Something Real by Heather Demetrios
Published by Henry Holt on February 4, 2014
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

There’s nothing real about reality TV.

Seventeen-year-old Bonnie™ Baker has grown up on TV—she and her twelve siblings are the stars of one-time hit reality show Baker’s Dozen. Since the show’s cancellation and the scandal surrounding it, Bonnie™ has tried to live a normal life, under the radar and out of the spotlight. But it’s about to fall apart…because Baker’s Dozen is going back on the air. Bonnie™’s mom and the show’s producers won’t let her quit and soon the life she has so carefully built for herself, with real friends (and maybe even a real boyfriend), is in danger of being destroyed by the show. Bonnie™ needs to do something drastic if her life is ever going to be her own—even if it means being more exposed than ever before.

Something Real by Heather Demetrios has garnered a lot of praise in the few short months that it’s been out.  I’m a huge contemporary fan but for some reason this one wasn’t on my radar until after publication.  It’s safe to say that every bit of praise this book has gotten has been well-deserved.  Heather Demetrios’ debut novel has definitely put her on my radar as an author to watch for.

Bonnie™ Baker is one of 13 kids and one of the key members of the reality show Baker’s Dozen.  The fact that she doesn’t want anything to do with the show or MetaReel, the company behind the show, means nothing to her parents.  4 years after the show is cancelled (following the split of Bonnie™’s parents) MetaReel decides it’s time for a reboot with the clever name of Baker’s Dozen: Fresh Batch.  Once again, Bonnie™ has no say in being on the show.  She is one of the main reasons people watch the show and MetaReel will do anything they have to to keep her on it.  What follows is a lot of televised drama and Bonnie™ coming to terms with who she is and who she wants to be.

First off, this book may come off as a fluffy contemporary read but that really isn’t all there is to it.  Bonnie™ has a lot more going on in her life than just being forced to be on a reality tv show with her crazy family.  She’s got high school, friends, boys, college, depression, anxiety, and all of it is broadcast to the world through 24/7 live streaming cameras throughout her house.  Her phone is bugged, she’s followed everywhere she goes by paparazzi and while the cameras aren’t allowed on school grounds, they are allowed in the car on the way to and from school.  Bonnie™ has nowhere to escape to and she’s got a lot to escape from.

Don’t get me wrong though, there are some very fluffy aspects of Something Real.  Patrick Sheldon, for instance.  I’ve heard a lot of people complain that he’s too perfect but in this case, I didn’t mind it.  I thought Bonnie™ deserved a little something perfect in her life and Patrick was it.  He was supremely quirky, super cute in a grungy way, smart, and so funny.  He got Bonnie™’s sense of humor and he completely understood where she was coming from with all the fame drama.  He was always there for her even when she tried her hardest to push him away.  He is my new literary love.

Bonnie™‘s friends were also pretty perfect although they sometimes didn’t quite understand why she was so camera shy.  Tessa and Mer stood by Bonnie™ through everything and that was tough since she was kind of a bitch at times.  They got that she had been through a lot and just needed them by her side no matter what she wanted to do.  Benton™ was also always there for Bonnie™.  Her family may not have been the greatest but at least she got Benton™.  Benny cracked me up.  He definitely lightened the mood throughout the book.  Also, he and Matt had some of the most aww inducing moments.  They were adorable.  There was also Lexie™ who didn’t initially impress me but by the end I was pleased with her.  

The family aspect really grated on my nerves.  I was so mad at Bonnie™’s parents, both Andrew and Beth (her real parents) and Kirk (her stepdad).  None of them stood up for her rights.  They made her out to be the bad guy when it was very clearly all of them that were the bad guys.  I really wanted to reach in the book and slap some sense into all three of them.  For people who wanted a big family, they didn’t know how to act like a family at all.  

As for the ending, it was perfect for this situation.  I wasn’t happy necessarily but it was realistic and that made me happy.  While there were some things I really wanted to see happen, I’m almost glad they didn’t because I don’t think Bonnie™’s strength would have come across as well as it did.  

Overall, I’ll stop rambling now so you can go out and buy your own copy of Something Real.  Listen to all the amazing reviews and read this as soon as you can!

What others are saying about Something Real:

Alexa Loves Books’ review: “Something Real was absolutely riveting.”

The Book Rat’s review: “Something Real is a pitch-perfect coming of age story about finding yourself and your voice, and how much that struggle is compounded when all eyes are on you.”

The Bevy Bibliotheque’s review: “Thankfully a slew of positive reviews from bloggers I trust convinced me to buy it, for I now have a new favorite sitting on my shelf.”