Get Real

Get Real #1

by Tellulah Darling

Magic and Mayhem in Manhattan

Francesca Bellafiore comes from a nice Jewish family -- one that happens to have magical powers. Underneath her good-girl exterior, though, she’s a wannabe badass with dreams of becoming a paranormal detective.

Party boy Rafael Muñoz does everything possible to publicly disappoint his high profile father. Privately, it's a different story. His carefully crafted bad boy reputation masks the fact he’s a master illusionist, forced into solo covert ops. The role is wearing thin and Rafael longs to be part of a team.

When Francesca and Rafael meet, it’s love at first sight… For about five minutes. Rafael is spectacularly attractive—and, Francesca discovers, fully aware of the fact. Rafael knows from experience that girls like Francesca are more trouble than they’re worth.

So it sucks big time when they’re caught in a web of magic, minions, secrets, and enough sexual tension to power NYC. Their only chance to save the city and survive is to team up, trust each other–and maybe even fall in love.

Provided they don't kill each other first.

Get Real is a romantic comedy, urban fantasy whirlwind with sass, sex, and swoon.

Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Humor, Contemporary

358 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2015

About the author

Tellulah Darling
noun
1) YA & New Adult romantic comedy author because her first kiss sucked and she's compensating.
2) Firm believer that some of the best stories happen when love meets comedy and awkwardness ensues.
3) Sassy minx.

Both a hopeless romantic and total cynic, Tellulah Darling is all about the happily-ever-after, with a huge dose of hilarity along the way. Her romcoms come in a variety of heat levels and flavors; straight up romantic comedy, shaken with Greek mythology or stirred with urban fantasy.

Sassy girls. Swoony boys. What could go wrong?

Reviews

[Elle aka Leftie aka Shoebelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC received from author via blog tour*

3.5 ★

Awww, so cute, and that was fun!

This is a first Tellulah read for me. Lucky for me, a friend here put this on my radar and piqued my curiosity. What a delightful read!

This is like Harry Potter meet X-Men mildly with an NA twist.

We have Francesca and Rafael (and their friends) who each have their own form of magic. In the meantime, there’s someone with her own form of magic which caused a disturbance in Francesca and Rafael’s world and led them to working together.

Tellulah (love that name, btw) definitely lives up to her promise of writing about sassy girls and swoony boys. Oh Rafa…

Francesca and Rafa have quite the chemistry. I totally enjoyed their sarcastic yet sweet and smart interaction. They acted their age without being patronizing or having contrived remarks. Their friends are just as fascinating.

The world that Tellulah started building here is quite interesting. For the most part, this is a fast-paced story with a lot of entertainment value if magic and fantasy is your sort of thing. The pace during the last 10% did feel a little off for me and I was worried that it will veer to cliché land but fortunately it didn’t; although it did feel a tad convenient.

In its entirety though, there’s humor, action, suspense, some feels, and yes, some swooning:D

[Sybil aka Lala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by Tellulah Darling and WOW, I was completely blown away.

“Words? Tricky bastards right now.”



Frankie and Rafa are both Cadabras, humans with magical abilities. Each with their own unique gift, they are forced through both this ability and tradition to follow a certain path, but each of them wish for a different choice.

Frankie is the good girl wanting to be a bad-ass and Rafa is the bad boy forced into solo missions while longing to be part of a team. The two couldn't be more different, or more similar. After an unexpected event they are forced to form a team and solve a mystery.

From the very first page you are thrown into this urban world where magic exists on the fringes. I absolutely fell in love with Darling’s rich and imaginative writing style as she crafted such a creative world.

“I preferred Marie Antoinette on acid.”



Her humour and use of language are great. I was treated to snarky and funny inner-monologues from both Frankie’s and Rafa’s POV and she created secondary characters that are sarcastic, witty and funny that I wanted to be friends with.

“ He’s a dickhead Eli, much like you.”
“ It’s true.” Eli hung his dark head in shame. “I am the head of a deek.”

Frankie as an h was not your typical good-girl. She was funny and fearless in the face of danger. She’s always been in a comfort zone, afraid to upset her close-knit family. She always did the safe thing and dated the safe boys.

“Pleasant. Great adjective for bathwater, depressing summation of our relationship.”

She’s attracted to the sexy bad-boy Rafa, but knows that he is so far out of her comfort zone that she couldn't dream of getting together with him. There’s no rationalising with hormones though.

“New levels of swoon achieved, aforementioned gods had screwed off to have a celebratory vino.”

Rafa knows he can never be with Frankie, their worlds are too different and their pre-chosen paths would never allow for them to be together. And yet…

“.. this was the girl whose candy apple scent made me forget the bad guys. And my own name.”



Rafa was insanely swoon-worthy. He was sexy and cocky and fought his attraction to Frankie with everything he had, yet the beautiful things that had my toes curling.

“Sunshine is boring. Everything is all out there. No Mystery… You’re moonlight. Shadows and silvery radiance.”

I sent up a prayer to be good if God would reward me with those lips



Together, their chemistry was on fire and the sexy times were incredibly steamy.


As a whole this book was perfectly paced with the golden balance between humour, angst, action and passion.

I don’t like to compare authors, but if you enjoy the kind of heroines, snark, humour and geekiness of Penny Reid and Meghan Quinn you will absolutely LOVE this book.

(ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. )

[Deniz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eeeeeep!
Swoony? Yep
Cute? Uh-huh
Fun? Oh yes!
Cheeky? It's Darling...
Must read? Defo!


A cute & fluffy must read!!


Review:

Straight up: the book delivers exactly what it promised.
It's got loads of action, sassy characters and swoony romance. And if you loved Darlings previous books, you going to adore this one.

My first coherent thought when I finished: I want more...My second: I think this is Darling's best novel to date. ( I did totally fangirl all over my Goodreads review before I actually could have a coherent thought)

The story-line is super fast- in the best sort of way, Darling throws you into the deep end right from the start. And there is action non-stop. In fact I read this more or less in one reading. It's the kind of novel you don't wanna put down, because something important is always happening.

The romance is sweet and swoony. There is a huge amount of fun banter going around. I definitely could tell this is a Darling book when it comes to those two aspects but I also could tell by the group of friends. Essentially Darling thrives at the cute, sassy and funny thing but also she builds great groups of friends- diverse groups, I could see parallels between this group and the group in the previous books. Not that I mind at all. Mainly because Darling did a good job at character building. Each character is unique and relatable. She really does a good job at bringing in their different backgrounds, their fears and strength. Even though at times they do feel a bit politically correct and a tad cliche. At least I felt like this at the beginning of the book. At the end of it though? I still do think that, but I don't care. Because I grew to love this group of misfits and I seriously do hope there will be loads of more books about them, each one of them.

The writing style is classic Darling: fun, sassy with a seriously good dose of humor. I love her writing style and I honestly can say she is one of my favorite authors in this genre. Very few manage to keep the balance between action, humor and romance- she does. Her books are entertaining and fun, but also they are well written.
While I would say that Darling's strength lies in her humor and her character building....
In Get Real my favorite part was the world building.

Honestly it's fabulous! I totally love the idea. And it's incredibly well done. I love the traveling aspects. And most importantly for me, Darling gets the different locations beyond right. Because New York in get real is still my New York and so is Rome... and all other locations. Which is actually due to Darling's amazing writing, her descriptions of the locations is great, but she conveys the feel of the venues so incredibly brilliant, that I felt like I was there again. I should mention that I've been in most places Darling does describe... So it's not just me imagining how a place should be, but I actually experienced it. And again she just got it right.

So if you looking for a cute & fluffy adventure, that's well written - this is YOUR book.

[Amber .:★Wild Heart Reviews★:. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get Real is the first book I’ve ever read by Tellulah Darling. It also happens to be the first book in the Get Real series. It is told in alternating first person POV’s between the main characters with the exception of one chapter. It does have an HEA, but be warned, it doesn’t exactly have a conclusion, and HEA for the couple yes, but an over arcing conclusion? No.

I’m a bit on the fence with this book, and in fact, it took me a good week to decide on a rating for it. The book is marked as new adult, and it definitely has new adult qualities to it, however there were times that I felt like I was reading a YA novel. There were times in my head that I saw the characters as YA characters more so than NA ones. It can be extremely confusing to the brain when that happens. Aside from that, this book was awesome.

One of the biggest differences for me with Get Real is the vast amount of languages that are used in this book! Because the characters come from all over the world, and zipping around it merely involves hailing a cab (they have a word for it and it’s escaping me), you basically have a melting pot of nationalities. The other difference I found was that the world is completely story rich! Because these characters are magic users, some of the terminology at first was hard to wrap my head around, and then it clicked. After which it completely hooked me in. You can tell the author put a lot of thought into this book, especially when you get the different types of magics explained to you, and the differences in the users of said magic. It’s in-depth.

Moving along to our main characters! Rafe and Frankie. Yes, she goes by Frankie. These characters were fun, cute, engaging, and comical. They have one of those relationships where they like each other, but they hate each other, but yet, they like each other. They fight, they argue, there is drama… they don’t exactly get how to communicate at times either. Misunderstandings abound between them. The chemistry and spark is there, and yet they fight it. All in all, they make for a fun book and that’s before I even go into their group of friends. That is another favorite thing of mine with this book. The cast of co-stars are amazeballs. I want to read their books.

So, all in all, it’s a four star book for me. The synopsis covers the plot extremely well. I also want to mention the book cover! That is what grabbed my attention first off. It’s cute. Anyway! I would recommend it but also tell you to stick with it because yes, all the different terminology and what not can be confusing at first. The plot itself is worth hanging around for though!

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this thanks to Netgalley...and this only influences my opinion regarding Netgalley being awesome and not with regards to the book itself. ;)

Going to have to go with a reluctant 2.5 on this one.

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. So much more. The blurb is great, the author a plus, and the cover is cute, fun, and sexy.

But then there was just so much trying to fit into the pages of the book that it eclipsed the story. What do I mean by "too much"?

- Multiple languages in one sentence, let alone conversation. Her mothers both speak different languages in addition to English, she speaks all of those, Rafa speaks at least two and only English matches up to hers. Add in all the other characters and it was confusing to say the least. I love seeing languages woven together, and picking up on new vocabulary in ones I have minimal familiarity with. Most of these though had no contextual definitions where you would know what had been said through a reply or the remainder of the statement.

- Multiple PoVs and shifts that took me a second to get acquainted with where the action was now, who this new person was, and what was happening. (Potentially also setting my brain to pick up on what languages are being spoken.)

It's already a slightly complex world that Tellulah Darling has created, and I am interested in learning about it and experiencing it, but I was sort of left floundering without a guide in the form of one of the narrators.

That said, this wasn't for me, but it absolutely might be for you. Don't judge it solely by the cover and blurb though or you'll end up a bit misled. It's definitely a rich world surrounding the Cadabras (humans with magic of a handful of classifications). Like if there were only 5 types of X-men mutants and they were very well organized.

[Colette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have love all of Darling's other books, but this NA transition didn't work for me. The storyline never engaged me, and I had trouble grasping the new world and its concepts as written in the novel. Overall 2/5 stars; I would recommend Darling's Goddess series, but this book just didn't meet the high standard I set for her.

[Stacee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tellulah always writes the best swoony boys and snarky girls, so I was pretty excited to get my greedy hands on this book.

I loved the dynamic between Francesca and Rafael. Their banter and arguments made for an excellent build up and some serious UST. The dual POV is fantastic as well.

My only real complaint would be the use of another language without context. I mean, sure, I could mostly gauge the tone of what was said, but there were a few sentences that I had no idea what it meant. For me, it disrupted the rhythm of the story a bit.

The world building was interesting, I liked how the magic worked, and I loved how it ended. I am quite eager to see how the rest of the series develops.

**Huge thanks to Te Da Media and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**

[Christine Alibutud]

Note: An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest book review.

[Review as of 24 September 2015]

Pausing this read due to certain reasons.

[Nicole M. Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction

Get Real is a New Adult paranormal romantic comedy with a fun and sassy cast of characters. The book takes place in an alternate version of the world where a small subset of the population has powers. There are four different types of "Cadabras" (people with powers) - Bruisers, who either have super strength or super speed, Bios, who can manipulate organic materials, Moody's, who can read or manipulate people's feelings, and Gizmos, who can manipulate technology and the like. Francesca is a Bio and has spent her whole life training to be a Healer, like her mom - but what she really wants is to become a sort of Cad detective. She can't bring herself to tell her moms that, though. But when she and Rafa, who has his own parental issues, find themselves under magical attack, they end up investigating and Rafa might get her chance to solve magical crimes after all.

What I LOVED:

Francesca.
I loved Francesca's brand of snarky humor and smarts. She was the type of character that I easily was able to like because she was believable and real. And while she had a whole slew of positive qualities, she wasn't without a flaw or two (her biggest being her inability to speak up for herself to her moms - she truly was a good girl with a snarky undertone, which I kind of loved).

Cultural diversity.
The characters in this book were very diverse. Just with the two main characters, you had three different languages thrown in - Francesca was Italian and Rafa was Venezuelan. I liked seeing bits of those cultures and languages thrown in throughout the book. In the author's notes at the end, I found out that Darling has family members from both of these cultures and she pooled from her experiences with them and used their expertise to help write the book - it showed because it all felt very authentic!

The magical system.
I loved Darling's brand of magic - similar to superpowers but with enough differences to make it unique. I was especially intrigued by how the Cads used magic with their technology. The powers were interesting because, although there were only four major types, they could manifest themselves in different ways, giving the Cads very different ways that they could use them. And I'm eager to find out more about Minna's unique brand of magic in future books - I can't give away too much about what makes it unique without spoiling things, but I'll just say that I'm very intrigued!

The negatives:

Slightly confusing in some small parts.
While I loved the magical system in this book, there were times that it was just a little bit confusing - trying to figure out who could do what and why and why Minna's magic was so different. Also, the characters traveled a lot (and very quickly, due to the magic involved) and I sometimes had trouble keeping track of where they were. I wish there had been a little bit more definition to the settings, especially the foreign ones. There were three narrators to the book (Francesca, Rafa and Minna) - I didn't have trouble keeping track of who was who or anything, but people who aren't fans of multiple narrators might find this to be a negative. Really, though, the moments of confusion or keeping track of these things was minimal - I mostly just really enjoyed this book!

This is the second series I've read by Darling (LOVED her first one) and this one does not disappoint - I'm eager to see what Darling has in store in future books! Oh, and while this is a series, there's no cliffhanger - it could almost be a standalone except for the overall story arc that Darling has created - I thought that she did this perfectly - gave us resolution but a definite direction for future books. I give this installment 4/5 stars.

***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by NetGalley and the author in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

[Robin · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, I won this book via BookLikes. It took me so long to read due to school/college obligations so, I apologize for that. I wanted to get this up SO much sooner than I did.

Get Real 's world is both magical and un-magical. Unlike Harry Potter, where the worlds are mostly separate, here everyone knows about each other(that doesn't mean they like each other though). The story focuses on Francesca (a girl who wants to be a boiler/cop but her family wants her go into the family business of healing), Rafael (a guy who really great abilities but his father makes him keep them hidden for the sake of missions; he also has a bad reputation), and Minna (a little girl who has very special abilities that no know really can quite figure and who has anti-magical parents). The romance is between Francesca and Rafael (sometimes called Rafa).

While I did enjoy the plot and thought it was interesting, the characters as well as the romance gave me a lot of problems. Like, Rafa was the typical "bad boy"/bad personality/a****** character. And for me, I couldn't really make him seem redeemable. In fact, I kind of sort of questioned why Francesca would want to be with him and vice versa even. There's a point where Rafa and Francesca do sexual stuff and the next morning Rafael goes through all of this lamenting that she's in love with him and how it shouldn't be serious and they can't be together. You get the gist. With this scene, or rather the scene before it, I do like how the author didn't have them have PIV sex because they didn't have any type of condoms or protection. Granted there was still unprotected oral sex and hand stuff but I'm still glad they had that convo and stopped rather than soldiering on. He also did a lot of other stuff that annoyed me. For example, going to her mother without her permission and demand that she lets Francesca do what she wants to do (even going so far as threatening to go to his dad--her mom's "boss"--to do it). Like, it's just....ugh.

Now, with Francesca, something about her just rubbed me the wrong way. I can't really call it honestly. But something was nagging me about her. There were two things that kind of happened that I didn't like either. One, after Rafa goes to her mother to say all of this stuff about boiler school and whatnot, Francesca says that he's not telling the truth and that she does want to go into the family business. My problem arose with this was because Francesca takes it further by saying that Rafa tried to get with her and she said no and is now punishing her for this. You should see why I have a problem with this. It was never corrected or righted. Francesca never told Rafa that she apologized for this. Granted, he didn't know. So, maybe it gets resolved later. She never even goes to her parents to say that she didn't tell the truth. They just do the "We see how you look at each other. Forgive him but fight for it" or something similar it seems to me. Which I really, really hate.

And lastly, with their resolution and them getting together, I don't feel right saying too much, just because of how I felt about them and being together in the first place. So, it did come off as rush but I know that's due to how I felt.

The other problems: one of their friends makes a highly transphobic joke. I can't remember the details but I do know it involved "being surprised" and how the friend had a "funny story" that he'd tell later.

There was also the sexism and other things like (see: "boys like"/"boys like him like or want", etc., etc.). And then the other little bits and pieces of sexism.

If you enjoy that typical type of romance hero and heroine, I think you'd like this. But this didn't sit well with me. I've never really liked the "a**hole romances", and I liked them even less the more and more problems that I started to realize where there.

1.5 stars of 5

[Eileen (BookCatPin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

What to say about Get Real. I struggled to love the book but I did enjoy it overall. It was an amusing story with a complete cast of quirky and charming characters.

The summary sums up the story perfectly so I won't reiterate it. The concept of having two different types of people: Cadabras (humans with powers) and Sapiens (normal humans), was fun. Within the Cads people were categorized according to their power. Each is unique and interesting though admittedly I was confused by some. It didn't help that I felt the writing style was choppy. I had to reread a few parts to wrap my head around what was happening. It made me feel distant from the story but these Cads sure have some fancy abilities.

I really enjoyed Francesca's personality. She was sassy and unapologetic. "I visualized every single one of the myriad of butterflies flitting giddily inside me. Then murdered them. One by one. Snapped their heads. Crushed their wings. Stomped on them. It was sparkly insecticide and I was the serial killer on the rampage." (eARC, Loc 3885). I just about laughed my head off when I read that! A bit violent but so expressive. I'm just a little let down she couldn't be so honest with her moms. It took her long enough!

There was insta-lust between Rafael and Francesca although I didn't particularly mind since they were both rational about it. They end up spending quite a bit of time together and it was nice to see their attraction build from there. Their undeniable chemistry was only hindered by their stubbornness and Rafael's pigheadedness but their ABC game helped clear that up. I is for... L is for... ;)

The most enjoyable part about Get Real is the secondary characters. Byron, Eli, Devi, Jones, Shaw and Arkady all played their own little role in the story. They're supportive when needed, snarky when the occasion calls for it and hilarious when the mood is right. I'm looking forward to the shifting of feelings between them. I can see at least two future relationships forming.

Despite not loving Get Real, I'm excited for what else Tellulah Darling will be bringing to the table. The story's far from over and more adventures in this paranormal world with all these cheeky characters is a yes from me!

[Preet · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost I'd like to say how much I love the cover. That being said, it's deceptive because while it totally conveys Francesca and Rafael's chemistry, it doesn't come close to encompassing the rest of the story. Another truth I'd like to share is that I'd forgotten this book had a paranormal/fantasy twist to it, so when it first made an appearance I was like, "Wha..? Oh, okay." Frankly speaking the magical element was a great way to tie everyone together and make the story work.

I liked Francesca, also known as Frankie. She's a good girl, but she's got dreams. She's intelligent and smart. She's also not one to give up when things get tough. I liked how she was with her friends. I didn't like how afraid she was of her parents, but I understood how much she valued their opinions of her. I really liked how she used her powers for good, and sometimes bad. She might have this quiet outer presence at time, but she was bold and brave when it counted.

Rafael, or Rafa as he was fondly known by his friends, was a lot like Frankie. Rafa too felt familiar pressure. He wanted to be free to make his own decisions and he had a contentious relationship with his father who held a position of power in their world. I liked how Rafa was with his mother and brother. I also liked how he was with his friends and even with Frankie. I enjoyed seeing him spark with Frankie as they tried to figure out what was going on in their world. While it wasn't pleasurable for Frankie, I enjoyed seeing Rafael experience growing pains. He went from being an somewhat emotionally isolated to a more mature man.

