In Real Life by Jessica Love

In Real Life ARC Review

Author: Jessica Love

Publsiher: St. Martin's Press
Source: Around the World ARC Tours

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.~Goodreads. 

So. I lived a lot of this story. Not the whole go-to-Vegas-to-surprise-the-boy-I’ve-been-talking-to-on-the-internet-who-i-also-happen-to-have-more-than-just-friendly-feelings-for part but the whole talking-to-someone-over-the-interwebz-and-falling-for-them part. I found myself marking every other page because this book was just SO freaking relatable to me it was scary. It touched on so many of my nostalgic feels. 

Texting 24/7 like it’s your job? Yes. Video chat being “too real” at first? Yes. The idea that meeting in real if is going to be SO FREAKING AWKWARD? YES YES YES.

But the one thing that Love NAILED in this book was the notion that the person who you’re talking to isn’t “real.” Or that the whole situation is just pretend. That it’s not real life. YES, JESSICA LOVE, YES. SO MUCH THIS. 

I adored Hannah. She was obviously super relatable to me but she was also very smart and funny. She grew so much in this story and came to conquer some of her fears and I just found myself being so proud of her. I enjoyed reading from Hannah’s point of view. I also REALLY liked her sister Grace. (I want a Grace and Alex a spin off please!)As for Hannah’s "best friend", Lo? She is a terrible best friend. And that’s all I’ll say about that. 

Then there is Nick. Awkward, liar-pants, nerdy, Nick. He was….something else. It was hard for me to get a good read on him (haha-haha) because one minute he was so…great and then next so closed off. I would definitely want to read more about Hannah and his relationship though! 

PSA- DON’T LIE. THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT. AND DON’T BE A CATFISH.

In Real Life is an adorable story that I think everyone should pick up! I look forward to reading more by Love in the future!

Also, if you’re in a Long Distance Relationship with someone you’ve never met, it’s serious, and you love that person, don’t put of meeting them. It may seem as though your relationship isn’t ‘real’ because they aren’t right there in front of you, but…those feelings you have towards them? Those feelings are real. Don’t let your fear overwhelm you. If it’s meant to be it will work out. You won’t regret it, I know I sure don’t :)