Name: Heather Harrington's review of The Reunion by Kayla Olson
Item: The Reunion
Rating: 3
Author: Heather Harrington

Kayla Olson

When two former teen stars reconnect at the reunion for their hit TV show, they discover their feelings for one another were not merely scripted in this charming and heartwarming novel perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne. Liv Latimer grew up on TV. As the star of the popular teen drama Girl on the Verge, Liv spent her adolescence on the screen trying to be as picture perfect as her character in real life. But after the death of her father and the betrayal of her on-screen love interest and off-screen best friend Ransom Joel, Liv wanted nothing more than to retreat, living a mostly normal life aside from a few indie film roles. But now, twenty years after the show’s premiere, the cast is invited back for a reunion special, financed by a major streaming service. Liv is happy to be back on set, especially once she discovers Ransom has only improved with age. And their chemistry is certainly still intact. They quickly fall into their old rhythms, rediscovering what had drawn them together decades before. But with new rivalries among the cast emerging and the specter of a reboot shadowing their shoot, Liv questions whether returning to the past is what she needs to finally get her own happy ending.

A Novel

The Reunion

Kathryn

This was a fun and quick second-chance/celebrity romance. It was cute, and I liked the chemistry between Liv and Ransom, but I don’t think it’ll be a super memorable read.

Heather Harrington

         I’ve genuinely struggled with every book I have read (or tried to read) this April (we’re currently in 2023).  I have no idea if it’s the books, if it’s me, or if the universe is telling me to do something else (but I’d be willing to be the universe is not trying to get me to get sucked into a TikTok hole for hours every day).  I have struggled with the month of April for most of my life now, I think it might have something to do with seasonal depression.  It SHOULD be nice and pleasant outside, but it’s frequently cold, rainy, and generally gloomy.  It could also have something to do with the sheer number of bad things that have happened in April throughout history (Columbine, the Oklahoma City bombing, the start of the American Revolution, the Titanic, tax day…I could go on).  Whatever the reason, April has not always been the best of months.  This year I just haven’t been able to connect with a book, including this one.  What should have taken me about twenty-four hours took me five days. 

            Have you ever watched videos of a couple of birds of paradise doing their mating rituals?  They’re quite fascinating.  Birds of paradise are typically quite beautiful birds, and they do these amazingly elaborate dances (ok, sometimes they’re obnoxiously silly) when trying to woo a mate.  After watching for a while, they become pretty comical.  This book is the literary version of one of those mating dances.  We get to spend 320 pages reading about Liv Latimer dancing around the man she has her heart set upon.  It becomes exhausting after about 100 pages, then it just gets annoying.  We can all clearly see where this story is going to go, so it go to the point I wished it would just hurry up. 

            Olson peppered in some additional situations, with Liv’s co-stars and their dramas, which really seemed unnecessary and gratuitous, ultimately just distracting from the elaborate dance between Liv and Ransom (and truly, that name is horrendous).  The whole thing was like a very unsatisfying donut.  Way too saccharine, it made your teeth hurt, and made you wish you had gone with an egg McMuffin. 

Kristen Claiborn

         I’ve genuinely struggled with every book I have read (or tried to read) this April (we’re currently in 2023).  I have no idea if it’s the books, if it’s me, or if the universe is telling me to do something else (but I’d be willing to be the universe is not trying to get me to get sucked into a TikTok hole for hours every day).  I have struggled with the month of April for most of my life now, I think it might have something to do with seasonal depression.  It SHOULD be nice and pleasant outside, but it’s frequently cold, rainy, and generally gloomy.  It could also have something to do with the sheer number of bad things that have happened in April throughout history (Columbine, the Oklahoma City bombing, the start of the American Revolution, the Titanic, tax day…I could go on).  Whatever the reason, April has not always been the best of months.  This year I just haven’t been able to connect with a book, including this one.  What should have taken me about twenty-four hours took me five days. 

            Have you ever watched videos of a couple of birds of paradise doing their mating rituals?  They’re quite fascinating.  Birds of paradise are typically quite beautiful birds, and they do these amazingly elaborate dances (ok, sometimes they’re obnoxiously silly) when trying to woo a mate.  After watching for a while, they become pretty comical.  This book is the literary version of one of those mating dances.  We get to spend 320 pages reading about Liv Latimer dancing around the man she has her heart set upon.  It becomes exhausting after about 100 pages, then it just gets annoying.  We can all clearly see where this story is going to go, so it go to the point I wished it would just hurry up. 

            Olson peppered in some additional situations, with Liv’s co-stars and their dramas, which really seemed unnecessary and gratuitous, ultimately just distracting from the elaborate dance between Liv and Ransom (and truly, that name is horrendous).  The whole thing was like a very unsatisfying donut.  Way too saccharine, it made your teeth hurt, and made you wish you had gone with an egg McMuffin. 

This was absolutely not the book for me, but I finished it… so there’s that? 

First off, the reason I ended up with this book is because it was the book of the month subscription romance selection for January and I was really wanting a romance. Secondly, I am the wrong audience. I don’t do any social media, I don’t follow(or care about) any celebrities. Thirdly, in the introduction the author said this book is for everyone who “cheered/ cried when Ross and Rachel finally had their first kiss” also absolutely not me. 

So this is definitely a case of “not the book for me.” Besides the aforementioned I had a few other problems with the book, there is basically no relationship development. They go from working on a show together 14 years prior directly into something. I was very confused. Also, there’s not even any smut to redeem a lackluster story(or at the very minimum.. communication.) 😂 

Basically, I don’t know how I finished. If you’re into fictional celebrities and gossip and a sweet-ish second chance love story(that basically only exists because of lack of communication) this could work for you? It kind of felt like watching a trashy movie so I think that’s how it entertained me enough to keep reading. 

Megan BV

This was absolutely not the book for me, but I finished it… so there’s that? 

First off, the reason I ended up with this book is because it was the book of the month subscription romance selection for January and I was really wanting a romance. Secondly, I am the wrong audience. I don’t do any social media, I don’t follow(or care about) any celebrities. Thirdly, in the introduction the author said this book is for everyone who “cheered/ cried when Ross and Rachel finally had their first kiss” also absolutely not me. 

So this is definitely a case of “not the book for me.” Besides the aforementioned I had a few other problems with the book, there is basically no relationship development. They go from working on a show together 14 years prior directly into something. I was very confused. Also, there’s not even any smut to redeem a lackluster story(or at the very minimum.. communication.) 😂 

Basically, I don’t know how I finished. If you’re into fictional celebrities and gossip and a sweet-ish second chance love story(that basically only exists because of lack of communication) this could work for you? It kind of felt like watching a trashy movie so I think that’s how it entertained me enough to keep reading. 

Sweetly romantic and with so many fun parallels to actual streaming services or social media platforms, I highly recommend THE REUNION to anyone who wants to variously live the Hollywood dream!

Child stars Liv and Ransom were the best of friends through six years of a successful coming-of-age TV show, but their friendship (and any possibility of more) imploded during their world tour. Now, fourteen years and diverse film careers later, they’re back for a reunion special of their show. Clever, romantic, and entertaining, with inserts of gossip blog articles and comment sections from live streams, THE REUNION is a quick read with tons of heart!

Liz Griffin

Sweetly romantic and with so many fun parallels to actual streaming services or social media platforms, I highly recommend THE REUNION to anyone who wants to variously live the Hollywood dream!

Child stars Liv and Ransom were the best of friends through six years of a successful coming-of-age TV show, but their friendship (and any possibility of more) imploded during their world tour. Now, fourteen years and diverse film careers later, they’re back for a reunion special of their show. Clever, romantic, and entertaining, with inserts of gossip blog articles and comment sections from live streams, THE REUNION is a quick read with tons of heart!

Kathryn &
The Reunion by Kayla Olson

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Kathryn &The Reunion by Kayla Olson

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Kathryn &
The Reunion by Kayla Olson