DATING DO-OVER: Real TV, Take Four
Wendy Lawton
Moody Publishers
Fiction
ISBN-10: 080245416X
ISBN-13: 9780802454164
180 pages

Bailey seems to have everything going for her --- she's cute, smart and has a ton of friends. There's just one problem --- none of those friends are guys. She has spent every high school dance putting up decorations and then quickly heading home. Now it's her senior prom, and she's determined to find the date of her dreams. In DATING DO-OVER, the fourth book in Wendy Lawton's Real TV series, Bailey's best friend Jenn decides that she needs to completely revamp Bailey's image in order to increase her dateability.

While ditching her bookworm look does turn a few heads, it doesn't change the fact that Bailey is too nervous to even carry out a conversation with a boy. Jenn decides that the makeover must extend to social skills, and pretty soon Bailey is polling guys about their dating preferences in hopes of finding out what will impress secret crush Trevor. However, each attempt to garner his attention proves to be disastrous. After embarrassing him, injuring him and even lying to him, it becomes clear that Bailey's dream of prom with Trevor is not going to be realized. While Bailey has resigned herself to simply being on the decorating committee once again, Jenn will not let Bailey give up on her search for the perfect date.

A lucky break changes the outlook of Bailey's senior year. Jenn's twin brother Luke is interning at "Dating Do-Over," a hot reality show that the girls watch religiously. When he takes them to the set to borrow vintage prom dresses, they find the crew in panic mode. As it turns out, their latest guest has failed to show up and they need someone to take her place immediately. After Bailey shares stories about her own ineptness with the opposite sex, it is clear that she's the perfect candidate for a dating makeover. Undergoing a complete makeover inside and out, she finally might be able to have the prom she has dreamt about for so long.

But it soon becomes clear that something isn't right. Why has Trevor been so withdrawn lately? And who has been setting her up for trouble? When it's finally time to ask someone to the prom, in front of millions of television viewers, Bailey finds out that she might have been after the wrong man all along.

DATING DO-OVER is an enjoyable read, though considerably lighter than the previous installments in the series. The novel does not tackle issues as large as those in earlier Real TV books, which might disappoint fans of the series. However, Lawton manages to once again tell a story that provides valuable lessons, particularly those that are relevant to teen girls. It explores the importance of maintaining friendships with the opposite sex, as well as concerns about dating and appearance. While occasionally the plot can seem shallow, a surprise twist will have readers eagerly turning the pages. Fans of teen fiction and TV makeover shows will find much to celebrate in this final installment of a great series.

   --- Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby

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