Waste of Space

by Gina Damico

Cram ten hormonal teens into a spaceship and blast off: that’s the premise for the ill-conceived reality show Waste of Space. The kids who are cast know everything about drama—and nothing about the fact that the production is fake. Hidden in a desert warehouse, their spaceship replica is equipped with state-of-the-art special effects dreamed up by the scientists partnering with the shady cable network airing the show. And it’s a hit! Millions of viewers are transfixed. But then, suddenly, all communication is severed. Trapped and paranoid, the kids must figure out what to do when this reality show loses its grip on reality.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Humor, Fiction, Teen, Mystery

396 pages, Hardcover

First published July 11, 2017

About the author

I grew up under four feet of snow in Syracuse, New York. I received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where I was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, a murder mystery improv comedy troupe that may or may not have sparked my interest in wildly improbably bloodshed. I have since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker, and breadmonger.I live in Western Massachusetts with my husband, two cats, one dog, and and obscene amount of weird things purchased at yard sales.

NOTE: I don't check back here as often as I'd like to (OR write reviews), so instead of sending me a friend request or following me, why not hit me up on Twitter instead? @ginadamico

Reviews

[Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW - Lot of offensive speech

So, I guess the real question is : Was Waste of Space a Waste of Time?

... Alright, I guess that answering this question isn't nearly as easy as I had expected. Never mind, I'll try nonetheless.



Before going further, perhaps you need to know something about me : I breath satire. There's just nothing more satisfying than unhinged sarcasm as far as I'm concerned. And, oh boy, did Waste of Space delivered! Indeed it takes a look at the way people consume reality tv shows and welllllllll, that's not pretty. Oversexualizing teens, diversity tokenism, and the cynicism! Cynicism everywhere. Behind the layers of bullshit lies a fierce satire on our society, one I am THRILLED to see in a novel aimed at teenagers. Of course, for that to be accomplished Gina Damico had to portray a lot of offensive stuff, most of it coming from Mister King Asshole's mouth, Chazz, the producer of the show :

"We've still applied the standard network reality casting percentages : fifty percent male, fifty percent female; sixty percent white, thirty percent ethnic, ten percent undetermined; balanced dispersal of ages from fourteen to eighteen; plus the four Golden Tokens : gay, foreigner, disabled, and orphan. As per usual, we'll be throwing all sorts of plot bombs and crazy situations at the poor bastards - with the new added twist of a live segment at the end of each episode."

Charming, isn't it? There's so much wrong in this statement that I won't even try to correct it : what's important to know is that it's very clear that this is not meant to be taken at face value but on the contrary, that it's very much a pamphlet of some sort.

So the ten teenagers chosen are shoot into space and filmed 24/7. Except they're really not. In space, I mean. Of course, nobody except the production knows that, and if doubts start pilling after the first episode is aired, most of the public chooses to believe the lie and you know what? It sounds pretty realistic to me. I mean, I did read an article last week in which people were arguing that the moon landing was fake. So.

Moreover, I won't lie, I was engrossed from the start, and I have to give props to Gina Damico's writing for that : it was my first read from her but definitely not the last, because I just can't help myself when it comes to sarcasm. So many authors don't get it right! Sure, it was offensive as hell, but we can't ignore the fact that it was meant to be, can we?

Ultimately though, my 3 stars {generous} rating probably gives away that I didn't fall in love with this story. Let's see why, shall we?

Remember the question I'm trying to answer? Was Waste of Space a Waste of Time?



Alright, I get that introducing stereotypical characters was the point. We've all seen these TV shows or music bands that always seem in a hurry to plaster down a stereotype to their members - marketing will do that for you. However, it would have been interesting to see the characters get rid of the straightjackets they were put in. Sure, they ultimately did... by page 350! I mean! It's way too far for me to care, when I've spent most of the story bored OUT OF MY MIND by Clayton the Rich Asshole, Baccardi the Party Girl, Snout the Nice Farmer Boy, Nico the Shy Orphan, Lucy the Scifi Nerd... As much as I appreciate what Gina Damico wanted to do when she deconstructed these stereotypes, I'd have very much enjoyed for that to start, say, 200 pages earlier?

Moreover, some plot points were just completely unbelievable, and no, I'm not talking about the way everyone believed DV8 productions. I've already stated that the willingness my fellow humans show in accepting such framed lies make me think it could happen. But. See, one of the contenders is a Japanese teenager, who doesn't speak English. Because she's smarter than the others, she immediately understands that they're not in space and that the whole thing is bullshit. None of the other characters speak Japanese, though, so they don't understand her when she's complaining. Fair enough, but come on, the show is aired on television in the United States and you're gonna tell me that nobody understands Japanese? Now that's just stupid. More generally, I did not like the way her character was treated : even in a satirical atmosphere, the way she was solely used as a joke did not sit well with me.

Finally, as captivating the beginning was, Waste of Space didn't manage to hold my interest through the end. Indeed by page 200 I was already aching to skim, and if I didn't, I can't say that the ending made it up for the boring parts. Even if the concept won me, the plot was just not compelling enough in my opinion. The last part was so, so boring : I think that's when I realized that I didn't give a flying fuck about these characters?

Oops? Did I say that aloud?



To conclude : I appreciate what Waste of Space was trying to do, and the sarcasm was perfect. Yet as far as I'm concerned it failed to exploit its fabulous premise.

*arc kindly provided by HMH Books for Young Readers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. As usual, it did not influence my opinion at all^^*

For more of my reviews, please visit:

[Karen’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a ride! Waste of Space is a really fun read which spoofs the crazy reality shows. Set up much like Big Brother, 10 teens are chosen to head to space ALONE with no supervision while being filmed 24/7. A few of the characters are really outlandish, especially the creator of the show, who is also the TV host.

BUT... Unknown to the cast and to the TV audience, the entire production is fake and the spaceship is actually sitting in the desert with a group of scientists and an elaborate special effects budget.

The zany premise is what drew me to this book and I knew I had to read it. The book is told as a report using transcripts of the show and raw video footage which, once I got used to the format, worked well.

All in all, I loved it, and found myself impatient to get back to it when real life got in the way. Once Saturday hit, I sat back and read to my heart's content until finished.

Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Publishing for the great read!

[Jennifer Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waste of Space is an interesting look at the extremes of reality television. I really like the way that Damico uses the intern commentary to split up the sections, and the sections themselves. The crazy cast and plot line adds realistic qualities to the book, and I’m sure most people know that reality television is anything but reality. The transcribed format of this book is hard to get into at first, but once I got used to it it was a good read. The ending, though, left me confused and wanting to know more.
To see my full review: https://www.boundtowriting.com/review...

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.25 Stars*

I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Guess who's crying......

----

Waste of Space doesn’t happen in space. Nope. It’s the story of reality TV show where the contestants are supposed to think they’re in space and so are the TV spectators…
It was told the way Illuminae was, basically… A succession of files and a dude commenting the videos…
I was afraid starting it that it would be too similar to Illuminae but turns out, it wasn’t…

I actually really loved this. I connected instantly with some of the characters and some others grew on me. I was deeply invested and read it in about one sitting. I could not stop. I laughed, cried and everything in between…

It’s also a satire on reality TV and TV production? It’s a subject that I’m interested in and I enjoyed that side greatly… It’s also a satire on bias and the classic character tropes.

So, basically, I’m buying this when it comes out, and I’m planning on re-reading it.

[Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“...Reality is boring; abridged reality is not.”

Waste of Space is easily one of the funnest and most entertaining books I’ve ever read. I can only really describe this as Beauty Queens meets Big Brother. With a satirical eye, Gina Damico tackles everything we love, and hate, about reality tv. Waste of Space follows 10 teens chosen to participate in an out-of-this-world reality show, with the only catch being - everything is fake. We see the teens struggle with their new “reality” as the production team scrounges up new ways to torment our unknowing teens, until everything starts to go wrong.

Things I Liked
I would recommend this book to anyone purely for the humor and satirical value. I can only liken it to Beauty Queens by Libba Bray - both books tackle pop culture in a fantastically original way. You really get the larger-than-life personality of the tv hose, Chazz Young, who is one of the single most entertaining characters I’ve ever encountered. I loved the extravagant situational humor, and the confrontational humor between the contestants, the production crew and the scientists, and the believers vs. the non believers. This was so supremely entertaining - and truly laugh out loud hilarious.

Things I Didn’t Like
The “episodes” started to feel really long once I got into part two. Yes, there were some little excerpt info posts, but I just started to drag a bit for me. It honestly made me want to start skimming parts of the story, which is really absurd, because it was such an easy and quick read - but it managed to feel long.

Louise got so incredibly annoying to the point of being insufferable. I wanted to skip every scene she was a part of because I literally could not believe the world coming out of her mouth. It pushed past satire into delusional.

This was such an entertaining read, with a high humor factor, that it was really seems like the best way to spend your free time, is to read this book. Such an outrageous cast of characters brings life and drama to this astronomical take on reality tv.

