Reality Check Blog Tour: Book Review

Title: Reality Check
Author: Karen Tuft
Release Date: June 2012
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Genre: LDS Clean Romance

After college graduation, Lucy Kendrick heads home with big plans for work, travel, and relishing her freedom which means no romantic entanglements. But her two best friends have other ideas. Lucy is seriously steamed when she realizes they've signed her up to be a contestant on the reality dating show Soulmates, but she decides not to renege and soon finds herself in Los Angeles a small-town Mormon girl vying for the love of millionaire bachelor Ethan Glass. At first this cute, smart, fun young woman, who would rather pray than party, bewilders Ethan. But his interest and admiration grow with every encounter. However, the conniving associate producer is determined to stir up some made-for-TV drama and takes strides to make this reality television show anything but real. When the show finally airs, Lucy has been recast as someone she unquestionably is not. Lucy is left humiliated in front of the world, and Ethan is left wondering who the Lucy is that he was falling in love with. Will the duplicities that have created this humiliation ever come to light? And will the truth emerge too late for the would-be soulmates?

Review

I have to admit, I'm a huge "Bachelor/Bachelorette" superfan (I love the drama!) So, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I love books about reality dating shows. And Reality Check is probably my favorite of these, as well as one of my absolute favorite reads of the whole summer! It is a clean, lighthearted romance that is perfect for reading by the pool on a hot summer day.

Reality Check takes reader on an "insider's" tour of what really happens behind the scenes of a reality dating show (at least according to Karen!) I have no idea what goes on in filming a reality show but it sure is fun to speculate about it! However, I think that this book gives a fairly realistic portrayal of the type of drama, business, and personalities that are involved.

Reality Check is not only fun and humorous, however. It also tells a very inspirational story of a girl standing up for what she believes in, despite the skeptiscsm and ridicule of those around her. Lucy totally impressed me with her bravery and courage in making hard decisions and I felt that I could relate to her position as the only LDS girl since I grew up in a predominatly non-LDS community.

As far as characters go, I'm also a little bit in love with Ethan (no offense, hubby!) Even though he acted like a savvy and refined businessman, at heart, he was simply a fun-loving cowboy (be still my beating heart!) I also liked that he was slightly flawed just as we all are and didn't necessarily fit the stereotype of "the perfect man".

Overall, I just loved everything about this book, from the easy flow of it, to the development of characters and relationships, to the intricate plot details. (If Chris Harrison was the narrator of "Soulmates", it really would be "the most dramatic season ever"!)

If you are a fan of ABC's "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette", then you will LOVE Reality Check! Even if you are not a fan, it is still a fun, sweet, and humorous read and one you will not want to put down.

Giveaway Info

Karen is generously donating a paperback copy of Reality Check plus a beautiful starfish charm bracelet to one lucky reader. All you have to do to gain entries is to leave a comment on any of the tour stops. Each comment will gain you an entry. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

 

For those readers who prefer a non-LDS read, I am also giving away an ARC copy of The Selection by Kiera Cass. It is another cute book with a reality based dating show as well.

Make sure you leave your email address and which book you are entering for in your comments (i.e. Reality Check, The Selection, or Both).

Also, check out the contest going on Karen's blog this summer at http://kktuft.blogspot.com/2012/06/where-did-you-have-reality-check.html

                About the Author

Karen Tuft was born with a healthy dose of curiosity about pretty much everything, so as a child she taught herself to read and play the piano. She studied composition at BYU then graduated from the University of Utah in music theory as a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda honor societies. In addition to being an author, Karen is a wife, mother, pianist, composer, and arranger. She as spent countless hours backstage and in orchestra pits for theater productions along the Wasatch Front. She also has a 75 percent success rate when it comes to matchmaking and is a beg believer in happy endings. Among her varied interests, she likes to figure out what makes people tick, wander through museums, and travel, whether by car, plane, or paperback.

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