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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
There was some good writing in here hidden amongst a whole lot of average. I liked the unusual style it dropped into at points. I liked a lot of specific sentences. But I didn't like a whole lot.
The family was barely fleshed out. Despite Bonnie going on a lot about how cramped and stifled things always were, the only ones who have any sort of character are her mom, Benny, and Lex. I get that it would be hard to flesh out like 11 other siblings, but there were barely sentences about some of them.
The relationship was... wow. Super intense super fast. Like, Patrick was ride-or-die right off the bat and that was a little strange.
The family was barely fleshed out. Despite Bonnie going on a lot about how cramped and stifled things always were, the only ones who have any sort of character are her mom, Benny, and Lex. I get that it would be hard to flesh out like 11 other siblings, but there were barely sentences about some of them.
The relationship was... wow. Super intense super fast. Like, Patrick was ride-or-die right off the bat and that was a little strange.
I love reality tv. I can't help it. So I knew I would be picking this book up at sometime or another. I tend to go for the competition shows (Survivor, Amazing Race) or home improvement shows (Property Brothers, Love it or List It), or my greatest guilty pleasure, Mystery Diner, more than the family-type shows (Sister-Wives, Keeping up with the Kardashians, 19 Kids and Counting), though. Something Real is definitely more of a play on the family-type shows, particularly the one with John and Kate Gosselin.
Once upon a time the young Baker couple wanted to have a baby, but were having trouble, so they pitched a show to a big network that they wanted "A Baker's Dozen". So fast forward several years and they now have thirteen children and their whole lives have been chronicled on a tv show. However, having a baker's dozen worth of kids and cameras in your face all the time is not as charming as it seems. Much like the reality show this is obviously inspired by, the patriarch of the family cheats on his wife with a much younger woman and then leaves the family and is an absentee parent. The show ends when Bonnie has an extreme reaction to the pressure. The mother moves the family and remarries and Bonnie is now going by Chloe and lies to all her friends about her reality tv past and things are going well, until Chloe suddenly finds out that the show is going back on the air.
I enjoyed large portions of this book. I liked all the behind the scenes drama of having one's life constantly filmed. I loved to hate the manipulative producer who stirred the pot and capitalized on every traumatic moment. I loved, loved Chloe's love interest, Patrick Sheldon. He was basically the perfect guy, with just a touch of Edward Cullen-eque obsessiveness at times. I loved the relationship between Chloe and her brother Benton.
There were, unfortunately, several things that didn't work for me, though. Chloe was way over-dramatic most of the time. She did have very valid points about not wanting to be on the show and having privacy and shouldn't have been threatened by the producer as much as she was, but she still took things way too dramatically. The mother was ridiculous. I think it would've been a little more realistic to give her at least a couple of humanized moments where she wasn't completely awful. I also felt like the ending left things way too open. There was a lot of time spent building up to certain things and the book ends before we find out the outcomes.
Overall, I enjoyed Something Real. Most of the books I've read so far this year have been kind of heavy, so it was definitely time for some light YA fun. While the book ran maybe a touch too long and was often a little over-dramatic, the romance was sweet, the characters were well developed and the premise was interesting.
Once upon a time the young Baker couple wanted to have a baby, but were having trouble, so they pitched a show to a big network that they wanted "A Baker's Dozen". So fast forward several years and they now have thirteen children and their whole lives have been chronicled on a tv show. However, having a baker's dozen worth of kids and cameras in your face all the time is not as charming as it seems. Much like the reality show this is obviously inspired by, the patriarch of the family cheats on his wife with a much younger woman and then leaves the family and is an absentee parent. The show ends when Bonnie has an extreme reaction to the pressure. The mother moves the family and remarries and Bonnie is now going by Chloe and lies to all her friends about her reality tv past and things are going well, until Chloe suddenly finds out that the show is going back on the air.
I enjoyed large portions of this book. I liked all the behind the scenes drama of having one's life constantly filmed. I loved to hate the manipulative producer who stirred the pot and capitalized on every traumatic moment. I loved, loved Chloe's love interest, Patrick Sheldon. He was basically the perfect guy, with just a touch of Edward Cullen-eque obsessiveness at times. I loved the relationship between Chloe and her brother Benton.
There were, unfortunately, several things that didn't work for me, though. Chloe was way over-dramatic most of the time. She did have very valid points about not wanting to be on the show and having privacy and shouldn't have been threatened by the producer as much as she was, but she still took things way too dramatically. The mother was ridiculous. I think it would've been a little more realistic to give her at least a couple of humanized moments where she wasn't completely awful. I also felt like the ending left things way too open. There was a lot of time spent building up to certain things and the book ends before we find out the outcomes.
