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Real Live Boyfriends: Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver

(Ruby Oliver #4)

E. Lockhart (Goodreads Author)

3.99 · Rating details · 5,622 ratings · 534 reviews

From E. Lockhart, author of the highly acclaimed, New York Times bestseller We Were Liars, which John Green called "utterly unforgettable," comes Real Live Boyfriends, the fourth book in the uproarious and heartwarming Ruby Oliver novels that finds Ruby Oliver as neurotic and hyperverbal as ever as she interviews her friends for a documentary on love and popularity and whi ...more

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Hardcover, 225 pages

Published December 28th 2010 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

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Sep 01, 2009 Tatiana rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Ruby Oliver fans

Shelves: 2011, ya, favorites, chick-lit, 2012, 2016

As seen on The Readventurer

This is another series conclusion that doesn't disappoint.

Granted, the book started rather rocky for me. You see, Ruby now (finally) has a boyfriend after getting no proper action due to her uber-slut reputation. But the moment she gets him, our girl is back to her Jackson-time antics, meaning her guy is the most important part of her life, the epicenter of her existence. When things get difficult with him, she is back to her insecure self - being fake about her feelin ...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: i-have-a-copy, realistic-fiction, ya-lit, contemporary-fiction, favourite-author, favourites, female-pov, review-on-the-blog

Roo is back for the final instalment of the Ruby Oliver series. She and Noel are dating - yay, and everything seems to be going well apart from the fact that Nora is no longer speaking to her, then her Grandma dies and her dad is depressed and her mum is going through another food phase. And then Noel leaves for New York and nothing is the same after that.

Real Live Boyfriends in the fourth book in the Ruby Oliver series by E.Lockhart. I was excited and hesitant when it came to reading this book, Roo is back for the final instalment of the Ruby Oliver series. She and Noel are dating - yay, and everything seems to be going well apart from the fact that Nora is no longer speaking to her, then her Grandma dies and her dad is depressed and her mum is going through another food phase. And then Noel leaves for New York and nothing is the same after that.

Real Live Boyfriends in the fourth book in the Ruby Oliver series by E.Lockhart. I was excited and hesitant when it came to reading this book, on one hand I had to know what happened next, on the other I didn't want this series to be over, I want to know what happens to Ruby for the rest of her life.

Things have been going well for Ruby, she and Noel are dating, she's in love with him and really happy. She buys herself a video camera and starts filming her friends and asking them for their definitions of love and friendship. But there are also a few negatives to her life, Nora stopped speaking to her because of Noel, her Grandma passes away leaving her father depressed which leaves her mother acting out for attention in the form of cooking meat for every meal, just to spite Ruby it seems.

It was great to catch up with Ruby again, I really could listen to tell her story for the rest of her life. She's still filled with self-loathing and continually refers to herself as crazy, something that Meghan points out is untrue. Ruby is so lucky to have Meghan, she really proved herself even more in this book. I was sad and angry in regards to Noel, like Ruby I have no idea what was going on with him and they both did silly things when they could have been communicating but they're teens and it totally felt realistic.

I was really, really happy with the ending of this book and this series, it left me feeling sad but content and this book definitely ties with book three as my favourite.

There are more vegetarian references including Ruby's reason to be a vegetarian (side note to Ruby: you can bake delicious cakes with no butter and you don't need to eat meat to make your mother happy, ag!)

I love this series with all my heart and it will definitely be on my list of books I must re-read at least yearly. Any fan of contemporary YA would be missing out if they passed on reading this series so do yourself a favour and order all four books NOW!
...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Keertana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, rainy-day-re-reads

