Seyoon and Dean, Unscripted

Witherspoon (Bingsu for Two) gleefully invokes reality show television tropes in this twisty rom-com. Twenty years before the book’s start, the series finale of a popular wilderness reality competition show concludes with one of the final three betraying his alliance to claim victory. Now the show is being rebooted with the finale’s winner, Garrett Moxley, as host. The cast of the series’ opening season is populated entirely by legacy contestants, including teens Seyoon Shin and Dean Parker, whose mother and father, respectively, were Moxley’s former allies. Though Dean and Seyoon are initially combative, they soon overcome their apparent rivalry to form first an alliance, then a fake showmance, hoping to keep the showrunners happy and improve their odds of winning. Seyoon wants the cash prize to help her financially struggling family; Dean wants to make his dad proud and prove he’s ready for independence. As they navigate the competition’s challenges and surprises, the teens grow closer, but both know there can only be one winner. The intersectionally diverse cast is entertaining and memorable, particularly the charismatic leads, whose resolve to overcome personal weaknesses—like Seyoon’s over competitiveness and Dean’s low self-worth—while cultivating trust in others shines bright throughout this satisfying if sometimes predictable romp. Ages 14–up. Agent: Maeve MacLysaght, Aevitas Creative Management. (Apr.)