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My Review:Title: Normal (Something More, #1)
Author: Danielle Pearl
Series: Something More #1
Published by: Indie
Release Date: August 11, 2014
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 390
Genres: Coming of Age, Young Adult, Romance
Reading Challenges: CC's Goodreads Reading Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:
Blurb:There is an alternate cover edition for this ASIN here.
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. For fans of Colleen Hoover, Jamie McGuire, and Abbi Glines!
This book started out fantastic! I as excited to see her heal and move forward. Except, she effing didn’t! She waffled back and forth for sooooo long that I stopped caring about her after I found out the big bad secret, which was drug out for so long it lost all meaning by the time it was clear. Not to mention there is NO resolution at the end. Not even a little bit. I skimmed it just to see if it got better, because I desperatly wanted it to. I mean, the intimate scenes were amazeballs but the story itself was wanting big time. It did NOT get better. In fact, I was pretty mad after finishing this book. That’s hours of my life I will never be able to get back, and frankly it pissed me off.
The only redeeming character in the book was Sam. At least he tried throughout the book. He evolved and I loved how he apporached each triggering situation with Rory. He had his own baggage so he understood better than most what kinda of trauma she was going through. And I found it a bit selfish on Rory’s part that she never really tried to see his perspective when he was constantly seeing hers. There was no reciprocation except their mutual attraction. But you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. And I really think Rory was not ready. Which is why she backslid so often and probably why I ended up not caring about her in the end. I just couldn’t get past the fact that she didn’t want to try. I have a big problem with people who settle. They say only fools are satisfied and I think this fits Rory to a tee. I will absolutely NOT be reading anymore in this series.
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