This one was just not for me. I’ve read a lot of “reality competition” based books in the past and have enjoyed almost every one of them and the concept of this book seemed right up my alley despite my lack of enjoyment of reality TV. Unfortunately for me, this book was all of the things I hate about reality TV and none of the things I usually like about such romances.

I dislike the characters. Even for enemies to lovers, they were terrible to each other and I couldn’t accept their beginning stages of attraction, let alone the developing feelings. I actually had to set my e-reader down lest I throw it at one point from the sheer rage I felt about these characters. But, just like with the plot, the characters perfectly fit what you would expect from a reality TV star.

The writing itself was really good and I won’t hesitate to pick up another book by this author. I found her voice and style enjoyable and wish I could have gotten past my dislike for the plot enough to enjoy it. If you’re a reality TV fan, pick this one up but if you’re like me and find the whole idea a little ridiculous I’d give this one a pass

“Caring led to falling in love and falling in love meant commitment. It meant being trapped. It meant having to change yourself for a woman.” There is something about this quote that I wish I could just print out and send to every ex I have ever had. But on a serious note there were parts of this book I really enjoyed and parts that fell a little flat for me. The parts that fell a little flat for me are named Easton. I detest him. But Amity and Cooper were fun to read about and overall I thought the premise surrounding the book was a really cute idea.

We just LOVE an enemies to lovers in this household and Crush in the Cascades is no exception! Amity and Easton's connection is fiery and palpable, everything we love to see!

Interesting plotline that showcases Lisa S. Gayle's writing style and talents. This is an engaging and enjoyable read and is definitely binge worthy!

This was a cute, fast-paced read. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers trope between Amity and Cooper. Even though they hated each other for a quick second and thenyou blink and they loved each other. Loved the banter but I didn’t care for was the miscommunication.

My rating is 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ebook for an honest review.

A very cute romance story! The cover was what drew me in and it absolutely delivered! Amazing vibes and characters.

DNF at 26%
This book was boring and I didn't like the writing. I hated the main characters, especially the man, and it didn't seem like it was going to get any better.

It is hard to root for romance when a character is so horrible. It really took me out of the book to realize that you're supposed to WANT Amity to be with a guy who is so horrible. Looking at this through the lens of a teacher, I wouldn't want my students having this kind of example set for them. For adults. it might be better.

Story of the book-

Everything, except for a shot at a million dollars, is for Easton Cooper. He will even participate in a ridiculous action-adventure reality program because he needs money so badly, even though he detests reality TV. By chance, he finds himself in a series of outdoor trials in the Oregon Cascade Mountains, right where he belongs. But there’s a catch: his companion, a tanned, sexy, and out-of-place California lady in heels and a formal dress in the middle of freaking nowhere, will not be able to defeat him! He’s looking across the meadow at her. even though he had to lug her over the finish line.

Amity Rose yearns for a journey. Nobody informed her that “dress correctly” meant donning rugged mountaineering gear. She arrived at the opening scene in high heels and a gorgeous outfit. She despises insects, the cold, tents, campfires, and shall I go on? All the competitors now view her as a spoiled princess, and to make matters worse, she was paired with the worst possible contestant: a gangly, arrogant mountain trail guide. Did the drama’s romance subplot simply have been added by the directors? Indeed, why not? She could win something more precious than cash when she finishes the race. However, not with him!

My review-

Full-length contemporary romance Crush in the Cascades is a stand-alone book. A fast-paced, action-packed story is woven together with an intense, enemies-to-lovers romance. Although I would have loved to read more about Bria, who was also an important part of the fantastic tale, the characters were fantastic, and Lisa Gayle managed to paint a superb picture of their origins throughout the book. I suggest it to anyone who enjoys romcoms or contemporary romance since it was a novel idea for a book. Amity, the lead character, was fantastic. I loved how they misunderstood one another and how their connection developed over time. It maintained the book’s attention.

It’s enjoyable, develops quickly, pays exactly the appropriate amount of attention to detail, and elicits a range of feelings in the reader. I thought the setting of this story—a traditional “enemies-to-lovers” tale—to be quite engaging and creative. The two characters’ connection works even though the author made a superb job of emphasizing their differences. Each makes the other a stronger rival thanks to their complementary skills and distinctive viewpoints. They encounter several difficulties with misunderstandings and incorrect presumptions along the way. Although some of the scenes seemed a little forced, overall it was interesting to read about how they came to understand and support one another.

