Waste of Space by Gina Damico is definitely one of those books I blame for my reading slump, but I had already invested a couple hundred pages in it, so I just didn’t want to give up either and I finally finished it this month. Finally. I really enjoyed Damico’s debut series, Croak, which was a fun Dead Like Me trilogy, but hadn’t tried any of her later books until Waste of Space.

This book is about a reality television show where they pretend to cram 10 teens into a spaceship, and use a lot of special effects to convince them they are really in space. But then, communication is severed and the teens must figure out what to do next. The novel itself is told in a mix of transcripts of various kinds, which is usually a format I enjoy (see, Illuminae) with a heavy dose of satire.

The reason that Waste of Space didn’t work for me and Croak did, is that I just didn’t care about any of the characters at all in this book. And 500+ pages is a long time to not care about the characters you are reading about, especially when they are supposed to be in some kind of life-threatening danger. Then, when it finally, finally, got to the end, the “twist” just felt dumb. In fact, a lot of the story was pretty dumb and boring, even when it was supposed to be satirical. I think Damico was trying to break down stereotypes, but it took far too long for that to happen, and the book just moved really slowly. If I sound grumpy, it’s because I am really annoyed by what waste of time Waste of Space was, so even though I’d like to read her other books, it will be awhile before I pick up another Damico novel.

I loved the basic premise of this fast-paced, page-turner of a book - ten hormonal teens are supposedly crammed into a space ship and sent to outer space for the ultimate reality show. All stereotypes are present - the awkward emo kid, the slutty party girl, the jock, the nerd, the soldier, etc. however, unbeknownst to them, they aren't actually orbiting the earth, but instead are stuck in a warehouse in the middle of the desert in a fake replica spaceship.
Once you've set your disbelief to anti-gravity mode and accepted the basic premise, this is actually an extremely entertaining read. The characters are well imagined, the plot rips along at a fast pace and keeps the reader guessing as to what is actually going on behind the scenes, especially when the show is a massive success and then suddenly goes offline....
I docked one star for the last section, where the story floated off into an orbit that I couldn't reach, with subplots, disappearances, guns and chaos. Otherwise it was a suitably stratospheric read!

The story is mostly told in a unique format - interviews and recorded video transcripts. There were many diverse characters and more than one twist involving them that I didn't see coming. Even though she had a small part in the book my favorite was Kaoru. Her parts although not spoken so the group could understand her but for the reader alone were hilarious. I received a free ebook of this in exchange for an honest review.

This book was... well crazy different.
It's a super ridiculous and humorous premise; that a TV network is going to send a group of teenagers into space and film it as a reality TV show. I really enjoyed the first 65% of this book. It was amusing, engaging, heartfelt and so cliche you couldn't help but laugh. The end however didn't quite hit for me.

Waste of Space is written in the format of video or audio transcripts (for the most part); either of the reality TV show, phone calls, unaired footage from the video cameras, or the mysterious intern that provides commentary every once in awhile. On page 1 we learn that the intern is the reason the footage is all combined in one file from so many sources. This format while easy to read is not always my favourite. We only get characters perspectives from their 'confessionals' to video cameras which makes it difficult to know if we are getting their genuine thoughts or more 'acting' out of their stereotypes. I prefer to be in the character's head and better understand their POV.

The teens are the main focus of the story; alongside the TV executive, Chazz. He's the over the top executive that calls all the ridiculous shots and seems to think that the world needs cutting edge, truly dangerous reality TV. Except that no one is going to sign off on their teenage being shot into space alone... so instead of actually going to space they make it seem like the kids are in space for the show. Oh, and the teens think they are also in space and on their own. A typical Lord of the Flies scenario.

The best part of this book is that the ridiculous fun of the first half is obviously a hoax. We, the reader learn this right away and of course most of the world buys into the silly premise (because people are easy to manipulate). Thankfully a few groups of scientists easily debunk the show as being in space, even if no one listens to them.
By the second half of the show I feel like the reader is suddenly the one being taken along for a ride. Suddenly we are trying to figure out what is actually going on as there is clearly more to this little charade than a fake 'space plane' and a celebrity hungry TV executive.

This brings me to the crux of what I didn't like about Waste of Space. It has an odd ending. It's not that it's bad... it's just... not what I expected at all. And not in the 'wow, I'm amazed' kind of twist. Instead in the I feel there was little to no foreshadowing for this ending and it's a bit cheap. I suddenly feel like Gina Damico took me, the reader, along for a similar ride that Chazz took the TV audience on in the beginning. A total and complete facade that barely explains what is happening.

The other thing that I found about Waste of Space is that it's a bit long... my ARC copy is 510 pages. I see that the published copy is shorter (400 pgs) so I'm hoping they cut down on some of the unnecessary dialogue between the teens on the ship. That said, the pages aren't fully text either, as they are in the screenplay dialogue style. So average words per page is significantly lesser than your average book.

Overall I thought Waste of Space was fun, but I wouldn't pick it up to read again. That said, if you have a teen that is a space geek and would enjoy a fun book I think this is a great pick. Also this is a clean book so you could give it to any child at the right reading level. I'd easily buy this for a 10 year old that has a higher than average reading level. And I'm certain that a 10-13 year old would be enchanted by the whole thing. Which makes me wonder just now... maybe I'm just a bit too old for this book (like 20+ years too old, lol). No matter what your age is there is no doubt you will need to suspend ALL belief to really accept this odd ending. But at least you'll have a good, fun time getting to it!

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This book is a wild ride, and not because the characters are jettisoned into space. Far from it. It's a satirical look at "reality TV" giving the complete lowdown from the able assistance of a low-level PA who got fired and handed enormous amounts of raw footage of the Waste of Space TV show produced by DV8 studios.

The premise is this: DV8 wants to make a show about regular kids on a space station, but that's unrealistic, and expensive, so they partner with NASAW--a shadowy conglomerate whose scientists know lots about space and time--to build a fake space station (complete with IKEA furnishings) that can house ten teens for two months. Along the way, DV8 management bullies and coerces everyone to insist that this show is taking place in space.

Kids line up in malls hoping to become part of this cast; some a fame-hungry, some are looking for a way out, others are looking for a new life altogether. The teens are cast to fulfill certain roles, and the stereotypes they reflect. It's a weird mix of Big Brother and Space Camp, and the audience is in on the joke from the get-go. That said, there's still lots of surprises in store. Like, what happens when the uppity/vile nephew of the TV show's producer is going to get axed? (Bring on the big guns...) What about the party girl--any more bras to display? The token minorities are messing up the chemistry, and there's plenty of clueless to go around.

The telling of this story is a disjointed collection of transcripts from video recordings, cell phone calls and business meetings. There are roughly 15 POVs, so that's a jumble. It took me a while to settle in, though I caught on to the sympathetic POVs in the early going. Nico and Titania are the heart and soul of the story--two kids who've been altered by tragedy. They are searching for more---meaning and acceptance, and they don't go in for DV8's shenanigans. The DV8 exec, Chazz, and his nephew Clayton are the typical reprehensibles, pulling all the strings and cutting despicable deals. I was pleasantly surprised by "Bacardi" and "Snout" and saddened by Louise. I had thought I wasn't touched much by the book, then the end hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest. The storyline was a sleight of hand that morphed from zany and unpredictable into intense and emotional.

I'm not going to belabor the plot; some of the kids are desperately hoping to be a part of a space mission. Others know it's gotta be hoax. The DV8 and NASAW folks are doing their utmost to convince the world their show is "real." In the mix some true connections are made, and dare I say: the most fervent wishes of several of the cast are made real. I was pleasantly surprised how all the seemingly random plot threads were stretched and connected and eventually woven into an unexpectedly picturesque tapestry. For fans of reality TV, this book is a piercing commentary on the genre of entertainment, and how we consume fiction--in any medium. Expect plenty of showmanship, and deceit, and double-crossing. Expect subtle commentary on American xenophobia and racism. And if you read through to the end, expect to be surprised, and maybe delighted. Like I was. I received a review copy via NetGalley.

While the book description sounded interesting, the writing style/tone of this book was just too cheesy and over the top for me. Since I did not finish the book, I do not intend to publish a review.

Waste of Space is contemporary fare for the modern age. It is sure to appeal to teens who live, breathe and die by the digital world.

This reality series is told via transcript of video footage and chronicles the lives of teens that are shot into space in a modern day Lord of the Flies. Despite the comic and satiric nature, it accurately upholds two universal truths. People are not always what they seem, and some people are so desperate to change their circumstances they will do just about anything.

Waste of Space is easily one of the funnest and most entertaining books I’ve ever read. I can only really describe this as Beauty Queens meets Big Brother. With a satirical eye, Gina Damico tackles everything we love, and hate, about reality tv. Waste of Space follows 10 teens chosen to participate in an out-of-this-world reality show, with the only catch being - everything is fake. We see the teens struggle with their new “reality” as the production team scrounges up new ways to torment our unknowing teens, until everything starts to go wrong.

Things I Liked
I would recommend this book to anyone purely for the humor and satirical value. I can only liken it to Beauty Queens by Libba Bray - both books tackle pop culture in a fantastically original way. You really get the larger-than-life personality of the tv hose, Chazz Young, who is one of the single most entertaining characters I’ve ever encountered. I loved the extravagant situational humor, and the confrontational humor between the contestants, the production crew and the scientists, and the believers vs. the non believers. This was so supremely entertaining - and truly laugh out loud hilarious.

Things I Didn’t Like
The “episodes” started to feel really long once I got into part two. Yes, there were some little excerpt info posts, but I just started to drag a bit for me. It honestly made me want to start skimming parts of the story, which is really absurd, because it was such an easy and quick read - but it managed to feel long.

Louise got so incredibly annoying to the point of being insufferable. I wanted to skip every scene she was a part of because I literally could not believe the world coming out of her mouth. It pushed past satire into delusional.

This was such an entertaining read, with a high humor factor, that it was really seems like the best way to spend your free time, is to read this book. Such an outrageous cast of characters brings life and drama to this astronomical take on reality tv.

I received a copy of the book from HMH Teen via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis looked interesting and the cover is beautiful. I'll be looking out for this book.

This was unfortunately a bit mediocre. I'll be writing a full review and posting it here soon, hopefully, but as a summary - great concept, mediocre execution.

I really enjoyed this YA novel, it is a fascinating and unique premise for a novel, and it was very fun to read! It's also easy and quick to read, I managed to read it all in one day, and it kept my interest the whole time.
The premise of the novel is set up like a Big Brother style show, with cameras following the kids the whole time. As well as being an entertaining method, having it be told as a collection of evidence gathered by someone looking back on the events definitely helped hype up the excitement and the action that would come at the end of the novel.
Damico is a humourous writer, there were many moments where I actually laughed out loud. The novel is also a good satirical narrative on reality tv, and the society that spends its time watching it.
Damico has written a nice cast of characters, she has captured the voice of teenagers well, the teenage characters who's voices we hear seem realistic and believable for their ages. But I did think that the characters were quite stereotypical , which I wasn't so keen on, it seemed a little lacking in imagination and creativity from Damico to think of any characters that weren't quite so obvious.
I was also a little disappointed by the ending of this novel. There's a specific event (no spoilers!!) that occurs that takes the novel from a "fairly" realistic premise to utterly ridiculous!
But with the exception of the ending and slightly disappointing character stereotypes, the novel was otherwise enjoyable, and I gave it 4/5 stars.

The file wasn't supported on my Kindle to read this to review this! Might check it out when its out though!

The blurb of this book appealed to me but I didn't really know what to expect. The structure and subject matter remind me of 'The Illuminae files' and I think it would appeal to fans of these books. I'm a big fan of the 'case file' type book when it's done well and this was a very compelling, believable setup.

The idea behind this book was great and it was executed brilliantly! The reality TV concept was a really strong hook and the action definitely lived up to the idea. I loved how this book took some unexpected turns and I really hope there's a sequel!

I received an ARC ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

WASTE OF SPACE is a sarcastic, funny novel that made me laugh out loud a lot. The story is an over-the-top reality show parody. Sadly, and this is a good thing, it doesn't stretch that far from real life. You know, big egos, twist after ridiculous twist to keep the ratings, and watchers eating it all like in a banquet. The book's format is out of the ordinary--script-like with some narrative here and there. And it works. It suits the style.

Overall, if you like witty humor, WASTE OF SPACE is for you. I love wittiness!

This book is a train wreck. It’s a total disaster. And that’s exactly what makes it epic, because it was on purpose. Waste of Space is 100% like the blurb. It’s reality TV style trauma drama with a whole lot of offensive, bigoted, and racist casting, but the point is that by calling it out, by labeling it for what it is in the story, it becomes a sort of crazy satire and social commentary and OMG is it entertaining.

From the initial premise to the casting to the filming, it’s absolute chaos. There’s no order, there are comical twists, literally everyone is at a loss for what it actually happening. Like I said, a mess and all for the sake of entertainment ratings. You know that feeling, when you want to sit back, lounge and put on some Real Housewives or Bachelorette? This is it, in book form. All the drama. All the catfight insanity and suspicion. All of it is crammed on this “space plane” and broadcasted to the world.