I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story. I found it interesting that I both empathized with the culprit while also being afraid of them. While most of the details of the mystery were slowly revealed in the book, there's more to come and while I hope to see more of Frankie and Rafa in the future, I also can't wait to read about their friends and another unlikely pairing as they try to bring the conflict to a desirable resolution. Tellulah Darling really brought all of the aspects of this book together well. If you love to laugh, swoon, and enjoy a great story with action, suspense, mystery, and a dash of magic this book is perfect for you.

[Gokce G · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the risk of sounding shallow-but really, what are covers, if not reader magnets?- I solemnly swear that I picked up this book based first and foremost on its awesome cover. Just looking at it made me quite the happy gal. That coloring, that pose with the cover models, that potential bad girl making an appearance from behind the good girl façade of the heroine, and the ever so trouble bad boy of course. All was in that gorgeous cover and after skimming through the plot, I was a goner.

I gotta say I’m still a baby when it comes to New Adult. I can be confused with the classification, but what the book wanted to tell was loud and clear. Although I can’t say that I’m a big fan of the genre, I truly believe that I can enjoy a good book no matter what it’s about. And did I find this world of humans with magical abilities interesting? Oh yeah.

Told from both the point of view of Francesca and Rafael, the story was easy to follow. With no big angst filled dramas that always scare me, Francesca and Rafael presented many challenges as they were. I can’t emphasize enough how much enjoyed such variety of people in one story, with both the hero and the heroine, and their families and friends, there was always so much going on and so many issues and challenges thrown in at once. It was definitely fun to read. I was on the verge of getting lost a few times with the speed of conversation of all 18 year olds, but hey, I got some young chica in me that quickly got the gist. Needless to say, after I got on board with them, I had a good time in their company. Francesca and Rafael’s gangs were fun, and on their way to be united in more ways than one I think, which is something I’m looking forward to in the upcoming books.

A great, fast paced start to a new magical world, I recommend this book to those who like the genre, and to ones who wouldn’t mind giving it a try. I sure didn’t regret it. Plus, look at the cover! You gotta admit, that gets extra points in awesomeness.

Let me sign up for the next book! I hear there’s still time. Now, how to kill it, hmm? Magic brownies and crazy tea parties anyone?

[Silvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Francesca Bellafiore, she is extremely attractive young girl. She has two mothers and ability to healing people. Yes, she has powers, as other people who she knows including her mothers. She went to special school for kids with abilities as no other, ordinary people. Rafael has ability too, he is an illusionist. They are different as fire and water, but when they meet each other that will be different kind of disaster. She want to be herself and helping people , but without exposing so much and she doesn’t like to be in the center of the attention, but he is bad boy, very hot but bad. Hiding behind the mask of bad ass, he just wants to angry her father.

There are pretty interesting things that was new for me like Gizmo magic, transmutation and that kind of things, so I was googling little bit to find what those things are. It was interesting and I have fun. I’m not used to read fantasy books, so I needed few days to reread so pages just to figure out what is going on. I know you will think: Common who doesn’t love fantasy books? There are so many blogs who review just fantasy books. I know and I love this book and most important thing is that this book brings my fantasy back, which I lost till this years.

The plot is interesting and keeps me reading. The characters are so vivid and dramatic, so who doesn’t like that kind of characters. Francesca with her straight and ability is real goddess. She doesn’t love to be in the center of attention, but she is like magnet of attention and when she meets Rafael that is explosion. It’s hard not to have fun reading about them; they are like hot and cold together. The sparkles spark around them, even when they hate each other. I like the chemistry when they are together.

I recommend this book for fantasy fans and for people who love YA.

This copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure, there’s a lot going on in this book. Covert ops, a wanna be paranormal detective. Supernatural shenanigans. But that’s only part of it.

I’m huge on character driven stories and Get Real has some fun ones.

I fell for Francesca immediately. She’s snarky, sexy, and so ready to become a paranormal detective and kick some supernatural butt.

Enter bad boy Rafael. Ooh, he’s swoon worthy to look at, has the under the lashes come hither look down pat, and a mouth begging to be kissed.

When Francesca and Rafa catch each others eye at a party, the heat goes up in the room. When they end up together in the bathroom, their kiss is steamy.

If you’re thinking, oh no, another love at first story, you’d be right, for a few minutes. Then Rafa drops an ice cube on the passion and walks away, leaving Francesca gasping for air. You can bet she’s not happy. She knew better than to go with a bad guy like Rafa. See if he ever kisses her again.

There are some other fun characters, but these two really had me going. The snarky dialogue, their inner thoughts, all of it cracked me up.

What happens next, you ask? You guessed it. Francesca and Rafa wind up having to work together as the world around them starts going wiggy. And that’s just as fun. The two of them are as busy trying to ignore their attraction for each other, as they are for trying to stay alive.

Nothing but fun here. Looking for a little mystery and danger, some witty dialogue, and steamy romance? You should read this book. I promise you’ll laugh.

I received this book for my honest review.

[Debbie Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book to read for an honest review.

I really love Francesca and Rafael. I love their magic....this is a wonderful story. At the beginning I had difficulty following all the characters, I plan on re-reading the book to help me clear up my own mind. This is truly a wonderful story, with a great finish.

This is such a great use of imagination and hope that maybe we really could be a healer and change form and space. I look forward to reading again and then reading the next books as they develop.

[Hira · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Be ready for a long negative review featuring Infinite reaction GIFs*

Let me just start by saying I love Tellulah Darling! I have read all her books and I have loved all of them! In fact The Blooming Goddess trilogy is one of my all-time favorite book series ever and I'm even planning on rereading it after I finish rereading The Mediator series. I love Tellulah Darling's witty writing and amazing characters! And she herself is such a nice person! So when I got Get Real from NetGalley I was ecstatic! I mean Tellulah Darling is one of my favorite authors! I would buy her books without reading the synopsis. So I was expecting another amazing book that would blow my mind. Sadly, I was highly disappointed with this one. It's not just that I had my expectations up high. This book just didn't seem like it was written by her. No honestly, I had to check a couple of times while reading to see if this was actually by Tellulah Darling or I had misread the name. Now this does not mean I don't like her books anymore or that I would stop reading them. I still trust her and I'm pretty sure she'll soon come up with something I will love. But unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. And now I'll tell you why.



Story: Oh wow, I finished the book a couple of hours ago and I can tell you I have no idea what just happened. I don't understand the world of Cadabras at all. I didn't get the "powers" and the whole Minna business just whooshed over my head. I seriously had no idea what was going on most of the time and I had to reread pages to kinda get a clue of what was happening. I don't know if it was my fault or that the world building wasn't that good. I mean, I seriously did not understand what happened in more than half of the book. If you ask me to give you a summary, I wouldn't be able to tell you what went down. It was all so weird and confusing that most of the time I had this expression on my face:



Writing: Again, the writing was so weird. I didn't understand most of the phrases and dialogues. Now I admit that English isn't my first language but I can assure you I understand it better than my first language. But I didn't understand much of it in this book. At first I really tried to get the meaning, I reread and tried to figure out what was being said. But I got tired of it and then if I didn't understand something, I let it be. Which I guess caused most of the book to be incomprehensible to me.



