The girl who knew too much by Tiffany Brooks

After a high-school prank goes wrong, leaving her vilified on social media, 18 year-old Riley Ozment decides that the best way to redeem her reputation is to sign up for a reality TV show that she hopes will portray her in a more positive light.

Transported to the TV set on a small island off the coast of Brazil, she and nineteen other teenage contestants must divide into two teams to complete challenges, and avoid eviction. They also learn that the island may harbour a deadly curse, as well as a hidden cache of Spanish gold that they can search for using an old map and cryptic clues. In this, Riley is ahead of the game, as she had previously visited the island with her treasure-hunting father and mysteriously murdered godfather, and has access to an internet-based treasure-hunter chat group.

Written from Riley’s point of view, she is soon as concerned about how she will appear to the other contestants and the TV viewers, as she was about her social media profile. She is constantly worried about making and being abandoned by friends, misplacing trust, and being judged. In this, she and several of the other characters are drawn realistically and sympathetically, mirroring what many of today’s teens experience.

The plot itself is convoluted, with a large cast of characters and a number of surprising twists as their schemes and motives are slowly revealed. The descriptions of behind-the-scenes conditions and machinations are a sobering insight into reality TV. The daily challenges and clandestine dashes around the island following the treasure clues keep the plot moving, and as alliances are formed and romances develop, manipulation, deception and rejection follow.

Originally published as Reality Gold in 2018, the book was promoted as Survivor meets Lord of the Flies. Readers expecting something as edgy as either of these, may be a little underwhelmed, but it is a well-paced adventure with enough action to keep you turning the pages.

Themes: Friendship, Reality TV, Treasure hunter, Adventure.

Margaret Crohn