I'm going to be perfectly honest and just say it: I'm feeling very Reginald. I don't want to say good-bye to Ruby but at the same time, I almost don't want to see a fifth Ruby Oliver book. I'd like to think that Ruby has learned as much as she can possibly learn, has experienced all types of crazy scenarios and that in the future, although she is bound to still find herself in a mountain of debacles, she'll be able to persevere onward, facing them head-on, and tackle them with her vast knowledge I'm going to be perfectly honest and just say it: I'm feeling very Reginald. I don't want to say good-bye to Ruby but at the same time, I almost don't want to see a fifth Ruby Oliver book. I'd like to think that Ruby has learned as much as she can possibly learn, has experienced all types of crazy scenarios and that in the future, although she is bound to still find herself in a mountain of debacles, she'll be able to persevere onward, facing them head-on, and tackle them with her vast knowledge of relationships, life, and love. Real Live Boyfriends is very possibly my favorite Ruby Oliver book (although The Boyfriend List is probably the most re-readable) and I was amazed at the level of depth Lockhart was able to put into this book that had never been done previously in the series. Every Ruby Oliver is unique, special, and insightful in its own way, but Real Live Boyfriends knocked them all out of the park.

It's Ruby's senior year and everything seems to be perfect: Noel is her boyfriend (clarification: her real live boyfriend). He calls her when he says he will, he replies to her emails, he doesn't check his phone when she talks to him, and Ruby can't believe she can be this happy. However, when Noel comes back from visiting his brother Claude in New York, he seems to have changed; their relationship seems to have changed. Furthermore, Ruby's grandmother dies, leaving her father in a pool of depression; her mother is driving her up the wall and seems to be going crazy; Gideon seems to be mysteriously re-appearing into her life; and if that isn't enough, college applications are due just around the corner! Ruby's life was never easy, but senior year may just be her hardest one yet.

Real Live Boyfriends is literally a culmination of all Ruby's previous teachings from her therapy appointments. It's almost like a final test. I love how we're able to witness Ruby's thought processes: how she breaks down every thought, analyzes it, takes out what she wants, and goes out to get it. Yet, there are still dozens of mistakes, misinterpreted situations, and over-analyzed remarks. In some ways Ruby is back to being the same girl who was in a relationship with Jackson: insecure, whining, and desperate. At the same time however, Ruby picks herself up, dusts herself off, and goes off into the wide world. Her character is portrayed extremely realistically (who doesn't fall back into bad habits from time to time?), yet I love that she is now mature enough to change not only her actions towards others, but her actions towards herself too.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of Real Live Boyfriends (either than the romance/misunderstandings/love story between Ruby and Noel) is Ruby's parents. They have always been a large and important part of her life, but they truly came alive in this conclusion. Ruby really had to deal with her parents: their issues, their problems, their romance. She was forced to understand them in ways she had never seen before and the overall growth of their relationship was rewarding. Other relationships I loved to see evolve in this book were Ruby's friendships. Her friendship with Hutch (despite the fact that he was in Paris), her friendship with Nora (despite the fact that she kinda wasn't talking to her), and her friendship with Meghan (despite the fact that her life primarily revolved around Finn). Throughout the series, Ruby has constantly struggled to make wise decisions concerning her friends, unable to find her true friends from a sea of enemies. However, by senior year, Roo truly does find out who her real friends are and what makes them that way. Her friendships, despite being few and far between, are genuine and I am confident will stay true throughout her college years.

Finally, the last thing I have to say about this book is that I loved the ending. Lockhart ends this series on a realistic note. Yes, she ties up the loose ends, but not all of them. There is hope for what the future may bring and Roo's future is up for the reader's imagination - which I love. Through her books, Lockhart has shared Roo with us all, bringing her into our lives, our thoughts, and our hearts. Now, in her conclusion, she allows us to keep Ruby with us always, learning from her mistakes, all the wiser for her therapy appointments, and ever so hopeful for our futures. The Ruby Oliver series is one that will stick with you, no matter your age. Anyone and everyone can relate to Ruby and it is comforting to know that whenever I am in need of a shrink, expert advice, or just someone to share my debacles with, Ruby is waiting for me in the covers of these books. This series is one you won't forget easily - especially if you're consumed with Reginald like me (; ...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Meg rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya

Oh, Ruby Oliver. The Meghans of the (real and fictional) world just want you to be happy. I don't really know what else to tell you. I'm sad and I'm glad, and you are funny and kind, and your parents are crazy, and you are not, and the best thing about you is that every time I'm done with one of your books I know where you are at that exact point but I don't feel as though E. Lockhart has pinned you down in a place for the sake of a happy ending. Like, you could go anywhere from here. I don't kn ...more

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Jan 07, 2015 April (Aprilius Maximus) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, anxiety

*3.5 STARS*

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Mar 16, 2012 Cassi aka Snow White Haggard rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2012, ya, favorites

I think I'm upgrading this whole series to a 5.

I laughed. I cried (no really! Megan and the cake! and AHHH!!!! That's cryptic on purpose). I felt like Ruby was talking directly to me. These books are just a complete joy to read. Reading a book should feel like THIS. That magical wonderful can't-put-down, stay-up-past-bedtime, frenzy of words.

(I might try to write a real review. But you shouldn't wait. Just read this series already)

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Sep 24, 2017 TS rated it really liked it

Shelves: mental-illness-rep, 4-stars

I'm going to say this rating warrants a 3.75 stars only because I thought the ending was too abrupt and what Noel did and how he dealt with everything and everyone kind of shitty (even though it was defendable).

This series was so good. If you're looking for a quick coming-of-age, chick-lit read, that makes you swoon and laugh but which also unnervingly contains wisdom through feminist messages and character developments, I would definitely recommend this series.

At first, I thought that nothing I'm going to say this rating warrants a 3.75 stars only because I thought the ending was too abrupt and what Noel did and how he dealt with everything and everyone kind of shitty (even though it was defendable).

This series was so good. If you're looking for a quick coming-of-age, chick-lit read, that makes you swoon and laugh but which also unnervingly contains wisdom through feminist messages and character developments, I would definitely recommend this series.

At first, I thought that nothing would ever compare to the Jessica Darling series but after reading this, I feel like I can't even compare the two. Although they're similar in style, the protagonists are both so different from each other and their dealings in high school so different as well, that the two really make up two completely different journeys. I will say this though: As much as I love the JD series, it definitely has its flaws being a product of its time with its slut-shaming and anti-LGBT+ propaganda and this series shoots those flaws down from the get-go. Which I really appreciated (although, it too, has its own faults, such as: (view spoiler) But I think what's so great about these types of novels, especially when reading them when you're older, is that as much as you learn from all the good in them, you also learn to criticize the bad and learn from that too.

Furthermore, these books being products of their time, despite all the shit that's going on right now, it's nice to know how much we've progressed as a society (and by that I mean, how much more open-minded and tolerant teenagers and young adults are concerning specific topics. At least I hope it's not just me.) ...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Nicole rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorite-characters, humor, fiction, light, read-in-2013, series, teenage-wasteland, ya, better-than-expected, favorite-series

Ruby finally won me over, guys. I don’t know if it was the fact Roo finally got a grip and smartened up a bit, or if it was because I was sick and vulnerable, or a combination thereof—but Real Live Boyfriends did it for me.

In this, the final installment of the Ruby Oliver series, Roo thinks she has it all figured out. She is dating Noel, and he is behaving like a Real Live Boyfriend. He doesn’t magically fix everything that’s wrong in Ruby’s life, but they are together and they are happy—and Rub Ruby finally won me over, guys. I don’t know if it was the fact Roo finally got a grip and smartened up a bit, or if it was because I was sick and vulnerable, or a combination thereof—but Real Live Boyfriends did it for me.

In this, the final installment of the Ruby Oliver series, Roo thinks she has it all figured out. She is dating Noel, and he is behaving like a Real Live Boyfriend. He doesn’t magically fix everything that’s wrong in Ruby’s life, but they are together and they are happy—and Ruby is back to her old my-man-is-my-universe ways. Then Noel goes to New York for a month and comes back as a pod-robot lobotomy patient. In addition to that, Hutch is in Paris playing baguette air guitar, Gideon is back in town, and Ruby has to get her college applications in order, do Reginald, deal with her insane parents and her grandmother’s death, sort out all her friendship issues, hold down a job, and go to therapy. What’s a girl to do?

Well, if you’re Ruby Oliver you might regress. You might flirt with a whole bunch of other boys instead of making an effort with your Real Live Boyfriend. You might think all is lost. You might really upset me for a hundred pages or so before you finally start to wise up and make me proud, opening yourself up to new people and experiences and making attempts to communicate and be yourself. Yay, Ruby!

This book hit me right in the feels a few times. The moment Ruby finds out what happened to Noel and her subsequent interactions with him had me all sniffly (and not just because I had the flu). Roo’s goal is to go into filmmaking, so parts of the book are actually manuscripts of the film interviews she does of her family and friends on the topics of love, friendship, and popularity. At one point near the end, when Roo is particularly down about Noel, this happens:

Meghan pushed her chocolate cheesecake across the table to me. I hadn’t gotten paid yet for November, so I had only ordered coffee. “Here,” she said.
“Don’t you want it?”
“Sure I want it. I ordered it. But I’m giving it to you.”
“Why?”
Meghan stood up and got me a fork. “Remember what Nora said about love? In your movie?”
“Love is when you have a really amazing piece of cake, and it’s the very last piece, but you let him have it.”
“So it’s really amazing cake,” said Meghan. “And I want you to have it.”

Guys!! Friendship!!!

I’m not sure what it is about Ruby Oliver that’s so endearing. She is neurotic, self-deprecating, immature, boy-crazy, and occasionally very similar to Mia Thermopolis or Georgia Nicolson (sometimes in a way that is less comforting and hilarious and more whoa, does this count as copyright infringement?). Maybe it is the way we are sistahs in panic attacks and compulsive list-making. Or maybe it is the way she is so zany and resilient. Possibly it’s how good she is with goats who are named after serial killers.

Whatever it is, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this series and I thought this was a great ending to it. These books just got bumped onto my Favorite Series shelf. Also—and most importantly—I am in love with Noel. ...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Isamlq rated it it was amazing

Four days, four Ruby books.
Not much sleep, loads of laughs... and now I have a new favorite female lead who is far from perfect but definitely unforgetable. YA contemps/ chick lit need not be angst-filled, drama-ridden to be good. And while Ruby's stories are angst-filled and drama-ridden, hers are hilarious and painful and truthful and accurate.

Reading Real Live Boyfriends: Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver is like the before and after of a roll Four days, four Ruby books.
Not much sleep, loads of laughs... and now I have a new favorite female lead who is far from perfect but definitely unforgetable. YA contemps/ chick lit need not be angst-filled, drama-ridden to be good. And while Ruby's stories are angst-filled and drama-ridden, hers are hilarious and painful and truthful and accurate.

Reading Real Live Boyfriends: Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver is like the before and after of a rollercoaster ride. Right before, you know you want to, you're dying to get on in fact; that's even if you're a little scared, even if you're a little nervous. And right after? With your heart still galloping, you're thinking, "I want to do that again!" This is the fourth and the last, so I wanted to savor it; slow down and stretch it out, but once I got settled, the pages simply flew and in the end,

Some things came as expected~ it's funny and she, hilarious (as usual.) Things got complicated and then a little bit more complicated. Some people (Ruby in particular) screwed up, but the same people did try to (and sometimes did) redeem themselves.

Now Ruby, specifically? She is not as mental as she first thought herself to be. From The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver to The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them to The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon—and me, Ruby Oliver, she had me cringing, tearing up from laughter, gritting my teeth in annoyance. But, she entertained me with her naivette, with all her observations, and she even surprised with her honesty and her eventual unwillingness to let things just be. And the others? It is safe to say that Ruby wasn't the only one with issues.

That last tidbit, above all, is what I loved most. I loved how imperfect they all were. Ruby was a given, but Noel? Her father? Her mother? Issues abound!

And there's the unexpected too. A moment, 95% in, with me almost done, there's this one bit between Noel and Ruby that had me sniff-sniffing like an idiot. Where in heck did that come from?! So now, I love the book just a smidge more.

READ THIS, EVERYONE!!! ...more

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Oct 19, 2014 ♥ Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

My Very Own Final Soundtrack List:
One Two – Bitter and Sick
Ben Howard – Promise
Crystal Fighters – Bridge of Bones
Angus & Julia – You’re The One That I Want
Bright Eyes – Devil Town
Atl-J – Every Other Freckle
Foster the People – I Would Do Anything for You
Dala – Dream a Little Dream of Me
Hozier – Take Me to Church
The Jepettos – Chemicals
London Grammar – Chasing My Young Years
The Dandy Warhols – We Used to be Friends

I’m stuck in a Ruby Oliver funk and I’m not ready to let her go yet. But it’ ...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Rashika (is tired) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2014, series-i-loved, humor, good-female-leads, ya, realistic-contemporary, cute-love-interests, cute-romance, good-characters, loved

*This mini review has also been posted on Tangled in Pages

I have never felt so relieved to finish a series. I LOVED the series but I don't think I could have take another book of Ruby's neuroticness.

Finishing this series makes me feel all grown up. With the end of Ruby's journey and the end of my own approaching, I cannot help but get a little nostalgic.

Ruby was an incredible character and one I will miss but one I am glad got a happy ending. She is a character that most teenage girls can rela ...more

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Mar 14, 2015 Deyse rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-reads, read-in-english

Review originally posted here.

This book you guys, Lockhart was so, so mean with my heart - this is definitely the more "serious" one of the series (I mean, if you would call one of the Ruby Oliver books serious), Ruby is finally on the senior year and things get bad right from the start - this time around not just friends fights but also with hecr family. I don't want to tell much about it's plot, just my feels and I have to tells that at the end I did teared up a little bit because of feels, my ...more

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Jul 01, 2014 Ellis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, almost-sexy-times, awesome-hero, binge-this-series, book-datemate-please-materialise, boss-heroine, brb-sobbing, genre-contemporary, dj-play-this-girl-a-love-song, high-hopes

While my experience with The Treasure Map of Boys was rather interesting, in that it managed to piss me the fuck off, it took all of three pages of this book to have me happy-sighing again. Ruby is back. Jackson is gone. Noby is a thing as in a thing thing as in a canon thing thing. LADIES REJOICE. And while the happy sigh quickly turned into an overall sense of everything is terrible why is everything terrible what did I ever do to you this is supposed to be A PAIN-FREE ZONE I WANTED THE OPPOSI ...more

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Oct 26, 2018 Den rated it liked it

Shelves: fave-ships, floab-got-challenges, kindle, light-reads

Read this if you like: humor, entertaining footnotes, quirky parents, high school romance and drama, dealing with anxiety and grief, cute romantic gestures, true friends and the meaning of friendship

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Jan 27, 2011 Lizzie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011, young-adult, embarrassing-subway-laughter, existential-romance, own

Oh come on now!!

Wow. So glad I finally bought this book. I think I waited so long because I borrowed all the other ones from Meg, and I guess I forgot that I could... own them. For my own. And then it would just appear, bidden into my life. Like that.

Anyway, to me this was a really pleasing way to pull together the tiny little Ruby series with a hundred things to say. A lot of the arc here is Ruby learning to get rid of a lot of her bad habits that help her not help herself cope, and personally ...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Rose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, romance, realistic-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, favorites, all-time-favorite-series

Initial thoughts: I think the only part I'm sad about in finishing this novel is that I have to say goodbye to Ruby Oliver. Following her through this series was such a joy and I can consider E. Lockhart a new favorite author. This was one of the best series of its kind I had the pleasure of reading, and I honestly wish there were more books like this series in the YA spectrum today.

Full review:

The last Ruby Oliver book? Say it isn't so. :(

If anyone wants to know the song that came to mind while Initial thoughts: I think the only part I'm sad about in finishing this novel is that I have to say goodbye to Ruby Oliver. Following her through this series was such a joy and I can consider E. Lockhart a new favorite author. This was one of the best series of its kind I had the pleasure of reading, and I honestly wish there were more books like this series in the YA spectrum today.

Full review:

The last Ruby Oliver book? Say it isn't so. :(

If anyone wants to know the song that came to mind while I penned this review and though about the book - it's Tegan and Sara's "Back In Your Head". Somehow there are parts of that song that would work swimmingly with this book. But I digress.

"Real Live Boyfriends" turned out to be an awesome end to E. Lockheart's series, culminating upon many events in the life of its charming protagonist. When we last left Ruby, she was finally starting to have some turns for the better in her relationships, though at the expense of other considerations. Couple that along with her usual scuffles with her parents (Ag!), her sessions with Dr. Z, and rather potent advice about boys and relationships in general, and you get the experience that is this book.

