Description

From the acclaimed author of Brooklyn, Burning comes Guy in Real Life, an achingly real and profoundly moving love story about two teens that National Book Award–finalist Sara Zarr has called "wholly original and instantly classic."

It is Labor Day weekend in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and boy and girl collide on a dark street at two thirty in the morning: Lesh, who wears black, listens to metal, and plays MMOs; Svetlana, who embroiders her skirts, listens to Björk and Berlioz, and dungeon masters her own RPG. They should pick themselves up, continue on their way, and never talk to each other again.

But they don't.

This is a story of the roles we all play—at school, at home, online, and with our friends—and the one person who might be able to show us who we are underneath it all.

This unforgettable young adult love story explores:

Opposites Attract: He’s a metalhead who lives in online games; she’s an arts-and-crafts Dungeon Master who listens to Berlioz. They were never supposed to meet, let alone fall in love. Gamer Romance: A collision of two worlds as online MMOs clash with tabletop campaigns, forcing Lesh and Svetlana to question the roles they play both on and offline. Finding Your True Self: A poignant and moving exploration of identity, friendship, and the courage it takes to show someone who you are underneath all the armor. Authentic Teen Voice: Praised as "wholly original and instantly classic" by National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr, this story captures the awkward, funny, and heartbreaking reality of being a teen in real life.