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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I'm giving this a 4 for my 8th grade self who would have eaten this up with a spoon, and for the 8th graders I can give this to.
An adorable Devil Wears Prada-inspired YA Rom-Com about seventeen year old Maddie who sparks up a romance with famous soccer-playing, bad boy Gabriel Fortunato, in order to ace her internship.
I read this in one sitting, and it was such a cute book
I read this in one sitting, and it was such a cute book
OKAY! I CANNOT STOP THINKING about this book! It's one of the best rom-coms I've read in a while and I am absolutely in love. It's one of those books that leave you with a wide grin on your face, long after you've finished it and YES I AM IN THAT PHASE
3.75/5 ⭐️
This was such a quick and fun read!
Let’s break it down:
The characters:
I really related to Maddie. She has an older brother she’s close with and a younger sibling and I loved seeing the family dynamics since they’re so similar to my own. I also really appreciated that Maddie was such a determined and hard working girl. She isn’t naturally gifted and has to work hard to be good at things and I think that added a lot to the story. Gabe was a sweet (and definitely swoonworthy) love interest that I wouldn’t have been able to resist either.
The plot:
“Far From Normal” is a YA contemporary so of course it’s a bit dramatic and cheesy but we don’t expect anything else from this genre and I thought the plot was entertaining and original. It was a super quick read and it definitely gripped me!
The setting:
A big part of the book is about Maddie’s internship at a sports marketing firm and I liked getting a look into this industry that I knew nothing about. I also really enjoyed learning more about all of the places Maddie visited in Chicago.
Some things I unfortunately didn’t love:
Maddie has a habit of rambling and I thought that her thoughts oftentimes strayed too far from the situation that was currently going on which made her sound a bit annoying at times. Some sentences also really kinda made me cringe because they were just unnecessary or TMI. The ending felt a bit rushed and I would’ve preferred if some scenes that were mentioned in the epilogue had been part of the actual plot instead of something the main character only thought about.
All in all:
It was an enjoyable YA contemporary that had its ups and down - I would recommend checking it out if you’re looking for a quick read with an entertaining plot!
Thank you to Page Street Kids and NetGalley for providing this ARC!
This was such a quick and fun read!
Let’s break it down:
The characters:
I really related to Maddie. She has an older brother she’s close with and a younger sibling and I loved seeing the family dynamics since they’re so similar to my own. I also really appreciated that Maddie was such a determined and hard working girl. She isn’t naturally gifted and has to work hard to be good at things and I think that added a lot to the story. Gabe was a sweet (and definitely swoonworthy) love interest that I wouldn’t have been able to resist either.
The plot:
“Far From Normal” is a YA contemporary so of course it’s a bit dramatic and cheesy but we don’t expect anything else from this genre and I thought the plot was entertaining and original. It was a super quick read and it definitely gripped me!
The setting:
A big part of the book is about Maddie’s internship at a sports marketing firm and I liked getting a look into this industry that I knew nothing about. I also really enjoyed learning more about all of the places Maddie visited in Chicago.
Some things I unfortunately didn’t love:
Maddie has a habit of rambling and I thought that her thoughts oftentimes strayed too far from the situation that was currently going on which made her sound a bit annoying at times. Some sentences also really kinda made me cringe because they were just unnecessary or TMI. The ending felt a bit rushed and I would’ve preferred if some scenes that were mentioned in the epilogue had been part of the actual plot instead of something the main character only thought about.
All in all:
It was an enjoyable YA contemporary that had its ups and down - I would recommend checking it out if you’re looking for a quick read with an entertaining plot!
Thank you to Page Street Kids and NetGalley for providing this ARC!
This was the perfect YA romance book. I loved it so much!
I finished Far From Normal in a day, which means it's a compelling read, but I can't help but feeling that it needed a little more time in the oven. I wish I had about a hundred more pages of this book to work out some kinks and that's not something I usually say about contemporary YA books....
Maddie is a classic middle sibling. She's always getting compared to her naturally gifted older brother which can get really tiresome. I really related to Maddie - she had to work hard to be good at things and that's the case with most of us. To prove her parents wrong and get into her dream school UNC, she takes an internship at the sports marketing firm where her aunt works. This is her golden opportunity and she doesn't want to waste it. After an embarrassing run-in with a tall, accented stranger, Maddie is shaken up (in a good way) and even more shaken up when she finds out he's soccer superstar Gabe Fortunado. When her aunt finds out about their meet-cute, she assigns Maddie to help turn around his party-boy image. Maddie sees this as her way to stand out in a crowd of nameless interns and it doesn't hurt that she gets to spend time with a hot Italian soccer player. She just has to keep her wits about her and not get sucked in by his flirty banter and hard to look away from face...
This plot leaves a lot of room for fun moments and character development, but at the end of the day, it just fell a little short for me. Gabe received the most development out of everyone in the book, which is a bit odd considering Maddie is supposed to be our main character. Beyond that, the pacing of the story felt off. Maddie and Gabe definitely have a bit of insta-love going on considering the book takes place over a few weeks (as far as I can tell?). The ending felt very rushed and some of the events mentioned in the epilogue could have easily been part of the book and added a lot more to the character development.
It's also a little frustrating that by the end of the book, only Maddie gets redeemed, for lack of a better way to put it. Her aunt and mother still don't seem to believe in her, her nemesis at work gets a promotion, and. Not much is wrapped up in the bow that readers like to see in a YA book, but there aren't any loose ends for a sequel.
All in all, this is a cute, quick read. I liked the characters, I just wanted to get to know them a little more.
Maddie is a classic middle sibling. She's always getting compared to her naturally gifted older brother which can get really tiresome. I really related to Maddie - she had to work hard to be good at things and that's the case with most of us. To prove her parents wrong and get into her dream school UNC, she takes an internship at the sports marketing firm where her aunt works. This is her golden opportunity and she doesn't want to waste it. After an embarrassing run-in with a tall, accented stranger, Maddie is shaken up (in a good way) and even more shaken up when she finds out he's soccer superstar Gabe Fortunado. When her aunt finds out about their meet-cute, she assigns Maddie to help turn around his party-boy image. Maddie sees this as her way to stand out in a crowd of nameless interns and it doesn't hurt that she gets to spend time with a hot Italian soccer player. She just has to keep her wits about her and not get sucked in by his flirty banter and hard to look away from face...
This plot leaves a lot of room for fun moments and character development, but at the end of the day, it just fell a little short for me. Gabe received the most development out of everyone in the book, which is a bit odd considering Maddie is supposed to be our main character. Beyond that, the pacing of the story felt off. Maddie and Gabe definitely have a bit of insta-love going on considering the book takes place over a few weeks (as far as I can tell?). The ending felt very rushed and some of the events mentioned in the epilogue could have easily been part of the book and added a lot more to the character development.
It's also a little frustrating that by the end of the book, only Maddie gets redeemed, for lack of a better way to put it. Her aunt and mother still don't seem to believe in her, her nemesis at work gets a promotion, and
Spoiler
Gabe might be off to another countryAll in all, this is a cute, quick read. I liked the characters, I just wanted to get to know them a little more.
Cute YA read, I enjoyed Maddie and Gabe banter, overall entertaining and quick read.
This was another super cute, sports-related rom-com from this author. Maddie McPherson wants to follow in her aunt’s footsteps and work in sports marketing. Getting a summer internship with her aunt’s firm is her first step. When Maddie has a bike accident at a soccer game on the beach, little does she know that her savior will turn out to be her first big project, soccer bad boy Gabriel Fortunato. In order to improve his image, Maddie soon realizes that Gabe is not his public persona. She soon finds herself trying to draw a line between work and pleasure.
I would've enjoyed this more if Maddie had been three years older. As it was, I could not suspend my disbelief enough for the premise. It is also quite slow in places.
3.75/5 ⭐️
This was such a quick and fun read!
Let’s break it down:
The characters:
I really related to Maddie. She has an older brother she’s close with and a younger sibling and I loved seeing the family dynamics since they’re so similar to my own. I also really appreciated that Maddie was such a determined and hard working girl. She isn’t naturally gifted and has to work hard to be good at things and I think that added a lot to the story. Gabe was a sweet (and definitely swoonworthy) love interest that I wouldn’t have been able to resist either.
The plot:
“Far From Normal” is a YA contemporary so of course it’s a bit dramatic and cheesy but we don’t expect anything else from this genre and I thought the plot was entertaining and original. It was a super quick read and it definitely gripped me!
The setting:
A big part of the book is about Maddie’s internship at a sports marketing firm and I liked getting a look into this industry that I knew nothing about. I also really enjoyed learning more about all of the places Maddie visited in Chicago.
Some things I unfortunately didn’t love:
Maddie has a habit of rambling and I thought that her thoughts oftentimes strayed too far from the situation that was currently going on which made her sound a bit annoying at times. Some sentences also really kinda made me cringe because they were just unnecessary or TMI. The ending felt a bit rushed and I would’ve preferred if some scenes that were mentioned in the epilogue had been part of the actual plot instead of something the main character only thought about.
All in all:
It was an enjoyable YA contemporary that had its ups and down - I would recommend checking it out if you’re looking for a quick read with an entertaining plot!
Thank you to Page Street Kids and NetGalley for providing this ARC!
This was such a quick and fun read!
Let’s break it down:
The characters:
I really related to Maddie. She has an older brother she’s close with and a younger sibling and I loved seeing the family dynamics since they’re so similar to my own. I also really appreciated that Maddie was such a determined and hard working girl. She isn’t naturally gifted and has to work hard to be good at things and I think that added a lot to the story. Gabe was a sweet (and definitely swoonworthy) love interest that I wouldn’t have been able to resist either.
The plot:
“Far From Normal” is a YA contemporary so of course it’s a bit dramatic and cheesy but we don’t expect anything else from this genre and I thought the plot was entertaining and original. It was a super quick read and it definitely gripped me!
The setting:
A big part of the book is about Maddie’s internship at a sports marketing firm and I liked getting a look into this industry that I knew nothing about. I also really enjoyed learning more about all of the places Maddie visited in Chicago.
Some things I unfortunately didn’t love:
Maddie has a habit of rambling and I thought that her thoughts oftentimes strayed too far from the situation that was currently going on which made her sound a bit annoying at times. Some sentences also really kinda made me cringe because they were just unnecessary or TMI. The ending felt a bit rushed and I would’ve preferred if some scenes that were mentioned in the epilogue had been part of the actual plot instead of something the main character only thought about.
All in all:
It was an enjoyable YA contemporary that had its ups and down - I would recommend checking it out if you’re looking for a quick read with an entertaining plot!
Thank you to Page Street Kids and NetGalley for providing this ARC!