The Real Real by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
The Real Real
Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Release Date: June 1, 2009 (Paperback edition out December 15th!)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 304
Rating: 5 stars
The bestselling authors of The Nanny Diaries introduce a new heroine to root for: Jesse O’Rourke, coffee barista, high school senior, and unwitting reality TV star.
Imagine there was never a Laguna Beach, a Newport Harbor, the shimmering Hills. Imagine that your hometown—your school—is the first place XTV descends to set up cameras.
Now imagine they’ve trained them on you.
When Jesse O’Rourke gets picked for a “documentary” being filmed at her school in the Hamptons she’s tempted to turn down the offer. But there’s a tuition check attached to being on the show, and Jesse needs the cash so she can be the first in her family to attend college. All she has to do is trade her best friend for the glam clique she’s studiously avoided, her privacy for a 24/7 mike, and her sense of right and wrong for “what sells on camera.” . . . At least there’s one bright spot in the train wreck that is her suddenly public senior year: Jesse’s crush has also made the cast.
As the producers manipulate the lives of their “characters” to heighten the drama, and Us Weekly covers become a regular occurrence for Jesse, she must struggle to remember one thing: the difference between real and the real real.
The Real Real has left me viewing reality TV in a totally different way! The Real Real is unique, and is a great story! It lets readers get lost in Jess’s world.
Emma and Nicola do a superb job with characters! All the characters are extremely well written. Jess is such an awesome main character! She’s just your average girl, with sass and is hilarious. How I loved Drew. I was crushing on him pretty much right away.
The writing is so fun. It’s jam packed with delicious drama. The drama never gets to a point where it just becomes pointless, which I love. Some drama just gets to be too much and loses its spunk.
Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus hit right on with The Real Real.
That sounds very cute. I'll have to try it. Great review!
Hey great review. I liked this book too. Although I wish we could've seen what the characters reactions were while watching their show on tv.
hmm i just hope it's nothing like lauren conrads book…