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Back to Normal
by
Wren Boudreau (Goodreads Author)
Is it normal for a romance to blossom between a man who's in the closet and a man who's never wanted more than a hook-up? How about when a clairvoyant grandmother and the ghost of a dead aunt are thrown into the mix, along with a stiletto-wearing twin sister, an Irish pub, a detective brother, and a mother who thinks her son just needs a good woman? Greg Capello thought th...more
ebook, 186 pages
Published
October 5th 2010
by Loose Id
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Community Reviews
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Sigh, I am in a lovestruck haze that only a thoroughly engaging love story can bring on. This book is fantastically romantic, the two men have a believable connection with a slow, satisfying buildup, they become friends, they grow and change and they accept other. The secondary characters add so much to the characters as well. I adored it. Seriously, I have no words. Ok, I do have words but I can't repost my review so I'm going to be a jerk and post a link to JERR.
view all 6 comments
Feb 09, 2013
Mandy*reads obsessively*
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
m-m,
adventure,
cry-me-a-river,
ebook-owned,
feel-good-read,
hurt-comfort-disability,
paranormal,
sweet
I first read this in Jan 2011, doing a reread.
Greg, poor Greg , he is in the closet and suffering, physically and emotionally under the weight of it all. And as if that's not enough, his school is letting all the new teachers go because of budget costs, and yep, you guessed it Greg was one of the newer teachers and the restaurant he works at to make extra money is closing AND as of that wasn't more than enough he has his dead aunt living in his brain, at least part time.
Greg does get a chance to...more
Greg, poor Greg , he is in the closet and suffering, physically and emotionally under the weight of it all. And as if that's not enough, his school is letting all the new teachers go because of budget costs, and yep, you guessed it Greg was one of the newer teachers and the restaurant he works at to make extra money is closing AND as of that wasn't more than enough he has his dead aunt living in his brain, at least part time.
Greg does get a chance to...more
Sweet romance, but overall a pretty serious coming-out tale
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 7/10
PROS:
- There’s an odd and intriguing story element that comes out right at the beginning, and I couldn’t figure out at first whether it was psychological or supernatural. Either way, though, I was hooked from the start.
- Greg’s life takes several difficult turns throughout the course of the story, and I admired his fortitude in dealing with them. Rather t...more
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 7/10
PROS:
- There’s an odd and intriguing story element that comes out right at the beginning, and I couldn’t figure out at first whether it was psychological or supernatural. Either way, though, I was hooked from the start.
- Greg’s life takes several difficult turns throughout the course of the story, and I admired his fortitude in dealing with them. Rather t...more
An actual romance without much sex! Do these exist anymore? Anyway Back to Normal offers a look at two men who come together slowly, building a friendship and easing into the sexual attraction. This story stands out immediately because the two men don’t fall into bed immediately but they also don’t lack any sexual chemistry. There is no big tension keeping them apart, they simply move at a slower pace. I really enjoyed this difference and kept the story fresh and interesting, even during the slo...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I really loved this book until it just ended. It is just one of my personal literary kinks but I need the ending to be spelled the freak out. I don't want the big confrontation that I have been waiting the whole book to see how it goes to just be alluded to in the last paragraph of the book. Nevertheless the rest of the book was good enough that I still give it 3 stars (it would have been 4 if there had just been one more chapter).
4.5 stars
Newly divorced and faced with losing not one but two jobs at once could have anyone at the breaking point. Add in the fact that the ghost of his aunt lives in his head and his fear of facing his sexuality and Greg Capello seems to really be heading for a breakdown. When he meets Finn Sparks his safe and orderly life suddenly takes another unexpected turn. As they slowly form a friendship will Greg finally find the strength to accept who he really is and reach out for true love?
I really...more
Newly divorced and faced with losing not one but two jobs at once could have anyone at the breaking point. Add in the fact that the ghost of his aunt lives in his head and his fear of facing his sexuality and Greg Capello seems to really be heading for a breakdown. When he meets Finn Sparks his safe and orderly life suddenly takes another unexpected turn. As they slowly form a friendship will Greg finally find the strength to accept who he really is and reach out for true love?
I really...more
4.5 stars
Greg is a freshly divorced teacher who works part-time in a fancy restaurant as a waiter. Unusually, the spirit of his dead aunt lives in his head an talks to him. The day after he finds out he's been laid off from his teaching job he finds out the restaurant is closing, but luckily the new owners hope to hire people. He is strangely attracted to Finn, one of the new owners and it's mutual but he is straight and not interested, unless he is of course. Finn is a confessed man-whore but a...more
Greg is a freshly divorced teacher who works part-time in a fancy restaurant as a waiter. Unusually, the spirit of his dead aunt lives in his head an talks to him. The day after he finds out he's been laid off from his teaching job he finds out the restaurant is closing, but luckily the new owners hope to hire people. He is strangely attracted to Finn, one of the new owners and it's mutual but he is straight and not interested, unless he is of course. Finn is a confessed man-whore but a...more
Back to Normal is the classic gay tale of out and proud meets closet case with a twist. Greg Capello, an about to be out- of-work teacher and part-time waiter is so far in the closet he got married, a serious mistake on his part. Now divorced, Greg is fighting terrible headaches and dealing with the ghost of his Aunt Coco, a resident in his head for the past twelve years. He's also dealing with a very strong attraction to Finn Sparks, his new boss at the restaurant where he moonlights. Finn is d...more
Slow to start but pickup nicely after the first few chapters. The banters between characters, especially between Greg and Aunt Coco were nicely done.
The story then get interesting from maybe 40% onward until the end.
However, the book ended just when the relationship began to take roots. Looks like a HFN ending, if the author didn't have a sequel.
I can see more stories to tell though. I hope the author will wrote a sequel about Greg and Finn.
The story then get interesting from maybe 40% onward until the end.
However, the book ended just when the relationship began to take roots. Looks like a HFN ending, if the author didn't have a sequel.
I can see more stories to tell though. I hope the author will wrote a sequel about Greg and Finn.
This story upset me and made me cry at the beginning, because I feel people shouldn't have to hide who they are. I just hurt for Greg. So glad he had someone like Finn. I loved how Finn was so patient with him. What can I say about Aunt Coco, I really really loved her! I usually like when they fall in love fast, but I have to say I enjoyed the slow build up of their love, it worked for me! I really didn't want this book to end. Great great read!
It's the classic story of the male being afraid to come out of the closed. What makes this special is the amount of detail that the author put into the story. You really understand the thought process. You truelly feel the struggle. The character detail in this story was amazing and I was really impressed. I got to know them so well that I fell in love and that a mark of an amazing author. Awsome Job!
Mar 09, 2012
SueM
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
m-m,
pnr,
ipad-stanza,
contemporary-romance,
teacher,
in-the-closet,
psychic-paranormal,
hfn
A good M/M romance that could have been better by being just a little longer, as several threads were only half-finished by the end of the novel. Some might disagree with the half-finished assessment, but it resulted in a HFN ending for me rather than a HEA.... And I prefer HEA unless it's the start of a series, which isn't the case here.
I think what I liked most about this book was the emotional journey Greg went through, and the way his years of hiding his secrets and fears were manifesting themselves physically, which made his relationship with Finn all the more poignant. Also Aunt Coco. I loved Aunt Coco.
I loved this! The writing, plot, pacing, characters...everything was amazing. The only issue I had was the ending. I actually wanted more! I'd love to read about the fall-out of the news program and Greg's own paranormal powers.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. The premise seemed a bit strange to me with the way it was described but I found myself being sucked right into the story. I thought the "aunt in the head" parts were written pretty unobtrusively and possibly believable except when he was in public. He kept it mainly quiet that he had this gift but then would walk around talking to himself and no one noticed. I felt bad for Greg in general with all of his fears and insecurities. I loved Fin...more
I liked the story, but I feel cheated with the ending. I traveled this rode with Greg and would have liked to see how his mother handled him coming out, and there was more to write about Greg's power evolving...
Cute coming out-romance with a touch of paranormal. Fun, good characters, enough angst to keep it going but not enough to drive you to drink.
The blurb made Back to Normal appear much more interesting than it actually was. Perhaps the quirkiness was a little forced. It was not a bad read and I liked the main protagonists, but overall it left me underwhelmed.
2.75 stars It was ok. Nothing really stands out about the book. I didn't hate it, just didn't affect me.
This was one of the cutest stories I've ever read. Also, I want a visit from Aunt Coco as well!
A bit slow moving at first. Less angst than one would have supposed but a sweet story in the end.
My only complaint with this book was that there wasn't more to read.
4.5 if I could
Want more of them.
Want more of them.
Ohhhh, I need more of this!!!
Rec: BarkLess 5 stars
This book seems to have been written with a sequel in mind, since several issues are left unresolved. I liked both main characters, and this is the kind of paranormal that works best in contemporary novels, I think. But the whole plotline seemed thin: I wanted more depth, and the characters seemed capable of supporting it. Just not crazy about it, but it was a quick read and I didn't find much to dislike in it at all. I just wanted a different book after the first few chapters than the author ga...more
3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this story about a newly divorced man who has been denying himself the life he deserved because of an incident in his youth. My favorite part had to be Greg's aunt. That little quirk is what really made the story for me.
I also enjoyed the story because I could relate to Greg a bit. He is a teacher working in a bad economy. What he experiences is similar to what many of my colleagues have gone through during the past two years, and that added realism to the story for me.
I also enjoyed the story because I could relate to Greg a bit. He is a teacher working in a bad economy. What he experiences is similar to what many of my colleagues have gone through during the past two years, and that added realism to the story for me.
I loved Finn and Greg. I loved how things progressed and I was dragged into the story and characters almost immediately. I've got my fingers crossed for a sequel because I absolutely want more from all of the characters.
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Wren Boudreau likes to think she’s wild and bohemian, a charismatic character who sees magic everywhere. The reality is that Wren Boudreau is quite ordinary, an introvert who prefers nesting in the warm comfort of her home and going on great adventures in her head. In her youth, she played with Barbie dolls, learned to play piano, slept with stuffed animals, and had a “pixie” hair cut. In her teen...more
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