This was my first Trish Doller book and it started a love that has continued to this day. I devoured this book in a single sitting and I have no earthly idea why I didn't immediately write a review praising it, because I absolutely loved it, put it on my favorites shelf, thought about it for ages. Trish Doller is such a master at writing emotional romances, even with this very first novel. I 100% have plans to reread this one day soon.

Definitely for the older side of the Young Adult audience. Great writing and heartwrenching story. Would absolutely read more from this author!

Trish Doller's debut novel is something special. This is not a light-hearted book as Doller never shys away from the tough subject matter. Despite the heavy nature of this book and the topics it deals with such as PTSD, Doller handles it masterfully and with respect.

Travis stole my heart with this book. He's a beautifully written character. He's not perfect by any means, but he's had to deal with some heavy stuff in his life and I loved getting to see his perspective and hear his story. I fell in love with him by the end of this book. I'm not a big fan of military stories, but this one worked for me.

The romance in this book also made me feel so many emotions. This book hits all the right emotional notes - I want to laugh and wanted to cry at times.

An amazing debut from Doller that shows off her writing skills masterfully.

A new adult book that shows what I feel as though is a realistic picture of PTSD from a modern perspective from the view of a veteran who has returned home from the war in Afghanistan. Travis had a horrible tragedy happen as he watched his best friend die and he has returned home where his girlfriend is now with his brother, his family isn't doing well and he has no idea what he wants to do next.

While I don't tend to read this genre, I enjoyed seeing the modern effects of war on a young man. The nightmares and visions were so enlightening as we all think about the young men that are fighting for our freedom abroad. I appreciated this depiction and would hope that more people read it so they can see how an entire family is impacted by one of their own making such a big decision.

I loved the setting and the writing was quite beautiful. I didn’t quite connect to it as much as I would have liked to, however.

'm finding it really difficult to describe my feelings for this book. It was...different than I was expecting. But at the end of the day, it just wasn't the right book for me.

For one, I feel like the blurb and cover of this book are misleading. It's not a romance. Yeah, there's some romance in it, but that's not the focus. I also wouldn't consider Travis "an irresistible and eminently lovable hero," as I had a difficult time sympathizing with him. While I thought what he did in Afghanistan was commendable, he's not really an honorable person, and he really sort of irked me.

Really, I felt like this book just highlighted some of the worst parts of life. Also, not a single person in the book comes from a good family or has any real morals or anything. I'm not saying this book is going to ruin the minds of America's youth or anything, but I guess I just thought the story was horribly depressing - there's all this talk about terrible things in life, but there's no offering of hope. Not anything. If you're going to dwell on bad things, give us a little sliver of hope. Because no matter how bad your situation in life is, there's ALWAYS hope. But there's none in this book.

My lack of sympathy for any of the characters and the subject matter in general really just got me down, I guess, and that's why I couldn't handle this book. I wanted it to be more like Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, which features characters who've gone through terrible things but ultimately find hope and the promise of a future. And while I guess the letter at the end of this book was supposed to offer that little bit of happy, I wasn't buying it.

I also feel like it's important to mention how different the writing style is here. The pacing of this book FLIES. It's a really short, fast read - I read it in less than 48 hours, and I didn't even like it. And maybe the shortness also added to my dislike, because I didn't feel like it had a complete story arc. I don't feel like Travis learned much - or changed much. And the only person I ever felt sorry for as his mother.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. And I know it's been popular with other reviewers. But maybe Trish Doller and I just have too different of worldviews for me to enjoy her story. There were lots of things in this story that made me uneasy, and I didn't care for how she handled a lot of the material. But if you're into dark contemporaries, male protagonists, and "edgy" plots, then maybe this is for you. I'd be hesitant to recommend it to teens, but I think more mature readers can decide for themselves if this is the type of story they like.

Really 4.5 Stars

Some books don't live up to the hype they receive, but Something Like Normal certainly does. I knew that this book would be an emotional read, but I wasn't prepared for just how real the story would become as I read it.

Travis has returned home from Afghanistan, but he hasn't completely left the war behind him. As if it wasn't hard enough to readjust to civilian life, he is forced to relive his best friend's death in his dreams. Add to that issues at home, and Travis is really just trying to survive the month that he is on leave. One night when he is out, he runs into Harper, one of the few girls who can't stand him. But war has changed Travis, and soon he and Harper begin seeing more of each other. With her help, he is slowly able to come to terms with what happened in Afghanistan as well as what's happening at home. But will he ever be able to be normal?

Some books portray a journey; Something Like Normal, however is like a perfect snapshot. And yet there is so much packed into this snapshot. From beginning to end this book felt incredibly real. There was no powerful, defining moment, no moment that made me fall in love with this book; instead, it was a gradual progression and a slow change for Travis that was wonderful to read. Everything in this book displayed Travis' emotions so well, and I loved reading his point of view. In addition, the nightmares and flashbacks of his that were interwoven were very moving and provided a good look at PTSD. However, Travis wouldn't be the character he is without Harper. Harper is a great, strong female character and one that I enjoyed reading. Her relationship with Travis was refreshing because there was no insta-love but instead a gradual bond that formed between them.

I wish that I could say more about this book, but its emotional nature is one that has to be read and experienced firsthand. My only complaint about this book is that it is too short. And yet, perhaps that is also what makes it so moving - that this only captures a brief moment in time and the rest is left to our imagination.

Something Like Normal is a fantastic debut novel from Trish Doller and one that you will not regret reading. I can't wait to see what she writes next!