WATCH ME
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Source: Personal PurchaseReading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse (July 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781442402553
ISBN-13: 978-1442402553
She thinks she has nothing to hide…
Ally has everything under control. She’s about to move into a house full of strangers and have her life broadcast to the world, but as long as she still has her long-distance boyfriend, Corey, nothing can go wrong. Nothing, that is, until Ally starts spending time with her housemate Drew, the hot and sensitive guy who always seems to be around when she needs someone the most.
As suspicions and lies start pulling Ally and Corey apart, she’s not sure if she can trust anyone, not even herself. Ally is about to learn the hard way that life is what happens when everyone is looking, and it doesn’t always capture her good side…
Books by author Lauren Barnholdt are always hit and miss for me. I love some of her books, but others tend to fall flat for me. In the case of Watch Me, this is not one of my favorites. While I liked the idea of the whole reality TV show, the execution of it in this book was not well thought out.
Ally decides on a spur of the moment to try out for a TV reality show. When she is accepted as one of the college roommates for the show, she has no idea how it is going to change her life. She is in a dorm with several stereotypical housemates that are chosen to create some drama for the show. Ally is also dealing with the fact that her boyfriend of two years, Corey, is also away at college. Long distance romance proves to be hard, but also being on television all the time proves to put the biggest strain on their relationship.
I don’t know what to say about Ally. When she was around her other roommates, she seemed to actually care about their feelings. Yet, at other times I felt she was a snob and not worth reading about. I did like the character of Drew, but we didn’t really get to see him interact that much with Ally and the rest of the cast. Their budding romance that is suppose to happen in the book felt forced and didn’t have much substance for the reader to grab onto and enjoy. The reality show is also like an afterthought in the story. The author throws it in whenever the story starts to drag in hopes that it will help.
Overall it is a quick and easy read, but not one to get your hopes up for. Like I said, her books are hit and miss for me so this might be the hit for you.
Okay book, but it left me wanting more! 3 STARS
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