Feb 1, 2013

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

Something Like Normal

Book Description:

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 see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.



Christina's BookReview

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

RECAP

When Travis Stephenson returns home from his tour in Afghanistan he isn’t happy with the situation. Travis is not the same guy that left his hometown. He returns home without a girlfriend, angry at his family, having terrible nightmares and a friend that will not leave him. Travis doesn’t want to admit it but he’s also returned with a case of PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder). He would rather be on base then spend time at home, a place that is now foreign to him. That changes when a night at a bar brings him to face with the one girl that will change his life. The one girl that Travis can’t get.

Harper is living an ordinary life. She is working to pay her way to college and doesn’t have time for anything else. Especially Travis Stephenson. Harper hates Travis to the very core.  He was the bane of her existence in school and the soldier isn’t going to get any love from her. But when Harper sees how different Travis is she’s about to find out that people change and love comes in unexpected packages. Packages that aren’t perfect.

Will Travis finally get the help he needs? Will he lose the one person that brings him solace? Or will his past determine his future?

MY TAKE

Let me start off by saying how angry I am!! Why you ask? Because this book ended!!  I got to the very last page and just froze. Really? It had to end? Why couldn’t it continue? Trish you are so evil!! :-)

So you can see that I LOVED this book. This story will burrow into your mind and never leave! Guaranteed! I finished this book a few days ago and I can’t stop thinking about it... Thinking about where the hell is the rest!! :D

The book is in Travis’s POV and sticks to it throughout the whole book. My readers know how much I enjoy reading a guy’s POV so there you go! Travis is pretty fucked up (excuse my vulgar language) there is no other way to put it. His time in the Marine’s has not been easy. Through his eyes the readers are privy to the realism of what a soldier goes through and what the aftereffects of going into the “warzone”.  As he tries to come to terms with what happened during his time in Afghanistan Travis’s only solace is with Harper.

Harper isn’t like the girls Travis is used to. She definitely isn’t like Paige, his ex-girlfriend. But that doesn’t stop him from fucking up and ending up doing shit he’s not supposed too. This makes him REAL. He isn’t perfect. He has flaws and makes mistakes.  And that is where I liked Harper. She didn’t put up with Travis’s shit but she also didn’t leave him when she knew he was hurting. She tried to just listen and try and comfort him as best as she could. I liked her spunk and I liked her warmth towards him when he needed her.

The only secondary characters that I liked in this book where Kevlar and Moss. Although their parts where small, I enjoyed them. They are definitely some potential for future books. After book two of Harper and Travis come out, of course. :-D And of course there is Charlie who is there…but not really. His connection with Travis is one that will have you smiling and crying at the same time. The rest of the characters were… ehh.

The only thing I disliked about this book was Travis’ fixation with comparing Harper to Paige. That really irked my nerves.That and the quick ending is the only reason this is 4.5 Stars.

I hope there is a sequel to this!

So if you want real characters, a great romance, some angst and a military background this book is for you!

BUY it. READ it. LOVE it.


HAPPY READING!

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