Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

4/5 Stars

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.


When I read the summary for “Something Like Normal” I thought it was going to be a bit of a depressing read because of the post-traumatic stress theme. But it wasn’t. I loved the writing and the plot was well paced. I think what made the book so good is that the story is told from Travis’ POV. This made it more intense to read because of what he is going through. I have to admit that I shed quite a few tears at times.

Not everything is sad or all about Travis. Every single character had their moment to shine and I was surprised how much depth some of them showed in just a few pages. There were parts were I wanted to slap a few of them and parts were I wanted to hug them. This book made me understand that there’s more to a person. Not everyone is completely good or bad. Let’s not forget about the romance. One word: HOT.

This book has drama, romance and Travis is a swoon worthy hero! This was a quick and very entertaining read. I definitely recommend it!

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