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saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
I can't quite decide if this is guilty pleasure material or just a really good read. Maybe it's both. It's the story of a working class girl growing up in Hampton Beach who gets picked to star in a reality tv show a la "The Hills." Jesse figures the crew will just follow her around in her normal life. Little does she know the extent that being on the show will get in the way of her having a life.
Jesse is supposedly a somewhat nerdy outsider in school and she spouts a line or two about hating corporations. Which of course doesn't get followed up on at all, since if she was balking at every namebrand placement in the show, that would be what the novel would be about. The character doesn't ring completely authentic, but that's kinda ok.
The authors do a nice job of showing (completely hilariously) how truly inauthentic shows like this can be. The producers mess with relationships, clothing, homes, behavior choices, everything in the chase for higher ratings. The behavior is truly horrific. And, like I said, the depiction is totally hilarious too, with a lightness that relieves the horror of the real content of the book. Friendships and relationships are lost and gained and it's all very dramatic in typical YA fashion. Wish the family relationships had been a touch more real, but again, not the focus of the novel. Great read, good booktalk, just wish I could take it to the middle schools.
Jesse is supposedly a somewhat nerdy outsider in school and she spouts a line or two about hating corporations. Which of course doesn't get followed up on at all, since if she was balking at every namebrand placement in the show, that would be what the novel would be about. The character doesn't ring completely authentic, but that's kinda ok.
The authors do a nice job of showing (completely hilariously) how truly inauthentic shows like this can be. The producers mess with relationships, clothing, homes, behavior choices, everything in the chase for higher ratings. The behavior is truly horrific. And, like I said, the depiction is totally hilarious too, with a lightness that relieves the horror of the real content of the book. Friendships and relationships are lost and gained and it's all very dramatic in typical YA fashion. Wish the family relationships had been a touch more real, but again, not the focus of the novel. Great read, good booktalk, just wish I could take it to the middle schools.
firegirl's review
3.75
A unique look into reality tv from the early 2000’s. Genuinely made me sick to my stomach.
abenajanet's review against another edition
2.0
it was alright but not that good. Ive read better. like the one by LC WHICH IS SOO MUCH BETTER
megs_s's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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
lovelyjanelle13's review against another edition
3.0
Not horrible, not great, just rather annoying through most of the story especially when everything falls apart from her own actions being revealed, in a twist manipulative way yes, but knowing the circumstances she should’ve thought things through more.
erinlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
So, taking a break the bleak visions of the future that I've reading lately, I decided to to read something "fun". On the surface, The Real Real is a fun, guilty pleasure book that is very similar to watching a reality tv show. Jesse and her fellow cast members get to wear designer clothes, spend the weekends shopping, take glamorous trips, and become instant celebrities. However, once you can get past the ridiculous amount of product name dropping and overblown, evil adults in this story, there's an interesting little undercurrent about how little "reality" is actually present in reality tv. What starts out as a show about the real lives of ordinary high schoolers soon becomes a soap opera as the show's producers begin manufacturing drama and turn the lives of the cast into nightmares for the sake of ratings. It (almost) makes you feel sorry for the real life stars of such shows.
I really wish that the characters were better developed. Jesse, who is supposedly the "smart and responsible" one (she gets into Georgetown University) makes several bad decisions during the story, which doesn't really make sense in the context she's presented in. Several of the minor characters (the fancy, professional cinematographer, Zachariah, brings a lot of comedy to the otherwise tedious shooting scenes) really shine while those in the core group don't come off as very interesting. And, the romance between Jesse and Drew feels a little shallow- their only similarity is that they've both been cast on the show. Pretty much all of the relationships in this story seem like plot conveniences rather than believable pairings. This really is a plot driven story, which I was okay with, but a little more characterization would have made this a much stronger book.
On the bright side, I found this to be a light, breezy read that kept me entertained from beginning to end. I would recommend it for readers looking for a sneak peek behind the scenes of reality tv. There's actually the potential for some pretty great discussion about this book in regards to entertainment, reality tv, and corporate marketing directed at teens. I could envision this being a fun, summer reading book group selection.
I really wish that the characters were better developed. Jesse, who is supposedly the "smart and responsible" one (she gets into Georgetown University) makes several bad decisions during the story, which doesn't really make sense in the context she's presented in. Several of the minor characters (the fancy, professional cinematographer, Zachariah, brings a lot of comedy to the otherwise tedious shooting scenes) really shine while those in the core group don't come off as very interesting. And, the romance between Jesse and Drew feels a little shallow- their only similarity is that they've both been cast on the show. Pretty much all of the relationships in this story seem like plot conveniences rather than believable pairings. This really is a plot driven story, which I was okay with, but a little more characterization would have made this a much stronger book.
On the bright side, I found this to be a light, breezy read that kept me entertained from beginning to end. I would recommend it for readers looking for a sneak peek behind the scenes of reality tv. There's actually the potential for some pretty great discussion about this book in regards to entertainment, reality tv, and corporate marketing directed at teens. I could envision this being a fun, summer reading book group selection.
tjlcody's review against another edition
2.0
*Rubs eyes*
I love how I literally just read a book where I complained about the whole "The Good Old Best Friend behaves badly but no one calls them out on it because they are the Good Old Best Friend who is not like the Bitchy New Best Friend(s)" trope. Yeah, I'm looking at Caitlyn; much like Unfriended (Rachel Vail), while Jesse did wrong too, it made my blood boil when Caitlyn said she found it satisfying that people were calling Jesse an anorexic whore because Jesse got pulled into the show.
You know, the same show that she was nasty and bitter and took it out on Jesse that she didn't get cast on?
That pissed me off. Jesse wasn't innocent, but Caitlyn was a brat and deserved a bit of a "sit down" as well.
Other than that, the book was so-so. The way the show manipulated the kids was disgusting and infuriating, and I'm reminded of Reality Check (Jen Calonita) which was ultimately pulled off a lot better, especially in the respect that the parents weren't sitting on their butts and watching as these kids got their lives hijacked. But ultimately it was all just meh.
I love how I literally just read a book where I complained about the whole "The Good Old Best Friend behaves badly but no one calls them out on it because they are the Good Old Best Friend who is not like the Bitchy New Best Friend(s)" trope. Yeah, I'm looking at Caitlyn; much like Unfriended (Rachel Vail), while Jesse did wrong too, it made my blood boil when Caitlyn said she found it satisfying that people were calling Jesse an anorexic whore because Jesse got pulled into the show.
You know, the same show that she was nasty and bitter and took it out on Jesse that she didn't get cast on?
That pissed me off. Jesse wasn't innocent, but Caitlyn was a brat and deserved a bit of a "sit down" as well.
Other than that, the book was so-so. The way the show manipulated the kids was disgusting and infuriating, and I'm reminded of Reality Check (Jen Calonita) which was ultimately pulled off a lot better, especially in the respect that the parents weren't sitting on their butts and watching as these kids got their lives hijacked. But ultimately it was all just meh.
stenann7's review against another edition
3.0
This is a rip-off of The Real World. A TV network called XTV comes to a high school in Hampton Beach to film a reality tv show. They even talk about hwo people on their roommate show come back to compete on challenges.
A fun read nonetheless.
A fun read nonetheless.
acdom's review against another edition
2.0
Was this book good? No. Did I enjoy it? Yeah, a little bit. Ridiculous teen drama is something I enjoy, I can't help it. I watched Laguna Beach and most of the Hills and I enjoyed them both (until Spencer Pratt was a part of the show and then I realized I can't handle that much douchebaggery in my life). I know they're not at all real, aside from the teens being actual human beings (and with Audrina, that's arguable as she's probably a robot), but I still enjoyed them. I wasn't shocked by the book's portrayal of how awful it is to be on a reality show. I wasn't shocked by the book's rushed and pretty terrible ending. I definitely wouldn't be shocked if they wrote a terrible sequel to the book. I'd still buy it on clearance for $3 (which was exactly how much I needed to get free shipping on amazon) and I'd still enjoy it because it's silly escapist fiction.
gothamgal's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this look at reality tv life way more than I thought I might!