Something like Normal by Trish Doller

May 02, 2012 Stacia (the 2010 club) rated it really liked it

Recommended to Stacia (the 2010 club) by: Kay

Shelves: new-adult-college, contemporary-romance

"You might not remember me, but --"
"Travis Stephenson," she interrupts, her words like a roadblock. "Welcome home. Now leave me alone."

It's always nice to come across a book that has a little bit of everything. Something Like Normal definitely covered its bases in the emotion department. If there was an emotion left to be discovered, I couldn't tell you what it was. Everything from fear, anger, joy, sorrow, caution and anticipation was explored. This particular (male) narrative was somewhat ...more

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Oct 23, 2010 Trish Doller added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: books-i-wrote

I wrote this book so I like it very much. I hope you will, too.

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Jun 24, 2012 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012-favorites, favorites, contemporary-fiction, debut-author, young-adult, made-me-cry, reviewed-in-2012

Before I start praising Something Like Normal, I need to point out a little thing that’s really bothering me: the cover is doing this book a great disservice. This is not a romance. There is a guy and there is a girl, and they do get together eventually, but the guy is suffering from PTSD and the girl is his lifeline, and all they’re both trying to do is chase away the nightmares. This is, above all, a book about survival, loss and guilt. The couple on the cover seems somehow less than appropria Before I start praising Something Like Normal, I need to point out a little thing that’s really bothering me: the cover is doing this book a great disservice. This is not a romance. There is a guy and there is a girl, and they do get together eventually, but the guy is suffering from PTSD and the girl is his lifeline, and all they’re both trying to do is chase away the nightmares. This is, above all, a book about survival, loss and guilt. The couple on the cover seems somehow less than appropriate, or at least misleading.

After spending seven months in Afghanistan, Travis Stephenson has returned home for a 30-day leave. He is supposed to spend some time with his family and relax, but home isn’t home anymore, and Trav is having a hard time functioning among normal people. His family was never exactly warm; in fact, his overbearing father was the main reason Travis enlisted in the Marines. While he was away, his girlfriend started a relationship with his younger brother, his father started cheating on his mom, and he doesn’t feel that he belongs anywhere except in the muddy pits of Afghanistan, where he spent the most intense days of his life and lost his best friend Charlie. Spending time with Harper, a girl he knew back in high school, helps, but PTSD isn’t something that just goes away when you fall in love.

Trish Doller did her research, and she did it well. Writing about young soldiers in a war that’s so fresh was risky and brave, and I was more than a little worried. I was afraid she’d either idealize those boys, or completely fail to dig under the surface, but her raw honesty stunned me. Nobody is idealized in this story, not even Afghan children, and the truth is told – the good and the bad parts.
Travis is a very complex character. Severely damaged, afraid of every sudden move and loud sound, he still longs for the adrenaline rush he gets from patroling the streets of Afghanistan. He feels completely detached from anything that’s even close to normal. He can’t even get mad at his brother for appropriating his life while he was away. His actions aren’t always easily acceptable, but they make sense in light of his condition.

Doller’s story is very emotionally demanding. It is never melodramatic; in fact, she approaches true pain and horror very matter-of-factly, which forces the reader to accept them in the same way. On her GoodReads page, Doller listed Cath Crowley, Kirsty Eagar and Melina Marchetta as her influences. It’s something I could have guessed on my own after reading her debut. Maybe she lacks Crowley’s magical touch, Eagar’s exceptional rawness or Marchetta’s finesse, but she is a force to be reckoned with. Give her a couple more books, and she’ll be standing with the very best.

Also posted at The Nocturnal Library ...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Ari rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012, arc-galley-or-author

“War is only half the battle” - what a beautiful tagline <3

Dear Travis,

I know you’ve been through a lot and I care for you with all my heart.
I love the honesty with which you describe your world with the good and the bad, I love how you know when you’re wrong, how you are sad to be right, how you want to say you’re sorry but the apologies get stuck in your throat, how happy you would be to find some light in the darkness of your nightmares, how much you need to be held in fragile arms becaus ...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Carla rated it it was amazing

Wow. Don't even know what to say. Speechless. Unflinchingly beautiful in that raw special way. Best contemporary novel I've read in a long long time.

*edited*

Sometimes you finish reading a book and you don't quite know what to do with yourself. You sit in the quiet and thoughts are richocheting off each other in your mind and your heart aches from happiness, you then you get that feeling. You know the one. Where it feels like something has planted roots inside you and it's growing, growing, grow Wow. Don't even know what to say. Speechless. Unflinchingly beautiful in that raw special way. Best contemporary novel I've read in a long long time.

*edited*

Sometimes you finish reading a book and you don't quite know what to do with yourself. You sit in the quiet and thoughts are richocheting off each other in your mind and your heart aches from happiness, you then you get that feeling. You know the one. Where it feels like something has planted roots inside you and it's growing, growing, growing. And it grows so fast and quick that before you know it, it's everywhere. All inside you. It's in your head and it's in your heart and it's under your skin. That's this book.

What can I say that hasn't been said hundreds of times about hundreds of books. Read this book? nope, not strong enough. A promising debut? nah, too trite. I love this book, and so will you! true, but not quite what I'm looking for. I'm trying hard to not just type the words "love" and leave it at that, because really, that's all I want you guys to know. That I love this book. I love this book so much that I can't forget it. So much that I don't want to forget it. So much that I have carried it around with me ever since I finished. And I think you will love it to, and I'm going to tell you why.

