Books for Bravoholics

2026 is the year we admit reality tv is good.

May 13, 2026

I almost never sit down on my own with the intention of watching TV. I don’t follow most shows. I’ve never seen Succession or Breaking Bad. I would just rather read a book, so I do. (One of my most annoying qualities is watching a movie and saying ‘I wish this was a book’ the entire time). But. I do watch reality tv. A lot. I remember watching Real Housewives of Atlanta with my mom as a kid, and I just found it so funny and iconic. I don’t watch every Bravo show, but I do watch most of the Real Housewives, VPR (haven’t seen the newest season and am scared), The Valley, and I JUST caught up on Summer House (just in time for the scandal…).

These are the few shows I am willing to put my book down for. However, there are some books I read that are just as good as Bravo, and I find myself thinking ‘wow I wish this book was a reality show’. The key is an unlikeable main character who is not afraid to publicly spiral, can’t learn from their mistakes, and yet you just can’t stop watching them (aka Jax Taylor).

Here’s a very unserious roundup of messy, chaotic, and toxic fiction books that Bravo lovers would enjoy, each paired with a Bravo TV show gif/pic just for fun.