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Reality Check
QB of the varsity football team. Passing grades in all his classes. Dating the hottest--and smartest--girl at school. Summer job paying more than minimum wage. Things in Cody's world seem to be going pretty well. Until, that is, his girlfriend, Clea, is sent off to boarding school across the country, and a torn ACL ends his high school football career. But bad things come in threes--or in Cody's case, sixes and twelves--and the worst is yet to come. While limping through town one day, Cody sees a newspaper heading: "Local Girl Missing." Clea, now his ex, has disappeared from her boarding school in Vermont, and the only clue is a letter she sent to Cody the morning of her disappearance. With that as his guide, Cody sets out to find out what happened. Once in Vermont, he unearths the town's secrets--and finds out that football isn't the only thing he's good at.
Reality Check is another edge-of-your-seat suspense novel by the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author of Down the Rabbit Hole.
Reality Check is another edge-of-your-seat suspense novel by the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author of Down the Rabbit Hole.
330 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
160 people are currently reading
1866 people want to read
About the author
Peter Abrahams
116 books419 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Peter Abrahams is an American author of crime fiction for both adults and children.
His book Lights Out (1994) was nominated for an Edgar Award for best novel. Reality Check won the best young adult Edgar Award in 2011. Down the Rabbit Hole, first in the Echo Falls series, won the best children's/young adult Agatha Award in 2005. The Fan was adapted into a film starring Robert De Niro and directed by Tony Scott (1996).
His literary influences are Vladimir Nabokov, Graham Greene, and Ross Macdonald. Stephen King has referred to him as "my favorite American suspense novelist".
Born in Boston, Abrahams lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. He is married and has four children including Rosie Gray. He graduated from Williams College in 1968.
Peter Abrahams is also writing under the pseudonym Spencer Quinn (Chet and Bernie Mysteries).
Peter Abrahams is an American author of crime fiction for both adults and children.
His book Lights Out (1994) was nominated for an Edgar Award for best novel. Reality Check won the best young adult Edgar Award in 2011. Down the Rabbit Hole, first in the Echo Falls series, won the best children's/young adult Agatha Award in 2005. The Fan was adapted into a film starring Robert De Niro and directed by Tony Scott (1996).
His literary influences are Vladimir Nabokov, Graham Greene, and Ross Macdonald. Stephen King has referred to him as "my favorite American suspense novelist".
Born in Boston, Abrahams lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. He is married and has four children including Rosie Gray. He graduated from Williams College in 1968.
Peter Abrahams is also writing under the pseudonym Spencer Quinn (Chet and Bernie Mysteries).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 435 reviews
August 12, 2011
Cody and Clea are dating. They’re both going to be juniors in high school in their small town in Colorado, but they come from very different worlds. Clea is wealthy and Cody comes from a single-parent family (he and his dad live in a tiny apartment over a storefront); Clea is smart and Cody, well, let’s just say he could apply himself more to his academics; Clea is going places, and Cody isn’t going to go anywhere if he doesn’t get that football scholarship. When Clea’s father decides to send her to Dover, a boarding school in Vermont, Cody – after some prodding from his father – breaks up with her; they are too different. Then, Cody tears his ACL and the only thing that matters to him is his recovery. When he realizes he’s not going to be able to play football during the school year, he drops out. That’s when he reads about Clea’s disappearance. The next thing Cody knows, he’s in his car on his way to Vermont to find Clea. For maybe the first time in his life, Cody is going to have to use his brain in order to unravel the mystery surrounding Clea’s likely kidnapping – before something terrible happens to both of them.
This story takes some time to get going, but once Cody leaves Colorado for Vermont the pace picks up. Cody’s investigation is pretty impressive – the way he organizes the information he has and eliminates possibilities along the way. His only mistake is not knowing who to trust with the conclusions at which he arrives. Quite suspenseful and intense in places, this mystery/thriller will keep readers guessing. It wraps up a little too quickly and neatly in some ways, and in others – like what will happen to Clea and Cody when they return to Colorado and the status of their relationship – leaves a lot of loose ends.
This story takes some time to get going, but once Cody leaves Colorado for Vermont the pace picks up. Cody’s investigation is pretty impressive – the way he organizes the information he has and eliminates possibilities along the way. His only mistake is not knowing who to trust with the conclusions at which he arrives. Quite suspenseful and intense in places, this mystery/thriller will keep readers guessing. It wraps up a little too quickly and neatly in some ways, and in others – like what will happen to Clea and Cody when they return to Colorado and the status of their relationship – leaves a lot of loose ends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2009
The story was alright but there were so many things that I really disliked about the book. I would not let my teen read this book. There was underage drinking, gambling, pre-marital sex, tons of swearing, which are all topics and ideas I don't want to be putting into my teen's head.
September 29, 2016
Abrahams has yet to disappoint. A Master of his craft. A pleasure to read.
November 13, 2021
Am excellent plotline about a lost girl. It is a story about relationships and caring.
I enjoyed it
I recommend
I enjoyed it
I recommend
January 24, 2011
Cody is a Sixteen year old boy who only loves football and his wonderful girlfriend, Clea. Cody does not like school what so ever, he just tries to have his grades high enough so that he can keep playing football and hopefully get a football scholarship. All of his dreams get ruined quite quickly though.
Cody lives with his father, who is not the wealthiest; more like on the other side of the spectrum. Clea, his girlfriend, on the other hand is extremely wealthy. Clea’s father does not approve of Cody’s and Clea’s relationship at all, although Cody is respectable and kind to Clea and her family. Since her father does not approve of their relationship he ships her off to Hong Kong for the summer to go live with her uncle, where they still stay in contact through e-mail and every now and again a phone call. When Clea returns he father tells her she will be going to school in Vermont, away from Cody. Cody’s father makes a good point to Cody when Cody tells his father that Clea is moving to Vermont to go to school on the east side. He tells Cody that he should let Clea go and let her be on her own.
On the day Clea moves Cody listens to his father and breaks up with her. Now the only thing he has left is football. But that changes quite quickly, since he tares his ACL because of a dirty tackle on the opposing team. What he had is now gone so he gives up on ever coming back to the team and getting scouted by colleges, he drops out of school, and starts to work full-time.
One day Cody limps into a store to find a newspaper says “local girl has gone miss- Clea Weston.” The authorities are not finding any leads either. Since Cody is still madly in love with Clea, although he broke up with her, he goes to Vermont to go look and find Clea. Since she is the love of his life he is more than determined to find her dead or alive, much more rather alive than dead. Cody is persistent and he learns throughout the book that he is much more capable than he had given himself credit for.
While Cody goes to Vermont most people finds him rather suspicious. He is from Colorado and he drives to Vermont to go look for this girl, which he claims he does not know anything about. Why would someone from a different state come and try and help find a random girl? Therefore he makes himself the center of attention in a way. The Cops think it is weird that a boy from her old town is here to come and help search for her and that he searches at all hours in the day. At night, during the day, you name it he wishes he could be out there looking for Clea.
