True Letters from a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan
Review by Lauren
source: giveaway win; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: If you asked anyone in his small Vermont town, they’d tell you the facts: James Liddell, star athlete, decent student and sort-of boyfriend to cute, peppy Theresa, is a happy, funny, carefree guy.
But whenever James sits down at his desk to write, he tells a different story. As he fills his drawers with letters to the people in his world--letters he never intends to send--he spills the truth: he’s trying hard, but he just isn’t into Theresa. It’s a boy who lingers in his thoughts.
He feels trapped by his parents, his teammates, and the lies they’ve helped him tell, and he has no idea how to escape. Is he destined to live a life of fiction?
Review: This was a 5-star read for me and one of the things that I most loved about this book was how realistic it felt. Sure, we've read similar stories to this one. A teenager struggling with their sexuality, as well as all the other aspects a teen goes through from school to family. But Logan takes this story and makes it a bit different. He also makes it easy to relate too and as a reader, I appreciated that. I loved reading this book and feeling like James was a real guy and that the people in his life were realistic too. They acted and spoke like people you would meet in your everyday life. Not everyone gets the actions and/or dialogue of a teen right, but I think Logan nailed it.
As for the character of James, he doesn't always do what you want him to do, but his reasoning makes sense. He's always told himself he's straight and that he likes girls. It doesn't really occur to him to fight that until he begins to fall for a guy at another school, instead of his sort-of girlfriend, Theresa. I really liked Theresa as a character. James doesn't necessarily always treat her the way he should, and she doesn't always treat him the way she should. They are friends though, and they do genuinely care about one another.
This book is full of great, three-dimensional characters. I loved getting to know the guys in James' life, as well as his family. I know I keep saying it, but they were realistic. Not everyone is okay with people being gay. Not everyone knows how to act when someone comes out. It's not an overly angsty book, but there are serious moments throughout. Don't worry, though, there is still plenty of humor and fun as well!
