwoven. At the same time I think it was sort of genius because it makes it feel like all the side characters were a lot more fleshed out than they often are in romcoms like this.
*Structure*
The author wrote in the acknowledgements that writing this book while also working as a professor during covid near killed her so I hate to say this, but… it reads like a(n extremely well-written) middle draft. The scene-to-scene-to-scene emotional arc logic isn’t *quite* there, at least not all the time, like the author wrote a bunch of scenes and threaded them together pretty well but hasn’t completely smoothed out the emotional crescendos yet. As a result, it feels a little bit repetitive, or like there are parts that could have been cut. I loved the structure (his POV in present day, hers in short flashbacks getting chronologically closer as the book goes on) but it feels like there was a little bit of padding to balance that out, maybe.
*The Exes*
I know that in Romance World having characters be in other relationships on page is controversial, but I loved that aspect of the story - I loved their exes tbh! They felt like real people who really had chemistry on page with the MCs, it totally made sense why the couples got together and why the relationships didn’t last, and even with Lily’s ex, whose sad fate you learn very quickly, you feel like he was a great guy but not a saint, and never just a plot obstacle.
*Power Balance*
This is a book about two aggressive, manipulative characters battling for control in their workplace, and the book’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t fully assign the “blame” correctly, especially by the end of the book.
Murray is the main POV character, but he’s very static - for most of the book, he’s just reacting to what Lily is doing, and even when he’s trying to take charge he’s really just flailing - I never bought that he had a master plan, or saw the big picture, or wanted anything other than ~have career and relationship success~. This is especially dramatic in comparison to Lily, who clearly does have a consistent plan throughout the entire book.
I think that intersected in an ineffective way with the fact that on the workplace level, Murray is in the power position - practically speaking, he’s the producer. Lily is just the talent, and even though she’s kind of wild, it’s always in service of what Murray wants, or what Lily thinks he wants. She’s taking his direction - explicitly, at multiple points, he literally tells her what he wants to happen in the plot of the reality show and she happily goes off to execute it.
At the same time, structurally within their workplace, Murray is the white man who gets stuff handed to him and who gets credit for all the success, while Lily is the Asian woman who is harassed, discriminated against, and excluded from opportunities unless Murray goes out of his way to help her.
So we have this workplace setup that reinforces that Murray is the one who gets stuff handed to him, while Lily is the one who has to work for it… and that’s what ends up happening in the romantic plot line as well: Murray “takes his space” and passively waits her out, which is portrayed as fair after the way she’s tried to manipulate him and after she hasn’t been fully honest with him about the show or her feelings; at the same time, Lily has to dramatically apologize and confess her love, beg Murray to come back, and burst into tears ON NATIONAL TELEVISION in order to “earn” him back. (I get that part of this is trying to show that she’s finally being emotionally vulnerable, but I think other scenes portrayed that was more effectively.)
Basically the book is trying to argue that this dynamic is totally unfair in the workplace BUT somehow totally correct in their relationship. And giving the author the benefit of the doubt and assuming this is an intentional juxtaposition…. It really doesn’t work at all. I ended the book thinking that Lily had been put through it, way more than necessary, while I was supposed to be thinking Murray was a great guy….. for doing nothing?? And the cherry on the sundae was how he ends the book (a book all about how they’re great work *partners*) by offering her a job working FOR him, because she has no other career options.
Like - what??
I think the intention may have been that it would balance the fact that the book begins with Murray surprised, thrown, and in the dark about Lily’s plans - but it goes too far in the opposite direction. It’s hard for me to see how this book didn’t end with Lily worse off than she was at the beginning, frankly. She’s got a demotion and she’s now working FOR her boyfriend? I liked Lily and Murray both a lot as characters, and I totally bought their chemistry and compatibility. But the way the end of this book played out, I am rooting against their relationship.
(But as I’ve said this book was super readable - if the story had continued I would have kept reading!)
*Misc*
And a few other things that don’t really fit into the above:
- There was this Murray characterization piece about how (over)protective he was toward Lily which brought out some interesting ideas that I would have loved to see explored further. The protectiveness really worked on an individual character level, and given Lily’s husband’s fate, but also intersected with gender/race stuff in and out of their workplace in a specific, realistic way. We didn’t really see much of how Lily felt about it, and earlier in the book I thought Murray might face a ~reckoning~ about the way in which that urge can be harmful as well as helpful… but he did not. (Not that I think he needed one, but it would be a sort of typical way to wrap up that character element. I kind of like that that didn’t happen, but I would have enjoyed if the topic had been explored further, in a more nuanced way.)
- There was this running thing about Murray’s “daddy voice”, which, maybe in Australian it has a different ring to it but every time the word “daddy” was used I recoiled. The voice is supposed to be commanding/scolding (Murray uses it at work a lot!), and nothing about “daddy” says scolding, I could see “dad voice” being a phrase a human being might actually use to describe that tone, but “daddy” never. I hate it lol. (I kept thinking maybe it was hinting at a sexual thing, like the book reveals that Lily likes when Murray has that vibe, but it never really went there.)
- The thing where Lily brings Murray food/coffee and tries to get him to eat… probably a personal thing but I hated this too. It sort of compounded the unaddressed gender/race/power dynamic stuff, and I just wasn’t convinced that she would do that kind of thing. It seemed like an attempt to make her more sympathetic and frankly I didn’t think she needed it. (The head massage thing she did covered that base!)
- I cannot speak personally to the racial/representation stuff in this book, but I think that it was trying to have it both ways by having these manipulative reality producer MCs who were still totally woke and drew the line at racism - for me, it was an attempt but it was not totally successful, in a way that came down in part to the fact that Murray was the main POV character. I guess I appreciated the commitment to telling the story primarily through the eyes of the white MC but as a result I felt like the book spent a lot of time focusing on him wanting to not be racist ~for~ Lily - which tbf felt very realistic! - and not much time focusing on Lily’s experience/thoughts/decisions (so we never got a real sense of whether he was successful).
- As I’m writing this out - interesting that this is a rom com largely from the guy’s perspective, I feel like that’s rare!
- And just to say it - massively impressive to write a trilogy about three different couples that is THIS interwoven. At the same time I think it was sort of genius because it makes it feel like all the side characters were a lot more fleshed out than they often are in romcoms like this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2024
A contemporary romance with the 'Battle Couple' trope where the battles are racist misogynistic TV executives and uncooperative reality dating show contestants.
These MCs are manipulative and do morally grey things for the greater good (making the first racially diverse season of a Bachelor/ette type show a success), but when they try to manipulate each other it goes very wrong for them, but very right for me, a reader who loves competent, scheming MCs who are undone by their love for each other.
Other beloved tropes in this book: forced proximity, friends to lovers, providing food as a sign of love, pining, public declaration of feelings, second chance.
I also really appreciated this: "so what if part of me was always going to be pining for her? No one said that the love of your life had to be a romantic one."
And this: "In all the time we'd known each other, he'd listened to every single word I'd said. And god it was hot."
But most of all this: "Every time I think I have a handle on what you're doing you rip the carpet out from under me. I'm angry with you all the time, I'm worried about you all the time. I miss you all the time."
I haven't read the first two books in this series which follow the same events but from different points of view. This book made me want to go back and read them.
Content notes: the FMC is grieving her dead husband for some of this book (not a spoiler - this is revealed in the prologue), and it's set during the covid-19 pandemic.
These MCs are manipulative and do morally grey things for the greater good (making the first racially diverse season of a Bachelor/ette type show a success), but when they try to manipulate each other it goes very wrong for them, but very right for me, a reader who loves competent, scheming MCs who are undone by their love for each other.
Other beloved tropes in this book: forced proximity, friends to lovers, providing food as a sign of love, pining, public declaration of feelings, second chance.
I also really appreciated this: "so what if part of me was always going to be pining for her? No one said that the love of your life had to be a romantic one."
And this: "In all the time we'd known each other, he'd listened to every single word I'd said. And god it was hot."