Cody meets some of the kids that Clea had gone to school with and the boy Clea had been “seeing.” All the kids have nothing negative to say about Clea, they all say she is nice and everything; which she is according to Cody. The boy Clea had been “seeing” his raging over this he is the most upset out of everyone, well that you can see. He feels like no one is trying hard enough to find her. Which Cody finds very suspicious because he didn’t know Clea long enough to be madly in love with her. This is where Cody starts to get his lead on the big mystery.
The mystery of this book is very well developed and it makes you want to keep reading to see what Cody finds out throughout the book. Throughout the book you get a little frustrated with some of Codys decisions, because I know I did. I just wanted to yell through the book at some points in the book! I think mostly teens with be into this than adults. I feel teens could relate to this novel because some teens do not want to let there first love go, just like Cody. I feel it could also relate to adults too, but not as well. The way that it relates to adults is that if the person they love went away on a trip and they went missing I believe that they would be where they went missing trying to find them. If it is someone that you love, of course you would be looking for them no matter what.
Reality Check by Peter Abrahams is of course a mystery novel. But as well, it is about love and believing in your self. Throughout this book Cody gets stronger and stronger, and realizes that he just needs to believe in himself to find Clea. I think this book is sweet because Clea is Cody’s first love that he refused to let go of. He drives hundreds of miles through severe winter weather to go find the love of his life. Cody second guesses himself quite a bit throughout this book, which I don’t understand why. He always seemed to be right the first time around but like a normal human has to always second guess yourself. If you are looking for a page turner, definitely read Reality Check by Peter Abrahams; it is a twisty and an exciting read.
Cody lives with his father, who is not the wealthiest; more like on the other side of the spectrum. Clea, his girlfriend, on the other hand is extremely wealthy. Clea’s father does not approve of Cody’s and Clea’s relationship at all, although Cody is respectable and kind to Clea and her family. Since her father does not approve of their relationship he ships her off to Hong Kong for the summer to go live with her uncle, where they still stay in contact through e-mail and every now and again a phone call. When Clea returns he father tells her she will be going to school in Vermont, away from Cody. Cody’s father makes a good point to Cody when Cody tells his father that Clea is moving to Vermont to go to school on the east side. He tells Cody that he should let Clea go and let her be on her own.
On the day Clea moves Cody listens to his father and breaks up with her. Now the only thing he has left is football. But that changes quite quickly, since he tares his ACL because of a dirty tackle on the opposing team. What he had is now gone so he gives up on ever coming back to the team and getting scouted by colleges, he drops out of school, and starts to work full-time.
One day Cody limps into a store to find a newspaper says “local girl has gone miss- Clea Weston.” The authorities are not finding any leads either. Since Cody is still madly in love with Clea, although he broke up with her, he goes to Vermont to go look and find Clea. Since she is the love of his life he is more than determined to find her dead or alive, much more rather alive than dead. Cody is persistent and he learns throughout the book that he is much more capable than he had given himself credit for.
While Cody goes to Vermont most people finds him rather suspicious. He is from Colorado and he drives to Vermont to go look for this girl, which he claims he does not know anything about. Why would someone from a different state come and try and help find a random girl? Therefore he makes himself the center of attention in a way. The Cops think it is weird that a boy from her old town is here to come and help search for her and that he searches at all hours in the day. At night, during the day, you name it he wishes he could be out there looking for Clea.
Cody meets some of the kids that Clea had gone to school with and the boy Clea had been “seeing.” All the kids have nothing negative to say about Clea, they all say she is nice and everything; which she is according to Cody. The boy Clea had been “seeing” his raging over this he is the most upset out of everyone, well that you can see. He feels like no one is trying hard enough to find her. Which Cody finds very suspicious because he didn’t know Clea long enough to be madly in love with her. This is where Cody starts to get his lead on the big mystery.
The mystery of this book is very well developed and it makes you want to keep reading to see what Cody finds out throughout the book. Throughout the book you get a little frustrated with some of Codys decisions, because I know I did. I just wanted to yell through the book at some points in the book! I think mostly teens with be into this than adults. I feel teens could relate to this novel because some teens do not want to let there first love go, just like Cody. I feel it could also relate to adults too, but not as well. The way that it relates to adults is that if the person they love went away on a trip and they went missing I believe that they would be where they went missing trying to find them. If it is someone that you love, of course you would be looking for them no matter what.
Reality Check by Peter Abrahams is of course a mystery novel. But as well, it is about love and believing in your self. Throughout this book Cody gets stronger and stronger, and realizes that he just needs to believe in himself to find Clea. I think this book is sweet because Clea is Cody’s first love that he refused to let go of. He drives hundreds of miles through severe winter weather to go find the love of his life. Cody second guesses himself quite a bit throughout this book, which I don’t understand why. He always seemed to be right the first time around but like a normal human has to always second guess yourself. If you are looking for a page turner, definitely read Reality Check by Peter Abrahams; it is a twisty and an exciting read.
June 23, 2010
I could not put this one down. I really felt a connection to Cody, the main character. He has really only two things going for him - he used to be a great high school football player until he injured his knee and then dropped out of school, and he used to date the richest, most intelligent girl in town, until her dad sends her to an exclusive prep school in Vermont. When Clea, the girl, disappears, Cody gets in his car and drives from Colorado to Vermont, hoping to find her himself.
I loved how he was able to eventually break the case wide open, learn who not to trust and believe that he had some intelligence after all.
I loved how he was able to eventually break the case wide open, learn who not to trust and believe that he had some intelligence after all.
August 3, 2018
Narrated by James Colby.
August 9, 2014
I don't have any misconceptions about the quality of this book. I've given better books less than three stars, but for whatever reason, I found this to be a very pleasant read at just the right time.
What's it about? The main plot doesn't get going until fairly late in the game, and I don't want to give it away. So I'll kind of dance around it. Cody is a star football player, not exactly an intellectual but sharp in his own way. His girlfriend, Clea, is a super-student whose intelligence is much more obvious from the outside, but they manage to have a fairly equal relationship. And a cute one.
This is a mystery, and it starts with people trying to keep Cody and Clea apart. I could say more, and I believe the official plot synopsis does, but since the big mystery doesn't get rolling until over a hundred pages into the story, I'd rather not.
Basically, the reason I liked this book is that Cody is a fresh, untypical narrator. He's a physical, athletic person, not a big thinker, and not really that sassy either. He probably wouldn't read this book. His emotions and reactions are believable and involving, and I thought his approach to solving the mystery was realistic but still interesting.
Speaking of the mystery -- it's what put this book on my "no sleep tonight" shelf, reserved for books that I read way past my bedtime. I literally couldn't sleep, because my mind was still working away at the mystery. And it was almost executed with pizzazz. Unfortunately, the careful dropping of clues and misdirections turned into an incredibly obvious sledgehammer right before the solution was explicitly revealed. I was so close to being surprised!
To recap, Cody was a precious little character, the mystery was complex enough to keep me guessing, and the romance was cute. But it might have been a "right book at the right time" kind of situation.
What's it about? The main plot doesn't get going until fairly late in the game, and I don't want to give it away. So I'll kind of dance around it. Cody is a star football player, not exactly an intellectual but sharp in his own way. His girlfriend, Clea, is a super-student whose intelligence is much more obvious from the outside, but they manage to have a fairly equal relationship. And a cute one.
