Just not a fan.
I wanted to like it. But it was just...not okay for me.
The main character were interesting, but the other characters were annoying...

I was completely gripped by this story and was impressed with the writing quality. I was entertained throughout the story and would not hesitate to recommend this book.

Sadly, I did not enjoy this one. There were so many characters I didn’t like. I like to invest in the characters growth and I just didn’t like Liv’s mother or sister at all. Also Liv’s husband, why is she married to this guy? He’s so critical and mean to her.

This one will hit all your feels. It was deep and the story drew you into itself. Definitely not one to take on when you are in a down mood.

This book felt so realistic while I was reading it. It is emotional, being a parent is very hard. This book should be read by teenagers everywhere.

Colleen Faulkner's writing style is absolutely delightful. I found this book on teenage pregnancy and the family drama that comes with it engaging and intriguing. But the fact that the whole family made the mother feel like she was stupid when all along she was right made me gag. The mother-daughter relationship too had its ups and downs. But overall, it was a good read. Well done, Colleen

I was given an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are mine.

Not going to lie, I picked this book up originally because I liked the aesthetics of the cover, and I'm a sucker for a teen pregnancy story. 20 percent in to the book I wanted to throw it. I HATED the way the main character's family treated her like she was crazy or like she was wrong for suggesting her daughter give her baby up for adoption. Everyone around her essentially gas lit her and made her feel awful, when she was RIGHT ALL ALONG. Her husband was made to be this perfect man, but frankly I thought he was a jerk who undermined her at every turn, and the best part of the book was when she left him. And the daughter? Don't even get me started. I was frustrated the whole time because the whole family was just horrible.

The grandfather was probably my favorite character, even though it was hard for me to read, having lost my own grandfather to dementia less than two months ago. It thoroughly bothered me that they all just assumed there was nothing wrong with him, and that he was "quirky" rather than him being a real adult with a terrifying and devastating disease.

I finished this book because I felt like I had to. It was not my cup of tea, and I personally wouldn't recommend it, even though I know our library has purchased a copy or two.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

I picked up this ARC randomly and was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. I will be reading more from Colleen Faulkner in the future because I loved her writing style.

Our New Normal is an amazing book. It has all the emotions. I am really glad this popped up on Netgalley and I was able to read it. Loved it and recommend it.

This was a very emotional ride. The author truly nails the perspective of an overworked mom who tries to get it all right.

So beautifully written from both points of view...I wish this could be required reading for all teenagers so they can see how hard pregnancy is, how tough being a teenager is already without being pregnant while trying to navigate through your first love, and how one action can shape your life......

Our New Normal is the story of a family's response to a teenage pregnancy. 16 year old Hazel finds herself pregnant right before she starts her junior year of high school. Her family doesn't approve of the boyfriend, her mother, Liv, wants Hazel to pursue adoption, but in the end, Hazel decides she's keeping the baby. The family works together to follow through with Hazel's choice all while Liv tries to return to work. Throughout the novel, Hazel's maturity level plummets while her family steps in to pick up the slack, especially once her child is born.

Honestly, I wanted to like this book but I just could not identify or even sympathize with any character. Each character had issues and the majority of those issues were self created. It's hard to empathize when problems are entirely of one's own making. The book was well written, but I just didn't care. At the end of the day, this title just wasn't for me.

I read this book as I read most of my Kindle books—while rocking my daughter to sleep or sitting in her room while she plays. This may have influenced my relationship with Our New Normal.

I’m always drawn to mother-daughter books, so I was sucked in immediately. Liv’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Hazel, is pregnant and her boyfriend is a typical, irresponsible teenage boy. Liv wants Hazel to consider adoption, but her daughter refuses, convinced her boyfriend will step up. Shocking no one but Hazel, he doesn’t.

Add to this that Liv’s father is struggling with dementia and her mother has chronic pain. Oh, and her husband is distant.

Our New Normal was a brilliant book and it captivated me, forcing me to ask myself what I would do in Liv’s shoes. She’s spent her entire life being a mother and ignoring her dreams, now that her kids are grown, she thinks it’s her time. Than bad her daughter is pregnant.

