Hey, it’s Heather posting. We’ve all been devouring our
university reading lists, so these last few weeks have been spent basically
becoming books (I swear my hair smells slightly like the paper somehow now).
Needless to say, after a week of reading Shakespeare, however wonderful that
may be, I was in dire need of something lighter, and thus was delighted to read
the sequel to America’s Next Reality Star (see my review on that), Sweet Reality. Many thanks to the author for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.
Information
Author: Laura Heffernan
Published: September 2017
Publisher: Lyrical Shine
Length: 236 pages
Brief description (from Amazon)
Jen Reid's life after walking off a reality show has been
great--she's gone from being a broke twenty-four-year-old Seattleite with no
love life and no job to the twenty-five-year-old who got the guy, moved to
Miami, and is starting a bakery with her best friend. She thinks her showmance
love might be about to propose. And with mouthwatering goodies based on
everyone's favorite shows, her business, Sweet Reality, is destined for
success.
That is, until a killer competitor opens right across the
street. If she's going to save Sweet Reality, Jen has to come up with a secret
ingredient--like the recipe that won Totally 80s Bake-Off. Jen can get it--if
she steps back into the spotlight. Soon she and her boyfriend are out to sea on
a cruise ship full of reality stars, including her nemesis, Ariana; her lying,
cheating ex; and some wicked producers looking to bring the drama. Separate
cabins, "surprises" from her past, and scenarios tailor-made to spark
fights are just the beginning. But with her self-respect, her business, and her
future on the line, the fallout from this made-for-TV plotline will be all too
real . . .
Review
I sometimes struggle with reading sequels. The first book is
often so much better than the second or third, which can sometimes ruin the
entire series for you. Even years later, the prospect of reading the Hunger
Games frightens me because Peeta’s character turns so nasty in the third book,
and poor Prim had such a rushed death scene. Honestly though, I’m so glad I
persisted with this one because it’s just as well written as its predecessor.
In my review for the prequel, my main criticism was that the
ending felt hurried, so I had high hopes that this novel would tie up some of
the loose ends – something definitely achieved. Jen’s about to open a cake business
with Justin’s sister, Sarah, with the unique selling point of the baked goods
being reality television themed. Meanwhile, Justin’s finishing his studies in
law and helping the others out with the legal side of opening the shop. The
couple also decide to go on a cruise for reality television stars, in which a
few familiar faces pop up again. Typically, Jen gets the worst luck possible
and finds herself stuck on a cruise with her enemy, Ariana, and her
ex-boyfriend, as well as the wife he hid from her throughout their past
relationship.
Jen definitely retains the same flaws as in the last book;
she’s easy to agitate, insecure, bitter, has severe trust issues… this is
excellent. Jen is far from a perfect person, that’s what makes her real and
relatable, especially after the last serious relationship she had. Similarly,
Justin is so stressed out with family problems, worrying over when to propose,
and his academic results, that we see some of his less ideal boyfriend traits. Ariana’s
character has a very clever and interesting twist at the end, making her
character have dimensions and development which I adored. Another praise has to
go to the author for including a deaf character, and subtly approaching the
challenges the deaf have to face, I really hope that in the next book we see
more of this character, or Jen learns sign language. Ed and Rachel are such
lovely people, wonderful friends for Jen to have made, I can only compliment
them too.
Friendships were another highlight of this novel, both old
and new ones, Heffernan wrote them with the perfect amount of banter and
support that’s realistically involved. The relationship between Jen and Justin
was so problematic though, that I have to confess I kind of hoped they’d break
up at times – it’s clear that Jen needs more time to realise that she can fully
trust Justin, and they could certainly use a bit more communication. Maybe she
needed more of a break after her last relationship? Although, they did have a
couple of calmer, cute moments.
As usual, Heffernan writes in an imaginative way, including
snippets of private interviews, news reports, and standard narrative. This
creative written style is lifted even more by the measures of humour and drama,
poor Jen really has to go through some mortifying situations. And, oh my
goodness, that secret ingredient had me laughing out loud. I’d really recommend
this series for anyone that wants a funny, light read.
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