Real Life

When one can't find the love they need inside of themselves and no one knows you're going through this because you have grown accustomed to living life this way and just hiding it and keeping all the hurt and pain inside. Not knowing why you don't love yourself is an even more terrible feeling. So you throw yourself into doing something else to attempt to cover that feeling while all along you never can really cover it; you can only suppress it until something makes you pay attention and you have to face it. Grateful God made me stop and pay attention when He was speaking to me. Grateful God kept me from falling so far down. Grateful that I had the will and the want to love myself so I could do the work God has purposed me to do in my life. Just as Christ did; we must also show love to one another; but in doing that you also have to love who you are as a person. Took me a while but with God's help I did it and growing in my learning as each day passes.

Four girls are brought together through the power of a mysterious book that helps them sort through the issues of their very real lives.While family dinners and vacations to touristy destinations are ordinary events for her "normal" friends, fifteen-year-old Jessie Hatcher's normal life means dealing with her ADHD and her mother's bipolar disorder. So why is Jessie shocked when the unexpected happens? Now her "normal" includes living in Florida with the father she always thought was dead and learning the secrets of sushi from a man who teaches by tormenting her. Life isn't any saner with her dad, but a cute guy and a mysterious book might just be the crazy Jessie needs.

In this YA contemporary novel from bestselling author Nancy Rue, the issues of abuse and its emotional effects are explored as Bryn O'Connor struggles to find her voice while many of her one-time friends doubt she's telling the truth and her ex-boyfriend won't let go of their past. Bryn has learned to keep her mouth shut. But when a trip to the hospital following a car accident reveals bruises and injuries inflicted by her boyfriend days and months before, her biggest secret is unwillingly unleashed. And though a restraining order is meant to keep her safe from Preston, it seems nothing can protect her from her supposed friends, who refuse to believe Preston is capable of such violence and look to punish her for what happened to him. Making Bryn wonder if finally telling the truth only made things worse. The stress and loneliness leaves Bryn feeling crazy-especially when it seems like the leather book she picked up at the hospital is reading her thoughts. It doesn't help that her visiting grandma, Mim, is convinced surfing lessons and homemade Mexican food will somehow help Bryn regain control and focus away from the bullying messages pinging her phone. Though when Preston breaks the restraining order yet again, and a trial date looms, it's clear the only way out of the tsunami that is her life is to charge in and take control of the waves around her. Boyfriends, Burritos & an Ocean of Trouble: uses a fictional setting to explore the real-life issues of abuse and quieted voices young women face delves into the concepts of finding your voice, overcoming difficult circumstances, and working past feelings of self-blame provides an inspirational message for those dealing with tough circumstances is the second book in the Real Life series, but can be read as a stand-alone novel.

In this YA contemporary novel from bestselling author Nancy Rue, perfectionism and steroid addiction collide in the life of one teen, whose carefully controlled world slowly falls apart. Basketball is Cassidy Brewster's life, and she is the biggest star on her high school team. But when a routine jump shot leaves her crumpled on the floor with a torn ACL, everything comes crashing down. Cassidy would do anything to get back on the floor, away from the tensions at home. Without her future basketball career to distract him, her father is picking even more fights, and her older brother is accusing Cass of purposely injuring herself so their parents can't help him financially. So when her future sister-in-law offers a solution she promises is a quick fix to everyone's problems, Cassidy pushes aside her trepidation and begins taking the offered pills. But then her problems really start. And not even a mysterious book and the friendship of fellow "loser" and possible crush Rafe may be enough to make everything right again. Tournaments, Cocoa & One Wrong Move: uses a fictional story to explore the realities of prescription drug addiction features protagonists who are dealing with anxiety and parental abuse provides an inspirational message for those dealing with tough circumstances is the third book in the Real Life series, but can also be read as a stand-alone novel

From bestselling author Nancy Rue comes a YA contemporary novel where prom season takes on a deeper meaning, as a girl nominated for prom queen as a joke decides to use the opportunity as a way to empower her fellow classmates. And ends up questioning her self-perceptions in the process. For Tyler Bonning, not caring what others think is her super power. As is her ability to find the perfect, cutting response. All she needs to be happy is her group of equally smart and quirky friends and high grades to get into a good college. Then she's nominated for prom queen as a joke. Deciding to make the most of the opportunity-and mask her pain-Tyler starts a Prom for Everyone campaign intended help make the event more affordable. In the process, she discovers the way she's perceived by her classmates-as well as her supposedly close friends-may actually be more important than she thought. And she doesn't like the person they perceive her to be. With her parents pressuring her to focus on the racial issues at school instead of a frivolous cause, and a growing closeness to a boy who represents everything she once mocked, Tyler questions who she really wants to be. And as prom approaches, she faces her biggest challenge yet. One she can't handle on her own. Limos, Lattes & My Life on the Fringe: features a diverse main protagonist focuses on the ideas of self and identity, and what we let define and divide us provides an inspirational message for those dealing with tough circumstances is the final book in the Real Life series, but can also be read as a stand-alone novel.