Scan barcode
lindseylosers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Abortion, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
mesposito827's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying and Toxic relationship
Minor: Addiction and Abortion
elspethmigliore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
it was definitely frustrating at times how odd and confusing the relationship and characters were. but thats the point. both marianne and connell are so relatable in so many ways and even at their worst times, they made sense. even when both of them were communicating at their best, there was still lots of miscommunication and pain, which is so realistic and honestly made their connection even more special. i fell in love with the dynamic of their comfort and pureness from the very beginning. i’m honestly just dumping a bunch of words right now because i’m kind of in shock at how relatable and real this story was. never in my life have i felt so close to and understood by a book. both of the characters were so incredibly real and true and i just wish them both the best.
this is 100 percent reread material ✅
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Abortion and War
magruber30's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Abortion
saskiahill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Sexual content, Abortion, Death of parent, and Classism
paulaks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is A LOT while being quite uneventful. Being character driven, it follows 2 characters over 4 years. Documenting my life for that long would be the most boring piece of literature but Connell and Marianne are SO complicated and traumatized. That has to be my first warning: The amount of triggers that are passively talked about is worrying. Please check those before reading (I tried to list some). Overall the reading experience was quite intense. Since there are no quotation marks, the thoughts, storytelling and conversations blend in together which can be confusing but makes for a really intriguing experience. The writing style was 10/10 so no need to continue on that.
Honestly, you can categorize the people that read this novel by their rating into two groups: The group that didn´t build a connection, were annoyed or angry or aren´t empathetic (= ratings lower than 2.5). And the ones who identified themselves with character traits or are just really empathetic (= rating 2.5+). Just a little thesis of mine, don´t take it to seriously. But what you should take serious is the fact that if you can´t build any connection with one of the MCs by the 50% mark, there is little to no point in reading this. I was quite invested so here´s my experience: Their decision-making had me on my toes, even tho the way they continued making wrong choices was exhausting. But it´s definitely interesting how trauma can shape a human being. This aspect shocked me a few times and made me question my own behaviour.
Lastly, the title choice is well done. Who is normal? Are we normal people? Do we want to be normal people? At least I was trying to answer that question.
My rating right now would be a 4 star. The potential was there and maybe I´m the problem but sometimes there were illogical moments and situations that made me uncomfortable (most of the time with Marianne). As you can guess by my long review, this is a great book for a group discussion but be aware that this would reveal a lot of personal stuff since Normal people is an intimate story.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Abortion, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
dfram's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this book in 24 hours, I was absolutely incapable of putting it down. I loved every single element on it. Relatable characters with immesurable personal growth; and yet, the essence of their personalities remained intact. Mental health discussions (with responsible details + relevant and important information for YA). The accuracy of the description of feelings of inadequacy among same-aged peers. The truth about young love, and how inevitable heart break is. The social criticism and the discussion about class and wealth (and how it impacts our relationships). How life changing it is to find someone who not only understands and accepts you for who you are, but loves you because of it and not in spite of what makes you you.
What I love about this book so much is that Marianna and Connell are normal people. They're as real as the next person is. I felt myself identified with the plot to their story. The truth is, nearly everyone I know has experienced what it's like to struggle between letting go and holding on tighter. The gist of the story is best summarized via the following popular saying: "if you love somebody, let them go. For if they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were".
My only complaint? The lack of quotations to identify the dialogue took me an embarrassingly long amount of chapters to adapt to.
I wish there was more to this story.
10/10 would recommend.
April 2024
I agree with my past self! I felt able to fully immerse myself in the story and that is a feeling I seek when reading other books. I felt the characters were super relatable, and those that I didn’t love I could understand except Marianne’s fam, fuck them I loved that Marianne and Connell were flawed and awkward.
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Minor: Abortion
janaptrsn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Infidelity and Abortion
seventy7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Abortion and Alcohol
Can be really frustratingtaysbooktalk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail