A review by plutos_atmosphere
The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I think this book did trans rep as well as it could've for 2015. 
Read it in ~~4 hours because I refused to put it down. 
It was really sweet at points, and also very sad too, but I loved every second of it. As a trans person, I felt what both Kate and Leo felt about themselves and their identities. It's comforting to be able to relate to people in the book you're reading, and that's another reason why I loved this book. I do think that the trans topics could've been handled just a bit better, but this came out in 2015 so I can't blame it much. Personally, I really loved the
Tripton-On-Sea montage and the Christmas Ball montage too as they were just very fluffy (with the compulsory angst ofc, but I love them nonetheless).

At the end, I felt like something was missing. I really wanted to see more of
Leo's and Kate's relationship fleshed out (because I think they should've gotten together) but I am fairly content with the ending I got, where Alicia and Leo became friends again, and where, of course Leo and Kate are friends too.


It's not just a story about trans people, it's a story about friendship, love, acceptance and self-discovery, and it's important for everyone to know these things.
I think it's a must-read. TRANS RIGHTS FOLKS!!! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️
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