Travis is home on leave after spending the past year in Afghanistan wearing a really sexy uniform serving his country in the marines. His family are waiting at the airport, except, this is weird right? this shouldn't feel so strange to Travis, this is home, but this is some fucking weird shit. His mom is super YAY happy to see him (ILY Travis's mom!!), his dad is a major dickface as per usual and his brother is being a total dude and banging his "girlfriend", so basically it's a shite welcome home. Not to mention that his comrade and BFF 4 LYF Charlie died in combat, which blows chunks the size of fists. Throw in the fact that he can't handle life in this town where guns aren't shooting and bombs aren't blasting and nightmares are tearing him to shreds and well, Travis is a bit, shall we say.....fucked. And there is the matter of a hot girl who has a mean right hook aka Harper aka The Boss aka The Shit aka BE MY FRIEND PLEASE?

Travis? I would hit that like a freight train.

Ahem.

Trish has a way of intoxicating you with her characters. You start off with Travis and you're like, oh shit, this burns a little and it's hard to swallow and it makes you shudder and do weird hand gestures. Then you want some more and now it doesn't burn so much, now it's smooth skin with a bit of a kick. And it goes down so good that before you know it you feel all buzzed and excited. Then you get a taste of Harper and you're like WELL HOLY SHIT, she's like straight up tequila shots right to your brain. And by this point you're like I LOVE YOU ALL. I LOVE EVERYTHING. GROUP HUG. Because you're all drunk off these characters.

Okay, in all seriousness, Trish knows where it's at when it comes to realistic characters. I have never wanted to punch a fictional dude in the face so badly. Because Travis! Y U NO LISTEN. He makes bad choices and does some stupid things and I'm like, duuuuuuuuude what gives? And Harper is so kick ass it is not even funny. She's feisty and sassy and in my head she wears a leather jacket and smokes cigarettes and listens to 80's rock and drives a convertible that's all black and shiny (leave me be! that's what my brain thinks is cool!!!!1!) She doesn't actually do any of those things but whatevs, that's not the point. My point is this - never before have I known characters to feel so real to me. I think should they stroll into my house right this second, well, I wouldn't even bat an eyelid. They're so genuine that I have a hard time believing they're not real. (no jokes, I spent a good half hour convinced they were real and Trish was playing a joke on us). They are flawed and engaging and so full of love it fucking hurts.
I had this whole speil in my head about Travis and Harper and you know what, I don't even want to tell you guys. Because the best things are left unsaid and this isn't something you want to read about here; that's something waiting for you to discover. So go find the treasure.

And the writing is a dream. Proper lush. Lush enough to devour in one go without stopping for breath. And to say it packs a punch is an understatement. It will kick you relentlessly, it will tear at your heart and squeeze and sqeeze until you feel like you're going to burst. Then it will soothe you with hugs and tender touches. It is in a word; devastating. Her writing is devastating to behold. One of the best books I have ever read.

I'm stopping now, I promise (soz for the rambling folks). But let me just leave you with this - Words are funny things. They can be shared and passed along. They can form connections between people, no matter the distance. They have power. They can light sparks of thought in your minds and set fire to your heart. They can start wars and end them. And they can be put together into sentences, to make paragraphs, which then become books. And when they're put together in the right way by the right person, they can become something amazing. And that is this book. This book isn't something like normal. It isn't even something like amazing. It's something the likes of which you have never read before. And you are going to love it. ...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Maggie rated it really liked it

Shelves: debut-novels, crushworthy-guys, 2012, dawson-leery-cried

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers."
- José Narosky

Something Like Normal is about a 19-year-old Marine who returns home after serving in Afghanistan for a year. Travis Stephenson is physically intact, but after spending a year on active duty and seeing his best friend get killed, his emotional scars manifest in a form of PTSD. Travis doesn't even feel like he's home because home to him is with his fellow Marines, not his parents' house in Florida where he never lived up to his father's expe ...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Janina rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult-fiction, for-review, death-loss-grief

When I first finished Something Like Normal, I clicked the four star button with fervour and conviction. Yet, upon thinking back now – a little over a month later – I can't deny that the story left little impact on me. And that makes me sad. Trish Doller's debut is exactly my kind of awesome – contemporary YA focusing on grief and guilt – but still, it was not nearly as earth-shattering and meaningful as I had expected it to be. Now, I think that partly, my extremely high expectations are to bla When I first finished Something Like Normal, I clicked the four star button with fervour and conviction. Yet, upon thinking back now – a little over a month later – I can't deny that the story left little impact on me. And that makes me sad. Trish Doller's debut is exactly my kind of awesome – contemporary YA focusing on grief and guilt – but still, it was not nearly as earth-shattering and meaningful as I had expected it to be. Now, I think that partly, my extremely high expectations are to blame for that. I have learned that it's always best going into a book not expecting anything and letting yourself be surprised – but that's a hard thing to do when an author talks about her main character being inspired by Jonah Griggs beforehand.

At the same time, while my expectations were not met, I have a hard time finding faults with this book and writing an in-depth review stating my reasons for not connecting with it as deeply as I had hoped. I breezed through Travis's story in a few hours, I even teared up a few times – but in the end, his story did not stay with me and that little something special was missing.

Now – as I said before – I am not completely sure what the reasons for this are. Might it be that I have just read to many books on grief in my life? The topic seems to be rather in vogue right now. Contemporary without a dead parent, dead sibling, dead boyfriend or dead best friend is hard to come by and in a way, this may have made me become jaded. I have also stopped judging books by the amount of tears that flowed while reading. I always thought that if a book was able to make me cry, it must be something special indeed, and deserving of a high rating. In a way, I almost felt emotionally pressured into giving it lots of stars. I was always thinking: Come on, this book has made you cry (!), how can you give it any less than four stars? And I know I have no-one else but me to blame for that approach.

