"In Real Life" by Jessica Love tells the story of a young girl named Lainey, who navigates the complexities of friendship, self-discovery, and the true meaning of authenticity in a digital age. When Lainey meets a boy named Blaze in an online game, they form a strong connection. However, as their virtual friendship grows, Lainey begins to question the differences between their online personas and their real-life selves. The story explores themes of identity, the impact of technology on relationships, and the challenge of being genuine in both the digital realm and the real world, ultimately leading to a heartfelt realization about connection and self-acceptance. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is aimed at children at US 9th grade-college freshman.

This book has been graded for interest at 14-18 years.

This book is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed. This book was published in 2016 by Thomas Dunne Books .

Jessica Love is an illustrator and Broadway actress. She has a BA in studio art from the University of California, as well as a graduate degree from Juilliard. Julian Is A Mermaid is her first picture book. Find her online at jessicalove. org/art.