Also, there wasn't a lot of difference between Francesca's and Rafael's chapters. I sometimes forgot who's chapter I was reading and who's voice I should have in my mind. As I said before, the world building wasn't good and I had a hard time picturing anything in my mind.

Characters: None of the characters was at all memorable or likable. Most of them were annoying or boring. I really did not like Francesca at all! She was whiny and mean and irritating. She made me so angry! I was okay with her at first. I mean people change over the course of a book. And she did in some ways. But none of them were good! She just became ever more irritating! To the point where I just wanted her to leave. She frustrated me so much!



Rafael wasn't any better either. He was tolerable but annoying and even though I tried liking him, I just couldn't. I do prefer him to Francesca. At least he wasn't as stupid as her. But he wasn't at all memorable. Just like the rest of the characters in the book. I still don't understand Minna at all except that she made me go



many times. I don't really remember the rest of the characters much so I can't say anything about them.

Romance: Romance was the only thing about the plot I understood. Do I ship them together?



They were not good for each other. Not only did Rafael deserve better, I just didn't feel any chemistry between them. There was no build up, no get-to-knows, no friendship. Just a lot of sexual tension, And that never works for me. Both of them were just very frustrating and annoying.



Overall: I'll say it again, I love Tellulah Darling. I'm not saying this because I feel bad for writing this review (which I kinda do) but because I don't want to keep you from her other amazing books because of this review. Seriously, go check them out! And if Get Real interests you, then check this out too. Maybe you'd like it better than I did. But I personally wouldn't recommend this book. It just wasn't for me.

[ELWA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also available at Daydreamer Review

It's more of a 3.5, but let's round it to 4.

Well, I was given this book to read for an honest review. The synopsis of this story is very promising. At first I thought it was just a NA book, turns out it has some magic sparks too. And I am a big fan of her previous series. Moreover, there's a sexy guy called Rafael in this book.

Cue girly screams.



Get Real is a sassy New Adult book about this world whereas there are peeps called Cadabras (Cads for short) who are able to use magic. These Cads are divided into many types: Bruiser (fast or strong), Healer, Moody, Gizmo (something to do with manipulating stuffs..), and I think that's it.

That's one of the problems, which turned me from almost giving 5 stars at the first few pages to giving 3.5 stars.

The world Darling created is hard to understand. Not to mention it's from first person POV (we'll get on that one soon). I still can't differentiated what's this guy's specialty, or this girl. The mechanism of this world is pretty complicated. Here's some stuffs I picked on:

- They (Cads) have this taxi thing called Vite, it can go from one country to another. Which questioned me, who drive that thing and is he some kind of magic man too?
- When they turned 18, they'll be inducted. I think it's something like they'll be announced an adult so they can do whatever the hell they want? They're going to walk into a labyrinth and get a power from what-source-it-is?
- There are some organization (?) in abbreviation: MAGE, SPARE, what else? I can't tell the difference, to be honest.

The book could've turned very brilliant if the description is more easy to read, I think. Or maybe it's just me to make my brain work to comprehend the descriptions.

When you read the synopsis it says that the characters have enough sexual tension to power NYC.

It's true. It's literally like that.

Rather than the actual plot, I feel like the focus is on Francesca and Rafael's hormones. I can't explain it clearly because they're like a lover quarelling every damn second then make out the next.

I like the multiple POVs, so when I get enough of Francesca, it's a relief that the next page is Rafael's or Minna's. The multiple POVs is executed well. I don't get confused over the transition.

Characters, this gonna be interesting. I won't tell every characters, but the remarkable ones.

1. Rafael
Epitome of sexy, smart, and dangerous. He's my favorite character of the book because, well, he's reasonable, smart, normal, handsome, and not annoying. I don't have much to say about him. What he feels in the book is a common feeling anyone could relate, I think. The only minus is he doesn't do dating, but of course for the sake of happily ever after, he eventually does.

2. Francesca
I wouldn't say I don't like her, but she's not my fav person. She's like someone who craves for love, for affection. So when she meets the ball of affection aka Rafa, she's throwing herself at him, as much as she restrains herself from doing so. She's baddass, not a bad thing.

3. Minna
I hate this chick.

SHE'S SO ANNOYING. I get that she's scared blah, blah, blah but I just hate her. I don't think I'm supposed to hate her, but I do.

She's very powerful, but Darling doesn't make a line of her limit. I don't know how powerful she is.

4. Javier, aka Rafa's Dad
A big douche.

I'm hoping to see an even better sequel :)

[Ruthsic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Francesca Bellafiore is a good Jewish girl, living up to family expectations that she use her magic to heal others. Underneath, she’s a wannabe badass with her heart set on becoming a detective and solving magical crimes. But nice girls don't disappoint their moms. Party boy Rafael Muñoz does everything possible to publicly disappoint his high profile father. Privately, it's a different story. His carefully crafted bad boy reputation masks the fact he’s a master illusionist, forced into solo covert ops. The role is wearing thin and Rafael longs to be part of a team.

When Francesca meets Rafael at a friend's party, she's taken by the sexy stranger. Until he speaks. Beautiful plumage doesn't compensate for spectacular ego. Rafael finds Francesca's sweetness a turn-on. For about five minutes. Judgmental golden girls are more trouble than they're worth. Then a terrified girl with reality warping powers, locked and loaded on their destruction, whisks the pair to Manhattan. Francesca and Rafael are caught in a web of magic, minions, secrets, and enough sexual tension to power NYC. Desperate to prove themselves, their only chance to save the city and survive is to team up, trust each other–and maybe even fall in love. Provided they don't kill each other first.

I have read Tellulah Darling's Blooming Goddess series before, and it had a pretty good romance, so I was interested in how the author would fare in the new adult genre. Granted, I haven't read many in NA but that's more due to the plots not appealing to me. Get Real sets a brilliant world in which magic is a part of life; there are humans who have magic, called Sapiens and those who do, called Cadabras. Not the most intelligent naming, if you ask me, including that of the magical types and MAGE. So, the story revolves around these two freshly graduated teens who by some chance, get involved in an unknown girl's magic. Instead of going back to the MAGE and letting the pros handle it, they are determined to prove themselves to their respective families and so they set out as mystery solvers.

Now while they are on the run, being hunted down by this powerful girl, they have time to initiate a romance (of course) and much of it is hot glances and vague attempts at flirting, and some getting each other off. The attraction between them seemed forced at times, and the rest of it was mostly him being a douche and trying to create superficial obstacles. Was I really supposed to root for them? The secondary characters were more interesting than their romance! As for them, they are really a great group of friends - the perfect gang to hang out with, having each others' backs and being perceptive of others' feelings. The antagonist(?) of the story, Minna had a few chapters devoted to her, but it gave no indication as to why she was trying to freaking kill them. Deter them - I understand, but she sent katana-wielding minions after them, man! And nobody has a problem with that, even until the end! Also, the added Spanish and Italian words just caused redundancy when followed with the English words. Speaking of unnecessary, the details were focused in wrong places, like clothes (every outfit described!) and backstories, which don't fit with a first-person POV.

