This story wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought it would be a relatively lighthearted, humorous romp through the world of reality dating shows like The Bachelor. Instead, it was a biting, searing indictment of the ugly truth behind the scenes and the traumatic toll production machinations, vicious fans and TV critics, and ironclad contracts and NDAs can take on contestants. In the case of The Villain Edit, romance author Jacqueline (Jac) Matthis received a million-dollar payout for three books, but her first book was mismarketed and sold poorly. The second one fared worse, and the third was cancelled. After five years in NYC, blowing through her cash living what she assumed was her “best life,” she’s forced to move back home to Charleston, SC. With nothing to lose and the hope of reviving her flagging career and book sales, she impulsively becomes a contestant on the 1, never anticipating that her natural honesty, cynicism, skepticism, and intellect (with creative editing) will paint her as the villain of the season. When the bachelor, Marcus, chooses her as an early favorite, the other contestants claws come out.
If that weren’t bad enough, soon after she enters the mansion, she discovers that her hookup from the night before, Henry, is one of the producers. What follows is twelve weeks of forbidden growing attraction between them (despite her questioning how much of his attention is genuine versus manipulative for the sake of the show), concerning revelations about Marcus and other contestants, diminishing physical and mental health thanks to little sleep and missed meals (who knew contestants couldn’t eat while being filmed ), and Jac’s growing concern that it will all blow up in her face, destroying both her reputation and her livelihood. This villainization was well-illustrated by snippets of social media commentary, press releases, author chat groups, and blog articles interspersed throughout the novel.
Author Devore did extensive research on The Bachelor to give authenticity to the story. Jac, Marcus and Henry are all flawed characters, so the pseudo-love triangle is often hard to navigate because you don’t know what is the truth and who actually deserves a happy ending. The rampant misogyny is hard to stomach, especially since much of it is perpetrated by female producers and contestants who are pitted against each other in the name of “great television.” Devore’s compelling descriptions of the harsh reality of regimented schedules, overconsumption of alcohol, the absence of books, devices, and anything else that would draw attention away from Marcus, emotional manipulation, and food deprivation painted a really clear and disturbing picture of the dangers of these shows.
Although this is a romance, it doesn’t follow any formulaic tropes. There are definitely steamy scenes, many stops and starts, and love interests dealing with emotional baggage, and, in Jac’s case, low self-esteem coupled with defensiveness. You still can’t help but root for a happy ending, even if it’s not clear for most of the story which, if either, man she’ll end up with. I recommend this to anyone looking for a smart, complex, love story with several twists.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Avon through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
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