With Something Like Normal, I can't deny that there wasn't any deep connection on my part with the story itself and especially Travis, the main character. Yes, I cried for his friend – but I never really got Travis. His voice might be authentic for a male his age, but I could not really forgive him his weaknesses. And at only 224 pages, I had the feeling the book was too short to really give his character and the relationships portrayed the time to evolve in depth. I can safely say that I have forgotten most of the minor characters' names, and I always felt like Travis's issues with his brother and father were handled superficially and - concerning his dad - coloured only in black and white.

A short note on the cover: When I first saw it, I was sad a book about a soldier returning from Afghanistan got such a kissy kissy cover - while the book does focus more on romantic entanglements than I could have guessed from the description, I don't think contemporary readers have to be lured into reading it by displaying only that aspect of the story.

So, in the end, I would just say: I do not not recommend this book, it just didn't resonate with me personally – but I enjoyed it while it lasted.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the review copy. ...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Hallie rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya

Okay, this is tough, because some of my reading friends have liked this one a lot, and I can see the story in there that was liked so much, but.

When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper se ...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Flannery rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Fans of authentic male narrators, Marines, reading about PTSD

Recommended to Flannery by: Tons of Goodreaders/Bloggers

Shelves: kcls, young-adult-teen, read-in-2012

In this male-narrated upper YA/new adult book, Travis has just come home after a deployment with the Marines. In many ways, he is returning to exactly what he purposely left behind--his overbearing and disapproving father, his pushover mother, and his resentful brother, but he himself is coming back to that situation a somewhat changed young man. Doller treats her characters realistically; no one suddenly sees the light or does a complete 180 in this book. Travis was emotionally traumatized by t In this male-narrated upper YA/new adult book, Travis has just come home after a deployment with the Marines. In many ways, he is returning to exactly what he purposely left behind--his overbearing and disapproving father, his pushover mother, and his resentful brother, but he himself is coming back to that situation a somewhat changed young man. Doller treats her characters realistically; no one suddenly sees the light or does a complete 180 in this book. Travis was emotionally traumatized by the death of his best friend in action and at the end of the book, he still is, but just to a lesser extent. He begins a romance with Harper and she helps him deal with a few situations and issues in his life but at the end of the novel, I wasn't particularly rooting for them to succeed. Was I supposed to be? Probably, but I just wanted Travis to be able to deal with his PTSD and patch up familial relationships. I was reluctant to go into the book as a romance and to those readers who have similar feelings, I say go for it. Something Like Normal reads like an episode or story arc from one of those juicy teen drama shows that so many of us enjoyed in high school, college, and ashamedly sometimes still enjoy as adults. Travis is that tortured soul with so much to say and no capacity to express it. Harper is that girl from back home who's understanding, forgiving, and you wish you'd gotten to know her through your shared high school years. There's moments where you'd gasp or shake your fist at the screen if you were watching them, times to roll your eyes, and the entire last quarter of the book is for the sad puppy dog eyes. I didn't cry, but I bet you might.

Sometimes I get angry at a books because of choices characters make. It was very interesting to compare and contrast parts of Something Like Normal with another I was simultaneously reading (well, listening to), Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr. In both books, a young man has done something that tarnishes a girl's reputation for several years. How does she deal? Should she forgive and forget? In Story, Deanna stumbles around her life, trying to figure out why she made the choices she did and what she can do in her current situation. It's angsty, it's heavy, and it takes 192 pages for Zarr to tell the story. While I certainly do not believe that all people take the same amount of time to process and forgive wrongs, I am still surprised when something I consider to be serious seems flippantly tossed aside to move the story along. You were called names for years because of a lie someone told? Here's a thought: Don't date him a few years later. I was borderline ecstatic when Harper treated Travis like dirt when they first met back up -- the elusive YA character, a girl with a backbone. Tell him how his actions adversely affected your life, Harper! What? What's that? Yes, he is rather attractive, I guess. He's changed? You're going to what now? Er, well, this is awkward. Perhaps I am just envious of people who are so able to believe others have changed, to forgive those people. But Doller does not try to write likable characters, and that's what I really enjoyed about the book. I hated that Harper started dating Travis, I hated that she seemed to forgive him*, I hated that Travis' ex-girlfriend took up with his brother when he deployed, I hated the brother for "stealing" his girlfriend and car, I hated the dad for being an awful person, I hated the mom for not sticking up for her children, I even hated some characters because I didn't think they grieved enough. But I didn't hate this book at all. Not every person is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Also, lots of people do stupid things.

As one of my Short YA list books, I read Something Like Normal in one sitting. This is Doller's debut work and though this wasn't one of my recent favorites, there's an authenticity of voice that rings through her writing and makes me want to read more from her. The dialogue is anchored in reality and for the most part, the writing is devoid of that poetic nature that many readers crave. I, for one, am not always looking for that, and thus I found this book to be an easy and enjoyable look into one soldier's life.

3.5/5

*Just as an aside, am I the only one who wishes that this book had been dual narration? STOP THE PRESSES! This might be the first time I've ever said this before. I wanted to know Harper's side to everything.

Read this and tons of other awesome stuff at The Readventurer. ...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Jo rated it liked it

Recommended to Jo by: Nomes

Shelves: boy-crush, e, good-grief, just-been-cutting-onions, own, 2012, oh-how-we-laugh, ya

I feel like saying anything negative about this book is the equivalent of kicking a puppy. Well, I guess I’m going to be the puppy-kicker of the blogging world*.
Wait, let me clarify. It’s not as if I didn’t like this book, because I did but I just wanted to like it a lot more.