In summary, good world-building (definitely has potential) and general plot, but suffers from bad writing and not clear delineation of obstacles.

Received a free galley from Te Da Media via Netgalley; this does not influence my opinions or review.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**


I love Tellulah Darling so much. I am such a big fan of her mythology series, the Blooming Goddess series. But sometimes you never know what to expect when you read something totally different from an author. Get Real is a new adult urban fantasy romance and I am here to say...it was SO. FREAKIN'. GOOD!! This is on my list of top 2015 reads. Get Real is one of those books that made me totally unsociable and rude. I flat out ignored people to keep reading. If you like your paranormals or urban fantasy with a heavy side of romance, Get Real is the perfect book for you.

Get Real puts us in the international world of cads, or people with magical abilities. These abilities generally fall into one of 5 (or 6) categories, with people in each category have particular sub-strengths and gifts. These gifts point them in the direction that their schooling will take place. Get Real is the story of Francesca, a fiery Italian "good girl" that comes from a very prestigious healer family. Only problem is, Frankie doesn't want to be a healer. She wants to use her ability to manipulate bio matter to become a boiler, a law enforcement field agent. The other side of the equation is Rafael, who has a really cool power (nope not telling) and he just wants to make it on his own, and not his father's name. Frankie and Rafael have a fiery bantering relationship, which I could just not get enough of. I loved that their romance was front and center throughout Get Real, but at the same time it didn't compete with the awesome action story that was taking place.

See, Rafael and Frankie get sucked from Europe to New York by some unknown force, right before their induction into adult training. Which leads them into the bulk of the action of the story. I love how fast paced and intense their fight was to figure out what was going on with Minna, the mysterious girl they think is behind it all. Minna reminded me of Jason of the X-men. That should give you some idea of how crazy the book could turn at any moment.

I love the powers aspect of Get Real, but the real star of this book was the clash of personalities between Rafael and Frankie. And their romance of course. I know this may seem kind of strange, but I also really liked that she was Italian and he was Spanish. Normally you only see one accent in a couple, but here we had two! And each one of them thought the other's accent was cute. It was all totally adorable to me. I cannot say enough good things about Get Real. It has one of the best romances I have seen in a new adult paranormal or fantasy. The storyline is utterly engaging and the writing is perfect. Everyone needs to read this book. Tellulah Darling is a fantastic writer. One of the best books I have read this year.


This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

[Erin Arkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get Real by Tellulah Darling is the first in a series and combines a bit of the paranormal with the sassy girls and swoony boys she is known for. As you may (or may not) know I have loved Darling’s other books so it was a no brainer for me to dive right into this book.

First things first…I love this cover. With that said, I’m not entirely sure it links me back to the story I read. With that in mind, definitely read the blurb because the story is set in a world where humans have magical powers and the main character, Francesca, has some big shoes to fill because of one of her mother’s reputation in the world of healers.

The twist here – Francesca doesn’t want to be a healer…she wants to be a detective. When the opportunity comes to show that she really can be what she wants, Francesca jumps at it and ends up working side by side with Rafael.

Rafael is the party boy…or so he would like everyone to think. He has been put into some solo ops by his father and he has to keep it a secret because of a number of reasons but his reputation creates a bit of a challenge for him. When he meets Francesca at a party, he is definitely drawn to her but quickly realizes they are very different.

As the two are thrown together and are the only ones who can try to figure out why their world is completely out of whack, they start to realize that just saying they aren’t interested in the other won’t stop their attraction to the other. I loved the tension that existed between Francesca and Rafael and Darling did a great job of showing their relationship change over the course of the book.

As far as character development goes, Darling does a wonderful job here. I loved the underlying challenges that Darling integrated into this story so it was not only focused on the mystery of what was really going on with the mystery girl but also about these two people who needed to figure things out for themselves. From Francesca’s desire to be something other than a healer and have the courage to tell her parents to Rafael’s desire to get out from under his father’s thumb and become more than just a tool for him to use when he wants.

The secondary characters were great as well. The group of friends these two characters made things interesting and I thought they all added a layer to this story that allowed me to get to know the main characters better. I’m looking forward to learning more about them all.

As per usual, Tellulah Darling wrote a story that pulled me in right from the first page and made it so that I didn’t want to put it down until I knew how things were going to end up for everyone. Not only does she build a great, character driven story but the addition of the magic and how it ties everyone together only adds to the story. If you are looking for a fast paced story with interesting characters, a bit of magic, and a bit of romance…definitely consider checking this book out. I can’t wait to see where Darling takes these characters and I am curious to know more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been patiently waiting for Ms. Darling to release what she’s been working on. Because, you know, no biggie, but her books make me squeal while laughing, getting pissed off and swooning to no end.

And then came Get Real.

And I’m writing this review with a smiling face remembering all I’ve read.

Alternating point of views style normally confuses me. But when the story is told from two extremely different characters, the two voices are very distinct.

The story is set to most people in the real world. But Darling can’t go one day without throwing in magic, mythology and fantastical mind-fuckery. So she introduces us to the world on magic. Cadabras and Sapiens. Guess which is which.

Rafael and Francesca are, for lack of a better word, misunderstood. Not in the sense where their lives get derailed and straight to oblivion. Not in the sense where their early adulthood is scarring and miserable.

Francesca is well love, cared for, has a fantastic bunch of friends and is all around happy. Except for one thing.

Rafael is handsome, talented to a boot, is very close to his mother and little brother and has a great support system. So he’s not chummy chummy with his dad. That’s not the end of the world.

The thing is that neither of them wants their next step in life to be what their families plan for them. They meet for the first time at a party, the bad boy act partly works and partly doesn’t work on Frankie, and Rafa makes his move while not really wanting to. That’s where the swoonage ensues. And doesn’t stop through the very end.

Frankie and Rafa’s worlds are thrown into a spin on their induction day – to paths neither chose – when they find themselves in NYC. Totally disoriented. And are immediately start investigating what happened and how they got there. Which obviously gets them fighting unknown magic with their own.

Another facet to the story is a young Cad teenager growing up in a Sap family and not just any family. Her father is the head of Sap, actively working against Cads. Sucks to be her is an understatement. This teenager is Minna and she’s giving them hell, and giving us (readers) a lot of huh? moments.

As mentioned before both Frankie and Rafa have fantastic groups of friends. And those friends working together to help their own makes for fun scenes, a bit of flirting and a lot of flirty rivalry.

I understood the book title only towards the end, but when I did it clicked scenes in my mind where Frankie and Rafa are together. I love how they court, and fight. Minna and each other most of all. And all while growing closer.