Even though there were many characters, they were all wonderful. It was imaginative, fast-paced, and quite distinctive. Overall, I thought this was a good read, especially if you enjoy outdoor-themed reality TV shows. I enjoy the supporting characters since they are all recognizable by their names and characteristics. Aha, her complete justification is now clear, and she must inform her partner. Sincerely, the beginning of a relationship is crazy and mentally chaotic. But reading it is certainly a delight. I’m eager to read more in this series and would suggest it to anybody searching for an exciting, opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers story. This is a winner and a great retreat since it’s enjoyable, amusing, and lovely.

This book was very hard to get into and connect to the characters. This one wasn't one that I particularly enjoyed.

This was a fun, back and forth contemporary romance! I enjoyed both of the characters personalities and liked them together as a couple. The book was well paced and kept my attention.

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

As someone who works on a campsite and a camper myself, the cover is what drew me in. And when I read the synopsis, I got so excited. But wow was this book boring. DNF'd 34% in. I just could not get through it. Both characters were so infuriating and annoying.

4.5!
I wish I had picked up this book sooner because it had all my guilty pleasures in one! As a lover of hiking and PNW native, this book tugged at my outdoorsy side in all the best ways. I felt like I could envision the mountains and trails and struggles of camping and hiking. Throwing in romance was icing on the cake.

If the outdoors wasn't enough, Lisa Gayle made it into a reality TV competition and I couldn't have been more invested. I was rooting for and against certain characters all the while thinking how amazing this story would be made into a movie. Because honestly, who doesn't love a competitive reality TV show. It's America's guilty pleasire!

A must read! My only complaint was how rushed it felt. I can't wait for the next installment.

Thanks so much netgalley for the ARC!

5 stars!

I picked up Crush in the Cascades by Lisa S Gayle thinking it looked kind of cute. So wrong. I was so so wrong. I can’t get over how much I loved this book. It’s romance with action! And for the record, I don’t watch any reality TV shows, but I’d totally watch the one described in this book.

Amity and Cooper are both contestants in an outdoors, fitness, adventure reality TV show. The winning team wins $2 million - `$1M for each member of the team. First impressions weigh heavily on all the contestants as they size each other up eventually forming alliances along the way.

As the challenges increase in intensity (though they all seemed rather intense to me!), and whether paired up with each other or not, Amity and Cooper start falling for each other. As they begin to open up, they learn the real reasons behind why they entered the contest.

As for the ending. Sigh. All the feels!

Side notes:

* I love that we got to know a handful of characters. I hope we’ll hear more from some of them in the sequel.
* Oh yeah - did I mention this is totally set up for a sequel?
* Are we going to get any sort of backstory on Goatee Man? No really. I’ve gotta know.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Enemies to lovers is my all time favorite trope and this book delivers in that aspect. I enjoyed the banter in the first half of the book. The second half’s romance was a little lacking for me though.

I was looking forward to reading this as the premise sounded intriguing. An enemies to lovers story based around an adventure challenge being filmed for a TV series. Unfortunately one of the main characters, Cooper was misogynistic from the very beginning and continued to be judgemental right through to the end. There was also a fair chunk of the book where the characters only ever seemed to go on about sex and it had me rolling my eyes at several points. I found their relationship irritating and childish at best.

I did, however, enjoy the overall plot and reading about the different challenges they were facing in a beautiful setting. The TV series aspect was interesting to read about to so those things are what saved the book for me.

I really wanted to love this book, the elements of it were all things that I genuinely enjoy. Unfortunately this one missed the mark big time.

Firstly, the book feels far too long. It’s repetitive and at times boring, with characters making choices that didn’t line up with what we know them to be like.
The characters then felt very frustrating, making decisions with an illogical rationale, making them seem childish.

I wish I loved this, but I sadly didn’t.

Oof, the writing was so bad that it was a quick DNF for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Crush in the Cascades is a romcom featuring Amity, a high maintenance California girl, and Ethan, a rugged outdoorsman. They are both competing for a million dollars in a reality TV gameshow that is The Bachelor meets Survivor.
This book had multiple tropes that I am a big fan of: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, opposites attract, reality TV show setting. I appreciated that it was dual perspective as well, allowing us to see both Amity and Ethan's POVs. But unfortunately it also had my least favorite trope: instalove. I also didn't enjoy the miscommunication between the two characters.
Overall, it was a fun rom-com in a fantastic setting, but I like a little more substance to my romances.

I really wished that I loved this book more that I did. It was just okay. I hoped that his one woučd be somthing else, but it isn't.
I is beuutiful written, but it is not my cup of tea.