I received a copy of the book from HMH Teen via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jamie (Books and Ladders) · Rating 5 out of 5]

See this review and more on Books and Ladders!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

I actually really loved this??? It is written in transcripts and it just so great! I loved all the twists and turns and everything in between. I thought the ending was super cool and I highly recommend this one if you want like a Reality TV version of Illuminae!

[Krysti · Rating 4 out of 5]

WASTE OF SPACE ended up being nothing like I expected, and yet I ended up loving it! Gina Damico's satirical take on a reality television show is absolutely hilarious. She does a brilliant job of poking fun at this entertainment phenomenon in a way that is uproarious and also surprisingly touching.

The character's in this book are exaggerated versions of so many Hollywood and reality television stereotypes, and they are so much fun to read. They had me laughing non-stop through the first half, and then I found myself actually connecting with them and caring about them in the second half when Damico starts giving them a lot more depth and real world backstories.

The fact that absolutely everything on this "space ship" is so obviously fake and everything that can possibly go wrong on it certainly does so and in glorious fashion, is so much fun. I think it does force readers to pause their sense of disbelief a bit at times, but if you can really embrace the idea of this being a true (and brilliant) satire, then this book will just be an absolute pleasure to read.

I certainly didn't see the ending of this one coming. It took me wholly by surprise. It was actually quite beautiful, and the closing prose is quite frankly stunning and shows that not only does Damico have a firm grasp on satire and humor, but she has some serious writing chops as well.

This is one of the most original stories that I've read this year, and I can't wait to read more books from this phenomenal author.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley. It does not impact my review.

Waste of Space will be available July 11, 2017.

This was such a different kind of book than what I’ve read before. While it didn’t quite work for me 100% of the time, I did find it an enjoyable, often humorous read.

I thought this was going to be a Contemporary sort of book, but it’s much more of a satire on reality tv. I have watched my fair share of reality shows and I found much of this to be really spot on – from the casting “…sixty percent white, thirty percent ethnic, ten percent undetermined…plus the four Golden Tokens: gay, foreigner, disabled, and orphan…”  (quote taken from ARC) to the manufactured dramatic plot points. I loved all the random reality tv show titles that were thrown in as being part of the same DV8 network. And I loved how it shows the audience being separated into those who fully believed these kids were in space, those who found the whole thing so fake it was insulting, and those that were just enjoying it and not really caring one way or the other how real it was.

I found some of the “spacetronatus” a little more likable and/or developed than others. I liked Snout and his pet pig, Colonel Bacon, who also came on the show. I loved Kaoru, who got recruited to the show against her will, only speaks Japanese, and is not at all amused at what is going on. The two characters that were the most developed were Titania and Nico. They developed a bit of a showmance and both had some serious backstories. I really liked Nico, but wasn’t quite as fond as Titania. I’m not quite sure why. She just kind of rubbed me the wrong way sometimes. I also thought that their storylines detracted from the overall satire feel of the book. I think that the author should have gone all in with the satire and left out the heavier storylines. The story felt a little unbalanced trying to switch back and forth between the two.

I expected to get the “spacetronauts” POV in a traditional narrative format. Instead, the story is told from a whistle-blowing intern who shares video, phone, and blog transcripts, along with his own observations. I really liked this format. All of my favorite portions of the story came from the transcripts with Chazz, the producer, working behind the scenes. I also enjoyed the Perky Paisley talk show and the various blog posts about the show. Where it lacked for me was actually with the kids on the show. While they did have several humorous moments, I found them way less interesting than the production of the show.

Overall, I found Waste of Space pretty enjoyable. I loved the satirical view of reality television. Though it did occasionally go a little far into cheesy territory, I thought it was really well done overall. If you’re looking for a humorous, different kind of YA book, I definitely recommend this one. Catchphrase forever!

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars

[Aya · Rating 3 out of 5]

“...Reality is boring; abridged reality is not.”

More of a 2.5 star book.

The synopsis describes the book pretty accurately. The book is about a reality TV show "in space" as all of the cast members and America think, but then the cast members start questioning if they are really in space or all of this is fake. There is a mystery going on and lots of weird things start to happen to the spacetronauts.

I feel really disappointed.

About a quarter of the book, I told myself this one would be at least a 4 star book for me. There was action going on. The characters were so interesting.

Tell me how cool this spaceship looks like!


