I'd say an honest 3.5 stars.

I've always enjoyed novels that takes one character, a set of characters, or whatever grouping you'd prefer, through glimpses of their lives over several years. In this novel, we get the pivotal years of Connell & Marianne (and a revolving cast) from the equivalent of senior year of high school through undergrad. I'm roughly 20 years removed from this timeframe, but the author did an impeccable job in making the characters so easy to relate to.

Will everyone relate to the storylines of depression, anxiety, and heartbreak? No. But for those of us who have experienced any of these, I'd say Sally Rooney nailed it to the core. The writing was stark and succinct exactly when it needed to be. That's not to say this novel is a tearjerker (I didn't find myself reaching for any tissues), but it will evoke some real emotion.

I was a big fan of "Conversations with Friends" and couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. It did not disappoint! I devoured it in one day because I simply could not take me mind off the budding romance between Connell and Marianne. At times I was rooting for them. At times I was not. I was, however, invested in the outcome 100% of the time.

Normal People is a really unconventional love story paired with a protagonist that I just could not like or empathize with. Marianne was strange, sure, but I expected some type of character growth from her. It’s like she just kept getting worse, more disturbed and less confident in herself and her decisions as time went on instead of the opposite happening. I adored Connell but there were plenty of times I was just saying, “WTF are you doing, Connell?” out of pure frustration. And pretty much all of the other characters in this with the exception of Niall were so one-dimensional, shallow and ridiculous that I sincerely hope they’re just an exaggeration and aren’t inspired by real people.

I didn’t particularly like the writing style - it just wasn’t for me and took me a while to get through quite honestly. 3 stars because it did keep my interest throughout.

I really couldn’t put this book down in the last day or two. I found myself feeling like the third wheel in a very intimate relationship between two very dynamic characters who change and evolve throughout the novel. Author Sally Rooney brilliantly creates a world revolving around Connell and Marianne focusing on individual moments and pieces of time that amount to a relationship that almost feels like a lifetime. I loved the style of changing back and forth between voices and timelines throughout the novel. It felt natural and necessary. I absolutely think this novel would make a good novel for students to read in examining a number of different critical theories.

This was very well written, I can see why people are talking about it so much! I wouldn't say that it was a book I liked, but I also couldn't put it down!

Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for providing me an ARC of Normal People in exchange for an honest review.

"Normal People" depicts love and friendship in a way that it is intimate and even slightly uncomfortable at times. At different points, I could relate and empathize with the two protagonists in the story. I found myself channeling my younger teenage self in Marianne where I had to constantly battle my own feelings of desperately wanting to feel loved and keep that "giddiness" feeling that only a first love can give you with knowing that I needed to stand up for myself and not be a glutton for punishment time and time again. With Connell, I felt his pain of being torn between two worlds--the riskier unknown path where I feel I can be my true and authentic self with the safe path where I can be content and fit in, but not challenge myself.

I feel Rooney took on a risk with this book. So many different issues were brought into it-- socioecomic status, feminism, violence, self-worth/confidence, mental illness that overall I felt like it was too much thrown at you. I feel like by dialing it back a bit and not including so many important and big issues, it could have been more effective and felt more powerful.

I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. I'm 66 and beyond first love but everyone recommended it. I'm so glad I listened.

It brought back all the feelings and unsecurities of your first love. And not being part of the popular circle.

I did want to hit Connell in the head a few times but his mother did that for me.

Definitely will get her new book.

***I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Faber & Faber and Sally Rooney.***

Normal People, by Sally Rooney, is a uniquely written book with a lot of rawness and emotion. Connell’s mum is a housekeeper at Marianne’s house. They go to high school together. Connell is a popular athlete while Marianne is a loner who’s seen as odd. They begin an affair in secret. Once they get to university, their roles switch. Marianne is popular and Connell is uncertain and lacking the confidence he seemed to exude in high school. This book follows their relationship over the course of 4 years.

The writing in this story was interesting and distinctive, although admittedly probably not for everyone. It took me a little while to get used to it, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. The story telling is done in periods of time. There is a fair amount of jumping around, where characters think back to a previous time period, and this makes the story a bit disjoint at times. The plot was Interesting, hitting on mental health, class differences, and the intricacies of first love, friendship and family. The main characters were challenging to relate to, sometimes maddening in their thinking, but at the same time unpredictable and aroused intense curiosity in me. They had such a unique ebb and flow of intimacy. Marianne and Connell shared very few words—especially important ones—unless they were in an intimate situation, yet somehow their emails managed to seem incredibly intimate. There is dark and light in the story, but it left me with an over whelming feeling of sadness.

What starts out as a sweet love story about two misunderstood teens, turns into an adult love story that is more roller coaster than epic. At times you wish Connell and Marianne would figure out what they want and move on, but I found myself rooting for them when they expressed how they felt. Overall, the book is an interesting take on modern love.

I read about this on a British web post, requested it, and read it in one session. I know many people who will enjoy this book. It should be a good book group choice.

This is a brilliant psychological study that carries the reader along with suspense that also manages to include bright and powerful prose. A great effort by a wonderful talent.

I really didn't enjoy reading this. The writing style wasn't really my taste and I couldn't connect with any of the characters at all.

A coming of age Tale with a different type of prose. I’m not sure how to describe it but it’s not something I’ve read before.

I don’t know whether to classify this a YA or New Adult because it’s a mix of both, with a mildly entertaining heroine. A hero who’s slightly different than most YA books. He’s not really macho or a total ass.

Pick it up if you’re in the mood for something a little out of the ordinary.

I gave it a 4 out of 5.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ARC, for a honest review.

I did not expect this book to resonate so deeply with me and I am not even sure I understand why it did. All I know is I loved it. This story is about two smart, lonely teenagers who forge an intense bond that pushes and pulls at them through their university years. It touches on many issues including gender and socioeconomic inequalities but I think where it succeeds most is its examinations of relationships and what makes them healthy or not.

I usually grow impatient with self-destructive female lead characters, but the writing here and the unpredictable twists kept me going. Object lessons.

I’m willing to try Conversations With Friends, but this one did not do it for me.

I have a hard time connecting with books that focus more on a style of writing, rather than narrating a captivating story. The book had so many stylistic quirks, that I found myself focusing on the writing itself, and not paying attention to the story that Rooney was attempting to tell.

I think that this was a situation where “It’s not you, it’s me.”

I think that this book will be loved by many different kinds of readers. I think that the writing itself demonstrated a lot of talent and creativity, and I think that the characters were very raw and relatable, quirky and endearing.

I personally just could not connect.

If you don’t mind prose that takes a lot of critical exploration and concentration, you might actually love this one. I think Rooney is talented and lovely. I hope that I like her other work more than I liked Normal People.

This moving, sexy, troubling book is written with a graceful, understated prose style that I appreciate and seems typical of Irish writers. I love the intelligent way it follows these two characters as they navigate social life. What you read on the page is smart and engaging, but there is also plenty that is said and that is presented to think about between the lines. It's a deceptively intelligent and observant novel in that sense, and it handles a tricky topic of sadomasochistic urges as they stem from trauma in a way that is insightful yet not heavy-handed.. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and grew to care a great, great deal about these characters. This really got under my skin. I think it deserves to get a lot of attention here in the US when it is published, and I hope that happens. This should raise the author's profile greatly. I suspect this will appeal more to literary readers and not so much to readers of romance.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Normal People is a novel in the ‘New Adult’ genre.
According to Wikipedia, ‘New adult fiction tends to focus on issues such as leaving home, developing sexuality, and negotiating education and career choices,’.
In the words of a friend, ‘New Adult fiction is like Young Adult fiction with more emphasis on sex.’
In my estimations, Both descriptions are true of this novel.

Normal people follows the lives and relationships of Marianne and Connell, who are both from Carricklea, a small town in County Sligo.
They begin a secret relationship while in school in Carricklea where Connell is very popular while Marianne is very much an outsider—even though Marianne’s family is well off while Connell comes from a more merger background. Both are excellent students.
With Marianne ‘s encouragement, both end up at Trinity College in Dublin where suddenly their roles are reversed with Marianne being in inner circles with popular people while Connell struggles to make friends.
The story unfolds from there. It is a story of secrets and miscommunications, mental health issues and unresolved family backgrounds. At one stage a character is referred to negatively because he is on medication to help his depression issues while bullying and dominance are ongoing themes.
That being said it was not all dark and some manner of resilience is also present in the characters.
The story is told in ‘scenes’, with chapter titles giving time between preceding episodes. Within each, there are also frequent thoughts back to other events. As such, the story can seem disjoint at times.
I did not particularly like this story. Many of the characters felt more like caricatures rather than well developed characters. However, the story does meet the criteria of the genre so I would imagine it will have its own fans.

There’s always been something inside her that men have wanted to dominate, and their desire for domination can look so much like attraction, even love.

I am the type of reader who needs all the bells and whistles while reading. When I seek out fiction I want a mass murder, our narrator to die and the world to basically implode. Who would have thought a simple book about human emotion, politics and love would grasp my cold dead heart so entirely. If I didn’t know any better, I would say I was the Grinch and this story made my heart grow 3 whole sizes. And no one is more shocked than myself…

Normal People is an unexpected gem. After reading the synopsis, I almost skipped right over the request button on NetGalley. Fortunately, I had my side kick and guide to life, Goodreads, available with numerous reviews. The reviews were outstanding and the praise was infinite. And I must admit all ratings and applause are beyond well deserved.

I believe Normal People has been released in other parts of the world. However, it has yet to make its debut in the states. If my research proves correct, it will be available sometime in April. And rest assured, this is a book you need to read. Here is why….

First of all, the story is completely addicting. I started this story in the AM before my work shift the week of Thanksgiving. I snuck in reading time whenever I possibly could during the work day. It was nearly impossible to put down, job or not. I needed to find out about Marianne and Connell’s relationship. It was more necessary to know how it all panned out more than it was necessary to stay employed. The first day, I casually had my ereader laid down in front of me with my scarf blocking the reader in case someone walked by my office door. On day two, I placed the ereader in front of my monitor since I didn’t have the scarf and put on quite the show about being focused with what was on my monitor. But truth be told I was more invested in the relationship between our protagonists than anything I should have been focused on like…I don’t know work I am payed to do….

One of the most surprising things about my love for this book is the fact that it is about love. I read probably two romance novels a year. And that might even be a generous guess, I don’t seek out books about love and relationships. But the thing is Rooney did such an excellent job of making this completely relatable that I couldn’t help but fall in love myself. This love story is entirely realistic in so many ways. The issues they face were issues I’ve faced in my own relationship. We get insight into moments where a simple lack of communication ended a happy situation. We see these two grow and change places in the hierarchy of social standing. There are just so many situations in this novel that have played out in the reader’s real lives that is nearly impossible not to relate to this novel. Even from a same sex reader’s point of view, these are real issues in relationships that we all have gone through or will go through. And this fact is why I find this story so very magical and worthwhile.

Let me continue my praise. The character growth and development is unlike any other story I have read. I really connected with these protagonist on another level. Marianne is a rich girl with a poor home life that follows her into adult life. We see how home neglect and abuse can shape a child into an unexpected person. How a poor home life can damage self-confidence so severely that a person can no longer see or know their true self. Here was a quote from Marianne that broke my heart because it was so incredibly relatable and a thought that crosses my mind to this day:

Well I don’t feel lovable. I think I have an unlovable sort of….I have a coldness about me, I’m difficult to like.

Connell is much like Marianne but in such a different way. Connell came from a poor but loving background. His family and friends from his hometown simply adored him. But the issue was he was never really himself there. While Connell may be the prom king type, he is so concerned with what others think that he makes incredibly poor and heartbreaking decisions. He lets the thoughts of others dictate his life to such an extreme degree that he loses important people and relationships. Here is a quote from his point of view regarding Marianne:

She would have lain on the ground and let him walk over her body if he wanted, he knew that.

Both of these characters go through the human experience and we are lucky enough to watch. What I find most interesting is the views they have of one another. Connell finds Marianne completely self-confident. She doesn’t need the approval of others. She is entirely okay being herself. When in all reality, she is incredibly insecure and unsure of herself. It is just a tough persona. While Marianne views Connell as this high and mighty godlike guy. He is the epitome of perfection in her eyes. But the reality is they both are two young and confused beings just bopping around in life trying to make ends meet at any cost. It is a very heartbreaking to watch two insecure people revere in the idea of the other person that technically doesn’t exist.

There was one scene in particular that pulled at my heart strings and very nearly destroyed my life. It was after Marianne’s brother slammed the door into her face. Connell came and picked her up. He took her back to his house and they had one of the most emotional and intense moments of the story. Marianne finally comes clean about her brother, Alan, abusing her physically. And admits her Mom basically turns a blind eye finding nothing wrong with his behavior. Connell in this moment begins to cry because Marianne confesses she could never admit this to him. She feared him seeing her as damaged, “I thought you wouldn’t want me anymore.” And this moment pretty much broke my heart into a thousand little shards of glass. Because I’ve been Marianne and I’ve felt the same way. It isn’t a feeling you would wish on anyone. But knowing there are other women and men out there who feel unlovable and broken is incredibly powerful. And Rooney couldn’t have touched my soul any more than she did with this scene.

I can’t express enough how great this book really is. It has been quite a while since I’ve read a book that carved out a special place in my heart. I fell completely and irrevocably in love with Marianne and Connell, in fact, here is a taste of what I wrote while reading this story:

"I’m halfway through the story and sitting at my desk banging both of my fists on the desk asking them just to be together for the love of all that is holy! I need them to be together. Much like I need water or air. I am going to have a fit and or die if they do not end up together forever."

I am not dramatic at all…

This is going to be a major hit. It is going to be an award winning story. And it is going to deserve every ounce of praise it receives. This is story that will unexpectedly take you. You might not see it coming, but after reading it, I know it is coming to all you unexpected readers. This is a story you need to read. Plain and simple, this book is a major hit.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Crown Publishing for approving my request. This book was a treat unlike any other.

These two main characters and their complicated web were intriguing and relateable all at once. Thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and the great detail the author provided as we moved from one phase of their lives to the next.
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for my opinions.