This is the most captivating book yet filled with romance and mystery. Would recommend to family and friends.

This book is a mashup of "So We Meet Again" by Suzanne Park (high school rivals meet again in adulthood and romance sparks = the male leads name only differ by one letter too! ), "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" by Andrew Yang. (A group of young adults on a reality game show) and the "Dial A for Aunties" series by Jesse Sutanto. (Maybe a little bit of the "Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery" series by Mia Manansala the character set is similar in terns of LGBTQ+ representation)

The book reads more like a romcom as the mystery suspense doesn't fully kick in until close to half way through, and it slowly builds up from suspicious occurrences on the set to murder. The last half of the book is also when it turns up the "intensity" but upping the instances of swear words and adult content interactions.

I think I would give the book a 3.5. The book had two instances of descriptions of what would be considered "adult content" as well as several instances of the using the f-word. If it were a movie, which I could easily see it becoming one, I'm guessing it would probably be closer to an R rating as is, but could easily be adapted to PG-13. Like mentioned above, the first half was pretty light (PG-13), and then it becomes R. I guess murder is stressful?

Here’s a cleaned-up version of your book review:

Review of Alice Chen’s Reality Check by Jennifer Young and Karen Loo

I enjoyed the premise of the story, where couples battle for a chance to win a million dollars. After Alice’s partner cheats on her, she is unexpectedly paired with a former high school rival, Daniel. However, they don’t have to “act” like a couple for long—sparks quickly start flying between them.

Soon, the competition takes a deadly turn, and Alice and Daniel find themselves risking their lives to solve the mystery. At first, I found Alice’s personality and attitude toward Daniel a bit frustrating, but once she came to terms with her true feelings, she became much more likable.

Overall, this was an entertaining read—perfect for the beach!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I loved reading this romance/comedy/adventure/mystery book. Alice Chen’s Reality Check is the grown up version of a romantic escape that I’m sure countless people wish for in a sea of stories where the female main characters have to lean on men to find their strength. Alice Chen doesn’t need to do that - she’s brilliant and when she sets her mind to something she will accomplish it, but the beauty of this story is that she does find a partner who supports her and inspires her to challenge herself to be better every day.

With a great setting, a couples reality show, we see Alice decide to uncharacteristically join the show in order to try to win money to support herself and her mother since finances are stretched thin by her mom’s cancer treatment. Alice believes that she and golden retriever like fiance Chase are the ultimate contestants due to her brain and his brawn. Unfortunately things don’t quite go to plan and Alice has to team up with her high school quiz bowl nemesis… and solve a murder. Incredibly funny and dreamy, this story keeps the reader engaged to the point that the mystery aspect is just a bonus since the quirky characters and storylines are just flawless. Truly a comfort in book form.

I am usually not one for reality tv books or whatever trope you would call this but I am a sucker for fun murder mystery types and I really freaking enjoyed this one. It was light, funny, and with a nice touch of thrills.

This book had it all! I really liked Dial A for Aunties and this book was along that line. It had reality shows, makeups, breakups and everything in between! I loved the fake dating as well as even a murder mystery was thrown in! If you want it all in a book be sure to check this one out! You won’t regret it