I liked the humor A LOT. I didn't laugh that loud for a long time because of a book! The show sounded so cool. I felt excited as the kids even though the reader knows the whole show thing is fake.
The formatting of the book is amazing, kinda reminded me of "Illuminae" by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff which I loved. It was not confusing as Illuminae in the beginning though. So easy to get through it from the first page!

But by the halfway mark, I felt a little bored, but I kept going. It took me ages to finish this half of the book.
By the end, I was extremely bored, I didn't care about anything by the end.
Tbh, I didn't get the end, or maybe I didn't care that much to get it. I don't know.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book when one has a crappy week (and longer). Space, reality shows, some romance, and hilarious situations involving pigs?

Warning: Chaotic and long-ish review.

I am a big fan of Gina Damico, and so I have been looking forward to this book since it was announced. Especially with that blurb, I just had to read it. I love books about reality shows, and I was curious what twists and turns would be announced.

The book is made up out of phone conversations, interviews, episode transcripts, and the occasional normal writing. At first it took me a bit to get used to the format, but after a while? I just didn't want anything else. Plus I also don't think this book would have the same impact if it was written normally. Now you really get up and close with the action, and you can see each and every detail of what is going on with the show.

I loved that we really see every aspect of the show. From the start, production, to the show itself, and how it all ends. Though I have to say, probably due to my head being in other places, I didn't realise this took place after the show (yes, I know that it is mentioned in various places, so imagine how out of the world my head was). So I was pretty much feeling frustrated when it seemed that Chazz would get away with it. And then I realised.. OMG this is of course set AFTER everything, that means..... :P

I didn't like every character. Some I loved, some I hated. Like Chazz, he was just a terrible, terrible person, and I hope he will get what he deserves. He put kids into harms way, he kidnapped kids (poor Kaoru and Matt), he only cares about ratings and views and not about anything else, and I could go on, the list is long!
I also didn't like his nephew, what a terrible egoistic guy that was. Then again, I guess it runs in the family.... :|
Louise and her delusions, sorry, I would call what she thought that. Girl, please, it is OK if you want to believe in something, but to act like this? To not see reality at all? Maybe you should talk to someone about this. She was just so annoying and I just wanted to throw her out of the ship.
Hibiscus. Not the kind of girl I would like in real life. She was just way too annoying with her 1% crap, and her OMG save the earth or else attitude (I am all for saving the earth, but I feel that one shouldn't push others to do it or act all high and mighty like Hibiscus did).

Before I go to the people I quite liked I want to go for the people that were so-so.
Like Jamarkus (what is up with that name). I am still not entirely sure what to think of him. On the one hand he had some good reasons, on the other hand, bleh. He did redeem himself in the end + he was pretty nice at times in the show.
Snout and his pig. Another guy who was pretty nice, but I am still not sure if I truly liked him or not. I didn't quite like the fact he just took his pig with him, really dude, are you also going to take that with you when you are meeting a girl, or during other moments in your life? I don't see anyone else take their pet with them, do you?
Kaoru. I loved this girl, but the reason why she is in this category and not the love was because how little she was in the show. I am guessing it is because of her not speaking the English language (or only barely), but I wished she was around more. Maybe even tried communicating a bit more with the other kids, even if it was hard, I am sure she knows more than just Kettle, Fish. I also found it weird that so much was still broadcasted, but yet no one, NO ONE, came forward to help her out. I am sure there are enough people who speak/understand Japanese (and since this is broadcasted all over the world in the end), plus come on, this girl got kidnapped, isn't there anyone who is missing her?
Matt. He was just there. Not really that interested, he was a bit like wallpaper.

Now for my likes/loves.
Nico. It took me some time to get used to him, but after a while I really liked him. I grew fond of him, and was interested in his situation and what drove him to sign up for the show. His camera stuff got a bit annoying, but it was also sweet that he kept talking like this to his parents.
Titania. My favourite girl. She was just too awesome. I loved her backstory and when we found out everything I just wanted to hug her tight.
Bacardi. Yes, a surprise favourite. At first I wasn't sure what to think of this girl, but later, oh boy, she quickly became one of my favourites. She was just too awesome. :P

Yes, even with so many characters sitting between bad and so-so, I still enjoyed the book. Because you really need those characters to make the reality show stuff to work. If everyone just gets along, and if you just don't dislike anyone it becomes a bit boring and bland. Now you got your favourites you want to win, or root for, and your dislikes to boo at.

The reality show parts were really fun to read about, plus it was also great fun to see the characters discuss/think if it was all truly real or if it was just all fake. And also see those feelings waver when certain events happened.
I had a laugh with what Chazz thought up to make it more interesting (though I definitely have to say I didn't approve of most of them as they were dangerous). And it was quite nice that we also see reviews/comments from people who watch the show. 

