This was so much fun! Blending The Hunger Games with The X-Factor and the myriad of talent shows made for a thrilling, dark and compelling read. I've been a big fan of Juno since day one and have seen on instagram her musical loves and all of the pop culture references featured just screamed Juno in the most delightful way. It was so fun to pick out the little easter eggs, from Beyonce to Adele and so much more.

I also loved the darker tones of the book. We've known for a while now that those pushed through the talent show system and spat out the other end haven't always had it the easiest. It brings to mind images of Liam Payne, the stories that former X-Factor contestants have told about their time on the show, from racism to being told to stay firmly inside the closet, from bullying to being told to go on a diet in order to get to the live shows and make their dreams come true. I found it to be very thought provoking about what we will do for fame, the lengths we go to in order to achieve even a slither of it and what we sacrifice to get it.

Taryn as a narrator was so fun. Seeing her go from excited to get into the competition to wanting to lead a rebellion against the system that's catapulting her into the public consciousness.

All in all I adored this book and cannot wait for the sequel. Bravo Juno, bravo!

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc!

Hunger Games meets X Factor. I inhaled this and loved every page. Clever writing with some truly horrifying scenes. Loved what it had to say about where the world could be going in terms of politics, the encroachment of AI and the seemingly untouchable super rich. Loved the Spice Girls references. Loved all the characters. Cannot wait for the sequel.

When Juno Dawson announced that she’d be releasing a book described as The Hunger Games meets the Spice Girls by way of Popstar Academy, I was so seated.

Survival Show follows Taryn, a 17 year-old from the UK, participating in a global talent contest to be part of a five-piece girl group. The consequence of being voted out is literal death. Say less. The promise of the premise was delivered with a killer smile and girl-power fist bump.

I had to devour this in one sitting, the escalating stakes as the contest continued to the bitter end making it impossible to put down. While girl bands and pop star contents with worrying ethics are a familiar landscape, especially for K-pop fans, Survival Show takes things that much further, pushing so far beyond the boundaries, you can’t even see them.

Perfect for fans of Aisling Rawle’s The Compound for its comments on consumerism and societal pressures on women, and Kiera Cass’s The Selection for the banding together of girls against an oppressive system. Just like Dollhou5e fans, I’m ride or die for whatever Juno writes and eager for a sequel.

I devoured this! It is everything you could want in a book! There’s suspense, passion, excitement, scariness , just perfection.
I loved the theme of hunger games x X factor , the reality tv show in a dystopian world is something that I always enjoy and this definately didn’t disappoint!!

✨ REVIEW ✨

Hunger Games + X Factor + a very scarily realistic possible future = this five star masterpiece by Juno Dawson

Absolutely brilliant and I cannot wait for the sequel.

My thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster uk for the chance to read this arc

For the first time, I find myself rounding up and not down on a rating! Realistically, Survival Show was a 3.5 for me, but there's something about it that is so endearing, in its own way, that I couldn't resist adding that extra half a star.

Dawson's Hunger Games x X-Factor dystopia sounded right up my alley immediately, so when I dived in I worked really hard not to over-anticipate the read. I think this set me up well to enjoy it, because Survival Show won't really blow you away with plot twists and turns (except that one, I guess, iykyk!). But it's an easy read that I blew through in just one day.

The Plot
Generally, the plot is quite simple. 17 year old Taryn Beck is a struggling refugee who needs to help her sick brother, and when she enters a sing or die competition, she has the opportunity to do just that. If she can survive.
The premise is clever, but I found the execution to be a little clumsy - the pacing of the book feels a little all over the place, with the first half of it seeming to tick by slow and steady, and the second half rushing past. This left me stumbling on some of the bigger plot points because they aren't given room to breathe, and there's a fair amount of telling over showing. Taryn generally takes peoples' words at face value, and we're shown those to be true, meaning that overall, most of the information we need to know comes from conversations rather than anything particularly being discovered.
That said, it's a fun (Can you say that when teenagers are getting murdered?) plotline with a twist on the classic battle royale style of fiction that's been so popular recently.
There's also one particular plot point that is brought up, and then goes nowhere, which is a bit weird. Did Dawson forget about it, or did it just not quite make the cut to resolution?

The Characters
Okay, first of all, I'd die for Leela.
Now that's out of the way...The characters absolutely carry this book. Taryn's a little bumbling and frankly a little daft in her naivety, but it's quite endearing in its own way.
The other major characters are the girls selected to run this survival show gauntlet alongside Taryn, and each fit the usual stereotypes we might see in a teen high school film. We've got the spunky sidekick, the fiesty rival, the older quiet one, the shy one. It's a format that's tried and tested, and it works again here. The character dynamics are the majority of the book, and frankly, I'd read a high school teen book about these girls happily.
However, I'd have liked to get to know the girls on a deeper level. While we are given some depth to certain characters, it's not particularly fleshed out throughout, and it feels superficial. I can't say I felt much at any of the pivotal deaths in the book; I think this is for two reasons.
a) Obviously some folks are going to die. That's kind of...the whole point.
b) I didn't know these girls well enough. It's hard to form that emotional connection, because I know them only as stereotypes and plot points.

The overall vibes
As a summary, because I've rambled on far too much, the general vibes of Survival Show are pretty good. I could do without some of the heavy handed "the planet was destroyed, why didn't people know better?" symbolism (I'm all for this messaging, but I don't think it serves much of a purpose in the book, which makes it feel all a bit like an empty gesture), but generally I enjoyed reading it and I enjoyed connecting with Taryn's world. There's just some lovable qualities to the writing that I can't refute, and despite knowing that I've had a lot of "complaints" in my review, I can't help but love this one.

Is it a perfect book? No.
Is it more suited for a potentially younger audience than a chronically online 31 year old? Probably.
Would I recommend it to fans of dystopian battle royale style reads? Yes!

I enjoy this one it was definitely unique and a little different
I like the whole idea and it was executed very well
I liked the characters they were interesting and likable.

This is a neon‑bright, razor‑sharp dystopian thriller that takes the familiar machinery of reality TV and pushes it to its most brutal, glitter‑soaked extreme.

I absolutely DEVOURED this. Being a certified fangirl, books like this will always draw me in, but I think this might be the best one I've read so far. I loved the dystopian setting, the characterisation and all round vibe of the book. My only gripe is that I wish it had been longer, because I could have read 1000 pages of this. I think Juno did a great job of highlighting some of the horrors of the music industry, while maintaining the YA suitability of the story. I don't know what else to say other than I absolutely loved this and I've come to the conclusion that I would read Juno Dawson's shopping list and love it because she is yet to let me down.

This was definitely The Hunger Games meets the X Factor in the best ways! I'm not one for dystopian but this book weirdly did not feel like it at all. The premise was compelling with the game show-esque vibe with interesting commentary on girlhood, AI, the rich and famous, and so much more. I was fully immersed as I read this and I really didn't want it to finish as it was such a fun read..

Thank you to Juno Dawson, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for letting read this great book.
I loved the idea of a X-Factor with trials. It intrigued me from the start.
I really liked some of the characters like the contestants like or FMC Taryn and some of the girls like Leela, Suki and, towards the end, even Madison. Other characters like her brother and Cade absolutely had my heart.
It starts a bit slow. I liked the auditions but it was a bit slow. When the girls were selected, action started for real. Some eliminations were like a gut punch.
The overall world-building was good, the plot was getting better as the book progressed and then, twists happened.
There were things I didn't see coming and were really surprised by.
Overall it was good book. I thought it would be a standalone and now I'm really looking forward for the next book.

Do you ever read the blurb of a book and think it was immediately written for you? That’s exactly what Survival Show was for me. As a Kpop adorer since 2007 when my Chemistry-class pal Laurette introduced me to the Wonder Girls, and someone whose University dissertation was on dystopian fiction, this felt like my two worlds colliding in the best possible way. So, for that, I want to start this review with saying THANK YOU JUNO DAWSON!

The world within Survival Show was what caught me first. As we live in a dystopia currently, there’s an interesting relationship with dystopias currently that has me questioning, when I read them, could this happen? And this is one, I unfortunately could see happening. With reality shows ever looking to raise the stakes in our world, it’s almost an eerie foreshadowing of what could come as a result of population control. That line is walked with eerie perfection by Juno Dawson, allowing readers to experience the gravity of the situation whilst also feel far enough away to feel a reprieve from this when needed. That being said, I think there is a LOT the world could learn from Juno Dawson’s writing in this novel.

Taryn is the PERFECT protagonist for this type of story, in my opinion. We understand why she needs to do this from the outset, but also why this world is so appealing to her and threatens to rope her in. She’s the type of fighter we love to see because of one main thing… Her fight is full of heart. I cheered for her, shed a tear for her, my heart broke for her, and so much more across Survival Show. Juno Dawson’s created one of those timeless dystopian YA protagonists that will be a figurehead in the zeitgeist for decades to come.

Without giving anything away (I don’t do spoilers!), the plot is so fast paced and ramps up so continuously, in an almost effortless manner (which shows the wonder of Juno Dawson’s craft). I was so thoroughly invested within the first chapter that I read the whole novel in two sittings and the only reason that was the case was because I had to sleep between. You will fall so incredibly mesmerised by this world, its people and its story that I can guarantee you won’t want to put it down either.

