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    Something Like Normal
    Something Like Normal
    Something Like Normal
    Ebook201 pages3 hours

    Something Like Normal

    By Trish Doller

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    When Travis returns home from Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother's stolen his girlfriend and car, and the nightmares of his best friend getting killed keep him completely spooked. But when he runs into Harper, a girl who despises him for rumors Travis started back in middle school, life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he falls deeper in love with her and begins to find his way through the family meltdown, the post-traumatic stress and the possibility of a interesting future. His sense of humor, sense of his own strength and incredible sense of honor make Travis an irresistible and eminently loveable hero in this fantastic and timely debut novel.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateJun 19, 2012
    ISBN9781599908632
    Something Like Normal
    Author

    Trish Doller

    Trish Doller is the author of Something Like Normal, which was an ABA New Voices Pick and a finalist for NPR’s Best-Ever Teen Novels, among many other accolades; Where the Stars Still Shine; The Devil You Know; In a Perfect World; and Start Here. She has been a newspaper reporter, radio personality, and bookseller, and lives in Fort Myers, Florida, with a relentlessly optimistic Border Collie and a pirate.

    Read more from Trish Doller

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    Reviews for Something Like Normal

    4/5

    200 ratings34 reviews

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    • 1/5
      i started it and i almost got through the first half but i just found it so boring i felt like i was reading it out of obligation i thought it was going to be interesting and i liked the main character but i wanted something to happen. i did not like it.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed reading Some-thing like normal. The books tells the story of a soldier home on leave after his best friend is killed during the war. The story is told from his point of view and how he deals gets by day to day.
    • 5/5
      Travis is back from his tour of duty in Afghanistan... at least his body is back in middle America... his mind keeps returning to the battlefield where every face is a possible enemy and where he lost his best friend, Charlie. Some things have changed: his girl is going with his younger brother, his parents' marriage is rocky and his friends treat him with kid gloves. Some things remain the same: his little brother still takes his stuff (and breaks it) and his Dad still expects too much... Charlie meets up with girl Harper (whose reputation he trashed in 7th grade) and slowly begins to figure out what he has to do to get by.Spot-on first person narrative and portrayal of PTS. Sexual content (not graphic and, to this reader, an integral part of the story) and mature language (these ARE soldiers, after all) suits this book to more mature readers.
    • 3/5
      This was a cute little book. It wasn't very long and was kind of depressing for me.. not that the story didn't end well. It was well written, and I actually could relate to the main character being male and all. I would've liked to read what actually happened in the hotel room, but the story isn't about kink, it's about the effect of trauma and war. I did cry and laugh at moments too. All in all it was a good read.
    • 3/5
      Travis has returned from war and nothing is as it was. He sleeps on the floor because his bed seems like just too much. He keeps having dreams and of course there's a girl. Not my particular cup of tea but a very important book for those returning or those who have someone who is returning.
    • 3/5
      Travis Stephenson is a Marine home on leave after a deployment in Afghanistan, and things aren't peaceful on the home front. His relationship with his father is still as bad as it was when Travis joined the Marines to get away from his disapproval. His younger brother is dating his ex-girlfriend, Paige, and driving his car without permission. His mother is behaving oddly, his parent's marriage may be breaking up, and he no longer has anything in common with his old friends. His worst problem is that he's consumed by guilt over the death of his best friend in combat and experiencing serious PTSD symptoms. The one bright spot in all this is Harper. She and Travis have bad history going back to middle school, but he's hoping that they can put it behind them because she's the only person in Florida he actually wants to spend time with. I had a very mixed reaction to this book. I liked some aspects of it very much and others not at all. On the positive side Travis is a great POV character and his story was engaging. He isn't perfect by any means, but he felt very real for a 19 year old dealing with PTSD and a host of other personal pressures who is trying to grow up and figure out how to move forward with his life. That aspect of the story was very well done. I also liked his relationship with his friends from his unit. Their interactions are that combination of profane, mean, and supportive that's so common in the friendships of young men and I enjoyed them. Unfortunately other aspects of the book weren't as strong. The main issues were with romance. Travis and Harper had very bad history which was Travis' fault. When he ran into her and tried to be casual and friendly she literally punched him in the face. I'm not one to advocate violence, but he had it coming. Unfortunately, that was it. From there they moved right into a tentative relationship that quickly became something more. It felt like their history got swept under the rug so we could hurry up and get to the romance and then the romance was unsatisfying because Harper remained underdeveloped as a character. The strong girl who gave Travis a black eye ended up as little more than the stereotype of the perfect girlfriend instead of a fully realized character. The problem was made worse by the unsubtle contrast drawn between her and Paige. Paige was such a lousy person that she was almost a cartoon version of the trampy bad girl. Compared to Harper the incredibly supportive and forgiving virgin her character felt ridiculous and the whole thing had more than a whiff of Madonna/whore slut-shaming. I'm never comfortable with that and I really didn't like it in this case. It just wasn't well done. My other main complaint is that I would have liked to see more interaction between Travis and his brother Ryan, and a better resolution to their conflict. They each had a long list of reasons to dislike the other and plenty of those complaints were valid, but ultimately the problem lay far more with their parents than with them and I wish Travis had been able to see that. In other respects Travis actually displayed a good bit of self-awareness for his age, but not when it came to Ryan. I was left wondering what the story would look like from his POV and whether either of them ever figured out that they should stop wasting their time being mad at each other and be mad at their parents instead. Overall I enjoyed Travis' story, but I really wish the problems hadn't overshadowed the excellent parts as much as they did.
    • 4/5
      I was pleasantly surprised by this book. When I picked it up at the library, I checked the verdicts of my friends, and it seemed to be split down the middle. They either really liked it or they really didn't. I decided to give it a go, mostly because it was so short (just over 200 pages), so I knew even if I didn't like it, it wouldn't be a huge time investment.