There are quite a few twists and turns which make the story even more interesting and fun to read. Of course I won't say what they were as they would spoil the story. But I can promise you that they are great.

The ending was absolutely brilliant, and that last pages? I cried. So much. It was just the best ending for this book, it was perfection.

I could go on a bit longer about the book, but I think I have mentioned everything important. So I will just leave with this: Read this book! It is awesome, brilliant, it will make you laugh, it will make you scream at characters, and then end it with tears.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Lisa Mandina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Gina Damico has written a story that is so much fun! I love her characters, the snarkiness, the silliness, all of it. And it's not just that the characters are so great, the story itself is full of all kinds of great scenes, and extremely edge of your seat action at some points! While you know there is something going on, I didn't quite guess exactly what it was until it was actually happening in the story. In a way, this is almost a tribute to stories like Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, in that the story is told through recordings and video, with comments from the intern that is turning all this evidence into a book so that everyone knows what really happened. This book had me sitting and laughing at something on almost every single page, especially a lot of the dialogue.

Check out my full review on Lisa Loves Literature.

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was... well crazy different.
It's a super ridiculous and humorous premise; that a TV network is going to send a group of teenagers into space and film it as a reality TV show. I really enjoyed the first 65% of this book. It was amusing, engaging, heartfelt and so cliche you couldn't help but laugh. The end however didn't quite hit for me.

Waste of Space is written in the format of video or audio transcripts (for the most part); either of the reality TV show, phone calls, unaired footage from the video cameras, or the mysterious intern that provides commentary every once in awhile. On page 1 we learn that the intern is the reason the footage is all combined in one file from so many sources. This format while easy to read is not always my favourite. We only get characters perspectives from their 'confessionals' to video cameras which makes it difficult to know if we are getting their genuine thoughts or more 'acting' out of their stereotypes. I prefer to be in the character's head and better understand their POV.

The teens are the main focus of the story; alongside the TV executive, Chazz. He's the over the top executive that calls all the ridiculous shots and seems to think that the world needs cutting edge, truly dangerous reality TV. Except that no one is going to sign off on their teenage being shot into space alone... so instead of actually going to space they make it seem like the kids are in space for the show. Oh, and the teens think they are also in space and on their own. A typical Lord of the Flies scenario.

The best part of this book is that the ridiculous fun of the first half is obviously a hoax. We, the reader learn this right away and of course most of the world buys into the silly premise (because people are easy to manipulate). Thankfully a few groups of scientists easily debunk the show as being in space, even if no one listens to them.
By the second half of the show I feel like the reader is suddenly the one being taken along for a ride. Suddenly we are trying to figure out what is actually going on as there is clearly more to this little charade than a fake 'space plane' and a celebrity hungry TV executive.

This brings me to the crux of what I didn't like about Waste of Space. It has an odd ending. It's not that it's bad... it's just... not what I expected at all. And not in the 'wow, I'm amazed' kind of twist. Instead in the I feel there was little to no foreshadowing for this ending and it's a bit cheap. I suddenly feel like Gina Damico took me, the reader, along for a similar ride that Chazz took the TV audience on in the beginning. A total and complete facade that barely explains what is happening.

The other thing that I found about Waste of Space is that it's a bit long... my ARC copy is 510 pages. I see that the published copy is shorter (400 pgs) so I'm hoping they cut down on some of the unnecessary dialogue between the teens on the ship. That said, the pages aren't fully text either, as they are in the screenplay dialogue style. So average words per page is significantly lesser than your average book.

Overall I thought Waste of Space was fun, but I wouldn't pick it up to read again. That said, if you have a teen that is a space geek and would enjoy a fun book I think this is a great pick. Also this is a clean book so you could give it to any child at the right reading level. I'd easily buy this for a 10 year old that has a higher than average reading level. And I'm certain that a 10-13 year old would be enchanted by the whole thing. Which makes me wonder just now... maybe I'm just a bit too old for this book (like 20+ years too old, lol). No matter what your age is there is no doubt you will need to suspend ALL belief to really accept this odd ending. But at least you'll have a good, fun time getting to it!

To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

[Rian *fire and books* · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A solid opening salvo (for me!) from Gina Damico.

I won't lie, this novel was like the crumbs at the bottom of a bag of Cheez-it's. Salty and wonderful and their own special snack on their own. It was like reading a trash train wreck (not the writing!) with crack in the air. I. Couldn't. Get. Enough.

