brtheartofbeingnormal

Title: The Art Of Being Normal
Author: Lisa Williamson
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
First published: January 1st 2015
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Finished reading: August 24th 2016
Pages: 357
Rating 4,5qqq

“It’s like I know the real me is in there somewhere, but for the moment I’m trapped in this weird body that I recognise less and less every day.”

myrambles1reviewqqq

I’ve had countless bloggers recommending this book to me ever since it was published, and somehow I have managed to ignore it until now. I kind of want to kick myself, because this is without doubt one of the best glbt/transgender YA contemporary books I’ve read to this date. The Art Of Being Normal is simply brilliant. The prose is excellent, packed with quotable lines and I literally flew through the pages. I loved the two main characters and the whole glbt/transgender angle made the story into something special. In fact, I don’t think I have read many books with a transgender main character… The character development is really well done and it all felt realistic and not too cheesy. I also loved the ending and the abandoned pool scenes… Basically a whole lot of love! If you enjoy reading YA contemporary/realistic fiction books and haven’t tried reading this little gem by Lisa Williamson yet, I highly suggest keeping this one in mind. You won’t regret it.

shortsummary1reviewqqq

Being a teenager and attending high school is never easy, but for David and Leo it somehow is all extra challenging. Both are outsiders and both have their own secrets… David longs to be a girl, and the people at his high school bully him for his feminine behavior. He never actually told anyone he wants to be a girl though, but things are tough. Leo had problems at his previous school and had to switch to David’s high school instead. Nobody actually knows why and there are a lot of rumors going around, but none of them are close to the truth… When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. Things are about to get a whole lot more complicated…

finalthoughtsreviewqqq

It’s hard to talk about The Art Of Being Normal without turning into a blabbering, fangirling mess. I can definitely understand why so many people seem to love this book and keep recommending it everywhere, because it deserves that praise. This book is well written, has an interesting plot and characters and feels real. On top of that, it talks about the issues transgender teenagers might face without pushing that important subject into the background. If you like the genre, make sure to add The Art Of Being Normal to your wishlist if you haven’t already.