lisbethill97's review
5.0
update: REREAD and still as good as the first time I ready it!!
This was such a great unexpected book! I have not seen much buzz around it in the book tube community so when I picked it up I didn't know what to expect and I had no idea what it was about. It was so great though, I enjoyed every page of it. This book does have a trigger warning for rape so if that topic isn't a good idea for you don't pick it up. I thought these characters were so great and easy to follow. The story was so fun even though it included a dark topic. But all in all I am so happy I picked this up! 5 stars!!!
This was such a great unexpected book! I have not seen much buzz around it in the book tube community so when I picked it up I didn't know what to expect and I had no idea what it was about. It was so great though, I enjoyed every page of it. This book does have a trigger warning for rape so if that topic isn't a good idea for you don't pick it up. I thought these characters were so great and easy to follow. The story was so fun even though it included a dark topic. But all in all I am so happy I picked this up! 5 stars!!!
mholtberg's review
5.0
Tragedy. Loss. Despair. Healing. Growth. Life.
This book is truly beautiful. It gripped me from the beginning, and really touched home on a few things for me.
wonderful book and I highly recommend to anyone that needs a little boost to heal and find yourself again.
This book is truly beautiful. It gripped me from the beginning, and really touched home on a few things for me.
wonderful book and I highly recommend to anyone that needs a little boost to heal and find yourself again.
readingundertheradar's review
5.0
Can’t believe this took me this long to finally pick this one up.
The best thing about this book was the raw authenticity in the voice, and it felt especially close to home for me because I’m from the place it it set and that the author is from. Characters felt real and complex and imperfect and I loved that.
**definite trigger warnings for this book for rape and sexual violence**
The best thing about this book was the raw authenticity in the voice, and it felt especially close to home for me because I’m from the place it it set and that the author is from. Characters felt real and complex and imperfect and I loved that.
**definite trigger warnings for this book for rape and sexual violence**
alienor's review
4.0
○ ● ⊕ 3.5 stars. While this book was far from flawless, I can't deny it's one of the best handle of abuse issues I read lately. ⊕ ● ○
▧ STEREOTYPE. Noun.
▣ A person or thing that conforms to a widely held but oversimplified image of the class or type to which they belong.
◘ Slut-shaming - That's a shame because it was really - as usual - completely unnecessary. There's this girl, Maggie, who bears the cost of being neither Alexi's friend nor a main character of the story, and I must admit that I was mad at the way her behavior toward guys is portrayed. I mean, why create such character, whose only mean seems to be compared to the pure Alexi? Fortunately this was rare, but sentences like this : "Maggie. She was there." when talking about sex tend to annoy me someting fierce.
◘ Unoriginal plot : Just look at it, okay? Some teenager girl who's got issues since last summer - something happened during a party, near a pool, think alcohol, excitation. Well, I'm going to put this behind a spoiler tag because I'm nice like that, but I can bet that you've already guessed what happened to her : yeah,
Spoiler
she was raped.▧ PEEVE. Noun
▣ A cause of annoyance
◘ God says this, God thinks that : So. I'll only say it once : No offense to all of you who believe in God. Seriously. But as I'm not a believer, these constant references to God irked me. Yes, that upset me when a character I love is compared to God, like here : "I know these two weeks have been God walking right into my life like he was flesh and Kool-Aid-colored hair. The gospel according to Bodee Lennox. His safety. His protection. And love."
Please, just don't do this. Meh. Meh. Meh. I don't want religious things in my YA. I loved Bodee. Please. He's not a God walking, for Pete's sake. He's an incredible BOY.
◘ Alexi's personality : I really, really, struggled to relate to her. But then, I never lived what she had to deal with, so can I really judge? I don't know.
▧ SCARY. Adj.
① Frightening; causing fear
② Uncannily striking or surprising
◘ What says your unconscious? : this story scared me in a weird level. Have you ever thought about what we all forget from our childhood? How many events do we lose in the meanderings of our minds? Have you ever wondered what was carefully hidden in each and every one of us? Because I have. When I take a look at my childhood, I'm always bewildered to realize that several years have just - disappeared. Completely. Nothing happened to me and I'm pretty sure I'm a balanced person enough but what happens if that's not the case? The fact that events from childhood can influence our lives without being aware of it is plain scary to me. Moreover, I could picture what Alexi was doing to herself. So much that it made me physically cringe. Hurting her neck, hiding in her closet, faking, pretending - I saw her, under her shell, under all the layers behind which she started hiding. As for Bodee, what can I say except that my teenage self might have fell in love with him? This Kool-Aid guy, whose color hair changes every day and whose loss left him broken, but who tries to go forward whatever it takes? I adored him.
