Hey Friends! Long time no post. Oops. I definitely have been reading a lot this year, but sitting down to write review posts has definitely been a task–lots has been going on in my personal life since January. But I am back today to share a review with you of “Attached at the Hip” by Christine Riccio!
A digital ARC of “Attached at the Hip” was provided to me by Wednesday Books via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Read on to check out the official synopsis of the book, my review, and a bit about the author!
Synopsis
Survivor meets The Bachelor in Attached at the Hip, an irresistible, romantic adventure by New York Times bestselling author Christine Riccio.
Orie Lennox has spent her entire life prepping for her happily ever after — and now that she’s graduated, she’s low-key wondering, when the heck is it gonna hit. Her love life, her new job, her relationship with her sister: none of it is quite what she envisioned it to be.
One evening, on a whim, she applies for a reality show where she’ll be stranded on an island, with a bunch of strangers, to play a game of human chess for a shot at a million dollars. What better way to force herself to break up with the things that aren’t bringing her joy, than to abandon them all on short notice to live off the grid on a beach in the South Pacific!
Orie’s shocked when she ends up cast in an experimental romantic edition of the show: and even more surprised to find that her old high school crush, Remy, has been cast as well. Orie’s one of ten contestants, set to compete in formidable challenges, while speed dating, in the wilderness: without deodorant, toilets, shaving cream, or showers. (How!?)
She finds herself tied up — literally — in a game of risky alliances as she navigates ever-growing feelings for her one that got away, alongside an exciting array of budding new relationships.
My Thoughts
I am so pleasantly surprised by “Attached at the Hip,” and couldn’t be more excited with the growth of Christine Riccio’s writing.
I have followed Christine’s BookTube channel for years and have read both of her books prior to this one, which is by far my favorite. Christine’s debut, “Again, But Better” was exciting because it was her debut so I gave it a lot of leniency. Her second novel, “Better Together” really fell flat for me and in general wasn’t my cup of tea. So I was very hesitant to go into “Attached at the Hip,” but since I really do love Christine, I wanted to give it a fair chance. And since I received an ARC, I didn’t have much skin in the game. I am so happy to say I was fully in with this book.
The characters were so well written, the dialogue and banter was fun, the stakes were there, the chemistry was phenomenal, and I happily had to keep reading to figure out where the hell the story was going.
I was super impressed with the way the chemistry between Orie and her love interest(s) was built so fast and felt believable (for the most part?). It’s difficult to discuss that chemistry and the way it was used and laid out without spoiling things. Just know, there was a brief moment where I had no clue where things would go prior to it being clearly laid out. I also can’t really talk about much of the “cast” without spoiling things, sooo… Just know, the endgame is my favorite of all time. Heart eyes for sure.
Something that just warmed my damn heart throughout this book was the references we get to YA literature and pop culture that was quintessential to my own teen years. “Divergent” is a pretty big one, we also got mentions of Cassandra Clare, “Legend” by Marie Lu, and Hannah Montana, just to name a few. I also was so pleasantly surprised by a little “Again, But Better” cameo.
Speaking of pop culture, the entire premise of this book revolves around “Survivor” with a “The Bachelor” twist. As a Christine Riccio fan, I know “Survivor” is her bread and butter. She knows a lot about the show, and it really shines through here and makes the reality TV aspect of it very believable. I also so appreciated her tackling of the hygiene aspect of a survival reality show–it’s something I’m always wondering about!
I really enjoyed “Attached at the Hip.” The wrap up and reunion of the show was very satisfying, and I loved the overall ending of the book.
★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)
About The Author
Christine Riccio is the New York Times bestselling author of Again, But Better. She’s been on a quest to encourage more humans to read since the third grade. Her YouTube channel PolandbananasBOOKS has over 410,000 book-loving subscribers. She makes comedic book reviews, vlogs, sketches, and writing videos chronicling the creation of her own novels. She’s also one of the three YouTubers behind BOOKSPLOSION—YouTube’s longest-running book club. She graduated from Boston University in 2012 with a degree in Film and TV and now lives in Los Angeles, CA.
Selina Falcon 