Crush in the Cascades features a reality show out in the wilderness where contestants are competing for a million dollars. Cooper and Amity cannot stand one another at first. He thinks she’s a rich princess and she thinks he’s an outdoor brute. Soon, feelings develop and they have to decide which is more important: love or money?

I love that that it was obvious right away that there was more to Amity than the other contestants thought. I knew that she would shine later in the book and I always enjoy when someone who is underestimated gets to prove that they are a force to be reckoned with.

For my low points, Cooper annoyed me with his back and forth feelings about Amity, although I know Amity was just as guilty. And with the constant use of the terms “girlfriend” and “boyfriend,” I felt I was back in middle school for a bit.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I wasn’t sure how the contest was going to end, but I wasn’t surprised either.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC!

It is not hard to guess the outcome of this novel, but it was fun seeing how the relationship developed. Maybe a little more about the other characters would have padded the story out a bit, but I found this an enjoyable, easy read.

In a survival reality tv show, having the right partner makes all the difference. Easton Cooper leads survival hiking tours through the Colorado rockies for a living, but when his first partner shows up for the first task in an evening gown and stilettos he knows he's in trouble. But as the competition goes on, Amity surprises him with her ingenuity and grit. The attraction is obvious, but she'll never accept his lifestyle living in the woods and being gone for long periods of time on tours. As they both struggle to figure out if it's love or all part of the game, the stakes are higher than ever.
This book was so much fun! I loved all the tasks, the beautiful scenery, the banter between all the competitors, but especially the sparks between Cooper and Amity.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

This book was so much fun to read! I loved the setting of having a reality/adventure tv show set in the Cascade mountains. It made for a very interesting premise. This book had several of my favorite tropes going for it as well which include, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity. Easton competes on the show for the chance to win the cash prize at the end and you can tell very early on that he dislikes our female MC Amity. Because he believes she will hinder his chances of winning. I usually really enjoy the grumpy/sunshine trope, I felt like Easton went a little too far with Amity. The banter was borderline over the top I felt at most parts, that I actually felt bad for the heroine. After seeing him humiliate Amity and treat her so badly I just had a hard time connecting to the plot. I was rooting for Amity but just could not get past Easton. All in all, I felt like the writing was great and the storyline had so much promise. I loved Amity and I loved watching her prove everyone wrong during the competition, but I hated how most of the characters acted towards her.

I heard the author was coming out with another book about Easton's sister and I will definitely give it a go!

Thank you the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

♡ Enemies to Lovers
♡ Forced Proximity
♡ Reality Tv Competition
♡ Insta Love
♡ Fast paced

I don’t usually gravitate towards books with reality dating shows involved but I loved the adventure aspect. Whenever I thought I knew what was coming there would be a twist. Which made it enjoyable. I think it was a quick and cute read.

This is a really cute story, especially for fans of reality television! The leads have fun antagonistic chemistry. They get together sort of quickly in the middle of the book but the rest of the action after that brings enough angst and interest to make it a fun story. Thanks for the read, NetGalley

I thought this sounded like a cute idea, it could have been very interesting. However, I refuse to read any book where the LORD'S Name is taken in vain every other paragraph. Damn is okay, but not the incessant ugly profanity.
My time is valuable, and I would never recommend this book.
carolintallahassee

Crush in the Cascades was a fun read. It's an enemies to lovers story about two adventure reality show contestants. If you're a fun of this particular trope then you will most probably enjoy this.

The characters seemed a bit too dimensional and childish. Don't get me wrong I would totally recommend this as a fun read for the summer but unfortunately it didn't meet my expectations in terms of character development.

Both Amity and Easton seemed pretty childish in multiple occasions and most of their choices had no foundation, they would say one thing and go do something completely different just a few pages later.

I'm looking forward to reading more of the author's work and hopefully watch her writing style evolve.