Overall, I enjoyed Something Real. Most of the books I've read so far this year have been kind of heavy, so it was definitely time for some light YA fun. While the book ran maybe a touch too long and was often a little over-dramatic, the romance was sweet, the characters were well developed and the premise was interesting.
Rating (out of 5)
I immediately loved this book.
No small part of that is due to Chloe (which is the name that Bonnie goes by) and her brother Benny. Those two have a really great bond, one of the few that makes me really wish I had a sibling. (In general, I am totally Team Only Child.) But honestly, a lot of it is because of Patrick Sheldon, Chloe's love interest.
Patrick Sheldon is PERFECT. (I actually texted a friend that I would marry him except we are separated by four insurmountable obstacles: I am gay, he is very young---almost half my age---he loves Chloe and he isn't real.) He is smart, he is quirky, he is cute and he is a great and loyal person.
This became one of my all-time favorites even before I was done reading it, and I can't wait to read her other books.
Highly, highly recommended.
No small part of that is due to Chloe (which is the name that Bonnie goes by) and her brother Benny. Those two have a really great bond, one of the few that makes me really wish I had a sibling. (In general, I am totally Team Only Child.) But honestly, a lot of it is because of Patrick Sheldon, Chloe's love interest.
Patrick Sheldon is PERFECT. (I actually texted a friend that I would marry him except we are separated by four insurmountable obstacles: I am gay, he is very young---almost half my age---he loves Chloe and he isn't real.) He is smart, he is quirky, he is cute and he is a great and loyal person.
This became one of my all-time favorites even before I was done reading it, and I can't wait to read her other books.
Highly, highly recommended.
This is a complex, nuanced book about what it would be like to not only have 12 siblings, but also to have your entire life from birth (minus the last four years) available for consumption online, on DVD, and in the media. While I started out thinking one thing about her parents from Chloe/Bonnie's perspective, I liked that Heather made sure to balance the narrative with an insight into what her parents felt in the moment. They aren't evil or merely uncaring people, they're caught up in the reality TV show and the fact that there are so many kids running around just like Chloe and Benny are. Characters are three dimensional, and Chloe, Benny, Lexie, Matt, and Chloe's friends all grow in ways that are positive. Highly recommended!
4 stars
Reread: 3.5 stars (Chloe bugged me more when she was pining over Patrick and trying to be all "noble," but I still enjoyed this book the second time around)
Reread: 3.5 stars (Chloe bugged me more when she was pining over Patrick and trying to be all "noble," but I still enjoyed this book the second time around)
WHEW. What an emotional rollercoaster. I absolutely adored Chloe. I just wanted to wrap her in a hug and never let go. She deserves so much more.
I loved her support system, the ones who might not have quite understood what she was going through but were there for her anyway. I loved her relationship with Benny, and I was so happy to see her relationship with Lexie grow too.
Chloe’s voice was very distinct, and I’m glad I got to see the world through her lens for a little bit. I know she’s a fictional character, but I feel very protective of her.
I loved her support system, the ones who might not have quite understood what she was going through but were there for her anyway. I loved her relationship with Benny, and I was so happy to see her relationship with Lexie grow too.
Chloe’s voice was very distinct, and I’m glad I got to see the world through her lens for a little bit. I know she’s a fictional character, but I feel very protective of her.
Find the original review here at This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
Done. Solidified. Heather Demetrios has now moved herself into my favourite authors category. And that's only after two books. But when you're the boss like her it was pretty much a no brainer after I read I'll Meet You There. Something Real is absolutely everything I want in a YA contemporary. Not just the story and characters and the messages about not being afraid to be yourself as well as never being afraid to speak up. Which is really prevalent with Chloe's life in the spotlight. A life she never asked for, but grew up in. Something Real was interesting in it's look at how scary it's gotten with our obsession with celebrities and reality T.V. Demetrios does this is such, well, a real way.
Chloe(nee Bonnie) Baker has spent her life in the spotlight. She was literally born on T.V. than spent thirteen years living her life through the world's T.V. screen with the rest of her family on Baker's Dozen. Now after four years off air, Chloe has been trying to keep Bonnie in the past. Her and her family moved across the country. Her and her brother, Benny are able to attend a high school where no one knows who they are. Chloe has real friends and a hope that she might be able to leave the past in the past. That is until one day Chloe and Benny arrive home from school to be ambushed by their mother and a T.V. crew. Looks like Baker's Dozen is coming back. Chloe is not alright with that. The new life she's built is about to be blown wide open. And her past is suddenly going to finally catch up to her.
