Real Life
4 primary works
Book 1
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
Book 2
In this YA contemporary novel from bestselling author Nancy Rue, the issues of abuse and its emotional effects are explored as Bryn O’Connor struggles to find her voice while many of her one-time friends doubt she’s telling the truth and her ex-boyfriend won’t let go of their past.
Bryn has learned to keep her mouth shut. But when a trip to the hospital following a car accident reveals bruises and injuries inflicted by her boyfriend days and months before, her biggest secret is unwillingly unleashed. And though a restraining order is meant to keep her safe from Preston, it seems nothing can protect her from her supposed friends, who refuse to believe Preston is capable of such violence and look to punish her for what happened to him. Making Bryn wonder if finally telling the truth only made things worse.
The stress and loneliness leaves Bryn feeling crazy—especially when it seems like the leather book she picked up at the hospital is reading her thoughts. It doesn’t help that her visiting grandma, Mim, is convinced surfing lessons and homemade Mexican food will somehow help Bryn regain control and focus away from the bullying messages pinging her phone. Though when Preston breaks the restraining order yet again, and a trial date looms, it’s clear the only way out of the tsunami that is her life is to charge in and take control of the waves around her.
Boyfriends, Burritos & an Ocean of Trouble:
- uses a fictional setting to explore the real-life issues of abuse and quieted voices young women face
- delves into the concepts of finding your voice, overcoming difficult circumstances, and working past feelings of self-blame
- provides an inspirational message for those dealing with tough circumstances
- is the second book in the Real Life series, but can be read as a stand-alone novel
Book 3
Book 4
