Guy in Real Life
Written by Steve Brezenoff
Narrated by MacLeod Andrews and Arielle DeLisle
4/5
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About this audiobook
From the acclaimed author of Brooklyn, Burning comes Guy in Real Life, an achingly real and profoundly moving love story about two teens that National Book Award–finalist Sara Zarr has called ""wholly original and instantly classic.""
It is Labor Day weekend in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and boy and girl collide on a dark street at two thirty in the morning: Lesh, who wears black, listens to metal, and plays MMOs; Svetlana, who embroiders her skirts, listens to Björk and Berlioz, and dungeon masters her own RPG. They should pick themselves up, continue on their way, and never talk to each other again.
But they don't.
This is a story of the roles we all play—at school, at home, online, and with our friends—and the one person who might be able to show us who we are underneath it all.
Steve Brezenoff
Steve Brezenoff is the author of more than fifty middle-grade chapter books, including the Field Trip Mysteries series, the Ravens Pass series of thrillers, and the Return to the Titanic series. He's also written three young-adult novels, Guy in Real Life; Brooklyn, Burning; and The Absolute Value of -1. In his spare time, he enjoys video games, cycling, and cooking. Steve lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Beth, and their son and daughter. .
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Reviews for Guy in Real Life
4 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roles and authenticity are the theme being explored in this funny and real book of teens trying to figure out who they are. I loved Lesh and Svetlana and the alternating points of view was a great way to see how the relationship was progressing. The ending scene was wonderful - Lesh's attempts to explain what he is feeling were perfect. The writing is great and the narration is spot on.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I read the ebook version which I got from the library.
I am married to a man who plays dice and paper RPG games and who LARPs. I've done these games myself and we actually originally met at a LARP event. Neither of us are video gamers though although we know people who are.
I don't usually read YA literature, but some of the reviews for this book compared it to Rainbow's books and I had just read one so I thought I'd give it a shot.
I'm giving this a 4 star review in spite of the fact that I skimmed and skipped several chapters. There was a lot in here, probably very good stuff I imagine, that was about the male character being in the video game playing a female character. You follow that? I've played male characters in RPGs myself, and I've seen guys play female characters. It's not much of a stretch for me. But me is over 40 and I didn't feel drawn into this part of the book as much someone else might. I wanted to stick to what was happening face to face more which by itself was still an excellent story.
I did think that too much was put on Lesh's best friend Greg. It was like he was carrying around the job of being so many things, a composite character almost. He was the stoner, gamer, best friend, couldn't get a girl..... whoa. A bit much to lay all on one guy, but whatever. I also didn't get into the names of everyone (Weiner, Cheese, Jelly).. I got lost a little when some people in the story were calling Lesh "Tung" but I finally figured it out. It was a nickname from his last name, which is pretty common in high school but whatever, small details. It's been a long time since high school. Someone closer to that age might appreciate it more.
Anyway, yes we are talking about a love story and about gender roles and about what happens in high school and peer pressure and identity and a lot of stuff, and it's good. I may even go back and read those chapters that I skipped before my loan runs out.