The book is set up kind of like Illuminae with the premise that some sort of disaster has already occurred and a case, with evidence is being made. There is video footage and all sorts of documents, phone records, etc., all scattered through the book. And even some memes.

The characters are “token” characters and the author is actively mocking the clichés. They’re even labeled by their stereotypes when they’re initially introduced. Somehow this worked and did not come off as offensive and wrong as it could have because comedy.

The characters themselves are interesting. They have well-defined personalities and back story. The voice is ON POINT.

And then the twist. Towards the end there’s something that will make you question everything. Circumstances change on the fly and you wonder if real danger is on the horizon.

If you like to be kept guessing, laugh off offensive material, and/or are a sucker for trash reality tv, definitely pick this up!

This book just grabs you from the beginning and won't let go until you finish. When I wasn't reading, I found myself wondering what was going to happen next. Great satire on reality tv, amusing and sad at the same time. The characters you either hate or love, but you do care what happens to them. Some great writing.
I received this free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

The first half of this book left me feeling both frustrated and annoyed. The dialogue did not sound realistic at all and the stereotyping was taken to the extreme. It also felt like a bit of a rip off of several recent popular sci-fi related YA books. Oh, and do not get me started on the names of the majority of the characters. They just sounded ridiculous. I was also bothered by the book being set in 2017. It just did not make sense to me for these events to be set in the current time period. However, around the middle of the book, things began to improve immensely. I finally began to feel invested in the story and what happens to the characters (especially Nico) and by the end of the book all I could say was "wow". It felt like it was going to be very predictable, but it actually went in a direction I did not expect

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley. It does not impact my review.

Waste of Space will be available July 11, 2017.

This was such a different kind of book than what I’ve read before. While it didn’t quite work for me 100% of the time, I did find it an enjoyable, often humorous read.

I thought this was going to be a Contemporary sort of book, but it’s much more of a satire on reality tv. I have watched my fair share of reality shows and I found much of this to be really spot on – from the casting “…sixty percent white, thirty percent ethnic, ten percent undetermined…plus the four Golden Tokens: gay, foreigner, disabled, and orphan…”  (quote taken from ARC) to the manufactured dramatic plot points. I loved all the random reality tv show titles that were thrown in as being part of the same DV8 network. And I loved how it shows the audience being separated into those who fully believed these kids were in space, those who found the whole thing so fake it was insulting, and those that were just enjoying it and not really caring one way or the other how real it was.

I found some of the “spacetronatus” a little more likable and/or developed than others. I liked Snout and his pet pig, Colonel Bacon, who also came on the show. I loved Kaoru, who got recruited to the show against her will, only speaks Japanese, and is not at all amused at what is going on. The two characters that were the most developed were Titania and Nico. They developed a bit of a showmance and both had some serious backstories. I really liked Nico, but wasn’t quite as fond as Titania. I’m not quite sure why. She just kind of rubbed me the wrong way sometimes. I also thought that their storylines detracted from the overall satire feel of the book. I think that the author should have gone all in with the satire and left out the heavier storylines. The story felt a little unbalanced trying to switch back and forth between the two.

I expected to get the “spacetronauts” POV in a traditional narrative format. Instead, the story is told from a whistle-blowing intern who shares video, phone, and blog transcripts, along with his own observations. I really liked this format. All of my favorite portions of the story came from the transcripts with Chazz, the producer, working behind the scenes. I also enjoyed the Perky Paisley talk show and the various blog posts about the show. Where it lacked for me was actually with the kids on the show. While they did have several humorous moments, I found them way less interesting than the production of the show.

Overall, I found Waste of Space pretty enjoyable. I loved the satirical view of reality television. Though it did occasionally go a little far into cheesy territory, I thought it was really well done overall. If you’re looking for a humorous, different kind of YA book, I definitely recommend this one. Catchphrase forever!

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars

DNF 99 pgs (24%) - It just felt overwhelmingly cheesy and unrealistic. I get that the book is supposed to be those things to an extent, but it just felt like too much. I didn't care about any of the characters because even 99 pages in, we hadn't really gotten to know any of them. The way the author tried to use different formats and mediums was interesting and a good concept, but I found the use of a no-name intern narrator to be a little strange. I usually love reality TV books, but I just couldn't with this one.