A cute fake dating romcom for the summer. This was so much fun to read.

Alice is so relatable. Anxious and loves her to do lists! I'd be friends with her. Chase is the male equivalent of a ditsy blonde to be honest. Daniel on the other hand..!

Drowning in her mum's hospital bills, Alice decides to go on a reality TV show with her bf Chase, to try to win a million dollars. Unfortunately, they break up soon after filming. To stay in the competition Alice fake dates Daniel, her high school rival. But is it all just for the cameras?

I live for a fictional couple who are so well matched. That truly understand each other, see their 'flaws' and love them more, who push each other.

I feel this book did not need the murder mystery element as the story held up on its own without this added in. It did make the reality show more interesting though and I'd probably watch it for the drama if it was a real show!

Each chapter has a cute little title that ties in with the reality TV show 'Dawn Tay's Inferno' theme. These made me smile as I started each chapter.

You can't help root for Alice, she's so likeable. There were a few fun side characters as well which I loved getting to know in the story.

Tropes include: Fake dating, one bed, forced proximity, rivals to lovers, slow burn

Thrilling, chaotic and utterly adorable all in one.

Thank you to Quirk books for this advanced copy.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, action-packed and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to others.

Quick Summary: A rivals to enemies to lovers, reality show romance

My Review: Alice Chen's Reality Check by Kara Loo and Jennifer Young is a 2025 multicultural romance mystery/thriller. It is scheduled 6/3/25.

About the Book: "Love is hell, even in paradise. A reality show contestant must fake date her rival while solving a murder in this sizzling romcom set on a tropical island."

In My Own Words: High school rival competitors reunite on a reality show. They collide and connect in a big way, just like they did in the past. While the "hellish"game they play is afoot, they soon discover that more is going on than was expected.

What I Liked/Loved:

- Daniel Cho gave off hot guy vibes, as well as good guy attitude.

- Alice and Daniel were so cute together. They had a charm about them, even with all that angsty/pseudo angsty tension. I loved learning about how their relationship started, and I super loved seeing how their relationship ended. It was so satisfyingly good.

- The reality show contestants were so diverse. The group mix was fantastic. Everything was covered, which kept the story rolling.

- The secret alliance situation from jump made me laugh out loud. I saw what was coming. The 4:2 certainly took it there.

- The mystery hidden within was perfect. A bit of thrilling intrigue is just what I needed. Salute!

- Alice's mom... (Tears, hugs, squeezes, and smiles go out to her.)


My Final Say: This was such an adorable & highly entertaining read. I loved it!


Reasons I enjoyed this book:

Entertaining
Funny
Easy-to-read
Witty
Wonderful characters
Romantic
Happily Ever After
Action-packed
Original

Other: Readers who enjoy the following tropes will love this book.

Tropes - >

Reality TV
Competing rivals
Enemies to lovers
Mystery/thriller

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Status/Level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Note: I would love to listen to the audiobook version of this. Please and thank you!

Sincere appreciation is extended to the authors, to the publisher (Quirk Books), and to NetGalley. Thank you for providing access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. You made my wish come true! I am grateful for the opportunity.

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤
𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐨 & 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟑𝐫𝐝

- - -
Read this book if you like:
□ Rivals to enemies
□ fake dating
□ reality TV show
□ murder mystery
□ romcom

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

From academic rivals to fake dating in a reality tv show to lovers solving a murder mystery. A romcom with a twist!

When I read the blurb, I thought this sounds right up my alley! I enjoy reading romcoms, from enemies to lovers trope, and trials. I looked forward to reading this one, but sadly, I am a bit disappointed.

I thought the characters kind of felt flat at moments. The pacing was really slow to me. The writing was too descriptive. This book could be shorter. I had a hard time keeping focused throughout the entire story. It's like something is missing. It wasn't addictive, sadly.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️./ 5 (rounded up to 5)

I had such a blast reading this. The plot was so fun and crazy. Much like Dial A For Aunties but with a better romance plot. This has all the fun, flirty, fast-paced elements of a reality TV show (think The Bachelor in Paradise meets Survivor) mixed with a murder mystery that had me flipping pages so fast. I am a sucker for rivals to lovers and I loved Alice and Daniel having to team up so much! Their banter was incredible!

*Amazon review pending approval.
*Instagram review to come.

Thank you to Quirk Books for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 for summer ridiculosity and mystery

My Thoughts:
Alice Chen, middle school teacher, mathematics whiz, devoted daughter and uber competitive A personality is not a reality TV natural, but her fiancee, Daniel, has signed them up for a coupleʻs competition that could solve all of Alice's financial problems. Her mother is getting treatment for cancer, and on a middle school teacher paycheck, Alice needs to make an unnatural decision to leave her mother and secretly go to an island for this competition: Dawn Tay's Inferno.

Her fiancee is like a puppy dog. He is sort of clueless and functions on whim versus loyalty, but of course Alice Chen's high school rival is going to show up with a smoking hot partner. So predictable, but so much fun. The murder mystery just puts this summer read over the top!

I started this book just as my son 2 went on his own reality show adventure so this whodunit, rivals to lovers, romp where producers create the drama for, well drama sake, really informed the kinds of questions I would ask him (through his wife) regarding the interviews, "scripted conversations," and the competition itself. I devoured this. Unfortunately, my son is still away and still surviving in the show, so the stress level has not gone down yet. Still, this was a fun summer distraction.

From the Publisher:

In this sizzling rom-com perfect for fans of Dial A for Aunties and One to Watch, a reality show contestant must fake date her rival . . . while solving a murder mystery on set.

Alice Chen doesn’t believe in true love, but she does believe in cold, hard cash. Buckling under the weight of student debt and her mother’s medical bills, Alice will do anything to make bank–even star on Dawn Tay’s Inferno, the hot new reality TV show designed to push couples to their breaking point.

The show is Alice’s chance to sip cocktails on the beach and win a cash prize of a million dollars. But when her fiancé cheats on her with another contestant, Alice is faced with a choice: go home in defeat or fake date the other newly single contestant—who just so happens to be her high school rival and sworn nemesis, Daniel Cho.

But all’s fair in love and reality TV, and Alice isn’t the only one who will do whatever it takes to win. When a dead body turns up, Alice and Daniel are faced with uncovering the secrets of the cast and crew to catch the killer–all while playing the loving couple on camera. As the show spirals out of control, Alice must crack the case and confront her true feelings if she wants to make it out alive.

Starring a murder mystery twist, plenty of reality show drama, and a thrilling romance, this debut by up-and-coming Asian American writer duo Kara Loo and Jennifer Young is the ultimate beach read.

Publication Information:
Authors: Kara Loo and Jennifer Young
Publisher: Quirk Books (June 3, 2025)
Print length: 387 pages

Alice Chen's Reality Check by Kara Loo; Jennifer Young is a romantic comedy with mystery elements. I like reality TV and that made this fun to read. The book was so chaotic in a good way. The chaos reminded me of Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto.
I got the ARC from Quirk Books via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine

ABOUT

Alice Chen is a hard working only daughter to her Chinese immigrant mother who is sick and going through cancer treatments. She is a middle school math teacher and drowning in medical debt. When her fiancé recommends that they go on a couple’s competition reality TV show for a chance at the million dollar prize money, she doesn’t overthink it for once and applies.

They are selected to compete, and the extremely put together and competitive Alice has a strategy to win. The variables she couldn’t have seen coming, however, are that her high school academic rival Daniel Cho was also selected to be a contestant on the show AND the crew and the Producers do not appear to have the same goals in mind…

REVIEW

I really liked a lot about this book. Cultural representation, mental health and caretaker perspectives, and an entertaining writing style that kept me turning the ebook pages to name a few!

I think the premise of the book was already strong with the behind the scenes of a reality TV show cast and crew setting. When we get to the other blurb-and-cover mentioned plot point of a death on set, I started to feel like the story was trying to do too much. I was invested in these characters already and I’m not sure complicating the plot worked for me.

This book is definitely not boring!

Alice Chen's Reality Check is an INCREDIBLE amount of fun!! I didn't know it was possible for a book to check so many of my favorite elements off, but this book absolutely did. Fake dating? Murder mystery? Reality TV? Rivals? Beach setting?? I adored it.

I've watched a lot of reality TV and read a lot of books that tackle this genre and this one is pretty solidly in the middle of the pack. It's also really long and I didn't think it necessarily needed to be.

Alice and Daniel were fine as main characters, but they didn't really stand out to me. They were academic rivals in school and get reunited on a reality show for couples vying to win a million dollars, as they're each coupled up with other people. The challenges were ridiculous and fun, just as they should be for a book set in the reality TV world.

There were a lot of characters, and I don't think any of them were fleshed out particularly well, especially Chase. I know he isn't the main character but his characterization was ALL over the place. Once they get to filming, it's like his entire personality completely changed. (and then later changes back?) I get that there needed to be a catalyst to get Alice and Daniel together but I didn't love how it was done here.

Overall, this book was fine. I think it would have been stronger if it just focused on being a romance or just focused on being a murder mystery- as soon as the murder happens (which is more than halfway through the book, even though it's a main selling point in the description), it kinda goes off the rails a bit.

Thank you Quirk Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

I loved this contemporary, mystery romcom. Romance suspense/mystery is my favorite genre, and while I usually prefer the historical variety, a contemporary comedy is always fantastic.

I really liked Alice, a driven, loyal, woman. She is smart, caring (the eldest/only daughter in an “ethnic” household? Duh!). And I LIVE for the reality dating show setting; those ridiculous shows have been carrying our mental health since the days of the pandemic 😂.

I liked the Asian characters and culture representation , old rivals to allies to lovers tropes, and how charming and funny Alice was. I also liked the era-appropriate commentary on the healthcare system.

There were parts that dragged a bit for me but I was mostly entertained. Nice debut.

A romance book with stakes, I say! *everyone cheers*

Alice Chen's Reality Check was an absolute blast. It totally delivered on all the hilariously entertaining petty and vapid drama you could possibly want from tropical reality shows like Love Island or Bachelor in Paradise (two shows I was fond of when I was studying for my MCAT). When Alice's fiancée cheats on her in week two of "Dawn Tay's Inferno," she must pair up with and fake-date her high school rival to stay in the game. She needs that prize money to pay off her mom's medical bills, after all.

Even better, this romance becomes a detective mystery when one of the PAs is found dead on set. Foul play is suspected, and when Alice discovers that the PA was collecting blackmail material on the contestants and producers on the show, the killer starts coming after her. Will Alice make it off the island alive?

The twists and turns kept me flipping the pages at a breakneck pace. It was thrilling, it was funny, the romance was giggle-and-kick-my-feet-worthy, and overall, it was just a great time. When this bombshell of a book entered the villa my head definitely turned (LOL)!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley and Quirk Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Alice Chen is a math teacher who is drowning in both student debt and medical bills from her grandmother's cancer treatments. Her fiance is offered an opportunity to join the cast of a reality tv show with Alice where they have the chance to win a million dollars. Once on the show Alice finds herself face to face with her high school rival, it isn’t long until they are forced to fake date to stay on the show. Accidents keep happening on set and eventually a body is found, Alice believes it wasn’t an accident at all and suddening there is more at stake than a million dollars.

I loved Alice, she was so organized and strategic, doing research before going on the show, making plans on how to win. I felt that in my soul, I would also be doing as much prep as possible before something like that.

Being forced to fake date someone on a reality tv show felt like a very possible scenario and Alice fully believing her high school rival hated her also felt genuine. When you’re young and naive in high school it’s easier to miss the signs that someone likes you so this setup was very believable.

The spice level in this book was lower than I expected for a reality tv/island paradise/abs and bikinis type read. There is some spice but only a couple, short, not very detailed scenes. This is not a huge deal to me but was unexpected.

The mystery!! I had no idea the whole time, I had one guess early on but was wrong, so I really enjoyed how that all played out.

Overall, this was a fun time and I loved our FMC and MMC together!

Kara Loo and Jennifer Young were as ambitious as our female lead, Alice Chen, in what they wanted to accomplish with this book. Not only are we exploring the fun, campy vibes of reality TV, we've also got an exploration of Alice's relationship with her mom, a budding rivals to lovers romance, and also a murder mystery thrown into the mix! Whew!

I just want to start by saying that I loved the bits we got with Alice and her mom. The way that she's been raised to show her love in practical ways, like food, is so reflective of my own experience growing up Asian-American. I felt really seen every time we got to hear Alice talk about how she felt indebted to her mom and wanted to take care of her now. More of this in my books, please!

You can tell from the get-go that Daniel is way more into Alice than she's into him, and I am absolutely SAT for a man who's down bad for the FMC. The bits in-between chapters—interviews, production notes, interviews—were also really fun. But by the time we get to the murder mystery, I feel like we're juggling too many balls in the air. While I liked the idea of blending the genres together in concept, I don't think it quite landed for me in practice. There were just too many ideas fighting for "screen time," and while there are some really great moments, the book was just short of overall greatness. I wish they'd really honed in on one flavor, because I felt like I was left with a confusing plate of ideas.

This wasn't the one for me, but I definitely know people for whom this would be right up their alley to recommend as a fun summer beach read!

Alice and her fiancé Chase go on a reality show to help with her mother's substantial medical debt. Gumming up the works is the sudden appearance of her high school nemesis Daniel who, of course, grew up hot. Further gumming up the works is her fiancé cheating on her with another contestant, forcing Alice to team up with Daniel to continue the game. And finally, there's a murder to be solved. Whew, that's a lot!
This was a quick read with a nice amount of humor. Alice and Chase are mis-matched, which I guess is the point, and it made it easier to root for Alice and Daniel. Without giving spoilers, there were some plot points I didn't love. Some I also found pretty far-fetched, so suspend disbelief to enjoy the ride. There was a nice sense of tension as things started to mysteriously go wrong on-set, which helped move the story along. The murder plot was interesting, but it often felt like the overall story had too much going on. I liked Alice but her relationship with Daniel felt forced to an extent. This story had a lot of potential but it never really grabbed me fully. It's a fun book if you're into reality show culture and you like murder mysteries with romance mixed in. Publishes June 3, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC of this story, all opinions are my own.

It’s well known that I am a reality tv fanatic and therefore I was sold by this title and cover alone. However, if you’ve watched as much reality tv as I have then you’ll be utterly bored and disappointed.

It started out strong but I thought I was almost done and realized I had only reached 50%. Pros: it really details what reality tv is like. Cons; it really details what reality tv is like. There was nothing new or unique and therefore I felt like I was just reading a summary of a real life episode.

I think a lot of people will enjoy this but they probably haven’t watched many shows if they do

A pleasingly funny and warm hearted spin on a dating show romance, Reality Check sees plucky math teacher Alice forced to reunite with her childhood rival to win a dating reality show and solve just a teensy murder on said show.

Thoroughly charming, hilarious when it needs to be, and compelling to read, it's the rare feat of combining a charming fake dating romance with an intriguing cosy mystery and a satirical wink towards social media and the spate of romance reality TV.

This was such a cute reality TV rom com. Alice was so strong and was such a loving daughter. I very much identified with the way she put her all into a relationship only for it to be one sided. I also related to how much of a caregiver she is, putting everyone else in her life before herself. This was a fun read that I devoured in a day!

Rating: 2.5⭐️

I was intrigued by the authors combining romance with mystery in a reality TV show setting, but this book ended up falling flat for me.

I couldn’t relate to the female lead Alice. She was way too competitive and high strung for my liking. All the characters felt underdeveloped quite honestly. This book is almost 400 pages but I didn’t get a good grasp on anyone. There is also two instances of cheating from two different couples and the way it was brushed off so easily really bothered me and did not sit right with me at all.

The whole reality TV show aspect of the book wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be either. The biggest twist was revealed in the blurb so there wasn’t anything surprising. The challenges were also lame and boring.

Overall, the superficialness of the characters, romance and the plot did not help me enjoy this book and it ended being too cheesy and unrealistic for me personally.

*** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review ***

Alice Chen is a no-nonsense 8th grade math teacher who is drowning in student loan and medical debt. So when Chance, her fiancé, is invited to participate in a couples reality show with a chance to win a million dollars, Alice is all in. But things go wrong from the start. Chance cheats on her with another contestant, and Alice is given the option of competing with Daniel, the suddenly single other guy in the group—her chief Quiz Bowl competitor from high school. She accepts. But then accidents start occurring, and eventually one of the assistants is murdered. Alice feels that her only option is to solve the murder, but that puts her in the crosshairs.
This is a fun beach read that pokes fun at reality tv while addressing some serious relationship issues.