Tell Me It's Real

Don't read on a plane!

Would you consider the audio edition of Tell Me It's Real to be better than the print version?

That is a toss up. Having read everything T.J. has written, I feel like I can hear his voice in my head, but saying that, he has wonderful narrators for his books.

What other book might you compare Tell Me It's Real to and why?

There is no other book to compare to the banter and diatribes that go on in this book, nothing like it....

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to choose, the hippo scene, the love scene, the johnny depp scene, the GPS scene, bike store.... on and on and on.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The story about Sandy when they were in high school and he finds out his parents have been killed, and the scene where Paul tells of his father, and maybe the scene where Paul speaks to his mother, too many to count

Any additional comments?

Get this audio, book and audio, worth every penny. Just make sure you are not listening to this where it is not okay to bust out laughing at anytime, because you will, there is no stopping you!!! It will come out as a Snort, a gasp of laughing, hee hawing, it will not be pretty :0

19 of 19 people found this review helpful

An Outstanding Story...

I am a huge fan on TJ Klune, basically because he knows how to tell a story in such a way that every emotion is reached and the narration by Michael Lesley was beyond reproach. The vocal inflections were phenomenal and his voice brought each character to life in my mind. Initially, I was afraid that the protagonist was going to annoy me...but I laughed so hard, so many times...OUT LOUD...that people thought I was weird (which I am, but that's alright). Began the book on the treadmill and I seriously fell off the daw-gone thing from laughing so hard...a few of my favorites...the entire book...although a special tribute to the menstruating ghost and Johnny Depp...a definite must read!!!

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

Get ready for the tears of both joy and sadness

Cutting my review into two parts: first one's for the story/plot, the second's for the audiobook.

STORY RATING: 4

If you're feeling down, riddled with insecurities so much that you don't believe that someday your prince/princess will come, one who'll Freddie Prinze, Jr. you SO HARD (and in a good way, mind), and you think that you're nothing and you want to celebrate that fact by stuffing your face with a beef burrito while wrapping yourself up in a blanket burrito, this book is for you. On the other hand, if you want to read a book with a badass, awesome drag queen who won't take any of your BS and can rule fabulously over the world, and a lovely dog in his very own wheelchair, and you really, really wanted to be proven right that long-term relationships brought about by love at first sight aren't feasible, then I'm sorry, sister, this book ain't right for you. NOT. Seriously, just read this if you're in it for the laughter and tears, and you want to feel good about yourself. A few warnings though: the book (especially if the audiobook) may take up a lot of your time so you better not have something important else to do
because it's hard to do anything else once you've already started this. Trust me, I wanted to blow up RL so hard due to the interruptions it kept giving me. Please also keep in mind that the book is laden with swearing and a whole lot of bitchiness, so if you can't stomach these things, then uhm, do tread lightly.

The blurb says it all. Ordinary guy caught hot guy's attention, hot guy pursued ordinary guy, ordinary guy thought it's just a fluke but still fell in love with hot guy nonetheless. Hot guy's trying to convince ordinary guy that he's very much sincere, then ordinary guy's trying to fend off his feelings because he think's he's not good enough, and got reprimanded by his badass best friend and awesome family because of it. Then when ordinary guy finally got into a reluctant relationship with hot guy, BAM, a tragedy happened and ordinary guy had to conquer his fears in order to support hot guy. I am aware that my own summary sucks and it doesn't do these boys right by just calling them "ordinary" and "hot" when they're not just that, not really.

As I keep remembering this story, a quote entered my mind: "You get the love you think you deserve." And that pretty much says it all. Like Paul (and Vince), we get the feeling that we're not good enough to be loved--being told that we are loved no matter what we are is good and helpful but accepting that love is hard especially when you think you're nothing. So loving (and accepting) yourself first is the key in order to accept the love from others and love those people in return. I think the book served as a good reminder about this, and for that I truly am grateful that I came across this.

One more thing I liked about this book is how grief was portrayed. It wasn't overly dramatic, yet the feelings portrayed were raw, heavy, painful yet slightly optimistic. It felt realistic, so much so it made me remember how it felt when I lost a family member. It also emphasized the importance of a support group, of having people who can anchor you and make you find strength inside you.

Though I sympathized with Paul think we had a lot in common, I don't like him that much, partly because I can see myself in him (his internal monologue of him not being good enough? my monologue too). I loved his humor, how he can think of the most absurd things that really made sense to me, how he splutters (like I do all the time Oh God), his clumsiness (let me tell you someday about the bruises I get just by riding a bus or by simply existing). I love his worst-case scenarios (boy sure must be proud of his imagination). I can also relate with his shyness and his self-loathing. However, what I don't like is him calling his bouts of drama/sentiment/mushiness as having a vagina (a gaping one at that). That really bothered me while I was reading/listening especially since the women all around him (including Helena and the sassy Black nurse) are way more badass than him. That's really the reason I can't give this a five-star no matter how much my vagina and I liked the story. Blaming God at every single mishap didn't help either, but since I enjoyed everything else I can tolerate/slightly overlook these bits.

One more thing that I'd contest is that Vince isn't dumb! I was expecting that his character would be like Doug in The Epic Love Story of Doug and Stephen, and Vince isn't like that, really. To tell you the truth, the guys I know are pretty much like Vince. What I get from Vince's character is that he has his own set of priorities, a very different and refreshing mindset. Not knowing Asia is a continent and that thing you do to stop a person from choking is called Heimlich maneuver don't automatically make you dumb, methinks.

