From the acclaimed author of Brooklyn, Burning comes Guy in Real Life, an achingly real and profoundly moving love story about two teens that National Book Award–finalist Sara Zarr has called "wholly original and instantly classic."

It is Labor Day weekend in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and boy and girl collide on a dark street at two thirty in the morning: Lesh, who wears black, listens to metal, and plays MMOs; Svetlana, who embroiders her skirts, listens to Björk and Berlioz, and dungeon masters her own RPG. They should pick themselves up, continue on their way, and never talk to each other again.

But they don't.

This is a story of the roles we all play—at school, at home, online, and with our friends—and the one person who might be able to show us who we are underneath it all.

What happens when the roles you play fall apart, and the one person you shouldn’t fall for is the only one who sees the real you?

• Opposites Attract Romance: Lesh is a metalhead who lives in his MMOs. Svetlana is a dungeon master who embroiders her own skirts. They were never supposed to even talk, let alone fall for each other.
• Gamer and Geek Romance: A funny and heartfelt story that dives deep into the worlds of MMORPGs and tabletop RPGs, and the teens who love them.
• Alternating Perspectives: Told from the dual perspectives of both Lesh and Svetlana, this YA novel captures two authentic teen voices as they navigate first love.
• Online Identity vs Real Life: A thoughtful exploration of the roles we play at school, with friends, and online—and what it means to find the one person who sees who you really are.