Brad About Books: Something Real by Heather Demetrios

Read on January 24, 2014

SOMETHING REAL
Expected Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (Macmillan)
Format: ARC
Page Count: 403 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Winner of the 2012 PEN New England Discovery Award!

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 is a captivating, tantalizing read that had me hooked from the beginning and never let me go. Everything about this book is raw, unique, and real.

I'm going to start off this review with a bang with what I loved most: the brother-sister relationship between Bonnie and Benny. They fight and argue, but they also get along and complement each other so well. Bonnie and Benny are definitely some of my favorite siblings I've ever read about. Actually, all of the characters in Something Real are incredible! There's so many brothers and sisters to keep track of, but Demetrios does an exceptional job at making their character relevant to the family and Bonnie. Characters are a very important part of a book for me, and the characters in Something Real are stunning. 

Something Real provides such a fresh, interesting story - it was so hard to put down! Reality shows are somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me, but reading it through the eyes of someone who doesn't want to be apart of exposing their life for the world to see was marvelous. How the story was set up - exposing Bonnie's secret public identity to filming the show - was truly one of a kind, and Something Real is really something special. I think that Something Real is perfect for fans who don't usually read contemporaries. Something Real has it all: wonderful characters, phenomenal writing, and a story that will enthrall you and engross you. 

Something Real will definitely pull at your heartstrings. The emotions and the struggles that Bonnie faces (both in the eye of the public and her inner self) make you root for her and cheer her one, but it connects you to her in a way that I've never seen done before. I connected to Bonnie instantly, and she has remained to be a favorite heroine of mine. Something Real is truly a must-read!

Overall, Something Real is a beautiful, radiant read that is equally both wonderful and pulsing with great characters. Loved it!

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