Jacqueline Matthis is a writer who can’t write. After college, she moved to New York City and got herself a lucrative 3-book contract for her romance novels. But when she wrote the first one without a happily ever after, sales went down, and the second book barely got off the ground. Her publisher canceled the third book, and Jac had to move back home to South Carolina. She needed something to jumpstart her career. So she decided to apply to be on the 1.

the 1 is the hottest dating show on television, with popular personalities going on to star on other shows both in (the 1 on the beach) or outside (Dancing with the Stars) the franchise. They become influencers. They get invited to Good Morning, America. And they sell books, which is just what Jac is counting on.

Marcus Bellamy was one of the bachelors fighting for the woman in the last season of the 1, and he almost won the heart of Shae. But he eliminated himself at the last minute, and then he was chosen to star in a season of his own. Jac makes an impression on Marcus that first night, at her introduction and quickly becomes one of the women most likely to make it to the later episodes, where Marcus meets the parents in the woman’s hometown, and then the potential overnight dates.

But Jac being one of the early front-runners also puts a target on her back. The other women in the house are threatened by her, and the producers are there to fan those flames. Jac knew what she was getting into. She knew the producers would be there all along the way, stirring up the insecurities, pitting the women against each other, encouraging them to interrupt the short amount of alone time they get with Marcus. Jac knew they would use her insecurities against her. She knew the online trolls would come for her. She knew the schedule would be brutal. But she didn’t know how all of it would make her feel.

The night before Jac had to go to the hotel to quarantine for the show, getting cut off from her devices, from social media, from the outside world, she indulged in a night of drinking, pizza, and conversation (among other things) with a handsome man she met in a bar. That man turned out to be Henry Foster, one of the producers of the 1, and Jac finds herself being drawn back into his orbit during the filming. Henry flirts with her too, but Jac isn’t sure if Henry is paying attention to her because he’s attracted to her or if he’s just producing her, trying to keep her off guard.

Will a reality dating show help a romance writer who isn’t sure she believes in love turn her career around, and maybe even give her heart over to true love?

The Villain Edit is a delicious look at what it takes to make it on a reality dating show like The Bachelor, and how vulnerable the contestants are to being manipulated by the producers. This is the first adult novel from author Laurie Devore brings to life all the drama, from the women drinking and fighting to the online discussions and podcasts where strangers can offer up their own opinions about the drama onscreen and off.

I am not someone devoted to reality television. I dip in here and there, usually choosing baking shows over dating shows, but I’m certainly familiar with the franchise of The Bachelor and some of the stories of what really happens. But if you offer me a novel about the reality dating shows, then I just need to get a drink and a snack, and I’m curled up ready to get all the dirt on that fictional reality show. I loved The Villain Edit. I loved that Jac was an outspoken woman who wasn’t afraid of the journey she was undertaking. She had those moments where she was unlikable, and there was a point in the story where I was genuinely concerned for her, but she pulled it off in the end. It’s a fantastic ending to a funny, interesting, and revealing story, and I could read it all over again from the beginning, just like binging a favorite season of a reality show, just to be there for the drama all over again.

Egalleys for The Villain Edit were provided by Avon through NetGalley, with many thanks.