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The Real Real: A Novel Audiobook
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(2.99) - 930 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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.
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"Six teens from Hampton Beach get cast in an MTV-like reality show and choas and heartbreak ensue. Nothing radical or unexpected, but well written and fun. A good holiday weekend book. "
— Abby (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Really funny, really smart, and really entertaining. I really LOVED this book!”
— Sarah Mlynowski, author of Bras & Broomsticks -
“A fast-paced, fun read.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“This book is far more entertaining than most of the so-called reality programs on television. The authors have a natural ability for digging up the dirt and bringing it to the surface.”
— School Library Journal -
“This book has it all, and the characters are awesome!”
— VOYA -
“Fun reading.”
— Children’s Literature
The Real Real Listener Reviews
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" I really liked this one. Totally entertaining. "
— Kaitlyn, 1/30/2014 -
" I had a tough time getting into this book, but once I did it was a quick read. The problem for me was how it was written. I am about 15 years older than the intended audience and so assume that teens would like the writing style...I just found it annoying. The story itself was fine and creative and a kind of expose on "reality" TV or at least from the Author's point of view. I was not really all that impressed, but have to say that 2 days later the characters and scenes from the book keep popping into my head...so maybe I will read the sequel (I am pretty sure there will be a sequel!) "
— Dana, 1/29/2014 -
" A good idea for a book, but poorly executed, it was choppy, and none of the characters were likeable at all. "
— Lakin, 1/25/2014 -
" I'm not sure why I was drawn to this book - probably because I had read a book with a similar storyline and enjoyed it. Unfortunately even though there were some fun parts, mostly I just found this book hard to read. The writing style was very choppy. I had to reread many sections over and over to try and figure out what the author was trying to say. I found most of the characters overdone and stereotypically written. The one good thing I can say about this book is that every time I thought it was going to go left, it went right and though this did keep me guessing at times I was mind-boggled as to why the author chose to take the story in that particular direction. For example: Without giving any spoilers - the prom scene that took place around the pool did not seem believable for either of the two main characters that were involved. "
— Kerri, 1/10/2014 -
" I don't want to ever read or hear about this book again in my life "
— Mona, 12/30/2013 -
" Cute, light read! I enjoyed it. "
— LuLu, 12/22/2013 -
" Well, the idea of the book was ok i guess, but i really couldn't understand or communicate with the characters.. jesse she seems like a good girl but she is complaining about everything around her .. and i still don't understand what happened with Kaitelen ?? it was a light weekend read . "
— Doha, 11/25/2013 -
" Hmmm... I don't know about this book. I loved the plot ideas, but I hated most of the characters because I couldn't connect with them and did NOT like the decisions they make during the book. "
— Allie, 11/12/2013 -
" A must for anyone who loves Laguna Beach or The Hills! "
— Suzi, 11/9/2013 -
" it was alright but not that good. Ive read better. like the one by LC WHICH IS SOO MUCH BETTER "
— Janet, 9/19/2013 -
" AWESOME BOOK!!!!!!!!!!! wayyyyyyy to go Emma Mclaughlin!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) "
— Yasmeens, 8/22/2013 -
" hmmmm.....beach read, quick and saucy. "
— Laurie, 4/19/2013 -
" Not the best book ever, but it does show people how "real" reality tv is, and for that, I respect it. "
— Helen, 11/2/2012 -
" This book was TERRIBLE! It took me forever to finish. "
— Mikala, 12/24/2011 -
" This book might be better than I am giving it credit however I am so frustrated with characters that are supposed to be smart making every dumb decision possible. "
— Becky, 7/22/2011 -
" Um. Yeah. It was an interesting take on what goes into making reality tv, especially what happened after they'd finished shooting, but I honestly felt that I'd wasted an afternoon once I'd finished reading it. It left me feeling... stained, somehow. You know? "
— Liz, 4/22/2011 -
" This is a rip-off of The Real World. A TV network called XTV comes to a high school in Hampton Beach to film a reality tv show. They even talk about hwo people on their roommate show come back to compete on challenges.<br/>A fun read nonetheless. "
— Kristen, 1/27/2011 -
" it was alright but not that good. Ive read better. like the one by LC WHICH IS SOO MUCH BETTER "
— Jbaby, 1/3/2011 -
" Well, the idea of the book was ok i guess, but i really couldn't understand or communicate with the characters.. jesse she seems like a good girl but she is complaining about everything around her .. and i still don't understand what happened with Kaitelen ?? it was a light weekend read . "
— Doha, 11/16/2010 -
" I had high hopes for the book but it disappointed me so much to the point to just give up on reading it. I really tried to read the book but it was boring me to death and the characters weren't real enough or something so I gave up. /: "
— Carly, 7/17/2010 -
" The book, while starting out with a good premise, ended up as shallow and superficial as the Hamptons location it's set in. "
— Kass, 6/5/2010
About the Authors
Emma McLaughlin is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Dedication, Citizen Girl, and Nanny Returns. The Nanny Diaries, the longest-running New York Times bestseller for 2002, was made into a major motion picture in 2007 starring Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, and Alicia Keys. She has made guest appearances on a number of television shows, including the Today show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, and The View. She has contributed to the New York Times and the London Times. In addition to writing for television and film, McLaughlin travels the country speaking to young women about gender issues in American corporate culture.
Nicola Kraus graduated from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She met Emma McLaughlin while both were attending New York University and working as nannies. She lived as a child at 1000 Park Avenue, whose residents she claims inspired some of the characters in her fiction.
About Mandy Siegfried
Mandy Siegfried has worked at theaters in New York, on and off Broadway, and around the country. Her film work includes School of Rock, Two Weeks Notice, Winter Passing, Liberty Maine, The Out-of-Towners, and St. Andrew’s Girls.