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.

As soon as I read the blurb for Waste of Space I knew I was in for a fun time and couldn't wait to start reading. I started smiling within the first few pages and I'm not sure I stopped until after I realised the book was over. Although my smiles at the beginning related to the absurdity of the situation the characters were unwittingly getting themselves into, the last smile was due to the satisfaction that came from imagining the beauty and perfection of that final image.

Reality shows are such guilty pleasures. I've felt squeamish during Survivor's food challenges, eaten chocolate while watching The Biggest Loser, experienced the horror akin to watching a car crash unfold every time something disgusting is found during a Hoarders episode and revelled in feeling boringly normal each time a new My Strange Addiction unfolds on my TV.

I love that Gina Damico took a satirical spin on reality shows. I'm not usually a fan of books that feature transcripts as I generally find them quite incohesive but was pleasantly surprised with how well my attention was maintained throughout the transitions between transcripts of video footage and phone calls, and the intern's commentary.

I haven't read one of Gina Damico's books before but found her writing to be very visual. With the descriptions of the people, locations and situations I could easily watch mini movies in my mind of all of the action. If The Asylum were to take it on I could see this book being made into a really fun B grade comedy/drama/action movie. I'd definitely watch it!

Waste of Space took me longer to read than I'd expected because I kept stopping to go find someone to read a funny passage to, such as the explanation of what went wrong in the season four finale of Alaskan Sex Igloo. I loved the concepts of the other reality shows described in this book as well, including America's Next Top Murderer and The Real Housewives of Atlantis. I had to try to suppress a giggle when reading about these because I'm sure if they were real I'd be settling in to binge watch them as we speak.

That said though, beneath all of the fun and some silliness there were some deeper truths to be found about conquering your fears, not judging a person solely by the image they portray on the surface, facing the painful events in your past and the impact they continue to have on you, and the value of trusted friends.

I was intrigued by both Nico and Titania from when I first met them and looked forward to seeing how their characters unfolded throughout the book. Watching their characters interact with their fellow Spaceronauts and each other was entertaining and I liked discovering the defining moments in their pasts that eventually led them on board the Laika. As much as I liked both Nico and Titania, my favourite character ended up being Kaoru, the girl who consistently told it like it was ... albeit in Japanese which none of the other Spaceronauts understood.

What I wanted to eat while reading this book:
* Bacon (sorry, Colonel Bacon!).

If I were to nitpick:
* I was a bit annoyed by some crude scenes that I didn't think were necessary and added nothing to the plot or character development.
* I kept waiting for the disclaimer saying this book was sponsored by IKEA.

What I'll be doing once I finish writing this review:
* Researching Gina Damico's other books to add to my ever growing to be read pile and working out which one I want to read first.

Although I received a free advanced reading copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, I know I'm going to want to reread Waste of Space and highlight all of the passages that made me laugh so I can easily find them again when I feel the need to randomly quote them, so I'll be purchasing my own copy.

Catchphrase forever!!!

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.

**Thank you so much to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!**


-what i liked-
The topic of this book. I mean, what's cooler than a TV reality show about teenagers getting sent off into space? Even better, what about if the entire outer space was actually just a set in a warehouse but nobody else new about it except for the production company?

So. Much. Suspense. The whole time that I was reading I just had to know what was going to happen next. Was another person going to be kicked off the spaceship? Are aliens going to come? Is someone going to die? I just needed to know immediately!

The characters. Honestly, Titania was my favorite character. She was very intelligent and had been through a lot of crap. I liked how bits of her story were thrown throughout the entire novel. I also loved how awesome the whole cast was. They were all so different and meshed just like the producers thought they would.

The satirical nature of the novel. It was obviously meant to make fun of a lot of reality TV, and it sure did serve its purpose!

The entire book was told like it was part of a case that was being recounted. It let the reader know that something bad definitely happened.

-what i didn't like-
I wish it was longer!!

-overall-
Despite the title of the reality TV show and the novel itself, this book is surely not a Waste of Space. Pick it up and give it a read-it definitely deserves a place on your shelf!

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.