Do you want to good news or the bad news?
I don’t see why anyone would ever say good news first because you’re all happy and joyful and then BAM, bad news. And then you’re sad.
And no one wants to be sad.

So the bad news- I do ...more

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Apr 17, 2015 NiCoLeTa E. rated it really liked it

Shelves: military, romance-young-adult-etc

Whoa! That was very good!!! I wasn't expect it!!!!
This story was quite... emotional!!!

I think this is a book about courage, bravery, honor, friendship and love...

Travis returns home after several months in Afganistan for thirty days, but everything had change around him and inside him...
First of all, he is suffering from the loss of his best friend, Charlie and the guilt inside him is boiling... He can't sleep at night because the nightmares are always there in the corner of his mind waiting fo ...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Kelly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-fiction, top-picks, read-in-2012

This book got so many things right, I don't even know where to start. Maybe with Travis, who is one of the most realistic male voices I've read in a long time. More than simply having a great voice though is the fact he's authentic. He's not perfect and he makes mistakes. This isn't a book where the Marine is an automatic hero just because he's a Marine. Yeah, that experience makes Travis tough but it also makes him more vulnerable, too.

The family dynamics with Travis and his father, as well as This book got so many things right, I don't even know where to start. Maybe with Travis, who is one of the most realistic male voices I've read in a long time. More than simply having a great voice though is the fact he's authentic. He's not perfect and he makes mistakes. This isn't a book where the Marine is an automatic hero just because he's a Marine. Yeah, that experience makes Travis tough but it also makes him more vulnerable, too.

The family dynamics with Travis and his father, as well as with his brother and mother, are done so well. It was a painful but honest look at what happens when a family crumbles.

And the romance just worked. I loved every second of what happened between Travis and Harper because it revealed so much about who he was and who she was and why they deserved one another. It's an imperfect relationship, but it's also healthy because of that.

I cried three times reading this. First, (view spoiler)

Travis reminded me so much of one of my best friends, too. Could picture Travis and him hanging out and shooting the shit together.

Without doubt this book will appeal to male and female readers. It reminded me a LOT of CK Kelly Martin's "I Know It's Over" in terms of writing, the spot-on male voice, and the way a flawed male can work through his flaws to ultimately understand who he is and even forgive himself for it.

Full review here: http://www.stackedbooks.org/2012/06/s.... I can't believe I read this in one sitting.

...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Nyrae Dawn rated it it was amazing

You all know I'm a huge contemporary fan. That male POV is my absolute favorite so I had a feeling I would love it, but I'm also very picky on my male POV books....

That being said... I LOVED THIS BOOK. Trish Doller nailed the male voice. I felt Travis's pain. My heart broke for him and what he was going through. I loved Harper. Loved his mom. Loved his relationship with his Marine brothers. I loved everything about it.

Absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year.

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Aug 21, 2011 Chachic rated it really liked it

Originally posted here.

Trish Doller's debut novel, Something Like Normal, is one of my most anticipated releases this year. I read the excerpt and immediately wanted to read the book, I probably would have if it was already available at that time. I've also chatted with Trish on Twitter and I keep liking and reblogging her Tumblr posts. I was really excited when I finally got my hands on a copy of her book and I read it as soon as I could.

I love reading older YA or new adult novels and I believe ...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Christy rated it really liked it

photo 4ce07f18-1081-43e5-85f4-6136ed0b5c05_zps1a68ba3c.jpg

Travis is a marine back home for a month after being in Afghanistan. He is distant from his parents, his brother started dating his ex-girlfriend Paige, who ‘dear john’ lettered him, and he is still trying to cope with his best friend Charlie’s death. He’s got a lot going on. After being in town a few nights, he runs into her.

Her green eyes meet mine in the Guinness mirror behind the bar and it feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room. I’ve never slept with this girl, but she wa ...more

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Nov 30, 2013 Mo rated it liked it

3.5 stars

Liked this one…..

Reviews are sort of short at the moment as I have been out of the loop and catching up. Will be back to normalcy on Wednesday, hopefully!

I suddenly realise you need so much time to review books....

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Dec 20, 2010 Miranda Kenneally rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. I had a hard time putting it down. I was walking down the street reading it, in fact, and I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going. I nearly walked into a light pole. This lady from work saw me and yelled, "Miranda - stop reading that young adult literature!"

After I finished it, I left the book on my Kindle, and one day I found my husband reading SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL. He had just picked it up out of the blue and started reading and he couldn't put it down either. He ...more

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Sep 28, 2010 ~Tina~ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-2012, kobo-own

"But what has been done can't be undone. My best friend is dead and I'm never going to be the same Travis Stephenson."

On a month-leave from the Marines, Travis Stephenson is finally home after a year in Afghanistan, only he doesn't really feel like it's his home anymore. He enlisted fresh out of high school to escape his father, whom Travis will never be good enough in his eyes and a year away still hasn't made their relationship magically perfect, in fact, it's probably worse. His (ex)-girlfrie "But what has been done can't be undone. My best friend is dead and I'm never going to be the same Travis Stephenson."

On a month-leave from the Marines, Travis Stephenson is finally home after a year in Afghanistan, only he doesn't really feel like it's his home anymore. He enlisted fresh out of high school to escape his father, whom Travis will never be good enough in his eyes and a year away still hasn't made their relationship magically perfect, in fact, it's probably worse. His (ex)-girlfriend, Paige hooked-up with Travis's brother, Ryan but he just can't bring himself to care. About anything.
Travis feels guily that he made it out alive while his best friend, Charlie, didn't make it. Haunted by his memory. Charlie is everywhere. His only saving grace is a girl named Harper, who he made life miserable for in middle school, but together they find themselves sliding into an easy friendship, an easy connection and find comfort in each others arms. And maybe when it's all said and done, find their own version of something like normal.

