G.I.R.L.

Book #4 completed in 2015: Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff

 

Summary:
This is a high school romance novel with a little bit of a twist. The twist being, that some of the storyline is progressed by the characters' interest and participation in the "gaming world." The main characters, Svetlana and Lesh are unique individuals, both somewhat considered "loners", but yet they seem to bond over this shared trait during their early lunch time breaks. Faced with the pressures of being teenagers in a judgemental world, this is a story of lust, compassion, growing up, and giving in to what you want, regardless of what others think.

Review:
I'm not sure I need to say much more than this: this novel took me almost a full two months to complete instead of my typical 1 week. But, because I am trying to make reviewing my reads a beneficial resource for you fellow bloggers, I suppose I should give you a little more. Here's the jist of it. I just couldn't seem to get interested in this book. I liked that the chapters alternated between telling the story from Lesh's and Svetlana's point of view, but I felt like it took a long time to get into the meat of the story line. It wasn't until I reached the half way mark that I finally found myself being charmed by the characters' unique tastes and traits, but overall, as a whole novel, this just wasn't my cup of tea. I felt it was a slow read and far to "gamer-esque" for me. There were brief moments of the novel that I thought were cute and quirky, and some of the descriptive story telling I have to admit was enchanting, but all in all the read was just a little to fantasy for my taste. I would recommend this novel to a)gamers and b)teenage boys. The content, although mostly pg13, does come across a little harsh and therefore I think it's a little more catered to the male mind.


Quotable Moments:
"Form isn't just a vessel. It's not a paper cup that we fill up with a poem, a liquid poem that would fill a glass vase or a gravy boat just as well. It's part of the poem itself." - pg. 105

"'Fry was watching you,' I say. I don't say, 'too.'" - pg. 185

"He wishes he had his carcass in his hands, and my femur in his jaw, crusing it to reach the sweet, sweet marrow." - pg. 220

"My doctor once told me that if you don't have to actually do things--don't have to actually move within a physical space--time ceases to exist, and we can dream a lifetime in the msot fleeting moment, like absorbing every frame of a whole movie as a single image. I admit I don't get it, but I do like it." - pg. 226


"The air rushes from my lungs, the sense flees from my mind, and I pull her against me harder. Her lips taste like cigarettes and peppermint schnapps and Dr. Pepper lip gloss--smoke and candy and sugar and flames. It's delicious and disgusting, just like Jelly." - pg. 262

"As she pulls away, she whispers, 'Do you like me?'
'Obviously,' I whisper back. - pg. 337


"'...or what's her name. Chicken.'
'Hen,' I say, and I smile a little.
He shrugs. 'Chicken suits her too,' he says. 'Like Chicken Little'" - pg. 339

If you've read this novel before, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
-Linds