SOUNDTRACK:
[READ: March 24, 2021] This is Not the Real World
I really enjoyed the first book in this duology.
That book was about a girl who was forced to work on the set of the retro TV show Stuck in the ’90s (which reveled in 1990’s pop culture).
When I was reading it, I had no idea that Carey was planning to write a sequel. The end of the book show sequel possibilities (and it sounds like there will be no part 3).
As the book opens, Jess and her fellow cast member Kipps have been free from their show for a few months. But they are never really free. Because the production company owns them until they turn 18, they have to lay low. Jess has turned 8 recently, but Kipps still has six months to go until he is an adult.
Real time is set in the future–so there are inviso-gates up to prevent people from seeing where Jess and her helpers are living. And yet, when Kipps risks a trip away from their compound to get a present for Jess, he is spotted. Soon after he is captured and brought back to the set for a new show called ’90s Mixtape.
‘90s Mixtape was a sort of meta- version of Stuck in the ’90s. It allowed the actors to talk about their awareness that this was a show. So when Kipps was brought back, his parents were allowed to yell at him for leaving the show.
Jess decides, with help from her real life friends (former cast members on Stuck) and protestors from outside of the show (which includes former cast members who have terrible things to say about the show) that the best way to get to Kipps and get free is to go back to the 90s.
Jess pretends that life outside of the set is too hard and begs the producers (head boss Chrysalis is a wonderful villain) to take her back. Chrysalis is suspicious, but holds all the power and insists that Jess work on the show’s terms.
When Jess is back on the set, she has a flood of emotions as she sees people who were once friends who may or may not be friends. Or who may once again be friends. And there’s all kinds of small side characters who desire more screen time–and any time with Jess guarantees more screen time.
Jess is happy to be back with Kipps–even if they are on screen all the time. But the producers have other ideas for how the show should look and they try to get some other popular characters on screen more. They even allow the audience to vote on what Jess does next. But when a friend on the inside starts suggesting that Jess create her own online presence, suddenly people see things from Jess’ point of view.
Jess’ whole plan involved getting footage that proved that Chrysalis was an evil person. Since everything has been filmed, it was pretty clear that that footage existed. They just needed to get to the database. But when the bosses have eyes everywhere, it’s hard to sneak around anywhere.
It’s possible that Chrysalis might think that Jess is more valuable dead than alive.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first one. The first one had a wonderful mix of surprise and familiarity. This book couldn’t offer as much surprise. But it did offer a lot of excitement. And that’s pretty good too. I just hope that the characters don’t look anything like the two on the cover, because they sure don’t look anything like that to me.
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