Copyright Date:
2022
Edition Date:
2021
Release Date:
07/12/22
Pages:
311 pages
ISBN:
1-250-20411-9
ISBN 13:
978-1-250-20411-0
Dewey:
Fic
Dimensions:
21 cm
Language:
English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
(Wed Jul 06 00:00:00 CDT 2022)
A reality star who fiercely guards her personal life ponders risking it all for true love.Dakota McDonald has been famous since the moment her parents revealed on their hit renovation show that they were expecting her. But after having her childhood meticulously documented on television, America's "DIY princess" longs to be a regular teen. Despite that, Dakota reluctantly agrees to turn her upcoming birthday into a special episode complete with corporate sponsorship and begins auditioning telegenic potential dates, who will earn $5,000 for their efforts. Complicating matters is Dakota's childhood friend (and secret crush) Leo Matsuda, whose family owns her favorite restaurant. Like Dakota, who has a White father and Japanese/White mother, Leo is biracial (his father is from Japan, and his mother is a White American), and the two have always bonded over their love of Japanese culture. When Leo begins dating a classmate, Dakota struggles with jealousy even as she continues her staged courtship. While HGTV fans may wish there were more home renovation scenes, the moments detailing the pressures of being a teen girl in the public eye shine. Glimpses into Japanese American history and experiences, including the recounting of Dakota's grandmother's time in an internment camp and the discrimination her grandparents experienced as an interracial couple in the 1950s, ground the characters and story. Fans of Japanese food and pop culture will also find much to enjoy.An unconventional tale of evolving relationships and self-knowledge. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)
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Kirkus Reviews
(Wed Jul 06 00:00:00 CDT 2022)
Sara Fujimura's Faking Reality is another charming multicultural romance by the award-winning author of Every Reason We Shouldn't , a National Public Radio Best YA Book of the Year. Can a reality star princess transform the boy-next-door into her Cinnamon Roll Prince? Dakota McDonald swore after "The Great Homecoming Disaster" that she'd never allow her romantic life to be a plot line in her parents' HGTV show again. But when the restaurant run by the family of her best friend (and secret crush), Leo, is on the line, Dakota might end up eating her own words. Leo Matsuda dreams of escaping the suffocating demands of working in his family's restaurant, but the closer he gets to his goal--thanks to the help of his best friend (and secret crush) Dakota--the more reasons there are for him to stay.