It was flat out hilarious that these characters and honestly America, would believe so much of what happened in this novel. It was a trip! Oh gosh I'm just shaking my head in amusement because it was so much fun.

Things I liked:
-Honesty about reality casting as well as some of the kids on the show knowing what niche they filled
-Nico was just the sweetest!
-How ridiculously - and not surprisingly - America bought into the whole "we shot some kids into space"
-Bacardi! What a solid character
-Kaoru is my darling and I wished she got the limelight. Only issue was I kept reading it as Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Hella confusing.
-The adrenaline surge I got
-The format! I love tell all/exposés! Illuminae still reigns supreme on that category but this was well done. Especially considering the subject matter.

Thinks that are trash:
-Chazz. He's trash. Perfect idiot/Hollywood/DUMBASS. Totally deserves some humble pie with a dash of prison whipped cream
-Louise
-The absurdity of Balway Galway and all that entailed. So. Much. Hair. Pulling. And eye rolls too.
-The ending

If you're a fan of reality tv I think you'll enjoy this. Truly made me laugh and pull my hair out and want to scream at all the stupidity I was reading (see Chazz). I wish a certain character wasn't shoved into the crazy bin and honestly some of them *really* got stereotyped. I don't think you'll be able to take your eyes of the train wreck (again, the storyline is the wreck, not the writing) that happened to the crew of the Laika.

Enjoy!

*spoiler*













About that ending. I didn't like it. I truthfully thought someone would die! Wwwwhhhhhhyyyyyyy didn't I get a dead body?

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't for me. The humour was too zany, the characters drifted too far into caricature. Well, most of them. It seemed like the book couldn't decide if it wanted to be completely absurd satire, or to actually have serious and heartfelt. The result is a painfully stereotypically hillbilly character with a pet pig searching for his abducted tractor sharing page space with an introverted young man who's recently lost his parents and is struggling to connect with his older brother slash guardian. It jars, badly. I think there are those out there who will enjoy the way this book joyously rips into reality TV, but as I said it just wasn't for me.

[Mary BookHounds · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS

Gina Damico is one author that I read EVERYTHING I can find by her, so WASTE OF SPACE is a must read for me.  In her latest, she takes 10 teens and places them in a reality show on a space ship. What can possibly go wrong?  Well, with Damico, almost everything and then some.  The teens all are chosen in a random, reality-show faithful casting much like a younger Big Brother mixed with Kardashian product placement.  Of course, with plans to broadcast 24-7, something goes awry when the teens don't seem to do anything interesting.

Everything goes according to the plans of the producer who is a Ryan Seacrest type creature who tries to manipulate the teens into drama.  Some of the teens are pretty smart and are figuring out they are not really in space.  As the drama is artificially increased the rating take off but maintaining those ratings are cause for concern.  When the whole project goes dark, there are some major machinations at work.  The story is uniquely told by an intern who catalogs the inside scoop on this show which is now the subject of lawsuits.

I found this book so much fun to read.  It is a wonderful take on reality shows but also brings out the best in teens.  I am not going to go into each character and plot detail because that would truly ruin the whole thing.  Just note once you start, you have to read this one straight through.

[Ashley Urquhart · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 99 pgs (24%) - It just felt overwhelmingly cheesy and unrealistic. I get that the book is supposed to be those things to an extent, but it just felt like too much. I didn't care about any of the characters because even 99 pages in, we hadn't really gotten to know any of them. The way the author tried to use different formats and mediums was interesting and a good concept, but I found the use of a no-name intern narrator to be a little strange. I usually love reality TV books, but I just couldn't with this one.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

This book is GOLD! It's basically "reality tv" satire and I was loving EVERY second of it! (The ending wasn't as strong as I was hoping, and the tone was kind of different from the rest of the book, but it's still good.)

There's a TV show set in space (except it's not really space) and the world is eating it up! It's so bizarre and full of mockery of reality TV. It goes from the way the cast is chosen, to the way things are manipulated to make for a good show!

To make things simple, the book it's just fun and easy to read!

[Erikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Gina Damico. I say that in every review of every book, but I do. Her sense of humor, plot creation, lovable characters...she's just great. While this isn't her strongest book (some of the jokes and references are a bit on-the-nose), it still is a worthwhile read. I requested the ARC expecting another Gina Gem--and I got it. A fun ride, a slap in the face of reality TV, and some incredibly memorable characters.