I related to Liv’s desire to be seen for who she is and not just as the one responsible for picking up the right coffee creamer or chauffeuring her kids around town.

If you love complicated family drama, you need to pick this one up.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted ebook in exchange for an honest review.

There was nothing normal about this book.

There was nothing good about this book.

There was nothing happy about this book.

All the characters, except for Sean who seemed to be an after-thought, are awful. Not a single redeeming quality in the bunch. Everyone was selfish (again, except for Sean who pretty much disappeared after 20% of the book, and then only seemed to appear again when it was convenient), and seriously, how much more sadness and stress could one person take? Liv is just getting a new business up and running after staying home to raise two kids. One kid off to College, second - no spoiler here - gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby. So job stress and now baby having a baby stress. Husband thinks she's not being supportive, so there's marital stress. Add in here and there some job stress issues prevalent in home renovations. Then there's sister stress, with a sister that could be removed from the book for all the good she added, with the exception of her 'tell it like it is' attitude. Then let's add in a mother with mobility issues and a father with severe dementia (to the point of walking out of the house with no pants on). Oh, and let's not forget the baby-daddy, Tyler, who also could be a minor character, given the amount of page time he's given. As well as Liv's BFF Amelia, who we hear about twice in the book and then *poof* she disappears.

This was a hot mess of a book. I should have gone with my first instinct and put it down after the first 30% of the book was about Hazel's pregnancy and the continuous adoption argument going around and around and around.

Honestly, save yourself the time and watch an episode of 16 and pregnant instead. You'll get about as much out of that as you will this book.

Such an amazing book! I’m so glad that I came across this book and just felt like I needed to read it because now that I have, I cannot stop thinking of what I just read! I just loved this book.

So much to love about this story. Family is the key in the book and it is beautiful written, There is laughter, sadness and strength that I can't even imaging having. I highly recommend this book.,

I found this book to be enjoyable. The teen pregnancy element was intriguing as well as the mother daughter relationship. Thank you for the opportunity to read! Looking forward to reading more!

Hazel is a lovely, smart, typical 16 year old girl living in Maine. And then she gets pregnant. It is not in spite of - but because of - her intelligence and warmth that she insists she will figure out a way to raise this baby, that she and Tyler are in truly in love. The Ridgley family is turned upside down. The natural order of things would have her mom, Liv, take care of the baby while Hazel finishes high school and continues her education to become the doctor she always dreamed of. But Liv just packed her son off to college and is finally going start the renovation business she has spent years planning. She loves her family, cares for her aging parents but she doesn’t want to start over again. This intense pressure put on every family member is a realistic look at each of our roles and how one persons decision affects them all. Can we change without disappointing the ones we love? Are we, as moms, daughters, sisters, wives allowed to choose ourselves? Highly recommend this thoughtful, well written novel. Would be an excellent book club discussion!

Hands down Our New Normal was amazing and one of the best books I have read this summer! The topic was uber sensitive and done so beautifully! I was series crying a lot but still the family bond that is echoed through out this book was amazing. Not every family is perfect but they are family! Colleen did an amazing job filling the pages with all the drama and angst that goes with teen pregnancy.

Our New Normal was amazing and I’m not secretly praying that Colleen Faulkner does a sequel to this story. She had me so attached to the characters that after I was done I was thinking (and still do) of them!

Wonderful story of a family facing so many issues we all must cope with. Liv is the ultimate sandwich female- her elderly father has dementia, her elderly mother an orthopedic condition, her son is headed to college, and her sixteen year old daughter Hazel just got pregnant. Told alternately by Liv and Hazel, this is an amazingly honest novel. Liv's finally come into her own, started her own business, and is feeling good about herself and her relationship with her husband Oscar (a great guy btw). Liv knows that Hazel's thought- she's convinced that Tyler, the father of her child, will marry her and they will live happily ever after- is just a dream and that she'll be the one who once again cares for an infant, which she's just not prepared to do. An adopted child herself, she urges Hazel to put the baby up for adoption. Their tug of war continues even as things spiral for Liv's parents. Faulkner is a great storyteller and even better, you actually sense the differences between Hazel and Liv (so often dual narrations sound alike). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. There's so much in here but it's a terrific book and one I highly recommend.