But most of all this: "Every time I think I have a handle on what you're doing you rip the carpet out from under me. I'm angry with you all the time, I'm worried about you all the time. I miss you all the time."
I haven't read the first two books in this series which follow the same events but from different points of view. This book made me want to go back and read them.
Content notes: the FMC is grieving her dead husband for some of this book (not a spoiler - this is revealed in the prologue), and it's set during the covid-19 pandemic.
July 3, 2024
I really loved this book! It reminded me a lot of the show Unreal. I loved all of the behind the scenes details of how reality TV showrunners produce the season and manipulate the contestants. I’m now going back to read books 1 (CeCe and Dylan) and 2 (Amanda and Dylan G) since those stories happen concurrently with book 3.
January 7, 2024
I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed reading about two manipulative, morally gray people scheming and stumbling their way to a happy ending that they both desperately want but secretly aren’t sure they deserve.
This is the first straight m/f romance I’ve read in ages, probably years. And I wouldn’t have read this one except that book 2 was a lovely Sapphic romance and Murray and Lily intrigued me in it - and I wanted to see how on earth the author was going to pull off a romance between them.
(I looked it up. It’s been more than 4 years since I read a het m/f romance. Last one was Good Boy by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen and I didn’t like it nearly as much as this one.)
This is the first straight m/f romance I’ve read in ages, probably years. And I wouldn’t have read this one except that book 2 was a lovely Sapphic romance and Murray and Lily intrigued me in it - and I wanted to see how on earth the author was going to pull off a romance between them.
(I looked it up. It’s been more than 4 years since I read a het m/f romance. Last one was Good Boy by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen and I didn’t like it nearly as much as this one.)
June 22, 2024
This was a fun read filled with drama and romance. This book takes place on a reality show type setting where woman go in hopes of finding love.
This is the third book in the Marry Me, Juliet series and it can be read just fine as a standalone. I was able to jump right in without having read the first two books in the series.
I appreciated the diverse cast of female characters and I think that element kept the story interesting. There was drama surrounding who gets to control the narrative of the show and that drama was both annoying and fun to read at the same time. I did like who ended up together in the end.
Read this if you like:
→ Reality show setting
→ Dual POV
→ Friends to lovers
→ Rom Com
Thank you @atriabooks for sending me a gifted copy.
This is the third book in the Marry Me, Juliet series and it can be read just fine as a standalone. I was able to jump right in without having read the first two books in the series.
I appreciated the diverse cast of female characters and I think that element kept the story interesting. There was drama surrounding who gets to control the narrative of the show and that drama was both annoying and fun to read at the same time. I did like who ended up together in the end.
Read this if you like:
→ Reality show setting
→ Dual POV
→ Friends to lovers
→ Rom Com
Thank you @atriabooks for sending me a gifted copy.
January 20, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ This book was so much fun! I was gifted an advanced reader copy of this book (thank you sm Simon & Schuster) and I was so excited to read it because this was my first arc I’d ever received. This book was so interesting, it was fun getting a peak into what it took to produce a reality tv show and what would happen behind the scenes. Lily and Murray’s friendship is so incredible, I’ve never read about a fictional friendship that’s so deep and strong as their’s. Lily and Murray also gave off Mastermind by Taylor Swift vibes which was fun too! If you love The Bachelor, drama in romances and friends to lovers, you’ll love this book!
June 20, 2024
**I was given an ARC of this book by Simon & Schuster through a Goodreads giveaway
I have to start off by saying I am a huge fan of the show Unreal that premiered in 2015. I feel like without the indepth knowledge of behind the scenes of reality tv dating shows, I would’ve been lost trying to read this book.
We have 2 main characters and 2 timelines to follow. There are so many other characters throughout this book- a list of them with a line or 2 about their role in the story would’ve been a very helpful addition to the index.
As I’m reading, the character Murray is having way too many thoughts/storylines for his show and I encounter the following quotes directed by his coworkers:
“But it’s so fucking complicated! You know that GIF of the conspiracy theory guy from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia? That’s you.”
“My point is that you’re not sleeping, you’re barely eating, and you’re coming up with plans that need a serial killer board to explain.”
GIRL. I almost chucked the book across the room because that’s what the author is doing to me!
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot- we have the current timeline about the reality show, and the secondary plot about Lily and Jeff and everything in between where we are today. I think this story would have been better off without the Murray and Lily love story. I understand that they’re supposed to be 2 villains that fall in love, but they didn’t seem that into eachother. They weren’t clicking and Lily needs inpatient mental health care before she should be allowed to interact with the outside world. She is in a bad way, and the throwaway line about couples therapy at the end had me rolling my eyes.
The places in the book where the 2 main characters get together (where they hook up, or are supposedly falling in love) never seem like actual scenes in the story, more like passing moments. Another reason these 2 don’t seem like a romantic pair.
These main characters are villainous reality tv producers. They shouldn’t be so apprehensive about destroying people’s lives. Idk. Maybe tv people in Australia are less cutthroat.
The phrase “dark smears of tiredness” appeared many times throughout this book. What it means is the character has dark circles under their eyes because they didn’t get any sleep the night before. I’m stuck on this phrasing because I hate it so much.
I give this book 3.5 stars. It’s hard to relate to these characters and empathize with their struggles.
I have to start off by saying I am a huge fan of the show Unreal that premiered in 2015. I feel like without the indepth knowledge of behind the scenes of reality tv dating shows, I would’ve been lost trying to read this book.
We have 2 main characters and 2 timelines to follow. There are so many other characters throughout this book- a list of them with a line or 2 about their role in the story would’ve been a very helpful addition to the index.
As I’m reading, the character Murray is having way too many thoughts/storylines for his show and I encounter the following quotes directed by his coworkers:
“But it’s so fucking complicated! You know that GIF of the conspiracy theory guy from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia? That’s you.”
“My point is that you’re not sleeping, you’re barely eating, and you’re coming up with plans that need a serial killer board to explain.”
GIRL. I almost chucked the book across the room because that’s what the author is doing to me!
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot- we have the current timeline about the reality show, and the secondary plot about Lily and Jeff and everything in between where we are today. I think this story would have been better off without the Murray and Lily love story. I understand that they’re supposed to be 2 villains that fall in love, but they didn’t seem that into eachother. They weren’t clicking and Lily needs inpatient mental health care before she should be allowed to interact with the outside world. She is in a bad way, and the throwaway line about couples therapy at the end had me rolling my eyes.
The places in the book where the 2 main characters get together (where they hook up, or are supposedly falling in love) never seem like actual scenes in the story, more like passing moments. Another reason these 2 don’t seem like a romantic pair.
These main characters are villainous reality tv producers. They shouldn’t be so apprehensive about destroying people’s lives. Idk. Maybe tv people in Australia are less cutthroat.
The phrase “dark smears of tiredness” appeared many times throughout this book. What it means is the character has dark circles under their eyes because they didn’t get any sleep the night before. I’m stuck on this phrasing because I hate it so much.
I give this book 3.5 stars. It’s hard to relate to these characters and empathize with their struggles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2024
I have read a couple of romances based on reality TV before, and I thought this one would be a fun way to visit that world again.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get into it. The zillion of characters made it difficult to keep track of who was who. And the way the main characters were introduced in the story bugged me: they seemed to be only colleagues and friends, married/at one time married to other people, and we get no inkling that Lily was the love interest. This fact came out of the left field, and it was too jarring for me. It was impossible for me to believe in them as a couple.
The other thing that did not work for me was that I couldn't feel the emotions of the characters. For example, Murray re Lily: "That was nothing, though, compared to the way looking at her made me feel." OK, but then I'm not told how he's feeling? I am one of those who needs to see the emotions on paper, else it feels clinical.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get into it. The zillion of characters made it difficult to keep track of who was who. And the way the main characters were introduced in the story bugged me: they seemed to be only colleagues and friends, married/at one time married to other people, and we get no inkling that Lily was the love interest. This fact came out of the left field, and it was too jarring for me. It was impossible for me to believe in them as a couple.