I think the additional tag on the title is apt for this book, because - as usual - Ruby has more than a few complications to deal with. Her current relationship with Noel becomes more of a concern when after some distance apart, he doesn't call or talk to Ruby in more than limited spells, if at all, and that has Ruby insecure. She thinks he's either becoming bored with her or doesn't want to be with her at all. Add to the complication her growing relationship with Gideon, trying to patch things up with Nora, trying to keep up with Meghan, and you get the sea of relationships that she has to contend with.

I adored the character interactions, humor and attention to different challenges Ruby faces in this book. Ruby's relationship with Noel is way too cute for words (and he cements a new book crush for me - what with his particular fixation on Fruit Roll-Ups among other things), and I could see where Ruby had issues when the two of them were apart (though I suspected that there was more to the story than what his distance would say on its own).

I think Ruby has grown to be quite the character through the course of the series, and this book manages to tie things off nicely in its respective resolutions. For me, those ties really paid off and concluded a wonderfully engaging storyline. I really enjoyed it, and it ranks as my favorite YA series of this particular genre. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for anyone who wants a funny, immersive, character-focused, and smart series to follow.

Overall score: 4.5/5 ...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Erinn Batykefer rated it really liked it

Shelves: chick-lit, fiction, realistic, young-adult

To me, E. Lockhart’s books are the best of Teen Chick Lit– they are realistic without taking themselves too seriously, they are funny without sacrificing wit and without blithely avoiding the difficult problems that come with learning who you are, who you love, and what’s important to you, as some chick lit does. Over the course of these four novels, Ruby suffers a major falling out with friends, goes to therapy because she starts having panic attacks, gets a job at the zoo, sees lots of films, ...more

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May 08, 2010 meg rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-novels, galleys

i was excited to get an advance reader's copy of this book so early (it's not out till the end of the year), even with the new cover treatment. this fourth, and likely final, installmet of ruby oliver's boy chronicles does not disappoint. sigh. oh how i'll miss you, ruby oliver.

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Jan 21, 2018 Peachy rated it really liked it

Shelves: all-time-favorites, classics, fiction, series, romance, contemporary

Original Source: https://bookdragonlair.wordpress.com/...

My synopsis: Senior year, Ruby is in a serious relationship, one more year and she can leave the Tate Universe forever – the thing to consider is… is she ready?

Love is when you give someone else the power to destroy you and you trust them not to do it.

I have to say, Real Live Boyfriends is a satisfying conclusion to the Ruby Oliver series. Bravo, E. Lockhart!

By this fourth piece, the main cast of characters have gone through such growth – ...more

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Mar 04, 2018 Maria rated it liked it

в общем, первая книга самая хорошая

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Dec 25, 2018 Arika rated it really liked it

Still saving my life, ten years later.

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Feb 23, 2012 Lix Hewett rated it liked it

Shelves: high-school

This book felt a little superfluous in terms of romance, which is odd because technically it wraps up various things that started earlier in the series. Ruby comes out of it stronger, smarter, more self-assured with regards to boys and much less dependent on her relationship with Noel. We're talking about someone who compares her boyfriend to a flashlight in the darkness of her life in the third book, and her therapist says, paraphrasing, "That's an interesting metaphor. What happens if the flas This book felt a little superfluous in terms of romance, which is odd because technically it wraps up various things that started earlier in the series. Ruby comes out of it stronger, smarter, more self-assured with regards to boys and much less dependent on her relationship with Noel. We're talking about someone who compares her boyfriend to a flashlight in the darkness of her life in the third book, and her therapist says, paraphrasing, "That's an interesting metaphor. What happens if the flashlight goes out?" -- a Chekov gun that fires early on in the fourth book. I remember being really delighted with the end of the third book because of Noel and Ruby, because I've liked Noel a lot all throughout the series, but by the end of the fourth book, (view spoiler), my investment has dwindled remarkably. I'm not sure I'm ready to forgive him, I guess, so I didn't jump at that ending.

It also wraps up, more or less, Ruby's issues -- her self-loathing and her obsession with being crazy and maybe a little bit her difficult relationship with her mom. It blows up and Ruby says a lot of things that are very, very true, and eventually they start to patch things up. My only problem is that I didn't necessarily feel the other books were leading up to this, so again, the fourth book just seems like an afterthought where the author tried to get Ruby to a better mindset and just put some plot threads together to carry that along. Even the Gideon thing, which had been hinted at before, was very meh for me. Ruby growing up makes me happier in retrospect than I was while reading it, if that makes any sense, even though it was a welcome breath of fresh air after all the boy drama in the first book/s.

What makes this book enjoyable and good and aww-inducing is the friendships. Ruby held on to Kim and Cricket for so long, but she lets go of Nora fairly easily, and when they talk again, call a truce of sorts, things are -- not good, but looking hopeful. Meghan is, as usual, a marvelous influence on Ruby and speaks all sorts of truths that many people never even arrive at and which are really not that difficult to reach at all if you step back from all the bullshit teenagers are fed on a daily basis. ("Meghan: Get over it, Roo. If you have friends who actually like you, you’re popular enough.")

I'm just going to include the excerpt that made me tear up and leave this at that:

Meghan pushed her chocolate cheesecake across the table to me. I hadn’t gotten paid yet for November, so I had only ordered coffee. “Here,” she said.

“Don’t you want it?”

“Sure I want it. I ordered it. But I’m giving it to you.”

“Why?”

Meghan stood up and got me a fork. “Remember what Nora said about love? In your movie?”

“Love is when you have a really amazing piece of cake, and it’s the very last piece, but you let him have it,” I said.

“So it’s really amazing cake,” said Meghan. “And I want you to have it."

I wish there had been more of Varsha and Spencer in this book, since Ruby considers them friends by the end of it, and selfishly I would have liked to see more of Mr. Wallace. But that excerpt makes the whole book worth it. ...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites-contemps, on-my-shelves, series-completed

*Just FYI: This review contains zero spoilers for any of the books in the series*

Remember that time I read a complete series in a week? Yeah, that totally just happened right now! I started The Boyfriend List, the first Ruby Oliver book on December 9th and finished this one today, the 15th. Reading a complete series in a week can take some dedication, as well as some wiggle room in the review schedule. I would not have been able to complete this feat had the Ruby Oliver books not been so consis *Just FYI: This review contains zero spoilers for any of the books in the series*

Remember that time I read a complete series in a week? Yeah, that totally just happened right now! I started The Boyfriend List, the first Ruby Oliver book on December 9th and finished this one today, the 15th. Reading a complete series in a week can take some dedication, as well as some wiggle room in the review schedule. I would not have been able to complete this feat had the Ruby Oliver books not been so consistently hilarious, honest and enjoyable.

Lockhart keeps the Ruby Oliver series so consistent in tone and Ruby's narrative voice and how much fun they are to read. This, more than anything, impressed me so much. Keeping a series interesting and each installment just about equally as good as the last is a seriously difficult task for an author, but Lockhart succeeds with flying colors.

What I love most about this series as a whole is how honest it is to the high school experience. There's frank discussion of kissing and sex and friendship debacles, of the awkwardness of parties, and of things that don't matter one bit after high school, like how the bake sale went. Ruby acts one hundred percent like a teenager, a very smart one, of course, but she never feels like an adult trying to create a teenager. She has her own weird slang, which, in some books can be annoying, but with Ruby just comes off so naturally. Ruby grows a lot as a person throughout these four books, but remains ever her charmingly neurotic self.

The romance throughout the series is precisely what I love to see in YA. Yes, it's a primary focus, but, let's be honest, boyfriends and girlfriends or being in a state of noboyfriend are pretty monumental aspects of life in high school. However, Ruby also spends a lot of time being worried about her friends and consulting with them, and, in fact, I think her panic attacks were more about friendship stress than boys. Though Ruby does think she's in love a number of times, there's no feeling of instalove or any sort of assertion that this love will last for all of time. Even when she thinks she's in love, none of her relationships are perfect.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys humorous books that honestly tackle what it's like to be a teenager. Ruby has a very strong voice, which will not work for everyone, but these books are utterly delightful and it's worth finding out if you will get as much entertainment from them as I have. ...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Ana rated it really liked it

Shelves: zz-read-in-2011, ya-contemporary

The review won't be just about this book, it will be about the entire series.