      I'm happy to say I actually really liked this one. From the get go, I wasn't sure if I'd like Travis because on page four, we find out he cheated on his long term girlfriend. Many times. That's a big no-no for me, so I wasn't sure I'd connect with him. But after reading about what a gross girl his ex was, it didn't bother me.

      There were parts that did bother me: the resolution at the end between Travis and Harper seemed thin and, really, quite non-existent. But, honestly, I was so caught up in the emotion of everything else happening that it didn't bother me enough to nix a star. The issues that Travis dealt with after coming home from Afghanistan were heartbreaking and messy and raw, and I loved that about this book.

      I found Travis's voice to be authentic and real (or what I'd imagine it would be) for a nineteen year old boy.

      Besides a great story, it was also nice to get a polished, fully edited book in the world of NA.
    • 5/5
      A sweet love story told from the point of view of Travis, a 19-ish-year-old Marine just returned from a tour in Afghanistan. Things are not so great at home, though: his girlfriend is now dating his brother, his parents are fighting, and Travis sees the ghost of his best friend, Charlie, everywhere. And then he runs into Harper, the girl whose reputation he ruined back in middle school. And he would love to find "something like normal" with her, if only she'll give him a chance...Very good, honest and a little bit steamy.Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Something Like Normal is wonderful. Doller does (what I think is) an excellent job with the subject matter. The book isn't preachy or over-the-top. It just is what it is. And the tone, plot pacing - all of that was great.

      Travis was completely flawed. He makes some bad decisions. And he waffles over making good decisions. But he DOES make good ones. And great observations. His voice was just lovely - totally frank and unapologetic.

      All around great book. And a fantastic YA novel with an older protag, which is always fun (and rare, I feel).
    • 4/5
      I really liked the hero. The author did a marvelous job writing from the pov of a traumatized teenaged male who recently returned from the war in Afghanistan. Heartfelt, moving, with hope at the end. I really look forward to more from this author.
    • 5/5
      WOW. That's really all I can say, wow.

      Almost exactly a year ago someone I went to junior high and high school with ended his life after a long struggle with PTSD. It's not like we were friends. We sat next to each other in 8th grade English. I definitely hadn't spoken to him since graduation, probably before that actually, but still his death was hard for me. He was a Marine, just like Travis. He saw and was haunted by what he saw, Just like Travis. I was about 3/4 of the way through the book when I realized I was picturing Travis as this guy I had known from school.

      The story is great.
      The characters are real, believable, perfect.


      This will be reread again and again.

      I'm so glad that Trish Doller decided to tell this story. WOW.

    • 3/5
      Travis is on leave from Afghanistan where he watched his buddy die. He comes home to discover that his younger brother is now with his girlfriend, his dad is still not proud of him, and his parents aren't getting along. Plus, he suffers from nightmares and sees things. It takes Harper, a girl he's ignored since middle school, to help him get back on his feet and seek the help he needs.
    • 5/5
      It's the emotion and characters that really make this book. This is not a story of heroism in war, rather it's a story of a young man trying to adjust and find his place in the world after war has changed him so drastically. Characters and emotions are fleshed out in such a way that they become real, and I couldn't help but care and become involved in their story. Everything about Normal felt authentic--especially Travis's 19-year-old Marine voice and the romance. That romance--it pushes a lot of the right buttons. It's tentative, playful, and emotionally intimate. I believed it all the way and was totally sucked in. Despite the cover, this is no Nicholas Sparks book. Rather it's a book that takes a look at what faces a young Marine when he comes home--ranging from family dynamics to ptsd to friendships to grief to intimacy. I think it has appeal for guys, too
    • 5/5
      Fantastic. I really enjoyed this book. I began reading it at 9:00 at night and stayed up until 2:00 to finish it. Travis "Solo" Stephenson is an amazing character. At 19, he's already seen more of the world's troubles than most people do in a lifetime. He's home for a four-week leave from his gig as a Marine deployed to Afghanistan. His best friend has died, and Travis struggles with survivor's guilt and a bad case of PTSD. His ex-girlfriend, who dumped him for his brother while Travis was overseas, keeps showing up in his bed. His father remains a first class asshole, and his mother is clearly unhappy in her marriage. And the girl whose reputation her ruined back in middle school punches him in the face.Writer Doller does an amazing job getting inside the head of a unique Young Adult character. Travis is far from perfect and keeps making mistakes, but he works to build a better relationship with his mother and to earn forgiveness from Harper. I really enjoyed watching Travis stand up to a father who never deserved his respect. All in all, a great book that I know I'll reread again and again.
    • 5/5
      I can't even begin to describe how in love I am with this story. Travis is such an amazing main character and I really enjoyed seeing everything through his eyes. He's seen and been through a lot, and it definitely comes through in his personality, but it doesn't completely own him. He's still just a guy, who sometimes does really jackass things and doesn't give them a second thought, at first. Once he starts spending more time with Harper, he starts thinking about how he should be better. The way he sees it, Harper is way too good for him, and unless he shapes up she'll never give him a real chance. Harper is a nice girl, who has a bad reputation, because of some rumors that Travis helped start when they were in middle school. Despite the unsavory nature of their shared past, Harper is intrigued by Travis and they start spending time together. The two of them are so fun together, oftentimes playful and light, which is such an excellent contrast to Travis' stories about being overseas.This book is so emotional. We see Travis trying to come to terms with the things he's done and not being able to protect his best friend from death, and trying to be there for his mom while his family is going through something. These things are written so well and I felt like I knew exactly how he was feeling. There were so many times I wished I could just reach in the book and give Travis a hug. And while I loved watching the relationship develop between Travis and Harper, I also really enjoyed when we got to meet some of his Marine buddies. Groups of guys are always entertaining to me, because the dynamic changes and you see a different side. I honestly can't think of anything that I didn't like about this book. I'm still in a bit of a book haze about it, so I apologize if this is mostly incoherent fangirling, but this book grabbed me and affected me in a way most books don't. It will be getting a reread very soon and my finished copy will be proudly displayed on my favorites shelf. So it definitely deserves some fangirling and Trish Doller deserves all the praise she has been, and will undoubtedly, keep getting!Definitely give this one a shot. It's an excellently written story full of emotions and real, layered people. There is a main character you can't help buy love and a whole cast of other characters that will make you fall in love with them, too. A must read :0)
    • 5/5