The story doesn’t really end at the end of the book, and guessing which of their friends are the subjects of the next book is SO much fun.

Get Real is a great setup for a world of action, love and special human magic. I can’t wait for the next title.


** My thanks to Tellulah Darling and NetGalley for providing this copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Katherine Paschal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Francesca is an amazing healer just like one of her moms, and even though she really wants to be a supernatural police officer, she is being pushed into the family business of healing. Rafael has his public image of being a useless playboy, yet secretly does undercover police work for his father, but will never get the opportunity to tell anyone about it. The two of them are being forced by well-meaning parents into futures that make them unhappy. When their graduation ceremony is attacked, Frankie and Rafe may get the chance to work together to get to the bottom of it, regardless of what their parents want.

I loved the author’s Blooming Goddess Series so I was incredibly excited to get my hands on this book. Unfortunately, this was nothing like the other series. It’s nice that the author did something so different and not just the same old, same old, but there were some things that I missed- predominantly the humor. The humor in the other series made me laugh throughout the books, even at the worst possible times. Well this book really didn’t have that snarky sarcasm and awful situations I so desperately crave. Instead, it is heavy on the angst from both the main characters. They both struggle to be who they want to be while living under their parents expectations. The book was kind of like a supernatural coming of age.

I had a hard time getting into the book and my interest was not really peaked until I was about a 3rd of the way finished. I think my lack of interest was due to the intensive world building the author employed here. At times I felt overwhelmed by what was being described to me that I would disconnect a little form the story. There are different types of magical skills, new gadgets like brain communication links, strange transportation devices that make going all over the world a piece of cake, ect… I can see the next book being more engaging from the get go since the world will already be established. Also, and maybe this is ridiculous of me, but both characters do not speak English as their first language and random words and phrases in Spanish and Italian were thrown in that I had no idea what they meant. It made it hard for me to connect when I was uncertain as to what I was reading.

The book did pick up the pace and the connected to the characters, causing me to get sucked into the mystery element of the book. I wanted to know what was happening right along with them. And boy, where there some HOT moments in the story. Overall I liked the book and look forward to the next adventure. I really like the author's style of writing and I will read whatever else she wants to write.
I received this title from the author Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
For more reviews visit my blog at http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having really enjoyed Tellulah's Blooming Goddess trilogy because of its snarky humor, I knew that I would give Get Real a try because I was sure it would provide much of the same. While Frankie wasn't quite as snarky as Sophie, I did enjoy her badass attitude. She could hold her own, especially when it came to Rafa, but she also has a vulnerable side to her too- a side that doesn't want to disappoint the ones she loves.

I am always up for urban fantasy, so I liked this idea that there were a group of humans called Cadabras and they were born with certain magical abilities. Frankie was born a Bio, which primarily means she can heal and therefore is expected to follow in her family's footsteps and become a Healer. However, Frankie dreams of being a Boiler, which is one of MAGE's detectives. (MAGE is the organization that all Cads will work for once they come of age.) Frankie is too afraid to talk to her moms and disappointing them, so she decides to be the Healer they want her to be instead, much to her dismay.

The book is told from Frankie and Rafael's point of views. Rafael, or Rafa, is the son of the director of MAGE and there is some serious tension there. Rafa resents his father because he has been employing Rafa on missions long before he's actually supposed to, as Rafa's abilities are unique. Rafa hates being under his father's thumb and can't wait to be initiated into MAGE for real and hopefully be given a different job. I liked Rafa, but I didn't like the way he treated Frankie. There is a lot of back and forth on his part and it was hard to fall for him because of that.

I am always up for a hate to love relationship because there's something so intense about those kinds of relationships. However, I struggled with Rafa and Frankie's. It almost felt too much at times, but then again Frankie is Italian and Rafa is Venezuelan, so I can't say I'm surprised that they are both hot headed and stubborn.

While the story itself was fun, I did find myself getting a bit overwhelmed. There's so much going on and I almost felt there was TOO much so it was hard to keep my head wrapped around everything. I think because of that, the romance didn't feel developed enough to me.

This is the first installment of the Get Real series, and while the major conflict is introduced here, it is not resolved. The next book will follow a different couple, but I'm sure we'll still see Frankie and Rafa, as their groups of friends have merged and are working together to help solve the issue at hand.

*Received a copy of this book via the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.*

[Rae Sontheyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Real Hotie vs. Real Smartie, Let the Games Begin! . . .

Oh this book is definitely explosive, great action moments but even better moments between the two leads. When an Italian meets a Latino things are always hot, but add magic to the mix and it's volcanic. The chemistry in this book is steamy, so much so I'd suggest not reading this book amongst family. (Trust me it'll be awkward.)

Set in a world where you are either a Sapien, regular human, or a Cadabras, person born with magic. Francesca Bellafiore is a Bio, born from a long line of notable Healers. However, Francesca has one desire, which is to become a Cad detective, aka a Boiler. Not wanting to disappoint her family she finally decides to go along with the life planned for her. Until a certain boy with a reputation enters her life and winds up with her in a looped time zone fighting for their lives. Rafael Munoz is the reckless son to the head of MAGE, the organization in charge of protecting Cads worldwide. The only thing is Rafa isn't who he is portrayed to be, not really powerless but gifted in a unique skill, Rafa has been sent on solo missions for years. Awaiting the day he’d break free from his father, Rafa instead finds himself magically stuck with the one girl who makes him boil and yearn. Rafa knows that only as a team can they return to their families alive, problem is their attraction may just be the end of them first, before they can begin to get home.

Overall, chemistry alone I'd rate a 5, but based on character development the story is a 4. When Rafa finally caves to his desire and shows Francesca his shall we say "feelings", by using the ABCs. One word = HOT! Now I liked the book but felt as if there were one too many characters in the story for it develop properly. Basically, Francesca had too many BFFs, I would have loved more focus on one of them over having 3 just for the sake of more diversity. The author really put an effort to include multiple ethnicities, races, sexes and sexualities in her various characters, which was great; But it was just a bit too much for the first book. Hopefully, the second book will be easier to adjust to since everything has been introduced. Plus with that ending I'm hoping there’s more of Rafa and Francesca. So if you’re into hot Latino men who are sexy and know it, that love to rile up the woman they secretly love but can't admit it even if that woman is a Jewish Italian whom you don't ever wanna mess with night or day, than this is a good book to try.

**I received a free copy in return for an honest review**


------Read more of my reviews at: http://heyitwasfree.blogspot.com/------

[Tabitha (Bows & Bullets Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also available on my blog, Bows & Bullets Reviews

Though they don’t realize it initially, Francesca and Rafa have a great deal in common. They are both being pushed into a role that they don’t want by their family. For both situations, I felt sympathy for the character. Francesca doesn’t want to disapoint her family, but she desperately doesn’t want to be a healer either. That’s not where her heart lies, even though she knows it is what her family wants for her. Right from the beginning, I really liked both characters and I was very interested in how they would react to each other. I liked that there wasn’t instant attraction. Both obviously noticed the others physical attributes, but once they started talking, sparks flew and not necessarily in a good way. They have a little bit of that I hate you until I love you thing going on.

