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Amanda Wakes Up
The Devil Wears Prada meets Primary Colors in this wickedly funny debut novel about a bootstrapping young reporter who lands a plum job at a big-time cable news station and finds her ambitions and her love life turned upside down.
When Amanda Gallo, fresh from the backwater of local TV, lands the job of her dreams at FAIR News—the coveted morning anchor slot—she’s finally made it: a six-figure salary, wardrobe allowance, plenty of on-air face time, and a chance to realize her dreams, not to mention buy herself lunch. Amanda Wakes Up takes off as Amanda feels for the first time that she can make her mom and her best friend proud and think about an actual future with her boyfriend, Charlie. But she finds her journalistic ideals shredded as she struggles to keep up with the issues in a ratings-crazed madhouse—battling for hair and makeup time, coping with her sexist (but scathingly handsome) coanchor, Rob, mixing up the headlines with pajama modeling on the street, and showing Benji Diggs, her media maestro boss, that she’s got what it takes.
As the news heats up in a hotly contested election season and a wild-card candidate, former Hollywood actor Victor Fluke, appears on the scene, Amanda’s pressure-cooker job gets hotter as her personal life unravels. Walking a knife’s edge between ambition and survival, and about to break the biggest story of her career, Amanda must decide what she’s willing to give up to get ahead—and what she needs to hold on to save herself.
When Amanda Gallo, fresh from the backwater of local TV, lands the job of her dreams at FAIR News—the coveted morning anchor slot—she’s finally made it: a six-figure salary, wardrobe allowance, plenty of on-air face time, and a chance to realize her dreams, not to mention buy herself lunch. Amanda Wakes Up takes off as Amanda feels for the first time that she can make her mom and her best friend proud and think about an actual future with her boyfriend, Charlie. But she finds her journalistic ideals shredded as she struggles to keep up with the issues in a ratings-crazed madhouse—battling for hair and makeup time, coping with her sexist (but scathingly handsome) coanchor, Rob, mixing up the headlines with pajama modeling on the street, and showing Benji Diggs, her media maestro boss, that she’s got what it takes.
As the news heats up in a hotly contested election season and a wild-card candidate, former Hollywood actor Victor Fluke, appears on the scene, Amanda’s pressure-cooker job gets hotter as her personal life unravels. Walking a knife’s edge between ambition and survival, and about to break the biggest story of her career, Amanda must decide what she’s willing to give up to get ahead—and what she needs to hold on to save herself.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2017
About the author
Alisyn Camerota
3 books70 followersAlisyn Camerota is a journalist and cohost of CNN’s morning show New Day. Prior to joining CNN, Camerota was cohost of FOX News Channel’s morning show FOX + Friends Weekend. She has been a national correspondent for NBC’s morning magazine show Real Life and the crime show America’s Most Wanted. She has also worked as a reporter at several local stations, including WHDH in Boston, WLNE in Providence, and WTTG in Washington, D.C. She lives in the New York area with her husband and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews
January 3, 2018
I don't watch the news. I made this change a long time ago for my own mental health. My career keeps me completely immersed in first-hand knowledge of how dark and conflict-filled this world can be. I don't need a reminder each day...I need an escape. This is exactly why I read so much. However, my husband finds jaw-dropping headlines and political banter to be extremely entertaining so he fills me in on any need-to-know info so I'm not completely oblivious. Needless to say, I have no idea who Alisyn Camerota is. Amanda Wakes Up was voted in as my favorite book club's BOTM and I snagged a copy and dove in. It wasn't until the author's note at the end that I discovered Ms. Camerota's borderline celebrity status in the field of news broadcasting. She clarifies that writing Amanda Wakes Up was a way of processing situations she encountered in the business but it is by no means an autobiography. According to Ms. Camerota, her debut novel is completely fiction.
When very familiar political characters entered this storyline, I planned to drop Amanda Wakes Up like a hot potato. I really don't enjoy reading politics. But it soon became clear that the presidential election plotline is just the backdrop for this book's real conflict: the ratings-driven news industry. Based on my personal reading experience, Ms. Camerota's message is one of encouragement and perspective, imploring the news industry and each individual viewer and broadcaster to be open to ideas, people, and concepts and always with integrity and accountability. In addition to this admirable message, there were several entertaining elements related to the behind the scenes of how a news show functions along with a romance which is very secondary to the main plot. Overall, I liked Amanda Wakes Up and am glad I pushed through my initial hesitation.