The dream YA read for any readers YA and above, this is going to be one that’s going to have people talking in the summer so make sure you’ve got a copy preordered. It’s one I’ve already told so many friends about, and I think it’ll be a novel that’ll have readers falling in love with it for decades to come…

I have enjoyed Her Majestie's Royal Coven series by Juno Dawson and when I saw that she was doing a new YA release, I knew that I had to request it on Netgalley. This was such a brilliant read, Juno always has a way to grip you from the very first page and doesn't let you go until you finish. It was so good that I read it in less than a day. I found the story brilliantly written and well paced. I loved the reality TV concept of the story, it was very well done. Plus there was a great cast of characters. I will definitely be getting a physical copy when it releases so that I can read it again. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
💝 Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK children's, the author, Juno Dawson and Netgalley for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I absolutely loved this book! I loved everything from the characters to the plot. Such a unique and well thought out idea.
For those who like reality tv style books and thrillers, this is gold!! I literally couldn’t put it down

I don't even know where to start with this book, holy shit. Not since The Hunger Games have I been so immediately and compellingly dragged into a dystopian fiction, this was both fantastic and absolutely chilling to read. It was pacy and dynamic and gripping and horrifying.

The thing that really got me about Survival Show was how incredibly possible it all felt, it's not a far future dystopia but one that could happen within my lifetime, caused by events that in the current political climate seem not only possible but at times even probable, and that made it feel so visceral to read. Since finishing it I haven't been able to get it out of my head, I keep thinking how the jump from watching people suffer for our entertainment on reality TV to watching them die is not as big a leap as we might think it is. And it really rams home the point that the moment we start letting the rights of minorities be eroded, the minute we start to see some lives as disposable, which is already happening in parts of society, we start down a very slippery slope. Absolutely nobody could read this and think reading isn't political.

As well as all this, the horror and the realism and the terrifying possibility of it all, it's also an incredibly well written and gripping dystopian story, and very accessible and engaging for a YA audience (and an adult audience tbh), I literally couldn't put it down. The characters are easy to fall in love with and care for, which makes the harrowing things that happen feel so much more painful. Also, a lot of the awfulness behind the scenes of the reality show are actually happening in real reality TV shows already, it's a harsh reality that the book doesn't shy away from at all.

My only critique of the book would be I found the ending a little bit rushed and unsatisfying but given that there's clearly a sequel coming, I can let that go in the hopes that the sequel will find a way to resolve that.

This book was so good! I’m not surprised I enjoyed it as I love anything Juni Dawson writes but this had so much in it: female friendship, questions over gender, heritage, sexual orientation, relationships with food, celebrity… so much! It was a brutal read and I thought Taryn was a brilliant protagonist. I’m kind of hoping there will be more…

Thanks to NetGalley for my early copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.

I devoured this on trains across Japan and found myself wishing each train would last longer so I could find out what happened next. Juno Dawson is firmly one of my favourite writers no matter the genre.

I loved the mix of pop culture references that inspired this dystopian future which feels somehow macabre and realistic. You can tell how much the author loves Kpop and understands the fan base.

I loved the cast of characters which made the survival element of the book devastating. I’ve gone off YA recently because I felt like all the teenage characters were unbelievably wise and only good things happen to them so this was a breath of fresh air.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read an early copy. Fingers crossed for another book in this series!

WHAT A BOOK!!! Fresh, thought-provoking and gripping from the very start - a (literal) survival show set against the backdrop of a dystopian world with dangerous billionaires, layer upon layer of secrets and a compelling (and very inclusive) cast of characters. I recently watched Pop Star Academy: Katseye (and loved it). This exciting YA thriller takes the drama up a zillion notches. I can't really handle sleepless nights anymore but I couldn't stop reading even though I was DESTROYED the next day. I fully blame Juno. She's incredible. INCREDIBLE. Everyone's going to be talking about this book.

Loved this book so much, was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype but it deserves so much hype and more. The story itself was super unique, fast paced and so many twists and turns that I finished it in one sitting. Such an amazing book and author!

Firstly, thank you so much for letting me read Survival Show early.
I absolutely adored this story, I had no idea where it was going till the last word, I can usally predict the ending too easily.
This is the perfect mix of hunger games meets pop stars.
Even though its a YA I very much enjoyed it (when my preorder comes, I'll be letting my teen read it)

Juno Dawson's books are wildly unpredictable, and you never quite know what she will write next. This particular book marks her return to YA and continues the use of her razor sharp pop culture knowledge. Described by Dawson as the Spice Girls meets Hunger Games, this is an expert extrapolation of where our society is headed.