Something Real touches on so many topics. In just four hundred pages I got so much out of my reading experience. Chloe was the perfect voice to deliver this story. Chloe has worked so hard break out of her reality T.V. star persona and that night where everything almost came to an end. There is nothing Chloe wants more than being normal and freedom. Chloe struggles so much with discovering herself in Something Real. I really appreciated that side to her because it's relatable. She's seeing her friends(Tessa and Mer), Patrick and even Benny have college to move on to. Where she knows she wants out but she doesn't know where that leads. Chloe is stronger than she thinks. When she finally starts to get the courage and motivation to take a stand for her life and rights, I was like a proud mama bear. Chloe's home life is so undesirable and just not right and that really could have brought her down. But she choose to fight to keep her privacy and I couldn't not love her for that.
It's terrible to see Chloe(and really her siblings too) with such a lack of parental figures. There might be a few moments when you feel a little bad for her mom but 95% of the time she's a deplorable parent. She has raised her children in the spotlight and not once does it seem like she's bothered to care how that affects them. Benny has problems with alcohol. Lexie seems to be using her sexuality in not the most positive way. And Chloe overdosed on pills. The amount of times Chloe tries to discuss how she feels about being back on the air and the past with her mom and her mom just tells her to get over herself is frustrating and honestly a little shocking. She's your mom, she should be protecting you not using you. When Chloe speaks out, instead of speaking to her daughter she tells her she's ruining the family. Her dad found the dark side of stardom and is living it up in Miami. Her step dad might come over as a good guy but that's quickly dis proven. The icing on the cake is the shows producer, Chuck. What a sleezy, slimy guy. He talks to the kids like their his family but he threatens Chloe and is a complete asshole. Even with shitty parents Chloe has her friends and Benny to have her back and support her. Even when she thinks she's alone, she's really far from it.
Patrick is absolutely the perfect boyfriend. He's been crushing on Chloe for over a year before he finally makes his move. He's so super cute. The relationship he has with his parents is even cuter. I just want to squish his face. I love his nerdy tendencies and style. And I love his support and genuine feelings towards Chloe even more. Patrick absolutely always knows all the right things to say in the most caring and thoughtful way. Patrick backs Chloe 100% and even though I'm not totally on board with a 18 year old telling his girlfriend that all he cares about is what she wants, it's sweet none the less. God, he's so sweet and adorable. Everyone needs a Patrick in their life. Every time him and Chloe are together it warms my OTP feelings.
Benny and Chloe are extremely close. They have a brother sister relationship that I envy(love you bro). Being that they're only a few months apart, the experience they had growing up was pretty much the same. Compared to their younger siblings and Lexie, their feelings over growing up in the spotlight has only deepened their bond. The return of Baker's Dozen brings Benny a whole bunch of his own going on's to the forefront. It's no secret at home that Benny's gay. At school is a different story. It's not that he's in the closest, it's that the relationship he's in is in the closet. And I understand why Matt(Benny's boyfriend) is struggling on what he should do. Even so Benny's and Matt's relationship in another strong one to highlight from Something Real. Like Patrick and Chloe, support and honesty is important. When the eventual outing goes down, all the feels go out to Benny and Matt. But what's to follow with the t-shirt and dance(I know vague, but read the book!) is definitely the most heart warming and happy moment of Something Real.
I'm so happy that Lexie is getting her own book. She was such an intriguing and complex character. Chloe and Lexie's relationship grew so much throughout Something Real. They didn't really get along. Which was more that they didn't really understand each other. But as Chloe started to speak up more, Lexie started to respect her more. Something positive to come out of a terrible situation.
Something Real is many things. Like a true coming of age story that shows just how real life gets. Demetrios writing is gripping without being over dramatized. And the banter is on point. We all know how I need my banter fulfillment. Something Real sure delivers. I've re-read my favourite parts a few times now. I've marked the hell out of all the Patrick moments(there is a lot). *sigh* I have no doubt that Something Real will get a full re-read before the year is out. Possibly more than once.
Done. Solidified. Heather Demetrios has now moved herself into my favourite authors category. And that's only after two books. But when you're the boss like her it was pretty much a no brainer after I read I'll Meet You There. Something Real is absolutely everything I want in a YA contemporary. Not just the story and characters and the messages about not being afraid to be yourself as well as never being afraid to speak up. Which is really prevalent with Chloe's life in the spotlight. A life she never asked for, but grew up in. Something Real was interesting in it's look at how scary it's gotten with our obsession with celebrities and reality T.V. Demetrios does this is such, well, a real way.
Chloe(nee Bonnie) Baker has spent her life in the spotlight. She was literally born on T.V. than spent thirteen years living her life through the world's T.V. screen with the rest of her family on Baker's Dozen. Now after four years off air, Chloe has been trying to keep Bonnie in the past. Her and her family moved across the country. Her and her brother, Benny are able to attend a high school where no one knows who they are. Chloe has real friends and a hope that she might be able to leave the past in the past. That is until one day Chloe and Benny arrive home from school to be ambushed by their mother and a T.V. crew. Looks like Baker's Dozen is coming back. Chloe is not alright with that. The new life she's built is about to be blown wide open. And her past is suddenly going to finally catch up to her.
