Wednesday, July 13, 2016

True Letters from a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan


True Letters from a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan

Review by Lauren

source: giveaway win; all opinions are my own

Official SummaryIf 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!

7 comments:

Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings said...

The cover is brilliant, so colourful!

It is great that the characters come to life, too often I have read a book and the characters fall flat.

Verushka said...

Oh woah, 5 stars? The blurb sounds tender and heartbreaking too. Can I ask, does James get a happy ending? I feel like I need to know that he's okay!

Piecraft Bucharest said...

Wow, this really does sound fantastic! And I would've missed it for sure if not for your review :) I love a story with well developed, layered characters. Wonderful review, Lauren, thanks.

Lisa Mandina said...

Sounds like a really good one. And characters are usually what sell me on a story! This sounds like one I need to get for my school library. Thanks for sharing it!

Karen said...

I do love when characters seem so realistic. Great review, makes me want to read this.

Lola said...

I love realistic books where the characters act like people would in real life, so that really makes me curious about this one. Great review!

Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity said...

I'm so glad you liked this one, Lauren! I remember absolutely LOVING the realistic feel to it, as well. It just felt like reading about an actual real guy's life, and I couldn't get over how amazing that was.

I liked how you mentioned that James doesn't always do the things you want him to, but I guess that added to the realistic aspect, too. Not everyone does what they should, or what we think they should.

I really look forward to reading more books from this author!

Lovely review :D