The other thing that did not work for me was that I couldn't feel the emotions of the characters. For example, Murray re Lily: "That was nothing, though, compared to the way looking at her made me feel." OK, but then I'm not told how he's feeling? I am one of those who needs to see the emotions on paper, else it feels clinical.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
March 28, 2025
This was fun. I continue in my struggle moment with contemporary romances but this ticked the promising box of “these people are both so terrible to everyone and each other and they totally deserve each other in their shared terribleness” which is a dynamic I enjoy very much. the actual fake reality show plotline was not as compelling as when my beloveds christina lauren did it (when’s the new christina lauren book coming out btw?) but I liked the chemistry + flashbacks. However I absolutely HATED the ending and felt like the third act breakup and the getting back together were almost irredeemable. Also in the acknowledgments the author talked about how at first she’d only had Murray’s POV (a heterosexual romance from the man’s POV? bold and innovative) and this was extremely obvious, but also, I liked his POV, so that was cool.
June 28, 2024
Lily Fireball throws Murray for a loop whilst filming a reality TV show. Murray was not expecting Lily Fireball to be his former best friend and the love of his life, a blast from the past. Lily and Murray, once best friends, have not spoken or seen in each other in a long time! Wow oh wow! The angst from Lily! I couldn’t put this book down. I’ll admit I was even a little bit invested in Juliet Dylan and Romeo Dylan. I’m a sucker for a friends to lovers story and this one was absolutely that, with a little bit of anger/being enemies for a short bit. Thanks to Atria publishing, Jodi McAlister, and Netgalley for this eARC and gifted copy.
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November 27, 2024DNF at 50%….. I just couldn’t keep going. The mellow dramatics with random dialogue and I was bored. Truly so bored 🥲
Thank you to the publishing company for a #gifted copy in return for an honest review!
Thank you to the publishing company for a #gifted copy in return for an honest review!
December 11, 2025
The way this series was crafted, with each book unraveling 1 of 3 simultaneous storylines, was masterful. This one is by far my favorite.
October 21, 2025
There are so many things here that shouldn't work for me, based on my tastes. The FMC and MMC are both super manipulative, they're messy, they can be toxic. The spicy scenes are close-door. There is a huge ensemble cast and a bunch of named-characters are inconsequential. These are all things that at least irritate me in books, and at most, can completely take me out of a story.
That being said though, Not Here to Make Friends surprised me. I was engaged, rooting for the couple, the entire premise and how it played out had me hooked from the get-go. There were even some well-foreshadowed elements that were super satisfying to watch play out. I loved it.
It definitely helped that the audiobook narrators (Matty Morris and Aileen Huynh) had delightful Australian accents, absolutely a bonus for me.
This was such good fun and I can't wait to check out McAlister's other books in the future!
That being said though, Not Here to Make Friends surprised me. I was engaged, rooting for the couple, the entire premise and how it played out had me hooked from the get-go. There were even some well-foreshadowed elements that were super satisfying to watch play out. I loved it.
It definitely helped that the audiobook narrators (Matty Morris and Aileen Huynh) had delightful Australian accents, absolutely a bonus for me.
This was such good fun and I can't wait to check out McAlister's other books in the future!
June 8, 2024
Unfortunately, this had all the romance tropes and more that I absolutely do not like in a romance. I wanted to like it but I almost dnfed many times since I found myself skimming over all the many details of the production side of the story. And the romance felt like an excruciatingly long slow-burn. These opinions solely are my personal preferences and I know and hope many people will enjoy this romance. If you love a slow burn with many obstacles throughout, prefer little to no smut, and are interested in the behind the scenes of a reality dating show, then you will probably enjoy this one.
I did enjoy that there was queer representation, although I wasn't enjoying what felt like pressure and manipulation for the characters to "come out." There was also diversity included, but I felt like it was glossed over by all the focus on manipulating the dating show storyline. I was glad the show and the romance between the main characters ended the way it did, but it felt a little rushed and a lot happened behind"closed door's."
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read an arc copy, all opinions are my own.
