Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Sort of Normal” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Sort of Normal

Liz Ashlee (Goodreads Author)

3.50 · Rating details · 4 ratings · 4 reviews

Falling in love isn’t as easy as staying in love.

Carter Hart and Boone Fell’s lives are a tangle of perfect and imperfect memories. In a world of drugs, alcoholism and neglectful parents, their love for each other kept them strong. But all it takes is one kiss and a lie to tear them apart.

When Carter’s brother, Declan, dies of an overdose, Boone decides he can’t let anothe ...more

Get A Copy

Kindle Edition, 211 pages

Published January 14th 2020 by Inkspell Publishing

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Sort of Normal, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Sort of Normal

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-34

Average rating 3.50 ·

Rating details

· 4 ratings · 4 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Sort of Normal

May 25, 2020 Vanessa (bookfairy95) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020, contemporary, romance

This one was different to other romance novels I read recently. It is not the typical high school romance. It is not the “good girl falls in love with the bad boy” type of romance. It is not cute and funny and romantic (even though there are a few sweet scenes). I am not meaning to talk negatively about this book. Quite the opposite actually, because even though this book was none of these things and even though it was not at all what I expected it was good! And in the end it was great!

This rom This one was different to other romance novels I read recently. It is not the typical high school romance. It is not the “good girl falls in love with the bad boy” type of romance. It is not cute and funny and romantic (even though there are a few sweet scenes). I am not meaning to talk negatively about this book. Quite the opposite actually, because even though this book was none of these things and even though it was not at all what I expected it was good! And in the end it was great!

This romance was much more than all of the above. It is deeper and much more serious. It is a love story where the two main characters already know each other. They grew up together. For a long time they only had each other. They love each other from the very start. Only the other person prevented them from breaking and crumbling to pieces. And even though Boone does seem like the typical flirt in the beginning, you soon realise that he is genuine. That he is serious about his intentions, that he is not at all a bad boy and that he never wants or wanted to do anything to hurt Carter.

From early on the reader knows these two have feelings for each other and they know as well. They know they love each other, but things happened in the past that prevents them from accepting this and prevents them from trying (again). Through flashbacks and a journey through time, the reader experiences their childhood. It starts when they were both young, then these flashbacks take the reader through their teenager years and slowly the entire history unravels with all the things that went wrong, all the outer influences, all the complex and horrible circumstances they grew up in.

The things they both had to endure in their past weren’t easy and this is the story about them having to learn ow to love and trust again and to actually show their feelings instead of burying them deep down. It is about them getting their lives under control and moving around all obstacles. It is about them learning to forgive and letting their walls falls and open up despite everything that happened in their past.

I loved this story. It is highly emotional and I was always afraid that something might happen to make everything crumble again. The characters were super sweet! Seeing them fix that fragile love between them was wonderful and Boone does everything to make Carter happy. He really fights for her, does all these little things for her and tries to protect her from the world. He knows her inside our and even though Carter is a little sceptical because of their past, she does believe him and wants to be with him. The things that happened between the two only make them stronger and that is fantastic.

There was one specific scene towards the end where I was afraid this would open up an opportunity for drama and mistrust and I wouldn’t have liked that at this point, because it wouldn’t have fit Carter’s character. However, the author did not include drama and that made me happy. She found another, very smooth way to clear things out, which made me very happy.

The only thing that bothered me a little was never knowing how old the two characters were in the present. There was always a mention of their age at the beginning of every flashback, but never for the present and I would have liked to know how old these two were in present events and how much of a gap there was between the last flashback and the current situation. ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Mar 20, 2020 Caitlyn Warren rated it liked it

This was an alright read. Towards the end I was really pushing myself to finish it. I hate to say it but I ended up getting a little bored.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 08, 2020 K. rated it liked it

Read it for free. Hallmark-y but Kentucky redneck. This is my honest review since I didn't get a good follow-up on the author when it came to my end. I thought it was cute and funny but there wasn't enough real love compared to smut. Nothing against smut if that is your thing but the characters started off too far apart in age when I first read it, almost pedophilic. Maybe that changed. Just a light, enjoyable read. I like how the characters had real problems compared to your other light romance ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 22, 2020 Karen Roma rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, read-in-2020

Sort of Normal is my first read by Liz Ashlee and what a wonderful first read it was. The story reels the reader in from the get-go and is an emotional journey into the lives of two very likeable characters in Carter Hart and Boone Fell. Tragedy, loss and secrets, all become apparent as the web of deception and betrayal unravel to reveal the heartaches of the past, and the reality of what should have been. This story has many elements, but Carter and Boone are the foundation and through sufferin ...more

flag Like · see review

Megan marked it as to-read
Jan 13, 2020

Liz marked it as to-read
Jan 15, 2020

Mark marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Janet Watson marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Julie Lynn marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Calvin marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Wendy marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Shirley Ann marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Steve Weber marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Victoria marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Debbie P marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Bea LaRocca marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Sherry marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020

Barbara Montag marked it as to-read
Jan 18, 2020

Jeanna Massman marked it as to-read
Jan 18, 2020

Nancy marked it as to-read
Jan 19, 2020

Victoria Scott marked it as to-read
Jan 19, 2020

Mary Cloud marked it as to-read
Jan 19, 2020

Kelly Nicholson marked it as to-read
Jan 19, 2020

Shannon Holmes marked it as to-read
Jan 19, 2020

Mari Zuniga marked it as to-read
Jan 19, 2020

Stephanie marked it as to-read
Jan 20, 2020

Terri Quick marked it as to-read
Jan 20, 2020

Donna Holder marked it as to-read
Jan 21, 2020

Jenn Fike marked it as to-read
Jan 22, 2020

Angelica Dimeo marked it as to-read
Jan 23, 2020

Teresa Warner marked it as to-read
Jan 23, 2020

Mood Reader marked it as to-read
Jan 23, 2020

Dale Wilken marked it as to-read
Jan 23, 2020

Joy marked it as to-read
Jan 23, 2020

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

About Liz Ashlee

Liz Ashlee

148 followers

Liz Ashlee is a romance novelist who is known for Step Toward You and "Wishing in on Water" in the Once Upon a Summer collection. She has her Bachelors in Library Informatics and English from Northern Kentucky University, and is currently pursuing her master's degree. She lives in Independence, KY. Her pride and joy is getting to be a dog-mother, friend, and daughter to those in her life. ...more