Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pub. Date: March 1, 2016
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Source: E-ARC from publisher
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Blurb:
Hannah Cho and Nick Cooper have been best friends since 8th grade. They talk for hours on the phone, regularly shower each other with presents, and know everything there is to know about one another.
There's just one problem: Hannah and Nick have never actually met.
Hannah has spent her entire life doing what she's supposed to, but when her senior year spring break plans get ruined by a rule-breaker, she decides to break a rule or two herself. She impulsively decides to road trip to Las Vegas, her older sister and BFF in tow, to surprise Nick and finally declare her more-than-friend feelings for him.
Hannah's surprise romantic gesture backfires when she gets to Vegas and finds out that Nick has been keeping some major secrets. Hannah knows the real Nick can't be that different from the online Nick she knows and loves, but now she only has night in Sin City to figure out what her feelings for Nick really are, all while discovering how life can change when you break the rules every now and then.
Review:
"Some people have a love story
But we have a ghost story
You haunt my every space
I see nothing but your face"
This is one of those times when I'm actually surprised with how much I like a book after I've finished reading it. The synopsis truly doesn't give it any justice. So if you're reading this review, don't go by what the blurb says, don't even really go by what I say! You'll have to dive into the story to see how truly cute and heartwarming In Real Life is. I loved the aspect of two teenagers having an online relationship, even though they've never met in real life, so to speak.
I think the author did a great job in making this as realistic as it can get in terms of finally meeting an online friend. Do they measure up to what you conjured up in your head? Are they different? Awkward? I liked that we got to see Hannah struggle through her feelings as she tries to compare online Nick to the real life and in the flesh Nick. The two have been best friends since meeting online through their siblings, who had just met at the time. It starts a relationship of online chatting, texts, emails, and video chats.
"This isn’t going to be a friend meeting a friend for the first time. Oh no, this is going to be love at first in-real-life sight."
But Nick has been keeping a secret or two. And the moment that Hannah decides to let her hair down and tell Nick how she feels, well, let's just say that nothing goes as planned. Set in Sin City, we're taking on an sweet and sometimes angsty ride, as the two online best friends work out what their friendship means. Oh and I kind of forgot to mention even though this takes place in Las Vegas, Hannah actually resides in Cali.
“I like this,” he says, still looking right in my eyes. Still smiling.
“What?”
“You. In real life.”
Let me get all fan girl on you now. I ADORED this book so hard. Like I want to read it again and again because the two main characters are so adorkably cute. I like led the simplicity of the writing, the plot, and of course the romance. My only problem was the ending. I felt it was abrupt and there were some things I wanted explained. I wouldn't say the story is left open ended but yeah I feel like there's so much openness to it.
I think if you're a fan of contemporary and a fan of YA in general, then this will be a no brainer when deciding on your next read. Even if these aren't your normal genres, I think the story speaks well for itself and you'll enjoy it anyways. It's about not taking life too seriously and living in the moment. Not to be cliché but life is too short, rules are so meant to be broken! Let loose and ride a rollercoaster or kiss a stranger... Whatever floats your boat!
“Remember. It’s possible for life to be scary and fun at the same time. The scariness is the fun.”
But the book!
Amazon- http://amzn.to/1Mfd3nf
Amazon UK- http://amzn.to/1Mfd9uU
About the author-
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Jessica Love is a high school English teacher who lives in Southern California with her husband and their two tiny dogs. She's working on her Master's Degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Spalding University, and her big love is contemporary YA romance. Jessica spends all of her free money on concerts, constantly tries to prove that blondes have more fun, and is pretty much always on the internet.
IN REAL LIFE will be released from St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne on March 1, 2016. Co-written with Chelsie Hill from Sundance Channel's reality TV show Push Girls, Jessica's debut novel PUSH GIRL is available now.
Jessica Love is a high school English teacher who lives in Southern California with her husband and their two tiny dogs. She's working on her Master's Degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Spalding University, and her big love is contemporary YA romance. Jessica spends all of her free money on concerts, constantly tries to prove that blondes have more fun, and is pretty much always on the internet.
IN REAL LIFE will be released from St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne on March 1, 2016. Co-written with Chelsie Hill from Sundance Channel's reality TV show Push Girls, Jessica's debut novel PUSH GIRL is available now.
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