Sneak Peek Book Review: Define Normal, by Julie Ann Peters

I've always been drawn to books that include a nice cover, and a catchy title. When I stumbles upon Define Normal, by Julie Ann Peters it seemed like a book I could indulge in.

The cover featured a photograph of a girl with tattoos and black clothing. Standing next to her a girl who wore a warm sweater, and clearly she was more polished than the girl with the punk clothing on.
My first impression was that the book would feature two rival girls. When I got to reading Define Normal though it turned out I was dead wrong.

The book starts off with Antonia, who is pretty much the definition of what one would consider normal. A good student, an overachiever; and she recently was recruited to become a peer counselor to a very wild obnoxious girl named Jazz (short of Jasmine).

At first Antonia is completely judgmental. She thinks Jazz is a drug addict, crazy, and impossible to help.

Just when Antonia is about to give up on trying to help Jazz, she realizes that she is actually beginning to enjoy Jazz's company and that even though Jazz is the one who she feels needs help, she herself is also getting advice and help from Jazz as well.

Not long into the counseling sessions the two form a friendship based off of the fact that they both have family problems going on at home; and the fact that they are more alike than not.

Antonia has major problems at home that she tried to keep to herself. Her mother is mentally sick and with each passing day she is getting worse.

Meanwhile Jazz is having a hard time at home with her mother who refuses to accept that Jazz dresses like a zombie, and not a normal girl.

One evening when Antonia joins Jazz for a swim lesson at Jazz's house, she comes home to find no one home. With her mentally sick mother missing, and her two little brothers gone as well Antonia panics and is forced to share her family issues with Jazz.

When Jazz's mother discovers Antonia's mentally sick mother in a hotel room with the boys, she takes the children to their house until social services comes to take the children away to a foster home.

Without ruining the book completely, I will say that I enjoyed reading Define Normal. It was a fast, and easy read that had a lovely story to tell.

It shows us that friends can come in any way, shape, or form. That sometimes even though we may look different, we actually may be more similar than what we originally thought. It also goes to show that you should not judge a person by their appearance, or their clothes.

Define Normal is not exactly heart warming, but it definitely is a spectacular read that likely many can relate to.