Faking Reality

Dakota has grown up in the spotlight as the DIY princess on her parents’ HGTV show. After a disaster at homecoming that was exacerbated by an SNL skit, she vowed she would keep her love life off her parents’ show. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have one… or she would if she could just tell her BFF how she feels. Leo, however, is busy with his parents’ restaurant and trying to raise enough money to join her on their class trip. When Leo asks Lindsay out, Dakota tries to separate her heart from her best friend. Unfortunately, this new relationship coincides with Dakota’s need for a date for her sixteenth birthday bash. The production team throws out several young men in show business who are worthy of such a big event, but can she have her cake and eat it too?

This multicultural romance features Japanese cuisine and language as both Dakota and Leo are bi-racial. Dakota is a strong female character whose anxiety after the homecoming ordeal is skillfully used to protect herself in her most vulnerable moments as well as to help others in their toughest times, revealing a deeper character than just a reality TV star. It is a romance with heart.