Far From Normal

I came across this when I was looking for sports books for a list and it caught my eye because the protagonist is from my hometown of Normal, IL, so I figured I'd check it out. Unfortunately for me there's basically no Normal content in here because Maddie spends her whole summer in Chicago and during the brief time when she's back in Normal she doesn't seem to leave her house. Which I understand isn't going to be an issue for most readers who don't care about Normal, IL but I am going to assume that Becky Wallace saw Normal on a map and thought “haha I'll make my character from Normal and that'll be good wordplay.” But like if you are from Normal, IL you have spent your life interacting with outsiders and immediately saying, “Haha yeah it's actually called Normal...well you see the name is because colleges for teachers used to be called Normal Schools and Illinois State University was...oh you're already walking away from me, I see”. Which Maddie NEVER DOES and nobody ever comments on her hometown which people definitely fucking do. If you're going to have a character be from Normal, USE IT.

>:(

Anyway again that part is just a personal pet peeve. Other than that it's like, okay. The plot leans a lil heavily on a big convenient coincidence but, fine, that's not the worst crime for a rom-com. The 17-year-old Normal girl love interest for a 19-year-old global soccer superstar is a little eyebrow raising but nothing untoward really happens. I did find it a little sus that Maddie's goal in life is to work in “sports marketing” not because she loves sports (she doesn't) but because it moves her to see pro athletes doing charity outreach for underprivileged kids who love sports. Like....could her life goal then just be to work in a YMCA or something?

The details don't really hold together but I do (and this sounds like damning with faint praise but sincerely) like that it was under 200 pages. At least it was efficient in its light summer romance.

PS if anyone else wants to write a book set in Normal, IL without stepping foot in Normal, IL, hit me up to connect you with a Normal sensitivity reading