Faking Reality

by Sara Fujimura

Overview

Can a reality star princess transform the boy-next-door into her Cinnamon Roll Prince?

Dakota McDonald swore after “The Great Homecoming Disaster” that she’d never allow her romantic life to be a plot line in her parents’ HGTV show again. But when the restaurant run by the family of her best friend (and secret crush), Leo, is on the line, Dakota might end up eating her own words.

Leo Matsuda dreams of escaping the suffocating demands of working in his family’s restaurant, but the closer he gets to his goal—thanks to the help of his best friend (and secret crush) Dakota—the more reasons there are for him to stay.

Sara Fujimura's Faking Reality is another charming multicultural romance by the award-winning author of Every Reason We Shouldn’t, a National Public Radio Best YA Book of the Year.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250204103
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/13/2021
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	HL700L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

SARA FUJIMURA is an award-winning young adult author and creative writing teacher. She is the American half of her Japanese-American family, and has written about Japanese culture and raising bicultural children for such magazines as Appleseeds, Learning Through History, East West, and Mothering, as well as travel-related articles for To Japan With Love. She is the author of the National Public Radio Best of the Year young adult novel Every Reason We Shouldn’t, in addition to self-published young adult novels Tanabata Wish and Breathe. She lives in Phoenix with her husband and children.

Editorial Reviews

2021-05-17
A reality star who fiercely guards her personal life ponders risking it all for true love.

Dakota McDonald has been famous since the moment her parents revealed on their hit renovation show that they were expecting her. But after having her childhood meticulously documented on television, America’s “DIY princess” longs to be a regular teen. Despite that, Dakota reluctantly agrees to turn her upcoming birthday into a special episode complete with corporate sponsorship and begins auditioning telegenic potential dates, who will earn $5,000 for their efforts. Complicating matters is Dakota’s childhood friend (and secret crush) Leo Matsuda, whose family owns her favorite restaurant. Like Dakota, who has a White father and Japanese/White mother, Leo is biracial (his father is from Japan, and his mother is a White American), and the two have always bonded over their love of Japanese culture. When Leo begins dating a classmate, Dakota struggles with jealousy even as she continues her staged courtship. While HGTV fans may wish there were more home renovation scenes, the moments detailing the pressures of being a teen girl in the public eye shine. Glimpses into Japanese American history and experiences, including the recounting of Dakota’s grandmother’s time in an internment camp and the discrimination her grandparents experienced as an interracial couple in the 1950s, ground the characters and story. Fans of Japanese food and pop culture will also find much to enjoy.

An unconventional tale of evolving relationships and self-knowledge. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Every Reason We Shouldn't:

“A rich, emotionally layered story. ... Wonderful.” —NPR

“This book is like a warm hug filled with all the things I love. I started smiling from page one and couldn’t put it down.” —Courtney Milan

“Whether your first ice skating romance was The Cutting Edge or Yuri!!! On Ice, you will absolutely love this book. Full of complicated family relationships, sparkling friendships, and a completely delicious romance, Every Reason We Shouldn’t is an uplifting love song to everyone who’s ever lost their way, and then had the courage to find it again.” —Lindsay Ribar, author of Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies

“Sure to take the gold.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Readers will enjoy the well-developed characters, witty dialogue, and cringe-worthy romantic fumbles right through to the awfully neat, but very happy ending.” —School Library Connection

“Compelling... an obvious choice for fans of classic love stories that play out on the ice, but also for readers looking for a nuanced story of self-discovery.” —Booklist

From the Publisher