[laura (bbliophile)]

I feel like I can't properly rate it since I gave up on this book after only having read 40 pages. The synopsis was really intruiging, and I'm still super curious to see what happens in this book plot-wise, but I really didn't like the writing. At all. And I didn't want to force myself to suffer through that for 350+ more pages just because I'm curious.

[rat! · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman is a gina-ous

this book is one of the best books I've read all year

[Dodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it's just not enough to do a reality show in a crammed apartment, Chazz Young, CEO of the DV8 network, decides to put ten teens into space. Like in a rocket ship. Except it really isn't going into space, but the spacetronauts don't know that. Thanks to a little known group of scientists who go by the acronym NASAW, a set is created, complete with anti-anti-gravity. The contestants are challenged with both physical and totally mental tasks, and one by one, are slowly eliminated. Snarky and full of really bad science, those looking for an intelligent read should look somewhere else - but those looking for a laugh and a salute to sarcasm will enjoy Waste of Space!

[Ellyn → Allonsythornraxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

07/01/2020
4 ⭐
When I first picked this up I was expecting it to be a 3 star at best, if i didn't end up DNFing it. So, the fact that I'm honestly considering rating it between 4 and 5 stars is wild to me. I loved the whole concept of this book and I need a tv show asap. I honestly loved everything about this and I will be finding every excuse to recommend it!

[Cindy Huskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! I was crying from laughter several times throughout this book, and loved every minute of it. I was forced to read several passages aloud to my family in order to explain my outbursts, which only invited them to get on the waiting list to read this book after me.

This is reality TV at its best and it’s worst. Truly a biting satire on reality TV, its stars, producers, and the American public who consumes it.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was unexpectedly good. After reading the back, I figured that it would be cheesy. And in a sense, it was, but it was written so well that it makes you want to keep reading. I really enjoyed the format in which the story was written: emails, dialogue, phone calls. It gives a nice change from regular writing. One of my favorite characters had to be Titania, she seemed so cool and slightly above it all. Her back story was really interesting and I loved how her backstory comes into play in the end and how it affects her relationship with Nico. Also, I love how Bacardi's personality was a complete cover for the nerd inside. I feel like that's what a lot of girls feel like they have to do now, hide their knowledge and intellect with a pretty outside. It was nice to realize that she wasn't just a pretty face, she was pretty and dead smart. Now, my all time favorite character had to be Colonel Bacon, I mean, come on, just imagining a pig running around a space ship is hilarious to me.
Overall, it was very well written and the plot twists and finale were perfect.

[zoe ♡]

Over the past few months, I developed an unease with rating books despite not finishing them which is the only reason that this book doesn’t have a Goodreads star rating. If you’re interested in why it makes me uncomfortable, let me know and I’ll make a blog post about it! Anyway, despite not giving the book a rating, I can tell you that it really wasn’t all that great. If it had to have a rating, I would probably give it something like a 2 or a 2.5.

It’s not a necessarily bad thing if someone is constantly drunk and quite slutty, but it’s a little far-fetched to have them only be defined by those two things and unfortunately, this book falls under the spell of having stock characters as it’s main drivers. Alongside the party girl, we have the rich asshole kid and the ‘country bumpkin farm boy’. I suppose that the book could be interpreted as satire, but it honestly seemed like the author was only half trying to make their characters into something; so they get stuck in between caricature and character.

The plot is half decent, but the characters are just too whiny and full of themselves to truly appreciate what is going on. Perhaps it might have worked a little better if there was something that would draw the reader’s sympathy, but nada. I hated everyone. Even the people I’m assuming that we were supposed to like (we’re always supposed to like the quiet shy people), feel a little flat to me. I mean, I liked the idea of the storyline – it reminds me of the film 400 days which I actually enjoyed, but the movie honestly did it better. Oh yeah, and the movie has 4.5 stars on IMDb so there you go. Bleh.

Finis: Interesting idea, but disappointing portrayal of said idea. It could be interesting if you're into whiny characters though! Don't rule it out completely.

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Take ten strangers, cram them into a faux spaceship (which they think is read), add some special effects, and a new reality show sensation is born. But there is more than meets the eye on Waste of Space. The producers are lying, the scientists are lying, and most of the contestant are lying. With this level of subterfuge, something interesting is bound to happen....and it does.

I had a lot of fun reading this novel. I have always had a love/hate relationship with reality TV, and could not help but enjoy Damico satirical take on the genre. From the smarmy producer and seemingly stereotypical reality show characters to the outrageous stunts performed in order to produce "must see TV", I found myself grinning my way through this book. I loved getting to see this show from all angles. You had the producers pulling the strings, the scientists working other nefarious plan, and the contestants being oblivious to it all. These extra layers just added to the fun, and kept me wondering what was going to happen next.