I still like Ruby, with all her obsessing about boys. I like how she started to understand who her friends really are. She really matured during the course of the series. Of course there were some moments when she annoyed me, but overall she was OK.

I'm primarily a romance reader and there were times when it bugged me that she couldn't settle on a guy and kept changing her opinions. But the confusion she felt was real s ...more

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Feb 06, 2010 Hallie rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya

Can't wait! (But hope they fix the cover a bit...)

I was wavering a bit over my reaction to this one - it was a very enjoyable read, and I liked it a lot on the whole, but there were some things I was less happy about. Roo is as mixed up as ever, and it's as ever, largely in response to the people around her, who are pretty damn confusing. Noel goes from being her real live boyfriend to someone who doesn't call her, doesn't email her, doesn't want to talk to her. Hutch goes away to Paris. Kim and ...more

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Dec 31, 2016 Eva rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2016

Honestly, I am so disappointed in how this series turned out. The first two books were great, but after that it went down. This last book was even worse than the third.

I never really liked Ruby's mother. She is horrible. A horrible mother, a horrible wife. She doesn't treat her family good, she says nasty things to them, her crazy ideas are stupid, she annoyed me so much. Ruby's dad isn't much of a help either. He should have gone to therapy. This problem was solved, as many problems in this boo ...more

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May 04, 2012 Galla rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemp, young-adult

I never would have picked up this series if not for some glowing reviews from trusted Goodreads friends; the titles don't appeal to me at all, and the summaries for each book tend to play up their quirky side in a way that could easily lead a potential reader to believe these books are shallow.

They really aren't. While they are fun, and they are funny, E. Lockhart's real strength in this series is her ability to write characters--a main character in particular--in an emotionally authentic way. ...more

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Jan 30, 2014 Natalie Williamson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014-favorites

The titles of these books are all about boys, but they're really all about friendship. I don't know what I was expecting when I started this series, but what I got out of it was this:

(view spoiler) ...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Shannon rated it really liked it

Reasons I enjoyed the Ruby Oliver Series
1. Like Ruby I am a list maker
2. While I am not a teenage girl, I have been a teenage girl & I thus could relate
3. I do however have a teenage daughter who has much in common with Ruby so often it was often like getting glimpses into her mind
4. I loved Ruby's parents- their relationship with each other & with Ruby was the highlight for me
5. These books made me laugh out loud
Fact: I am sad that they are over.

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Mar 23, 2010 Margaret H. Willison rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, young-adult-fiction

I can hardly even review this right now-- beyond saying that I loved it, and Ruby, so much that I cried when I finished, I'm a little incoherent.

If you like smart, funny books about smart, funny neurotic girls, or simply narrators so authentic they feel like friends, do yourself a favor and read these books. If you don't fall for them head over heels, then you're a stronger person than me.

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About E. Lockhart

E. Lockhart

8,734 followers

E. Lockhart is the author of Genuine Fraud, We Were Liars, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The Boyfriend List and several other novels.

website: www.emilylockhart.com
Liars site: www.wewereliars.com
blog: www.theboyfriendlist.com
Twitter: elockhart

Other books in the series

Ruby Oliver (4 books)

Books by E. Lockhart

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver (Ruby Oliver, #1)

The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them (Ruby Oliver, #2)

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Trivia About Real Live Boyfrie...

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Quotes from Real Live Boyfriends

“I can't forget things, or ignore them-bad things that happen," I said. "I'm a lay-it-all-out person, a dwell-on-it person, an obsess-about-it person. If I hold things in and try to forget or pretend, I become a madman and have panic attacks. I have to talk.” — 112 likes

“Maybe a friend is someone who wants your updates. Even if they're boring. Or sad. Or annoyingly cutesy. A friend says "Sign me up for your boring crap, yes indeed"--because he likes you anyways. He'll tolerate your junk” — 104 likes

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