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Survival Show
Not yet published
Expected 23 Apr 26DARKNESS, DRAMA AND DEATH FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED AND BESTSELLING* AUTHOR OF CLEAN AND HER MAJESTY’S ROYAL COVEN.
SING FOR YOUR LIFE!
Welcome to the New Alliance – a reimagined world after a war and a flood. Taryn Beck and her family don’t have much, and her younger brother needs vital medication to survive. Medication they can’t access or afford. Taryn secretly enters Network G’s reality show: Starmaker , the most watched TV show in the world.
The rules are simple; young women from all over the globe compete to join an all-singing, all-dancing pop outfit, DOLLHOU5E. If you win, a life of luxury, stardom and wealth awaits . . . But there’s a catch. Eliminated contestants are literally eliminated; “volunteered” to Project Population, an initiative designed to cull the community.
Sequestered in the sinister Dreamhouse, and filmed 24 hours-a-day, Taryn soon realises that reality TV is far from real. She and her fellow trainees are pitted against each other in cruel challenges. Working with gorgeous boyband mentor, Cade, Taryn covertly plots to expose this brutal regime and destroy Starmaker from the inside.
Get ready for the performance of Taryn’s life.
The explosive new YA novel from Juno Dawson.
*Her Majesty’s Royal Coven reached TCM category number one on 26th July 2022.
SING FOR YOUR LIFE!
Welcome to the New Alliance – a reimagined world after a war and a flood. Taryn Beck and her family don’t have much, and her younger brother needs vital medication to survive. Medication they can’t access or afford. Taryn secretly enters Network G’s reality show: Starmaker , the most watched TV show in the world.
The rules are simple; young women from all over the globe compete to join an all-singing, all-dancing pop outfit, DOLLHOU5E. If you win, a life of luxury, stardom and wealth awaits . . . But there’s a catch. Eliminated contestants are literally eliminated; “volunteered” to Project Population, an initiative designed to cull the community.
Sequestered in the sinister Dreamhouse, and filmed 24 hours-a-day, Taryn soon realises that reality TV is far from real. She and her fellow trainees are pitted against each other in cruel challenges. Working with gorgeous boyband mentor, Cade, Taryn covertly plots to expose this brutal regime and destroy Starmaker from the inside.
Get ready for the performance of Taryn’s life.
The explosive new YA novel from Juno Dawson.
*Her Majesty’s Royal Coven reached TCM category number one on 26th July 2022.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 23, 2026
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 13, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
Survival Show is set in a reimagined world after a war and flood. It follows the story of Taryn Beck, a teenager who makes it her mission to provide her brother with life saving medical treatment, by entering the reality TV show “Starmaker” - if Taryn wins, she, along with her 4 band mates, will live a life of luxury, stardom and wealth. But if she’s eliminated, she will lose her life to “Project Population”, an initiative designed to cull the community.
This story is a mix of The Hunger Games and The X Factor which makes for a unique and clever plot which lovers of Dystopian YA novels and KATSEYE will absolutely adore.
I really liked Juno Dawson’s writing style, it was clear and easy to read. I think Dawson also did a really good job at portraying the darker side of the music industry and these competition shows. I particularly loved the Nadine Coyle/Irish PopStars reference “you told us you were born in June, and that you are a Gemini. But you lied about the year that you were born, didn’t you?”
With that being said, in all honesty, this was not the most enjoyable read for me. I do, however, think that my main issues with the book were solely due to my age, and had I been reading this at 16/17 years old, I would have LOVED it.
First of all, I did not fully connect with any of the characters, they felt incredibly young and I actually found them quite frustrating. Again, this could be an age thing, but I found myself wanting to shout at them and tell them “just stop bickering, stop making poor choices, stop selling each other out, and why didn’t you just get out of there when you had the chance!” The death and loss of each other was never a surprise to them, it was fully expected but never taken seriously until it happened.
I also really struggled with the pacing of this book. I felt like the build up to the start of the show went on a little bit too long whereas the results show felt too rushed, and although the writing was good, those moments felt too short for me to fully experience the emotions of the remaining girls and the eliminated contestant.
Things seemed to pick up a bit towards the finale/ending of the book, and I was satisfied with the way it ended. Iappreciated the twist at the end, I genuinely didn’t expect that reveal and I did gasp a little.
Survival Show is set in a reimagined world after a war and flood. It follows the story of Taryn Beck, a teenager who makes it her mission to provide her brother with life saving medical treatment, by entering the reality TV show “Starmaker” - if Taryn wins, she, along with her 4 band mates, will live a life of luxury, stardom and wealth. But if she’s eliminated, she will lose her life to “Project Population”, an initiative designed to cull the community.
This story is a mix of The Hunger Games and The X Factor which makes for a unique and clever plot which lovers of Dystopian YA novels and KATSEYE will absolutely adore.
I really liked Juno Dawson’s writing style, it was clear and easy to read. I think Dawson also did a really good job at portraying the darker side of the music industry and these competition shows. I particularly loved the Nadine Coyle/Irish PopStars reference “you told us you were born in June, and that you are a Gemini. But you lied about the year that you were born, didn’t you?”
With that being said, in all honesty, this was not the most enjoyable read for me. I do, however, think that my main issues with the book were solely due to my age, and had I been reading this at 16/17 years old, I would have LOVED it.
First of all, I did not fully connect with any of the characters, they felt incredibly young and I actually found them quite frustrating. Again, this could be an age thing, but I found myself wanting to shout at them and tell them “just stop bickering, stop making poor choices, stop selling each other out, and why didn’t you just get out of there when you had the chance!” The death and loss of each other was never a surprise to them, it was fully expected but never taken seriously until it happened.
I also really struggled with the pacing of this book. I felt like the build up to the start of the show went on a little bit too long whereas the results show felt too rushed, and although the writing was good, those moments felt too short for me to fully experience the emotions of the remaining girls and the eliminated contestant.
Things seemed to pick up a bit towards the finale/ending of the book, and I was satisfied with the way it ended. Iappreciated the twist at the end, I genuinely didn’t expect that reveal and I did gasp a little.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really loved it. No surprise really as I've been a Juno fan since Hollow Pike. Hunger Games meets X Factor.
February 16, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
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!
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!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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!
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!
February 16, 2026
What do you get if you mix X Factor trying to find the new Spice Girls and The Hunger Games, but set in a very realistic possible future?
This amazing story!
I think this one will stay with me for a while and I’m beyond excited there will be a sequel!
Dollhou5e forever ♾️
This amazing story!
I think this one will stay with me for a while and I’m beyond excited there will be a sequel!
Dollhou5e forever ♾️
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January 21, 2026Cannot say a word because it's embargoed still but....
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews