Boyfriends, Burritos & an Ocean of Trouble (Real Life) [Paperback]

Nancy Rue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2010

Secrets? Bryn O'Connor is good at keeping secrets. But when a car accident reveals her boyfriend's abusive behavior, the truth is unleashed. And it starts a tidal wave of trouble in Bryn's life: enemies who were once friends, a restraining order violation, and her world unraveled. If that weren't enough, her grandmother Mim arrives, attempting Mexican cuisine and insisting that Bryn try surfing. It's all too much! Even Bryn's habit of daydreaming won't offer an escape this time. But could a mysterious book she found hold the secret to riding a tsunami like her life?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Romance goes terribly wrong in this second book in the author’s Real Life series. Bryn, 15, is assaulted by her gorgeous boyfriend, Preston, and she tries to hide her bruises and deny her shame until her father discovers the abuse and makes her press charges. The court hearings drag on, and Bryn just wants to make it all go away. Meanwhile, Preston threatens her, and his in-crowd friends call her a drama queen and send her ugly text messages. Bryn finds help from her hip grandmother, who teaches Bryn to surf wild waves, and also from Jesus, who speaks to her from a contemporary version of the Book of Luke. Will she ever trust a boy and fall in love again? Romance does return when Bryn gets close with Sean, a cool surfer who supports her. Rue folds in quite a lot for one YA novel, but the secrets will grab readers, and the dialogue is right on target. Grades 8-12. --Hazel Rochman

Review

Romance goes terribly wrong in this second book in the author's Real Life series. Bryn, 15, is assaulted by her gorgeous boyfriend, Preston, and she tries to hide her bruises and deny her shame until her father discovers the abuse and makes her press charges. The court hearings drag on, and Bryn just wants to make it all go away. Meanwhile, Preston threatens her, and his in-crowd friends call her a drama queen and send her ugly text messages. Bryn finds help from her hip grandmother, who teaches Bryn to surf wild waves, and also from Jesus, who speaks to her from a contemporary version of the Book of Luke. Will she ever trust a boy and fall in love again? Romance does return when Bryn gets close with Sean, a cool surfer who supports her. Rue folds in quite a lot for one YA novel, but the secrets will grab readers, and the dialogue is right on target. ----- Hazel Rochman -- Booklist <br><br> (Booklist )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (April 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310714850
• ISBN-13: 978-0310714859
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #968,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nancy Rue is the author of 110 books, including 9 novels for adults, 17 for teens, and 60 for tween readers, as well as 2 parenting books, 32 non-fiction books for tweens and teens, and the features for the FaithGirlz Bible. Her Lily Series, published by Zondervan, has sold well over one million copies. Her ability to relate to a wide audience has made her a popular radio and television guest and an in-demand speaker and teacher for writer's conferences across the country. She has been a regular keynoter for The Young Writer's Institute and Virtuous Reality Ministries, and now anchors Zondervan's Beauty of Believing Tour for FaithGirlz, which draws thousands of tween girls and their moms. Nancy is also the founder of the "Writing for Children and Youth Conference" in Glen Eyrie, Colorado. Her latest titles include The Reluctant Prophet for adult readers (David C. Cook) Limos, Lattes, and My Life On the Fringe (Zondervan) for teens, and That Is SO Me (Zondervan), a year-long devotional for tweens. A student of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, sponsored by the Upper Room, Nancy continues her own spiritual journey even as she writes and speaks for mothers, daughters, and would-be writers about theirs. For more information, visit her website at www.nancyrue.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent novel, highly recommended, July 6, 2010

By 

Debbie (Harrison, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Boyfriends, Burritos & an Ocean of Trouble (Real Life) (Paperback)

"Boyfriends, Burritos & An Ocean of Trouble" is a young adult novel with some romance that also deals with serious, real life teen issues. I loved it. I very highly recommend it to teen girls and adult women. This is the second book in the "Real Life" series, but you can read them in any order without missing information or spoiling the other books in the series.

The world-building was excellent in all areas and brought the story alive in my imagination. I liked the characters. They acted realistically and dealt with realistic, hard problems. I really cared about what happened to Bryn and the other main characters, so I had a hard time putting the novel down. The suspense/tension kept building throughout the story as the situation kept getting worse and worse. Despite the tough issues, the book was realistic but encouraging rather than depressing.

This was definitely a novel intended for Christians. Bryn found a strange, "RL" book with stories from the Bible about Jesus but they seemed written just for her and the situation she's going through. The Christian element was a main part of the story, but I didn't feel like the author was lecturing the reader or Bryn. It was just...comforting and challenging.

The minimal bad language was of the "he said a five letter word" type. There was no sex. Overall, I highly recommend this as a touching, well-written, clean novel.

I received this book from the publisher as a review copy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Life -- it can include some not-so-nice things too., June 7, 2010

By 

C. R. Gehringer "Book Mama" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boyfriends, Burritos & an Ocean of Trouble (Real Life) (Paperback)

The strange book mentioned in the title is the RL (Real Life) book that each girl reads while dealing with her real-life issues (as opposed to a fantasy adventure or historical fiction). This series provides a wholesome alternative to other series in popular literature, contemporary teen fiction.

In Boyfriends, Burritos& an Ocean of Trouble (Real Life), Bryn has been good at keeping secrets, even about her boyfriend's abusive behavior. When a car accident reveals the truth and unleashes trouble, her friends don't believe her, and her world unravels.

Her athlete boyfriend and friends blame her for the accident. When she decides to tell the truth and press charges, she is alienated by them. Her grandmother arrives to help her live through the process of going to court, and teaches her how to surf and make Mexican cuisine. She learns that telling the truth has a price as she faces name calling, threats, and more.

Like Jessie, she also finds a mysterious RL book that could hold the secret to riding out the tidal wave her life has become since the car accident. Through it, she learns about Yeshua, the main character, and the book seems to meet her where she is at, emotionally and spiritually.

This book can be easily read by students 5th grade and up. It's not a heavy book that promises false hope, but one that shows how a real girl faces her personal demons and tries to search for spiritual significance. In the next book Boyfriends, Burritos& an Ocean of Trouble (Real Life)), it is an abusive relationship and what happens when you stand up for the truth. In the first book, Motorcycles, Sushi& One Strange Book (Real Life), it is dealing with ADHD and a dysfunctional family.

5 stars for an excellent read -- can't wait to read the 3rd book, coming out in the fall! I'm passing my copy on to a middle school friend.

----Taken from review published in CHRISTIAN LIBRARY JOURNAL (April 2010).

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars :), January 27, 2011

By 

K Maltais - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boyfriends, Burritos and an Ocean of Trouble (Real Life) (Kindle Edition)

I only downloaded this book because it was free on the Kindle. I enjoyed the quick read but I was slightly thrown by the religious undertones that become blatant by the end of the story. I typically don't read books of this genera, but it caught my eye. If the other books in the series become free, I would definitely read them as well.