Characters- 17/20
Remembrance- 7/10
Quote-ability- 7/10
Entertainment- 17/20
Ending- 8/10
Recommend to read- 7/10
TOTAL- 81/100
Grade- B
Sixteen-year-olds Charlie, Keiran, Brooke, and Hallie have just been signed up for their own reality television show. They can't even believe it. "You'll be The Hills meets The Secret Life of the American Teenager," the Armani-suited executive tells them, "and the hottest thing on our network." How could they say no?But soon enough, cameras following them everywhere and interfering producers surreptitiously scripting their lives start to affect the four best friends' relationship. Brooke seems to want all the screen time. Keiran is abruptly written out of the show-and consequently the group's friendship-when she doesn't rate well. As soon as Charlie realizes what's going on, she figures out the perfect way to give the studio and her home audience a much-needed reality check.
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This book was very...different. It didn't have that totally creative wow factor but it was still very original. I'm a teenager so of course I watch a lot of reality TV. Reading a book that focused on this with people my age was pretty cool.
The characters were okay. I liked several of them and of course there were some that I hated. What I really liked though was that hate had a purpose. It totally sucks when there is a character that I'm supposed to think is great but I end I hating. In Reality Check you end up disliking someone that you have a good reason to dislike. In the end this makes the good characters look even better.
I really liked the unique and dynamic relationship between the group of friends. I couldn't help but want them as friends too. They were witty and fun. Since they were already friends I could sense their closeness and that made their fights and problems more real. At points it was hard to read but I could understand why they got angry.
Overall I think Reality Check brought something new to the YA table and gives you something to think about while you watch "reality" TV. I would recommend this book to anyone who recently had a dispute with a friend so they can see that it could be worse.
-Amanda
Book received free from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
5 comments:
I'm reading this right now and it's okay. Jen Calonita's other book, Sleepaway Girls, is much better.
Oh I want to read this. I don't watch reality tv actually but I think books about this sort of thing are interesting. good review!
Hmm...I love Jen Calonita and this sounds awesome, so I'm sorry it wasn't as good as it sounds! I'll still check it out...Great review! (:
I was really disappointed with the ending and what happened with Brooke. It might have been realistic but it was also incredibly upsetting. The book was so supposed to end on a happy note, but instead it just left me feeling sad.
I READ THIS BOOK it was so amazing i would love for there to be a movie!
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