You Look Different in Real Life audiobook

On a vacation two years ago, I read Jennifer Castle's debut THE BEGINNING OF AFTER. I thought it only appropriate to bring her sophomore book YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE along with me on vacation this year, and I'm glad I did because I was able to pass it along to two different girls after I was finished, all while gushing about how much I truly loved it.Full Review: http://chickloveslit.com/2013/04/revi...

I read The Beginning of After and loved the way that Castle has you thinking about the characters all the way through. So when I had the chance of reading this one I jumped at it.Castle has a unique gift of providing us with characters that somehow fit into a category. But their personalities are not at all what you would expect and when it comes to teenagers of sixteen and seventeen with all the baggage that comes with teens these days I think she got this one spot on.So Justine, Keira, Rory, Felix and Nate are all child stars of the hit documentary series Five at Six/Eleven/Sixteen. It started when they were six years old. They were chosen from a large group to feature in the documentary with an aim to find them in five years time and see how they and their families had changed. Five at Six was a huge hit. Five at Eleven was even better. So when the producers find Justine, sitting on a wall outside her local library, not only does Justine know that she's going to be in the spotlight again but she also knows that she'll be a huge disappointment to everyone who watched the shows previously. From the beginning she's against Five at Sixteen. Mostly because when they filmed Eleven she told the cameras everything she wanted to be and to achieve. And in real life she hasn't done any of it. She's heavier than she'd like to be, just been dumped by a boyfriend, has no hobbies to speak of, and apart from a few conversation with Felix has little or no contact with the other three stars.What we learn as we read the story through flashbacks and private meetings is that they've all changed. Grown up, grown away from one another. Mostly they've all be affected by their lives being open to public scrutiny, to be criticised and contradicted. Their family lives are different. Justine's own father now doesn't live at home and they only have a family dinner on Thursdays.When Sixteen gets talked about openly Justine sees her parents diving at the opportunity. She sees for the first time how her mother would like more publicity for her business. How her father likes the attention. Surprisingly her sister, Olivia, says she wants nothing to do with it. The films of the past must have affected her own life.When filming starts the producers are confused. Why are this kids not performing like they used to? Where are the stars that the public know and love? Justine was always funny on film. The others all had their own idiosyncrasies too. As Justine points out, they're all teenagers now. They have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Parents expectations, their own expectations, genuine friendships that are hard to find. None of the 5 gel together. They've all fallen apart in five years. Although the filming is supposed to be natural and organic, the producers realise they'll have to break a few rules with this one. They use Nate's swim meet as one example to get all the five together in one room. All it proves is that the five kids would rather be anywhere else. So a team building weekend is suggested, that doesn't work well either...until Keira exploits the opportunity and uses it to her own advantage. When Keira goes missing the other four can't do anything but go after her. And that's where the true story of the Five at Sixteen film begins.I've seen this experiment many times on documentaries on TV. Personally I would hate the idea of a camera following me round constantly to get an eyeful of my life. Sure, when your six years old everything is funny and a joke. When you're eleven things start getting a bit more serious. The exploitation of the kids lives can never be realised until they're much older and by that time its too late. People judge you by what you see on TV not by who you really are in real life. Much like actors and actresses we see today.I thought Castle did a fantastic job with the story. Autism and Gay were proudly shown in their true finery. Family break ups and friendships were discussed in length and all told with a sympathetic voice and a strong resolution. The story is heartbreaking at times, especially when Castle reveals why the five don't get along any more. And a good ending that wrapped up the story nicely was perfect.Recommended to anyone who loved Castle's previous work and anyone who watches reality TV!

