"The New Normal" by Tracy Brogan is a heartwarming and relatable contemporary romance that skillfully navigates the complexities of love, loss, and second chances. Brogan's writing is both witty and poignant, creating a narrative that is as entertaining as it is emotionally resonant. The protagonist's journey of self-discovery and healing adds depth to the story, and the supporting characters contribute to a well-rounded and engaging ensemble. While the plot follows some familiar romantic tropes, Brogan injects fresh energy and authenticity into the narrative. Overall, "The New Normal" is a delightful read that combines humor and heart, making it a perfect choice for those seeking a feel-good romance with substance.

What can I say. I liked this book. Must read. Do it. If you do anything else. Read this book today. Great read and enjoyable.

A well paced love story with relatable characters, situations and story. Loved that there was a slow burn with no insta-love. Easy relaxing read.

I listened to this using my Kindle Unlimited membership and Audible. This was a sweet book about finding love after divorce. It was like a less cheesy Hallmark movie. It’s rated PG if that’s your thing!

Thanks to @NetGalley and Montlake Romance for my ARC!

A neighbor’s to friends to lovers second chance romance. After Carli’s divorce she works hard to keep life as normal as possible. Her new neighbor Ben is also new to single parenthood. Over time they learn to rely on each other. They start to think about adding some perks to their friendship. This one was hard to put down and had a great ending.

Loved this one. Great storyline, well developed characters, and realistic scenarios! Would definitely recommend.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this! This was such a fun story & I felt like I was right there with the characters, which is so much fun for a story! I definitely recommend reading this one!

Superb story that had me hooked from the beginning till the end. I couldn't put it down. Life had to wait as I wss desperately wanting to find out what happened next. I loved the storyline so much, i ft like I was living the story alongside them. This is a new author for me but I won't hesitate to read more from her.

**FULL REVIEW**

I truly had high hopes. The cover is beautiful and is why I selected this book to read...by looks alone, one would think:
-Youthful
-Romance/Comedy
-Maybe even some cute and quirky elements...ROMANCE.

What we get is vastly different and while not a bad thing, it's misleading. This story is more about self-discovery, new beginnings (not in the romantic sense), and making the most of mundane daily activities we find in real life. These things made The New Normal believable to read. The characters were well developed in their own right. As a couple...yeah, no. I got nothing there.

Ben and Carli can be classified as flirty-friends at most. Neighbors with a lot in common. Older in age, children, divorced, and yep! Remodeling/renovating their respective homes.

Not what I was hoping for, but I did enjoy the story. Unexpected and sweet with a few hiccups along the way (there are some unanswered questions and some places where I feel I could have had more information), but overall it was a nice change of pace from my normal reading selections.

I do like the more mature character base, the different stage of life, and the author's ability to make the everyday grind of parenting, work, and all of the messy details feel a little more interesting than it really is...so, kudos to Brogan for giving us a feel-good, clean storyline with a strong female focus and simple yet complex facets to her life. Even if she missed the romance boat in favor of contemporary women's fiction. *wink*

**3 Life After Love, Stars**

Double single parent romance! How can you go wrong? I love love love Carli & Ben’s story. I know for sure that this is a book that I am going to read over and over!

I highly recommend.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

This was a second chance romance post divorce. I enjoyed it and the characters. It’s definitely a slow burn romance and I would have liked to see it evolve a little more at the end. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

Not available until June 2, 2020, this is a great, easy-to-read, must have beach read for Summer 2020! Follow two single parents as they navigate life post-divorce with pressures on all fronts--ex's, children, neighbors, and new career opportunities. We all know that these two will end up together, but what will it take for them to realize it as well?

The New Normal by Tracy Brogan is a story about second chances and new beginning. Both Carli Lancaster and Ben Chase are in their forties, divorced, and single parents. Neither is really looking for a relationship, but instead find a friendship the both enjoy. Even if there is just something else there. But what I loved was watching them maneuver their new normal as best they could. Definitely a slow burn romance with laughs and more.

Happy reading!

The New Normal was… disjointed and poorly paced.

The premise sounded great, and I’m all for romance reads with a self-discovery arc. Carli and Ben were both good characters individually, but their romance was a bit bland and uninspiring. I actually enjoyed their personal stories more when they were apart rather than when they were together. Not great marks for a romance novel.

The romance was clean, and there were only hints of sexual attraction. At first I thought it was going to a slow burn type of read with a wonderful payoff at the end (wink wink), but then I realized I just wasn’t into Carli and Ben’s love story. There were no deeply personal conversations together, no moments or dialogue where they weren’t talking about home renovations, divorce, holiday decorations or their respective children. There was little emotion between the two of them to really draw me in and tug at the heartstrings. Their romance was built off their attraction to one another, and when that’s barely hinted at in the book, their love story falls flat.

There were also a couple minor conflicts introduced that were never resolved. Both Carli and Ben made mention of parents they’d like to rekindle connection with, and we got nothing. Carli spends a couple chapters building up confidence for a job interview, and then we hear little about the job afterwards. How’d the custody battle for the children turn out? No sé. The book felt short, so there was an opportunity to put more detail into the story, it just didn’t happen.

Overall, The New Normal was very vanilla and something I’ll probably forget quickly. I still was into the read enough to finish it, but I definitely wanted more. I’m not the biggest fan of clean romances (I love sauciness in my life), so take this all with a grain of salt. I just really wish there was more depth to the characters together as a couple and minor conflicts were resolved.

*ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher for providing the ARC!*

Carli and Ben are both recently divorced and adjusting to their new situation. When Ben moves next to Carli, they start a friendship. But can their friendship develop to something more?

I liked that both the characters, Carli and Ben, are very sweet, and I enjoyed reading how they build
their relationship step by step and start trusting in each other more and more. I also loved the relationship between their teenage children. And my favorite thing was the sense of camaraderie in the neighbourhood and how Carli's friends were there for her every time she needed.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion **

I'm afraid this was a DNF for me, and I won't be looking out for the next in the series. While I liked Andrew, I just couldn't warm to Brian and I didn't care enough to finish reading the book.. I also couldn't take to the cast of characters around them..

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Two people both dealing with new divorces and single parenting - and they're neighbors. Carli has lived in her home for, well forever. Ben moves in next door. They're both going navigating single parent life, and also a newfound attraction to each other.

The story was a little slow for me. Every time I felt their relationship was going somewhere, it felt like the brakes were being put on it (though, that's how it would be in real life.) Their stories were well developed and I enjoyed seeing them as friends before anything truly got started between the two of them.

Divorced single mother, Carli, is trying to adjust to her new normal with her teenage daughters. She takes a new job which should be a great new beginning for her. Her new neighbor, Ben, is also seeking a new beginning. He is also a newly divorced single father.

I’m always on the hunt for romances with older characters instead of the usual twenty something year old. So I was happy to know that Carli is in her forties. It is sort a second chance at romance and life.

I don’t mind clean romances but I do enjoy a buildup. This one took so long for the build up to occur which smothers out the romantic fizzle I get whenever I read romance novels. Definitely would box it in under contemporary women’s fiction because the story focuses heavily on Carli and her rediscovery process. The romance is very minor.

There is no sex in this story. The kiss happens towards the end which further makes it hard to connect with this as a romance. I guess that is to be expected since Ben and Carli take us through a long friendship journey. He is even involved with someone else at one point during the story. If the author would have taken the time to devolve the romance more it would have been higher rated.

Overall, this is a mediocre story which is pretty forgettable once it is over.

4.5 Stars!

The New Normal by Tracy Brogan is quite enjoyable. It is a clean read with well-developed characters that are easy to get to know. Although it is presented as a romance, it is a better fit for the woman's fiction category. The two main characters are new neighbors, learning about life post divorce.

Carli Lancaster has been divorced for about 10 months. She has always put those she cares about first, forgetting that she is equally as important. Thanks to her good friends and her own realizations, she gets a new job and slowly makes the home that she once shared with her ex her own. In addition, she continues to be a terrific parent to her two high school age daughters.

As a result of his wife cheating on him with his best friend and business partner, Ben Chase is getting a divorce. He buys the house next door to Carli, and over time they get to know and depend on each other. Ben's two kids become friendly with Carli's, which helps his family accept their new surroundings. Ben and Carli share a flirtatious spark that evolves into more at the very end of the story.

This book flows at a nice pace. At times, the camaraderie and nosiness of the neighbors reminded me of Tim Allen's film, Christmas with the Kranks. Overall, a wonderful story about picking up the pieces during and after divorce.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

The new normal was a nice romance, maybe even more towards women's fiction about two neighbors that both have endured very painful divorces.

The story was well written and an enjoyable read. The characters felt real with real issues.