3.5 stars

Emily Boylan is a 24-year-old woman who ends up vying to marry the bachelor on a reality TV dating show. Thrust into the spotlight, this sheltered, "nice" woman has to navigate this altered reality, while trying to learn who she really is.

This sharp novel makes some great commentary about the manufactured aspects of love-packaged-for-entertainment and how this cultural phenomenon adversely portrays women. The POV alternates between Emily and Miranda, Emily's producer. I didn't connect much with Miranda's story. Emily's story is more compelling, yet I still felt like her character wasn't as fleshed out as she could have been. A big piece of Emily's story is her strict Catholic upbringing--yet it's not mentioned much in connection with a big reveal halfway through the novel. All in all, I liked its exploration of sexism and culture this novel explored, but didn't find Emily as vibrant as she could have been.