What I loved about this was the interesting new world we get a glimpse of without being overwhelmed with. In many things where we get a magical new world, I feel like we get too much information for my brain to process. That’s why I always shy away from anything labeled fantasy because I get lost in all the details. Darling introduces this world in an easy to digest way that still keeps you wanting more. Even by the end of this, you know there are still things you don’t understand. At the same time, the world doesn’t feel like the main focus. The main thing, at least to me, was the relationship between Francesca and Rafa. It’s that relationship, fraught with tension, that really kept me enthralled.

The mystery was also pretty intense. Where did this girl come from? What is with her powers? What is it she wants? How the hell are Rafa and Francesca supposed to figure it out while also avoiding their parents and not getting themselves killed?

I don’t think I loved this quite as much as I loved Darling’s Blooming Goddess Trilogy. Something about Sophie’s voice and world immediately hooked me whereas this took me a little longer to get into. But this was almost as good! It’s a sexy new adult that doesn’t feature main characters with a tragic backstory. It’s a paranmoral new adult. I know those exist, but I’ve yet to read any of them. If this is what I can expect from them, I’ll add all that I can find to be TBR!

****Thank you to Tellulah Darling & Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review****

[Ruby Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Te Da Media and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret that I love Tellulah Darling's books. So it should not surprise anyone that I adored Get Real.

Francesca was such a funny heroine. I loved her sense of duty. I was so sad for her because she was willing to give up her dreams to keep her family traditions alive, but in a way I also understood her and her reasons. I loved her relationship with her friends. I can't wait to read more about her in the next books and see how other characters perceive her.

Rafael....Oh my. He was cute. It was interesting to see things from his perspective too. It also helped me like him a lot, because I feel like I wouldn't have been too fond of him had the story been told only from Francesca's POV. This way I got to understand his reasons and I really felt bad for him.

What was interesting about this book was how the subject of sexual orientation was approached. It didn't give me the impression that it was something so out of the norm and it wasn't taboo or something that needs to be kept a secret. Which was great and I really want to read more books like this. It was also refreshing to see how certain relationships are mended in a way, how sometimes we have the wrong idea about a person really close to us and how we can judge them harshly for something they didn't do. Lots of cold truths in there and I really enjoyed that.

At times the story moved a little too fast, but while a bit confusing, it also helped experiencing a little of what Rafael and Francesca were experiencing. I loved the phrases in other languages. It made the characters feel real in a way. It helped that I knew what the phrases meant, I know, but for me it made it real that these characters have a multicultural background.

I did not expect that ending. I really, really want to know what happens next.

[Ginny Lurcock]

Darling's done it again.

What, you ask? Invented a unique magical world full of sassy, swoony, relatable characters. We might not all have fantastic powers and affluent parents (no matter how much we may have daydreamed) but I think we can all understand the desire not to disappoint our parents.

And at the heart of it, that's what Get Real is. A bunch of not quite kids and who aren't really adults trying to find their way in the world. Seeking to achieve that perfect balance of staying true to themselves while fitting into the role their parents expect of them.

Or, in Rafa's case, trying not to lose himself while giving his dad the middle finger.

The background for this journey of self discovery features some impressive magic, technology, and abilities. Ones that make it possible to travel to exotic locals like Rome, England, New York, and that shitty compound all Frankie and Rafa's friends get sequestered in. (Hey, it's a house full of hormonal new adults and one turbo nerd. I want in that fucking house, with a tub of popcorn.) And Darling does such a good job of immersing the reader in her world that I had honestly typed out "and never before seen abilities..."

It's a brand new world, Lurcock. Of course the abilities have never been seen before...

If it's excitement you're looking for, let me recommend this tale of self-discovery, adventure. romance, and really bad thrift store clothing. You won't be disappointed.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, there is a hot gay best friend that makes you say "WHO CARES ABOUT THE MAIN CHARACTER? I WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE GAY BEST FRIEND!!" Not to worry, though, I've been told Eli gets his own book later.

If anyone needs me, I'll be sitting here waiting for it.

I was provided with a free copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Kristen Jett · Rating 5 out of 5]

GET REAL is easily one of my favorites books of 2015. I've been in a book rut, and I was SO pleased when this turned out to be a winner. My first response when I was a few pages into GET REAL was literally "Wait, say whattttt?". In a good way.

Told by three narrators, we're thrown into a alternative version of today's world where magic is well known and magic users (Cads) don't even try to blend in with the normals (Saps). Frankie is a spunky Italian, used to being the good girl. She secretly dreams of defying her ancestry and going down a different path of life, but can't shake her good girl tendencies. I found Frankie to be pretty relatable, even if I didn't always agree with her actions. Rafa? Now, that's a man who makes me want to learn Spanish. (Don't tell my husband.) Dark, swoony, and so much deeper than anyone gives him credit for. I LOVED seeing his thoughts as well, much more than if I'd been solely in Frankie's POV.

Both Rafa and Frankie use their own designated languages - most of the time this is explained, although. (If you read on a Kindle, you can use the translate option!) I think I wish they were in italics, to make them stand out. The side languages could be confusing to some, but I found that it added some complexity and depth to the character interactions, since neither Rafa nor Frankie spoke the other's language. The banter, confusion, and language explanations upped the sexual tension - as well as providing many laughs!

Who's the other POV? Well...just wait to see. It's an important POV, but it'll take you a chapter or two before you realize why.

I recommend GET REAL to New Adult readers who are looking for something a little more unique, and for urban fantasy readers who want something sassy and swoony.

Can I have the sequel now? Seriously. Want. Now.

ARC provided by author for a honest review.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
This is my second book by Tellulah Darling, the first being her Sam Cruz book, which was awesome by the way. After seeing the cover and reading the blurb, I couldn't wait to dive in and see what Darling had in store for her readers. The last line in the synopsis, "Get Real is a romantic comedy, urban fantasy whirlwind with sass, sex, and swoon," pretty much describes this book in a nutshell. Francesa's character was really likable. She struggles with what she desires to be and what she's expected to be, and her desire to be loyal to her family is admirable, while her sassiness, snark, and humor are just plain fun. I liked Rafael also, but it took a while for him to win me over. I did enjoy watching the different phases their relationship moved through over the course of the book.

Then, there is the magical component. While interesting, it was also a tad bit confusing keeping up with who was what and who did what. Then there was the fact that a couple of characters spoke different languages, which was a bit confusing at times as well. I did enjoy Darling's character building, as well as the secondary characters she created, and the fact that the story is told from more than one point of view. There is a lot more magic in the book that you would think by looking at the cover and reading the synopsis. That fact, mixed with the mystery, humor, romance, and chemistry make for a good read, which I did enjoy. I will say that you do have to pay close attention in order not to get lost in the complexity of the magical world Darling has created. This is the first book in the series, however, and I look forward to seeing where things go in the next installment.