Review : You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle

Posted by on August 27, 2013 2:00 am in 4 stars reads | 0 comments

you look different in real lifeYou Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle
Pages : 355
Genre :  YA, Contemporary fiction
Stand Alone My Rating : 4/5

From the back of the book  :

For the rest of the world, the movies are entertainment. For Justine, they’re real life.

The premise was simple: five kids, just living their lives. There’d be a new movie about them every five years, starting in kindergarten. But no one could have predicted what the cameras would capture. And no one could have predicted that Justine would be the star.

Now sixteen, Justine doesn’t feel like a star anymore. In fact, when she hears the crew has gotten the green light to film Five at Sixteen, all she feels is dread. The kids who shared the same table in kindergarten have become teenagers who hardly know one another. And Justine, who was so funny and edgy in the first two movies, feels like a disappointment.

But these teens have a bond that goes deeper than what’s on film. They’ve all shared the painful details of their lives with countless viewers. They all know how it feels to have fans as well as friends. So when this latest movie gives them the chance to reunite, Justine and her costars are going to take it. Because sometimes, the only way to see yourself is through someone else’s eyes.

 

My Thoughts :

I had heard many great things about Jennifer Castle’s first novel The Beginning of After, but with so much to read already, I never got around to reading it. When You Look Different in Real Life came out though, I was immediately intrigued by the premise. With its theme of “docu-reality”, I expected a drama-filled teenage story, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover a quiet, more character-centered story.

Though we follow the story through Justine’s narration, we get a great look on the four other kids who were part of the documented group. Each with a different personality, each with different secrets. Nothing is revealed all at once, and while the revelations at the end weren’t unexpected, I felt like the author had made it more about the journey to the truth than about the revelations themselves.

As I mentioned before, the story wasn’t about the twists and the drama, which made the book a little uneventful – but not in the bad way! This gives us a deeper, more intimate look into the five characters’ life, especially Justine. A lot happened in the five years since the last movie, and in a way, we get to know the characters at the same time Justine gets to know them once more.

The friendships are definitely what makes the book, too. Sure, there’s a bit of romance, but it’s such a small part of the story it’s almost an afterthought. It’s refreshing, really, to have books where teenagers still think about other things than romance.

All in all, You Look Different in Real Life  was a really pleasant surprise. I devoured the book quickly and reached the end feeling satisfied with the conclusion. Now, all I need is to go back to the bookstore, and get myself a copy of The Beginning of After!

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