It’s so interesting to read a story about people who are anti-vaccination, in a world going through the ongoing effects of a global pandemic. This book came out in early 2021, so I’m sure there was an influence or inspiration taken from what we were going through in that first year. But the book handles characters who are living in a world before the pandemic, not specifically dealing with COVID. However, it’s entirely relevant to how the vaccinations are discussed today.

Our main character is 16 and contracts measles, which has an effect on others in her town. The book follows her as she argues with her parents for bodily autonomy to get vaccinated, and as she finds love and friendship, learning what normal looks like for her. It was so easy to fly through this book, because the story was so engrossing. The main character’s internal struggle, her conviction in what’s right, and her deep love for her family despite their disagreements were all what drew me in. Her parents were so damn frustrating, and I wish there was a better resolution for their relationship by the end… but I get it. It’s not an easy discussion and will be ongoing beyond what the book can give us. It really shows how harmful misinformation can be, not just to the individual but to the people around you.

If you’re looking for a YA coming-of-age story that confronts issues that are vital to our lives today, then you should definitely read ‘A Shot at Normal’ by Marisa Reichardt.

A really really really fantastic novel about a homeschooled teen who wants to make her own decisions about her body. Super realistic and I love that because of the love for her family, it is hard for her to choose to go against her parents and everything that they've engrained in her.

Really struggled to get into the story that sometime felt all over the place. Too much going on at once.

Incredibly timely, as you might think, this book is a wonderful blueprint just for kids who might be looking for some independence and not knowing their options. I'm not saying this is nonfiction in any way, but I am saying a lot of these topics have never been discussed before in a book like this.

A Shot at Normal is a timely and important novel. Main character Juniper contracts measles because her hippy parents are anti vaxxers, she decides to take them to court for medical emancipation. This story was not one sided and presented both sides of the argument. There is an insta-love aspect that takes away from the main plot, but overall a great book and an excellent addition the library.

Juniper Jade is the oldest child in a family that grows their own organic foods, homeschools their children, and goes without many of the everyday things others have (plastics, cell phones, and vaccinations). Often passing the local high school, Juniper longs to feel normal, but she respects her family’s values and doesn’t question them (too much) until she contracts the measles and unknowingly passes the virus to others. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly, Juniper isn’t so sure about her family’s lifestyle. With the help of Nico, a friend who may be more than a friend, Juniper decides she’s going to be vaccinated. Despite her parent’s wishes. She isn’t quite prepared for their reaction, though, and Juniper really has to consider how much she’s willing to risk to get her vaccines.

THOUGHTS: Readers who are looking for a little more independence from the adults in their lives will connect with Juniper. With the vaccine debate at a pinnacle (though this book is not about COVID), A Shot at Normal deserves a place in high school collections.

A teenager battles her parents for medical emancipation. This is a timely book that delves into complex topics like bodily autonomy and the fallibility of trusted adults while it shows how an anti-vaccination stance can have horrific consequences. Juniper recognizes her anti-vax parents’ failings and tries to take her health into her own hands. Her parents aren’t completely demonized, but still come off as unforgivably childish, both in their viewpoints and behavior towards their daughter. Previously, I would think these characters were unrealistic, but current events have unfortunately shown how common this type of behavior is in adults. A romance overshadows a lot of the rest of the novel, which I found tedious, but others might enjoy.

Juniper Jade has lived with her parent's decisions her whole life. She is homeschooled in the kitchen of her home, she only eats organic material, she does not watch TV or have a phone. She is not your typical sixteen-year-old girl. And she has never gotten a vaccination.

This doesn't bother her until she gets the measles and unknowingly spreads it to her younger siblings and a (TRIGGER WARNING) four-week-old infant who dies. Juniper then decides she needs to take her life and her body into her own hands and begins the fight for her right to be vaccinated.

This book was awesome. I love books that encourage our teens to change the world and fight for what they believe in. I empathized with Juniper's struggle, and cannot imagine what she felt when she learned that her lack of vaccinations is what caused a baby to die. Her attempt to argue with her parents was valid, and she truly did what she felt she had to do to protect herself and others. This book is timely, especially given our current social climate.

There were a few problems I had with the book. Her parents did seem rather one-dimensional and were the stereotypical hippie-dippie people who homeschool their kids. The book also seemed rather preachy at times. But overall, I think it's a great book for any teen who is interested in learning about law and how a teen can change the world. I did also really like how June still loved her family, despite disagreeing with them. I think that was really well done.

Content: There is some kissing, and some very mild language. There is also the death of an infant.

Marisa Reinhardt does it again. A brilliant, sharp, evocative story of a girl fighting for control over her body. Complex and emotionally nuanced, just like Marisa's other work. So timely and relevant and an absolute must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Flat, privileged characters and an unrealistic predictable plot. Almost feels like this book could do more harm than good because with all the reasons the parents talk about why they don’t want to vaccinate their children plus the author doesn’t come back with much to counter why children should get vaccinated. The author should have given resources, notes and way more statistics than she did.

