Watch Me

Being a college freshman is hard enough. There's homework to worry about, the dreaded freshman fifteen, guys, parties, and a lot of other things. When Ally Cavanaugh starts college she has one other thing to worry about, that most don't have to: cameras. Ally's every move during her first semester at college is taped for the popular reality show, In the House. At first, it seems like a dream come true. Ally's show is being broadcast nationwide; she's practically a celebrity! She gets to live in an awesome house with her roommates, who don't seem too bad. But soon, things start to turn around. Ally's faraway boyfriend is acting really distant, and she thinks that she may be developing feelings for her hunky roommate. Her escapades at a fraternity party are recorded for the entire world to see, including her parents! In the House is Ally's reality check; how tough life can be sometimes, but to take it in strides. You never know what great things are in store for you around the corner! REALITY CHICK by Lauren Barnholdt was a fantastic read. It was fun, fresh, and fabulous, with a great concept and flawless reality. REALITY CHICK is a must read for those looking to lighten up the new school year! Reviewed by: Julie T.

Lauren Barnholdt is a fresh new voice for teens. The story moves well, the characters and situations are believable and realistic, and frankly, I couldn't put it down. Reading about Ally's adventures brought me back to my college days and wondering if I could have survived the pressure of living on camera my first semester. Definitely a must read!

I picked up Reality Chick after reading about it in Teen People, thinking it would be a fun book for my summer reading list. As it turns out, it was a really great read, I finished it in about two days. So now I need to go out and find another book! The writing is from the perspective of Ally, the protagonist, and it is a very fun voice. She is intelligent, funny, not too uptight, kind of how I'd imagine myself if placed on a wacky reality tv show where everyone was acting like a bunch of nuts. Ally gets drawn into the soap opera antics of her castmates as well as the reactions of "fans" of the show. But she manages to stay very likeable and the story never gets too bogged down with drama. It's entertaining, suspenseful, but you never really feel like anything terrible is going to happen--so it makes for great escapist reading.

A fun, summer read! I loved the fast-pace and energy in this book. It kept me wanting to turn the pages! The characters are easy to identify with, you'll definitely find a little of yourself in all of them! I can't wait to read more from Lauren Barnholdt!

The day I received Reality Chick, I opened the box as I walked into my apartment and started to read, just to see what the book was like. And I stood there in my doorway for about twenty pages before I could make myself stop reading and go to work. I wanted to take the book to work with me, but then I would get no work done. I'm a nurse. So that would have been bad. ("What do you mean, it's time for your insulin? You'll be fine if it's a few hours late." "You're having chest pains? Don't worry about it, it's nothing. Here's the key to the med room; get yourself some Tylenol." "No, I can't bandage that bleeding wound right now - Ally's talking to Corey!!") The next morning I started reading in my pajamas. Good thing I had the day off; I didn't dress or eat or even make coffee till I'd finished the book. I was that absorbed in the story. At age 30, I'm not quite the target audience, but I still loved this book.