I did enjoy that there was queer representation, although I wasn't enjoying what felt like pressure and manipulation for the characters to "come out." There was also diversity included, but I felt like it was glossed over by all the focus on manipulating the dating show storyline. I was glad the show and the romance between the main characters ended the way it did, but it felt a little rushed and a lot happened behind"closed door's."
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read an arc copy, all opinions are my own.
May 29, 2024
I. Am. Obsessed. I knew so early into this book that it was gonna be a 5 star read for me!
This book takes the typical the bachelor-esque show story and completely flips the narrative to make a unique and delightful story!!
Murray and Lily are reality producers, partners that get each other more than any one else- even their respective romantic partners see that. When Lily’s husband dies unexpectedly, she’s cuts herself off from Murray for a year- until she waltzes back into the production office- as a planted villain on the new season of Marry Me, Juliet. The two of them are both evil genius masterminds and need to learn how to work together again to tell the story on a season that means so much to them!!
This story is filled with the most delicious pining, the most brilliant masterminding and power shifts, and the fun of reality show filming! Getting mostly Murray’s POV in the present, with Lily’s in the past, it’s easy to piece together the deep connection these two share, and just how intrinsic they are to each other’s survival. His dedication to protecting her image, her dedication to making sure he eats- the things that show their truest feelings for one another, ones they are too afraid to admit and risk the consequences and being seen as villains. They’re not villains, just a little morally grey and THATS OKAY!!
Little did I know upon picking this up that it’s the third in a series…but the series all happens at the same time during the same season- so I definitely will be going back to explore the other couples (who I totally called, even without knowing the other books existed!!) and seeing if I can spot my lil villain and producer love story happening on the side!!
I laughed, I got choked up, I kicked my happy lil feet, I was so overwhelmed by this love story by two people who are so in sync and just need to finally sync up their hearts!!!
Thank you so much to Jodi McAlister and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review! (Also Jodi pls put out a 4th book with Kumiko’s season because you teased it and now I need it)
This book takes the typical the bachelor-esque show story and completely flips the narrative to make a unique and delightful story!!
Murray and Lily are reality producers, partners that get each other more than any one else- even their respective romantic partners see that. When Lily’s husband dies unexpectedly, she’s cuts herself off from Murray for a year- until she waltzes back into the production office- as a planted villain on the new season of Marry Me, Juliet. The two of them are both evil genius masterminds and need to learn how to work together again to tell the story on a season that means so much to them!!
This story is filled with the most delicious pining, the most brilliant masterminding and power shifts, and the fun of reality show filming! Getting mostly Murray’s POV in the present, with Lily’s in the past, it’s easy to piece together the deep connection these two share, and just how intrinsic they are to each other’s survival. His dedication to protecting her image, her dedication to making sure he eats- the things that show their truest feelings for one another, ones they are too afraid to admit and risk the consequences and being seen as villains. They’re not villains, just a little morally grey and THATS OKAY!!
Little did I know upon picking this up that it’s the third in a series…but the series all happens at the same time during the same season- so I definitely will be going back to explore the other couples (who I totally called, even without knowing the other books existed!!) and seeing if I can spot my lil villain and producer love story happening on the side!!
I laughed, I got choked up, I kicked my happy lil feet, I was so overwhelmed by this love story by two people who are so in sync and just need to finally sync up their hearts!!!
Thank you so much to Jodi McAlister and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review! (Also Jodi pls put out a 4th book with Kumiko’s season because you teased it and now I need it)
February 26, 2024
4.5 stars.
The last book in ‘Marry Me, Juliet’ trilogy is finally here!
Reality TV producer Murray O’Connell was the boss for reality dating show Marry Me, Juliet, controlling the cast, crew and the storyline. Until Lily Fireball turned up, that was. Lily was the villain that everyone loved to hate, and she enjoyed playing the part, but Murray kept getting in her way because before she was Lily Fireball, she was Lily Ong – Murray's best friend, and he was determined to stop her blowing up her life on television.
Every single book in this series kept exceeding the previous one! This was definitely my favourite, and I wouldn’t have guessed that when Lily first showed up in the early chapters of the first book.
