Here for the Wrong Reasons

In this swoon-filled lesbian romcom, two dating show contestants vying for the affection of the leading man fall head over heels--for each other.

Fans of Ashley Herring Blake and Alexandria Bellefleur, and readers who love The Bachelor, will adore this steamy, laugh-out-loud debut romance.

Krystin knows exactly what she wants: a husband, a horse, and a place to hang all her competitive rodeo blue ribbons. But when none of the eligible bachelors in Montana end up being right for her, she turns to reality TV. On Hopelessly Devoted, Krystin will compete against dozens of other women for the heart of this season's Hopeless Romantic, Josh Rosen. She's determined to win the perfect life she came here for--if she can just ignore the glossy brunette whose crimson smile gives her goosebumps.

Lauren has never done anything for the right reasons--and she's definitely not on Hopelessly Devoted to win Josh's heart. Lauren's plan is simple: stay on the show long enough to build her social media following, and then gracefully leave when it's her turn to be eliminated. With enough followers, she'll finally have the clout to do whatever she wants--including come out of the proverbial walk-in closet. But the longer she stays on the show, the more she finds herself tangled up in a certain blonde's lasso.

Neither contestant expects a heteronormative dating show to challenge their own deeply-ingrained ideas of who they are--and what they want. Fans of The Charm Offensive and Love Island will swoon for this sparkling debut romcom.

Publisher: Alcove Press
Published: 05/21/2024
Pages: 336
Weight: 0.81lbs
ISBN: 9781639107094


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/01/2024 pg. 100
Publishers Weekly 03/04/2024
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2024

About the Author
Lydia Wang is the Love & Life editor at Women's Health magazine, and she's covered sex, dating, and pop culture (including reality TV) for Refinery29, Cosmopolitan, Vulture, and more.

Annabel Paulsen holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School, and her essays and criticism have appeared in NeoText, Electric Literature, Riot Fest Magazine, and Document Journal.

Together, Annabel and Lydia share a love for queer romance novels and dating shows (and each other). They started as friends and by the end of writing this novel, they were dating. They live together in Brooklyn, and hope to one day co-parent a black pug named Elise.