Scan barcode
abidavisf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read The Real Deal having followed its author, Caitlin Devlin, on TikTok for quite some time. Its premise stuck with me prior to release because of how I, as a drama & music loving teenager, dreamed of a life as a ‘child star’, a fact that has intrigued and, frankly, mortified me as I’ve aged. The experiences that so many children have faced in such an adult industry are harrowing, and I think it is a service to society to provide stories like The Real Deal to reflect on the darker sides of fame. The Real Deal is that Hollywood is not all stars and glory. It’s manipulation and unachievable standards and pitting women against each other.
Witnessing Belle process her trauma through her younger sister is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. She experienced an awful lot at such a young age, an immense pressure and expectation and otherworldliness that so few people could ever understand, so for her to have a younger sister so similar and yet so different to her was a beautiful reflection of what her childhood could have been and how the future can and will be better for the next generation.
I listened to The Real Deal on audiobook and I will say that I found the pacing very slow. I think I would have become more engaged with the story more quickly had I read it physically. Speeding it up to 1.5x speed helped with this. For me, 1.5x speed sounded like 1x does for most audiobooks. I’m not sure why it was so slow, but I would definitely recommend adjusting the speed if listening to it.
There are elements of the story I wish we had seen more of, in particular Belle and Faye’s connection as teenagers. I feel like there was plenty eluded to in relation to the ins and outs of their relationship together, but not enough depth. This meant that I found the footage that Rupert produced to Donna and Fred slightly unbelievable because the book had made it seem like Belle and Faye barely touched, let alone kissing enough to get a video of it . I’d also liked to have seen more of Faye’s reaction to finding out exactly what happened in Season Five.
Parts of the story I think that could have been spared to adjust pacing or enable more time to focus on your characters would be the inclusion of Fred. I feel like he and Rupert could easily have been one character. They are interchangeable, to me, and I feel like he didn’t add much to the story. I feel similarly towards Howie. Though I understand his importance in Season One, I do feel that his character didn’t live up to his potential throughout the rest of the story. He could have been explored further or removed from the latter part of the tale as his participation felt more like he was providing ‘filler’ and ‘exposition’ rather than moving the story along.
Also question: in the last chapter, we’re shown the Season One photo on Hannah’s mantel but then Kendra puts her feet up on Roni’s footstool. Continuity error or am I missing something and they’ve moved locations?
Witnessing Belle process her trauma through her younger sister is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. She experienced an awful lot at such a young age, an immense pressure and expectation and otherworldliness that so few people could ever understand, so for her to have a younger sister so similar and yet so different to her was a beautiful reflection of what her childhood could have been and how the future can and will be better for the next generation.
I listened to The Real Deal on audiobook and I will say that I found the pacing very slow. I think I would have become more engaged with the story more quickly had I read it physically. Speeding it up to 1.5x speed helped with this. For me, 1.5x speed sounded like 1x does for most audiobooks. I’m not sure why it was so slow, but I would definitely recommend adjusting the speed if listening to it.
There are elements of the story I wish we had seen more of, in particular Belle and Faye’s connection as teenagers. I feel like there was plenty eluded to in relation to the ins and outs of their relationship together, but not enough depth. This meant that I found
Parts of the story I think that could have been spared to adjust pacing or enable more time to focus on your characters would be the inclusion of Fred. I feel like he and Rupert could easily have been one character. They are interchangeable, to me, and I feel like he didn’t add much to the story. I feel similarly towards Howie. Though I understand his importance in Season One, I do feel that his character didn’t live up to his potential throughout the rest of the story. He could have been explored further or removed from the latter part of the tale as his participation felt more like he was providing ‘filler’ and ‘exposition’ rather than moving the story along.
Also question: in the last chapter, we’re shown the Season One photo on Hannah’s mantel but then Kendra puts her feet up on Roni’s footstool. Continuity error or am I missing something and they’ve moved locations?
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
whatdebsreads's review
emotional
informative
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Death of parent
hanjsanchez's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Death of parent
izzyproudfoot's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
roseleaf24's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If Ballet Shoes or Theatre Shoes were a reality show in contemporary times. Belle grew up on a show that was a docuseries about six girls in training with a star trying to turn them into someone famous in the London performance world. This book is Belle slowly telling the whole story, while trying to convince herself and others that her trauma was real. I found it gripping, but there are many trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, and Homophobia
kaelynmerrithew's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This book was just so boring and predictable. The premise was so promising, especially with the dual timeline, but nothing interesting was done with it. I thought it would at least be juicy but honestly the whole thing just came off as disjointed with inconsistent characterizations and unfinished thoughts. Disappointed in this one. :(
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Outing, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent and Toxic friendship
sstewart89's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Drug use, Bullying, Outing, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, and Cursing
Moderate: Death of parent
noblecharley's review
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Brutal, but good. Like the main character, it starts out much happier and naive, but you slide more and more into the darker side of this emotionally abusive relationship between adult mentor and child mentee, although neither is even fully aware of it. I flew through this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body shaming and Gaslighting
Minor: Outing and Death of parent
More...