Super cute, fun, a little bit steamy with some surprising twists and a lot of heart. A perfect summer beach read.

Alice's mother's medical debt has left the obsessively organized math teacher so overwhelmed she joins her charming golden retriever of a fiance on a reality show to win $1,000,000. He immediately cheats on her, forcing Alice to hook up with the other jilted lover to stay in the game. This happens to be Daniel, her high school academic rival, who can still make her blood boil and her cheeks flush. On top of this, the production is so plagued by “accidents” that someone winds up dead. The romance elements are sweet and spicy, and play more plausibly than the mystery. The train wreck of a show is just plain fun.

What happens when Alice Chen (methodical; fiscally responsible queen) goes on a couples reality TV show with her boyfriend (two brain cells to rub together; golden retriever dabbling in villainy?) in hopes of paying off her mom's medical bills? And what happens when her high school rival (abs-haver; hot; down bad???) shows up as a fellow contestant?

I adored this one! It was such a delightfully fun romantic romp with a murder mystery to solve as well. Authors Kara Loo and Jennifer Young knock it out of the park with a sardonic protagonist wrestling with her role as only child to her ailing mom. Alice Chen has been extremely driven her whole life, but when she re-unites with arch-rival Daniel Cho, she has to reconsider what, if anything, she's been driving to. Witty banter and delicious tension abound. The characters are lovable, and this was just the fun read I needed to keep me from going insane while I was stuck at the airport for 11 hours.

rivals to lovers and fake dating are two things that go together like peanut butter and jelly, it never fails to hit that spot!

ARC review
Publication date 3 Jun 25

“Alice Chen's Reality Check” by Kara Loo and Jennifer Young is contemporary romance combined with a murder mystery.

I received an advanced reader copy from Quirk Books (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

What you can expect:
- reality show
- fake dating
- rivals to lovers
- murder mystery
- tropical island

Alice and her fiancé go to a reality show because she needs money to pay for her mother's cancer treatment.
There she ends up fake dating her former high school rival, Daniel, after her fiancé cheats on her.

The plot of the book is engaging and I liked the pace of the action.
This is mostly a romance, but there is also a murder on the island and Alice is trying to find the killer.

I think that this was an accurate representation of what happens during a "reality" show and how some things are fabricated.
Alice is very competitive and also has trust issues. Her interactions with Daniel were great and he is just so sweet.

I liked the concept of the book and the mystery part, but I did not agree with all the decisions that Alice took.
Some of them can be explained by the fact that she needed the money, but she did not think about the consequences.

Overall I enjoyed reading the book and I would recommend it.

Cute but also fast-paced and thrilling! I'm not much of a reality show person, but the concept of non-reality show people in a reality show environment is always great. A lot of points where you'll go "I knew it!" but still lots of fun

I was totally hooked by this gorgeous cover, and I love the reality tv setting. Throw in a little murder mystery, and it's right up my alley!

You may have seen me talking about this one in my IG stories. The math didn't add up (pun intended), and it somewhat took me out of the story. I couldn't figure out how ~375k was going to allow both Alice and her mother to stop working, pay off "crushing" student loan debt, and pay off her mother's medical bills from stage four breast cancer. There was way too much focus on how Alice would spend the money if she won, and for a math teacher, she should have known it wouldn't go as far as she thought it would.

Other parts were iffy too--I didn't buy the love triangle or feel the chemistry. While I did love that a murder mystery was added in, it felt a bit out of place, and I didn't find the reveal to be realistic.

If you overlook the bad math, this was a fun escape to a tropical island. I would give these authors another shot, even if this wasn't quite the right fit for me.

Alice Chen has a mountain of student debt plus her mother's medical bills. She doesn't know what to do to get out of debt. Then enter a reality show, Dawn Tay’s Inferno, the hot new reality TV show designed to push couples to their breaking point. She enters with her fiancé but he cheats on her during the show and she is left with a decision. Should she leave the show or find another boyfriend to compete with her? She fake date the other newly single contestant—who just so happens to be her high school rival and sworn nemesis, Daniel Cho.

What happens is fun, courageous and I found myself loving these characters. Highly recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this romance! The reality TV angle was so fun, and I loved the genre-blending! I’m a sucker for rivals-to-lovers, and this did not disappoint!

Thank you to Quirk Books and NetGalley for an ARC!

I really enjoyed this unexpectedly funny romantic murder mystery. I'll definitely recommend this to my customers. I'm not usually a fan of reality TV but the chaotic mess that was created in this book would be a grossly entertaining extravaganza. I'm not also interest in more from this author since her characters are fun and relatable.

Cute and fun, especially if you're a reality TV fan. The mystery resolution had me feeling "meh" and I thought the final showdown bit was a bit over the top even for the level of cheesiness inherent to the premise. Solid main characters though and I'm sure it will be an easy beach read to talk up to patrons.

This book was so much fun! As a lover of reality TV, 1 loved the manufactured drama, the villain edits and the behind the scenes of what being on a reality TV show would be like. Throw in some fake dating & high school rivals and it made it that much better!
The characters were relatable and I was rooting for them hard. All in all, I loved every bit of this book!

Love Island, but there's a murder? Teehee! Sign me up! I'm famously a fan of anything with a reality TV angle, and I love that this is like a romance, but also there's murder so it's grittier and like...kind of difficult to put into a box. I'm not saying Love Island should add a big juicy mystery to spice things up a la Alice Chen, buuuuttt....it would drive ratings, that's for sure.

This book was so fun and had something for everyone - humour; romance, mystery and more. I love a book that’s set against the backdrop of a reality show and this book delivered. The characters were interesting and multifaceted and the cast provided a range of loveable heroes to people you love to hate. Alice was an engaging main character and Daniel was an A+ romantic interest. This will be such a perfect romantic mystery for summer!

Alice Chen’s Reality Check is a fun, fast-paced rom-com with a smart, fiercely competitive FMC, an equally smart and competitive, golden retriever MMC, and a twisty mystery that plays out like a movie.

Alice goes on a reality show (think Survivor but with couples) with her fiancé to win money for her sick mom, but things get complicated fast when her high school rival shows up… and sparks start flying.

I devoured Reality Check in a single day and had such a blast. It’s fast-paced, funny, and felt like the perfect mix of rom-com and mystery.

Alice is smart, driven, and fiercely competitive…she’s not just in it for love, she’s here to win. Watching her push past her anxiety in the name of helping her mom (while learning to trust someone else and work as a team) was so satisfying. And the MMC? Total golden retriever energy…sweet, supportive, and actually a good guy. Loved him.

There’s also a great, diverse cast of characters that kept things lively and layered. And the banter? Top tier. I laughed out loud multiple times.

Overall, Alice Chen’s Reality Check delivers big on heart, humor, and heat. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Quirk Books for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Thank you, Quirk Books for this arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

I loved this book so much, I don't even know where to start...😂
Okay, first, big YES to Asian rep. If you follow my book reviews, you know how important cultural representation is to me and it's something that should be normal by now, but unfortunately isn't.
This book was so fun, I actually felt like watching a reality show, but this was even better!
I loved how Alice went on the show with Chase (who was 0% IQ and 100% vibes😂) and met her high school nemesis, Daniel. The tension between her and Daniel mixed with the fake dating and forced proximity gave me butterflies 😍 Seeing how much Daniel had a crush on Alice while she had no idea was so cute!
But this book isn't just a romance, it's a thromance (thriller + romance) and the suspense and mystery are intense. While each round of the show got crazier, so did the characters. That made the plot twist unpredictable because everyone acted suspiciously. I loved how they had a reunion episode at the end like in an actual reality show and how hilarious the chapter names were😂
The ending was wrapped up perfectly and I really liked that the characters took time with their relationship.

That being said, Alice Chen's Reality Check is a must-read for summer!

This book was fabulous!! I am a huge reality tv fan and once I finished reading I kept thinking to myself "I should check if there is a new episode of...what reality show am I watching right now? Ohhhh I'm thinking of Alice Chen and Dawn Tay's Inferno!" I'm being serious. This has happened to me twice today! Alice is reluctant to leave teaching behind and join a reality show with her fiancé, but when she finds out the prize is a million dollars she starts to reconsider, her mother has some pretty hefty hospital bills piling up and Alice really needs to figure out how she will pay them on a teacher's salary... The reality show is like Love Island meets The Challenge, with a bit of those one-off shows like Tila Tequila. Contestants compete with their romantic partner and must beat out the other contestants at challenges with themes related to Dantés Inferno. Like any good reality tv show there are a lot of unexpected twists for the contestants, but when the producers may be covering up a murder... things get a little too crazy and Alice needs to get to the bottom of what happened. This book has great romance tropes like fake dating and enemies to lovers, as well as some great reality tv tropes like the newly wed game, competitions where you have to decide between love and money, sound bites and quotes that come back to haunt you later, showmances and couples who break up because of stupid challenges. This book was so fun to read and I enjoyed every minute of it. I will definitely be recommending this book once it is out on June 3rd (just in time for summer reality tv!!) and I can't wait to see what these authors come up with next! Thanks SO much to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this fantastic book!

A classic rivals-to-lovers, filled with laugh-out-loud moments, and fun reality-tv side-edits. Our heroine, Alice, is self sufficient and overly competitive, but all she wants in the world is to make her mom happy. My favorite part of the story was the tender mother and daughter dynamic; I wanted to know their relationship on a deeper level.
The plot turns quite chaotic in the reality show with near-death attempts, amateur sleuthing, and a mysterious murder. While vaguely interesting, I did feel like it took away from the central plot and main motivation for Alice to worry and care for her mom and winning the competition.
Our couple, Alice and Daniel, are pretty swoon worthy; they have undeniable chemistry, fun antics, and a deep understanding of each other— their relationship was truly a highlight of this novel. But what was confusing to me with the switching around of relationships: some of these events and emotional-processing times seemed a bit too rushed to be believable, and didn’t quite fall in line with what we were taught to believe about these characters, especially Chase and Alice.
In all, I loved seeing Loo and Young’s creativity shine, especially in the reality show challenges; these passages felt fresh, fun and unpredictable. I found to be a cozy and easy read. The romance (sworn nemesis, fake dating, one bed) was sweet and I appreciated how the ending was wrapped up!

Alice Chen needs money to pay for her mother’s cancer treatment. When her fiancé suggests going on a reality dating show to win $1 Million dollars, it’s not her first choice but she really needs the money. She works as a middle school math teacher and she has student loans.

This was such a fun book! It was lighthearted, entertaining and funny! The reality show aspect had plenty of moments that were over the top but it was a great ride. There are little press releases between chapters which really helped give insight into what was going on behind the scenes and to push the pace of the book. I went into this completely blind so was pleasantly surprised to find out there was a mystery aspect to this as well!

Alice joins the show with her fiancé Chase but once she arrives, she discovers her high school rival Daniel is also on the show. I really enjoyed these two characters and their banter and dynamic. Their romance was adorable but I think their chemistry could have been built up a bit more. I could see this would be challenging to navigate as a writer since there was so much going on with the show that the focus wasn’t just on the main couple all the time.

If you enjoy rivals to lovers, reality tv, fake dating and a bit of adventure, I’m sure you’d enjoy this!

Thank you to @netgalley and @quirkbooks for the arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

5/5 loved Alice Chen's Reality Check. It's as fun as the cover suggests, while also hitting on deep (and spicy) topics that make it perfect for a grown-up beach read. My favorite aspects were how well the main characters were developed, especially if you grew up Asian-American and have fallen in and out of love with the wrong person a few times. Seeing the world through Alice's eyes means being unapologetically nerdy, embracing your awkwardness, fiercely fighting for your loved ones, overcoming your own vulnerabilities, and yes, giving in to your hornball tendencies sometimes. How freakin' refreshing and real.

This book will resonate with reality TV fans and hilariously filled the void in my life when I stopped watching Love Island and the Bachelor (because justice for Jen, duh). The romance feels relatable and swoon-y, the murder mystery plot is suspenseful without being scary, and the authors do a really good job of keeping us guessing on both until the end. The side characters were also a bonus, from Alice's best friend Cindy (who I'm convinced should have her own book) to the other reality show contestants who are perfectly personified from internet memes. The chapter titles and production notes were great tongue-in-cheek interstitials throughout, and they made me chuckle out loud more than a few times.

I will be recommending ACRC to all my reality TV and romcom-loving friends this summer. I hope there's a sequel!