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In Real Life by Jessica Love is a novel that really had the potential to be a 5 star read. It has a very unique concept and a setting that is described so perfectly that the reader can’t help but wish that they were in the story. However, I found the main character to be ungrateful and rude, which really put me off.
Title: In Real Life: A NovelAuthor: Jessica Love
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: March 1, 216
Rating:
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.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Book Review: In Real Life by Jessica Love
❀ Creative Concept
In Real Life has a super creative concept that I’ve never seen mentioned in YA: Internet friends. This book tells the story of Hannah and Nick, two friends who actually met online. They have never met in real life. I found this to be interesting because it is so different from every other book. It’s really refreshing being able to change things up a bit.
❀ Fantastic Setting
I adored the Vegas setting in In Real Life. Jessica Love describes all the attractions and city life so well that I really wanted to visit Vegas while reading. I feel like this is the perfect setting for the book because I sort of associate Vegas with drama, and boy is there drama in In Real Life. Having never been to Vegas before, I’m not sure about the accuracy of details, but I sure enjoyed reading about it!
❀ Whiny Main Character
The one thing that really bothered me in this book was the main character, Hannah. I found her to be really ungrateful and whiny throughout the whole book, which I never like to see in a book. The main event in the story is the characters road tripping to Vegas to meet Hannah’s online friend. I do understand that Hannah is the reason for the trip, but it definitely wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for her sister, and the trip was also supposed to be for the whole group. Hannah feels like the trip is all about her and is actually really rude to her friends for not “supporting her” when they are out having fun. I really didn’t like this trait, and also couldn’t really relate to Hannah, so this book ended up not being as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be.
❀ A Story About online friends
In Real Life by Jessica Love is a unique story about online friends. There is a fun Vegas setting that is also ideal for the book. Despite the originality, I didn’t enjoy the main character’s personality, which affected my experience reading. I would, however, still recommend this book to those who are fine with a lot of drama.
Book Quotes: In Real Life by Jessica Love
“My best friend and I have never met. We talk every day, on the phone or online, and he knows more about me than anyone.”
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.
It’s always annoying when you read a good book which is spoilt by a bratty protagonist, isn’t it? I enjoyed reading your review:).
Great review! I want to read this book, and I’m glad you liked it. I’m a little disappointed to hear that the main character isn’t that great, though, I just love when the main character is awesome, it plays such a huge part on my reading experience. Great review, thank you 🙂
This sounds interesting but I really hate whiny and rude characters. Great Review btw! 😀
Great review though it’s a shame you didn’t like the MC and it let the story down for you. I was really looking forward to this story but annoying MC’s can really be a turn off.
I felt a little differently than you did about Hannah. I do understand where you are coming from though. There were moments she bothered me, but then there were moments when her sister and her friend annoyed me. But as a whole, I really loved this little story. I don’t read a ton of contemporaries, but when I do these are the types that I enjoy. Fun and sweet…
I did see that you enjoyed this one on GR. I guess that we aren’t always going to agree on everything. It really was a fun and sweet story. There was just something off-putting about Hannah that didn’t really sit well with me. I am glad that you enjoyed it, though! <3
Awesome review! I’m looking forward to this one but now I’m a little disappointed to hear about the whiny main character.
I want to read In Real Life ♡ I liked your review. Thank you
I hope that you enjoy it!!
I actually have this one for review and even though I don’t think 3/5 stars is too bad, hopefully I’ll enjoy it more than you! I’m most interested in the online friends aspect since, as we bloggers know, the Internet connects a lot of people and it’s very important to us.
There is a lot of fun and enjoyment in this book. I have also seen that others enjoy it, so I think you should definitely give it a try. I look forward to hearing your thoughts! <3
I am really looking forward to reading this! Thanks for the review
Such a fair enough review, I guess! The story seems really interesting but it depends on the twist. The main character should be an enjoyable factor, tho! I don’t think I would give this a go.
This sounds like a good book & would be hard to put down. Thanks for the review.
Rude characters….keeps it all interesting! Sounds like a good read. Thanks for sharing!