“An engaging read (with) thought-provoking depths” **** ~ Indie ReaderReality TV is about to get real…“Are you ready to win the heart of the nation? Compete with seven other contestants for the cash prize? Change your life forever?”Twenty-six-year old Rory Stevens is thrilled to be selected as one of eight contestants for new reality show: The Retreat.However, on the second day of filming – … show: The Retreat.
However, on the second day of filming – during a televised broadcast from the show’s host – all power shuts off with no explanation: leaving the contestants, quite literally, in the dark.
Completely stranded, it is now up to Rory and her seven companions to figure out what is happening.
Until one of them disappears…
For fans of Naomi Alderman, Dave Eggers and John Marrs.
“An absorbing, fast-paced novel with a unique premise. A compelling, accomplished and thrilling read.” – Holly Kinsella, bestselling author of My Life.
Morgan Dun-Campbell lives in London. She has an MA (Distinction) in Creative Writing and Publishing, has participated in two Arvon literary writing courses, and has worked as an intern for numerous publishing houses, including Penguin Random House and Bloomsbury. She currently works for Author Enterprises and Sharpe Books. The Girl on Camera is her first novel.
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Not a fan of reality tv but somehow this book had me thinking every time I tried to put it down. It showed, all too clearly, how mean and selfish many people are.
It was quite entertaining.
I liked it for the most part…some twists and turns, some interesting character studies. I did not like the grammar and word errors and the stilted vocabulary and idioms, She should keep writing…it will only get better.
very different not easy to figure out
I didn’t care much for this book. It definitely came from an England point of view, not U.S. It was just kind of a strange story and the ending was horrible.
This book turned out to be more than I expected. I really enjoyed it and thought I had it all worked out but was surprised as I reached the end.
After finishing “The Orphan Master’s Son,” I needed something much lighter. I had downloaded “The Girl on Camera” from Book Bub and this seemed like it would be just about as opposite as I could get as well as a quick read I could enjoy while lounging by the pool while on vacation. It definitely met those needs.
Rory Stevens is a month away from moving in with her boyfriend when she breaks up with him instead. Stunned by his parting words that she’s afraid to take a risk, she responds to an email that may or may not be spam and ends up being selected as one of eight contestants on a new reality show called “The Retreat.”
Despite having some trepidation (and what seemed to me some serious misgivings on just how far the $50k GBP prize money could go!), she finds herself in a remote location with the other contestants, in which your typical reality show antics then begin to ensue: alliances, outcasts, fights, etc. On Day 2, however, the power goes out and slowly, one by one, the other contestants start to go missing…even though there is no discernible way out of the compound.
The reason behind the mysterious disappearances seemed pretty obvious to me and I was surprised none of the characters clued-in on it, especially since they all seemed to disappear following some deep insight into themselves. The ending, while pretty predictable, did have a twist to it that I did not see coming and definitely added some reality to what can happen on this type of show. I also thought the aftermath was interesting in respect to the direction Rory’s character took after it was all said and done versus what she envisioned for herself when she auditioned.
This was a definitely a quick, fluffy read. It won’t win any prizes for great literature but I did keep wondering what was going to happen next and was curious as to whether or not I was right about why everyone was disappearing (I was – it really was that obvious). It’s definitely a good vacation book and an interesting look at reality TV competitions. The interview with the author at the end was interesting too in which she talks about how she came up with this idea and what the main point she was trying to get across was (which I did not get but reading comprehension has never been my strong suit!). This is the author’s only book to date, but if she came out with another, I would definitely give it a shot.
Twisted and unpredictable!
It was just okay.
The story read OK the ending was different and unexpected
Enjoyable read.
It took me awhile to get into this but it was suspenseful.
I enjoyed this book’s twist on the reality show business.
I’m a survivor fan so the plot of this book caught my eye. I kept flipping pages because I was anxious to see how it ended. The end of the reality show was sort expected. The end of the book however, was weak and abrupt. I was surprised by the number of grammatical errors in the book. As others have said this seemed more like a draft than a finished book.
A twenty-something girl is stuck in a boring go-nowhere life with a boyfriend she’s not too keen on. She signs up for a reality show. I’m not going to elaborate on the rest of the plot, but what I liked was how each character had an impact on each other. Insights about life and what was important, etc. were all there and nicely delivered. I liked the book because it was different and made you think about things–if you wanted to. I give it four stars. Note: The author is from the UK and the language and verb tenses take a little getting used to if you’re not from the UK.
One of the worst books I’ve read in a while. Made myself finish it. There never seemed to be any kind of real character development and the story itself was hard to read.
Very disappointing.
Unfortunately, this book will hook you into reading it, while waiting for an interesting plot twist that never occurs. This book is loaded with characters who seem interesting at first only to become boring. Total waste of time.
a
Not a bad story line.
Unrealistic
I almost didn’t read this book because it’s about a reality show and I don’t watch them. However, this is the perfect story to show reality followers what is wrong with reality TV. Rory decides to try out for a new reality show and gets picked. She ends up in the middle of nowhere with 6 other strangers and is supposed to complete all the challenges in 3 weeks. When the electricity is cut shortly after the show starts, all hell breaks loose and each of the contestants begins to show their true colors.