"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 11 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..."
The Art of Being Normal describes the collision of two characters, Leo and David. The book takes us on a journey of their acquaintance turning into a deep friendship. It highlights key issues that are so relevant in today's society; Homophobia and Transphobia. This book has the potential to reach out to anyone that maybe struggling with these kind of problems.
Leo was by far my favourite character. He had such depth to his personality that I just wanted to learn more and more about him. His home life has been difficult, and his school life has been even worse. I route for Leo and want the best for him and he really pulled on my heart strings. Leo felt like a real teenager, the usually angst and not knowing what his own emotions are and that stood out for me.
I would share my favourite part of the book but it would maybe give away some spoilers but let's just say it included all the best stuff; an adventure, bingo and karaoke!
Lisa Williamson really managed to capture two very different characters and my favourite scenes were the ones where Leo and David were together. One scene in particular I loved was when Leo and David are at the old Victorian baths and David is trying to reach out to Leo. There was such a raw, emotional feel about that chapter, I really loved it.
The only disappointing part of the book was the relationship between Leo and his mum. She starts off as a hard-faced person who doesn't care very much for her kids. By the end of the book, we've heard about some of the hardships she's had to go through for her children, and I feel like the reader is supposed to forgive her and see her in a new light; this didn't happen for me. I still didn't have much of an emotional connection to her and I think it's because I couldn't forgive her for the way she was behaving earlier on in the book.
I have not been captured by a book like this for so long - but this really sparked my interest from the minute I read the blurb. The characters have a depth that a lot of books miss, and although I did see the plot twist coming, it didn't disappoint me in the slightest because it's the twist I had hoped for. The relationship between the two main characters David and Leo was outstanding and I felt sad to finish the book because I really grew to love them both. I am so glad I read this book, and I highly recommend giving it a read. It was a light read, despite the main topics of the book, and I think that any young readers or anyone that enjoys a light but substantial read, would enjoy this.
Leo was by far my favourite character. He had such depth to his personality that I just wanted to learn more and more about him. His home life has been difficult, and his school life has been even worse. I route for Leo and want the best for him and he really pulled on my heart strings. Leo felt like a real teenager, the usually angst and not knowing what his own emotions are and that stood out for me.
I would share my favourite part of the book but it would maybe give away some spoilers but let's just say it included all the best stuff; an adventure, bingo and karaoke!
Lisa Williamson really managed to capture two very different characters and my favourite scenes were the ones where Leo and David were together. One scene in particular I loved was when Leo and David are at the old Victorian baths and David is trying to reach out to Leo. There was such a raw, emotional feel about that chapter, I really loved it.
The only disappointing part of the book was the relationship between Leo and his mum. She starts off as a hard-faced person who doesn't care very much for her kids. By the end of the book, we've heard about some of the hardships she's had to go through for her children, and I feel like the reader is supposed to forgive her and see her in a new light; this didn't happen for me. I still didn't have much of an emotional connection to her and I think it's because I couldn't forgive her for the way she was behaving earlier on in the book.
I have not been captured by a book like this for so long - but this really sparked my interest from the minute I read the blurb. The characters have a depth that a lot of books miss, and although I did see the plot twist coming, it didn't disappoint me in the slightest because it's the twist I had hoped for. The relationship between the two main characters David and Leo was outstanding and I felt sad to finish the book because I really grew to love them both. I am so glad I read this book, and I highly recommend giving it a read. It was a light read, despite the main topics of the book, and I think that any young readers or anyone that enjoys a light but substantial read, would enjoy this.
I give this book 5/5 stars and it's really given me the urge to find another book that grips me as much as this did!
Thanks for reading!
Lorah x
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