[Review] Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

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Title: Faking Normal

Author: Courtney C. Stevens (Twitter, Blog)

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books

Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Release Date: February 25, 2014

Format: Library ebook

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

A searing, poignant book, Faking Normal is the extraordinary debut novel from an exciting new author - Courtney C. Stevens.

I was hesitant to read this book at first. Mostly because I knew whatever Alexi's secret was it was going to hurt and be predictable. It did and it was. However, Faking Normal did three things very well 1) character building 2) plot and pace and 3) included a whole lot of real talk. 

I really grew to love Alexi and it's not out of pity. I was sad that she couldn't find herself lovable because she deemed herself broken, hopeful that she could believe in unseen love, and inspiring that when she found her voice. When Bodee enters her world their greatest connection is silence, literally, it's the idea that they can share the same space comfortably that builds trust. Their tragedies then unfold as the authors guides us through their pain, coping mechanisms, discovering self love and becoming survivors. Bodee's character is quirky, we never do find out what's up with the Kool-Aid, but we do know that he's the perfect person to allow our closets. The dynamics between Alexi and Bodee are organic and subtle which made me root for them to the very end. The secondary cast of friends and family members display human depth, while showcasing the complexity of family and peer relations. Above all we discover the lengths that people will go through to protect those they love despite the consequences.

Faking Normal moves quickly through its 336 pages to keep the reader engaged and guessing. There are multiple likely "suspects" whom share Alexi's secret as she protects theirs. This allows for a level of suspense as we learn more about what happened that summer. With each chapter a new piece is unveiled in discovering the identities of Alexi's monster along with her lyrical pen pal who always knows the right thing to say. Each scene leads us down a new path in discovering the truth, testing each character's ability to enacting change to move on, and the ability to find hope.

Real talk sums up this whole book. There are no sugar plumbs and fairies here. These are realistic characters dealing with real issues, heavy issues. The issues and lessons do not just apply to the YA genre but display a culture of shame that has been built around these topics. I really appreciate that Courtney C. Stevens did not turn this into a story filled with cultural stereotypes, but made this about one girl and one boy, and their desire to be normal. 

5 Stars: I loved this book and only took breaks necessary to sustain human life while reading. I mean, I could BE the main character. I will nag my mom and my bookish friends to read this so we can then de-brief in the most geekish ways possible. I'm buying the hardcopy for myself and hiding the purchase from my partner like a pair of $500 shoes.

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