While I liked the message of this book and the journey that Juniper goes through, I found the book was a little too sympathetic with the anti-vax parents. In this day and age the irresponsibility of that action does not deserve sympathy especially when the root of the desire to not vaccinate is rooted in ableism and privilege of the highest sorts leading to unnecessary deaths. The point of the book seemed to be to talk about medical technology but there was a missed opportunity to reach a new generation to show that anti-vax is not just a quirky opinion that people have and can be forgiven.
The end cut off rather oddly and I felt like the court case resolution needed to be explored. Consequences don't just end at a judge ruling a verdict. The decision needs to play out especially when the decision to not vaccinate leads to such devastating consequences for the children in the family.
The book is showing that vaccinations are good, I'm just not sure it does that clearly enough.

Whenever I have the pleasure of tucking in with a Marisa Reichardt book, I’ve come to expect the Reichardt Trifecta. I’m talking gut-punchy prose, complex characters (with even more complicated relationships), and tough, timely topics few authors have explored. And A SHOT AT NORMAL delivers on this trifecta in SPADES!

Sixteen year-old Juniper Jade’s quest for bodily autonomy from her anti-vaxxer parents, invites much-needed questions without dishing up easy answers. Juniper’s story is not only desperately relevant, but also heartfelt, gorgeously nuanced, and a harrowing reminder of the impact our choices can have…even when they come from the most loving of places. HIGHLY recommend this unforgettable and timely tale!

I read this ARC from @netgalley on my super wild and crazy Saturday night! It’s a YA novel about Juniper Jade. Juniper is being raised by hippie parents - she is homeschooled, doesn’t eat sugar, and has never been vaccinated. After contracting measles and accidentally passing it onto a baby who then dies, Juniper starts fighting for the right to be vaccinated with help from her boyfriend Nico.

This was a quick, fun read. I thought it was an interesting take on how a teenager who wasn’t vaccinated may feel. My parents chose to vaccinate me, so I honestly never think about it. It was interesting to think about how different things could have been if my parents never made that choice. I like books that make you think!

I really like Marisa Reichardt’s writing style - it’s so fast-paced and to the point. A Shot at Normal is a story with a pretty to-the-point kinda plot - Juniper and her siblings have super organic, homeschool, and essential oil type parents who did not vaccinate them. Juniper contracts the measles at 16, with pretty devastating results. After the ordeal, Juniper decides she wants her vaccinations, but everyone keeps saying she has to wait until she’s 18. But does she? She begins pursuing a way to fight for her vaccinations in court. (Can I mention I love this title? It’s a little cheesy but it fits the story SO well.)

The story is definitely interesting and opens me up to the kind of thing I would never have had to worry about at 16. As someone who is probably just about as close in age to Juniper’s parents as to Juniper herself, I just wanted to choke her parents out. They honestly are everything I hate in adults - unwilling to listen to children - especially their own, selfish, conspiracy theorists, and just bullheaded as hell. But the thing is, they’re still the people that raised Juniper. So she sees all that, but also knows the sides of them that make them lovable, because they’re her family. And I think that really thin line between disagreeing with your parents on something so colossal but still loving them as family was really portrayed well.

The pacing and stakes were just a little weird in this story. Something bad happened when Juniper had the measles, and it somehow was covered too frequently but also not deeply enough at any point. The townsfolk also begin to shun and harass the family as their anti-vaxxer stance comes to light, and there’s never much follow-up on that. Did it just stop? It seems tough to live in a small town and that kind of thing just go away.

There’s a romance in this story that is really sweet, but also I’m not sure that it really fit in the story. I get that Juniper was making her own way in the world and branching out but it just seemed like a conveniently high amount of change at once. She actually seemed to have plenty of conviction on the subject before she had any outside support. Nico’s opinions on the whole anti-vax thing were a little muddy at times which was sorta weird. He’s a really supportive and kind love interest, though, even if we probably could have done without him.

I think teens will like this quick and relatively simple story, especially because it’s about knowing what’s best for yourself even if your parents don’t agree. Not in the typically rebellious way, but the thinking-of-your-future kind of way. Sort of like when kids in novels tell their parents they want a different college major. But Juniper just didn’t want to get rubella. Ya know?

We are almost a year into COVID quarantine and up until recently, I hadn’t really delved into any quarantine, vaccination, etc. stories. I didn’t want to. Books and visual media is an escape for me, and I didn’t want to read about anything having to do with what we have been facing.

As a matter of fact, I wasn’t even aware of the plot of “A Shot At Normal” and that it would take on the subject of vaccinations. I went into this book totally blind, only knowing the title when I began reading my eARC of it. And I’m glad it happened that way.

