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The Real Deal

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The Real Deal

By: Caitlin Devlin
Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton
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About this listen

Is it harder to keep a secret when the world is watching–or to tell the truth when no-one is listening?

Belle Simon was just 12 years old when she was one of six girls plucked from obscurity to star in reality TV sensation The Real Deal. Under the wing of dazzling star Donna Mayfair, she and the other five girls were meant to become world-famous actresses, singers and dancers.

But at 26, Belle is trying to live anonymously, away from being loved or loathed. The public eye has never fully shut, however, and when a producer offers Belle a big paycheck to join a reunion special for The Real Deal, she finds it hard to say no. If people are going to talk about that shocking final episode anyway, maybe this is an unexpected opportunity.

Everyone watching thinks they know what happened, but only Belle knows what really occurred away from the cameras and outside the editing room. Is she ready to go back and confront her past? And will anyone believe her if she reveals the truth?

©2024 by Caitlin Devlin. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Celebrity
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This book delves beneath the glitzy world of show business and exposes its gritty underbelly. The story is beautifully told with deft touches of humour and pathos. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Polished storytelling and delivery.

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This has all the makings of a great story with an interesting premise and character dynamics but ultimately falls flat. Quite slow and a bit underwhelming.

Interesting premise but slow and underwhelming

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I'm in the first instance I'm confused by the lack of any of the 5 women at the reunion recalling and calling out the obvious manipulativeness and emotional and psychological abuse of the industry adults. i assume the message is how commonplace and routine such behaviour is, and how easily those chasing stardom will accept it.

However, what really baffled me is that the urging to precocious behaviour, body image traumatisation, sexualisation and manipulation of a minor into a sexualised role hardly gets a comment. Is this aspect deliberately underplayed - so the reader will be aghast at the omission and question everyone's judgement? If this were the case, I'd find that bold, brave, and laudable. A clever layer to the story. I'm just not sure it was deliberate....

I'd love a prequel or follow up - showing us no holds barred who Donna really is and what her genuine intentions were.

I found it an interesting and enjoyable listen - despite my reservations.

An interesting listen.

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