You can tell the author is a good writer, she just needs some work on adding more action, I just can’t do incredibly slow paced stories. It wasn’t absolutely horrible or unreadable, it just wasn’t exciting. Easily forgettable

What a crazy ride! I finished this book quickly, and I really enjoyed it. 

The Real Deal is a dual timeline, single POV book that follows one of six young girls on a reality TV show to find the “real deal” performer and then 10 years later as a reunion special is being filmed. This book is *heavy* on the childhood trauma, how one girl in particular handled it, and the dark side of reality TV especially in the age of social media.

If you enjoyed Dance Moms, Toddlers + Tiaras, American Juniors, etc, you need to read this book! 

Thank you to the author + NetGalley for the ARC!

If you were a fan of the show Dance Moms you will enjoy this book. The characters were not particularly likeable but it was an easy read that kept my interest until the end.

"The Real Deal" by Caitlin Devlin is a refreshing and engaging novel that perfectly balances wit, romance, and real-life challenges. Devlin's sharp writing and relatable characters pull you into a story that's as heartwarming as it is entertaining. The protagonist’s journey of self-discovery and love is handled with authenticity, making the emotional moments hit home. With its clever dialogue and well-paced plot, "The Real Deal" keeps you hooked from start to finish. Devlin's ability to blend humor with heartfelt emotion makes this book a delightful and satisfying read, perfect for anyone seeking a feel-good story with depth.

I wanted this to be good SO badly, it's right up my alley (I love a book about a former star) but it just dragged and dragged.

Incredibly slow paced and an off putting ending, really turned me off of this book. I'm interested to see where else the author goes, because the writing at its core was good.

The description of a behind the scenes / where are they now of a child reality star had me hooked! I was imagining characters from Dance Moms reuniting and reflecting back on the past seasons. Until I started reading... It started off ok because I thought it was just an introduction to the good stuff. But nothing happened. I struggled with this one and it took me way too long to finish.
The chapters switched from seasons 1-5 with the reunion special. So we got snippets of what may have been shown during the seasons and then jumped 10 years to the current characters attempting to film the reunion.
In theory, this would be an epic read. However, what I got was broken thoughts and sentences. No conversation every really had a start or end. We always just got pieces of the middle and had to figure out what was being left out or what was not being said. There was exploitation and struggles of a child trying to be a star. And there was also the growth in trying to stay out of the spotlight and heal from certain traumas but it was presented messy.
To say I was disappointed is an understatement.

I wouldn't say I hated it, wouldn't say it was great, it was just a bit meh. Some good parts of the storyline but didn't keep me hooked.

Not my cup of tea, I'm afraid. It was inconsistent, there wasn't much depth to the characters, and the ending/the way the plot went didn't make up for any of it.

Interesting story of several girls who are filming a reunion show from when they were younger. The book goes back and forth between present day and each of the five seasons. The main character Belle goes through her perspective on how things were and how the host of the show wasn’t always fair.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the concept was really good. I liked how it was throwback and then present. And the girls worked through all the stuff.

Good book with a few slow parts that did not drag the story down but did slow the pace of the story up. Overall it was good.

"The Real Deal" by Caitlin Devlin is a captivating story that delves into the complexities of fame, reality TV, and the power of secrets. As a fan of reality TV myself, I found the novel's premise intriguing and the exploration of behind-the-scenes drama compelling.
The protagonist, Belle Simon, is a complex and relatable character whose struggles with her past and her present are both heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. Devlin does a fantastic job of portraying Belle's internal conflict as she grapples with the decision to participate in the reunion special for The Real Deal.
The novel raises interesting questions about the nature of truth and fame. Is it more challenging to keep a secret when the world is watching or to tell the truth when no one is listening? Devlin skilfully navigates these themes, keeping readers engaged and eager to see how Belle's story unfolds.
While some may find the novel's pacing slow at times, I appreciated the attention to detail and the deep dive into Belle's emotions and motivations. Focusing on her inner turmoil added depth to the story and made her character feel more authentic.
Overall, "The Real Deal" is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that will leave readers questioning the impact of fame and the power of the truth. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping read that goes beyond the surface of reality TV.

Sensationalism and reality tv crash together to create The Real Deal by Caitlin Devlin. What a fun book for anyone who loves Bravo! I could picture everything that was happening in my head and how it would play out on tv.

For fans of reality shows. This is a dual time line novel about Belle, who was a child star of sorts and then, when things went wrong (no spoilers) stepped away. But now she's been drawn back for a reunion. It's light, the chapters are short, and it's entertaining.

Ohhh this one was sooooo good! The Real Deal by Caitlin Devlin is a two timeline fiction about a group of young teen girls who are cast on a reality tv show (much like Dance Moms) and the fame and trauma that inevitably ensue. The second timeline is about a decade after the show ends, and explores a "reunion special" where the former child stars come back together.

As a Dance Moms fan I could not put this book down. There were so many similarities, but also enough that it was clearly a different story. I loved that it was focused on the girls as opposed to the moms and the mentor. While I found the first couple chapters a bit confusing, once the story gets going it unfolds in an addictive and unpredictable way. Anyone who enjoys reality tv or "behind the scene" docuseries/memoirs/podcasts etc. will love this book, despite being fiction it is very realistic and will definitely give reality junkies like me their fill. This one is out now so don't wait, grab your copy now!

I had high expectations for this novel based on the synopsis, and it fell flat for me. The characters were all completely unlikeable, and the plot did not keep me intrigued. I feel like it did a good job explaining the pressures that child stars have to endure, but I found the story to be very boring, unfortunately.

The premise is very simple, in my opinion. A group of young girls are trained under a star (Donna) in the entertainment industry to feature in a docu-series. Something happened that led to the abrupt end of the show after four successful seasons, but only Belle, one of the girls, is aware of the “real truth”.

The story is told through the lens of Belle and written in two different timelines, i.e. the present day and the flashback of the show. It starts in a way that suggests the main character, who is now grown, is conflicted about whether to go for the reunion of the show or not.

Before I get into how I feel about this book, I just need to say that the author did a superb job of depicting what the industry is really like. Few of the characters felt so real. You shouldn't miss that this is a good writer.

Now that that is out of the way, I didn't exactly appreciate the ending. It all just went flat after all that dragging. It felt like a big deal was made out of nothing, which isn't the case because abuse is a big deal. In a lot of books or shows, the reader or viewer is in the know most of the time and some characters are not. The reverse is the case in this book and, in my opinion, while that isn't a bad thing, it just means that how a person reacts to such a book is largely dependent on the ending, you know, the big reveal, the plot twist that would redeem all the secrecy.

The main character doesn't even make it easy, as she isn't very likeable. There was no character development. It says that “only Belle knows the real truth”. What truth? The one that Howie told her?

When I read the last line of the book, I was so upset. I kept screaming “What was the reason?” in my head. I don't know what to make of it honestly. There are three other directions that I think this book could have gone, but maybe it's just a preference thing. Sadly, this book isn't for me. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC.

This book really took me by surprise. It was not at all what I expected.
I found this book to be so intriguing and was excited to find out more about the lives of the girls on the TV show. The double timeline was a great way to reveal plot points slowly and keep you hooked. Going back in time to the filming of the TV show, and then the present day where the reunion is being filmed.
The big reveal, (something that is continuously referred to, but not really revealed until the very very end) as to what Donna was accused of was a bit of a let down. The journey to get to the reveal was better than the reveal itself.

Overall it was an enjoyable read, but the ending was a bit of a let down and anti-climax!

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Caitlin Devlin for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I went in not knowing what to expect, and ended up really loving this. Maybe it’s the Dance Moms fan in me? I found this really moving and emotional, and I think it’s a solid commentary on the many forms that abuse can take. I look forward to reading more of Devlin’s work in the future.

The description to The Real Deal sounds a lot more exciting than how it actually turned out. It felt like nothing really happened. It was very slow moving and quite boring. The chapters go back and forth between the past and the present. That was not an issue to moving the story along. There just was not anything thrilling to keep me wanting to keep reading. I could not read more than one chapter at a time because it would start putting me to sleep with how tedious it was.