Something Real touches on so many topics. In just four hundred pages I got so much out of my reading experience. Chloe was the perfect voice to deliver this story. Chloe has worked so hard break out of her reality T.V. star persona and that night where everything almost came to an end. There is nothing Chloe wants more than being normal and freedom. Chloe struggles so much with discovering herself in Something Real. I really appreciated that side to her because it's relatable. She's seeing her friends(Tessa and Mer), Patrick and even Benny have college to move on to. Where she knows she wants out but she doesn't know where that leads. Chloe is stronger than she thinks. When she finally starts to get the courage and motivation to take a stand for her life and rights, I was like a proud mama bear. Chloe's home life is so undesirable and just not right and that really could have brought her down. But she choose to fight to keep her privacy and I couldn't not love her for that.
It's terrible to see Chloe(and really her siblings too) with such a lack of parental figures. There might be a few moments when you feel a little bad for her mom but 95% of the time she's a deplorable parent. She has raised her children in the spotlight and not once does it seem like she's bothered to care how that affects them. Benny has problems with alcohol. Lexie seems to be using her sexuality in not the most positive way. And Chloe overdosed on pills. The amount of times Chloe tries to discuss how she feels about being back on the air and the past with her mom and her mom just tells her to get over herself is frustrating and honestly a little shocking. She's your mom, she should be protecting you not using you. When Chloe speaks out, instead of speaking to her daughter she tells her she's ruining the family. Her dad found the dark side of stardom and is living it up in Miami. Her step dad might come over as a good guy but that's quickly dis proven. The icing on the cake is the shows producer, Chuck. What a sleezy, slimy guy. He talks to the kids like their his family but he threatens Chloe and is a complete asshole. Even with shitty parents Chloe has her friends and Benny to have her back and support her. Even when she thinks she's alone, she's really far from it.
Patrick is absolutely the perfect boyfriend. He's been crushing on Chloe for over a year before he finally makes his move. He's so super cute. The relationship he has with his parents is even cuter. I just want to squish his face. I love his nerdy tendencies and style. And I love his support and genuine feelings towards Chloe even more. Patrick absolutely always knows all the right things to say in the most caring and thoughtful way. Patrick backs Chloe 100% and even though I'm not totally on board with a 18 year old telling his girlfriend that all he cares about is what she wants, it's sweet none the less. God, he's so sweet and adorable. Everyone needs a Patrick in their life. Every time him and Chloe are together it warms my OTP feelings.
Benny and Chloe are extremely close. They have a brother sister relationship that I envy(love you bro). Being that they're only a few months apart, the experience they had growing up was pretty much the same. Compared to their younger siblings and Lexie, their feelings over growing up in the spotlight has only deepened their bond. The return of Baker's Dozen brings Benny a whole bunch of his own going on's to the forefront. It's no secret at home that Benny's gay. At school is a different story. It's not that he's in the closest, it's that the relationship he's in is in the closet. And I understand why Matt(Benny's boyfriend) is struggling on what he should do. Even so Benny's and Matt's relationship in another strong one to highlight from Something Real. Like Patrick and Chloe, support and honesty is important. When the eventual outing goes down, all the feels go out to Benny and Matt. But what's to follow with the t-shirt and dance(I know vague, but read the book!) is definitely the most heart warming and happy moment of Something Real.
I'm so happy that Lexie is getting her own book. She was such an intriguing and complex character. Chloe and Lexie's relationship grew so much throughout Something Real. They didn't really get along. Which was more that they didn't really understand each other. But as Chloe started to speak up more, Lexie started to respect her more. Something positive to come out of a terrible situation.
Something Real is many things. Like a true coming of age story that shows just how real life gets. Demetrios writing is gripping without being over dramatized. And the banter is on point. We all know how I need my banter fulfillment. Something Real sure delivers. I've re-read my favourite parts a few times now. I've marked the hell out of all the Patrick moments(there is a lot). *sigh* I have no doubt that Something Real will get a full re-read before the year is out. Possibly more than once.
I read this in one day. Loved it. Everything about it.
I think it's funny that I've spent far more time reading novels about reality tv stars than I have actually spent watching reality tv. The characters seemed realistic, especially considering how surreal their life is. I tend to roll my eyes a little that all of the relationships are considered to be True Love that will result in marriage in a few years, but I'm willing to give them a pass because a lot of teenagers think they've found their Soul Mate with their first relationship (and of course, there are the couples that are high school sweethearts.) The siblings other than Lexie and Benton are not differentiated much at all, but I guess that was to be expected with such a large cast. The book was a hair longer than it probably should have been, but I enjoyed it, so I guess it doesn't matter much.
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes