In Real Life” is a new reality show. The kings and queens of social media have been invited to spend 3 weeks completely unplugged on a deserted island. Cameras are going to be watching their every move. UNTIL the camera crew never shows up and the group is left stranded with no way to reach the mainland. Then the first body is discovered and it turns everyone into a suspect.

This novel has been done quite a few times before. It is nothing new. I did enjoy the story, even if it is a bit of a repeat. But I absolutely hated every character in this tale. This is the main reason for the 3 star rating. I just really wanted to slap each and every one. They are spoiled, self centered, little brats. This is what makes the story turn…I guess. The reader really doesn’t know who, what, when or why this is happening. Each character has some major bad qualities and so you are guessing which one is causing this whole ruckus. And believe me…all of them are capable.

Need a story with a reality tv feel….THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )

Ten social media influencers sign up for a reality show on a deserted island. Sounds like fun? Not when one of their own ends up dead. These young adults are annoying and not likeable, to me anyway. The story is told through the point of view of four of the characters and sometimes the chapters are short and sometimes not. Made for a quick read. What I like was the suspense and mystery, although I sort of figured some of it early on. And some I didn’t see coming. ( )

This was such a good book, a YA thriller where a group of teen influencers go to a private island to be on a new reality program, IRL, where they will be unplugged from their social media for 6 weeks. What could go wrong? Well, for one thing, the crew never shows up and one of the kids ends up dead. Was it an accident or could it have been something more nefarious? When another person ends up dead, it's up to the teens themselves to figure out who the culprit is before the next mysterious death occurs. They are also getting mysterious messages from "The Sponsor" threatening to expose their deepest secrets on Instagram if they don't confess them to each other. So much drama!

This was a real page turner, and one that was hard to put down! Instead of a locked door mystery, this was a sort of locked island mystery, which ratcheted the tension up even more. The characters were interesting and relatable, and the mystery itself was well written.

All in all, I enjoyed this book very much, and highly recommend it.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Olivia Worley for the opportunity to read and review this book. ( )