Read some reviews online. Most hosts are quite reliable and cost effective these days. I host my site with HostGator which has worked quite well for me. Excellent features and customer support.

There are some hosts which are a bit cheaper but ultimately it boils down to your preference.

Try giving HostGator, BlueHost and DreamHost a shot.

Give them a try and if you don't like it ask for your money back

most reliable? a hosting is as reliable as the network it is on, the hardware the server is built of and people who take care of and perform support in the hosting company every host can be hit with trouble... most of the time it is only a matter of user experience. you could be with company X and not experience any trouble at all but a guy "Joe" could be on a different server at the same company hit with trouble after trouble

In my opinion, you cannot rely on reviews too much. Find some friends in your local community, wherever that may be, and ask what host(s) they use. Referrals will yield better results than reviews.