ALA Booklist

Imagine Keeping Up with the Kardashians as a satirical novel. Reality TV show Rolling with the Royces stars media-obsessed mother Mercedes; egotistical older sister Porsche, who has her own product line; gay, gambling-­obsessed younger brother Bach; and troubled middle child Bentley, almost 17. With the show on the verge of cancellation, Porsche stuns the family by announcing she'll secure renewal by marrying Whitey, son of a record label producer. Following a mysterious man's advice to "Play the game you want to play. Use the cards you have," Bentley devises her own scheme to get the series renewed. Cleverly written as if Bentley's notebook is the basis for the novel, this is complete with snarky production notes at the bottom of the pages. The plot isn't overly subtle aders will figure out what's happening before the show's "audience" does t it's still fun, full of jabs at Hollywood stardom (and at Stohl's other books). Anyone who ridicules celebrity TV shows while secretly watching them will get a kick out of this.

Horn Book

Bentley Royce and her family star in a TV show ` la Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The book opens with Bentley and her sister Porsche's fianci presumed dead from a car crash; the remainder relates the events that got them there. The humor often falls flat, but fans of "reality" TV franchises may be fascinated by the details that suggest they're anything but real.

Kirkus Reviews

White high school senior Bentley Royce's reality TV world and her family are falling apart. There's no promise of another season for Rolling with the Royces, but can Bent make this one a record-setter and keep her family together?Bent has been a TV star since the age of 12. On the show, she is "Bad Bentley," an unruly teen, but that's not how she identifies herself. The other Royces struggle with their identities as well, unable to differentiate between reality TV and real life. With the help of Mexican corporate head Diego Sanchez and her brown-skinned friend, Venice, she comes up with a plan to create the perfect season. In helping her family, Bent learns who she wants to be. In this sendup of the modern media world, Stohl evolves Bent from a damsel in distress to a leader, even if things don't go as planned. Stohl realistically represents Los Angeles as a diverse community with a large Latino population, though most of the main characters are wealthy and white. Within that primary-cast limitation, this funny, fast-paced read also explores identity, tragedy, and rallying around the people you love. Hilarious, emoji-bedecked footnotes from vapid RWTR-developer "the Dirk" add fizz to the breezy third-person narration: "Reminder: pls destroy this footage. It can never surface. Ever. Anywhere. ?" A smart, satirical edge separates this Hollywood chick-lit from many others. (Fiction. 12-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Bentley -Bent- Royce, 16, is the attitude-laden bad-girl daughter of the Royces, a Kardashianesque -famous for being famous- family of reality TV royals. It-s all an act, though, and Bent wants nothing more than to shed her TV persona and go to college. She is thrilled when the head of the studio, Jeff Grunburg, butts heads with Bent-s fame-obsessed mother, Mercedes, and threatens to cancel Rolling with the Royces. But she quickly learns that older sister Porsche-s failing lip gloss collection has wiped out the family-s fortune, and they desperately need season six to keep the family from financial ruin. Stohl (the Icons series) pulls readers into the underbelly of reality TV and the C-list celebrities and wannabes clamoring for a bit of fame. She adroitly weaves together press releases, posts from gossip blogs, tweets, and news articles to add depth and verisimilitude to Bent-s dizzying world. Stohl creates a laugh-out-loud send-up that pulls back the curtain on the unreality of reality TV. Ages 14-up. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Company. (Apr.)

Voice of Youth Advocates (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Bentley Royce has grown up as a cast member of the Royce family on a reality television show. Now a high school senior, Bentley dreams of escaping the clutches of her family and going to college. The show, which has run for five seasons, is threatened with cancellation due to dropping ratings, so older sister Porsche pitches the idea of her getting married during season six. Mercedes, the Royces’ mother, opposes the idea. Meanwhile, younger brother Maybach is dealing with a gambling addiction. To save her family’s show, Bentley must revert to the “Bentley bible,” the book from the network describing the “bad Bentley” character who is always in trouble, with a major attitude to boot. Bad Bentley’s antics make her a darling with the public, but the real Bentley hates her. How can she escape reality when reality is scripted? Stohl creates four unforgettable family members, flawed humans who are larger than life even for reality television. Scripted reality warps this family, but each member is dealing with real issues, such as addiction, anger, and loss. Mercedes functions more as a producer than a mother and does not parent her children. The supporting cast is one dimensional but successfully moves the story along, while the network CEO leaves numerous entertaining footnotes throughout the book on how the text should be rewritten to better reflect on the network or promote its numerous products. Raw language is employed by every character at times. Readers who enjoyed Reality Boy (Little, Brown, 2013/VOYA December 2013) will appreciate the antics of the dysfunctional Royces.—Etienne Vallée. The Royces are hard to relate to at first, but the story gives an inside look at all the hard work and sacrifice it takes to become and remain famous. This unique story is a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of Bentley Royce and her challenging lifestyle. This trendy story describes the reality about the Royce family and how they manage to keep up their lavish lifestyle and overcome their many challenges. 5Q, 3P.—Megan Colby, Teen Reviewer.