Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a cute LGBTQIA contemporary romance involving a tech wizard that is cast as the bachelor on a dating reality show and one of the producers on the show. Charlie, the bachelor, is stiff, awkward and anxious and only agreed to be on the show to try to rehabilitate his image. Dev is the most successful producer on the show and always does a great job scripting the perfect happily ever after for his contestants, although he’s recently gone through a painful breakup with his long-time boyfriend and is dreading going back to work with him.

Dev usually works with contestants, but is reassigned to produce Charlie in the hopes that he can get Charlie to loosen up and interact better with the contestants. As the two get to know each other and build trust, Charlie starts opening up about his OCD and anxiety and Dev confides he suffers from depression. Charlie realizes that he has much better chemistry with Dev than he does the female contestants, which confuses him and makes him more anxious. Even after the duo acknowledge their attraction for each other, there is still a show to be produced and a happily ever after to achieve.

This was a really cute romance. I liked how the author dealt with Charlie and Dev’s problems and talked about coping mechanisms and how important therapy is. Charlie and Dev made such a cute couple. Dev was conflicted about getting involved with Charlie because obviously it wasn’t professional and went against the entire premise of the show, but the heart wants what the heart wants. The ups and downs they went through were relatable (although not the dating show part) but who hasn’t done something that causes themselves pain but they did it anyone because they thought it was the best thing for their partner?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Atria Books. All opinions are my own.