Reality Gold by Tiffany Brooks

Defamed teen Riley Ozaki attempts to rebuild her social reputation by competing with other teens in the aptly named contest “Reality Gold.” The contestants face off in a “Survivor”-type reality TV show with an added twist—there’s also infamous buried treasure to be found on Black Rock Island. 

Tiffany Brooks presents readers with a well-rounded teen female protagonist. Within the swift yet comfortable pacing of Brooks’ writing, we speed along with Riley as she overcomes childish bullying and betrayals typical of adolescence. We remain invested as she uncovers the hidden underbelly of the adults’ motivations, exploring the more intense themes of deceit, underhandedness, self-interest, and even murder. I find myself cheering her on as she quickly navigates each new wave of experience. Riley’s initial, somewhat vapid reasons for participating in the reality show are quickly overshadowed by more the valuable concerns of self-esteem, emotional relationships with peers and adults, and the physical safety of herself and others in the face of real-world danger.

Re-learning how to trust others in the wake of unexpected social betrayal is a major theme for Riley in this novel. We are right there with her as she unearths new nuggets of gold within her unlikely friendships and alliances. Riley discovers that people (herself included) and situations aren’t necessarily what they seem on the surface.

My main grievance with the novel is the somewhat forced “boyfriend” relationship. It focuses clumsily on Riley’s “He loves me, he loves me not” internal monologue, undermining her foundations of purpose and self-worth elsewhere. While the fraught back-and-forth of their relationship does have some plot value later in the story, the delivery of those sticky sections feels at odds with the otherwise smooth writing style.

Reality Gold is a delightful, fast-paced breakout novel for Tiffany Brooks. I am excited to hang out with Riley again (and hopefully get deeper into the other characters! I love a good backstory) in the upcoming novels of the Shifting Reality Collection.

Find Reality Gold by Tiffany Brooks over at Amazon. It’s available in both Kindle and paperback editions.

Until next time,
Jenna

Jenna Justice is a fiction editor and proofreader for independent authors. She specializes in middle-grade and young adult fiction, with an emphasis on fantasy, sci-fi, and magical realism.

Visit Jenna’s website at Justice Serves Proofreading, and say hi on Twitter at @justice_proofs.