Reality Bites

by Matthew Wilkinson

Take one-part reality TV cooking show, three-parts celebrity chef judges, one-part psychopathic obsessive infatuated stalker, and mix to combine in a hot, stressful studio. Leave to simmer for several weeks and then serve in the dead of night to an unsuspecting victim.What could possibly go wrong?

398 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2021

About the author

I've spent thirty years programming video games for every computer and games console you care to name, but I've always had a passion for writing prose and telling what I hope are compelling stories. It all began before I'd reached double digits when I wrote the (then) fourth book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, frustrated that Douglas Adams hadn't got round to it yet.

For me, the hardest part of writing a story is plucking up the courage to let someone else read it. I am extremely lucky to have Carissa by my side to do that and, if it wasn't for her, my first book would never have been finished, let alone published!

I was born in England, and moved to Southern California in 2005, where I live with Carissa and our family. I love the almost nonstop California sun, but I do still miss a proper English curry.

Reviews

[Angie]

"Reality Bites" clearly took its inspiration from Food Network's "Chopped", which is what drew me in. I enjoyed the parts of the book that highlighted the operations of the "show". It ended up as a cozy, quirky tale of misadventure...not quite "mystery"
If I'm being honest, I did not find any of the characters particularly likeable. I did find myself skimming over sections of their back stories from disinterest. I found the book a little long, mostly due to what I suspect was a lot of trying a little too hard to inject humor.
The final confrontation/last 20% of the book was great. That being said, I didn't exactly find myself reaching for this book. It took me longer than usual to finish it. My delight and boredom balances out to a 3 star.