      When nineteen-year-old Travis Stephenson returns home on leave from Afghanistan, it's not all a balloons and music - if even that is what his mom had to welcome him home with. After the happy welcome, Travis faces a much different reality: his parents' marriage is falling apart, his brother has pilfered his girlfriend and taken over his car and Travis keeps seeing his best friend everywhere. Only problem is Charlie died in Afghanistan.It isn't until Travis meets - re-meets, really - Harper Grey in a bar, a girl that he has a sorted past with that things begin to look like they might be able to turn around for him. As he and Harper spend more time together, Travis seems able to deal with both his family problems and his own - and not just wait it out until he's back at base or in Afghanistan where he, oddly enough, seemed to feel more at home.Maybe with Harper he won't be able get back to normal, but something like it just might do.Something Like Normal is a brilliant, fantastic debut with a lead character like one I doubt you've ever read before and like one I doubt you'll ever read again.I spent the beginning of the book trying to figure out who it was Travis reminded me of - which character. I went through every remotely military character from books, TV, movies and came up with nothing. I thought about male main characters or narrators and still came up with nothing. Know why? He doesn't remind me of anyone.I thought he did because Trish Doller has drawn him so well, flesh her character out so full that even after just a little bit of the story, I felt like I knew Travis. (Which, in turn, led me to thinking he reminded me of someone else.) He is a character that feels so real, so quickly that it's hard to believe you just 'met' him a few pages or chapters ago.The relationship between Harper and Travis is fantastic. It's pretty much perfect in that it's not perfect. They have their flaws and Travis does not become healed and whole just because of Harper's existence and she (I love her for this) is also pretty tough herself and doesn't forget their past just because. Right from the beginning they're pretty adorable.The military aspects of Something Like Normal all seem to be on point (and based on the acknowledgments I'd say they are) and add greatly to the story. Not only are they part of what makes - and keeps - Travis seeming so real, it's something that makes this novel both incredibly relevant and important. Aside from being just an immensely enjoyable book, I applaud Trish Doller for the subject matter as well.Please do go read this book, it's fantabulous (see, I held out on that word until now because it doesn't quite fit with the book, per se, but does fit with my opinion of it). It is a 9 and not a 10 only because I might have liked to see a little bit more on some of the secondary characters or towards the end.Rating: 9/10*Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for my e-galley of this title
    • 4/5
      I debated between giving this four or three and a half stars. Where I think it is good is giving a sense of PTSD (though I don't have the credentials to really judge) and making Travis a likeable and very real 19-year-old. He is on leave while he's home from a deployment, having trouble coping with his best friend's death in Afghanistan. The storyline that I think was weak was the family mess - I know families are messed up, but the dots didn't connect here - and the way the "good" people were presented as perfect and always able to say the right thing. Nevertheless, I got caught up in it and even though I knew how it would turn out, I was happy it got there.
    • 4/5
      Having some good friends that served in the army in Iraq/Afganistan, I knew I wanted to read this book, although it was a ficitonal take on the devastation that they had to deal with day in and day out, I feel like the episodes that Travis went through were very real to what veterens go through when they get home from such a tramatic experience. I love that the book was told from Travis's perspective and not from an outsiders point of view. I loved Travis's character and I loved Harper as well, the only character I had a problem with was Travis's younger brother who point-blank was a selfish pain in the ass. I think anyone who's had to say goodbye to someone overseas in the military will enjoy this book, and I think it's important to understand the trama that veterens go through upon coming home from the military. I don't think anyone can truly understand what they go through overseas fighting for their countries and their lives unless they've been there, but I felt like this was a good look into the life of someone post-war.
    • 4/5
      I have been lucky in that I have not had to fear for the life of a young family member or close friend serving in war torn areas. Australian casualties in the current conflicts have been low, we have lost just 33 soldiers since 2001 in Afghanistan, which is incredibly fortunate in comparison to the more than 5,000 lives of serving American soldiers, the majority aged under 25 years old.In Something Like Normal, nineteen year old Travis is on a month's leave at home in Florida having served in the Marine Corps in Afghanistan for the last year or more. Travis enlisted at eighteen, mainly to escape his hyper critical father and being home is proving both awkward and difficult. His girlfriend is now sleeping with his younger brother, Ryan, his father is cheating on his mother and Travis is plagued by nightmares about the loss of his best friend in-country, Charlie.Told in the first person, Travis's story is believeable, moving and utterly compelling. As he tries to readjust to civilian life, he struggles with flashbacks and hyper awareness while also being tortured by grief and guilt. To me, Travis's perspective seems realistic, he thinks and feels like a teenage boy, from his casual approach to sex, to his horseplay with his Marine buddies. All that he has seen, and the PTSD he is suffering from, has had a profound affect on him though. The Travis who left home is not the same person who returned, and he wonders if her will ever be normal again.Despite the serious issues raised in this book, there are moments of genuine humour, tenderness and a sweet romance. Travis meets Harper, a former classmate, and despite the odds they form a relationship that lends Travis emotional strength.I give real credit to the author that there is no neat 'happily ever after' waiting at the end of this book, there is hope and redemption but Travis has a lot to deal with, and of course, he has to go back.Don't be fooled by the brevity of this book, it has a lot to say. and says it well. Something Like Normal is a thought provoking contemporary young adult novel that explores what it may be like for the young service men returning home, even briefly. I'd specifically recommend it to siblings, family and friends of young serving military men but feel it would appeal to a wide range of readers for its realistic insight into a rarely discussed issue.
    • 5/5
      Nineteen year old Travis is enlisted in the Marines. As he returns from a tour in Afghanistan, he gets some upsetting news. His parents are splitting, his brother has taken his ex-girlfriend and his car, and he can't even interact with his friends like he used to. But one day after coming home, he finds himself in a bar where he meets the one chick who's life he made a living hell in school... Harper. As the book goes on, we see that Travis has a few things he can't shake, like nightmares of being in Afghanistan of his dead best friend Charlie who was in his company. He doesn't want anyone to know about it and think he's crazy, so he keeps it to himself. About Harper and Travis' romance, it wasn't too fast paced and it fit the story. Granted there were some times I wanted to jump into the book and slap Travis for being such a bone head, but he's a guy. (They're not really all that smart lol) I did love them together tho. Like the baby turtle scene. Golden. It was so incredibly cute and the fact that there was baby turtles there.... Yeah, that's a win for sure lol. Every page in this book was filled with raw emotion. What made it so much better was the fact that I know a little about the military from family being in it, and I can relate 100% to this. (I was also a military girlfriend once, so I realllly understand....) It was really heart wrenching to "watch" Travis deal with seeing Charlie and not being able to help him. I was glad when the one person did convince him to get help. Another thing I loved about this book was the fact that it was told from a male's POV. We don't have many of those in YA anymore, so it was refreshing to get to read a story a different way. Now although the language was pretty bad, I just related it to him being a guy and in the military. Something Like Normal is about a truly broken character with only one person that can help build him himself back up. Although he is so damaged, he is very likable. He will definitely win your heart and have him thinking about him nonstop. Believe me when I tell you, Travis is definitely a hero. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is something serious and shouldn't be handled lightly. Having gone to these awful places during a time of war is hard and scary and should be looked at with admiration that they gave up their time to do it when we wouldn't. So if you know someone on active duty, on reserve, retired, a veteran or whatever, be sure to thank them. Because remember, they didn't/don't have to do what they did/do. (And I say this in the most non-lecturey, serious way possible :D)
    • 5/5
      I've mentioned quite a few times how much I love male narrators. When the story is told from a male POV, the story instantly becomes more fascinating to me. Sometimes, I secretly think no woman can really write it like a man can. But then I read Hannah Moskowitz and Holly Black and Swati Avashti an now... Trish Doller. Travis' voice was imply Travis' voice, nothing more or less. Being able to see trough Travis' eyes has been simply amazing.Travis has returned home from Afghanistan and is facing the fact that home is not really home anymore. It doesn't feel welcoming or... normal. It's not often that we find stories like this: emotional, raw, but at the same time witty and fresh. And yes, with some delicious sparkles of romance in between. Something Like Normal is the kind of book that sucks you in with its vividness and fun moments, and then gives you understanding, becoming one of your most memorable reads. This book is more than a wonderful debut, and Trish is an author to look out for, she has a talent worth envying.I loved this book so much. I especially love Travis. He's the type of character we don't read often: flawed yet perfect. The story deals with many issues, like PTSD, but does it without becoming dark or hard to swallow. So this one is light while still being profound. It's the perfect kind of Summer read that's not fluffy at all but will warm your heart. I highly recommend it.
