Some Kind of Normal

April 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Everly Jenkins knows her father's vitality hinges on the image of a perfect family, but secrets hidden from the public threaten to tear apart her family and destroy their livelihood. For the past year, Everly has donned a fake smile and done what everyone expects of the pastor's dutiful daughter. In the days following graduation, Everly accepts a summer job tutoring classmate Trevor Lewis, who missed his senior year following a tragic drunk driving accident. After a months-long coma and intensive rehabilitation, Trevor still struggles with the headaches, memory loss, mood swings, and seizures resulting from this traumatic brain injury. Determined to make it as a musician, Trevor knows he needs to stay focused so he can finally graduate, even if that means dealing with his beautiful but snobbish tutor Everly Jenkins. Told in alternating perspectives, Some Kind of Normal features believable, sympathetic characters dealing with serious family and personal issues. There are no quick fixes for Trevor's brain injuries or Everly's family problems. Trevor's determination to be "normal" again battles against his fear that he may never fully recover. Though both characters' emotional reactions to traumatic events mostly ring true, one might wonder why no one seems to hold Trevor's best friend Nate-the drunk driver that fateful night-responsible for anything. Still, the sweet romance, likable characters, and complex family dynamics carry the story. VERDICT For teens who love contemporary romances like Jenny Han's novels and Katie McGarry's "Pushing the Limits" series (Harlequin Teen).-Leigh Collazo, Dulwich College, Suzhou, China

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* He wasn't the kind of guy Emily would have gone for in high school. She wasn't the girl Trevor always thought she was. He was the sexy musician with tattoos on his fingers and a blue streak in his hair. She was the uptight and gorgeous preacher's daughter who was rarely seen with a boy. He was the guy who had been in an accident that put him in a coma for much of his senior year and now suffers from traumatic brain injury (TBI). She was the girl whose senior year was spent in silent confusion over a life-changing secret about her family. Trevor's and Emily's worlds collide when she becomes his summer tutor so that he can earn his diploma. Told by Trevor and Emily in alternating chapters, this story of strength, courage, and discovery by two teens grappling with uncertainty over how to surmount larger-than-life obstacles is heartfelt, revealing, and self-defining. The pain of moving forward is real; the loss of dreams and family is deep; and the emotions are overwhelmingly true, as Trevor and Emily fall for each other honestly and desperately. Stone writes with a focused, compassionate hand, offering the perfect book for readers looking for complex and mature themes mixed into a solidly crafted story about stepping into adulthood.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)