Moreover, I think what I would like more is a book about Sandy and Helena Handbasket. (S)he is such an interesting character, and Paul would surely be lost without him. I'd love it if I can see things from his perspective, and I am eager to see the interaction between him and his love interest.

Overall, this was way better than Bear, Otter and Kid for Me, and I am amazed at the difference of TJ Klune's writing between these two books.

AUDIOBOOK RATING: 4.5

This is the first audiobook I've ever listened to (if you don't consider podfics), especially one with a male narrator. And after listening to this, it made me realize two things: 1) I truly am a visual person. I love to read and listen to the book at the same time, and 2) Being a narrator of an audiobook is fucking hard! Especially if you have to do lots of voices.

Honestly, I was kinda weirded out during the first few moments because I imagined Paul's voice being a bit lower/gruffier, but that did not keep me from laughing (and crying) so hard at some scenes which means that he's truly an effective narrator. He has a clear and crisp enunciation of words, though he speaks a bit fast for my taste that it took me a couple of paragraphs to get his rhythm. But once I got past all of that, I enjoyed listening to this; I loved his other voices, especially Johnny Depp's! There were also sometimes that I was distracted and am not really that listening (this is why I need visuals sometimes) but because of his tone and delivery, I knew what Paul is feeling at the moment, which is really, truly helpful.

So yeah, I can say that Michael Lesley, is a lovely narrator and I would be happy to listen to his other works.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Laugh out loud funny!

What did you love best about Tell Me It's Real?

** I received this audiobook free for review from the narrator through the DBML (Don't Buy My Love) program in the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads.**

Let me start by saying that I had no idea that these were characters that I had read about before! Yes I was bursting with excitement when I figured out they were familiar characters. Paul and Vince are also in The Art of Breathing (Bear, Otter and the Kid #3) by T.J Klune

This is certainly not an audiobook that you want to be listening to with anyone else around you. Not just because of the content but because I guarantee you will be laughing out loud and heaven help you if you should be drinking while something funny happens! Yes I am speaking from experience here , drinking coffee while listening to this book was so not a good idea.

T.J Klune is an author that does not disappoint his readers. It was no surprise to me that I loved Paul an Vince's story. They are definitely opposites and they surely attracted. Vince and Paul both made some mistakes along the way but their story is oh so enjoyable, it is not one you will want to miss.

Michael Lesley is the narrator of this fantastic audiobook, and let me tell you he did an excellent job. I have listened to books that were totally awful for me, not because of the story line, but because of the narration. If a narrator just doesn't connect with the story it will throw the whole thing off. That being said Michael Lesley nailed this one! The inflection was amazing and he uses different tones for each character so there is no doubt who is speaking. I certainly hope he does many many more in the future as I would just snatch them up!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Love this book!

Do you know how hard it is for me to give a 5 star rating? It's really hard. Seriously. I read over 300 books a year. And maybe, 10? Maybe might get a 5 star rating.

This book delivers! On all fronts. Funny, fun, sexy, awesomeness. 

I honestly don't know how someone might not love this book. And, if you don't, I don't want to know you. Because you're probably evil.

Like, evil.

And Michael Lesley's narration for this is simply wonderful! He delivers such an awesome performance and makes a fantastic book even better. Love, love, love this!! ❤

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Best read ever!

Would you listen to Tell Me It's Real again? Why?

A Truly fun emotional roller-coaster, you'll laugh and cry. this is a heartwarming story of true love, the kind we all yearn for.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Tell Me It's Real?

" Tell him it Real..."

Which character – as performed by Michael Lesley – was your favorite?

Paul was written from my life, it's as if Klune knew me personnally, the only difference is i've never had anyone fall in love with me. But Paul could be me with only the name changed. every thing about him i can relate to.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I've never laughed so hard or cried so deeply, the whole store is one of the best.

Any additional comments?

T.J. Klune has a new fan, and Michael Lesley is an outstanding narrator, I'm sure his voice, and feeling for the characters made the difference in bringing the audio version to life.
What a great read. Thank you! I was kind of sad to have it end.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Wonderful RomCom and the Perfect Narrator

This is a VERY funny M/M romcom listen from TJ Klune. The narrator was perfect and really brought all the characters to life, especially the MCs. He was fabulous!! My only warning is you will laugh out loud at this book, so be warned if you happen to be in public at the time. Also, I truly hope there is a sequel on the way and they can get this same narrator. There is a weird production error between chapters where there is a 7 - 12 sec pause and you feel like the narration stopped; it didn't, just a long pause between chapters. Other than that, this was a great listen. Definitely worth a credit.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Love, love, love

So much love for this book. Every single time I listen to it I laugh, I cry, I smile like crazy. Excellent story, so funny, so emotional. And the narrator? Outstanding!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

So funny!

I love this book it's so funny I couldn't stop laughing! Best TJ Klune book I've read so far it's romantic and funny.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

BRA-freakin-O to the Performer!!!!!!

Any additional comments?

Michael Lesley did a fantastic job with this performance! The way he was able to change his voice for each character was fabulous and I liked every voice he did.

This story was fun, witty, charming, romantic, and overall full of comedy! Mr. Lesley was able to bring this story to life for me. This is a definite recommend from me.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful