Survival Show
Juno Dawson
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published August 4, 2026
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
About Survival Show
K-pop survival shows meet The Hunger Games in this “chilling, satirical dystopian adventure” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) about a teen betting her life that her singing talent can make her a star from the celebrated author of This Book Is Gay, Juno Dawson.
The world just seems to take and take from Taryn Beck, but there’s one thing it’ll never have: her voice. Only when she’s singing does Taryn feel like she can escape her reality—free from the aftermath of the War, free from the Scottish refugee camps where she and her family now live, and free from the responsibility of making ends meet for the sake of her sick brother.
Taryn’s voice is her one ticket out, and that’s why she enters to be a contestant on the world’s most-watched television program: Starmaker, where kids from the New Peace Global Alliance compete for the chance to join an all-singing, all-dancing pop group. Rise to the top, and a life of luxury, stardom, and money awaits.
There’s only one small catch. The lowest-ranking face a televised public execution. Starmaker thanks their participants for their noble sacrifice to Project Population.
Taryn’s about to sing for her life.
My Review
This book has definite The Hunger Games meets American Idol vibes. The power structure in the dystopian world Dawson has created is absolute and intense, and it would have to be to drive teen girls to enter a singing competition where the prize is stardom, but the cost of failing to win is one’s life.
I feel like it’s going to be tempting for people to comment on this and say that nobody would let their teenage daughter compete when there’s a risk that they’ll literally die if they don’t win. I had that thought as well, and I think the story could have gone further to show the desperation that drove contestants to enter the contest. Overall, though, I think the story asks readers to think about the desperation that a society with a drastic power imbalance creates. When access to medical care and healthy food is restricted to a select few with the insulation of generational wealth, it breeds desperation in the people who don’t have those choices but do face chronic health problems, such as Taryn’s family.
I enjoyed the predominantly girl cast and the commentary on both reality TV and the double standards in media about how it presents girls. I also liked how the relationships between contestants evolved through the competition. The story highlights the power of girls reclaiming their own voices and rewriting the narrative that others have written for them and the power of a sisterhood.
Taryn is a strong main character who was easy for me to root for. I loved the descriptions of her voice and the singing and dancing challenges. Overall, this was a fun read. I think it could make an interesting novel to read alongside something like Lord of the Flies to compare how the authors write about power structures and group social dynamics.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Lots of references to morality and fears of being slut-shamed. Taryn also calls out the way that the girls are required to abstain from relationships or sexual activity yet sexualized through their required wardrobe and activities.
Spiritual Content
Taryn briefly speaks about her personal spiritual beliefs: there’s a God, but He’s not on our side. Some other characters identify as Christians, but it sometimes feels performative or empty. Others also make fun of things like a character praying to be spared from elimination in the competition.
Violent Content
Several characters die on scene. Some die by inhaling some kind of poison cloud. Some scenes show gun violence and death. Homophobic and transphobic comments appear periodically. The main character condemns that behavior. The contestants also endure body shaming and abusive treatment with regard to their access to food.
Drug Content
References to having easy access to drugs and alcohol as a star. The girls drink alcohol at a party they must attend. References to a drug overdose.
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