The blurb as seen on Goodreads:Release Date: June 19, 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
224 Pages
When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.
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Review:
Something Like Normal was one of my most looked forward to books of the year. From the moment I saw the cover and read the blurb, I knew I had to read it. I saw a few comments about people who didn't like the book, but that didn't stop my excitement. From my perspective, the perspective of someone who has two close family members in the military, one stationed in Germany and the other about to enter boot camp, I was very interested to see how this idea would be handled. I was not disappointed in the least.
The best part about this book? The mention of Ohio State, because come on, as a Ohioan, I gotta root for my team! (But really, I'm just kidding, the OSU thing was just a plus.) I can't even say there was a best part because the entire book was so wonderful!
I was expecting total heart fail with this book, but it really wasn't an angstfest, like I had thought it would be. That isn't necessarily bad. There was a lot of drama, but not to the point where it's unbelievable. It's not exaggerating to say I really, really enjoyed this story! The characters were realistic. The plot was original and genuine. The emotions were obvious and could be felt by the audience.
The main character, Travis, has just come back to his home in Florida after his first tour in Afghanistan. His best friend was killed in combat and he believes it was his fault. He doesn't get along with his family and besides his mother, they show him no support. His relationship with his father and brother is very sad. I wanted to hug Travis and then punch his dad in the face.
Travis's love interest, Harper, was wonderful. I loved her from the moment she was mentioned. She is a strong female that feels a bitter over a past occurrence with Travis. I love that she knows he's not perfect and can barely stand to be around him in the beginning, but slowly falls in love with him. I completely swooned over their relationship.
I loved to watch the character changes as the book progressed. Travis begins to lose focus on his unjustified guilt, and come to understand that the opinions of those who don't matter to him shouldn't affect him, if he is happy with himself. His mother realizes that her life is her own and she needs to do what makes HER happy, instead of being tossed around like a rag doll. And Harper comes to find that she needs to have an open mind. She may not like the change, but life is full of them and you can't ignore life because change is inevitable.
My only really issue is there is no mention of Ryan in the epilogue. I'm curious to know what happened with him and Paige. I don't think there was enough closure on that point. But the same sight into the future was great! The way the epilogue was written was a good finale in my opinion. The whole story deals with loss, forgiveness and moving forward and to sum it up with a letter to Charlie as the epilogue does really ties it in nicely.
This is a great summer read. I've been saying that a lot lately, but it really is. It'll keep you interest and make you smile, laugh and cry - though the tears may just be because I cry over everything. It's a definite ride from start to finish and a good read for older young adults and adults alike!
I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher through Netgalley for my honest opinion and review.
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