American Idol meets The Hunger Games in this campy, dystopian satire about a teen betting her life that her singing talent can make her a star from the celebrated author of This Book Is Gay, Juno Dawson.
The world just seems to take and take from Taryn Beck, but there’s one thing it’ll never have: her voice. Only when she’s singing does Taryn feel like she can escape her reality—free from the aftermath of the War, free from the Scottish refugee camps where she and her family now live, and free from the responsibility of making ends meet for the sake of her sick brother.
Taryn’s voice is her one ticket out, and that’s why she enters to be a contestant on the world’s most watched television program: Starmaker, where kids from the New Peace Global Alliance compete for the chance to join an all-singing, all-dancing pop group. Rise to the top, and a life of luxury, stardom, and money awaits.
There’s only one small catch. The lowest ranking face a televised public execution. Starmaker thanks their participants for their noble sacrifice to Project Population.
Taryn’s about to sing for her life.
Title: Survival Show (Survival Show #1)
Author: Juno Dawson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing/Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 4, 2026
Review:
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I didn't even read the blurb for this one before I requested it because it's Juno Dawson and I really have loved all the books I've read from her. Then I got approved and read the blurb and thought to myself, Hunger Games and American idol merged? I'm so glad I signed up. I was ready for all the gruesome fun and gory details.
This book, on it's own, is absolutely dystopian. Set in a future where lands have been washed away by the sea, countries have merged and/or been renamed, and most people are hurting just to stay afloat, we meet Taryn Beck. A girl with a fantastic voice who just wants her brother to be ok. She enters Starmaker, a TV show contest where contestants sing and dance their way to the top, or get eliminated, literally. All she wants is to win the whole thing so she can afford the medication her brother needs to survive. But things aren't always what they seem and there's a true sinister plot behind the show and Taryn is determined to bring them all down.
Things I enjoyed from this book:
The premise! I love the idea of an American Idol type show where contestants sing and dance to advance or get put to death. It definitely had a Hunger Games feel to it throughout. While I've read many books that have a Hunger Games type theme, I've not read anything this unique.
The character diversity! For the most part, I found the characters intriguing. I like that Dawson chose so many different people to represent for this story.
The politics! Of course a dystopian novel would not be dystopian without political intrigue and villains who want to always stay on top and keep the little man down. I definitely felt the cast system in this book.
Things that could have been better:
The characters themselves. I liked them enough, most were relatable. But for me they just were not fleshed out as well as they could have been. It was hard for me to keep them straight many times and then when I did remember who they were, there wasn't anything truly unique for most of them to make them stand out.
The progression of the story. I found the pacing off in this book, It wasn't that it was very slow, but there were parts where I felt like I had to push through and didn't feel like they really leant anything to the actual story line.
The world building. When I read a dystopian book, I have to know why it's dystopian. While we are told why to a certain degree, we are not ever shown why. It's like Dawson threw it at us and then said, "you'll just have to believe what I'm writing." I can usually suspend my disbelief and picture the world, but the details and the reasoning for the war that happened making the world the way it is now just wasn't clear to me at all. I struggled to understand why I would care about anything that was happening to Taryn or exactly how her family was in the position they were in due to events of the past. Plus, the timeline was a bit confusing to me. It seemed like this war was pretty recent, that Taryn remembers the time before it all. But she's only 17 and I had a hard time believing this was true.
The romance. Yep, could have done without this. Honestly, there was almost no point to it. And I didn't feel any of the chemistry or emotional attachment needed to really make what happens towards the end (I won't spoil it) even make a difference in Taryn's story. The whole tale could definitely had been told without ever having any romance at all.
Overall, this was a decent story, I found it fun but not amazing. This is my least favorite title I've read from this author (and Her Majesty's Royal Coven got 5 stars from me across the board for all the books). The pacing, world building, and overall character development of this book could have used a bit more tweaking for me. But if you're looking for a fun YA with high stakes and a good amount of drama, pick this one up!
Author:
Juno Dawson is a #1 Sunday Times best-selling novelist, screenwriter, podcaster, and a former columnist for Attitude Magazine. Juno’s books include the global bestsellers, THIS BOOK IS GAY and CLEAN. She won the 2020 YA Book Prize for MEAT MARKET. Her first adult fantasy trilogy HER MAJESTY’S ROYAL COVEN launched in 2022, becoming an instant best-seller.
She also writes for television and has multiple shows in development both in the UK and US. Her TV credits include DOCTOR WHO (2025) and THE BIRTH OF VENUS (2021). An occasional actress and model, Juno had a cameo in the BBC’s I MAY DESTROY YOU (2020), a recurring role in HOLBY CITY (BBC 2021) and was the face of Jecca Cosmetics Play Pots campaign.
With Dylan B Jones, Juno hosts the smash podcast SO I GOT TO THINKING, the UK’s biggest SEX AND THE CITY fan podcast with over two million streams to date.
Juno grew up in West Yorkshire, writing imaginary episodes of Doctor Who. She later turned her talent to journalism, interviewing luminaries such as Steps and Atomic Kitten, before writing a weekly serial in a Brighton newspaper. Her writing has appeared in Glamour, The Pool, Dazed and the Guardian. She has appeared on Pointless Celebrities, BBC Women’s Hour, Front Row, ITV News, Channel 5 News, This Morning and Newsnight.
Juno lives in Brighton. She is a part of the queer cabaret collective known as CLUB SILENCIO. In 2014, Juno became a School Role Model for the charity STONEWALL.
No comments:
Post a Comment