Set in a future where the climate crisis has created refugees out of most of the English, and right wing laws have been allowed to progress to their logical conclusion, life in Scotland as English refugees is pretty miserable. Money and food are scarce, labour is enforced and medicines are not for the poor any more. Morality laws have forced queer and trans+ people into hiding. Into this scenario we meet Taryn, her brother Jenson and her Dad amongst others. Taryn has a voice and the only way to help her brother get medication and survive is to enter the ultimate reality competition, Starmaker. It shares the DNA of Pop Idol, and like everything in the future is corporate controlled, but is also part of Project Population, a scheme by which you can sacrifice your life for a payout for your loved ones - useful if you're ill or old.

In this show, every eliminated contestant - is killed on the show.

The premise sounds cheesy and farfetched but Dawson does what she does best and grounds the show in reality, mixes in realisitic pop culture references and tropes and then injects great characters with different motivations. This stops the book becoming a parody and instead becomes a twisty turny thriller, with just the right level of emotions and humour. Whilst it follows most of the beats of a dystopian thriller and indeed a reality show with it's manipulated storylines, having a main character like Taryn is enough of a wildcard to ensure you have no idea how Dawson might end the book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story - fans of Benjamin Dean, or the Inheritance Games will too, and can't wait to see this release at the end of the year.

(Personal Instagram is @james_reads_books - which is where the review will be shared).

This wasn't just a book to read, this was an experience!

I truly felt like a contestant living amongst the others in the Dreamhouse and it had me on the edge of my seat.

I enjoyed this book a lot but I was definitely far more invested in the contest than I was with the exposé. I understand that if this were real life, I would absolutely be speaking out about the way contestants are eliminated but as this is a work of fiction, it made for a good story.

This is the type of book where you cannot predict the outcomes and I really liked that about it.

I am so eager to read the sequel should there be one. I am really hoping there is based on what the author said in their acknowledgements. Bring it on!

omg when I say I downloaded this IMMEDIATELY and read it in one sitting??

this book is so addictive, it nails that girl group survival show (pun intended) except when they get eliminated they die pitch so perfectly, I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book!

It’s fast paced, easy to read & got the most amazing sisterhood vibes!

I would highly recommend it!

I love Juno Dawson, and when I read the premise of Survival Show I LOVED IT.
It really is The X Factor meets The Hunger Games, set in a brutal dystopian world where Earth is flooding and over populated and citizens can opt in to humane euthanisation for a substantial payment to their families left behind.

Survival Show follows Taryn, a naturally gifted singer who struggles with dance, as she enters a global competition to join a girl band, with eliminations happening weekly, but if you're eliminated you automatically forfeit your life to 'Project Population' - its literally a case of sing, or die.

As this is YA you know you are safe from smut if that isn't your thing, and in that respect its appropriate for younger readers (I make a point of saying this as I frequently see young readers picking up entirely innappropriate books!)

We have a corrupt system, desperate teenage girls, diverse representation and a fast-paced story - There's not really much not to love!

A new Juno Dawson book is always a celebration. Survival Show was an incredibly addictive romp through the dark and very true realities of modern reality tv and its effects on young people. It is of course taken to the extreme in some places here but the dystopian thing is, it feels quite possible. Loved the characters, the set up and even the fact the setting was different to what I had imagined but set a great backdrop for 1984 meets X Factor. 10/10 stellar read.

This was epic! I heard Juno talking about this book when she was on tour for the last HMRC book and in that moment I knew I was going to love this book and it did not disappoint.

The balance between the reality tv show chaos plus the dystopian world was done so well. It made me laugh and cry, I laughed at all the millennial jokes. I think this is perfect for young girls as well as women in their 30s!

Thank you for this ARC, it was perfect!

Bit late posting this one as I think the book’s already been released, but better late than never! Last night, I finished an ARC of Juno Dawson’s new YA novel Survival Show, set in a dystopian world where resources are scarce, healthcare is only for the wealthy and climate refugees are numerous (so far, so familiar).

In order to win enough money to help her ailing brother, teen protagonist Taryn applies to a global talent show with a twist: if you’re eliminated from the show, you forfeit your life.

If you like The Hunger Games, pop music and rebellion, this book’s for you. ✅ ✅ ✅

The Survival Show is dystopian reality TV - imagine X Factor, but when you're voted off, you die.

I devoured the book and was completely absorbed with the different characters. The plot was good, and didn't shy away from the difficult areas of the world that had been built. I would love more in this Universe!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review