My favorite quote:
“Standing in the middle of the road will only get you run over.” “Maybe,” I said. “But somewhere in the middle is also where problems get solved.”
When very familiar political characters entered this storyline, I planned to drop Amanda Wakes Up like a hot potato. I really don't enjoy reading politics. But it soon became clear that the presidential election plotline is just the backdrop for this book's real conflict: the ratings-driven news industry. Based on my personal reading experience, Ms. Camerota's message is one of encouragement and perspective, imploring the news industry and each individual viewer and broadcaster to be open to ideas, people, and concepts and always with integrity and accountability. In addition to this admirable message, there were several entertaining elements related to the behind the scenes of how a news show functions along with a romance which is very secondary to the main plot. Overall, I liked Amanda Wakes Up and am glad I pushed through my initial hesitation.
My favorite quote:
“Standing in the middle of the road will only get you run over.” “Maybe,” I said. “But somewhere in the middle is also where problems get solved.”
August 31, 2017
Follow my reviews on https://booknationbyjen.wordpress.com.
Hilarous and smart, Alisyn Camerota gives us a peak behind the scenes of politics and journalism in the newsroom. No doubt, inspired by real life experiences on broadcast television, this charming, fictitious debut, Amanda Wakes Up, follows Amanda Gallo, the ambitious cable news journalist as she lives the exciting life of a reporter, struggling with the concept of unbias reporting, always being available to report breaking news and remaining profesional and respected in the workplace while on the home front, managing her mother’s expectations along with challenging boyfriend issues. Amanda is the anchor at FAIR News and things heat up during the election season when the political candidates have air time. If you follow politics and watch the news, you will thoroughly enjoy this humorous story that brings to my mind the saying “Life imitates art”!
I met the vibrant and eloquent Alisyn Camerota at a book talk where she spoke about her career as a journalist and some interesting tidbits about news, politics and her book.
Fake News
Camerota believes not all news is created equal. She said CNN, WSJ, NYT, Washington Post, for example all have rules. Vetted sources are required (at least 2) and if something reported was found to be not true, it must be retracted immediately. On blogs and news websites there may be no rules, so check your sources.
Learning the Truth
Camerota said she makes the effort not to share her opinions on air and tries to be open during interviews, looking for the information. When she knows she is being lied to she challenges the guest. Often times guests come on tv to spin the truth and deflect; she tries to get them to refocus by redirecting.
Leaks
When asked how important leaks are Camerota said at the moment they are very important. Today there are more leaks than ever, not national security leaks, but just insiders revealing the way things work in the government.
Amanda Wakes Up
Camerota was a weekend anchor in 2011-2012 and at that time, during the presidential race, where there were nine republican candidates, she started taking notes for posterity. Seeing how personal relationships color the news and how the news colors the relationships she decided to write more. She wanted to capture the breathless quality of working in live news; an anchor needs to understand the facts and be prepared for the unexpected when on the air. Amanda Wakes Up is based on her 25 years of being in the news.
Schedule
Currently Alisyn Camerota goes to bed at 8pm and is up at 3am to co-anchor CNN’s New Day. From 3:30-4:30am she catches up on all that has happened overnight emailing with her producer to request information she needs to challenge the scheduled guests. At 4:30am she arrives at the studio, gets dressed, hair and makeup done, eats breakfast and is on set for 6:00am.
I enjoyed Amanda Wakes Up and the inside look at broadcast journalism as Camerota brings to light the challenges the media faces today when it comes to honest and unbias reporting, breaking news, fake news and news leaks, along with the perils of women working in early morning tv, and the struggle of life and work balance.
Hilarous and smart, Alisyn Camerota gives us a peak behind the scenes of politics and journalism in the newsroom. No doubt, inspired by real life experiences on broadcast television, this charming, fictitious debut, Amanda Wakes Up, follows Amanda Gallo, the ambitious cable news journalist as she lives the exciting life of a reporter, struggling with the concept of unbias reporting, always being available to report breaking news and remaining profesional and respected in the workplace while on the home front, managing her mother’s expectations along with challenging boyfriend issues. Amanda is the anchor at FAIR News and things heat up during the election season when the political candidates have air time. If you follow politics and watch the news, you will thoroughly enjoy this humorous story that brings to my mind the saying “Life imitates art”!