4.5 ⭐️
1.5🌶

T R O P E S
• Grovelling hero
• Protective hero
• Rivals to lovers
• Reality TV Show
• Miscommunication trope (done well imo)

T H O U G H T S
This book was quite long but it went by so fast. I was hooked right from the start. I think the storyline was quite interesting and it was the first reality TV show story I have ever read.
Although, I think the book didn't need to be that long, some scenes aren't very pertinent and there were a few grammar errors, the book was really fun. I enjoyed the banter between Amity and Cooper, there were so fun!

I'm not a huge miscommunication trope fan. However, this book made me feel like a cannot wait for Cooper to discover the truth. It's not that there is miscommunication, it's just that the characters believe what they want to see and assume things. Amity never -really- lied about who she was, but she never admitted the assumptions made about her. She is soooo far from the Hollywood type of girl the characters made her out to be. I've never met a character more selfless and kind-hearted as Amity. She was in the TV reality for the right reasons and stayed true to herself throughout the book.
She never let herself down even when other did and underestimated her.
A small part of my heart thinks she deserves so much more than what she settled for. Even though, I never doubted Cooper's love for Amity, I do think he was self-centered during the filming of the TV show. I completely understand the reasons why he was... but he could have done so many things differently and if would have benefited both of them.
But yes, guys, HE DID GROVEL! Not as much as I wish... but he still did.
And Gosh... Reading the scene where he learns the truth about Amity felt like a big reward. Reading the emotions going through him, reading about how wrong he was about her and then him realizing what she gave up... What she could have had... just to make him happy... My heart felt so full.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a fun, heart-warming, butterflies in your belly love story. This book is the perfect summer read.

I’m always intrigued by a romance book that has travel or adventure in it. Going on an adventure creates a whole new layer to the book for me and Crush in the Cascades was no different!

I loved the game show aspect of the book - those kept me hooked in the story line. I really enjoyed seeing the characters interact with each other in the game show and also how they dealt with the cameras being on them 24/7.

The adventure through the mountains was a highlight. I loved discovering a new place with the characters, especially Amity the FMC. Amity loved seeing the scenery and so we got some beautiful views to visualize.

The book was a dual perspective between Amity and Cooper. I preferred Amity as a character compared to Cooper. I was frustrated with him at some points in the books although there were times when both Amity and Cooper needed a good shake. I didn’t enjoy the bit of miscommunication between them. I just wish that we had a bit more character development, especially with Amity as I didn’t feel like she grew enough. As much as I may love the setting that the book is in, the characters are what carry the storyline for me.

I wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t fully click for me. I enjoyed the outdoorsy setting, but just found both main characters unlikeable. It was like reading about the insta-love couple from high school that continues to make irrational decisions. I felt like I was getting whiplash from all the emotions and fears of the two main characters. That said, in a reality show competition, it’s probably accurate that there would be a lot of mistrust floating around.
I think the author should be more careful in describing the characters. There were some “crazy” and “bipolar” references that didn’t sit well, and there was one section referencing consent that I think had good intentions, but read awkwardly.
Fans of The Amazing Race are most likely to enjoy this book; however, I picked up on some vibes similar to Suzanne Park’s The Perfect Escape, and the outdoorsy grumpy sunshine/enemies to lovers books by Sarah Morganthaler.

This book is so much fun. It is really funny and I don't say that lightly. This book has many laugh out loud moments. It's a really well written, will they won't they book.

I really enjoyed this story. We first meet our characters ready to start one of these survival type shows, and our heroine turns up in a prom dress and heels, which really sets peoples opinions about her, but later you find out why she did. It was nice to see how she proved everyone wrong thinking she was a useless heiress, and also to learn more of the secondary characters like Bria, though I do wish we saw more of Bria and what happened to her (here’s hoping for another in the series about her). The romance side of things was interesting, and I quite honestly wanted to shake our lead male at times with the things he was saying and thinking. It has a nice ending, and the overall storyline was well thought out, if a little rushed in terms of romance progression

I loved the premise of this book - an adventure race reality TV show with romance mixed in. I thought this part of the plot was really engaging and well written. I found myself really keen to keep picking this up at the beginning and looked forward to finding out how the race would play out. However, I didn't enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, particularly as it was very insta-love. I found the relationship between Amity and Cooper developed so fast and the on again, off again nature of their relationship pretty tedious. However I do think the plot was wrapped up really well and was find out what happened to the characters after the race finished. A solid 3 star read but I do think it had to the potential to be more. I would be interested in checking out what this author writes next. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately I did not fall in love with this novel. The couple did not have sizzling chemistry and the story felt flat.