This is a mystery, and it starts with people trying to keep Cody and Clea apart. I could say more, and I believe the official plot synopsis does, but since the big mystery doesn't get rolling until over a hundred pages into the story, I'd rather not.
Basically, the reason I liked this book is that Cody is a fresh, untypical narrator. He's a physical, athletic person, not a big thinker, and not really that sassy either. He probably wouldn't read this book. His emotions and reactions are believable and involving, and I thought his approach to solving the mystery was realistic but still interesting.
Speaking of the mystery -- it's what put this book on my "no sleep tonight" shelf, reserved for books that I read way past my bedtime. I literally couldn't sleep, because my mind was still working away at the mystery. And it was almost executed with pizzazz. Unfortunately, the careful dropping of clues and misdirections turned into an incredibly obvious sledgehammer right before the solution was explicitly revealed. I was so close to being surprised!
To recap, Cody was a precious little character, the mystery was complex enough to keep me guessing, and the romance was cute. But it might have been a "right book at the right time" kind of situation.
September 5, 2009
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 heads east to look for her. The proverbial outsider, Cody hits town and begins to investigate what happened. Not everyone cooperates, and some even try to cast suspicion on him. But the quiet small-town boy gets to the bottom of things out of sheer persistence and focus.
The author himself compares his character to cowboy hero Shane in the book, but Cody also reminds me of Lloyd Dobbs from the movie Say Anything. Here's a guy who apparently has little to offer a privileged girl, yet he's the only one who refuses to give up on her.
YA fiction often features kids who, while socially average, are really bright and academically successful. This is probably because most YA writers were themselves smart geeks as teens and/or as adults (e.g., John Green of witty dialogue fame). It's nice to find a character like Cody, who isn't a genius. Just a guy who really cares about a girl, and about the truth.
[Note for Worried Parents: There are a few sexual scenes early in this book, though they are handled briefly and discreetly.]
Then the news comes out: Clea has gone missing. Pretty soon Cody heads east to look for her. The proverbial outsider, Cody hits town and begins to investigate what happened. Not everyone cooperates, and some even try to cast suspicion on him. But the quiet small-town boy gets to the bottom of things out of sheer persistence and focus.
The author himself compares his character to cowboy hero Shane in the book, but Cody also reminds me of Lloyd Dobbs from the movie Say Anything. Here's a guy who apparently has little to offer a privileged girl, yet he's the only one who refuses to give up on her.
YA fiction often features kids who, while socially average, are really bright and academically successful. This is probably because most YA writers were themselves smart geeks as teens and/or as adults (e.g., John Green of witty dialogue fame). It's nice to find a character like Cody, who isn't a genius. Just a guy who really cares about a girl, and about the truth.
[Note for Worried Parents: There are a few sexual scenes early in this book, though they are handled briefly and discreetly.]
October 12, 2011
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 Tokyo for the summer. Cody and Clea keep their romance up and when she returns in the fall her father suprises her by moving her accrost the country to a boarding school. All the way in Vermont! Cody breaks up with her before she leaves, not wanting the long distance. Clea gets a new boyfriend but keeps in touch with Cody.
Clea disappears on the trail while riding Bud. He returns to the stable but Clea never does. They send out search parties for days until the snow falls and gets to deep to be able to search anymore. Clea's dad has a heart attack and is in serious condition. Cody takes on the investigation on his own. He finds all the missing puzzle pieces and places them together to lead them to Clea.
When Cody saves Clea they get back together and they head home, back to their hometown. Where her father has recovered from his heart attack. This is a very good book and I would recommend it to readers!!!
When Clea tells her father he sends her to live in Tokyo for the summer. Cody and Clea keep their romance up and when she returns in the fall her father suprises her by moving her accrost the country to a boarding school. All the way in Vermont! Cody breaks up with her before she leaves, not wanting the long distance. Clea gets a new boyfriend but keeps in touch with Cody.
Clea disappears on the trail while riding Bud. He returns to the stable but Clea never does. They send out search parties for days until the snow falls and gets to deep to be able to search anymore. Clea's dad has a heart attack and is in serious condition. Cody takes on the investigation on his own. He finds all the missing puzzle pieces and places them together to lead them to Clea.
When Cody saves Clea they get back together and they head home, back to their hometown. Where her father has recovered from his heart attack. This is a very good book and I would recommend it to readers!!!
October 6, 2011
Cody is the quarterback of his school's football team.He has a girlfriend, Clea. Clea is sent to a prep school out east to better prepare her for Ivy League colleges, and there is where she disappears.This book is really getting interesting. I want to check out the movie as well. I can't wait to find out exactly what happens to Clea and why.......Cody and Clea exchange emails and a phone call now and then. Clea was sent to live with her uncle in Hong Kong for the summer.When Clea returns, more bad news awaits.When Clea gets home from Hong Kong, she has to inform Cody she is going to attend a private boarding school in Vermont.After giving Clea a pair of earings and telling her he loves her, he breaks up with her.He feels this is the best thing to do. He tells Clea he doesn't love her and never did. Clea slaps Cody's face and storms off.Cody plays in a huge football game and ends of with a torn ACL.He is done for the rest of the season.Cody's dad knows if he doesn't play the scouts won't notice him.His father wants a second opinion on Cody's knee.Cody ends up having to have surgery.The operation went fine and now he must work out to regain his strength.Clea hears about Cody's knee. She gives him a call.The call doesn't go very well.Cody decided to drop out of school and work full time.After work he was getting a sandwhich and noticed on the cover of the newspaper "Local girl missing"with Clea's picture.The article read she was horseback riding on wooded trails. The horse came back without her.Cody tried to call Clea's cell, but kept getting her voice mail.He left a message for her to call as soon as she got the message.Cody decides to leave town and go look for Clea on his own.When Cody gets to Vermont, he learns the search had been called off.There had been too much snow fall to be able to look for Clea.Cody takes a job at the school so he will be able to stay in town and search on his own.When Cody got into town, he had a few problems with the local police. Sergeant Orton started accusing Cody. Told Cody he could be the one that made Clea disappear.The Sergeant knew they had broken up.Started saying Cody could have hurt her.Before Cody could think, he hit the Sergeant in the mouth.The Sergeant grabbed his gun and Cody started to run.The Sergeant fired twice before Cody stopped.Nice twist how the Sergeant is going to use Cody to help find out what happened to Clea.Cody fit right it. He met someone who knows Clea and began to hang out with her and some of her friends.Cody spent time with Clea's horse Bud. He thought maybe that might help with a clue or something.Cody went to visit Bud and found blood on him.It looks like someone shot the horse.Cody was out walking in the snow and went into the warming hut for some heat.He tried to call Clea's cell phone again and heard it ring inside the hut.He guessed at her pin number and got into the phone.He scrolled through the pictures and might have found a clue.A picture of a wrist with what looks like a shark tattoo.This book is getting really good. I can't put it down.Just when Cody is on the trail to find out what has happened to Clea,he is run out of town.Special agent Brand pulls Cody over and makes him tell everything. The reason why he is in town, where he came from and how Sergeant Orton has been using him as a mole.Special agent Brand tells Cody he is going to lead him out of town for his own saftey.Cody is confused and follows the agent.Cody waits until the agent is out of sight and returns back to town.Cody had to see Sergeant Orton. He had to tell him he figuered out what happened to Clea.Cody told the Sargeant everything he knew. The Sergeant drove Cody out to an abandoned house.To Cody's surprise, the Sergeant was in on it.Cody was locked in a room near Clea.He couldn't believe what was happening.I don't want to say the end of the story in case someone wants to read this book,but wow!! Didn't see the end coming and it was worth the read.
March 13, 2017
Personnel response: I did not like Reality Check as much as I thought I was going to like the book. The book said a suspense novel, and in my opinion,I did not think there was that much suspense or horror in the book. Although the character plotting in Reality Check was very outgoing, and the characters matched the book quite well. All in all I would not like to read this book again only because I never really thought the suspense was enough.
Plot: Ever since kindergarten Cody has gotten straight A's and never missed a single day of school unless sick or an appointment. Cody wanted this summer to be the most laziest summer of all. Clea was a girl that Cody admired every day and he always wanted to be with her. Well things started to go from good to bad when Clea had to move from their school to an elite private school. While playing in the football team at his school, Cody torn his ACL during the game and now his coach told Cody he will not be able to play in the football game for the following weeks to come. Cody was falling behind in school and clea. When he was taking a stroll around town he saw a sign up on the street light saying, Girl missing if found please call. Cody suddenly felt like his world was ending. He later went on to investigate who abducted Clea and was gathering information on her. In the next book series it explains how Cody finds out where Clea went missing.
Recommendations: I would definitely recommend this book to a more teenage level due to the amount of swearing in the book and vulgar comments towards others. People who love a good mystery in their books should read Reality Check. So go read Reality Check!
Plot: Ever since kindergarten Cody has gotten straight A's and never missed a single day of school unless sick or an appointment. Cody wanted this summer to be the most laziest summer of all. Clea was a girl that Cody admired every day and he always wanted to be with her. Well things started to go from good to bad when Clea had to move from their school to an elite private school. While playing in the football team at his school, Cody torn his ACL during the game and now his coach told Cody he will not be able to play in the football game for the following weeks to come. Cody was falling behind in school and clea. When he was taking a stroll around town he saw a sign up on the street light saying, Girl missing if found please call. Cody suddenly felt like his world was ending. He later went on to investigate who abducted Clea and was gathering information on her. In the next book series it explains how Cody finds out where Clea went missing.
Recommendations: I would definitely recommend this book to a more teenage level due to the amount of swearing in the book and vulgar comments towards others. People who love a good mystery in their books should read Reality Check. So go read Reality Check!
July 16, 2010
This felt sort of a step down from Abraham's Echo Falls mysteries. Cody was an okay main character, but had none of the charm and wit of Ingrid from the Falls trilogy. And the most important thing about a mystery novel, the, you know, mystery, was way to simple.
Early on its established that Cody is from the poor side of town (he lives over a bar and his dad is a heavy drinker). But Clea, his girlfriend, lives in a mansion, has acres of farmland, and her own purebred horse. So when Clea leaves for a Vermont boarding school (because her dad catches her and Cody together in her bed) and she quickly goes missing, its pretty easy to assume why someone would want to kidnap her.
It also took FOREVER to get anywhere. Clea doesn't get kidnapped until the 100 page mark. Cody's investigation is basically for the rest of the book and its just not interesting enough, characters included. It's not until the last, I'd say 50 pages, where its all revealed, and the final scuffle with the bad guys is stupidly simple. The book also ends way too suddenly and felt too easily wrapped up.
I kinda hope Abrahams goes back to Echo Falls for a spin off series if/when he writes another YA book. Because those books were filled with fun and quirky characters and really intriguing and well played out mysteries. This one just fell flat.
Early on its established that Cody is from the poor side of town (he lives over a bar and his dad is a heavy drinker). But Clea, his girlfriend, lives in a mansion, has acres of farmland, and her own purebred horse. So when Clea leaves for a Vermont boarding school (because her dad catches her and Cody together in her bed) and she quickly goes missing, its pretty easy to assume why someone would want to kidnap her.
It also took FOREVER to get anywhere. Clea doesn't get kidnapped until the 100 page mark. Cody's investigation is basically for the rest of the book and its just not interesting enough, characters included. It's not until the last, I'd say 50 pages, where its all revealed, and the final scuffle with the bad guys is stupidly simple. The book also ends way too suddenly and felt too easily wrapped up.
I kinda hope Abrahams goes back to Echo Falls for a spin off series if/when he writes another YA book. Because those books were filled with fun and quirky characters and really intriguing and well played out mysteries. This one just fell flat.
Read
October 31, 2016Personal Response:
I really enjoyed this book. Throughout the whole book, I was wondering what happened to Clea. I thought that Clea was lost in the woods, but as I started to read I was starting to think that she was kidnapped.
Plot Summary:
Cody and Clea get out of school for the summer and Clea is sent to live with her uncle in Hong Kong. To keep himself busy, Cody worked and lifted for football all summer. Clea came back from Hong Kong and told Cody that she was being forced to go to Dover Academy by her father. When Cody heard that, he broke up with her. Clea all of a sudden went missing at her new school. They made search parties to go and find her. The police shut down the search and Cody took matters into his own hands. He started to figure out things and eventually found out that Big Len kidnapped Clea. He found Clea and the police cuffed Len.
Characterization:
Cody started out depending on Clea for stuff, because she was the smart one. Later on in the story, Cody had to figure stuff out on his own to find Clea. He was very distant with people in the beginning, but then grew closer relationships with people later on in the story.
Recommendation:
I recommend this book to mature 14 year old kids, who like mystery. This is one of the best books I have ever read. I give it a five out of five.
I really enjoyed this book. Throughout the whole book, I was wondering what happened to Clea. I thought that Clea was lost in the woods, but as I started to read I was starting to think that she was kidnapped.
Plot Summary:
Cody and Clea get out of school for the summer and Clea is sent to live with her uncle in Hong Kong. To keep himself busy, Cody worked and lifted for football all summer. Clea came back from Hong Kong and told Cody that she was being forced to go to Dover Academy by her father. When Cody heard that, he broke up with her. Clea all of a sudden went missing at her new school. They made search parties to go and find her. The police shut down the search and Cody took matters into his own hands. He started to figure out things and eventually found out that Big Len kidnapped Clea. He found Clea and the police cuffed Len.
Characterization:
Cody started out depending on Clea for stuff, because she was the smart one. Later on in the story, Cody had to figure stuff out on his own to find Clea. He was very distant with people in the beginning, but then grew closer relationships with people later on in the story.
Recommendation:
I recommend this book to mature 14 year old kids, who like mystery. This is one of the best books I have ever read. I give it a five out of five.
September 22, 2009
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 of high school. A short time later Clea is reported missing from her top-tier boarding school. Front page news in Cody's small town, there is nothing keeping him from driving out to Vermont to look for Clea. Once there, he finds himself stumbling onto clues and learning more about Clea's new life. Not knowing who to trust he ends up in deep trouble.
I liked the characters, the settings, the relationships and the horses. The mystery was interesting, if not too difficult.
What I didn't like was the abrupt ending, so no one (least of all the author) had to deal with any consequences from questionable choices and actions. Kind of a small disgruntlement. I look forward to Abrahams' next YA book!
I liked the characters, the settings, the relationships and the horses. The mystery was interesting, if not too difficult.
What I didn't like was the abrupt ending, so no one (least of all the author) had to deal with any consequences from questionable choices and actions. Kind of a small disgruntlement. I look forward to Abrahams' next YA book!
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November 20, 2013Reality Check
Peter Abrahams
This book has 2 main characters named Cody (the football star),and Clea (his girlfriend). Cody and Clea were hanging out at Clea's house, not thinking of when her dad was gonna come home and see he was there. But when Cody heard her dad pulling in the driveway, it was to late to get out of there. So Clea's dad thought for disobeying his rules, she is going to go live with his brother in Hong Kong for the summer. When Clea gets to Hong Kong, her and Cody still talk...but something terrible happens. Cody went to read the newspaper and saw that is said "Local girl gone missing in the woods!" Cody didn't know what to believe, he got a letter sent to him from Clea the same day she went missing. That letter is the only use of finding Clea. Do they ever find Clea, read the book to find out. I would recommend this book because it is like a book that something like this would actually happen in real life.
-Tanner
Peter Abrahams
This book has 2 main characters named Cody (the football star),and Clea (his girlfriend). Cody and Clea were hanging out at Clea's house, not thinking of when her dad was gonna come home and see he was there. But when Cody heard her dad pulling in the driveway, it was to late to get out of there. So Clea's dad thought for disobeying his rules, she is going to go live with his brother in Hong Kong for the summer. When Clea gets to Hong Kong, her and Cody still talk...but something terrible happens. Cody went to read the newspaper and saw that is said "Local girl gone missing in the woods!" Cody didn't know what to believe, he got a letter sent to him from Clea the same day she went missing. That letter is the only use of finding Clea. Do they ever find Clea, read the book to find out. I would recommend this book because it is like a book that something like this would actually happen in real life.
-Tanner
June 21, 2011
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, doesn't quite add up.
This is an engrossing read. Cody has the makings of a good detective. He is bad in school, but clever and insightful. However, Abrahams doesn't forget that Cody is basically a kid. Cody makes dumb mistakes and fails to put together the mystery until long after the reader has. That said, Cody is compelling, as is Clea, his girlfriend. The ambiguity surrounding their relationship and her health drive the story, keeping you involved even though the central mystery isn't terribly mysterious. Well done YA mystery writing.
This is an engrossing read. Cody has the makings of a good detective. He is bad in school, but clever and insightful. However, Abrahams doesn't forget that Cody is basically a kid. Cody makes dumb mistakes and fails to put together the mystery until long after the reader has. That said, Cody is compelling, as is Clea, his girlfriend. The ambiguity surrounding their relationship and her health drive the story, keeping you involved even though the central mystery isn't terribly mysterious. Well done YA mystery writing.
June 7, 2011
I LOVED this book!!! It was soo good!!!! This is my all time favorite book!! I think everybody should read it!!
May 4, 2012
Nice plot twists! Engaging easy to read YA Mystery.
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January 1, 2017Content Rating and Review
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November 11, 2018
This book grasped my attention the moment I looked at its cover. I am a big fan of Realistic Fiction/Mystery books so I thought I’d give it a good read. The setting of the book also grasped my attention as I was (currently) in the mood for a “high school” setting vibe. (Which it greatly portrayed and then expanded on throughout the book). This book also received great praise from Stephen King, a popular novelist whose work (suspense novels) I’ve really enjoyed reading. Coming into the book, I had a reasonably high expectation, and after reading it, I can say that they were soundly met.
The premise of the book focuses on the experiences of a high school football player named Cody Laredo. Summer is up on the horizon as sophomore year comes to a crashing end. Cody barely manages to scrape by his classes as he is given a nearly failing grade for all of them (except gym obviously). However, his poor grades did not deter him, as the fact that he was passing was all that mattered if he was going to rely on obtaining a football career. Cody only focused on two things in the world, his girlfriend and football. Now that summer was coming around the corner, Cody could spend more time with his girlfriend, Clea. However, this prospective pleasant summer for Cody was nothing more than an illusion. Cody and his girlfriend Clea came from two very different backgrounds. Cody came from a low middle-class family (who was only raised by his dad), whereas Clea had a lot more wealth on her side of the family. Cody also couldn’t care less about school as he only wanted to be a football player, whereas as Clea was a highly academic student (who was also naturally gifted with horses). As a result of their differences, Clea’s father held Cody to his disdain as he did not approve of their relationship at all. Clea’s father sends her to Hong Kong to live with her uncle over the summer (to keep her and Cody separated), whereas Cody stays at home. When she returns nearing the end of summer, to Cody’s sadness, she tells Cody that she was being forced to go to a private school all the way up in Vermont. Cody (receiving advice from his dad), reluctantly breaks up with her as he thought there could be no way of them getting back together. Not too long after, junior year came to fruition, which brought the prospect of football to the table. However in an unfortunate accident Cody gets injured and tears his ACL, essentially leaving him out for the season. This blow hit Cody hard as junior year was a prime year to get scouted and being injured during this time period essentially meant that he had to throw out any possible chance of having a football career. Now that the only reason why Cody went to school is out of his grasp, Cody drops out and starts to take a job working full-time. It isn’t too long after though until Cody stumbles across word that his girlfriend, Clea was missing. Cody, fearing for his girlfriend decides to leave his home and travel all the way to Vermont from Colorado to help aid in the search for his girlfriend. When he finally arrives, he keeps a low profile as he is unsure of who to trust. There were a number of suspicious figures throughout the story such as the grim horsekeeper of Clea’s school, Ike, or the demanding cop who asked Cody to be his personal “eyes and ears”, Sergeant Orton, or Clea’s “supposed” current boyfriend, Townes. These characters all had their own secrets that Cody started to unravel as the novel progresses. He also meets a number of people that Clea went to school with (such as Larissa and Simon), each helping Cody learn more about his current situation. The investigation is soon called off after a few days, but Cody unsatisfied, starts to conduct his own investigation to find out what really happened to the person he loved. The ending was certainly a shock for me as there was a surprise twist near the very end.
There are quite a few number of aspects I feel this novel really hit home on. For starters, I’d have to say that I really like Cody a lot. He made it evident that he wasn’t the brightest person in the world, but throughout the story he pieced a lot of the mystery together (such as finding out the true meaning of LB corp, to help him figure out who bought the horse, Midnight). At the same time, he was also your typical teenager who occasionally acted rash from time to time (such as attempting to attack an armed police officer due to the officer asking him charged/offensive questions about his relationship between his girlfriend). Ultimately I feel like Cody’s character developed quite nicely as he started to realize he wasn’t as dumb as he was making himself seem. I also liked the relationship Cody had with the other characters in the book. Cody felt like he couldn’t trust any of them, but at the same time some of the characters had that exact same feeling towards Cody as well. (I mean looking at a logical standpoint, Cody came all the way from Colorado to help aid in the search efforts of a missing girl. If that wasn’t suspicious, then the fact that he was her ex-boyfriend would’ve definitely raised some eyebrows). The overall mystery aspect of the novel was also well fulfilled as the ending was nothing that I expected it to be. I definitely appreciate the fact that Cody didn’t just “magically” solve the case as a bunch of random phenomena just lined up to make the perfect solution. Through precise observation/information gathering, Cody was able to come to the solution that led to a satisfying plot twist and a good ending of the book.