I met the vibrant and eloquent Alisyn Camerota at a book talk where she spoke about her career as a journalist and some interesting tidbits about news, politics and her book.
Fake News
Camerota believes not all news is created equal. She said CNN, WSJ, NYT, Washington Post, for example all have rules. Vetted sources are required (at least 2) and if something reported was found to be not true, it must be retracted immediately. On blogs and news websites there may be no rules, so check your sources.
Learning the Truth
Camerota said she makes the effort not to share her opinions on air and tries to be open during interviews, looking for the information. When she knows she is being lied to she challenges the guest. Often times guests come on tv to spin the truth and deflect; she tries to get them to refocus by redirecting.
Leaks
When asked how important leaks are Camerota said at the moment they are very important. Today there are more leaks than ever, not national security leaks, but just insiders revealing the way things work in the government.
Amanda Wakes Up
Camerota was a weekend anchor in 2011-2012 and at that time, during the presidential race, where there were nine republican candidates, she started taking notes for posterity. Seeing how personal relationships color the news and how the news colors the relationships she decided to write more. She wanted to capture the breathless quality of working in live news; an anchor needs to understand the facts and be prepared for the unexpected when on the air. Amanda Wakes Up is based on her 25 years of being in the news.
Schedule
Currently Alisyn Camerota goes to bed at 8pm and is up at 3am to co-anchor CNN’s New Day. From 3:30-4:30am she catches up on all that has happened overnight emailing with her producer to request information she needs to challenge the scheduled guests. At 4:30am she arrives at the studio, gets dressed, hair and makeup done, eats breakfast and is on set for 6:00am.
I enjoyed Amanda Wakes Up and the inside look at broadcast journalism as Camerota brings to light the challenges the media faces today when it comes to honest and unbias reporting, breaking news, fake news and news leaks, along with the perils of women working in early morning tv, and the struggle of life and work balance.
January 3, 2018
A popular school of thought in writing is to write what you know and I think Camerota did that. She writes from real-world experience as the first half of the book is about journalism, media and behind-the-scenes. The book starts to venture off and get a lot more interesting in the second half. The book leaves a good message about honesty, ambition, and the roles and responsibility of journalism.
July 4, 2017
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much when I picked up this book, but it blew me away. The writing was fine - nothing spectacular - but the plot really captivated me. The election storyline gave me a little bit of PTSD, it was so spot on. And she wrote this BEFORE Trump vs. Hillary! It's a little heavy handed but I was pleasantly surprised by what I originally thought was going to be a shallow read.
September 15, 2017
Really, I'd give this book 3.5 stars. It started off slowly but got better and better as it went along. She wrote this book before Trump's election, but the parallels are uncanny.
July 16, 2017
A perfectly passable book, and an easy read, but there are a couple of problems here. Amanda seems to get everything she wants despite making wrong decisions at every turn. She takes a while to catch on to the fact that not every story has only 2 fair and equal sides (I'm sure most readers will sense this from the beginning). But at the same time, there are fun things in it. Fluke is amazing only so we can all laugh through our tears, and in general the references to real world figures and politics enhanced the flavor of the story. I would recommend it to some friends, but I wouldn't read it again.
July 26, 2017
I found this to be a very enjoyable story that held my interest and was funny and entertaining.
Right off the bat, Amanda Gallo, a reporter for a sub-par news agency, is called to investigate and report a bank robbery that just happens to be 10 minutes away from her friend's house where she has spent the night. Unfortunately, Amanda went to her friend's house thinking they were only going to go swimming and hit some local bars. So . . . dressed in all that she has with her, a bikini, a T-shirt and flip flops, Amanda shows up ready to report. Unfortunately, what she thought was going to be a phoned in report turns into a live camera report. Her reputation is set, she is now known as the girl who reports without pants. Ha!!
This is just the beginning of the laughs that are abound in this very entertaining book. And, I LOVED "the dangle".
