Something Like Normal

by Trish Doller

When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother's stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he's haunted by nightmares of his best friend's death. It's not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he's had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis's dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.

• ISBN10: 1619631466
• ISBN13: 9781619631465
• Publish Date: 21 November 2013 (first published 19 June 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 240
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Travis had joined the Marines to escape his life, but he returned, and he brought some baggage with his. He was dreading going back to his parents' home, but while there, he found love, forgiveness, and some peace of mind.

Coming from a family filled with military personal, I have always had a lot of respect for what they do to protect my country and my freedoms. Therefore, I have a certain appreciation for stories like Travis'. There were so many things about his story, that I loved, but first and foremost, I liked, that Doller did not politicize this story.

This was a story about one young solider's experience in-country and upon his return. It was about the way his deployment affected and shaped him, and changed his view of things back home. I thought Doller beautifully captured his struggle with coming back, and realizing how different he was. It was hard for him to relate to old friends, and he had a different appreciation for the people in his life. He realized, that some really didn't, or never did, fit, while making him value others a bit more.

When my father talked about his time in the army, or even about his 25 years in the NY fire department, he often waxed poetic about the "brotherhood". He shared, that there was a special relationship you foster, when you are in life or death situations with other people, and this came through so clearly as Travis related stories about his time in Afghanistan, or when he interacted with his fellow soldiers on-page. I could almost see a physical bond between them, which was formed via the things they endured.

Though, there were flashbacks to his time in-country and Travis was experiencing PTSD, I also got to share some fun and beautiful moments with him. I loved that he reconnected with his mother. His family was obviously trying to win dysfunctional family of the year, but his mother was so wonderful. Travis' time away gave him the strength and perspective he didn't have before, and not only did he see his mother in a different light, he was better equipped to give her the support she needed.

And, then, there was Harper. Harper was his first kiss, but he let something so sweet turn ugly. I was sort of stunned by the long lasting affects on her life, but I was glad she was able to overlook it, and open her heart to Travis. Her high school years may have been hell, but Harper certainly had her act together. She was stable and able to open her heart to Travis. I found the accelerated nature of their relationship quite believable, and really enjoyed all the time I got to share with them.

Overall: An emotional, raw, and real look at the life of a young soldier, which I thought was beautifully written and well explored.

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[bumblingbookworm]

This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Bookworm

This is the second of Trish Doller's books that I've read, and it was every bit as wonderful as Where the Stars Still Shine. It hooked me in from start to finish, and I wanted to re-read it the minute I was done. That's always a fairly good sign that I've enjoyed a book!

Something Like Normal may be a quick read, but is by no means lacking in substance. It deals with the issues of war, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjusting to the 'real world', familial stress, and death. Despite the fact that this book is only 224 pages, it packs a punch! At times when I read short books, I find them lacking; like they need another 100 pages to tie things up properly or so they don't feel rushed. Not so with Something Like Normal, it was perfectly timed and essentially perfect all round.

Check out the rest of my review here!

[Ashley]

BookNook — Young Adult book reviews

3.5 stars

Something Like Normal is such a sweet, tender, heartbreaking, uncertain story. I love how it deals with so many imperfections.

Travis is a great character, but he's not perfect. He's made some bad choices, he has difficulty accepting the loss of his marine friend, he doesn't always say or do the right thing, but he has such a great heart. That kind of sounds lame, but it's true. He's one of those guys who's just kind through and through. He's not perfect, but you know he means well and he really doesn't want to disappoint people. He's still kind of learning how to be a good guy, but he makes it there eventually. ;)

I really liked how the male and female roles were reversed in Something Like Normal. I feel like it's usually the girl who's a weak, emotional wreck, and then the strong guy flies in to "rescue" her, but in Something Like Normal it was the other way around. Travis is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is a bit of an emotional wreck, even though he tries not to show it. Harper is a really strong, stable girl and she kind of "saves" him. It's the first real, meaningful relationship Travis has ever been in, and it really gives him an anchor in his life.

I think the main way that Something Like Normal could have improved was in length. At only 214 pages, this book is really short—too short, I think. I think the book was too short to fully develop the emotional roller coaster side of the story. I thought this book was going to be completely gutting and heart-wrenching, and while it did have that potential, I never quite got to that stage. I think it's because the book moves too quickly. Travis and Harper hit it off quickly, but by the end of the book their relationship only feels half developed. I just think there's so much more that could have been done with it, and perhaps if it was expanded upon even more, I could have had that delicious heartbreak that I was craving.

But even so, I really enjoyed Something Like Normal. It was really refreshing to read from such an insecure male character's point of view. Travis tries to act strong, but you can see him bursting at the seams and trying to deny that he's falling apart. Even though it wasn't as developed as I wanted it to be, his relationship with Harper was really sweet and it's clear that those two are the perfect match for each other! To be honest, I'm bummed that this book isn't a series! I'd love to read more!

[Rowena]

Love!

I adore military guys and so I knew that I was going to like Travis but I wasn’t prepared for how much I was going to like him. Travis is in the Marines and has just returned from a stint in Afghanistan where his best friend Charlie was killed. He comes home (on leave) to find that his brother has taken over his car and his girlfriend. His parents are not getting along (on the verge of divorce) and he’s struggling with nightmares from Charlie’s death. He doesn’t fit in with his old friends (though it looks like his brother does) anymore and he’s not very happy.

Then he comes across Harper, a girl from school who’s reputation he had a hand in ruining. Harper isn’t happy to see him and gives him a black eye to prove it but with a month to kill before he can go back to work, he finds himself drawn to Harper. He’s not the same guy that he was a year ago and the only person that gives him any kind of peace is Harper. As they begin to get closer and closer, Travis is able to find peace from himself, from his thoughts and just everything around him for just a little while. So of course, he wants to be around her even more.

It wasn’t hard to understand why Travis was so drawn to Harper. She was an all around good person with a huge heart who was patient with him. His nightmares, his memories and his grief were hard to be around but she didn’t go anywhere. He needed her and she stuck around because she was just as drawn to him as he was to her. I really enjoyed getting to know Harper. I wanted her to be my best friend because I could just tell that she would be a great one. She had a great personality, a forgiving nature and she was pretty awesome.

Travis was a total mess when we first meet him and he continued to be a complete mess throughout the book but when the book ended, I knew that he was going to be okay. He became so much more than just a character in a book to me and I really appreciated Doller’s efforts in writing his character. He was a real, three dimensional character that leaped right off the pages and I ate each thought, action and scene with him in up. I came to love his character over the course of this story and I was so bummed when the book ended.

In my head, I could see Travis as Zac Efron from The Lucky One. Tortured by memories from his past and quiet, mysterious. He was a solid guy with a good heart who did stupid things from time to time. He wasn’t perfect but I didn’t care, I loved the heck out of him anyway. I was glad when he finally let go of Paige for good and I loved seeing him forge a bond with his Mom. He was good to her and I loved that he wanted to protect her from her relationship with his father and I just really enjoyed seeing things come together for him.

I can’t recommend this book enough. I thoroughly enjoyed it and completely recommend this book. If you pick this up, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.