I don’t want to say too much and spoil the series, but this was my kind of rom-com story; sweet but not sickening, abundant with good banters, and had a good depth. I loved that we got to see Lily as the powerful, assertive role model she was.
I also listened to the 🎧 audiobook for this, and I must say it was so fun and easy to follow. Even though we had Aileen narrating Lily’s chapters and Matty narrating Murray’s respectively, there were sections where they had to narrate each other’s dialogues and I found them to be clear and distinguishable.
All in all, a great conclusion to the series. Can’t wait to see what Jodi comes up with next!
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review)
See my bookstagram review.
The last book in ‘Marry Me, Juliet’ trilogy is finally here!
Reality TV producer Murray O’Connell was the boss for reality dating show Marry Me, Juliet, controlling the cast, crew and the storyline. Until Lily Fireball turned up, that was. Lily was the villain that everyone loved to hate, and she enjoyed playing the part, but Murray kept getting in her way because before she was Lily Fireball, she was Lily Ong – Murray's best friend, and he was determined to stop her blowing up her life on television.
Every single book in this series kept exceeding the previous one! This was definitely my favourite, and I wouldn’t have guessed that when Lily first showed up in the early chapters of the first book.
I don’t want to say too much and spoil the series, but this was my kind of rom-com story; sweet but not sickening, abundant with good banters, and had a good depth. I loved that we got to see Lily as the powerful, assertive role model she was.
I also listened to the 🎧 audiobook for this, and I must say it was so fun and easy to follow. Even though we had Aileen narrating Lily’s chapters and Matty narrating Murray’s respectively, there were sections where they had to narrate each other’s dialogues and I found them to be clear and distinguishable.
All in all, a great conclusion to the series. Can’t wait to see what Jodi comes up with next!
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review)
See my bookstagram review.
February 7, 2025
I was right. I guessed I would like this third book best of all three. I also guessed that it would cause emotional turmoil, grunting, and chest pain. I was right. I may or may not have texted my sister joking about ways to cope with the pain like looking for nearby bridges to dive from or relocating to Timbuktu. Plus they surprised me with a twist I didn’t see coming and made it a friggen friends to lovers story?! MY KRYPTONITE?! Throw in the tragic loss, falling out, coping, stress, YEARNING?! What you get here is a WHOLE lotta elements we’re having the audacity to wreck me with.
👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼 AHEM!!! I would also like the record to show that I was straight up into Murray from the jump. Like book one. When I found out he wasn’t the love interest I was like… oh okay cool cool cool, I’m sure this other guys is gonna be cool too. Murray just has all the vibes I’m looking for. The way Lilly talks about how sexy it is when he listens?! Give me a second, my eyeballs are backwards I gotta fix em again. His pullable hair, the way that even though he thinks he’s bad, he’s a good guy. Ugh I’m just super into him.
Lilly was also a super cool dynamic character in this third installment and I loved how this was the book that blew her whole personality and complexities wide open.
Their chemistry was amazing, they were both so gone for each other it just broke me. They stuck up for each other, took care of each other, wanted each other so badly. UGHGGH. The spice in this was also slightly less closed door than the first two books 😏😏 Like two peppers 🌶️🌶️ lol
👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼 AHEM!!! I would also like the record to show that I was straight up into Murray from the jump. Like book one. When I found out he wasn’t the love interest I was like… oh okay cool cool cool, I’m sure this other guys is gonna be cool too. Murray just has all the vibes I’m looking for. The way Lilly talks about how sexy it is when he listens?! Give me a second, my eyeballs are backwards I gotta fix em again. His pullable hair, the way that even though he thinks he’s bad, he’s a good guy. Ugh I’m just super into him.
Lilly was also a super cool dynamic character in this third installment and I loved how this was the book that blew her whole personality and complexities wide open.
Their chemistry was amazing, they were both so gone for each other it just broke me. They stuck up for each other, took care of each other, wanted each other so badly. UGHGGH. The spice in this was also slightly less closed door than the first two books 😏😏 Like two peppers 🌶️🌶️ lol
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