Thanks to Penguin Group/Viking and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Right off the bat, Amanda Gallo, a reporter for a sub-par news agency, is called to investigate and report a bank robbery that just happens to be 10 minutes away from her friend's house where she has spent the night. Unfortunately, Amanda went to her friend's house thinking they were only going to go swimming and hit some local bars. So . . . dressed in all that she has with her, a bikini, a T-shirt and flip flops, Amanda shows up ready to report. Unfortunately, what she thought was going to be a phoned in report turns into a live camera report. Her reputation is set, she is now known as the girl who reports without pants. Ha!!
This is just the beginning of the laughs that are abound in this very entertaining book. And, I LOVED "the dangle".
Thanks to Penguin Group/Viking and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
April 13, 2018
Delightful, breezy read. Perfect for a plane ride. Follows Amanda, a TV reporter who gets to make it in the big leagues as a cable TV news anchor. Author Alisyn Camerota, a former Fox News anchor and currently anchor of CNN's morning show, New Day, reportedly penned the novel way before the 2016 presidential election. However, there's a main character in the book -- a surprise presidential candidate, Victor Fluke -- who spouts abhorrent views which Amanda's network is only too willing to air unchallenged. He certainly reminded me of one real-life political disaster!
Chapters where Amanda is being groomed for stardom in the morning with hairstylists and makeup ladies and a wardrobe lady pushing and prodding her were among the funniest in the book. Made me laugh out loud.
A lovely (and necessary) change from the psychological thrillers I usually focus on to keep up with the genre in which I'm writing.
Chapters where Amanda is being groomed for stardom in the morning with hairstylists and makeup ladies and a wardrobe lady pushing and prodding her were among the funniest in the book. Made me laugh out loud.
A lovely (and necessary) change from the psychological thrillers I usually focus on to keep up with the genre in which I'm writing.
August 13, 2017
The most interesting part is that the author pegged the personalities of the 2016 presidential candidates several years in advance. The book itself was okay. I'd call it light reading.
May 31, 2021
I got this book for a book box subscription. And to be honest this book was okay. It's not a book I would recommend to anyone unless you really like the workings of the news. This book was just okay to me.
July 16, 2018
I am a politics-news fanatic. This book fed both of those. Camerota is an anchor on CNN's morning show, so, going in, I felt the background of this book would be factual. What I wasn't prepared for was how parallel the book was to our last federal election. Not a lot of meat, but, I could live on dessert!
August 22, 2018
This truly was, as the blurb on the front says, "an insider's guide to a closed world." Anyone with an interest in broadcast news will enjoy this novel which is eye opening in the behind-the scenes stuff but also very thought provoking about a journalist's obligations and duties. Amanda is a very likeable character and the dilemmas she faces as she catapults up in the on-air news business are varied and fascinating. I really enjoyed this book. Camerota is a good writer.
July 9, 2017
Amanda wakes up is a good beach or chemo book - one which requires little thought to keep up with the plot. It is basically a young adult trying to find herself as she gets a real job - reporting the news. The secondary characters lack much depth, and the story holds little real-life consequences for the main character, when she finally chooses an easy rather than the easy path in her work. Spoiler: she is also rewarded in her love life for choosing the womanizer over the good solid guy; a path which is so rarely true in the real world, that I am sad to see the book end this way.
The book may find traction as the political candidate, Fluke, a masochistic, B level celebrity who runs for President on a platform of polarizing fake news and saving America from the illegal immigrants he refers to as Ameri-cants, bears a lot of resemblance to our current twitter loving man in the white house.
The book may find traction as the political candidate, Fluke, a masochistic, B level celebrity who runs for President on a platform of polarizing fake news and saving America from the illegal immigrants he refers to as Ameri-cants, bears a lot of resemblance to our current twitter loving man in the white house.
February 25, 2019
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway and I would like to thank the publisher and Goodreads for my copy.
This book would have been mediocre or decent had it been a satire. Unfortunately, it was not. Despite its breezy tone, Amanda Wakes Up attempts to comment on the current state of 24 hour news channels and our highly polarized political climate, some pretty serious topics, but it does this with a simple and clunky plot populated with a cast of single-dimensional caricatures. Cheezy and lacking nuance, the book is more a regurgitation of stereotypes about news media, millennials, and American politics than an actual commentary on them.
