It's not where you begin that matters.
It's where you end up.
Twenty-thee year old Joey Graceffa has captured the hearts of millions of teens and young adults through his playful, sweet, and inspirational YouTube presence (not to mention his sparkling eyes and perfect hair). Yet, Joey wasn't always comfortable in his skin, and in this candid memoir, he thoughtfully looks back on his journey from pain to pride, self-doubt to self-acceptance.
To his fans, Joey is that best friend who always captures the brighter side of life but also isn't afraid to get real. In the pages of his first book, he opens up about his years of struggling with family and hardships and troubles at school, with cruel bullying and the sting of rejection. He tells of first loves and losses, embarrassing moments and surprising discoveries, loneliness, laughter, and life-changing forks in the road, showing us the incalculable value of finally finding and following your true passion in this world.
Book Review:
I don't watch Joey's videos the second he posts them and I don't watch everyone. I haven't followed him since the beginning of time (well the beginning of YouTube, which face it is the beginning of time), but I watch enough of his videos to know about his autistic brother and alcoholic mother. I don't know much about those situations or what he had to go through because of them, but I knew enough to want to know more. That is why I bought In Real Life.
In Real Life, gave us an insight into the Joey that we don't see often, his truest and most vulnerable self. We read along as he describes being confused with his sexuality from a young age, being picked on in school for being "feminine," arguing with his older sister, looking up to his step-dad, and fighting to forgive his mom, and protecting his little brother. I feel sympathy for him when he describes being the outcast in high school and alone in college. I'm excited for him when he takes the leap of faith and jumps into his dreams, focusing more on YouTube and moving to LA.
I could hear his voice as I read the book. I could hear the excitement, the pain, and the resentment. That is what I love about reading memoirs of people I have watched on YouTube forever. I just wished that he talked more about how his life is now in the end.
Pages: 240 Rate: 4/5
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