The plot, once I got into it, was a really interesting concept. What would it be like to be the child of parents who made the choice not to vaccinate you? And now that you are a teenager, old enough to understand what that means, would you agree with the choice your parents made?

“A Shot At Normal” explores these questions in an honest and real way. One of my favorite aspects of this book, was its exploration of the various sides of the conversation when it comes to anti-vaxxers. Juniper, our main character, doesn’t agree with the choice her parents made in not vaccinating her and her siblings. We see her frustration towards her parents. We see her parents frustration (and hypocrisy) towards Juniper for questioning them and the community that turns on them. We see the extremes a community will go to when they feel threatened. “A Shot At Normal” has a strong message to get your kids vaccinated, but I do think it does a good job of presenting both sides.

I really enjoyed Juniper as our narrator. She’s kind and smart and a really cool 16-year-old. I was rooting for her throughout the entire book. Being in her shoes took me right back to being a teenager and so rarely having a voice amongst people who think they know what’s best for you. I don’t think I’ve read any books where the main character has an actual legal fight for bodily autonomy, and therefore Juniper will forever be ingrained into my mind and heart.

Nico was a really cool love interest and I really enjoyed every time he popped up. He is honestly the definition of boyfriend material/goals. I mean, minor spoiler here, but he LITERALLY drives a golf cart of pumpkins to Juniper’s house so she and her family can carve them. Um, literally my dream?

Juniper’s parents are as much a main character as she is, and I can’t express to you just how much they frustrated me — which I guess is a sign of how good the the writing here is, because how frustrated I became with Juniper’s parents, is exactly how frustrated I become with real life anti-vaxxers. They constantly spew the same fallacies at Juniper when she asks why she can’t get vaccinated. They don’t acknowledge their privilege. They don’t care about those around them. And they punish Juniper for doing exactly what they’ve taught her to do her entire life: think for herself. I truly couldn’t stand reading about them and by the end of the book, they weren’t redeemed in my eyes and remain unforgiven.

Overall, I enjoyed “A Shot At Normal.” It had characters I loved (and hated), and had an honest and unflinching take on vaccinations and bodily autonomy for those under 18. It also conveyed the message of fighting for what you believe in, even when it may seem impossible, in a relevant and powerful way.

I received a free e-ARC of A Shot At Normal thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

The synopsis for this book hooked me the very first time I read it. This book is very timely and poignant. The subject matter of the book, to vaccinate or not vaccinate, is considered controversial, but I think if it’s executed well, it can make for good discussion and thought.

As a mom, I read this with a different perspective because I was able to think about myself in Juniper’s position, as well as her parents’s position. Because of this, I think this personal experience made the reading experience more unique.

I liked how Reichardt showed the internal struggle that Juniper was dealing with. We know how badly Juniper feels about the measles and the outcome of that, and her vehemence on wanting to be vaccinated. But we also see her grappling with the possible consequences of getting vaccinated and what that would mean for her relationship with her family.

There were a few things that I thought could have been executed better. The relationships in the book all felt like insta-love. Her relationship with Nico, her friendship with Tess, etc. They met Juniper and instantly they were best friends or perfect for each other. It just didn’t feel authentic for me. I also wish the behavior of Juniper’s parents was discussed. They ignored Juniper when they found out she was petitioning them for vaccine rights. I just wish that the behavior had been discussed with perhaps Nico’s mom or Mimi or someone. It was unhealthy.

One aspect of the book that was challenging and I think could potentially be problematic for younger readers (I’m an adult reading YA) was that the argument Juniper’s parents made against vaccines evoked too much sympathy and it did make you feel like maybe it wasn’t so bad.

Overall this was an interesting read. I enjoy reading about controversial subjects and I got that with A Shot At Normal. If you’re looking for a book that touches on the vaccine vs anti-vaccine debate, this is for you!

Well, A Shot At Normal was unlike anything I've ever read! A girl standing up to her anti-vaxxer parents to get herself vaccinated after a horrible tragedy strikes ~ it's the most fitting novel to read amidst a global pandemic, right? This book was a deeply insightful read, but had all the elements to make it a very *tropey* YA novel at the same time too. It was an engaging story through and through. 💜

I had a little trouble warming up to Juniper, our main character at the beginning, but as the story went on, I became amazed by her determination to make things right for herself. Her conversations with her parents were just.... the best thing ever. It showcased her strength and made her a really fascinating character. 😍 It was really nice to see her trying out a lot of teenage stuff throughout the book - to have a proper high-school experience without her parent's restrictions. I would have loved more character development from her side though.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the sibling dynamic between Juniper and her two sisters, Sequoia and Poppy. I loved the romance between Juniper and Nico too! I really appreciated how the author chose to not highlight the romance as the core aspect of the novel , and focused on Juniper's self development instead. A Shot At Normal is a must read for young adults who're trying out a way to find their own voice. Highly recommend! 💚

"I'd never thought about it before because I'd never gotten sick. But after this, if it were up to me, I'd choose the shot.
Why can't it be up to me?"

