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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
dark
tense
I wish this book went further, but I was entertained while reading it.
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
holy moly i absolutely loved this.
think of it as a love island and lord of the flies mashup..? but a little bit of traitors with banishments and tempting prizes, and challenges for rewards. probably one of the best books i've read it a while. basically read it in a single sitting.
i needed to look at nothing for a bit after finishing this because wtf. anyways, wowie i ATE THIS UP.
think of it as a love island and lord of the flies mashup..? but a little bit of traitors with banishments and tempting prizes, and challenges for rewards. probably one of the best books i've read it a while. basically read it in a single sitting.
i needed to look at nothing for a bit after finishing this because wtf. anyways, wowie i ATE THIS UP.
This book is such an interesting commentary on the current state of reality television. How much will contestants put themselves through in pursuit of fame, money, and material possessions? What lengths will producers go to for a successful and profitable season? What level of cruelty are audiences willing to tolerate for their own entertainment?
I’d describe this as a dystopian Love Island with elements of Survivor, Big Brother, and the Hunger Games. I thought it was going to be cheesy, but I finished the audiobook within 24 hours. To be fair, it caters pretty directly to my specific interests, so it might not be as gripping to someone who isn’t as obsessed with the social politics of reality television as I am. It focuses really heavily on the social dynamics and psychological warfare of reality tv, which is my bread and butter. The characters were all so fascinating and nuanced, and I loved Lily. She was such an interesting person to view the story through.
The structure of the show itself was very well thought out. As someone who watches a lot of reality tv, I kept wondering if it’s a show people would watch in real life. Our current world isn’t too far off from the one that Lily described outside the compound, and people have become a lot more cynical online and in their media consumption. Surely, as the show got darker and the stakes got higher, we would be too appalled to continue watching…right? But the way Lily describes watching it herself before going on the show is similar to the way myself and many others watch Love Island.
Often, the producers of reality shows in real life put the contestants through some serious psychological torture, and the audience eats it up. A lot of viewers don’t even notice the level of producer manipulation involved, too distracted by the actions of the contestants as a result of those tactics. This book adds more of a survival and physical element to the challenges, which is a lot harder to stomach, but it really heightens the relationships between the characters.
It’s interesting to consider where the line is and how far producers are able take things before the audience gets uncomfortable. The ever-present threat of the unseen producers made everything feel so ominous. Their only rule is that they won’t let the contestants die, but pretty much everything else is on the table. It was interesting to witness the deterioration of the contestants’ physical and emotional states through Lily’s eyes, and how lost they are in the world they’ve built on the compound, to the point where leaving feels like life-or-death. I see this pretty directly reflected on shows like Love Island, where they act like sending someone home is sentencing them to death.
It’s making me think a lot about my relationship to reality tv, especially after this most recent season of Love Island USA. I think the producers got power hungry after the success of last season, and their obsession with pleasing a newly rabid fanbase at the expense of the contestants’ wellbeing made the season difficult to watch.
For better or for worse, I’m going to have a hard time getting this book out of my head while I watch.
I’d describe this as a dystopian Love Island with elements of Survivor, Big Brother, and the Hunger Games. I thought it was going to be cheesy, but I finished the audiobook within 24 hours. To be fair, it caters pretty directly to my specific interests, so it might not be as gripping to someone who isn’t as obsessed with the social politics of reality television as I am. It focuses really heavily on the social dynamics and psychological warfare of reality tv, which is my bread and butter. The characters were all so fascinating and nuanced, and I loved Lily. She was such an interesting person to view the story through.
The structure of the show itself was very well thought out. As someone who watches a lot of reality tv, I kept wondering if it’s a show people would watch in real life. Our current world isn’t too far off from the one that Lily described outside the compound, and people have become a lot more cynical online and in their media consumption. Surely, as the show got darker and the stakes got higher, we would be too appalled to continue watching…right? But the way Lily describes watching it herself before going on the show is similar to the way myself and many others watch Love Island.
Often, the producers of reality shows in real life put the contestants through some serious psychological torture, and the audience eats it up. A lot of viewers don’t even notice the level of producer manipulation involved, too distracted by the actions of the contestants as a result of those tactics. This book adds more of a survival and physical element to the challenges, which is a lot harder to stomach, but it really heightens the relationships between the characters.
It’s interesting to consider where the line is and how far producers are able take things before the audience gets uncomfortable. The ever-present threat of the unseen producers made everything feel so ominous. Their only rule is that they won’t let the contestants die, but pretty much everything else is on the table. It was interesting to witness the deterioration of the contestants’ physical and emotional states through Lily’s eyes, and how lost they are in the world they’ve built on the compound, to the point where leaving feels like life-or-death. I see this pretty directly reflected on shows like Love Island, where they act like sending someone home is sentencing them to death.
It’s making me think a lot about my relationship to reality tv, especially after this most recent season of Love Island USA. I think the producers got power hungry after the success of last season, and their obsession with pleasing a newly rabid fanbase at the expense of the contestants’ wellbeing made the season difficult to watch.
For better or for worse, I’m going to have a hard time getting this book out of my head while I watch.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
slow-paced
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love Island X Lord of the Flies feels right in terms of description - add in the desert. Contestants must pair up or face elimination, while the possibility of something darker outside the compound looms in the background. The Compound is a high-concept reality TV satire with an unnerving dystopian edge. A group of strangers is locked into a remote compound, forced into alliances, hookups, and betrayals under the glare of the cameras. The rules are simple: pair up or be punished, comply or be cast out.
I loved the premise - reality TV in a wasteland is sharp and unsettling. I also liked the undercurrent of a bigger dystopia, though I wish it had been explored more.
But the characters were hard to root for, and the storyline often felt disjointed. This was a buzzy book, but buzzy doesn’t necessarily mean good and for me, it just didn’t live up to the hype.
You’ll love this if… you think reality TV is already bleak enough, but want to see it stripped down even further.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes