A Crazy & Compelling Satire! With so much reality TV these days, we never know what is real anymore. This book does a great job in capturing that truth. It was over the top, funny in places and very scary at how disconnected some people are from basic human decency. Very relevant to the time and I think a great addition to any high school library.

Cannot access on my device so cannot write a review

Waste of Space doesn’t happen in space. Nope. It’s the story of reality TV show where the contestants are supposed to think they’re in space and so are the TV spectators…
It was told the way Illuminae was, basically… A succession of files and a dude commenting the videos…
I was afraid starting it that it would be too similar to Illuminae but turns out, it wasn’t…

I actually really loved this. I connected instantly with some of the characters and some others grew on me. I was deeply invested and read it in about one sitting. I could not stop. I laughed, cried and everything in between…

It’s also a satire on reality TV and TV production? It’s a subject that I’m interested in and I enjoyed that side greatly… It’s also a satire on bias and the classic character tropes.

So, basically, I’m buying this when it comes out, and I’m planning on re-reading it.

For now, I am giving up on this book. I read 100 pages and I was just really annoyed with the format. I think I'd enjoy it more as an audiobook, so once it's out, I will pick that up and then I'll come back and adjust my review accordingly.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Wow!

That is all that I can think after finishing this wild ride of a book. First of all, I loved the humor throughout this book and it had me laughing out loud in certain spots. It was fun to see that number of references that were made to different reality TV shows – but now had really outlandish names like Pantsing with the Stars and America’s Next Top Model. I really appreciated that little touch.

We had a great cast of characters that included “the four Golden Tokens: gay, foreigner, disabled, and orphan.” I loved all the characters and the dynamics between them. Not everything was as it seemed with any of them, and it helped add depth to the novel. (This is a side note: there is a character named Karou, who can’t speak English, and I loved her commentary – it added some much needed humor at some parts).

I can imagine that the finished copy of this book would be stunning because of the pictures that separate the different parts of this story, as well as some memes thrown around. Something that I didn’t know going into this book was the format in which it was told. Throughout the story there are report transcripts, phone calls, web posts, and raw video footage – I thought that the different formats were fantastic. I think that the audiobook of this novel would be phenomenal because the diverse cast of characters, there would be so many voice actors, and it would be a very immersive journey.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars and I strongly suggest checking it out on its release date of July 11th. Thank you so much to NetGalley for this great read!

Stellar!

I'm a sucker for sci-fi books. I love space soooo much so when I read that this book was "set in space" AND was a reality TV show, I was all for it. However, reading the blurb didn't exactly give away what kind of read I was in for...

Cram ten hormonal teens into a spaceship and blast off: that’s the premise for the ill-conceived reality show Waste of Space. The kids who are cast know everything about drama—and nothing about the fact that the production is fake. Hidden in a desert warehouse, their spaceship replica is equipped with state-of-the-art special effects dreamed up by the scientists partnering with the shady cable network airing the show. And it’s a hit! Millions of viewers are transfixed. But then, suddenly, all communication is severed. Trapped and paranoid, the kids must figure out what to do when this reality show loses its grip on reality.

So this book is very satirical. It makes jokes about the world of reality TV and how it works, it jokes about how reality TV game shows always adopt tokenism, so they always have the token black individual or gay individual... This book plays on the ideas that reality TV always has the stereotypical individuals. Some people may not see that this book is satire and think that the stereotypical characters of the book are offensive because they tick every box in the 'stereotype' list. BUT! That is not what Damico is doing here. She is taking the p*** out of reality shows, how they come up with their ideas, how they script the episodes and how they choose their cast. I thought it was very clever, but I didn't know that this was a satirical book. I went into it thinking that it was quite serious. So sometimes the satire got a bit too much for me, the jokes that Chazz Young made got a little too cheesy. But there's a strange underlying message: how far will producers and writers go to get those high rating and viewership? Well in Chazz Young's case: there isn't a 'too far'. He will do ANYTHING to get the ratings, even if it borders on barbaric. 

I was all for the NAWSAW company at first. They always told Young when his ideas were ridiculous and when he had gone too far, they alway tried to put him in his place (and failed), but towards the end of the book, I was like... WWHHHHAAATTTT??!! I did not see the plot twist involving NAWSAW coming and to be honest, that whole story arc came out of nowhere. I mean the whole ending was pretty cool and everything but I just didn't understand what had happened. Ok, well I knew what had happened, but nothing was explained, through any of the characters. Or is that just me missing something completely huge that was obvious to everyone else? 





"I'd get up in the morning, and when I stretched out my arms, it felt like my fists were banging into an invisible barrier, a bubble around my bed. It was suffocating. I couldn't breathe."

- Gina Damico, Waste of Space





What I really liked about this book was that it was that the story was told in loads of different formats. There were video camera footage, transcripts of the episodes, transcripts of phone calls and other fascinating formats. It was very similar to that of Illuminae and Sleeping Giants. I love it when author adopt this story-telling method because it always adds another dimension (HA, see what I did there?) to the book and it always seems more interesting. 

Apart from the characters being stereotypes (the rich, obnoxious kid, the nerd, the quiet one, the odd one, the gay one, the clever one and then the party animal), I thought the characters were really well-rounded. Sometimes, you couldn't help but laugh at the stereotypes and how much Damico played on them, but other times, like the character of Bacardi, I was utterly surprised when I realised that I really loved this character. She was just absolutely amazing. I hated Clayton so much. Every time he opened his mouth, I just wanted to shut it. Every word that he spoke was just utter rubbish and he was so self-centered! I'd had enough of him the second he was introduced. I felt so sorry for Kayou as well! She's Japanese and she was only cast because she was from another country, but no one else could speak Japanese so she would be talking and no one could understand her! It was so sad, but some of the things that she said were just hilarious! Her sarcasm was unreal and I couldn't help but laugh out loud at certain things she said. 

Overall, this was a very enjoyable book. I'm not 100% sure if I would read it again, but if there ever was a sequel, I would definitely read that!

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Released 11th July

Honestly, this book just wasn't for me. Waste of Space is told through a series of interviews, recorded phone calls and a play like writing of what was happening "on screen". I've found these books to be difficult for me as it's easy to get pulled out of the story. It probably didn't help that I'm listening to another similar writing style book at the same time (though I will say that listening is way easier in this style then reading).

The premise is cool, but I found many of the characters to be annoying (which I'm sure was purposeful) but it didn't help my enjoyment of the book and I found myself desperate to get to the end.

I really enjoyed Damico's Croak series and I'll definitely be reading more from her. I'm bummed I didn't like this one more, but the writing style just wasn't for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to review Waste of Space.

Gina Damico’s books always make me laugh out loud and this one did as well. This is a biting satire on reality TV and how insane things can get in television. This is a different book than any others I’ve read by this author, but the things that I love, the wit and sarcasm are certainly there, as well as a story that is hard to put down.

The story is being told by a disgruntled intern who worked on the project for the cable network DV8. She (I thought of her as female although we don’t really know who the narrator is) recounts the ill fated reality show Waste of Space, through transcripts, e-mails, recorded phone calls and video recordings. There is much to tell, from the start of the producer and DV8 owner Chazz’s first meetings with the scientist of NASAW through to the somewhat surprise ending. The reader is often left wondering what is real and what isn’t through out the entire book, mostly because no one is quite what or who they seem to be.

All of the cast members are quite different from each other and unfortunately fall into the categories most associated with reality TV. We have Nico, who is very shy and has a troubled past. Titania, who is also troubled but more of a leader than Nico. They are the real stars of the story and we see them the most in the transcripts. Bacardi is the freewheeling drunk who appears to be clueless most of the time. Jamarkus is the smart one, who also happens to be african american and gay. Clayton is the nephew of Chazz and is the one who loves to stir up stuff and is the character on the show that everyone loves to hate. These five are the ones who carry most of the dialog and action of the show. Louise is the youngest and has the most trouble relating to the others. She is also the only who never doubts that they are really in space. Snout is the country boy who really doesn’t have a clue as to what is going on usually. He was allowed to bring his pet pig Colonel Bacon on the ship, which adds another layer of comedy and incredulity to the show. Kaoru, who only speaks Japanese, Hibiscus the hippy and Matt round out the group of ten teens supposedly sent into space. We also hear a lot from Chazz Young, the producer and owner of DV8. I loved all of the characters, even the ones that were nasty such as Chazz and Clayton and I felt sorry for a few of them. Nico and Titania were the the ones who really steal the show and tug at your heartstrings with their stories. Bacardi ends up being a bit of a surprise and although I hated her through most of the book, I really came to appreciate her in the end.

We also get glimpses of what the public is thinking of this show through blog postings and transcripts of news conferences. Through these we are meant to understand that the show is widely popular and that the majority of americans think that the kids are really in space! There is one group of naysayers who try to call DV8 out on their deception, but are always one step behind them and the scientists who end up deceiving everyone.