Crush in the Cascades is about an Amazing Race-esque reality TV show. It’s a race for a million dollars each for the winning contestants. However, Cooper and Amity are NOT enjoying each other at all. Cooper owns his own tour guide business with his friend, and Amity came on the show in the complete wrong attire. Will they get over their snap judgements of each other?

I thought this was a really fun book. It was lighthearted, and I felt I learned quite a bit about the characters in a short amount of time. They got me invested in how this would all play out. I felt that this story was more than just a romance, it also had its own bits of action and adventure, to match the reality TV show. If I had one complaint, I would have liked a slightly longer ending - I felt things wrapped up a little sooner than I would have liked. I would have appreciated a little bit more conversation between the characters. However, they each determined what was important to them, and they stuck to what that was for each of them. I would recommend this to those who enjoy romance and adventure-esque books. The background of the Oregon Cascade Mountains was a beautiful setting, and it may make you want to take a trip there just like it gave me!

I went into this book by being grabbed by the cover! I personally enjoy reality television so I was pretty sure I would enjoy this book! I did! Sometimes the it felt a bit clunky writing style wise but I think the story was really good! I enjoyed the enemies to lovers troupe and in general liked both MC’s although Easton was a little flat sometimes.

Crush in the Cascades is a fun lighthearted quick read! Easton and Amity are participating in a tv reality series that involves competing in a series of outdoor activities in the Cascade Mountains for a chance to win one million dollars. Easton is desperate for cash; Amity wants an adventure - nothing makes a more unlikely duo.

The first half of this book flew by and I was engaged and excited to see how these two enemies from the start would gravitate for each other. I loved the fresh idea of competing in an outdoor reality tv show that had a whole host of contestants we would grow to love or hate. Both of the main characters were slightly annoying but not in a way that distracted from you wanting to read, in a way it helps inspire you to keep building because you know their exterior is hiding their true inner self/marred by previous life experiences we will come to learn. The author's writing style was easy flowing and I found myself laughing at along the way. The miscommunication theme also runs rampant throughout which is great fun if you love this in your romances!

My only hang up on the book was the very quick escalation of their relationship. I would have preferred more of a slow burn / flirtatious stage and them formally getting together later on. Also would have liked to have seen/read about the development of other couples (in minor detail) emerge amongst the contestants since they were competing for romance or riches. But this is personal preference.

Thank you NetGallery, and Lisa S. Gayle for providing me an ARC copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVE everything outdoors. And I love that more stories are being published in this setting. There seems to be a trend in this coming year for reality tv show romances. This one however, missed the mark for me.

Amity and Elliot are contestants on a dating reality show based in the outdoors - with a twist on the romance front. They have the chance to win 1 million dollars, in a show The Race to Romance or Riches. This is set in Oregon.

Elliot was an un-relatable character through my eyes. His annoying demeanor made it hard for this reader to get behind the romance between him and Amity. His misogyny, judgments, snooty attitude, and overall characteristics were very cringe. I understand this was an enemies-to-lovers romance, but it was overdone for the MMC.

Amity was enjoyable to read. She had this fun personality that you couldn't help but root for. With a pain in her side (Elliot) she was faced with several opportunities that allowed her to really prove herself.

The overall ideation the author brought forth in this rom-com was good in theory. The cover is gorgeous, and the unrealistic "trash" tv aspect really drew me in. Trash reality shows are my guilty pleasure. I also liked that this was a faster-paced read - although the romance was a bit unbelievable when it came to the characters.

This was a really cute, fun read! It was a little different than I expected, but I really liked the competition aspect where they are constantly changing partners, even though it made the competition totally unfair. The middle dragged on a little too much, and it would have been nice to see a little more variety in the competitions. I also felt they got together a little too quickly for my enemies to lovers heart, but overall I enjoyed reading it. 3.5/5