In Real Life

Synopsis: In Real Life, by Leticia Sala is a book that tells a story through poems. Most of the poems mention something common to the 21st century lovers: social media, long-distance relationships, how the internet plays a role in modern romance. All of the texts are presented twice: once in Spanish (Ms. Sala is Spanish) and in once in English.

Review: I don’t usually read poetry but the premise of In Real Life caught my attention. The poems are extremely easy to relate to due to mentions to “stories”, “stalking”, “googling”, etc. So, uunlike many poetry books that require a certain familiarity to the genre, this one if very approachable. Another thing that is important to mention is the fact that Leticia herself translated the poems to English; I usually think translated poetry loses a bit of its meaning, but when the author does it herself, the meaning behind the poems is always there. Last but not least: even though it’s poetry, the book can still be considered a novel: you will read about romance unfolding and developing, hoping the couple will be together in the end!

I loved this book a lot.
As someone who is studying Spanish, it was really interesting to read Spanish poems and having the English ‘translations’ next to them.
In the end, all the poems form a full story and that was beautiful to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book of poems that reads like a story of two lovers who seek ways to explain how much they love each other, how much their love for each other is worth, and how much more they want from each other.
Each poem is so beautifully crafted and so heartfelt that it pulls you as the reader into the relationship. It expresses deep love, acceptance, loss, grief, second chance, and most importantly self-reflection.
One that really stood out to me was the 'Reflection' poem
"Couples are the most perfect mirrors" and it just made me think about the importance of having a partner that reflects your heart. You only stay with someone you think you want. If you look in the mirror hoping to see a perfect you, then that is what you will see.

Another is 'Twisted'
"You, pretending to be, the person you think, I'm expecting you to be
Me, pretending to be the person I think you're expecting me to be"
This is true in a lot of relationships, especially at the start, if you are going to pretend to be someone else's type then you really shouldn't be dating that person in the first place. It will just be this rollercoaster where you keep trying to be someone you are not.

My personal favorite has to be 'Waves'
where she takes about commitment and sacrifice, basically if you are not ready to commit to this for the rest of your life, then don't go in. at least, go in knowing that you will give it all you've got, sacrifice what you have to, then you will know that you did everything you could for it to work.
I really enjoyed this book and I hope everyone checks it out.

Beautiful compilation of Spanish and English translation poetry.
Loved the poems about couples and relationships. And I loved how it all formed a story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was really fun! I think because the majority of the poems focused on a long distance relationship, the bilingual poetry style made a lot of sense. As someone who is attempting to become fluent in Spanish, trying to figure out what the poem was saying and then immediately being able to check my work was a lot of fun. That being said, the poems didn't exactly blow my mind, although a lot of them were clever and they were fun to read.
I think if you're familiar with Spanish and you're interested in the topic, you might enjoy this collection.

This was a super lovely and quick book. I found interesting the bilingual component of this book and I'm glad the author chose that path, since it's a lot more enriching. In terms of content, the only downside was the quality of the few illustrations, because (at least in my copy) they had a lot of pixelization, and their placement felt a little bit random. I liked the modernity and honesty of the poems, and I felt this was a autobiographical 21st century love anthem. It was nice knowing the characters' story and finding a lot of aspects relatable among the uniqueness of the couple, and I wish Leticia and Pau all the best!

Reading this in both language was unlike any experience like any other (Personally I enjoyed the poems in spanish more- especially reading them out loud- the words felt rich and meaningful). But the opportunity to have the translation is clever in reaching out to non-spanish speakers. This set of poems tells a story of a relationship taking shape in the modern age with social media having a large impact in our society. If you're on social media or other sites in which you are online dating- you will find yourself in these pages.

My three favorite poems included: On Writing a Book, The Exact Second, and When my Days Come to an End. These poems brought thoughts of past moments in my life and that type of human connection/emotion is what should be brought out in the reader when reading and connecting with poetry when the writer does a phenomenal job.

In Real Life contains poetry to savor. Leticia Sala writes well and gives readers a craft to enjoy and appreciate.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC!

I've never read a book like this before. A bilingual novel-in-poetry. Every poem is written in english and spanish.

My spanish level is low, even though it's very similar to portuguese. It was easier for me to read in english, but some pages I read in spanish and it was a very interesting experience. I really liked this.

