Here for the Right Reasons is a hilarious and heart-warming romantic comedy that examines how the unlikeliest of loves can bloom in, well, the most likely of places. Perfect for fans of The Hating Game and The Spanish Love Deception.
When Cece James agrees to be cast as a ‘Juliet’ on the next season of the hit television show Marry Me, Juliet, it’s certainly not for the right reasons. She’s knee deep in debt and desperate for the associated paycheck. The last thing on her mind is the hunky ‘Romeo’ waiting for her at the end of the gravel driveway.
But Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor isn’t your usual fame-hungry TV star. An Olympic gold medallist with calloused hands, kind eyes and a propensity for panic attacks, it turns out he’s not here for the right reasons either. As spokesperson for a men’s mental health foundation, and the franchise’s first non-white male lead, Dylan’s got a charity to plug and something to prove.
When Cece gets eliminated on the first night, it seems like her and Dylan’s awkward first meeting will be their last conversation. But when the TV set is shut down unexpectedly, Cece and Dylan suddenly get a little more time together than they’d expected.
Jodi McAlister is an author and lecturer whose academic work focuses on the history of love, sex, women and girls, popular culture and fiction. It means that reading romance novels and watching The Bachelor is technically work for her. This background definitely comes across in Here for the Right Reasons. It’s a fresh and funny romantic comedy, set on a Bachelor-esque style reality show that celebrates all that we love about reality TV, while also holding up a mirror to this genre and unpicking the flaws behind the façade.
The novel follows Cece who isn’t your typical ‘Juliet.’ Cece grew up in the foster system and is a struggling Masters student who, though a long-time fan of the show, only accepted the role because she was laid off during Covid. To her dismay, she finds herself eliminated after just the first night but – Covid twist! – stage four lockdown restrictions are introduced during shooting and she, along with the other rejected contestants, are forced to stay in the ‘convent’ where she gets more time – both on and off-screen – with her Romeo.
Witty, funny and utterly irresistible, Here for the Right Reasons is a fun, modern romance, perfect for fans of reality TV and romantic comedies. If you’re looking for the perfect read to curl up with this weekend, look no further.
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