Review of Tell me it's Real by T.J. Klune

 by T.J. Klune

4 stars

Get ready to laugh laugh laugh!  T.J. Klune’s Tell me it’s Real is a hilarious, sweet, sexy, good-time read!

Tell me it’s Real introduces us to shy, introverted, 30-year old Paul Auster, who is surrounded by a crazy crew of his family, 2 –legged dog Wheels and his best friend, and drag queen, Sandy aka; Helena Handbasket.  Life for Paul isn’t boring; it is filled with people who love him, but one night at the club everything changes when sexy jock Vince Taylor takes notice.  Vince isn’t a very smart guy, but what he lacks in smarts, he makes up for in sweet.  There is chemistry between Paul and Vince that can’t be denied, if only Paul can get past his low self-esteem and see what is right before him.

The story here isn’t earth-shattering, don’t get us wrong, it is cute, playful and sweet, and even with a bit on angst thrown in, you can see the ending right from the start.  But what truly set’s this book apart is the humor.  At one point on public transportation last week, we laughed so hard, people asked us if we were okay, it was SO funny.  Paul is self-deprecating, and the other motley crew of characters and another level to his snark. 

There are a few things that grated a bit, we totally get that Paul has low self-esteem, but at some point all his waffling and whining becomes a bit much.  There is a point you kinda want him to stand up and get it.  The other is the cover, and probably one of the reason’s it took so long for us to read.  The cover doesn’t really match the story, one of a 30 year old looking for love and a sweet uncomplicated mega-hunk jock. Unfortunately the cover looks a bit like a YA novel.

There is so much going on in this book, we laughed, we cried, we shot water out of our nose, that Paul and Vince’s relationship is just one piece of what makes this a 4-star read.  If you want to escape into a book, Tell me it’s Real by T.J. Klune is one you don’t want to skip.