Okay let’s just address the elephant in the room: no, I didn’t love Nobody Wants This, despite the fact I’m a massive rom-com fan. (Don’t worry, I absolutely still jumped on the Adam Brody Hot Rabbi train). After its premiere on September 26, 2024, the show racked up 10.3 million views in its first week, and quickly got renewed for season 2. But despite the insane popularity, I really didn’t like it as much as I thought I would.

That’s not to say I hated the show. There were definitely moments that gave me butterflies (hello INSANE first kiss!), and I enjoyed moments with Joanne and Morgan almost more than the rest of the series because they reminded me how much chaos my sister and I get into. Plus, as a victim of the abysmal online dating scene, I did appreciate the way the show emphasized how much dating can suck right now.

And that’s the best thing about art — it’s supposed to make you think and analyze and feel. And I definitely came away from Nobody Wants This with some interesting feelings.

Here’s my very-subjective take on Nobody Wants This…and why I don’t really get the hype.

1. ​I don’t really see myself in Joanne.

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As someone who took solace in books and TV shows from an early age (a silver lining to the isolation of homeschooling), I’ve always felt drawn to characters that simultaneously make me feel seen and inspire me to be a better version of myself. But Kristin Bell’s Joanne in Nobody Wants This left me feeling alienated rather than included.

I’m naturally quieter and more timid in large social situations so Joanne’s brash, sharper edges caught me a little off guard — and honestly reminded me of past party environments I really didn’t enjoy. “In my opinion Joanne is a generic, predictable character of a baddie who hides her insecurities behind the attitude,” @niemownikomu says on Reddit.

But even though Joanne and I are so different, I was very touched by the contrast between her larger-than-life personality and her fear that romantic partners would be turned off by her independence. I definitely get that.

2. ​Teasing a romance between Morgan & Sasha is totally inappropriate.

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One detail that honestly pissed me off about Nobody Wants This was the will-they-won’t-they between Morgan and Noah’s married (!!!) brother Sasha. Romanticizing cheating on your spouse is never hot or spicy to me, and I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief when creator Erin Foster announced season 2 was ditching that would-be relationship.

3. ​It’s way too early for Noah to be in a new relationship.

Stefania Rosini/Netflix

@the_yv_edit on TikTok made an entire video about Noah’s red flags, revolving around the idea that a back & forth and up & down romance might be entertaining, but it’ll drain you in the long run. And one opinion that kept coming up in the comments was that Noah shouldn’t even be thinking about starting something with Joanne. “Him jumping into the relationship was the first and biggest red flag,” one user says.

​4. Noah either doesn’t do that much in ‘Nobody Wants This’…

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One more thing that @the_yv_editpointed out was that Noah doesn’t actually do anything that extraordinary for her. He walks her to her car after the dinner party in the pilot, and they have great communication (thank goodness, I’m all for romanticizing great communication), but that should be the bare minimum people!! Plus did we just gloss over the fact he literally hid her when she came to camp?!

5. Or he goes WAY overboard.

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And when Noah does ditch her at camp, and Joanne leaves for her work dinner, he winds up at the restaurant (sweet)”but then HE SHOULD HAVE LEFT. Not pulled out candles, commandeered a table, and done the Shabbat ritual in front of her CLIENTS,” lizzardmuzic says on Reddit. “I was cringing the whole time and thought it would be an issue, but I guess it was supposed to be a huge romantic gesture? I’m pissed. Everyone in this sub thinks Noah is too perfect, but I don’t like him much. If anything, I think they wrote Joanne too perfect.”

6. The ‘Nobody Wants This’ ending left me more stressed than hopeful.

Saeed Adyani/Netflix

This is probably my Type-A oldest daughter realism kicking in, but I can’t stop thinking about the end of Nobody Wants This. Considering romantic chemistry only lasts a few years, giving up your life-long dreams to see if a relationship works out really stressed me out. “It was very enjoyable. I just think in reality when the heat cools down as it inevitably does in these kind of relationships somewhere in his life he would truly regret his choice!” Reddit user Artistic_Incident569 says.

But that’s what Nobody Wants This is all about right? Taking huge risks and turning your life upside down for love. And I’ll admit that that in and of itself is pretty romantic.