Highschool student Dakota (or Koty) McDonald has been a part of her parents’ hit HGTV show since birth. But after the disaster at her homecoming dance goes viral, Dakota refuses to let her personal life take centre stage on the show again. That is, until the network convinces Dakota (with the help of a brand-new car) to have an epic sweet sixteen party on the series finale of the show. The only problem? The tuxedo company sponsoring the party needs Dakota to bring some “arm candy” to her party. With her BFF (and secret crush) Leo off the market, Dakota is forced to start interviewing network-approved models and actors to be her date. On top of that, Koty tries to help Leo save his family’s struggling Japanese restaurant and earn enough money to pay for their school trip to Japan. Will Dakota finally get her prince charming, or will her love life turn into another viral moment?
Faking Reality is a coming-of-age story dealing with themes such as empowerment, desire to escape, appearance versus reality, fame, family, love and heartbreak, wealth, culture and race, social media, and gender identity. This book really emphasised the importance of family, being true to oneself, and going after what you want. It also reinforced the fact that “reality” TV isn’t always real and isn’t always as glamorous as it seems. Faking Reality uses the friends to lovers trope and would be perfect for fans of Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson, and Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean as well as fans of HGTV shows like Fixer Upper, Good Bones, and Home Town. It would also be a great fit for fans of Sweet 16 by Kate Brian and fans of the reality TV show My Super Sweet 16.
Firstly, since I don’t speak Japanese, I found that the inclusion of Japanese words and dialogue, which weren’t always translated into English, interrupted my reading experience somewhat. It also would have been great to have some more information when the characters were discussing Japanese traditions and locations. It would have also been great if the book was longer, especially because I would have loved to read about Koty and Leo’s Japan trip, as well as what happened to Koty (and her “Prince Charming”) after the conclusion of the book and the finale of Koty’s HGTV show.
On the upside, I thought that this book was unique, and I loved the inclusion of the HGTV show! It was great to get a behind the scenes look at a famous family, including all the scandals, invasions, compromises, and schedules that the McDonald’s needed to navigate to make their show a success. It was also fun to read about Koty’s elaborate sweet sixteen plans, which included a tiara, a celebrity musical appearance, a cake fit for a wedding, a choreographed dance, a massive guest list, expensive giveaways, and last-minute changes!
Overall, I thought that this was a cute, fun, and unique YA read that is best suited for those who enjoy HGTV and the friends to lovers trope!
Faking Reality is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 13th 2021.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Some Kind of Wonderful meets Kara McDowell’s Just for Clicks with diverse characters, perfect for readers looking for feel-good YA romance and those who like “clean teen” reads
Dakota McDonald swore after “The Great Homecoming Disaster” that she’d never allow her romantic life to be a plot line in her parents’ HGTV show again. But when the restaurant run by the family of her best friend (and secret crush), Leo, is on the line, Dakota might end up eating her own words.
Leo Matsuda dreams of escaping his small town Arizona life and the suffocating demands of working in his family’s restaurant, but the closer he gets to his goal—thanks to the help of his best friend (and secret crush) Dakota—the more reasons there are for him to stay.
