Tell Me It's Real

I received a free copy of this audiobook to listen to and review for Wicked Reads.

If ever there were a book that was MEANT to be an audiobook, Tell Me It’s Real is it. It is quite possibly one of the funniest books I’ve ever encountered and I made that assertion to our review team while I was listening to chapter two, and it held that title all the way through to the end. Klune has written a fabulous book with great one-liners and hilarious scenes, and Michael Lesley breathes life into the characters so fully that I was right there in the story. The narrator does such a good job at conveying the sarcasm and the diva queen attitude (and I say that with the utmost respect as someone whose life partner was a gay man who could don the metaphorical crown with the flick of a wrist), that I could not contain my laughter. I had to stop listening to it several times because my laughter was disruptive, or stole my breath, or went on so long that my stomach muscles were aching – and I do not live a laugh-free life. I laugh regularly, my laugh muscles are in shape, but Tell Me It’s Real gave them a marathon-style workout that insures that this audiobook will be queued up often for repeated listens.

Just putting this out there, I am a fat girl. I do not remember a time in my life when I have not worn pants in the double digits – those digits have varied quite a bit over the years (both up and down), but have never been in the single digits since I became cognizant of sizes. As such, I SOOOOOO identified with Paul and I knew exactly what he meant by “Are you Freddie Prinze Junioring me?” I get being unable to trust that the hot guy might really and truly be interested in you. It’s our dream, yet when it happens, we can’t trust that it’s real because of all the times it hasn’t been. I’ve also had the near-death experience when trying to avoid stepping on your dog when she suddenly appears underfoot; unlike Paul though, I managed to put my hands out in time to prevent the face plant to the wall. Verbal diarrhea? Check. Getting flustered when interacting with the seriously hot guy? Check. Being painfully, socially awkward? Check. A master at the art of sarcasm? Double check. Oh yes, Paul and I are definitely kindred spirits, so I connected with his character completely and was fully invested in his shenanigans, faux pas, spit takes, gaffes, embarrassments, heartbreak (oh yes, despite all the humor, we do have some heartbreak), sexy fun times, romance, and falling in love. I loved that even as he acknowledged that Vince wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, he was quick to defend him against anyone else suggesting it. I loved that even though Vince didn’t understand what nocturnal emissions were, he understood that Paul needed reassurance and had no problem reminding him that “It’s real.”

I absolutely loved this audiobook. I honestly do not know if I would have enjoyed it as much had I read it. I know it would have been a 5-star read, but I’m not sure that reading it even compares with the experience of listening to Tell Me It’s Real. I rarely share quotes while I’m reading, and yet I subjected the review team to a few I could not keep to myself.

“I throw like a girl… without arms.” - Paul
“Like super gay. I fart and rainbows come out.” – Paul
"Nocturnal emissions are the number one cause for the hole in the ozone." – Vince

And those are just the tip of the iceberg. I actually had to stop listening to the audiobook because I couldn't stop laughing at work. You know that snort-click sound you make in the back of your throat when you're trying to hold your laugh in? I was worried I was going to injure my throat. Or wet my pants. Or both. And I actually told the ladies that, no joke. Best. Audiobook. Ever. While I’ve only listened to a dozen audiobooks, this is by far my favorite and I have listened to some really great books. Then again, I have the sequel, The Queen & the Homo Jock King, in my queue for next week and there’s a very real possibility that Sandy and Helena Handbasket might be the death of me. Can you laugh yourself to death? I cannot wait to experience more of Klune’s writing and Lesley’s narrating!

Wow. I don't know what to say except that I loved every word of this story. I don't think I have laughed out loud so many times from a single book in my life. What wonderful characters, what a nice story. Do yourself a favor and read this as soon as possible.

Tell Me It’s Real – what a great story. This book is an excellent read from beginning to end. Paul and Vince have love at first sight, but convincing Paul of that is an adventure on its own. Laughing with Paul and Helena’s antics, knowing Paul’s family and surviving Vince’s family drama, you will also fall in love at first sight with all of them.

\"Just so you know, I don't have a gargantuan penis. Shocking, I know, right? Most of the time when you hear stories like the one you're about to, the narrator is this perfect specimen of man, whether he knows it or not.\"
Any story that begins like that is for me, no doubt about it. Put that together with the description of Paul Auster as snarky, sarcastic, and very witty and I was completely hooked. It is scientifically proven that a strong sense of humor is the sign of higher brain functioning, so it's obvious that T.J. Klune is running at genius level. The fact the author is willing to write about people who aren't \"perfect\" in the standards of our society simply endear me to him and his writing even more.
Pretty much from the beginning, I fell in love with Paul. And not just because he's a snarky, sarcastic, power bottom, but because he's so very real and human. He's shy and uncomfortable around a lot of people, he's insecure about his ability to be found attractive, he adopted a two-legged dog from the pound and named him Wheels, his best friend, Sandy, is a fabulous drag queen by the name of Helena Handbasket, his parents are batshit insane, he works a crappy cubicle job, and his grandma's parrot hurls homophobic slurs at him. Paul uses his sarcasm to hide so he doesn't have to risk anything and get hurt. It's a wonderful self protection skill and Paul wields it like a sword. He also doesn't have a filter for what comes pouring out of his mouth pretty much all the time.
His thirtieth birthday he spends with Sandy at the gay club where Helena performs her act. Paul, of course, hides in the balcony area with Charlie, the eighty-year-old guy who runs the lighting and video for Helena's shows. A completely, stunningly, hot jock snags Paul's attention and even after the guy sends a drink up to him, Paul knows that there's no way this guy could ever really be looking at him. I mean, guys who look like that never look at guys like Paul. Imagine his shock and surprise when Monday morning rolls around, and the new guy in his office is none other than hottie from the club, Vince Taylor.
Watching Paul and Vince slowly begin to head toward a tenuous relationship is fabulous. Paul constantly swears it can't be real, and Vince is just confused that Paul doesn't understand that Vince likes him. Although, seeing Vince work his mojo on Wheels and Johnny Depp, Nana's homophobic parrot, was hysterical. And, of course, that included Vince meeting Paul's parents and his nana. The fact that Vince just charms everyone, people and animals, in Paul's vicinity causes no end to the humor. Vince may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but he has an absolute heart of gold, amazing considering his family life. Since most of the people in his life have used him, I thought the fact that he still had that wonder and joy of a child inside him was pretty freaking remarkable. His own father told him it was a good thing he was attractive because he sure wasn't smart. Paul doesn't judge Vince and Paul listens to him when he talks, something most people don't do.
I have not laughed this much while reading a book since, well, my favorite guy wrote a great series with a snarky, sarcastic bottom and an Olympic gold medal winner. (You know who you are and what you wrote.) However, I can honestly say that I think T.J. has now won my heart for funniest story, best snarky character, best love interest, greatest best friend/drag queen/secondary character, and sweetest and best love story ever. But, there is a lot more to this story than just laughs. There is drama, but I loved how the author merged it with the funny so that even when my heart was breaking for Paul and Vince, there was still a smile hovering on my face. The evolution of their romance, and Paul learning to accept what his family and Sandy have been telling him all his life about how great he is, was really beautiful to watch. Other than making me laugh (a lot), 'Tell Me It's Real' made me feel. It reminded me how easy it is to hide behind all of our preconceived notions of ourselves and how hard it can be to let those thoughts go. The friendship Paul and his best friend have is priceless, beyond belief for both of them, and I was grateful to the author for including so much of it in the story.
I loved this book. Buy it. Read it. Re-read it, often.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

I decided to read this after checking out the excerpt, and instantly falling in love with the cranky, uncertain, bumbling narrator. The rest of the book didn't disappoint. Paul's journey towards true love was hilarious and heartwarming and a little sad. When he stood up for Vince to his mom? Made me cry. Every character was crazy and well-rounded and awesome, and of course Sandy was the best. Loved the banter between him and Paul throughout this book.
The best part of this entire book is that you showed that there's someone out there for everyone, even if they don't feel worthy or match up with a so-called ideal body type. Paul found someone who loved him the way he was, and ditto Vince. I laughed, I cried, I loved it!