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Sep 22, 2009

Red rated it:

I really enjoy Abrahams' YA mysteries. Reality Check is not part of the Echo Falls series. Cody, our protagonist is a 16 year old boy, from lower-middle class small town Colorado. His girlfriend, Clea, is from a rich mining family. Her dad does not approve of Cody and when Dad catches the two of them in her room, he sends Clea off to a Vermont boarding school. When poor student and quarterback Cody, has a season-ending knee injury in the first football game of the season, he ends up dropping out More...

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Dec 01, 2009

Jordan added it

The Reality Check Reality by Peter Abrahams is a very suspenseful type of book. It is about a boy named Cody; our protagonist is in the lower middle class in Colorado. He blows out his knee and can’t play football anymore. He then decides to drop out because he was only at school for football. The protagonist calls himself stupid and yet the author walks the audience through his method of writing. He has a wealthy girlfriend who has moved to Vermont for school. His girlfriend goes missing and C More...

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Dec 19, 2011

Kiana rated it:

Surprisingly, I liked Peter Abrahams Reality Check. This was the second mystery genre story in a row that I have read, and enjoyed it much more than the last. This story was less predictable, and was a definite page turner. Abrahams really gets me interested in reading more books in his collection. All of his stories are centered around athletes of all sorts and the typical high school story “..something about a girl.” In this particular story, his girl is kidnapped, and he sets off by himself t More...

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Oct 12, 2011

Chelcee rated it:

Cody is the star football player for his high school team. His grades on the other hand barely get him by. Cody lives with his father on the poorer side of town and his mother died when he was a child. Clea his ultra smart girlfriend has gotten straight A's all through school. She lives in a mansion and her dad is rich and loves to ride her horse Bud. When she has to tell her father she got a B, the life she is used to living changes.
When Clea tells her father he sends her to live in More...

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Aug 11, 2011

Barky rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jun 21, 2011

John rated it:

Cody Laredo has a near perfect life. He is a football star, his girlfriend is the beautiful daughter of the richest man in town, and he looks to cruise through his next year of high school on minimal effort. Then he injures his knee, his girlfriend moves away, and he drops out of school. Apathetic and depressed, he learns of his girlfriend's disappearance on the other side of the country. He's got nothing to lose, so he leaves town to help in the search for her. What he finds in New England, More...

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Jul 07, 2010

Michael rated it:

"Reality Check" by Peter Abrahams is set in Colorado and Vermont and involves a sophomore boy, Cody Loredo (too Colorado) and his girlfriend, Clea. He lives above a bar with his drinking dad. She lives in the mansion with her controlling folks. The plot is obvious, jock loves student, at first. She then enters a private Vermont boarding school with her horse, he drops out and goes to work, and she disappears. Cody packs a bag, goes to the ATM, and joins the search on the Devon woods of More...

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Jul 03, 2010

Jim rated it:

I'm a big fan of Peter Abrahams' lean, tight, fast-paced Young Adult thrillers. He's got the master's effortless gift of developing character and setting along the ride, and as such, "Reality Check" (much like "Bullet Point") is the kind of book you find yourself wanting to read again in a few years to rediscover its old surprises and pick up a few new ones you might have missed the first time.

Like "Bullet Point," this story starts as the tale of a disa More...

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May 20, 2010

khcpl teen rated it:

Cody is almost 17. He is the quarterback on his high school football team, has a great girlfriend, and a wonderful summer job making more than minimum wage. For Cody, life is good, until his girlfriend Clea tells him she will be going to boarding school the following year, and at that point everything seems to fall apart. Cody breaks up with Clea, wreaks his knee and his football season, and then gives up on school. Just when things seem the worst, Cody finds out that Clea has disappeared fr
More...

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Feb 28, 2010

Diana rated it:

Peter Abrahams has long been a favorite for his adult suspense novels but try as I would, I could never get into his Echo Falls series. His latest suspense novel, a stand alone young adult mystery keeps the reader guessing all the way through while throwing out clues that do add up. Sixteen-year-old injured football star Cody drops out of high school in rural eastern Colorado when he is benched for injuries and his wealthy girl friend is sent to an exclusive boarding school in Vermont. Wanting w More...

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Dec 16, 2009

Monique rated it:

Peter Abrahams' Reality Check is a mystery novel. County High's football quarterback, Cody, is dating Clea. He has a job that pays well, he's smart and keeps up in school, and he's dating one of the prettiest girls in town. Cody's happiness all changes when he tears his ACL and Clea is sent away to boarding school in Vermont. His football career and love life were now over. Even though Cody and Clea broke up, they still sent letters. Cody recieved the news that Clea had gone missing. He got a le More...

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Nov 12, 2009

Beth rated it:

Sixteen-year-old Cody Laredo seems to be doing okay. He's passing all his classes, he's the QB for the football team, he's got a gorgeous girlfriend, and he's lined up a good-paying job for the summer. He knows college scouts will be looking at him in the fall, offering a way out of Little Bend, CO, and the tiny apartment he shares with his widowed father. Even when Clea - his girlfriend - is abruptly shipped off to Hong Kong for the summer by her wealthy parents, everything looks like it will w More...

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Oct 01, 2009

Aaron rated it:

Abrahams is probably best known for his adult novels, but a few years back he broke into the young adult literature arena when he started up his Echo Falls series, which stars a middle schooler with a talent for soccer, acting, and solving mysteries.

His newest young adult novel has more of a focus for high schoolers. Cody Laredo, the quarterback and star of his high school football team, is hoping to use his talent on the field to gain him a scholarship at a big school. One of the bi More...

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Sep 24, 2009

Sara rated it:

Hmmm.
I can definitely say that high school boys with a fair reading level will eat this up. It's about a high school dropout who played football before he blew out his knee, so Reality Check will catch both the sports kids and the kids who feel like dropping out. Because of the way the main character thinks of himself (he thinks he's stupid), Abrahams walks the audience through the plot without appearing to walk them through, which is a touch of authorial genius.
The plot is fairly More...

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Sep 05, 2009

Kate rated it:

Cody is a football star and is dating a rich girl in a small town in Colorado. Then his life goes down the tubes: Clea's father sends her to a private school in Vermont to keep her away from this kid from the wrong side of the tracks, and Cody suffers an injury that keeps him from playing football. Cody drops out of school to work at a dead-end job. Figuring he really is a loser, he avoids Clea's efforts to get in touch.

Then the news comes out: Clea has gone missing. Pretty soon Cody More...

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Aug 03, 2009

Reggie rated it:

I picked up Reality Check because of the blurb. I found it to be extremely appealing--expecially for those who love mystery and suspense.

From the moment I read the first chapter, I was certain that Abrahams was no stranger to action and suspense. He was able to keep me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. I finished the book in less than two hours. The way it was written, and the way it was executed, was absorbing and eloquent. I was hooked.

Reality Check is not More...

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Jun 15, 2009

Kelly rated it:

Good grades don't come easy to 16-year old Cody, but he has football to carry him through. That and his girlfriend Clea make up for his difficulties with school and his Dad. Clea is the smartest girl in school, and one of the richest in their small town of Little Bend, CO. Still, it comes as a shock when Clea's Dad packs her off to an elite boarding school in Vermont - and Clea actually wants to go. One torn ACL later and Cody is back down to nothing. When Clea goes missing after a fall from her More...

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Nov 05, 2010

Ben added it

The book I read is called Reality Check written by Peter Abrahams. This book is a mystery suspense novel that will keep you reading and thinking. This book is great for people who like books with mysteries and for people that don't like reading. I personally don't like reading and I actually enjoyed reading this book.
I thought this book was very good. It made me read the book in my free time, not many books can do that if any. I really have no criticism for this book except for once More...

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Jul 23, 2010

Robbie rated it:

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams suprised me by being a unputdownable (is that a word...I doubt it), fast paced mystery/adventure novel. Once you started reading, every chapter left you want to continue, making it impossible to set this book down.
The book follows high school football star Cody Laredo, living in a small town and enjoying life with his girlfriend Clea. But of course, after a turn of events, Cody's world is turned upside down after Clea, his new ex, goes missing...across the More...

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Oct 16, 2010

Jenny rated it:

I had just finished a bunch of girl books, so I knew I needed to read something different. I had been wanting to read this book forever - and finally got it in paperback. It was awesome. I really think my students will like it.

Reality check is a suspenseful mystery about a missing girl. Cody Laredo is a high school kid who is awesome at football but not as awesome in school, though he does pass his classes. As summer approaches, he is excited to spend time with his super-smart, su More...

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Oct 10, 2009

Phoebe rated it:

Another interesting teen mystery from Abrahams, featuring new characters and a male protagonist. High school football quarterback Cody is seriously injured during a big game, locking him out of the season, and this event is a catalyst for pretty much destroying his drive to achieve. He eventually drops out of school and begins to work full time; he breaks up with Clea, his adored girlfriend, before she is packed off to boarding school in Vermont, and tries to stay out of his alcoholic father's w More...

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Sep 10, 2009

Suzanne rated it:

I would probably give this one a 3.5 based on how well I liked it, but YAs today just don't seem to get a good case of the yums going for mysteries, it seems.

What's nice about this one is that it involves an unlikely male protagonist. A blue collar Colorado football player who barely passes his classes, but looks forward, he hopes, to college ball someday. He also hopes to keep his relationship going with super-smart and wealthy Clea.

Soon his fortunes change for the wor More...

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Nov 13, 2011

Benc rated it:

I think the book “Reality Check” By Peter Abrahams is a book that I would recommend to a friend because, it was intense. On page 64 Cody was playing Quarterback for his high school football team. Cody goes for a QB sneak runs past the lineman and scores the 2 point conversion. When Cody stands up Martinelli hits Cody head first into Cody’s knee. Cody tears his ACL. My second example is on page 159 Cody is following a suspicious person that thinks that could be connected to the kidnapping in a bl More...

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Mar 07, 2011

Abigail rated it:

Have you ever had to suffer a loss of something or someone that you loved? Many of you could answer yes to that question. What about the question, have you ever lost something or someone that you loved, but could not find them? That is more of a confusing statement; however, not very many could say yes to that. Look at the questions in context. I am describing two different types of losses: Losing permantly, and losing temporarily without knowledge of where that object may be. In the book More...

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Oct 12, 2011

Jarred rated it:

The purpose of this book may not have been clearly stated but I think it has a little to do with showing the true strength of teenage relationships. After high school football star Cody's career is ruined by a brutal MCL injury, his life becomes turmoil. Then, to add to his bad luck, his girlfriend of many months, Clea, is sent off to Dover Academy, a boarding school in Vermont. As a result of this event, Cody makes the more-than-tough decision of breaking up with her. Weeks go past and there More...

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Jul 10, 2009

Terry rated it:

This book help fills the gap in teen lit for mysteries that appeal to boys. The main character is a football player from a relatively poor single family home in a small town somewhere in Colorado. He isn't very smart, except at football, and, as he discovers in this story, at uncovering mysteries. The author does a great job at developing the characters (the first 100 or so pages), and he doesn't just jump into the mystery as some popular adult mystery authors do ... he sets the stage, which More...

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May 24, 2010

BAYA rated it:

Good grades don't come easy to 16-year old Cody, but he has football to carry him through. That and his girlfriend Clea make up for his difficulties with school and his Dad. Clea is the smartest girl in school, and one of the richest in their small town of Little Bend, CO. Still, it comes as a shock when Clea's Dad packs her off to an elite boarding school in Vermont - and Clea actually wants to go. One torn ACL later and Cody is back down to nothing. When Clea goes missing after a fall from her More...

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Dec 14, 2009

Arlene rated it:

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams is a quick read that has a simple, yet mildly compelling plot.

Rating clarification: I would give this book 2.5 stars as it was just okay for me, but not great. I still don’t understand how the title of this book ties in with the storyline, so I guess I missed the essence of this book.

The main character Cody is a football star with a hot girlfriend. He’s passing his classes just enough to keep him eligible for sports. In his eyes, he has More...

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Aug 30, 2009

Cornmaven rated it:

This was, to me, a good introduction into mysteries for middle schoolers and high schoolers. It also had the elements of teenage relationships, which of course, is an attraction.

You can read the synopsis of the story anywhere, but basically it's about a kid whose football career gets derailed by an injury, and whose girlfriend's father has spirited her away to a boarding school to get her away from him. Then she disappears, and the kid takes off for Vermont to try to find her. He More...

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Aug 17, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

I'm a big fan of Peter Abrahams Echo Falls series, so when I saw this book in the YA section at the library I was excited and actually picked it up for my 12 year old to read. I'm glad I read it before giving it to her for a couple of reasons - first lots of unnecessary bad language, and second the main characters Cody and Clea are having sex (they are 16), neither were necessary to the plot. Plus Cody seems pretty dim-witted.

Clea gets sent to Vermont to boarding school, to get h More...

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