Once in awhile a book will come along and make me think and feel and ache for these characters in a way where I just want to hug them and wish away their pain.
Something like Normal is one of those stories.

Travis is the kind of character that made a lasting impression the minute I met him. He's cold, cynical and almost bitter about being back home. But I loved the way he cared about his mother and how he stood-up to his father.
As the story goes on we see him battling nightmares and hallucination and even terrifying triggered-memories of his time in Afghanistan. This is a guy who is riddled with pure guilt that's tearing him upside down and sideways. And it broke my heart.
So I can't seem to blame him when ever he made a wrong decision, especially when it comes to Paige. A moment presented itself and he took it. It's not an excuse, even he knows that, but yet I can't find it in me to hold it against him. Maybe it's because it fits his personality so perfectly, maybe cause he didn't care about anything at that point in time, or at least till he started to care about Harper and she started to care back.
I absolutely loved Travis and Harper. This was the kind of relationship that was sweet and bubbling and real. Something they both needed. Those were the moments that I looked forward to. But this story isn't about romance, not really. It's more about grief and guilt and lost and coping. It's about coming back from something so big and so crazy that no one could understand till you live it. It's about coming back from the other side and not being able to be who you were going in. It's about losing your best friend and not being able to do anything about it and trying to figure out how to live without him by your side.

Trish Doller's writing is simply remarkable. She doesn't hold back as she describes the good, the bad and the ugliness when it comes to war, and what a solider who's suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) has to endure. This is powerful stuff, honest and emotionally raw as well as eye opening and thought provoking.
I was unbelievably touched by so much in this book and was proud of the Travis we got to see in the end compared to him in the beginning.

Bottom line, I absolutely fell in love with this book. It's beautiful and sad, humorous and sweet and the ending was perfect and realistic. It doesn't end in the traditional cookie-cutter way, but with uncertainty, hope and endless possibilities that life after lost can truly move on.

An instant favorite! Fantastic debut! I can't wait to see what Trish Doller comes up with next!

This review and more can be seen at;

...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012, ya, male-pov, contemporary-ya, debuts, net-galley, true-book-love, own-the-ebook-need-a-paper-copy, read-in-march-2012

{This review originally appeared on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.}

But what has been done can’t be undone. My best friend is dead and I’m never going to be the same Travis Stephenson.

Trish Doller's remarkable debut, Something Like Normal, is one of those rare books that I recommend to nearly everyone. It's an important, timely novel--one that's lingered with me in the months since I read it.

Well before SLN was published (it's out on June 19), I found myself on seemingly every social media site insis ...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Heather rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I will admit that I did not finish this book. Not because it wasn't really good - the 25% of it that I read was - but because it was so hard to read in a mental and emotional sense. I don't know how she did it, but Trish Doller really nailed what it means to come home after a tour in Afghanistan. The detachment. The anger. The way your brain interprets sounds, once normal, as a threat. The frustration. The sense of being an alien in your own skin. Though I couldn't finish this book because it ju ...more

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Oct 15, 2013 Melanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, not-bad-at-all, death, romance, books-i-own, arc, young-adult

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

Thank you Bloomsbury Australia for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.

“Maybe it’s time to find a new normal.”

After reading Where The Stars Still Shine and hating it with all my might, I still ended up wanting to read Something Like Normal as it sounded like nothing I've read before. I am glad I gave Trish Doller's works another try because her debut in my opinion; was a huge success.

Ever since Travis Stephenson joi See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

Thank you Bloomsbury Australia for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.

“Maybe it’s time to find a new normal.”

After reading Where The Stars Still Shine and hating it with all my might, I still ended up wanting to read Something Like Normal as it sounded like nothing I've read before. I am glad I gave Trish Doller's works another try because her debut in my opinion; was a huge success.

Ever since Travis Stephenson joined the Marines, his life has been everything but normal. Suffocated with grief, guilt and confusion when he finally comes home for 30 days from Afghanistan, Travis is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While he may not have been permanently physically damaged, but he's mentally damaged forever. Nightmares haunt him at night; flashbacks linger in the corner of his eye in the day. His arrival at home doesn't help; it only causes more turbulence for everyone. His brother, Ryan stole his girlfriend (Paige) and his car, his father has been cheating on his mum and he soon finds out his mum hasn't rested well at all since he left in the biting worry that Travis wouldn't come home alive. Awkward and falling apart, Travis doesn't know if he can cope with it any longer.

Travis was an easy character to empathise and connect with. He's a teen soldier from Afghanistan who finally comes home to find something like normal. But nothing is, he even sleeps on the ground instead of his comfy bed. I felt his sorrow and pain that followed him like a shadow and I was curious about what he had gone through during his stay in Afghanistan. Trish Doller does her research well and creates a believable male lead struggling from the loss of his war friend and abrupt change from the life he knew before he left. But his life before he left wasn't too good anyway. His father used to force him to play football, critique his every move, and when Travis got the chance, he quit. But his father was more than furious and soon, Travis decided to join the Marines, because of his overbearing father. Travis also had a girlfriend, Paige and they'd never had anything more than sex. So when he finds out Paige moved onto his brother, no tough feelings.

The romance in this book, unlike Where The Stars Still Shine, was well developed and sweet. Harper and Travis got off on a bad foot in middle grade when Harper starts getting called a slut because of Travis. But when Travis comes back, a completely changed young man, he starts learning from his mistakes and falls for Harper. I love Harper. Her character was strong and loving. She was a pretty average, or ‘normal’ character, which is exactly perfect for Travis.

The only complaint I have with this book is the length. It felt too short (only 240 pages!) and there was a lot that Trish Doller wanted to include. I felt that Harper forgave Travis too easily but I liked how Harper was a drama and cliché girl.

Something Like Normal was an unflinching and surprisingly emotional read about a teen soldier back in town and adjusting to his not so easy life. Unlike the cover suggests this is not just a romance book. ...more

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Jun 13, 2013 Ash Wednesday rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: awesome-heroines, male-pov, review, contemporary-romance, new-adult

4 STARS

I do have to admit, I'm a sucker for a lot of the things this book had to offer, and I'm quite happy to finish this earlier than I'd have wanted with very few complaints. Although to be fair, Trish Doller could've padded this with 50 more pages of testosterone banter between Solo, Kevlar, CJ and yes, even Harper, I would STILL be complaining it's too short.

“Travis?”
“Yeah?”
“Go away.” She gives me a shove. “I have a shark to catch.”
Kevlar cracks up. “Ooh, Solo. Denied.”
“Hey, Kenneth, ar

...more

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Jun 17, 2013 Kim *Mo Chridhe* rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: fans of Tom Mackee and Adam Wilde; readers of NA CR who want something more than graphic sex scenes

Shelves: book-boyfriends, favourites-and-obsessions, fist-bump-worthy-lines, pinnacle-of-perfection, realistically-voiced-by-author, books-that-made-me-cry, young-adult

"She has big boobs and -"

"There is no comparison," I interrupt. "Everything about you is better."

"You didn't think so in middle school."

"I was fourteen," I say. "I was thinking with the wrong head back then. As opposed to, you know, now. When I only think with the wrong head sometimes."

Ladies and gents, meet Travis Stephenson, my latest favourite YA/NA male narrator. He is my male Francesca Spinelli, that character who isn't really all that special but managed to pinch my heart in the most e

"She has big boobs and -"

"There is no comparison," I interrupt. "Everything about you is better."

"You didn't think so in middle school."

"I was fourteen," I say. "I was thinking with the wrong head back then. As opposed to, you know, now. When I only think with the wrong head sometimes."

Ladies and gents, meet Travis Stephenson, my latest favourite YA/NA male narrator. He is my male Francesca Spinelli, that character who isn't really all that special but managed to pinch my heart in the most effortless kind of way anyway.

Travis is on a 4-week leave after being deployed in Afghanistan over a year ago. After his best friend, Charlie, was killed while they were on duty together, Travis has been plagued with guilt, nightmares, and hallucinations of him. His homecoming isn't promising to be a reprieve from his physical and internal wars either, seeing that he still doesn't get along with his overbearing father and his younger brother has basically taken over his car, his girlfriend and his friends. Currently, there is only one person who Travis wants to spend time with, but Harper Gray doesn't want anything to do with him after he started false rumors about her back in middle school.

"You might not remember me, but -"

"Travis Stephenson," she interrupts, her words like a roadblock. "Welcome home. Now leave me alone."

Damn, she's hostile.

Still, he persists, and the two form a friendship unlike anything he had prior to leaving for Afghanistan. The romance is cute and realistic - devoid of weighty promises of undying love and commitment. There were so many scenes between them that had me grinning, and this was mostly due to the unbelievably teenage-maleness of Travis's voice and how realistically his character was portrayed. Some might frown at one "mistake" in particular, but I think it was true to the portrayal of a confused mind that had just gone through something traumatic. I'm not excusing the act in question, but I certainly understand how it could've happened under his circumstances and history.

There wasn't a particularly strong message about the war and its cause in the book, and I don't think the author was aiming for that anyway, so I didn't mind the "lightness" of it in the book. I thought the delivery of PTSD and how it affected Travis and those around him was pretty effective. The distance between Travis and his family and old friends was highlighted because he now has this group of people whom he has a shared experience with. I loved the banter between him and the members of his platoon, how they joke and insult each other but still regarding each other like close friends or brothers.

I think I easily identified with Travis because his flaws were so honestly depicted. There's no traumatic childhood event that shaped his douchebaggery ways. Girls and booze seem like a normal constant in a nineteen year old. He might be someone you know or you might see a bit of yourself in him. I mean, how many of us have made a decision not because it was something we really wanted but because staying put wasn't an option?

I can't really pinpoint why I loved this book as much as I did. I just knew that after I finished it I wanted to reread it again right away. It was especially refreshing to read a contemporary romance through a male's POV. His post-traumatic stress was believable and understandable. In the romance department, some parts borderlined on the chessy, but instead of rolling my eyes I found myself smiling a lot. Travis is such an endearing and lovable hero. You just can't help but cheer him on, you know? I loved how his character grew and how he found supportive people to get him through the tough times. There was a perfect amount of humor, romance, family and relationship drama, internal struggles and tears. It might not have any life-altering effect on me. It might not have taught me anything new or insightful. It didn't even make me cry buckets - my usual criteria for highly rating something. But it just worked on so many levels. I finished three books and six novellas in the course of my weeklong staycation and while I liked them all, this was the one that compelled me enough to lift my reviewing ban. I highly recommend this to readers of character-driven contemporaries who'd want a rollercoaster of emotions type of reading experience.

"It fucking sucks. I just want to be normal again."

"Maybe, it's time to find a new normal."

...more

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May 09, 2017 Laura rated it it was amazing

"I don’t know if my life will ever be completely normal again, but something like normal is a good start.”

Something Like Normal has been sitting on the corner of my desk for years. Toppling piles of books suround me at all times is my life, but man—do I kick myself when I realize a gem like THIS has been in my sights for years. Travis Stephenson has been staring at me, in reach, right there! For years! GAH!

Travis, a 19 year old active Marine, is home for 30 days on leave, but all he wants to do
"I don’t know if my life will ever be completely normal again, but something like normal is a good start.”

Something Like Normal has been sitting on the corner of my desk for years. Toppling piles of books suround me at all times is my life, but man—do I kick myself when I realize a gem like THIS has been in my sights for years. Travis Stephenson has been staring at me, in reach, right there! For years! GAH!

Travis, a 19 year old active Marine, is home for 30 days on leave, but all he wants to do is go back to his unit. The Marines feel more like home than his family. At home while he was gone, his brother took his car and his girl! Plus his parents are on the verge of splitting up. But Travis is wrapped around the pain of losing his fellow Marine and best friend—Charlie. His head and heart are lost right now. Travis is having nightmares and hallucinations of Charlie everywhere. Noises and smells can pull him into a memory so fast and deep it’s scary. One minute he’s in Florida on the beach and the next he’s in the dirt of Afghanistan. Ms. Doller depicts the effects of war and death on a soldier in a gritty, raw, no BS style. I loved the NO angst level here. This is an honest, no sugar coating portrayal of PTSD. A powerful picture of a lost young man trying to find his way home from war and guilt and pain. A guy trying to find his own way in this world while trying to deal with the weight and trauma of losing his best friend right in front of him. There’s a lot to deal with in this little book, but Trish Doller does it in her own kickass way.

I loved Travis. His voice is loud and clear. And we only hear from Travis. I love that! The one point of view all the way through only ups the realism, frustration, and confusion. His voice pulls you right in. Doller paints Travis as equal parts asshole and sweetheart with humor, directness, and realism. He talks and thinks like a guy. Meaning he makes some dick moves, but somehow it all adds up to a guy you want to root for and love. There is a romance in this book, but I almost don’t want to talk about it—even though I love Harper. Girl, we need to grab a beer together! This book is not a romance though. It’s a powerful journey of a Marine searching for normal after working and surviving in a war zone. You need to listen to his story. I learned a thing or two. You might too.

This is one of my favorite Travis moments—the way he describes his life in the Marines:

“Except for the part where people shoot at you, it’s not all that different from any other job. There are things I like and things that suck.”

And this is one of my favorite Doller descriptions:

It’s quiet. Only the soft whoosh of the waves and the round white moon, scattering its reflection across the water.”

I know this isn’t much of a review, but I don’t feel the need to ramble on. I loved it. Read it!

...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Ginger at GReadsBooks.com rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-reads, own

Originally posted at GReads: http://www.greadsbooks.com/2012/03/so...

Stop. Take a minute to breath. Process. Allow it all to sink in. Now go back & re-read it all over again. That is my initial reaction to this book. Contemporaries hold a special place in my heart when it comes to literature because they make you feel such strong emotions. I know any book can have that effect on a person, but contemporary pieces like this one have the ability to grab my heart, twist it, hug it, break it in t Originally posted at GReads: http://www.greadsbooks.com/2012/03/so...

Stop. Take a minute to breath. Process. Allow it all to sink in. Now go back & re-read it all over again. That is my initial reaction to this book. Contemporaries hold a special place in my heart when it comes to literature because they make you feel such strong emotions. I know any book can have that effect on a person, but contemporary pieces like this one have the ability to grab my heart, twist it, hug it, break it in to a million pieces, and then put it all back together again swelling with pure love. Trish Doller's debut novel Something Like Normal is far from normal. It is contemporary fiction at it's best.

Travis has just come home on leave from spending the last year serving his country in Afghanistan. His mother's welcome wagon, along with his judgmental father, and second-hand brother aren't exactly home for Travis. He prefers the camaraderie of his brother-hood in the hot, sandy desert. Travis is also dealing with the effects of losing one of his mates in battle. The tough facade he tries to portray while on base begins to crack once he is confined back inside his childhood home. Though he's only home for a few weeks, he tries his best to bide his time among a sea of faces that have now become strangers to him. What he once thought was important, now holds less meaning. Travis is a changed young man, but he doesn't quite know it yet.

Harper is the girl who tries to show him that change, but it didn't start off that easy. Their relationship begins with a punch to the face (Travis' face that is) and the angst just keeps rising. These two characters are probably one of the most well written love interests I have come across. Their attitudes towards one another felt so believable to me. Harper has her reservations about Travis in the beginning due to their past. We also learn that Harper is a forgiving person, with a heart that goes on for miles. I adore this girl, so much. She was the perfect match for Travis. She off-sets his bruiting, hostile persona so well. The two of them together lit up every page. Their love was a slow build, and oh man.. those slow builds are the best! Feel the burn. I was completely convinced by their true feelings.

The story goes beyond just love though, it digs deep in to family turmoil. The relationship building between Travis and his mom was another favorite of mine to witness. I love when an author gives secondary characters such strong voices. Travis' mom did not fade in to the background, she stood strong in every scene, even during her weakest moments. There were quite a few other secondary characters that captured my heart as well. The involvement kept me turning the pages. I knew I was in for some heavy heart ache, especially when it includes a story about a young man coming home from a foreign war. There are so many challenges a person can face, and it's right to assume they will come home a changed person.

Trish Doller, I bow down to you. Your ability to tell a story with so much depth, compassion, angst, and believability has left me breathless. I want to re-read this book a dozen more times. Thank you for sharing with us one of the best contemporary novels. I can't wait for the world to read this one. It's definitely an impressionable piece.
...more

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May 15, 2012 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: male-pov, for-review, i-have-a-copy, new-adult, june-2012-release, ya-lit, realistic-fiction, bloomsbury, contemporary-fiction, mature-ya

Something Like Normal is Trish Doller’s debut novel. Nineteen year old Travis returns home to Fort Myers, Florida after serving in Afghanistan for one and a half years. He’s not looking forward to coming home and doesn’t even consider it home anymore. His dad gave up on him when he quit playing football, his younger brother, Ryan, always gets what he wants and now has Travis’ ex-girlfriend, Paige, as well as the car that he worked so hard on. His best friend recently died via an attack and Travi Something Like Normal is Trish Doller’s debut novel. Nineteen year old Travis returns home to Fort Myers, Florida after serving in Afghanistan for one and a half years. He’s not looking forward to coming home and doesn’t even consider it home anymore. His dad gave up on him when he quit playing football, his younger brother, Ryan, always gets what he wants and now has Travis’ ex-girlfriend, Paige, as well as the car that he worked so hard on. His best friend recently died via an attack and Travis is haunted by him in his nightmares and while awake. And then he bumps into Harper and suddenly he has found someone that makes him feel almost normal.

I liked Travis as soon as we’re introduced to him and enjoyed the male POV in this novel. He’s feeling guilty about the death of his friend, Charlie, guilty because he couldn’t do anything about it, guilty that he’s still alive. He hasn’t told anyone about his hallucinations but a higher up seems to know that something is wrong and suggests Travis take a month off before rejoining his fellow Marines.

His home life is complicated and I immediately disliked his dad, who sounded like a controlling and mean guy and at the same time I pitied his mum for being stuck with him. I liked the moments when Travis got to spend time with his mum, particularly when he attempted to cook dinner for them, their interactions put a smile on my face. And while Ryan wasn’t the worst brother I could understand Travis’ issue because I’m the eldest child, too.

I didn’t dislike Paige, in fact I felt a bit sorry for her, but I was annoyed when she kept showing up, even after Travis had made it clear about his feelings for Harper, who was an awesome girl. She’s into marine biology and takes Travis to watch a nest of sea turtles hatch which included a really sweet, swoony moment. I also liked that when faced with Travis’ issues she didn’t run away or tell him that there was something wrong with him, she stood by him, even when he hadn’t been very honest with her.

Having promised Charlie that he would go and see his mum in person if anything should ever happen to him, we are introduced to Charlie’s mum and I absolutely loved her character. She was a bit quirky and obviously still full of love and happiness even though she’d lost her only son. She also helps Travis to realise that he has to stop blaming himself and to stop wishing that he was the one dead instead of Charlie.

This story really broke my heart, I cried a lot. Partly because we have this guy who’s still a teenager, dealing with such a tough career and having killed people but not being able to speak up and say he’s having trouble because it’s not a manly thing to do. And also because war is horrible, there are so many people dying and it feels like it’s all for nothing.

Something Like Normal is a fantastic contemporary debut, with a cast of wonderful characters, a compelling story and bittersweet ending. I’d recommend it to all contemp YA fans.

Thank you to the fantastic people at Bloomsbury Australia for my review copy. ...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: emotional-angsty-books, read-in-2012

Travis is home on leave from a stint in Afghanistan where he was in the middle of some really horrible things so he's gotten extra time off. Unfortunately, things at home are not great either but Travis has to find a way to deal with it.

Let me just say that I do not like military stories or anything similar at all so I am really shocked that I wanted to read this. I think I was drawn to the male's POV and I really enjoyed it. So much so that I read it all in a few hours...I guess it helped that ...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Jess (Gone with the Words) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2012, hardcover, kindle, romance-contemp-setting, young-adult, audiobook

Read this review on my blog! --> Something Like Normal by Trish Dollert

What has stuck with me most about Something Like Normal has been how real these characters and story are. They feel like a part of me. Like I know Travis, or like I am Harper. And I think what it is is the fact that we probably all know someone like Travis. In most every generation there have been people from our lives who have fought in some war. It feels real because it is so real and relevant to today. It will strike a ...more

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Jan 28, 2015 Bookaholic (reads every mortal thing) rated it it was ok

Shelves: bland-romance, ya-contemporary, 2015-read, dissapointment-2

Okay, I'm in the minority here. Lotsa people loved this book. I am not one of them.

Let me get this off my chest: Its far, faaar from a bad book. Not great, but not bad by any means.

I was pretty tempted to give this a three stars, but went with my overall feelings of this book than anything else.

Here is where it gets complicated, though; the best and worst things about this book is Travis.

On one hand, I love that he realises how shitty he has been to his mom and helps her with her problems. On th ...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Glass rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic-fiction

Review posted on Ja čitam, a ti?

I picked up this book thinking: "I need something light for this first hot days of summer." Did I get what I wanted? No. Maja from The Nocturnal Library wrote in her review that cover is "misleading" and I have to agree with her. You would expect hot romance and not the story about young man who is trying to fit in after all the horible things he saw and death of his best friend. Actually, he is not even trying to fit in - Travis is just counting days until the da ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: Book about guy who's comes home from Iraq YA [s]	4	58	Jan 23, 2014 02:16PM
page count in pdf version	3	67	Jun 28, 2013 04:40AM
More NA contemporary romance with soldiers as characters	13	98	Jun 18, 2013 03:56AM

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