A really great read that is funny and a great satire of reality TV. I found it hard to put down, and spent most of it chuckling to myself. When things start to go wrong for the show and the kids are trapped I did start to worry about how it was going to end. There is a bit of a surprise twist, but a good one I think, and one that adds to the mixed up reality that is a Waste of Space.

Wow, what a ride! Waste of Space is a really fun read which spoofs the crazy reality shows. Set up much like Big Brother, 10 teens are chosen to head to space ALONE with no supervision while being filmed 24/7. A few of the characters are really outlandish, especially the creator of the show, who is also the TV host.

BUT... Unknown to the cast and to the TV audience, the entire production is fake and the spaceship is actually sitting in the desert with a group of scientists and an elaborate special effects budget.

The zany premise is what drew me to this book and I knew I had to read it. The book is told as a report using transcripts of the show and raw video footage which, once I got used to the format, worked well.

All in all, I loved it, and found myself impatient to get back to it when real life got in the way. Once Saturday hit, I sat back and read to my heart's content until finished.

Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Publishing for the great read!

I guess you could say that it was contemporary, but then a little sci-fi ended up being thrown in at the end, so was it magical realism? WHO KNOWS? This was basically making fun of reality shows, and I actually enjoyed how satirical it was and how it poked fun at itself! It was also formatted to include interviews and transcripts, so think Illuminae, except all the science stuff is fake? This is honestly the hardest book to rate ever, because I didn't enjoy it, but I didn't hate it? So, three stars it is, I guess!

Pros:
~ Told in transcripts
~ I laughed A LOT
~ Tag yourself, I’d like to be Kaoru
~ But I’m probably Hibiscus
~ Speaking of Kaoru, KAORU
~ The interactions and characters in this are hilarious
~ Matt’s constant confusion
~ That fucking satire. THE TEA
~ SPILL IT
~ It’s SUPER engaging
~ I can’t but help be reminded of Illuminae. Obviously very, very different,
but the formatting, sci-fi emphasis, and method of storytelling are similar


Cons:
~ The story, especially the twist ending, takes a bizarre turn into the
almost magical? You just gotta accept it. There’s no accounting for the
nonsense in here.
~ Trust me, it’s pretty nonsensical
~ In good ways and bad ways
~ From the get-go, you HAVE to suspend your disbelief, because none of this
shit would ever, ever happen.
~ Ever.
What do you get when you take a teen reality show and launch it into space?

Good TV.

First off: this book is a comedy. If you go into this expecting nuance or realism, you’re outta luck. This book is goofy and completely over-the-top satire, and if you take it for what it is, it works.

Second: this books is an epistolary comedy. A lot of people seem to find the humor too quirky to be taken seriously, but I have to say, epistolary books tend to take a very satirical eye to every subject. On some occasions, yes, the subject matter of a book of letters is moody or dark or extremely realistic, but to me, who grew up reading Kate Klise, this is an updated and hilariously ridiculous revisit to a beloved genre.

Told in a series of TV transcripts (with addendums by a disgruntled intern) Waste of Space is the outrageous parody of a reality show set in space and the scandal, legal and otherwise, that ensues.

I said it once, I’ll say it again. The humor is ridiculous, but it caricatures reality. The crazy whitened-teeth spray-tanned vapid moron reality show host, Chazz, the teen cast who ranges from anarchist hipster to sci-fi nerd to farm boy with a pet pig, the constant product placement, Catchphrase Forever . . . it’s chaos. But hey, I laughed a lot. I needed something funny, something I didn’t have to take seriously. It’s refreshing in a category so saturated with end-of-the-world fantasy quintologies that take themselves so seriously as to be laughable.

The one flaw I find, though, is that the book does take rather a serious tone when it comes to the two main characters. I won’t reveal who they are (you gradually realize who are the main two) but their stories carry much more gravitas than the others. The heaviness of their stories, coupled with the absurdity of the ending for one character, was jarring and unnatural.

Those two are the MCs, but everybody has their own sort of revelation. Characters I thought were pure comedy or pure villainy actually had some depth, and that was nice. To some, I feel, it might be too much of a stretch. But if you take this book for what it is, I think you’ll be fine.

Another thing people might find fault with is the method of storytelling. The use of transcripts to me is very clever. It does take a bit of getting used to (it’s essentially like reading a script) but once you do, it makes for a breezy read.

As a comedy I fully recommend this one; if you like making fun of reality TV, you’re sure to enjoy Waste of Space.

A free ARC of Waste of Space was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Take ten strangers, cram them into a faux spaceship (which they think is read), add some special effects, and a new reality show sensation is born. But there is more than meets the eye on Waste of Space. The producers are lying, the scientists are lying, and most of the contestant are lying. With this level of subterfuge, something interesting is bound to happen....and it does.

