Review: Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

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 (GoodReads).

 Something Like Normal by Trish Doller is not my usual cup of tea, but Travis won me over. 

• Originality: 7. I don't read a lot of contemporaries (except in Dessen binges) and I really don't read anything about the Marines. Even as fiction this was a fascinating window into the intensity of both in a war and adjusting back to civilian life.
• Absurdity: 4. Travis is QUITE (or was before Afghanistan) the party boy. Do parents really let kids get away with this stuff? My parents would have shut.this.behavior.DOWN.
• Level of Paranormal Romance: 5. Harper and Travis have good chemistry, but I cannot give any more points because of some bad cheating choices by a certain someone. No matter how much he is going through--I can't!
• Level of Harry Potterness: 5. This book deals well with heavy subjects like parental approval, cheating spouses, forgiving yourself, and post-traumatic stress. That is a lot for a little book I thought was going to be fluffy and romantic! I would recommend it to someone looking for a contemporary that packs a bit more punch.