FOR REAL

A shy girl who loves reality TV is cast in a show in order to help her sister get back at her cheating boyfriend.

Claire, 18, idolizes her older sister, Miranda. Beautiful Miranda makes her way socially with ease, while Claire hides at parties. When Miranda catches her boyfriend, Samir, two-timing her, Claire concocts a plan to beat him on a reality show involving a race around the world, in which Samir already is a contestant. Once on the show, however, the sisters learn that the show has become more about dating than racing, and each is teamed up with a male contestant. Claire winds up with charming Will, to whom she finds herself extremely attracted. The show places contestants in exotic locations and requires them to perform tasks that are frequently bizarre and often embarrassing. Claire yearns for Will when they’re forced to switch partners, losing track of the reason she’s there. Cherry keeps the narrative moving with slapstick, thrusting Claire into ridiculous situations even as she challenges the girl to reconsider her often-wrong first impressions. She creates a wildly diverse cast of characters, writing with both ease and emotional intelligence.

A comic romp with considerable wisdom on the side.