“Opinions on
Something Real by Heather Demetrios”
by Vanditha Krishnan
They say ‘don’t judge a book by its
cover’ and as much as we hate to admit it, most of us teens pick up a juicy
book and begin reading just because of that gorgeous sunset on the
cover. It’s something real (excuse the pun) and I’m pretty sure that
everyone has done that at least once in their lives… am I right? Anyway,
Something Real is a YA contemporary novel by the fantastic author Heather
Demetrios. It’s my first time reading one of her works, and my impressions on
this novel were, to say the least, interesting.
Plot: Bonnie™ Baker seems like your average
17-year-old. Living with her twelve other siblings, -- that’s right, twelve
-- Bonnie™ is the main star of her family’s hit reality show, Baker’s Dozen.
Her life seems to revolve around being in the spotlight, something her siblings
love but she detests. Lucky for Bonnie™, the show is suddenly canceled and the
Baker family finally gets to live life normally. That is, until Baker’s
Dozen is coming back on air, this time with a bang! With such a large
family to support, Bonnie™’s stepfather Kurt has no other option but to allow
his growing household to be in the spotlight. And Bonnie™’s mom is definitely
not letting her daughter quit. The normal life at school Bonnie™ has worked
so hard to build is disappearing quickly, and she must find a way to protect
it.
Characters: Bonnie™ was a
sweet, intelligent character, but sometimes she was annoying. Part of the story
involved her fussing over everything and arguing with everyone. Yet, you would
expect this coming from someone with such a terrible home life. Her pain was
extremely relatable, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for everything she had
to go through. Patrick was a loyal friend, and he definitely helped her
in many ways throughout the novel, but he seemed too perfect if you know what I
mean. Most characters are flawed in one way or aspect, but Patrick had it all.
I mean, compared to Bonnie™, he had great, supportive parents who loved him no
matter what. His character made the book so much better, though. Benny™ and
Lex™, Bonnie™’s twin cousins, really looked for her; Demetrios built a
strong family bond that changed a lot throughout the novel. You can’t forget
about Beth, the thirteen children’s callous, narcissistic mother. I felt
like screaming at her multiple times; what parent forces their child to be
exploited on national television against their will? And who would ever trademark
their children’s names? I was constantly appalled by Beth’s selfish behavior,
perfect on television but aloof off air.
Thoughts: Not a bad book, but
it was predictable -- another one of those stories (a girl from a rich
family has a harpy for a mother and must find a way to overcome her struggles).
However, Beth’s unmotherly character made the story much more intriguing than
it usually should be. She added tremendous depth and broke the tight bond of
love and friendship that was going on throughout the novel. So if you’re a fan
of sappy contemporaries, or looking for a quick read like me, this is the way
to go.
My Rating: 7/10
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