This book would have been mediocre or decent had it been a satire. Unfortunately, it was not. Despite its breezy tone, Amanda Wakes Up attempts to comment on the current state of 24 hour news channels and our highly polarized political climate, some pretty serious topics, but it does this with a simple and clunky plot populated with a cast of single-dimensional caricatures. Cheezy and lacking nuance, the book is more a regurgitation of stereotypes about news media, millennials, and American politics than an actual commentary on them.
December 11, 2017
This was such a fun read (and i needed a solid fiction book after several duds!) and so strangely relevant to our political climate in America right now even though it was written before our election season. Amanda is a reporter and the book follows her career, love life, and just drama in general, and it’s so entertaining without just being fluff. I flew through this one and wanted to read more like it! This is 100% the kind of light fiction i love mixing into my reading life (and would love to watch as a movie too!).
THE DEETS: Thanks, Blogging for Books, for sending me this one!
THE DEETS: Thanks, Blogging for Books, for sending me this one!
March 5, 2019
Eh. I'm not sure that the romance was a good enough payoff for making me relive the 2016 election.
January 7, 2018
At first it feels too similar to devil wears prada but as and when the story progresses it starts to defer. Basically i loved how Amanda so shown so passionate about her work. Also I didn’t see “Romanda” happening so that was bit of a surprise! Good read this one !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2018
Newsworthy funny at times and others was like a blonde moment; abstract. A new news show that doesn’t provide accurate information as it should but the characters are a complete bunch of misfits that describes the news world like the movie “Talladega Nights.” The authors lightweight description of the fierce competition in the news industry gave way to a humorous and good contemporary read.
September 18, 2017
Very enjoyable read.
September 16, 2017
It is a rare book that I give five stars and I never imagined this would make that list. I read it because I watch Alisyn and Chris every morning and I love their work on New Day. When they teased her book on the show I decided I would give it a go, and then I had the chance to read it for free so I had nothing to lose.
I listened the the Audible version and found myself looking for time to pop my headphones in. I find it harder and harder to find books, in any format, that I want to devour -- that I ignore life to finish. I was all in with Amanda and Rob. I loved everything about both characters, I loved the quirky, I loved the behind the scenes look at the news industry, I loved it all! Add to that what we just experienced as a nation and the shocking parallels to something Camerota wrote well in advance of the last election cycle and I just couldn't see giving it less than 5 stars.
Yes, this is a summer beach read. Yes, it is perfect for by the pool. Yes, there is some booze and sleaze, though thank you Alisyn that isn't wasn't trashy but matter-of-fact life.
I hope Camerota will continue writing, whenever she finds time in her busy honorable reporting, because I will read anything she writes.
I listened the the Audible version and found myself looking for time to pop my headphones in. I find it harder and harder to find books, in any format, that I want to devour -- that I ignore life to finish. I was all in with Amanda and Rob. I loved everything about both characters, I loved the quirky, I loved the behind the scenes look at the news industry, I loved it all! Add to that what we just experienced as a nation and the shocking parallels to something Camerota wrote well in advance of the last election cycle and I just couldn't see giving it less than 5 stars.
Yes, this is a summer beach read. Yes, it is perfect for by the pool. Yes, there is some booze and sleaze, though thank you Alisyn that isn't wasn't trashy but matter-of-fact life.
I hope Camerota will continue writing, whenever she finds time in her busy honorable reporting, because I will read anything she writes.
September 11, 2017
I am a bit of a news junkie and I love reading and watching stories that peek the curtain back - Newroom, The autobigraphies of Roone Arledge, Peter Jennings, Broadcast News.. so I went into this book with a bit of excitement. This book was positioned as Devil Wears Prada meets Primary Colors, the ultimate beach read.. it did not have the wit or fun characters of either of those books and but it was pretty simple for a beach read. None of the characters popped for me and the dialogue was not that compelling.. it could have been a pass.
September 24, 2017
Turns out I'm not emotionally stable enough to read Election 2016 News Cycle fanfic! Also this book was just straight up borderline irresponsibly terrible - between softening their Trump stand-in to just a hypocritical tv actor, to adopting the "liberals just don't understand the economic anxiety of his supporters!!!!" line as an actual plot point, to the bizarrely Bad workplace rom-com and comically poorly written protagonist THIS BOOK MAKES MY BRAIN HURT ITS SO BAD.
July 4, 2017
I won this book on a Goodreads Giveaway.
In Amanda Wakes Up, Camerota is funny, relatable, charming and well pretty damn fabulous! The comedy and romance draw you in and there is just enough reality in the politics to offer an escape, in short a perfect beach read!
In Amanda Wakes Up, Camerota is funny, relatable, charming and well pretty damn fabulous! The comedy and romance draw you in and there is just enough reality in the politics to offer an escape, in short a perfect beach read!
December 26, 2017
this sat on my bedside table for months because it intrigued me. it's an enjoyable story about the television news business and bears many similarities to the last presidential election. Alisyn Camerota draws from personal experience--she's co-anchor of a morning show on CNN, worked at smaller stations as well as conducting jail cell interviews for America's Most Wanted and has covered many presidential elections. her main character leaves a local news station to work for a start-up news channel called FAIR which aims to tell "both sides" to everything. of course how problematic is this when they give time to climate change deniers or anti-abortion or white supremacists. The behind the scenes details about making a news show are enlightening and interesting-- everything from Amanda's appearance to preparing and researching to getting up at 3:15 am and being at a bar post-show at 10:30 a.m. (!!!) to journalistic integrity and being objective. Amanda is earnest and determined and you find yourself rooting for her success. it's an overall fun read.
if it bleeds, it leads:
"I shook my head and let out a chuckle at Gabe saying out loud what my news director would only whisper: the mass shootings had become so commonplace, unless it was another Virginia Tech or Newtown, maybe they weren't worth the cost of hopping on an airplane to cover them."
sexism:
"I sat stunned on the sofa, trying to find the right response but feeling a little sick. Newsrooms were notoriously sexist, but I wasn't used to the head of the company being so overt."
"I screwed up my mouth at Meg. I couldn't imagine Suzy Berenson enduring this treatment. Suzy looked so polished and professional every morning. Was it possible someone was focused on how best to showcase her tits?"
"I tried not to roll my eyes. What a frat boy. I knew dozens of those guys in college. Big-man-on-campus types, too handsome for their own good and accustomed to getting their way with women. Such a cliche."
if it bleeds, it leads:
"I shook my head and let out a chuckle at Gabe saying out loud what my news director would only whisper: the mass shootings had become so commonplace, unless it was another Virginia Tech or Newtown, maybe they weren't worth the cost of hopping on an airplane to cover them."
sexism:
"I sat stunned on the sofa, trying to find the right response but feeling a little sick. Newsrooms were notoriously sexist, but I wasn't used to the head of the company being so overt."
"I screwed up my mouth at Meg. I couldn't imagine Suzy Berenson enduring this treatment. Suzy looked so polished and professional every morning. Was it possible someone was focused on how best to showcase her tits?"
"I tried not to roll my eyes. What a frat boy. I knew dozens of those guys in college. Big-man-on-campus types, too handsome for their own good and accustomed to getting their way with women. Such a cliche."
October 13, 2017
Since so many of us have been consumed watching cable news since the election of 2016, the timing of CNN morning show New Day anchor Alisyn Camerota’s debut novel about a young cable news reporter “Amanda Wakes Up” is fortunate.
Camerota has worked for many news organizations- Fox, CNN, ABC, MSNBC- and she gives the reader an insider’s look at what that is like. Amanda Gallo works for a small local NYC TV news station when she finds herself the only reporter on scene at a bank robbery in progress.
Her reporting lands her a job as a morning anchor at FAIR News, a new cable news network trying to make a big splash in a crowded space. Her boss wants to score huge ratings, her male cohost is a sexist blowhard, her liberal boyfriend is unhappy that she works for a company pushing a conservative agenda, and her best friend is a producer at a competing news organization who believes in anything for a story.
Camerota wrote “Amanda Wakes Up” following the 2012 election, but so many of the things that happen in the story are eerily prescient to the 2016 election. She sheds a compassionate light on people on both side of the issues, something that many people in the media have been unable to accomplish. If you are a cable news junkie, this one is for you, although I found the ending a little too pat.
Camerota has worked for many news organizations- Fox, CNN, ABC, MSNBC- and she gives the reader an insider’s look at what that is like. Amanda Gallo works for a small local NYC TV news station when she finds herself the only reporter on scene at a bank robbery in progress.
Her reporting lands her a job as a morning anchor at FAIR News, a new cable news network trying to make a big splash in a crowded space. Her boss wants to score huge ratings, her male cohost is a sexist blowhard, her liberal boyfriend is unhappy that she works for a company pushing a conservative agenda, and her best friend is a producer at a competing news organization who believes in anything for a story.
Camerota wrote “Amanda Wakes Up” following the 2012 election, but so many of the things that happen in the story are eerily prescient to the 2016 election. She sheds a compassionate light on people on both side of the issues, something that many people in the media have been unable to accomplish. If you are a cable news junkie, this one is for you, although I found the ending a little too pat.
February 21, 2019
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked how she tried to be open-minded, to look for and understand the other sides of the issues, how she she saw the humanity in the people on the "other side," and the need to try to bring people together to actually listen so that we can begin to realize how much we actually do agree with each other on so many things. I was shocked to learn that this book was written well before the 2016 election considering all of the similarities. Sadly, I don't think the author is psychic, I think it was all just an inevitable outcome of where we were headed all along.
But, sometimes it took her way too long to catch on. The idea that every story has two equally true sides? Come on! And every time they told her she couldn't use her information on Fluke because they couldn't verify its authenticity or its origin and she didn't counter with the fact that they were allowing him (and countless other guests) to make completely baseless and untrue allegations I became more annoyed and disgusted. True and equal my ass - why did it take her so long to wake up??
And, she ends up with the asshole serial harasser who made a creepy foot fetish? Really? Gah. Thankfully, that was such a small part of the overall book.
But, sometimes it took her way too long to catch on. The idea that every story has two equally true sides? Come on! And every time they told her she couldn't use her information on Fluke because they couldn't verify its authenticity or its origin and she didn't counter with the fact that they were allowing him (and countless other guests) to make completely baseless and untrue allegations I became more annoyed and disgusted. True and equal my ass - why did it take her so long to wake up??
And, she ends up with the asshole serial harasser who made a creepy foot fetish? Really? Gah. Thankfully, that was such a small part of the overall book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2017
Smart female lead + politics + the down and dirty on the newsroom = a fast-paced story I couldn't put down!
Thanks to Blogging for Books for the review copy of this title - all opinions are my own!
I was immediately sucked into this one and absolutely LOVED the philosophical and moral quandries that Amanda faced as she rose her way through the news world. I couldn't believe how similar the election in the book was to the 2016 election, which Camerota explains in the author's note was simply a guess, and was written before those events actually took place. There was enough humor to keep the story from being preachy about politics, but it was heavy enough to definitely make me question some of my liberal biases.
If you like politics and contemporary women's fiction, definitely look for this one! I loved that it was based on the author's experience in the newsroom.
Thanks to Blogging for Books for the review copy of this title - all opinions are my own!
I was immediately sucked into this one and absolutely LOVED the philosophical and moral quandries that Amanda faced as she rose her way through the news world. I couldn't believe how similar the election in the book was to the 2016 election, which Camerota explains in the author's note was simply a guess, and was written before those events actually took place. There was enough humor to keep the story from being preachy about politics, but it was heavy enough to definitely make me question some of my liberal biases.
If you like politics and contemporary women's fiction, definitely look for this one! I loved that it was based on the author's experience in the newsroom.
January 18, 2018
This book is a solid 3.5 stars for me, so I rounded up. It tells the story of Amanda, a news reporter who leaves the local news to host a morning show on "Fair News"- a new concept that will bring the truth (both sides) to the American people. The writing itself is just okay, but Amanda (likely Alisyn in thin disguise) is completely endearing, and her struggle is real. This book addresses divisive politics in our nation, "fake news," stereotypes (on both sides of our political aisle), the smug snobbery of the left, the right's refusal to accept science/facts - and the simple solution that all of us take a step toward each other in order to become better, more well-rounded people.
I like her idea.
I like her idea.
August 26, 2021
3.5. Being a broadcast journalism major, I always had a fascination with the news and how stations were run. Although fiction, this gave a unique perspective into a new station and during a time that was similar to the Trump-Clinton election. I liked the story and what Amanda was trying to accomplish but it felt very one note. Some of her choices didn’t make sense to me and a lot of the characters felt like caricatures. That may have been to prove a point. An easy read, though.
November 25, 2018
Fun fast read.
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