One thing that is not a secret, is that I love books that stray from the traditional narrative format. This one was sort of fun, in that it was a combination of video and phone transcripts with a few blog posts here and there. It was an interesting, but not random approach, as we, the reader, are well informed that this is being transcribed by a former network intern for a tell-all book. This worked well for me, especially since there are a lot of moving parts in this story.

I also really enjoyed many of the characters. The contestants were meant to represent those one dimensional typical reality stars, and they sure seemed that way at first. But as the story played out, we got to learn that there was more to them then met the eye, and this sort of followed the trend in this book, which was filled with lots of fun surprises and twists.

Overall, this book was humorous and lots of fun, so I didn't expect what happened at the end. I cannot reveal the very last page, but I can tell you that it gave me chills.

[beyza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally started reading this just because of the title and I'm so glad that I did. This book was not like anything I've ever read, seriously. It had everything I can ever ask from a book: ironic, sarcastic humour; space; plot twists; romance; friendship and a decent amount of pigs.

I loved every character from the beginning even though they were so stereotypical. ((Chazz is my personal favourite, lol. He's a total legend.))

THE ENDING KILLED ME. I stared at the screen for a solid five minutes and tried to understand what was going on. I LOVED IT! It was even more clever than rest of the book. Oh man, I just love this book so much.

Damico's writing style is spectacular. It made me want to read and read more until I finish the whole book. And now, I want to read the other books that Damino has written.

"It had only two rules: Keep moving, keep exploring. Hard and fast, with no room for error. Don't overthink them, don't second-guess them, and everything will work out.
But life isn't like that at all. Keep moving, and maybe you'll be happy. Or not. Do both, and they could lead to the best possible outcome.
Or do both, and they could ruin everything.
Keep moving, keep exploring.
I'd always thought it was good advice. The best advice.
But I'm not so sure anymore.

ps. I cannot believe how underrated this book is??? Go and pick up this "Waste of Space". You'll not regret it.

CATCHPHRASE FOREVER!!

[Jordan]

This book is a train wreck. It’s a total disaster. And that’s exactly what makes it epic, because it was on purpose. Waste of Space is 100% like the blurb. It’s reality TV style trauma drama with a whole lot of offensive, bigoted, and racist casting, but the point is that by calling it out, by labeling it for what it is in the story, it becomes a sort of crazy satire and social commentary and OMG is it entertaining.

From the initial premise to the casting to the filming, it’s absolute chaos. There’s no order, there are comical twists, literally everyone is at a loss for what it actually happening. Like I said, a mess and all for the sake of entertainment ratings. You know that feeling, when you want to sit back, lounge and put on some Real Housewives or Bachelorette? This is it, in book form. All the drama. All the catfights, insanity, and suspicion. All of it is crammed on this “space plane” and broadcasted to the world.

Read more here:

https://youngadultbookmadness.wordpre...

[Suzi!!! · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3333 stars

This book is absolutely sickening --and it's... supposed to be? It's described as a satire, and I somehow didn't fully comprehend that going into the book. The first half, approximately, was entertaining, and that was mostly it. At that point, I had assumed that the rest of the book would be the same and was mentally preparing what I would write about it on Goodreads: "Waste of Space lied to me and said it was going to be a satire...". Naturally, I regretted these words less than 50 pages later. Actually, more accurately, the last third to fourth section of the book is where it picked up-- the suspense, action, mystery. Once it shifted from entertaining to all-consuming, however, I knew I would love/hate the book. Love it because, well, bring on the satire. (Book of Mormon is a satire musical you shouldn't listen to if you're a good person.) Hate it because it revealed the blistering truth about me and people who value entertainment, not even just reality TV. If you don't mind being called out by a novel, read this one.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Gina Damico. I am a HUGE fan of her Croak series and love her stories. Her writing and plot/character development is just so different from what other YA authors are doing. But, to be honest, her style will not be for everyone.

Waste of Space was completely beguiling and zany. From the first page I COULD NOT put it down! The plot revolves around a creepy spoof/satire of the reality-tv scene complete with an idiotic, wealthy production guru. Any initial trite bits were made up for with creativity and a bit of suspenseful mystery throughout.

PLUS (and Damico does this so well) her characters appear ridiculous and one dimensional at first glance then quickly reveal how multi-layered and complex they are beneath the facades.

Gina is just plain imaginative. I am always satisfied by her books.