Wednesday 8 February 2017

Review: The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Two boys. Two secrets.

David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. 

On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan. 

When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…





Review: This book totally blew me away! This was another one of those books that I've heard about so often on Twitter and from other bloggers and so I really wasn't sure whether it was going to be a bit of a let down or whether it really would live up to the hype, it totally lived up to the hype but I think I enjoyed it in my very own way. I literally read this book in one sitting, that;s how much I wanted to just utterly consume it and continue to live in the lives of these characters for as long as possible. 

As you can see from the blurb, this deals with a boy who would much rather be a girl. There are other characters in this book who would also identify within the LGBTQ label and so this is definitely a diverse read. But it is not diversity for diversity's sake, it is not diversity rammed down your throat. This is a book about friendship and family and growing up and self discovery and that is what makes it such a wonderful read. Under this LGBTQ heading there is a lovely heart warming story. A story that just gives you all the feels. 

I love both of the main characters in this book and wanted only the best for them. David is a really likeable person. He has a fab couple of friends who are also awesome characters to read a bout and he is open with them, but not as much with his family. Leo is slightly the opposite of David because he is much more open with his family that he is with his friends, in fact, he would rather not have any friends at all. I loved how strong Leo was and how unlikely his friendship with David really was. 

I found myself drawn into this story and experience the highs and lows of every moment with these characters. I also really liked the relationship that both characters had with their family. This author doesn't push for the perfect family, she creates realistic families and so they were easy to relate to an easy to accept during the reading process. David and Leo were also very realistic and therefore relatable. I liked the fact that this books is set when both of them are at an English secondary school in their GCSE years, I think this gave the books a whole other dimension. 

Even if it is not a diverse read that you are looking for, pick up this book for its fabulous characters and storyline. And if you are looking for your next diverse read, or your first diverse read, then pick this one up because Lisa Williamson has done such a fantastic job!

Get your copy by clicking here!

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