Book Review: Normal by Danielle Pearl

Review: Normal by Danielle Pearl 

I LOVE BOOKS, OKAY? 

I will always find something in a book to like. It could be horribly written. It could be the worse plot on the planet. Nevertheless, I will find things to like because I'm a positive person, okay? Only something drastic would cause me to label a book DNF (do not finish). 

So that's why when I come across books like Normal, my faith in humanity gets restored.

I LOVE when books have an actual plot. So many books nowadays are based on nothin' but makin' some lovin' that authors seem to forget to write a real plot (Thanks 50 shades, you jerk). 

*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****

It's the kind of situation most people would dread. Starting at a new high school, in the middle of my senior year, in a new town, in a new state. I know no one. No one knows me. That's what I'm counting on.

A year ago, Aurora "Rory" Pine was just a normal teenage girl - just as sweet and naive as the fairy tale princess she was named after.

But this isn't a year ago.

Rory is broken, and now suffering from a debilitating anxiety disorder, wrought with precarious triggers, she moves across the country to escape the source of her troubles. Her plan is anonymity, but that's easier said than achieved for the new girl having a panic episode outside of calculus. The worst part? There's a witness - and a gorgeous one at that.

Sam is a walking trigger for Rory. Incredibly handsome, built like the star athlete he obviously is, and undoubtedly popular, Sam outwardly represents everything Rory despises about high school. But as the fates keep throwing them together, a connection sparks that neither ever expected, and certainly couldn't ignore.

But Sam has issues too, and Rory's past won't just stay in the damned past. When friendship evolves into something deeper, can a girl utterly destroyed by the worst kind of betrayal and a boy battling demons of his own ever have a normal relationship? Is that even what they want? Find out in NORMAL, a gritty story of trust and abuse, heartbreak and salvation, and if they're lucky - love. This is not a flowery romance - not for the faint of heart.

*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****

Anyone who knows me knows that I hate books with no HEA. There's no rainbows and butterflies at the end of Normal, but that's okay (Okay, coincidentally being the name of the sequel) because there's a sequel (more on that later). 

So I read the book, I survived the heart-breaking ending and it was so worth it. 

I found Danielle Pearl by accident, as I do with most authors. She's fantastic. Her characters are relatable. The only thing that sucks is that every character has major issues/pasts that have destroyed them. I'm not complaining, of course, because that's where the story comes from, my friend! 

Sam and Rory... my my my. They are the cutest couple. Whether they are "just friends", lovers, mad at each other, anything. Everything they do is perfect, they are perfect. Except they're not. Rory has a past, a horrible dreadful past. She was the tomboy, the one with all the guy friends. Girls were so uncool and she spent her time playing tackle football with all the dudes. Sam has deeply rooted anger problems. He fears what his own hands are capable of. 

She loved her life, it was great. She loved being a tomboy... until she didn't anymore. Rory got to the point where she wanted to wear skirts and have a boyfriend. Her bestest friend in the world, Cameron, objected, of course (most BFF's that are in love with their BFF do). Suddenly, Rory had twenty girlfriends and had sleepovers and wore makeup. She started dating the town's football star, Robin. 

Robin is an ass. He's a jerk. He deserves to be tossed in the fiery depths of hell. He ruined Rory. The once positive, strong, independent young woman was now the pawn of an evil man. He tore her down until she was nothing. He made her feel like she didn't have a choice. He raped her, beat her, made her a shell of the person she once was. 

She knew she had to get away and she finally did but at a price. She lost her best friend, Cameron, in the process. All her girlfriends turned against her. Her own father didn't believe her. 

That's where Sam comes in. Rory's mom, like any decent parent, divorced the dad and moved her daughter out of Florida and to New York. Rory, damaged from her past, has a panic attack on her very first day at the new school. Sam witnesses it and helps her through it. Alas, something beautiful has been born. 

Rory is very upfront with Sam from the very beginning. It's awesome to see that she means what she says. She isn't that character that's like "I-don't-want-you-but-I-actually-do-let-me-mess-with-your-head-kinda-gal". She doesn't want to be his friend. She's won't sleep with him. She doesn't want to be acknowledged or touched. Sam understands, but he wants to be her friend. They decide they can be friends but if Sam is ever out-of-bounds, all she has to do is say calculus and he'll back off. 

The entire story is the back and forth between these two. I don't want to give a play-by-play of the entire book, but it's amazing. You get to witness Rory heal from her past. It doesn't happen all at once, it's gradual. She thinks it's all because of Sam, but Sam knows she's the strong one (he tells her so many times).  

Normal is just one of those books that you could read and reread over and over again. It has such an intricate, detailed plot. 

Rating?
Five out of five beautiful stars.

XOXO

Kaysee Castor

No copyright intended. Use of the material in this book is for an honest review only. I do not own anything here except my opinion.