Juniper Jade knows her family is weird. Her parents went to Woodstock '94 (or as she calls it, Wannabe Woodstock, the one with Green Day, not Jimi Hendrix). They use organic everything and homemade deodorant. Juniper and her siblings attend homeschool in the kitchen, taught by their dad. Now that she's 16 and in their new home in Playa Bonita, some of her family's choices are starting to grate. Juniper wants a normal teen life. She wants to attend high school across the street, eating lunch in the cafeteria. She wants to get a job that isn't helping her mom sell herbs and essential oils on Mondays. Her parents aren't giving; it will continue to be kitchen school and the farmers market for Juniper. Then one afternoon after returning from the market booth, Juniper starts to feel sick. Fever, aches, lethargy, a cough, and then a few days later - the rash. Her parents finally admit they don't know what she has and take her to the urgent care. The doctor takes one look and sends them away; he can't have everyone in the clinic exposed to the measles. That's another thing about the Jade family - they're unvaccinated.

Juniper has to be quarantined in the hospital with a 103.6 degree fever and pneumonia, and after her release, their whole family has to self-quarantine at home for 21 days. Maybe she got the virus on the train after visiting her grandparents, but however it started, the effects don't stop with Juniper's illness. Others are infected. Rumors spread around Playa Bonita about the measles and where it started. And Juniper starts to look into how she can be vaccinated against other diseases so this can't happen again - and what her options are as she opposes her parents on the issue.

What a unique storyline - I was interested as soon as I heard the synopsis. I don't know of (and couldn't find after some light investigation) any other books about teens looking to get vaccinated against their parents wishes. I'd be interested to know of real-life examples of children of anti-vaxxers being immunized and how their minds were changed from their parents' beliefs, as well as what their path looked like compared to Juniper's. Some bits struck me as unrealistic. Reactions from a few people seemed more theatrical than I would expect, and two lines of dialogue really stuck out to me - "Well, I'm concerned about my child and my child only." (Juniper's mom to a doctor asking why she wasn't vaccinated) and "I think I'm smarter than my parents." (Juniper to a doctor, asking to receive vaccines). I think both of these lines get at the emotions/thought processes of the characters, but neither really seem like something someone would actually say out loud.

As I write this, I'm thinking it might have been nice to list some reputable resources at the back of the book for those interested in learning more about vaccinations. The book several times mentions the link with autism has been thoroughly debunked, etc., but if someone reading this book wants to know more, it would be a good idea to point them in the right direction. I would include in such a list MedlinePlus (where I start with all consumer health questions), teenshealth.org (run by Nemours for a teen audience), and vaccines.gov.

Readers interested in this topic might also enjoy On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss. I'm hard-pressed to name another YA novel that hits the same notes. As I was looking over other books I've read in the recent past, I can make a loose connection with Brittney Morris' Slay, as both books feature a teen girl with initiative, going after what she needs, but that's a real wobbly rec.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the eARC. A Shot at Normal will be published February 16 2021.

I read this in one sitting! Marisa Reichardt is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She tackles unusual and deeply emotional situations with a grounded, realistic subtlety that reads so easily. This story in particular - Juniper Jade’s story about standing up to parents who won’t let her get vaccinated even after a horrific tragedy strikes - is SO, so timely. The plot is expertly executed, and tension was high throughout and kept me hooked. This isn’t an in-your-face “lesson” book - it’s truly an emotional, character-driven story. No soapboxes here, just real feelings, and real consequences. I'm going to give this one to every teenager I know, because I'm hoping it will spark open, honest conversations, and it just might change the world.

Thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this to review! Maris Reichardt is an author who has been on my radar, but I’ve never read anything by her. I was excited to get the chance, and the story line sounded unique and interesting!

At the start, I did enjoy the conversations Juniper has with her parents when she disagrees with their beliefs. They felt like real conversations, and Juniper brought up good points. However, her parents were extremely stubborn and frustrating, which is part of the point of the story. A lot of people who are anti-vaxxers are very, very grounded in their beliefs, and Reichardt portrayed this well in the book.

For me, none of the characters in this book were particularly likeable. I just don’t think they were quite fleshed out enough. A lot of the book is focused on Juniper trying things out for the first time and getting outside of her bubble, being able to find her own voice. Which is great! But it meant that some of the character development fell to the wayside. I would have liked to see some of the side characters developed a bit more, as some of them felt quite one-sided.

All in all, this is an enjoyable book that gives power to teens who just want to make their own choices when it comes to their bodies. Maybe not all teens will relate to Juniper’s specific situation, but there’s some level of it that will feel relatable to them. A quick read that’s sure to leave you thinking.