Cara Hawn’s life fell apart after her father cheated on her mother and got remarried to a woman Cara can’t stand. When Cara accidentally posts a rant about her father online, it goes viral—and catches the attention of the TV producers behind a new reality dating show for single parent families.
The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’ve been cast as leads on the show and are whisked away to sunny Key West where they’re asked to narrow a field of suitors and their kids down to one winning pair. All of this is outside of Cara’s comfort zone, from the meddling producers to the camera-hungry contestants, especially as Cara and her mother begin to clash on which suitors are worth keeping around. And then comes Connor.
As the son of a contestant, Connor is decidedly off-limits. Except that he doesn’t fit in with the cutthroat atmosphere in all the same ways as Cara, and she can’t get him out of her head. Now Cara must juggle her growing feelings while dodging the cameras and helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love, or else risk fracturing their family even more for the sake of ratings. Maybe there’s a reason most people don’t date on TV.
- Title: All the Right Reasons
- Author: Bethany Mangle
- Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
- Publication Date: February 15, 2022
- Genre: Contemporary, Romance
- Source: Digital ARC obtained via Netgalley & Turn The Page Tour
- Targeted Age Range: Young Adult
- Content Warnings: toxic parent relationship, infidelity, messy divorce
- Rating: ★★★.5
It’s been a while since I watched The Bachelor (I don’t watch a lot of television nowadays), but back when I did, I was very invested, to say the least. And so I know a bit more about reality television — particularly, the ins and outs of The Bachelor — than I’d like to admit. When I heard about All the Right Reasons, which is pitched as The Bachelor meets Gilmore Girls, I knew I had to add it to my TBR.
All the Right Reasons primarily takes place on the set of a reality television show called Second Chance Romance. When Cara’s video journal accidentally gets posted publicly instead of privately, her and her mother, Julia, go viral, and end up catching the attention of the Second Chance Romance producers. The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’re the new leads of Second Chance Romance, and have found themselves in Key West. Second Chance Romance operates as follows: While Julia gets to know the contestants, Cara’s getting to know their children so she can better know her potential stepsiblings. There aren’t a lot of rules to Second Chance Romance, except for where there are — contestants and leads aren’t allowed to eat on dates, they’re filmed at all times, and the usual rules that come along with a reality dating show. But when Cara starts developing feelings for a contestant’s son, how does she juggle between her growing feelings for him, and helping her mom choose a bachelor that’ll fit into their life, while dealing with the pressures of reality tv?
As a lover of The Bachelor, I loved the concept of Second Chance Romance. I found it to be a cool twist on the standard reality-tv show, and I really liked how it was family-focused, rather than just between Cara’s mom and the bachelors. The way Second Chance Romance functioned felt authentic to the point where I felt I was reading a behind-the-scenes article about The Bachelorette. From group dates, to all the questionnaires and testing, it truly was a believable television show, and I’m a little disappointed that it isn’t real. Something that really charmed me about All the Right Reasons was how all the characters were so vivid. I found so many of the characters endearing, whether it was Cara, Julia, the production team, contestants, or the contestant’s kids. If there was ever a spinoff, I’d definitely be down to read it.
While this was marketed as a romance, the heart of All the Right Reasons lies in Cara and Julia’s relationship. I love mother-daughter duos, and found their dynamic so heartwarming. The two of them work through a lot of things, including communication style, but at the end of the day, you know that they both care very deeply for one another. Despite their disagreements and differing opinions, Cara and Julia just want what’s best for their family. Cara and Julia’s bond was incredibly sweet, and I just loved how fiercely protective they were of one another. The pressure of Second Chance Romance caused some tension to their relationship, and reading how they navigate that tension was so wonderful.
Another highlight of All the Right Reasons for me was Connor, our love interest, who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, but that isn’t his entire identity. Rather, we get to fall in love with Connor — he’s sweet, funny, sensitive, and compassionate, and at no point does anyone try to “fix” him. Watching him and Cara fall for one another was adorable, although I wish we’d gotten to read more of their interactions. I felt like Cara and Connor’s relationship was a little more lackluster in comparison to the relationship between Cara and her mother, but I didn’t find myself caring too much.
All the Right Reasons was a fast-paced book, and before I knew it, I was already done with it! I do wish that the book had been longer, and felt the pacing was a little off at times. Ultimately, I’d highly recommend All the Right Reasons to fans of The Bachelor, strong mother-daughter bonds, and anyone looking for a short read.
Links for All the Right Reasons: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Bethany Mangle is the young adult contemporary author of Prepped and All the Right Reasons. As a Korean-American adoptee and a disabled author with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, she is passionate about incorporating diversity into her work. Although she currently resides in the Deep South, Bethany has called many different states home. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, baking questionable cakes, or spoiling her dogs.
Bethany’s short fiction has appeared in a variety of publications, including Maudlin House and The Citron Review.
Prepped was published in 2021 by Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry Books. Bethany’s second book, All the Right Reasons, releases on February 15, 2022.
