Prime Time Romance | By Kate Robb

My thoughts

Narrative and Plot

Most of my favorite romance reads feature dual narrators—the male and female leads. It gives us insight into both of their thoughts and provides balance. PrimeTime Romance did a great job on that front. However, to fully buy into the plot, you need to seriously commit to the idea of suspension of disbelief, because the rules of the magic are vague here.

Forgive my comparison to The Novel Love Story, but the two share a similar premise. Personally, I think if this plot were executed with the same concept as The Novel Love Story, it could have been a five-star book. The Novel Love Story throws its protagonist into the setting of a book—a completely imaginary world set in a fictional town. The same level of blind disbelief doesn’t apply to a TV series because there could still be sets and real people living in the real world, doing real-world things. The idea of TV show characters being stuck in their own stories is harder to accept than the book characters who are simply trapped inside the pages. At least that was the case for me.

Characters and Conflicts

I liked the concept of the story and the grounded approach the protagonists took in dealing with their alternate reality situation. They both wanted to return to their own homes and lives, no matter how imperfect those lives were. The chemistry between Josh and Brynn was strong, though it developed at lightning speed once they stumbled into their adventure. I could have used a few more scenes of them in their real lives to see the lingering tension between them.

The story beautifully explores the idea of how our favorite books or shows get dated over time. We rewatch them simply for the sake of nostalgia, and how our real-life opinions and worldviews are influenced by these pop culture obsessions. It emphasizes the need to separate our lives from the rose-tinted glasses and look more closely at what will bring us true happiness.

The third act actually introduced some antagonists for the heroine to tackle, which was a refreshing change for a rom-com.

Conclusion

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the fictional world it created. PrimeTime Romance is a must-read if you, like me, finally realize how wrong Rory Gilmore was to have deviled egg Jess’s car when she didn’t buy a single vehicle with her own money.

About the Author