Review Detail

FAKING REALITY by Sara Fujimura is a sweet, contemporary teen romance about a reality TV star, her best friend, and growing up. Living her life online and in the public eye has never been easy, and Dakota can't say she is upset that her reign as America's DIY princess is coming to an end. Her entire life has been dictated by her parents' HGTV show. Their fans have watched Dakota grow up and been invested in her life before it even began, making Dakota's real life difficult to navigate. With the camera present, it is hard to determine who are her real friends and who are faking it, even dating is not an option after the previous year's disastrous homecoming dance. But once the cameras are gone for good, Dakota plans to let her crush know how she truly feels.

What I Loved:
I really liked Dakota. While the book's blurb promises romance, I found myself more drawn to Dakota's life as a TV star. How she navigates the pressures surrounding the show, how she balances school and work, and even how she makes time for her best friend were all fascinating to me. I really empathized with her struggles to live basically two lives: her TV DIY perfect daughter and the quirky high school junior. I also enjoyed seeing that she did enjoy what she did on the show and how good she is at it. It may have inspired a few DIY projects around my own house.

Leo is lovely. He is quiet, camera-shy, and so steadfast. I immediately understood Dakota's attraction to him. His loyalty to his family's restaurant and his easy friendship with Dakota endeared him to me. His own struggles with the restaurant's money problems and his need to raise funds to go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip with Dakota to Japan made me ache for him.

What Left Me Wanting More:
As I've already mentioned, the romance is on the light side. The blurb makes it sounds like the romance will be the main focus of the plot, and while yes, Dakota does pine for Leo, it really focuses more on her work on the show. We also get glimpses of her friendship, but the romance is about nonexistent.

While I appreciated that both Dakota and Leo are biracial, this was really in the background and not a prominent theme in the book, aside from their desire to attend the school's trip to Japan.
There is also some LGBTQ+ representation, but again it is in the background and not a feature of the story.

Final Thought: With a dash of romance and a sprinkling of Japanese American culture, Faking Reality is a sweet contemporary featuring the importance of friendship, how to cope with change, and the butterflies of first love.