There isn’t too much I disliked about the book. However one thing I noticed was that it took really long to start up the plot. I felt like the real mystery started to occur roughly halfway throughout the book. There was too much introductory context that was introduced in the beginning of the book. While it wasn’t too much of a big deal to me as I actually enjoyed it, a number of people are turned off by slow starting stories. I also felt as if the ending was a little bit rushed despite it being a good plot twister. The final altercation was about 15 - 20 pages or so. Regardless, these factors didn’t deter my enjoyment rating of the book as I liked it quite well. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found myself reading another one of Abraham’s novels in the near future.
The premise of the book focuses on the experiences of a high school football player named Cody Laredo. Summer is up on the horizon as sophomore year comes to a crashing end. Cody barely manages to scrape by his classes as he is given a nearly failing grade for all of them (except gym obviously). However, his poor grades did not deter him, as the fact that he was passing was all that mattered if he was going to rely on obtaining a football career. Cody only focused on two things in the world, his girlfriend and football. Now that summer was coming around the corner, Cody could spend more time with his girlfriend, Clea. However, this prospective pleasant summer for Cody was nothing more than an illusion. Cody and his girlfriend Clea came from two very different backgrounds. Cody came from a low middle-class family (who was only raised by his dad), whereas Clea had a lot more wealth on her side of the family. Cody also couldn’t care less about school as he only wanted to be a football player, whereas as Clea was a highly academic student (who was also naturally gifted with horses). As a result of their differences, Clea’s father held Cody to his disdain as he did not approve of their relationship at all. Clea’s father sends her to Hong Kong to live with her uncle over the summer (to keep her and Cody separated), whereas Cody stays at home. When she returns nearing the end of summer, to Cody’s sadness, she tells Cody that she was being forced to go to a private school all the way up in Vermont. Cody (receiving advice from his dad), reluctantly breaks up with her as he thought there could be no way of them getting back together. Not too long after, junior year came to fruition, which brought the prospect of football to the table. However in an unfortunate accident Cody gets injured and tears his ACL, essentially leaving him out for the season. This blow hit Cody hard as junior year was a prime year to get scouted and being injured during this time period essentially meant that he had to throw out any possible chance of having a football career. Now that the only reason why Cody went to school is out of his grasp, Cody drops out and starts to take a job working full-time. It isn’t too long after though until Cody stumbles across word that his girlfriend, Clea was missing. Cody, fearing for his girlfriend decides to leave his home and travel all the way to Vermont from Colorado to help aid in the search for his girlfriend. When he finally arrives, he keeps a low profile as he is unsure of who to trust. There were a number of suspicious figures throughout the story such as the grim horsekeeper of Clea’s school, Ike, or the demanding cop who asked Cody to be his personal “eyes and ears”, Sergeant Orton, or Clea’s “supposed” current boyfriend, Townes. These characters all had their own secrets that Cody started to unravel as the novel progresses. He also meets a number of people that Clea went to school with (such as Larissa and Simon), each helping Cody learn more about his current situation. The investigation is soon called off after a few days, but Cody unsatisfied, starts to conduct his own investigation to find out what really happened to the person he loved. The ending was certainly a shock for me as there was a surprise twist near the very end.
There are quite a few number of aspects I feel this novel really hit home on. For starters, I’d have to say that I really like Cody a lot. He made it evident that he wasn’t the brightest person in the world, but throughout the story he pieced a lot of the mystery together (such as finding out the true meaning of LB corp, to help him figure out who bought the horse, Midnight). At the same time, he was also your typical teenager who occasionally acted rash from time to time (such as attempting to attack an armed police officer due to the officer asking him charged/offensive questions about his relationship between his girlfriend). Ultimately I feel like Cody’s character developed quite nicely as he started to realize he wasn’t as dumb as he was making himself seem. I also liked the relationship Cody had with the other characters in the book. Cody felt like he couldn’t trust any of them, but at the same time some of the characters had that exact same feeling towards Cody as well. (I mean looking at a logical standpoint, Cody came all the way from Colorado to help aid in the search efforts of a missing girl. If that wasn’t suspicious, then the fact that he was her ex-boyfriend would’ve definitely raised some eyebrows). The overall mystery aspect of the novel was also well fulfilled as the ending was nothing that I expected it to be. I definitely appreciate the fact that Cody didn’t just “magically” solve the case as a bunch of random phenomena just lined up to make the perfect solution. Through precise observation/information gathering, Cody was able to come to the solution that led to a satisfying plot twist and a good ending of the book.
There isn’t too much I disliked about the book. However one thing I noticed was that it took really long to start up the plot. I felt like the real mystery started to occur roughly halfway throughout the book. There was too much introductory context that was introduced in the beginning of the book. While it wasn’t too much of a big deal to me as I actually enjoyed it, a number of people are turned off by slow starting stories. I also felt as if the ending was a little bit rushed despite it being a good plot twister. The final altercation was about 15 - 20 pages or so. Regardless, these factors didn’t deter my enjoyment rating of the book as I liked it quite well. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found myself reading another one of Abraham’s novels in the near future.
February 12, 2018
The book Reality Check by Peter Abrahams is about a boy named Cody who is on the top of the world, he is the star quarterback on the varsity football team and he is dating the most pretty and smart girl in school, Clea Weston. Everything was going great, but one day Clea, told him that she would be going to a boarding school in Vermont. Then to make things worse he toar his ACL that ended his high school football career. While Clea is gone word spreads that she went missing in Vermont. When Cody finds out he decides to head east to look for her. In Vermont Cody meets many people, some trustworthy and some not so trustworthy. Will Cody find Clea? Read Peter Abrahams, Reality Check to find out what happens.
Personally I thought Reality Check was one of the best books I have ever read. It was full with twists and exciting moments that made me never want to put the book down. Their were some things that I didn't exactly like though. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't getting enough information about any of the characters. If I were to recommend this book to anyone it would probably have to be any high schooler. Now, about the cover. I thought the cover was good, it was a picture of Clea running in a forrset which is where she had gotten lost, but their wasn't any snow which was a big part of the story and the help finding Clea. This book is not in a series, but I would still recommend it to any high schooler or older.
Personally I thought Reality Check was one of the best books I have ever read. It was full with twists and exciting moments that made me never want to put the book down. Their were some things that I didn't exactly like though. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't getting enough information about any of the characters. If I were to recommend this book to anyone it would probably have to be any high schooler. Now, about the cover. I thought the cover was good, it was a picture of Clea running in a forrset which is where she had gotten lost, but their wasn't any snow which was a big part of the story and the help finding Clea. This book is not in a series, but I would still recommend it to any high schooler or older.
February 16, 2018
I would recommend this book to any kid from middle school on, it is an easy read and keeps you interested throughout the whole book. The book starts off introducing the highschool football star, Cody. He may be amazing at football but he's not so great in school, unlike his girlfriend Clea, who is the smartest, richest, and most beautiful girl in town. They have been dating for awhile now but one day when Cody is at Clea's house without her parents there her dad comes home unexpectedly, and as you can imagine, he was not very happy that she had a boy over with him gone. As a punishment and a way to keep Clea focused on whats important her dad sends her to Hong Kong. Having a girl you love move away is hard, especially when its as far away as Hong Kong or Colorado , but having your girlfriend go missing and not knowing where she could be is even worse. Where in the world could she have gone? The suspense of not knowing where she could be is what pushed me to keep turning the pages. I'm glad I read this book and I would recommend it to my friends.
February 8, 2019
I had so much fun reading this book. I had no idea what was going to happen until events started unfolding at the end. The characters were so well written, and as Clea herself said, you really don’t know who to trust.
February 9, 2018
Reality Check is a fiction story about a star football player, Cody who is dating the most perfect girl in school, Clea. Cleas uptight father makes her leave to go to a private school to keep her on track which is cody's worst nightmare. When Cody didn't think anything could get worse, his life falls apart. Clea goes missing. Cody does everything he can to find the girl of his dreams even as some are trying to blame him.
As a 16 year old junior in high school, I would definitely say this is a book for young adults or mature high schooler students. The author has made the characters very appealing and you will never want to put the book down. Although there is a good section to the book were the author just runs on and there's nothing happening, you are gonna never want to stop turning the page. Unfortunately this book is not part of a series although it would be a huge hit!
As a 16 year old junior in high school, I would definitely say this is a book for young adults or mature high schooler students. The author has made the characters very appealing and you will never want to put the book down. Although there is a good section to the book were the author just runs on and there's nothing happening, you are gonna never want to stop turning the page. Unfortunately this book is not part of a series although it would be a huge hit!
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January 31, 2018Reality Check can really get someones heart beating. Cody, the main character faces many challenges during his high school career. He was everything most high school jocks would want to be. Captain and quarterback of varsity football, has the best girlfriend (Clea) and overall just a well known guy around school. But then life hits him hard, his girlfriend ends up going to Hong Kong due to her Dads brother being an investment banker over in Hong Kong. She leaves for a while. Clea and Cody stay in touch, then when she returns she has more bad news for Cody. She ends up moving for good to Vermont. Do to her moving, Cody ends up breaking up with her even though he never wanted to but he thinks its best for the both of them. Then everything goes downhill from here for Cody. Clea goes missing in Vermont. Cody ends up leaving to go and find Clea in Vermont
During my time reading Reality Check I enjoyed the thrill and mystery it gave me. Not many books leave you wondering, but Reality Check leaves you wanting to keep on reading until you get to the end. The feelings you get from the book can run wild. Some moments your feeling sad and or lost and other times you're feeling mad or confused. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a action packed thrill/mystery book. The cover matches the book perfectly. It shows Cody lost in the woods which would show that he is looking for Clea, you may not understand the cover until you get further into the book. Overall this was a great book, and i'm not one for reading but by far one of the best books I have read
During my time reading Reality Check I enjoyed the thrill and mystery it gave me. Not many books leave you wondering, but Reality Check leaves you wanting to keep on reading until you get to the end. The feelings you get from the book can run wild. Some moments your feeling sad and or lost and other times you're feeling mad or confused. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a action packed thrill/mystery book. The cover matches the book perfectly. It shows Cody lost in the woods which would show that he is looking for Clea, you may not understand the cover until you get further into the book. Overall this was a great book, and i'm not one for reading but by far one of the best books I have read
January 31, 2018
The book I will be reviewing today is a book called reality check. This is a nonfiction book and is not in a series so as of now it is the only one of that tells a story like this.As of reading this I am a junior in high school at about a high school reading level and overall this book was not that hard to follow. I recommend this book to anybody overall if you have the time I suggest to give it a read. Although if you are a slower reader like I am give yourself some time. It was not a fast read for me.
I really like this book because it was something I could relate to. Not to mention how gripping and suspenseful it was throughout the entire story. I felt like every person cody met I was reading into every little detail about them what they were like ,their facial features, and even their connections towards our two main characters. Although I didn’t like That on the back cover summary on the book it included that clea went missing I feel like that event would have had more of an impact if they had just kept that a secret. I feel like the cover of the book is true to the story in the sense that both Clea and Cody’s lives got crazy and out of hand in a matter of only a few chapters. It is the only book in it’s series and I would still recommend it to anybody that is either in high school or above, and or or someone who really loves mystery and suspense novels. Please check out this book I am not a frequent reader and this book really got my attention. Even if you are not a fan of this particular genre of books you might find that you enjoy it.
I really like this book because it was something I could relate to. Not to mention how gripping and suspenseful it was throughout the entire story. I felt like every person cody met I was reading into every little detail about them what they were like ,their facial features, and even their connections towards our two main characters. Although I didn’t like That on the back cover summary on the book it included that clea went missing I feel like that event would have had more of an impact if they had just kept that a secret. I feel like the cover of the book is true to the story in the sense that both Clea and Cody’s lives got crazy and out of hand in a matter of only a few chapters. It is the only book in it’s series and I would still recommend it to anybody that is either in high school or above, and or or someone who really loves mystery and suspense novels. Please check out this book I am not a frequent reader and this book really got my attention. Even if you are not a fan of this particular genre of books you might find that you enjoy it.
January 26, 2018
Reality Check is about Cody: a sophomore in High school whose life couldn’t get better. QB for the varsity football team, passing in all his classes, working a summer job with great pay and dating the hottest and smartest girl in school. However, all good things come to an end when a torn ACL ruins his football career in High school and his girlfriend is off to a boarding school. But things get worse when he learns his now ex-girlfriend is missing after reading a newspaper heading: “Local Girl Missing”. Only clue he has is a letter she wrote to him earlier, now he must embark on a journey to find out what had happened to her.
I thought the book was pretty good and enjoyable read. I liked how the plot takes place during modern times first showing us a high school life for the main characters like with football. Then it changes to a mystery once Cody’s ex Clea goes missing and then he needs to find out what happened to her, whether it was an accident or someone kidnapped her. The book made you want to read more to find a clue of what happened to Clea. However, some parts I disliked was how during the middle of the book it got really boring. The beginning was great setting up the conflict but it was too long yet still entertaining. The middle part of him finding Clea got boring and I was wondering if anything was going to happen. I won’t spoil the ending too much but could have resolved better. Despite that I found it an entertaining book. The cover shows a boy running through a forest which is accurate since Cody is running to find Clea. So far this isn’t apart of any series. I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
I thought the book was pretty good and enjoyable read. I liked how the plot takes place during modern times first showing us a high school life for the main characters like with football. Then it changes to a mystery once Cody’s ex Clea goes missing and then he needs to find out what happened to her, whether it was an accident or someone kidnapped her. The book made you want to read more to find a clue of what happened to Clea. However, some parts I disliked was how during the middle of the book it got really boring. The beginning was great setting up the conflict but it was too long yet still entertaining. The middle part of him finding Clea got boring and I was wondering if anything was going to happen. I won’t spoil the ending too much but could have resolved better. Despite that I found it an entertaining book. The cover shows a boy running through a forest which is accurate since Cody is running to find Clea. So far this isn’t apart of any series. I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
March 4, 2015
Reality Check Book Review
I am writing this book review for Ms. Orona’s 2nd period English IV class. The title of the book I read is was Reality Check, written by Peter Abrahams. There are 330 pages in the book, and was published by HarperCollins. There are only two reasons on why I chose to read Reality Check. The first reason is that I like sporty type of books and it was football related. The other reason is not necessarily the book being required to read, but I was required to read a book for this grading cycle.
There are two Main Characters in the novel. The first main character is Cody Laredo. He is the quarterback of the Varsity football team at County high. Cody’s life seemed to be perfect, end of sophomore year got an over minimum wage summer job, girlfriend, and the knowledge of the fact that passed all of his classes for the year. The other main character is Clea Weston. She is Cody Laredo’s girlfriend in the beginning of the book and seemed to have a perfect life as well with the worst thing on her mind was the fear of her father’s potential reaction once he found out her B in calc.
The first supporting character in the book which has the smallest role of the five characters is Simon. Simon was just friends with Clea’s Vermont boyfriend who by just telling Cody that the Vermont boyfriend asked him for ten grand and that Simon said he didn’t have that kind of money. The next character is the person who was in a relationship with Clea while in Vermont. Towens met Clea through horseback riding and was found out to be in severe debt and broke after just the year before, he wasn’t in debt and was rich. The next character is Agent Brand and he eventually partially saves Cody and Clea. Sergeant Orton is a confusing character until the end of the book. Hiding his severe debt, Orton was a cop for the little town in Vermont. The last character happens to be the antagonist of the book. Big Len owned a bar that everyone went to and was the person that both Towens and Orton owed a lot of money to.
Reality Check is a mystery. The book took place in Colorado, Vermont, and partially in Hong Kong. The book took place in the present. There are two important building in this book. The first being Big Len’s bar and the other is an abandoned building in the fields. The book does have some violence and a lot of suspense. In the beginning of the book, Cody was trying to go pro in the NFL as a quarterback. After a torn ACL, breaking up with Clea because not wanting a long distance relationship, and working a dead end job, he dropped out of high school. One day in the papers Clea has gone missing so now Cody still in love with Clea, goes to Vermont to solve the case and rescue Clea but is put in danger after Orton revealed that he works for Len due to significant debt by driving Cody to the abandoned building where Len was when Cody figured out everything even Len kidnapping Clea. Len then knocked out Cody and put him in a separate room then Clea, but when Cody became conscious again he was able to hear Clea and she was able to hear him. They worked together to get to the front door of the abandoned building and you will have to read to find out the rest.
Reality check is a very good book. The book keeps you wanting to read until you simply can’t. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that will keep them interested. The book is very suspenseful and involves football and paying attention to every little detail. Reality Check is definitely a book I would read again
I am writing this book review for Ms. Orona’s 2nd period English IV class. The title of the book I read is was Reality Check, written by Peter Abrahams. There are 330 pages in the book, and was published by HarperCollins. There are only two reasons on why I chose to read Reality Check. The first reason is that I like sporty type of books and it was football related. The other reason is not necessarily the book being required to read, but I was required to read a book for this grading cycle.
There are two Main Characters in the novel. The first main character is Cody Laredo. He is the quarterback of the Varsity football team at County high. Cody’s life seemed to be perfect, end of sophomore year got an over minimum wage summer job, girlfriend, and the knowledge of the fact that passed all of his classes for the year. The other main character is Clea Weston. She is Cody Laredo’s girlfriend in the beginning of the book and seemed to have a perfect life as well with the worst thing on her mind was the fear of her father’s potential reaction once he found out her B in calc.
The first supporting character in the book which has the smallest role of the five characters is Simon. Simon was just friends with Clea’s Vermont boyfriend who by just telling Cody that the Vermont boyfriend asked him for ten grand and that Simon said he didn’t have that kind of money. The next character is the person who was in a relationship with Clea while in Vermont. Towens met Clea through horseback riding and was found out to be in severe debt and broke after just the year before, he wasn’t in debt and was rich. The next character is Agent Brand and he eventually partially saves Cody and Clea. Sergeant Orton is a confusing character until the end of the book. Hiding his severe debt, Orton was a cop for the little town in Vermont. The last character happens to be the antagonist of the book. Big Len owned a bar that everyone went to and was the person that both Towens and Orton owed a lot of money to.
Reality Check is a mystery. The book took place in Colorado, Vermont, and partially in Hong Kong. The book took place in the present. There are two important building in this book. The first being Big Len’s bar and the other is an abandoned building in the fields. The book does have some violence and a lot of suspense. In the beginning of the book, Cody was trying to go pro in the NFL as a quarterback. After a torn ACL, breaking up with Clea because not wanting a long distance relationship, and working a dead end job, he dropped out of high school. One day in the papers Clea has gone missing so now Cody still in love with Clea, goes to Vermont to solve the case and rescue Clea but is put in danger after Orton revealed that he works for Len due to significant debt by driving Cody to the abandoned building where Len was when Cody figured out everything even Len kidnapping Clea. Len then knocked out Cody and put him in a separate room then Clea, but when Cody became conscious again he was able to hear Clea and she was able to hear him. They worked together to get to the front door of the abandoned building and you will have to read to find out the rest.
Reality check is a very good book. The book keeps you wanting to read until you simply can’t. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that will keep them interested. The book is very suspenseful and involves football and paying attention to every little detail. Reality Check is definitely a book I would read again
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January 26, 2018By: Ishaan Singh
Reality Check
Grade: 11
Synopsis:
Cody Laredo is finishing his sophomore year in high school Everything is going right for him he is the star quarterback on the varsity quarterback team he's keeping up with his grades and he has a girlfriend named Clea. Summer is approaching and everything seems to be well until a few weeks into summer his girlfriend tells him she's leaving for a boarding school. As that wasn't enough for Cody to take at once a few days after Clea left she goes missing and leaves a chilling note for Cody. Soon after his football career is halted by a major injury and A big search ensues and it is up to Cody to find her.
Review:
I would give Reality Check out of 5 because the book was great in the beginning and as soon as you think the book is about to hit its peak it gets extremely slow and boring. I liked the pace in the beginning but it soon began to slow down which i disliked. The book also lacked the feeling of I have to know what happens next .I recommend this book to any between 8th and 12th grade.
Reality Check
Grade: 11
Synopsis:
Cody Laredo is finishing his sophomore year in high school Everything is going right for him he is the star quarterback on the varsity quarterback team he's keeping up with his grades and he has a girlfriend named Clea. Summer is approaching and everything seems to be well until a few weeks into summer his girlfriend tells him she's leaving for a boarding school. As that wasn't enough for Cody to take at once a few days after Clea left she goes missing and leaves a chilling note for Cody. Soon after his football career is halted by a major injury and A big search ensues and it is up to Cody to find her.
Review:
I would give Reality Check out of 5 because the book was great in the beginning and as soon as you think the book is about to hit its peak it gets extremely slow and boring. I liked the pace in the beginning but it soon began to slow down which i disliked. The book also lacked the feeling of I have to know what happens next .I recommend this book to any between 8th and 12th grade.
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