Prime Time Romance: A Novel
by Kate Robb
Publication date: September 3, 2024
Publisher: ‎ The Dial Press
Print length: 321 pages
Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Robb, and The Dial Press for an advance reader copy of this book. Below is my honest review.
In the tradition of 1990's teen/young adult TV dramas we have Prime Time Romance. The author even ends with a series of Easter Egg Hunts the reader might have caught throughout the book. I confess I haven't watched one of those shows. I did see the movie Pleasantville and recognized the basic plot of going back in time to a beloved TV show. I was able to enjoy the story with only the one reference, but would another reader appreciate the multiple scenarios from so many shows?
I'm left wondering about Sheldon, the uncredited extra from the cancelled TV show. How exactly did he make all this happen? Was he the devil or just an actor with an unusual talent? The main characters from the real world, Brynn and Josh, are nice enough but Brynn wore thin about halfway through the story. The people of the town are more Hallmark movie types where everyone somehow knows how to waltz. The main TV show love interest, Spencer, is a cardboard cutout who spews amazing monologs, and his hair is always just so, perfect for a teen TV show. He's annoying in real life but I get his appeal to an audience of girls. I applaud the idea and the work that went into the story but it fell flat.
