“Reality
Check”, the new urban romantic comedy by Leslie Carroll is nothing but a bundle
of laughter and wit in the convenient form of a book! Ms. Carroll has penned a lightly
satirical, sassy, sexy and exciting book that mocks the current craze for reality TV
shows. How “real” they are - only by reading the book can you tell!!
Picture three trendy and
hip bachelorettes sharing an apartment and living in the skyscraper city of NY– Liz
Pemberley is a smart-mouthed ad copywriter who’s disenchanted with foisting useless
products onto the gullible public and has an incurable penchant for nosiness; Anella
‘Nell’ Avignon is a good natured Park Avenue “trust-fundette” who
works at not working; and thirdly we have Jemima Lawrence who’s a cool and collected
lady, a teacher by profession, who can’t believe that her mother, a
black woman, gave her daughter that awful name!
One day, these gals see
an ad in NY Post, asking for singles to participate in the new reality-based TV game show
“Bad Date”. On this show, the participants (14 of them, seven male and seven
female) are hooked up to a lie-detector kind of apparatus (so they can’t tell false
stories) and then they have to talk about their bad dates and the audience votes off
whomever they don’t like or who lies. With each subsequent round, one person gets
eliminated and the person still remaining at the end of the show (the thirteenth episode)
wins a million bucks! On a lark (and with noble intentions for the million dollars, if
they happen to win!) the three gals decide to audition for it and surprisingly, all three
are chosen. On the day of the audition, Liz meets Jack Rafferty, a Miami restaurateur
who’s also auditioning for the same show, and there’s an instant zing
between them. But her roomies are suspicious of his motives and Liz allows herself to be
persuaded not to act on her feelings. But the fates think otherwise and keep throwing them
together. Since the show rules strictly forbid fraternization amongst the participants,
both are hesitant and things seem rocky.
So as the show
progresses, things start to deteriorate. As Liz’s feelings for Jack become stronger,
her disenchantment with her work increases which makes her act unprofessionally. Also,
“The Three Musketeers” kind of friendship between the girls becomes strained as
their competitive spirit kicks in and selfishness reigns where once sisterhood had. What
will happen in the end? Will their friendship be able to overcome this million-dollar
frenzy? What (if anything) will happen between Liz and Jack? Only the book holds the
answers to these delicious questions. Read for yourself!
Ms. Carroll has made
terrific use of the growing trend of reality based TV shows in her scrumptious new book
“Reality Check”. She not only takes the readers onto the set of “Bad
Date” but also behind the scenes. She shows the deep and hidden motivations of the
participants who’re willing to reveal their most personal details to millions of
viewers. It’s not just the prize money, as we come to learn. Episode by episode, the
story progresses until it reaches the most unpredictable but highly entertaining ending!!
How true or honest these ‘reality’ shows are – well, Ms. Carroll reveals
that too. The dating disaster stories will strike a chord with many of us and the readers
are bound to see bits of Liz, Nell and Jem in their own girl friends. These plucky gals
come to life under Leslie Carroll’s deft touch and they’re sure to remain in our
memories long after the last page has been turned. The heat between Liz and Jack leaps
right of the page and the sizzle factor increases astronomically! Kudos to Leslie Carroll
who sensitively tells this fast-paced story in a funny and yet poignant manner that will
touch the readers to their very soul! Charming, upbeat and an outrageous romp!
Reviewed By Rashmi Srinivas for The Road to Romance
December 19, 2002 |