    • 5/5
      Something Like Normal was a book that I was dying to read after I saw that people were absolutely raving about it. And I have to say, I am so glad I did! It completely blew me away and was a book I completely fell in love with.Now, if you haven't read that description please go back and do so. Is there anything that really stands out to you? I can't say that much did for me. Yeah, it sounds good but not absolutely incredible. But it was, trust me. Travis was a character that felt real to me. His typical guy bit as well as his sense of honor (yes, that bit is in the description!) that really starts to shine through as the book goes on. He's had to deal with a lot and he's struggling, but he really starts to find his way in this book. As he struggles with his friends death and post traumatic stress he's also dealing with his awful father and his mother who's been broken by her husbands douche-bag ways and ideas. At the same time he's falling for Harper who was an absolute gem. I was a little surprised she was willing to give him the time of day after I heard of the awful things he did (or said) way back (even though he didn't really) but she's very forgiving and I felt like she saw through him and saw all the good he had stored up inside when so many others didn't really. Not even himself.This book is definitely aimed at more mature readers (high school, not middle school) as the main character is in the Marines (so a bit of cursing) and there's lots of talk about sex (fade out, no description). It wasn't anything that bothered me, it all felt important to the story and made it more authentic. I just want a warning there for the younger readers.I very highly recommend this book to mature YA readers as well as adults. This is a book that boys would likely enjoy as well as long as they can look past the kissing on the cover. It was a fast read and full of beauty that you surely don't want to miss!
    • 4/5
      Opening LineAt the end of the concourse I can see a few kids from the high school marching band playing the 'Marines Hymn' and a couple old guys- their blues straining at the waist- acting as an unofficial color guard. Jesus Christ, please tell me my mom didn't hire a band.My Take On ItI love that opening line, actually I included the first two lines because it's the second one that sets up the scene and lets you get a feel for the MC Travis. And can I get a Hooah (I think that's the way the Marine's spell it) for a male POV? How about some love for the New Adult genre, of which this book also falls into? Two of my very favorite things all wrapped up in this completely awesome debut work by fellow Floridian Trish Doller. So, you have probably read a few reviews of Something Like Normal by now (heavy dose of sarcasm injected because there must be a trillion reviews out there:). The book doesn't release until June 19, but I think most early reviewers loved it so much they just couldn't wait to get their thoughts out there and create a very well deserved buzz. I'm no different. I ate this book up. It grabbed a hold of me about 9 pm one night and I swear, if the kiddo's had not needed to be up early for school the next day, I would have stayed up all night to finish it. It's fairly slim at 224 pages, but this story sucks you in so darn quick it could've been 500 pages or more and I still would have struggled to put it down. I'm not sure that I will be able to add a whole lot to the conversation, because I totally agree with everyone else who has read and loved this book. But what impressed me most about Something Like Normal is that it is stunning in it's simplicity. It is heartfelt and emotional yet balanced by an authentic voice and smart, funny dialogue. Something Like Normal tackles some serious issues, but at it's heart, is a coming of age story intertwined with a very touching romance. The thing that I love most about this book is, hands down, Travis' voice. You guys, Travis is the real deal. He talks like a guy. He thinks like a guy (and by that I mean he is prone to thinking with the little head instead of the big one ) but it is SO refreshing to read a contemporary work with a main character that sounds real and acts real. Travis isn't perfect. His life is far from perfect. He makes mistakes. But you know what is so great about him? He knows all this. And he works on it. He wants to be a better person. He wants to be the hero that his mother thinks he is. He wants a better life for himself and he wants to do the right thing. When you have a character like that, it's impossible not to root for him. And like Harper Gray, it's impossible not to fall for him either. Watching Travis's awkwardness with his family and friends after he returns home is kind of heartbreaking. As are the flashbacks and survivor guilt he feels after losing his best friend Charlie while serving in Afghanistan. I could feel the tension between Travis and his dad, as well as with his back stabbing little brother (sorry Ryan, but I have very little sympathy for a character like you.) And I enjoyed the protective relationship Travis has with his mom. As the mother of two boys myself, I completely related to her role in the book. Basically, I love how Trish Doller introduces Travis at the beginning of this book, and I love watching the person he becomes as the story progresses. I think the character of Harper Gray is AMAZING. Harper is written perfectly, she is the right combination of bitchy and sweet, naive and jaded, brave and scared. I love that even though she has every right to blow Travis off (and the scene where she does just this, and more, ROCKS) she decided to give him a second chance. I love that she is able to put all the hurt aside and move forward and I love that she is secure enough in herself to open up and learn to trust him. These are the type connections I want to read more of! Harper and Travis have a past history that's not easily forgotten, it's messy and it's complicated. But these two definitely have chemistry and because they take care to move slowly and gingerly, a beautiful, healthy relationship develops between them. In short, the romance between the two feels REAL and true to life and Trish Doller scores high marks in my book for crafting it so well.I have to say that I really enjoyed the setting of this book, too. I live on the Florida Gulf Coast and I totally relate to the small beach town life that Doller writes about. Whether it was the dreg beach bars and their patrons, or the beach house keg parties or the late night visits to Waffle House, or the deep sea fishing charters and the midnight sea turtle hatching scene, all were so familiar that I swear Trish Doller could have been writing about MY hometown beach. It made me smile as I read it and nod along in silent understanding. And I also related to the military aspect of Something Like Normal. My dad was in the Air Force, he served early on in Vietnam then came home and went to school on the G.I. Bill. Although I wasn't a military brat, I was born, and for the most part, raised in Pensacola, Florida, the "Cradle of Naval Aviation." Naval Air Station Pensacola is where all the Navy flyboys have to go to get their "wings." MC Travis is not Navy, he's a Marine, but I felt an instant connection with this story having grown up in a military town. And I also felt a connection to Travis as he suffers through PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.) There are scenes written into Something Like Normal in which Travis has nightmares, trouble sleeping and startles easily at loud noise. I can tell you that these scenes are absolutely 100% true to life, because my father-in-law, also a Vietnam Vet, suffers from PTSD as well. It's some scary stuff guys, and it can affect every aspect of your life. I applaud Trish Doller for including this in her story, and for not sugar coating it. It's a very real thing that many men and women suffer with, in some cases, their entire life. Travis' PTSD gave him a certain vulnerability in Something Like Normal, but by no means made him a weaker character. It instead proved to be one more challenge that he learned to face and tackle head on, and I love the way it was incorporated into the story. I could go on and on about the book, like how much I loved the secondary characters like Travis's Marine buddies Kevlar and Moss, and Charlie's tattoo artist mom, but I think you get the idea. Something Like Normal is a breath of mountain-clean, crisp, fresh air in a somewhat saturated paranormal, dystopic and post apocalyptic YA market, and I can't speak highly enough of it. If I had any gripes it would probably be that I wish it had been longer and I wish there was, if not a sequel exactly, a companion novel with some of these characters I have come to love. I'm afraid that I'm not ready to let them go just yet. 4.5/5 Stars
    • 5/5
      Now, this is one heck of a story. I wasn't even done with the first chapter, yet I was giddy and smiling beyond my face! What I adored most about this story was the feel of it. It felt real. That's cause stories like this do happen in real life. Parents that are fighting. Lovers leaving for someone else. A war dramatically changing the fate of a young man who is unsure of his future. The inner demons he fought just to be normal made my heart break. The love interest captured me like no other. Normal. What is it to be normal? To actually love someone like you never have before. The fear that slithers through your body when you realize what you've done. All these emotions and more, the reader feels as if you really are in his shoes. I had no problem falling into Travis's shoes, seeing and feeling everything that he is doing. You know what else is great about this book? Things you've done in the past coming back to bite you in the butt. Not only did the irony struck me with the love interest but as well as his present. Travis had to deal with so many issues, I rooted for him to find love and peace. Travis needed much peace. Something Like Normal dives into the mind of a young man who is fighting for his life. Stuck in a hard place, the yearn for normalcy snags the reader into sensory overload. Delivering a powerful debut, Something Like Normal is a necessary read.
    • 5/5
      Rating: 5/5

