I received this book for free from Publisher, St. Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In Real Life by Jessica Love Published by St. Martin's Griffin on March 1st 2016
Pages: 240
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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 Vegas, her older sister and BFF in tow, to surprise Nick and finally declare her more-than-friend feelings for him.Hannah's romantic gesture backfires when she gets to Vegas and meets Nick's girlfriend, whom he failed to mention. And it turns out his relationship status isn't the only thing he's been lying to her about. Hannah knows the real Nick can't be that different from the online Nick she knows and loves, but now she only has one 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.
this is a book you need if you’re in a slump and love cute-ness + drama.
this book is SO CUTE and i actually reaaaaaaally enjoyed it considered i “only” gave it three stars. my initial thought and conclusion on the novel: this book is like fan fiction. i don’t know how to describe it. there’s a specific ~vibe~ fan fiction stories give and that’s what i got from this novel. they’re usually stories that are super cliché and adorable and entertaining. it’s a short novel so it’s perfect if you’re in a reading slump or just want something fun to read. (it also gave me lots of feeeels and i finished it in one night and it’s so cute.)
the biggest issue i had was how FRUSTRATING the characters were. 90% of the time, they were fantastic; the other 10% made me want to strangle them. it seemed like the author wanted to make them realistically flawed – which is great! – but it got to the point where they were being a little irrational and annoying – specifically our main character, hannah. she can be so oblivious and annoying sometimes i just, i can’t. i don’t think i was really annoyed at her as a person, but more so at her choices. so technically, i like her character but sometimes the choices she makes are irrational and cause UNNECESSARY DRAMA. (it’s book, so it makes it more interesting. BUT STILL.)
however, i found myself truly relating to the characters’ situation because 1/ i have a few internet friends as well, and also dream of meeting them one day (albeit my friendship is not like their friendship), 2/ i live in southern california and often visit las vegas, so i knew EXACTLY what they were talking about in terms of location and food, 3/ i could relate to some of hannah’s internal struggle. this made the book much more enjoyable because i was actually visualizing them as real people with real experience than simply fictional characters. i also like how we had a diverse cast: hannah is korean, her best friend is mexican, etc.
in terms of actual literary devices, plot, and writing… it was mediocre. let me get this straight: i felt like this novel was pure entertainment. there are some books you’ll read to discover some revelation or speak out on some cause or SOMETHING, but this wasn’t it. it was enjoyable and interesting, but… that’s it. i liked it, but i didn’t find it very special in terms of writing or anything else. overall, IN REAL LIFE was relatable, fun, and terribly adorable. although there were times that made it seem overly dramatic, i think it was necessary to make it more entertaining, which is exactly the kind of book it was. it’s the perfect book if you want a short romance to get you out of a reading slump or book hangover.
i’d recommend if you’re looking for…
- a cliché book with drama
- a romance to get you out of a reading slump
- books with internet friends!
[rating-report]
Aw, this sounds really cute – like you say, it’s probably not something I’d turn to everyday, but to get myself out of a reading slump I think it would be amazing!!
Beth x
http://www.thequietpeople.com
it is! i think i read it at a really good time, so it made me fairly happy. i heard some people didn’t like it as much, but i think it depends on when you pick this book up and the timing of everything 🙂
I liked the sound of this for the internet friends aspect, but I haven’t read too many reviews on it. I’m glad you liked it, even if it was a tad frustrating at times. It sounds like it was a cute, sweet book and hey, sometimes that’s just what you need. Lovely review 🙂
thanks, rebecca! sometimes you really do need a cute, sweet book (and that was me when i picked it up), so these books are a necessity!
Okay, let me just say: I know EXACTLY what you’re talking about when it comes to that fanfiction feel to the story. There’s no way to really put it into words, but it’s almost tangible sometimes.
And that’s okay. Because – like you said – sometimes you just need the cute AND the cliche. 🙂 This actually weirdly sounds like something I might pick up someday. (And I’m a fantasy fiend normally.) Something in this review had me looking the book up on GR. I guess it might be that we all have internet friends we’d love to meet – albeit, as you say, not THAT kind, for the most part.
Lovely review, namesake. 🙂
– Lexie
YES! i didn’t know how to describe the “fanfiction feel” but i’m glad someone understands. although you probably don’t read this types of books often, there are some days when you just ~feel~ the need to read something adorably cliché – and now you know what kind of book to pick up when you have those days 🙂
This sounds like an adorable read! I totally know what you mean about a book being mainly for entertainment and not the kind of book to read if you’re looking for breathtaking writing, a heavy subject matter and profound truths etc. Great review!
thank you so much! i’m glad you understand 🙂
I’ve been seeing tons of my blogger friends wanting this book and it just seems too cute! And I love that Asians are represented but I’m a little skeptical about the impulsiveness of this whole thing. It’s making me curious so I might still try it out
i think you should if you’re in the mood for it! it’s definitely interesting and cute and cliché, so if you feel the need to read something like that, then you know what to pick up! i think book bloggers in general would like this since INTERNET FRIENDS and all ahaha
This book looks really fun (and like something I’d want to read) but I also am sometimes VERY bad at dealing with frustrating characters. Gaaaaah I guess I’ll just decide whether to read it when the time comes.
hmmmmm… maybe you should still try it out! hannah really isn’t that bad, but it’s just the decisions she makes sometimes. (although i could UNDERSTAND her reasoning for her choices, so i guess that makes up for it?) welp, just add it to your GR TBR and get to it eventually!
Sometimes, it’s just really fun to read books that are pure entertainment! I definitely don’t think that there’s anything wrong with that 😉 In Real Life does sound pretty cute, although I’ll probably pass on reading it until I’m in the right mood!
smart choice! i don’t think people would fully appreciate it until it’s the right mood. i hope you like it when you get the chance to read it! 🙂
I just started this book this morning and I’m already almost done with it! You’re totally right, this is the best kind of book if you’re trying to get over a book hangover or a reading slump.
exactly! i finished it in almost one sitting since the book is so tiny, and it definitely got me out of my slump 🙂