Review: In Real Life

Title: In Real Life: My Journey to a Pixelated World
Author: Joey Graceffa
Publisher: Atria/Keywords Press
Year published: 2015
How I got this book: Bought it at a Barnes & Nobles in New York
Why I read this book: I used to be a big fan of Joey, and honestly, I wasn't planning on picking up his book since I don't really watch his video anymore. But all of a sudden I see that the bookstore has an autographed copy, and being the fangirl I am, I obviously had to by it. 
My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
A confessional, uplifting memoir from the beloved YouTube personality.

It's not where you begin that matters.

It's where you end up.

Twenty-three year old Joey Graceffa has captured the hearts of millions of teens and young adults through his playful, sweet, and inspirational YouTube presence (not to mention his sparkling eyes and perfect hair.) Yet, Joey wasn't always comfortable in his skin, and in this candid memoir, he thoughtfully looks back on his journey from pain to pride, self-doubt to self-acceptance.

To his fans, Joey is that best friend who always captures the brighter side of life, but also isn't afraid to get real. In the pages of his first book, he opens up about his years of struggling with family hardships and troubles at school, with cruel bullying and the sting of rejection. He tells of first loves and losses, embarrassing moments and surprising discoveries, loneliness, laughter, and life-changing forks in the road, showing us the incalculable value of finally finding and following your true passions in this world. Funny, warm-hearted, and inspiring, Joey Graceffa's story is a welcome reminder that it's not where you being that matters, but where you end up.

My thoughts:
I am so glad I picked this up, because I thoroughly enjoyed this. We learn so much about Joey's past, and that it hasn't always been easy. For me, the best part came later in the book. I was a big fan in 2011/2012, and I pretty much watched all of his videos. And in this book we learn so much about those years as well, and what he was struggling with behind the scenes. My heart broke a little, but the ending was happy (so far, at least).

I don't really have much to say about this, except that I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Everyone that has watched or are watching Joey'd videos should read this, and they will most likely enjoy it. I could tell that it was Joey telling me all of this throughout the book, and even though he had help writing it, they really kept his spirit in the writing.