You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle

by:  Jennifer Castle
published by:  HarperTeen
publish date:  June 4, 2013

The premise was simple: five kids, just living their lives. There'd be a new movie about them every five years, starting in kindergarten. But no one could have predicted what the cameras would capture. And no one could have predicted that Justine would be the star.

The documentary crew first filmed Justine and her friends at 6 years old.  It wasn't hard to be friends in kindergarten.  5 years later at 11 things were a little more difficult.  All their lives were changing.  Keira's mother left and it was all caught on film.  Nate was the victim of vicious bullies and it was all there for the world to see.  Now, the 5 are 16 years old and they've been away from the cameras for 5 years.  Their lives have changed drastically.  Only Keira and Nate, and Justine and Felix are still friends.  Rory has been diagnosed with being on the austism spectrum and while Justine desperately misses her friend, she doesn't know how to reach out.  The film crews are showing up for the next movies and what are they going to film?

This is the kind of book I'd normally read.  It ended up being a contemporary romance, but I liked it.  It was an interesting story.  I liked the premise behind the story.  Filming a group of kids every 5 years to see how they change.  I thought the story rang true.  Most of the kids that I hung out with in middle school weren't the same people I was friends with in high school.  Social circles change.  I see it happening with my kids now.  

I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary YA.  It was a quick, thoughtful read.  There wasn't too much in the way of objectionable material.  It might be better suited to the little bit older readers, just because there were some themes in it that were on the mature side, but not overly so.  Maybe like 14+.