On Tuesday's Episode of the GSMC Book Review Podcast I was pleased to welcome Laura Heffernan back. Laura first joined me on Episode 39 back in November to talk about the first two books in her Reality Star series. The final book in that series, Reality Wedding was released on Tuesday, and it was such fun to chat with her again about this series and her writing.
When Jen Reid escaped a reality TV cruise with her relationship intact—if not her hair—she swore she was done with the cameras for good. Sure, she and Justin met, had their first kiss, and got engaged with tape rolling, but manufactured drama and ruthless producers have shaken them up more times than she can count. With Jen’s reality-themed bakery just getting started and her brand-new lawyer fiancĂ© in a pile of debt, they’re a long way from glitz and glamour, and that’s fine by Jen. Until the Network calls and tells her that unless she says “I do” to a wedding special, Justin will be out of a job.Now Jen has two weeks to plan an all-expenses-paid “dream wedding”—and dodge the tricks and traps of a showrunner happy to mess up her future in the name of ratings. Luckily for Jen, she’s got plenty of experience with cake and popcorn. But when real-life drama and reality TV twists collide, the cliffhangers may just follow her right down the aisle . . . (Source)
Laura said this final book is her favorite of the trilogy and I would have to agree with her. All three books are really fun, and this one is no exception. Jen and Justin once again find themselves in some crazy, producer-created dramatic situations. What I especially liked about this book, though, is that Jen and Justin are actually able to work together as a team. If you've read the first two books (and I'm not going to give anything away) then you know that these two characters were often at odds due to mistrust mostly created by the reality shows they were on. In Reality Wedding, though, Laura still gives these characters plenty of stress and craziness, but they are able to face it together as a cohesive team and it was nice for me as a reader for them to get that chance.
One thing Laura stressed in both of her interviews is that you don't have to be a fan of, or even watch, reality television to enjoy this series, and she's absolutely correct. I don't tend to watch a lot of reality shows, but I loved these books. They're perfect escapist reading and you should definitely check them out if you're looking for something fun, funny, and romantic to read.
Genres:
- Romantic Comedy
- Women's Fiction
What I enjoyed:
- All of the things that also made me cringe. One reason I can't watch much reality TV is that I project too much and I feel so awkward and uncomfortable for the people participating. Here I am able to enjoy those same situations more because the characters are fictional. The crazy situations Laura comes up with for her characters are hilarious.
- The secondary characters. One character is so much fun to hate (he tends to speak in rhyme and is completely obnoxious in almost every way), and Jen's friends are quirky and smart and loyal and might all need their own spin-offs.
- The development of Jen's and Justin's relationship in this conclusion. As I said above, it was so nice to watch (read?) them work as a team and see how much stronger they'd become together than they had been in the first two books.
Who should read the Reality Star Series?
- Fans of reality television, but not being a fan doesn't eliminate you.
- Fans of romantic comedies.
Quotes:
- "To call our wedding budget a shoestring stretched the bounds of the English language. We were on a dental-floss budge unless we wanted to wait three years to get married."
- "...and I still didn't know what a plate charger was. (It did not have a USB port, I checked.)"
- "'It's Los Angeles,' Connor said. 'Everyone's a little bit evil.'"
Where you can find Laura online:
Website: http://www.lauraheffernan.com/
Facebook: @lauraheffernanbooks
Twitter: @lh_writes
Instagram: @lauraheffernanbooks
Amazon Author Page: Laura Heffernan
Goodreads: Laura Heffernan
BookBub: @lauraheffernan
Author Bio:
Laura Heffernan is the author of the Reality Star series (available now) and the upcoming Gamer Girls series (2019). When not watching total strangers get married, drag racing queens, or cooking competitions, Laura enjoys travel, baking, board games, and new experiences. She lives in the northeast with her husband and two furry little beasts.Some of Laura's favorite things include goat cheese, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, the Oxford comma, and ice cream. Not all together. The best place to find her is usually on Twitter, where she spends far too much time tweeting about writing, Canadian chocolate, board games and reality TV. (Source)
To hear the interview with Laura please click here.
To hear the first interview please click here; to read the accompanying blog post please click here.