3.5 Stars.

Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7I received a copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest reviewYou Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle is a young adult contemporary novel that plays with the popular themes of life viewed through a camera lens--Reality Television--and shows us just how stressful and unglamorous the lifestyle might truly be, especially when you're a teenager trying to figure out not only who you are, but who you think the world wants you to be. Sprinkled with a dash of romance, made more exciting by the one-night adventure that eventually becomes the growing point for these characters, and offered as a way of seeing how sometimes we changed into who we want to become without even knowing it, You Look Different in Real Life is a fun, realistic, and very promising novel. While there is a lot going on, all the events happening are understandable. Though Castle's novel is shown from the perspective of Justine, the protagonist, the story is actually about the five teenagers who grew up in a sort of spotlight. Their lives fell apart, or became lies in the two documentaries prior to the one being filmed in the novel, so it is only fair that we come to learn and accept all of the characters and not just Justine. Justine is the rebel of the group, and while she spends a good chunk of the novel fighting her insecurities and stubbornness, we see her the way others see her: As someone with great promise. I love her character because she is believable--she's jaded by the way people have placed expectations on her, and she doesn't want any of the attention, but she also doesn't see herself as anything special. She is humble and blind to her own power as a character that everyone listens to. I was absolutely in love with the idea of adventure set in a storyline that could have easily become cliched and boring. I loved how Castle gave back her characters the power to choose how their lives would be portrayed, and how she made You Look Different in Real Life about more than just young love and how we see ourselves.Castle touches on important topics, such as: sexuality, mental illness, abandonment, bullying, and a few others. Castle's portrayal of some of the most important issues in today's young adult society is brilliant, at times funny, and poignant. She doesn't shy away from showing us characters who are unique in their worlds, and for that I am happy to have read her book. Sometimes all we need is a book that features characters who the author remains true to. These kinds of characters are more realistic and believable, making them easier to connect with. The pacing is wonderful, seeing as the pages flew by and the story gained more and more momentum until the crescendo near the end occurs, which ironically parallels a scene in the novel that also contains its own source of anticipation, effectively recreating that same sense of curiosity that comes after asking "what next?". Also, I'm a huge fan of any book that features New York City, small towns, and characters who find ways to redeem themselves organically, rather than through forced means.If you're looking for a book that expertly navigates the complicated world of teenaged-inspired documentaries through witty characters, fast-paced prose, lots of adventure, romance, and unexpected acts of bonding, then you might like this one.

I liked Justine and connected with her right away, I felt confused for the first part of the book. I knew the premise but it just felt like everyone was going around knowing something that I didn't. Why Justine had changed, why she felt like such a disappointment, and what had changed at school. But I think that was the whole point. Because as you get into the story, Justine remembers the moments as the film crew is there again, and things all begin to fit together. One of the themes is that Justine is disappointed, and it comes out as anger. She is disappointed that she didn't live up to what her eleven year old self thought she would be. But then she begins to see what is special about her, what makes everyone special. That we all have a story to tell. It may not be one that makes millions, and then again, maybe we aren't looking at it the right way. But I loved each moment where something clicked for her. Where she realizes that it is okay to change, that she needs to love who she has become, and that she can always start working for another goal again. Another theme is friendship. How it can change or how some relationships just reach an end, whether natural or by a fight or other circumstances. I liked watching her with Felix, seeing how they encourage one another, how a true friendship should be and what we should strive for. Then there are the others that ended, and how Justine deals with the parts that were her fault. There was one part near the end where they were all together and had went through a lot, and she said that they helped make each other whole. They realized more about themselves and life by being together. The characters are all fleshed out well, and the pacing was good. The ending wrapped things up really well and I enjoyed the story overall. Bottom Line: A refreshing premise that delivers emotion, and shows the lives of characters that were changed both positively and negatively by being on screen.

You Look Different In Real Life is one of those books that takes you by surprise. I have to say the idea of a documentary following kids around and seeing how they grow and what happens to them at the age of 6 then 11 and then when they are teenagers at 16 is an interesting concept. When I read the blurb of this book I was hooked. I can't imagine being in the spotlight at the most crucial times in a child's life. The Documentary is called Five at six/eleven/sixteen.I have to say that I really loved this book because it took us into the lives of five kids Justine, Keira, Rory, Felix, and Nate. We get to see them start out as innocent kids and then life throws them curve balls and other everyday things and the kids have to grow up fast. They will experience hurt, loss and first loves and will have to make it through their teenage years.Justine narrates the story and we get to see through flashback and private meetings how all five have changed and sometimes it was for the better and sometimes for the worse. For Justine she feels like a complete failure because she is heavier than she was and she has been dumped by her boyfriend and and has not kept in contact with the other four. Life has taken it's toll on her and she is disappointed because she said she was going to do a lot with her life but she has done nothing.This is a great story to read a must read so other kids can see they always don't have it as bad as they think. Real life is very much different from what the cameras show you.

Even though my schedule is totally packed with books to read, I couldn't resist taking this one on because I loved the concept so much. And while it didn't completely blow me away, You Look Different in Real Life is a solidly written, emotional novel that delves beautifully into teens whose lives were dramatically changed by being caught on camera - both in good and bad ways.The story is that Justine, Rory, Felix, Keira, and Nate were all kids who were placed together at the same kindergarten table. Filmmakers Leslie and Larry captured them and their families at six years old, and then again at eleven for two documentary films called Five at Six and Five at Eleven. The families agreed that the kids would be filmed every five years until they were twenty-one. Now the kids are sixteen, and it's time for the filmmakers to come again. But Five at Eleven tanked. And Justine's not even sure she wants to be in the movie.It's fascinating to meet these kids and to try to figure out their story. Like with a documentary, the book skillfully masks certain pieces for dramatic effect. Why did the last movie, Five at Eleven, tank? What happened between Rory and Justine to make them not be friends? Between Felix and Nate? Are the filmmakers as unemotional and divorced from their subjects as we think?Read the rest of this review at Mostly YA Lit

My goodness gracious. I am completely taken by surprise. I don't know what I was expecting, but I didn't think it would be laughter, tears, and such a full heart. Loved!- - - - - Review originally published on Rather Be Reading:Have you ever misjudged a book? Maybe just thought it would tell a different story than what you read? When I began reading You Look Different in Real Life, I expected something a bit more light-hearted that I would breeze through. I stopped reading book summaries a few months ago because I felt like they were spoiling so much for me, but in this particular case, I think maybe the cover eludes to a different story. (Thoughts?) But I digress… — WOW! — am I so glad I was so misguided. What I read — what Jennifer Castle wrote — is absolutely phenomenal.In a nutshell, You Look Different in Real Life is deep, engaging, so meaty and full of story — there’s past and present stories that makes everything flow effortlessly. I laughed, I cried. I couldn’t put it down.Justine, the main character, is uncertain of who she is. When she was six years old, she partook in a documentary film with four other six-year-olds (Rory, Nate, Felix, and Kiera) that followed them throughout the course of a few months. When they turned eleven, the film crew popped back into their lives to begin filming again. At sixteen, Justine is expecting a phone call. She knows they’ll return because the intent was to follow them until they turned 21. She’s hesitant of their return because at 6 and 11, she was somewhat the standout kid — she was quirky and full of personality. She won the hearts of thousands. At 16, she feels she’s digressed because she peaked at 11. Justine now feels like she’s lost herself — she has no hobbies and no particular talents. Everyone who loved her in the previous films will be disappointed with who she’s become.To make matters more interesting, Justine, Rory, Nate, Kiera, and Felix aren’t really a close group of friends. They’ve all, in multiple ways, hurt one another. Rory is Justine’s ex-best friend; she’s odd and blatantly honest. Justine has things she wants to say to Rory, genuinely, but is afraid that they will come off as being timed for the film. Nate has made the biggest turnaround of the group; he used to be a misfit who got teased endlessly, but now he’s a popular jock. Justine resents him because she thinks (but doesn’t know the details of the exact encounter) he did something to Felix, her present day best friend. Felix wants to be a star; he’s always felt overshadowed and wants to have a bigger role in the next film. And lastly, there’s Kiera. She and Justine orbit in different worlds and don’t particularly get along. Kiera is friends with Nate and she’s pretty/popular.What the film crew expects to find is the complete opposite of the reality they stumble upon. So much so that they have to intervene and begin to manipulate situations to get these very hesitant-to-interact teenagers together. What really makes the story feel like a fresh breath of air are the many, many details put into aspects of who these kids are/were. Everything feels completely believable and realistic. We aren’t always given all of the details upfront, but I trusted Castle would carefully lead us to the end of the rainbow where all the answers awaited. There’s not a moment I felt like she, Castle, was providing unsubstantial information; each sentence was flooded with supportive details and full of character-building. Every progression in the story felt natural and made so much sense.But maybe my most favorite aspect was how well-rounded everything felt. Castle set the scene and created a whole picture throughout the book by including a barrage of family and friendship moments. With all the transitions, growth, uncertainty. I find it impressive that a story based on the “reality” of five teenagers being filmed and documented could ironically feel so flawless and full of life; maybe because reality TV has conditioned me to believe only 5% of what’s being aired, I assumed Castle’s story would take the same over-the-top approach since it tackled a familiar situation. But I just couldn’t have been more wrong.You Look Different in Real Life turned out to be one of the happiest surprises of 2013 for me!

Read more reviews at What Danielle Did NextReality TV is depending on what side of the fence you stand on is either great entertainment or the very worst of media's many faces. Either way it can't be denied that there is something fascinating about getting an insider look into people's lives. The mundane becomes the must-see.YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE tells the story of five kids, first filmed at six, then eleven and now the producers are back to catch up with the cast at 16. In the five years since Five at Eleven aired things have changed for Nate, Felix, Rory, Keira and narrator, Justine. Can the five formerly close friends come together to give the world the insight into these mini celebs' lives they crave so dearly for or will they fade into obscurity like so many reality stars before them?This book was not at all what I expected. I thought this would be filled with cat fights and back stabbing, scenes created for your entertainment type scenarios and instead I got a wonderful coming of age story about friendship and love and I simply adored it! There is a psychological "phenomenon" these days that has come with the advent of social media called FOMO -- Fear of Missing Out. Social media while it has become a means for communication and friendship has become a source of anxiety and resentment as people compare their behind the scenes to other people's highlight reel.YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE highlighted the problems of advertising your life for public consumption whether as the star of your own show on E! or simply the star of your peer circle. What face do you put on? What is your story? How much do you gloss over and what image is presented? The truth or something beautiful? I loved Justine, our MC. The star of the previous two movies, at sixteen she is not where she thought she would be when she looks back at the spunky, sassy eleven year old with all her big plans. Aware now of how many aspects of her and her friends lives were manipulated for entertainment purposes she's wary of wading back into the fray. Unspoken tensions with the other members of the group also weigh heavily on her mind and her anxiety takes on a physical manifestation in the form of stomach cramps which I thought was interesting how the adults brushed aside her pain if it meant a better scene or storyline. Her interactions with the rest of the group were at times equally hilarious and heartbreaking. Justine is clearly the glue that connects them all, without her the cohesive nature of their story falls apart. In the five years since the last movie each of the group has gone through their own metamorphosis, Nate the popular swimmer who, on the rare occasion he locks eyes with Justine seems to cut through the walls she's built to protect herself. Keira, the little girl who had her mother's departure screened worldwide, looks upon the world with the cool eyes of one whose popularity seems assured. Rory, always the "strange" one has found her niche and Felix, the one who desperately wants to be understood but above all noticed. What starts as a simple bonding exercise in the woods to shake off the cobwebs and get some footage on camera turns into a road trip of discovery as the five take off in search of Keira's mother and in the process rediscover both who they are and what they truly mean to each other. This is a book about connecting and reconnecting and I loved how the friendships played out. Castle created a book filled with realistic and wonderful characters that I couldn't help but want to know more about. Quiet and unassuming, the relationships both platonic and romantic play out over an ordinary weekend of extraordinary things. Unexpected and captivating, YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE was a sweet and wonderful coming of age story that I will remember for a long time and I personally cannot wait to read more from this author.

**4/4.5 stars**Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...It’s sad to say that I’ve had this book on my shelf for WAY too long. I borrowed this from one of my best friends and fellow book blogger, Richa (City of Books) – I’m so sorry for keeping this too long! – and unfortunately because there was never a good time, I kept putting off reading it. I HAVE SO MANY REGRETS. This book was amazing. Nay, it was awesome. You Look Different in Real Life had the right amount of humour, emotional trauma and a unique concept that really made this stand out from other contemporaries. First of all, the storyline: so original! I mean, contemporaries about movies and TV shows have been done, but something like this, a documentary series that follows five children every five years is pretty amazing. Plus, I don’t think I’ve read anything, other than Secrets of My Hollywood Life, that deals with someone who’s been part of the film business for a while. There was such a good range of characters and such diversity of events that occur throughout the novel, so much that there wasn’t a dry part of the novel for me at least. I would have thought that being followed around with a camera crew would have it’s perks, but after reading this novel, I can definitely see the problems that arise and the consequences that it creates.Speaking of characters, I loved ALL of them. Seriously. I enjoyed Justine’s humour and personal conflict as she comes to terms with who she is and who she wants to be. I adored Felix’s outgoing personality and the little twist that comes up later on in the novel– his story definitely gets interesting. Nate at first seemed a little cold, but I totally warmed up to his character as he and Justine interact more. Kiera was the only one who I thought was really distant from the four, but her story definitely dominates most of the story and is the undercurrent to the plot. Rory I couldn’t help but feel bad for. However, I also liked that she was okay with being different and accepted herself. I even liked Leslie’s character, because even though she was kind of went Effie-Trinket all over the five kids, like The Hunger Games character she truly cares for the kids.There is a teeny bit of romance between two of the characters – not gonna mention which two – and while I think it was fine, it didn’t make much sense to me. They haven’t talked for a very long time, and because they suddenly start to open up to each other, that means that they fall in love? Maybe I missed something, but this was the only part that was slightly off-putting. However, the relationships that form between all five of the children is so real– Castle has certainly done an amazing job portraying it!You Look Different in Real Life was an honest portrayal of what goes on behind the camera lens, and I loved how real and sincere it was. I couldn’t put this one down for a second! Jennifer Castle is an author that will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen's and Elizabeth Scott’s novels, and is a fresh voice in YA that I can’t WAIT to hear more from.

3.5 startsThey started off in kindergarten sitting in tiny chairs, getting to know each other, capturing their lives behind the telephoto lens. Five children at ages six and eleven, they made documentaries capturing their lives, splashing it up on the big screen making celebrities out of such small humans. Now at age 16, they are back on the scene, hoping to capture the five teens but these teen’s lives are far from what the directors are craving. The collaboration they once had, the unity they once shared has been broken. The closeness is gone but the show must go on. The directors and the audience are waiting. As the characters have drifted apart so have some of the families that have created these celebrities. Feeling that are so buried deep inside are a major issue that the teens must address if they are to be successful. As they bring these teens together, layers of emotions are touched and prodded but there is something deeper within that must be uncovered. Trying to bring the teens together, the directors host a weekend retreat at a cabin. This retreat is a wakeup call as the teens take matters into their own hands to find the root of their pain. As the camera is rolling, it’s real and there are no do-over’s. The reading was a bit slow in the beginning and uneventful. Things started to pick up in the middle as the teens got more involved in the book. You would think that the children would just drift away from each other as they got older and matured but it much deeper than that. There are reasons why the teens drifted apart and that’s when the book got interesting. All the characters have interesting tales and at times it reminded me of the famous movie The Breakfast Club. Like in the movie: all the characters are different yet they all are the same when you really think about it, it all depends on how you look at it.

If you have Young Adult literature fans in your family, or you're a YA reader yourself, I recommend you pick up a copy of Jennifer Castle's new book, You Look Different in Real Life as part of your summer reading list. The novel explores the dynamics among five youth who are featured in a documentary series together: they were first filmed back in kindergarten at age 6, then filmed at age 11, and now, age 16. The narrator, Justine, feels and notices everything, and the way she reacts to whatever is happening affects me as the reader. Justine puts words to ideas that either seem to be missed by the others, or that they just cannot express, and it's done in such a charming, youthful way: "Sometimes I think of an invisible cord connecting Nate and Keira and Felix and Rory and me. It's made of something thin and deceptively powerful, like the stuff Spider-Man squirts out of his wrists. Then I wonder who spun it. Was it Lance and Leslie? Was it everyone who's ever watched the Five At documentaries? Or maybe it was me. All I know is that it's always there. It stretches and winds but will never break." Castle's writing also offers interesting insights beyond the relationship of the characters: "Leslie once told me that a film isn't made by shooting stuff but rather, by editing it. The shooting is the inspiration and the ideas and the paint palette. The editing is the artist actually picking up the brush to accomplish the doing, the making something out of nothing." I appreciate the wisdom Justine draws from her experiences as she makes amends and becomes more true to herself, which makes it possible for her to have more authentic relationships in the end. The whole thing is fresh, relevant, and satisfying to read. Can't wait to read the next one!