Motorcycles, Sushi and One Strange Book (Real Life, #1)

by Nancy N. Rue

From bestselling author Nancy Rue comes a YA contemporary novel that combines coming-of-age drama with a rom-com series of adventures as one girl deals with her complicated family and first love.

Jesse Hatcher is used to keeping everything together—from trying to manage her thoughts amidst her ADHD to helping her mom through bipolar “phases” and keeping the reality of the highs and lows—and their living situation—a secret. But when her supposedly dead father, Lou, appears and her mother becomes suicidal, her taped-together life comes undone.

Soon Jesse is placed in Lou’s temporary custody, where she has everything but control. As she works her Dad-mandated job learning to make sushi with a chef intent on torturing her, she concocts a plan to get back to her real home. But then a cute boy named Rocky and the thrill of riding his motorcycle complicate things, and the book she found seems to have all the answers she doesn’t want to hear. Torn between what her mom wants and a life she might actually enjoy, Jesse is forced to make a crazy decision.

Motorcycles, Burritos & One Strange Book:

• features a vibrant and witty protagonist dealing with the realities of a divided family and mental illness
• is a Christy award-winning novel that explores the ideas of self-worth and empowerment
• provides an inspirational message for those dealing with tough circumstances
• is the first book in the Real Life series

• ISBN10: 0310714842
• ISBN13: 9780310714842
• Publish Date: 19 April 2010
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Imprint: ZonderKidz
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

"You always have a choice between doing the thing that's going to help you or doing the same thing you've been doing that makes you miserable."

Last summer I read BOYFRIENDS, BURRITOS & AN OCEAN OF TROUBLE which was the second book in the real life companion novel series. That one dealt with an abusive relationship, and an overbearing mother. While this book deals with ADHD, Bipolar, and a parent who is suddenly around for the first time.

We have Jess who is a 16-year-old who is dealing with a mother who has in-bed phases and out of bed phases, she also has ADHD that while is medicated is not the right medicine. Add on the fact that her mom goes back and forth between super controlling to absent for days on in, it's a very complicated environment for Jess.
One day though her bio father Lou calls and asks to meet her. This leads to her mom taking drastic measures and Jess suddenly being forced to go with Lou.
Once she is with Lou things really get interesting in my opinion, not only does he truly care about her, but he wants to make her feel comfortable in her new environment and to have the ability to thrive in it and be the person she can be when her "hamster wheel"(that's what she calls her ADHD brain) isn't going 100mph all the time.

"Life isn't an endurance test. Why make it any harder than it already is? If there's something that can help take the edge off all this frustration, why not use it?"
Lou gives her the options and stability she needs and kind of wants after she gets used to the idea. She even is able to start a job working at a Sushi place (this is where she really starts changing and thriving) and Bonsai who is the owner/chef and Rose the everything else woman. We also have Rocky who is a guy that works for Lou and want to be Jess's friend and shows her the town she is now living in. (this was a really nice friendship to see and how it changed was in a mostly realistic way to.)

"No I don't have to pull attitude with him. He doesn't put me down every single chance he gets. He doesn't treat me like a moron. He doesn't ignore me for weeks and then get up and tr to run my life. That's why I don't pull attitude with him. And that's why this is my home now. "

Overall I really liked this book and this series so far. Each book can be read on its own as the only that is consistent is the RL book. I don't really know much about ADHD or Bipolar, so I don't know how well represented they both are in this book. I just thought it was nice to see it dealt with in a book, and for the character to just not suddenly get better all on her own with no help from anyone.
This is a mostly realistic story, besides the RL book portions where the book is specifically 'talking' to Jess and helps her deal with things. Now as a teenager I would have loved the idea of this and I still think it's a pretty cool one today. I can see how it would make some people uncomfortable though and make them not want to read the book. For the first 75% religion is only slightly mentioned, but the last 25% it gets mentioned a lot more.

I am hoping to read the other two companion novels in July, because I am interested to see what topics get addressed in them.

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