When I finished it, the only thing I could think of was... I wanna read it again! I just need to! I need to read this again when I'm madly in love. I need to read this again when my heart is completely broken. My friends need to read this. You there, reading this review... You should read this book!!!

I can't even save a few quotes I liked on goodreads, because honestly I would be quoting the whole book.

LOVE IT.

I love poems and I loved this book.

The different diagramming for pages, and the beautiful illustrations.

We have simple poems and also with deep tones, about life, fellings, thoughts, loves, relationships, some about our current 21st century with the use of the internet.

I highly recommend it, I didn't know the author, but I'll start to follow.

In Real Life by Leticia Sala talks about love, grief, loss, and second chances through the intricate words that flow onto the pages.

Throughout each page of these Spanish/English poems, we are given details of love becoming stronger and sometimes weakening and things that can be completely relatable. Mentions of long distance relationship, the internet, communication made these poetry works amazing to read.

It was fascinating to read and watch a long distance relationship unfold and go through the hardships but then come together so beautifully.

My only physical problem was that it didn’t reel me in as much as I hoped for. I wanted something to fully capture my attention but felt like I wasn’t getting that while reading this. While it was beautifully written, my attention wasn’t captured as much as I hoped for.

This is a great novel-in-poetry and I think people would like this.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC for an honest review.

i loved this book. it reminded me a lot of Rupi Kaur's poetry style. however, Leticia does have her own voice, her own style. I related to a lot of poems, the ones about the beginnings of love, of relationships, of trying to know someone else. i think the poems have something unique and interesting about love and heartache, about life, in a beautiful way. and i really loved the bilingual part, speaking spanish myself.

In Real Life by Leticia Sala is a bilingual poetic novel, featuring an online love story of a young Barcelona woman who finds her love online far away in New York City.

It expresses love from both the sides, it talks about how much more they want of eachother. It talks about love in modern times and loving in long distance. Even though it's a poem book, the story unfolds beautifully just like a novel.

She talks about love, acceptance, grief, commitment, self reflection and much more. I liked the poems of 'Reflection', 'Waves', and many more. They are common to us in today's world.

The poems are presented twice, once in Spanish and then in English. But while translating the poems, the author made sure they don't loose their meaning and purpose. The translated ones are also very emotional and relatable to the reader's today.
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Thank You to the Publisher and NetGalley for this e-copy in exchange of a honest review.

As someone who exclusively speaks/reads English, it was quite an interesting experience reading the parts of this poetry collection that are in Spanish. It did not at all take away from the enjoyment and overall experience of this novel. The part I could understand in English were moving, resonant, and settled into my bones. This is one of those poetry collections that feeds your soul without you knowing it, and I'm glad I had the pleasure of enjoying it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have a deep appreciation for Spanish poetry and I appreciated having the English translation as well. I find it interesting to compare the words and see how the translation can affect the meanings. I think this would be the perfect book for a coffee table. It is short, lovely, and reflective. I don’t think its one of those poetic works of arts that is life changing, its not supposed to be. The author wrote this as a love story to her husband and decide to share that story with the readers. That’s not to say that her words were not impactful or thought provoking. Her words led me to pause and reflect. I was thinking about the people her poems and the emotions depicted reminded me of. The memories I think back on. I found myself silent and deep in thought. I even verbally said “awww” a few times because of the sadness or sweetness in her words. I enjoyed reading the poetry and would definitely would recommend to those interested in contemporary Spanish poetry. I would even suggest this to those wanting to get stronger in the other language as a tool for learning either English or Spanish. Overall, they were lovely poems and I am thankful for the opportunity to read and review the ARC.

Some of my personal favorite poems were: Mi Nombre, Ok, Screenshots, Verter Aqua en Acuarelas, and Leap of Faith

Some of my favorite quotes:
“Porque el amor no tiene que irse si siempre estuvo ahÍ”
“Cuando me voy a quedar sin batería, solo te aviso a ti.”

This was a lovely yet heartbreaking poetry book. I like how the author used both Spanish and English pages. This was my first time reading poetry in both languages and about a long distance relationship. I liked how this was a story between two lovers. The author, Leticia Sala used poems that depict what long distance couples can go through in their relationships, breakups, struggles etc. While reading this book, it was as though I was reading the character’s thoughts through her own journal. I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a great poetry collection which traces the course of a modern relationship, its demise and the coming out of the other side. It is very real, raw and relatable. There were many times where the author really summed up how I had felt in a similar situation and it was very comforting.