I had a lot of fun reading this novel. I have always had a love/hate relationship with reality TV, and could not help but enjoy Damico satirical take on the genre. From the smarmy producer and seemingly stereotypical reality show characters to the outrageous stunts performed in order to produce "must see TV", I found myself grinning my way through this book. I loved getting to see this show from all angles. You had the producers pulling the strings, the scientists working other nefarious plan, and the contestants being oblivious to it all. These extra layers just added to the fun, and kept me wondering what was going to happen next.

One thing that is not a secret, is that I love books that stray from the traditional narrative format. This one was sort of fun, in that it was a combination of video and phone transcripts with a few blog posts here and there. It was an interesting, but not random approach, as we, the reader, are well informed that this is being transcribed by a former network intern for a tell-all book. This worked well for me, especially since there are a lot of moving parts in this story.

I also really enjoyed many of the characters. The contestants were meant to represent those one dimensional typical reality stars, and they sure seemed that way at first. But as the story played out, we got to learn that there was more to them then met the eye, and this sort of followed the trend in this book, which was filled with lots of fun surprises and twists.

Overall, this book was humorous and lots of fun, so I didn't expect what happened at the end. I cannot reveal the very last page, but I can tell you that it gave me chills.

Would love to review this book, but I could not open the file.

Hilarious, heartfelt, quirky, and weird in the best possible way, I think it's safe to say that Gina Damico has done it again. While her books may not be for everyone, I find myself becoming an avid fan. I can honestly say I've enjoyed every single one of her novels - all for very different reasons. Even better? I've also found other readers that appreciate the finer nuances of her writing and that mix of humor, weirdness, and sincerity that make her books so damn charming. This is definitely one to add to the collection and one I look forward to putting into the hands of readers I know will recognize the sheer brilliance of Gina Damico's storytelling and her unforgettable characters.

A REVIEW COPY WAS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR A FAIR AND HONEST REVIEW.

Title: Waste of Space
Author: Gina Damico
Release Date: July 11, 2017
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers
Review Spoilers: Mild

There are few books that I’ve wanted to like as much as I wanted to like Waste of Space. The premise is phenomenal and whether it was taken seriously or presented as a parody, it could have and should have been amazing. I mean, teenagers on a reality television show where they think they’re blasting off into space? It’s an amazing idea and particularly timely considering how much people still watch all those reality shows.

Unfortunately, the book fails to make good on it’s premise.

I was so disappointed about that I almost titled this review “Waste of Space is a waste of shelf space” but I decided to take a more diplomatic approach. While I didn’t really enjoy Waste of Space, I did read all the way to the end because the book has it’s fair share of interesting twists. They aren’t enough to to make me give this book more than the two stars I’m giving it but they were enough to keep me reading until the end. So, in that regard, I suppose the book did keep me interested to a degree.

The problem is that this book could have been so much better.

Waste of Space is not just the title of this book but the fictional television series that it’s about. The show convinces a group of teenagers that they are going to be on the first reality show shot in outer space. Neither the kids nor the viewing public are supposed to know that the whole thing is a sham. The reader gets introduced to this whole debacle through a series of documents meant to expose the whole thing. We get transcripts of phone calls, videos, broadcasts, and more.

So basically we have an epistolary novel that’s meant to show the reader just how everything dramatically falls apart. The problem is the documents we’re given themselves. Nothing is even remotely believable. The character behind the studio that puts together the show is so outrageously over the top it brings the whole book down. And from there it just gets worse. The teenagers themselves are often nothing more than stereotypes – and when they try and reverse those stereotypes they do less to challenge them than to replace them with a new stereotypical archetype.

I mean, seriously, the dude from the Midwest is called Snout and he has a pet pig named Colonel Bacon.

On top of all that, half of the kids are basically kidnapped without any parental consent. The facilities are woefully insufficient for the number of people on the show – and there is literally no way anyone was ever going to allow kids ranging from thirteen years old to eighteen years old to all live in one bedroom. Especially when that bedroom had so few beds that some people were going to need to double up. Honestly, these kids are almost all underage – in what world would a show ever be allowed to booze them up on national television or encourage them to hook up for the viewing public?

The whole thing is uncomfortable. If the book were about an older group within the age range of your usual Big Brother contestant then fine. I’d be okay with a lot of what’s going on in the book. But, seriously, one of the kids is like thirteen.

Now, I get it. Maybe the book is meant to be a parody. The guy who runs Waste of Space calls the kids spacetronauts for crying out loud. And for the most part I would buy that. Except there are moments where the book really tries to take itself and it’s twists seriously. The whole tone changes depending on what transcripts were being shown and who is doing the talking. The whole expose part – and some of the more scientific aspects – are supposed to be serious while the rest

Now, if the whole book was presented as a parody then I’d be a little less upset about everything. But at times it seems like it really wants to be taken seriously. The main characters, Nico and Tatiana, are portrayed as genuine characters with tragic backstories who help each other through the hardship. While the rest of the cast is a bunch of walking stereotypes they get the kind of development that makes you almost care about where they’re coming from and what made them want to be on a show like Waste of Space. Of course, it’s really hard to see them as well fleshed out or developed characters when they’re playing against a drunk party girl whose name is literally Bacardi.

Even the big mysterious twist at the end does little to salvage the train wreck that is the rest of the book.

I genuinely wish the book had been better. I love the concept and I would have liked to see it taken more seriously. They could have even made the whole thing real – the show and the journey into space – and that would have made things better. But the whole silly tone of things really turned me off. The fact the book implies that anyone would be so willing to send off a group of teenagers with absolutely no training and no adult supervision is ridiculous. Obviously I am not the target audience for this book as an adult reader but I think even teenagers are going realize how off the rails this book gets.

Now, if you like silly stories that don’t really take themselves too seriously then you might like this one. It genuinely lampoons the idea of over the top reality television with a nice, timely science fiction angle. And if you can get past the cringey stereotypes and ridiculous antics (or at the very least accept them for what they are) then Wate of Space could be a pretty decent read. After all, I did finish it. But I can’t say that I’d recommend this book for the average reader and if any of the reasons I didn’t like it might make you feel uncomfortable then you probably don’t want to give it a try.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I don't typically read YA, but I am a fan of reality TV and reality TV meta, so I figured I would give this one a shot. However, I found it too corny and I didn't like the problematic aspects of it, although I know they were incorporated to show the problematic aspects of reality TV. It was well-written and had a good format for the story, but it just wasn't for me.

Love Giana Damico! Waste of Space continued her streak of cleverly witty storytelling that left me in stitches.

Waste of Space was a likeable enough novel. I think everyone who reads this can appreciated the author's attempt to ridicule the entertainment/reality TV industry. The story is quite far-fetched and ridiculous, but it's supposed to be satirical so you can't take it too seriously for the most part. However, there were some parts that were a bit too cheesy/silly for my liking, which did affect my enjoyment of the book. It was also told in epistolary format (transcripts, interviews, etc.) which is not a style I enjoy reading. I have read a few other reviews saying that it would have been better as a comedy movie rather than a book, and I agree. Waste of Space was a quick, light, easy read that makes fun of the reality TV, and while I didn't hate it, I didn't completely enjoy it either.

This is a FUN book! It's a spoof of reality tv shows as well as a fun sci-fi romp. An unscrupulous tv production company producer and cheesy on-air host (think Ryan Seacrest but slimy) recruits several teens to be the cast of his new reality show, "Waste of Space," which is like "Big Brother" but set on a spaceship orbiting the Earth. The tv crew has partnered with a group of space scientists to try for an air of authenticity. The cast is blatantly chosen to fulfill reality show archetypes ("The Party Girl!" "The Rich Kid!" "The Nerd!" etc.) and create tension and "Drama"--this is a low-rent outfit, and part of the fun is seeing how low this tv guy will go in order to get good tv ratings! But by the end they prove to be much more than their stereotypes would have indicated; I liked how the characters were gradually revealed to be a little more well-rounded. Not all of them, though--the "Foreigner" character, who only speaks Japanese, seems to be there only for comic relief and we never get to know much about her. Here's the twist: the tv folks are faking the whole "spaceship" aspect, but they DON'T tell the kids that they're really on a secret soundstage in the desert! (You'd think they'd wonder why there is a hot tub and a "confessional closet" on a spaceship, but only the Japanese girl realizes this right away, and no one can understand her when she tells them!) The story is presented through transcripts of the show episodes and unaired raw footage, as well as transcripts of various phone conversations, all compiled by an intern on the show who wants 'the true story to be told.' The manufactured "Instigating Plot Points" that the producers cook up to create dramatic tensions--"A solar flare!" "An asteroid attack!"-- soon give way to ACTUAL conflicts, as the story accelerates into hilarious farce territory. I won't spoil the plot twists but I couldn't put the book down until I got to the end!

I read an advance copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley (and the YALSA Teens Top Ten galley project).