▧ REAL. Adj.
① Used to emphasize the significance or seriousness of a situation.
② (Of a thing) not imitation or artificial; genuine.
But what made this book so much better than the regular New Adult which deals with similar issues is the absence of this awful twist, aka, the healing sex/making out. Yes Bodee and Alexi are hurting - Yes they're all kind of broken, even if for different reasons. Yes they're going to help each other. But that's not a dumb Love heals Anything story in my opinion.
No. Talking helps. Trusting helps. Having a friend helps. Learning to stop coping and thinking of ourselves helps. Standing for ourselves helps. At some point, I couldn't help but think Yes, THIS is real. This is how it goes.
So much better than a healing dick, for Pete's sake.
Right? Because there might be romance in it, this is never the real deal. No. The real deal, that's this liberating moment when Alexi yells. Finally.
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dani005's review
3.0
I loved the meanings and the implications of this book. I loved how it wasn't rushed and how it was treated with respect towards its subject. This matter is hard but the author did such a good job approaching these matters.
The first characters were amazing in their dynamics and in how intricate they were, however the second characters were slightly flat for me.... however they did add a good contrast and undertones in order to tell the story.
THis book's ideas and characters were good, but it was slow and often hard to keep going at times... as much as i loved how it didn't rush, i found there were certain aspects that could have been flushed out more perhaps in order to keep the story engaging, more emotional dynamics and suspense or mystery, although there was already so much mystery. Maybe it was just the wrong time to read it, and my concentration just wasn't there.
In any case i do like this book, and even though the story itself might not stick with me, the concepts surely will, as i respect the hard concepts this book brought up and how they were portrayed extremely well, and for that i think i'd give it a 3.5
The first characters were amazing in their dynamics and in how intricate they were, however the second characters were slightly flat for me.... however they did add a good contrast and undertones in order to tell the story.
THis book's ideas and characters were good, but it was slow and often hard to keep going at times... as much as i loved how it didn't rush, i found there were certain aspects that could have been flushed out more perhaps in order to keep the story engaging, more emotional dynamics and suspense or mystery, although there was already so much mystery. Maybe it was just the wrong time to read it, and my concentration just wasn't there.
In any case i do like this book, and even though the story itself might not stick with me, the concepts surely will, as i respect the hard concepts this book brought up and how they were portrayed extremely well, and for that i think i'd give it a 3.5
jhahn's review
5.0
I really liked this book. I thought I knew the answers to things and then found I didn't. I was very satisfied with the ending.
chrissireads's review
4.0
Faking Normal follows Alexi as she tries to forget what happened to her over the summer. We find out quite quickly what has happened to her, but not who exactly did it to her. There are lots of clues scattered along the way. I had my suspicions, but they kept changing throughout. I really liked how Alexi found a friend in Bodee, a quiet boy next door who is just as broken as she is. Brokenness is the most important element of Faking Normal. The author really captures a raw, broken teenage voice in such a believable and real manner. I totally sympathised with our main character Alexi, and could feel the pain she was feeling thanks to the fantastic writing of Courtney C. Stevens.
Faking Normal has some religious elements, I’ve discussed on my blog before how I don’t often get on with books that have a religious undertone. I was worried when I started this book that the religious references would put me off. However, as I continued the story I thought the religious references were discreet. So discreet I wonder if they were really needed in the story.
I think this book will stay with me for a while and that’s mainly because of the way in which the sensitive subject matter was handled and partly because of how well the characters were developed. They’re incredibly realistic, especially Alexi. I look forward to reading more from this author!
Faking Normal has some religious elements, I’ve discussed on my blog before how I don’t often get on with books that have a religious undertone. I was worried when I started this book that the religious references would put me off. However, as I continued the story I thought the religious references were discreet. So discreet I wonder if they were really needed in the story.
I think this book will stay with me for a while and that’s mainly because of the way in which the sensitive subject matter was handled and partly because of how well the characters were developed. They’re incredibly realistic, especially Alexi. I look forward to reading more from this author!