      THIS BOOK.
      OH MY GOD..
      WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE?
      I WANT MY OWN TRAVIS.RIGHT.NOW.

      It's been an amazing experience to be with Travis. Painful (the good kind of pain), heart-breaking, hilarious, a little bit hot... okay very hot.. and I just want to go look for him and bang hug him so tight.

      I'm really at loss for words to explain why this book was so good and so overwhelming. I'm afraid my review will be just me talking gibberish and making a fool out of myself.

      I'll try anyway.
    • 5/5
      Originally posted here.

      There are some subjects that I avoid like the plague, and current politics tops the list. A subset of that is anything about the US' resent wars, both Afghanistan and Iraq. Were it not for my challenge with myself to read as many Apocalypsies books as I can, I definitely would not have picked this one up. Let me just say that I would seriously have been missing out.

      Something Like Normal is about a Marine deployed in Afghanistan, but Doller manages to avoid any preaching on the war itself, either negative or in endorsement. This book isn't about the political side of the war; it's about the emotions. Told from Travis' perspective, Something Like Normal is not intended to capture the truth of the war as a whole, but merely to highlight its effect on one person.

      In the opening scene, Travis has just arrived home on leave, a mandated, extended leave to allow him to deal with his problems dealing with his best friend's death. Travis is not the kind of guy that I like in real life, and he's not the typical YA hero. He's flawed, even a bit of an asshole. His gut instinct is to violence, he makes too many decisions with his dick, and he doesn't recognize that his mother is just as trapped in their family as he is. I mean, if you told me that I would read a book and sympathize with a guy who hooked up with his ex-girlfriend (now his brother's girlfriend) while flirting with a wonderful girl, then I would have told you that you were insane.

      Still, that's precisely what happened. Something about the writing really made everything feel so real. I got completely sucked into Travis' narration. Despite my disgust for his behavior much of the time, I couldn't help being right there with him. The writing is not ornate, not the typical style I most appreciate, but it fits Travis perfectly: blunt, slightly crude, occasionally funny, and fairly intelligent. The other aspect of the writing that made this work was how reserved, distant, and cold Travis' narration felt most of the time, the exceptions being time spent with Harper or with his marine buddies when you can feel him come alive.

      Harper. I have to talk about her. I just love her, even if she made choices I never would have made. She's a completely wonderful girl, and Travis doesn't deserve her. I think she knows that, but she's been in love with him for ages and she's going to get what she wants, just like she'll find a way to pay her way through college. She is such a caring soul, shown both in her treatment of her father and of Travis. Though she may lash out initially, she always ends up doing the right thing. I have so much respect for her as a character.

      Another amazing character that I really have to talk about is Travis' mom. Rarely will you see a parent lauded in a YA book review, but I really liked her. She's so completely a mom all the way through, with the care packages, the smothering hug on arrival, the clothing she chose for him, and her projects to try to help out her son's cause. At first, she seems a weak character, controlled by her jerk of a husband, but there's so much more to her. I loved watching her and Travis learn to support and understand one another, brought together through the magic of beer. In fact, the quote I chose for this book is one that struck a chord with me, because it's so like my own relationship with my mother.

      There is just so much life in this novel. Part of that stems from the fact that nothing has been romanticized. Doller isn't trying to show the great American hero; she's trying to show a teenager forced to grow up much too fast and coming apart at the seems. The teens in this novel certainly do things that some parents will not want their precious snowflakes to read, but everything feels authentic. It made me cry, it made me angry, it gave me hope, it made me think, and it made me laugh, all many times over.

      Despite the hype (I've yet to see a review of this that isn't a rave), I was in no way let down with this novel. Skeptics, have no fear of the subject matter, Something Like Normal is a book you'll want to read. I was scarcely able to put it down, and, when I did, I was immediately sucked back into its emotional vortex the moment I resumed reading.
    • 3/5
      Good story but it was too fast, too short, too rushed. It could've been explored more and we would really take the time to fall in love with the people in it.
    • 3/5
      The whole book was pretty rushed
    • 3/5
      needed more substance had a good storyline that could have been explored more
    • 5/5
      There are things about this book that, had I realized before I started it, would probably have kept me from reading it.

      I expected this to be new adult, which I'm not terribly fond of reading, but this really straddles the line between new adult and young adult, which I really, really don't like to read. More egregious still, it's written in first person present and, as if that is not bad enough on its own, it's written from the male protagonist point of view. It's almost as if she didn't want me to read this book at all.

      But look 5 stars. I'm impressed with this story, and how it was written.

      I'd love to tell you more about it too but this stupid program keeps erasing everything that I write so I'm done.

      You should definitely read this book.

    Book preview

    Something Like Normal - Trish Doller

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