NEEDING NORMAL

"In what scenario did she get to avoid counseling offices and people assessing her well-being? In what scenario was Jett accepted as valuable, just as she was? That was the scenario she wanted."

Needing Normal follows Jett Harper, a 14-year-old girl who is starting freshman year at a new school and is grappling with the concept of "normal." She wishes strongly to fit in with her peers, but can't help but feel different from them. Furthermore, through a school project that puts her in a group with four of her peers, Jett must focus on the concept of love when she is unsure if she has ever experienced it before. Through the relationships built over the course of the year, Jett learns about life, love, and the fact that maybe normal is overrated, anyway.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and living inside of Jett's head. Her voice was so strong and carried the novel nicely. Getting to see the way her brain worked was marvelous and I grew attached to her very quickly. I also enjoyed the cast of supporting characters and the bonds that they formed, and I can't wait to see them continue to develop as the series continues. The Core5 friends were all likable and nuanced. Jett's relationship with her father was heartwarming (I call my father Daddio as well, so I found this particularly endearing), as was her friendship with Ben and Yoda. Her complicated relationship with her mother was well-balanced, though I was surprised at how insensitive her mother was with her background and education in psychology.

The plot itself wasn't particularly eventful, but it didn't need to be. While I felt that the pacing was a bit confusing at times, I thought the overall flow of the book worked well. Needing Normal is a charming novel with a lot of heart, and I eagerly await the sequel.

"Needing Normal" is about a 14 year old girl —Jett Harper— who is starting freshman year in a new school and is trying to find what is to be normal. Because of her mother, that are constantly telling everyone that she is not normal, Jett is always trying her best to fit in and not to show any "anormal signs".

At first I found the book a little slow and too descriptive, but then I understood the purpose of the author writing the book the way it is. I really liked Jett and her way of seeing the world. Jett is someone who is always trying her best in everything in order to catch even the minimum detail and her way to sort things out is really impressive.

There were two things that made me choose to read this book. One of them is the definition of "being normal" and the other, the definition of love.; and I found the answers inside the book.

Even though the bookdoesn't have an amazing plot, the author's words are meaningful and the message she wanted to give is clear.

I loved the neurodivergent rep, although I'm neurotypical so it's not for me to judge whether it was good. (I think it was OwnVoices??) The plot was ok, a little bland, though, and I felt that Andy was not great rep (this is me saying this as an Indian person, by the way)

I don't know. It just felt a little mediocre.

Loved it! It was so good. Well written. Great characters. Would recommend to friends and family. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Needing Normal is about a 14 year old teenage girl named Jett Harper. She's going to start at a new school. At her new school she needs to do a group assigment with her 4 classmates. They need research and make a project about love. In this YA Jett takes you with her to discover what love is all about. Maybe love means something to you than it does to me.

I enjoyed this book. It was so beautiful to see Jett grow and see the heartwarming relationship she has with her father. Damn but I was so annoyed with her mother. If you want to know why....than you should read the book ;).

The book has short chapters and reads easy. That's what I really enjoy when I read a book. Another plus is that is has a disability representation.

Thank you NetGalle for providing me with a copy of this Arc. All opinions are my own.

Jett Harper wants desperately to be "normal," to fit in among her peers at high school. What is the definition of 'normal' though, and for that matter, of love and how one experiences it? Will she be accepted and have true friendships in and outside class? How does it all sync? Jett wants to know. Go through the ropes of doubt, stress and turmoil with Jett as she ponders and puzzles these weighty matters out for herself and how she squares in with her "Core5" group. Afterall, doesn't everyone "need normal"? Teens will certainly like this book.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

August 2021

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy given by the publisher.

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/2f3597fd3b60c0b12061511c4a42f470cf85ac95" width="80" height="80" alt="10 Book Reviews" title="10 Book Reviews"/>

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/04b37ae7f3ff846e213a00a515d0a1f507bf1833" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>

The plot was not the strongest, most complex one I’ve ever read, and the characters were not the most relatable (or even likable). However, this book had some great messages in it.
“What is normal?”, “What is love?”. Like Jett, I find that all of us search endlessly for an answer to those two (very complex) questions. What really made me finish the book was Jett’s quest for answers to these questions.
Something else that I liked was the neurodiverse rep (my understanding is that this is an OwnVoices book). To me, this was a positive aspect because I’m always searching for new books with neurodiverse representation (especially if they are written by neurodiverse authors).

Thank you to @NetGalley and @emmegrange for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!