Synopsis from Little, Brown, and Company:

James Patterson presents this emotionally resonant novel that shows that while some broken things can’t be put back exactly the way they were, they can be repaired and made even stronger.

Kira’s Twelve Steps To A Normal Life

1. Accept Grams is gone.

2. Learn to forgive Dad.

3. Steal back ex-boyfriend from best friend…

And somewhere between 1 and 12, realize that when your parent’s an alcoholic, there’s no such thing as “normal.”

When Kira’s father enters rehab, she’s forced to leave everything behind–her home, her best friends, her boyfriend…everything she loves. Now her father’s sober (again) and Kira is returning home, determined to get her life back to normal…exactly as it was before she was sent away.

But is that what Kira really wants?

Life, love, and loss come crashing together in this visceral, heartfelt story by BuzzFeed writer Farrah Penn about a girl who struggles to piece together the shards of her once-normal life before his alcoholism tore it apart.

About: Twelve Steps to Normal is a young adult fiction written by Farrah Penn. It was recently published on 3/13/18 by Jimmy Patterson Books, an imprint of Little, Brown, and Company, hardcover, 384 pages. The genres are young adult, fiction, and social themes. This book is intended for readers ages 13 and up, grades 8 to 17. This book is the author’s debut. According to the publisher’s website, “Little, Brown and Company was founded in 1837 and for close to two centuries has published fiction and nonfiction by many of America’s finest writers. Early lists featured Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson‘s poetry, and Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, all of which are still available today.” Please see below for more information about the author and publisher.

My Experience: I started reading Twelve Steps to Normal on 6/3/18 and finished it on 6/13/18. This book is a great read! I love Kira and Alex’s math humor (teacher would make a mean pi) and Kira and her dad’s word play (we don’t have to taco ’bout it). The humor pull more than a few smiles out of me. I like the diversity in this book, not just the characters’ backgrounds but also their achievements, extracurricular activities, flaws, and talents. I like Breck’s character and humor. I like those pineapples too! I like the candy debate, pretty cute. I like Alex and how family oriented he is. Kira is not my favorite character in the beginning, but like Nonnie says, we all are just humans and humans can be selfish and humans do make mistakes.

This book is told in the first person point of view following Kira Seneca as she makes her way home to her dad in Texas from her aunt June in Portland. Her dad is being released from rehab for alcohol and is ready for Kira, a junior in high school, to come back to live with him. Kira is hesitant because she remembers how alcohol put a wedge in her life with her father. When Kira arrives at the house, she was not expecting to share her home with other recoverees that her dad met at rehab. On top of being uncomfortable in her home, she’s now uncomfortable being around her friends at school because one of her best friends is now dating her ex-boyfriend whom she still has feelings for. Kira thinks about how her dad uses the 12 steps program from his AA meetings to quit drinking and getting his life back on track that she decides to create her own 12 steps to getting her life back to normal. Kira soon realizes how easy it is to write down goals than to take the steps to achieving those goals, especially when she still has to recover a loss that rocked her and her dad’s lives.

A well written book, Twelve Steps to Normal is a fast paced read filled with teenage angst. It’s tough being in high school, especially for Lin Pham, a member of the Decathlon team aiming to win state and Raegan, a President of Leadership Council who couldn’t attend her friend’s house party because she couldn’t afford to tarnish her reputation. Most of all, it’s Kira who’s struggling with the abnormal living situation at home and deciding who her heart really wants to fall for meanwhile on the edge of failing math. Even with her 12 steps to normal, she’s still not sure if that’s what she truly wants. This book could be easily relatable to many readers and I highly recommend everyone to read it soon!

Pro: fast paced, page turner, easy to read, diversity, humor, family, friendship, forgiveness, realistic, relatable, some romance

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository or Little, Brown, and Company

About the Author:

Farrah Penn was born and raised in a suburb in Texas that’s far from the big city, but close enough to Whataburger. She now resides in Los Angeles, CA, with her gremlin dog and succulents. When she’s not writing books, she can be found writing things for BuzzFeed and sending texts that contain too many emojis. Twelve Steps to Normal is her first novel. http://farrahpenn.com https://twitter.com/FarrahPenn (Photo and Info obtained from Little, Brown, and Company’s website).

More Information about Jimmy Patterson Books

Website: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/imprint/little-brown-and-company/jimmy-patterson | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JimmyPattersonBooks | Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimmy_books | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmypattersonbooks

***Disclaimer: I won this book from a giveaway hosted by the author via Twitter. Many thanks to the author, Farrah Penn for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest. (I’m Super Happy to Win the book with so many Goodies!)

xoxo,
Jasmine