Shelf Life Chronicles

Title: Far From Normal
Author: Becky Wallace
Release Date: September 22, 2020
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Rating: ★★★★

Hi everyone! Today I’m excited to participate in the Bookstagram & Creative Blog Tour for Far From Normal by Becky Wallace! From author Becky Wallace comes a Devil Wears Prada-inspired YA romance, in which “normal girl” Maddie must repair the image of Major League Soccer’s bad boy to ace her internship. Far from Normal releases on September 22nd, 2020 from Page Street Publishing!

Synopsis

Maddie McPherson is sick of Normal—both her hometown of Normal, Illinois and being the ‘normal’ sibling. But when she lands a summer internship with a sports marketing firm, she finally has a chance to crawl out of her genius brother’s shadow. Not to mention, a glowing letter of recommendation could land her the scholarship she needs to get into her dream college.

But Maddie’s nickname is “Calamaddie” for a reason, and when the company assigns her to work with nineteen-year-old MLS star Gabriel Fortuna—who’s famous for crashing a Maserati after flubbing Italy’s World Cup hopes—she wonders if she’s set herself up for another embarrassment.

She takes the brooding soccer star to his appointments, and it’s going well—a bit too well. The more time they spend together, the more Maddie wonders if Gabriel’s lack of catastrophe has more to do with his flirtations than her abilities. Falling for a footballer is exactly how “Calamaddie” would botch this internship. But with the firm calling her a miracle worker for keeping Gabriel out of the tabloids, is her heart worth risking?

Purchase a copy:
Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository

Add on Goodreads!

Review

I really loved Becky Wallace’s novel Stealing Home last year and immediately needed to get my hands on Far From Normal when I saw that it was again sports related. Wallace did NOT disappoint and I might have loved Far From Normal even more than Stealing Home.

We get to follow Maddy who is this sweet. down-to-earth girl with some big city dreams. She scores and internship in Chicago with a PR firm. Her job is to basically smooth over some sticky situations their clients get into with the media. It’s through her job that she meets up the Italian soccer (football?) prodigy Gabriel Fortunato. Gabriel is a lot to handle and Maddy definitely has her work cut out for her.

Far From Normal gave me all the rom-com feels and seriously shout-out to all the authors giving us cute romantic stories during these unprecedented times. Maddy was such an innocent soul, willing to work hard to achieve her dreams versus having them be handed to her. I loved her innocence during some of the more difficult assignments she faced. She reminded me a lot of my little sister and I couldn’t help but cheer for her to succeed in all aspects of her life.

Gabriel was a LOT. Over-dramatic, rude, total jerk. When we first meet him I wasn’t sold on shipping him and Maddy. The more we got to know him and the lack of privacy his lifestyle offers, the more I felt sorry for him. With Gabriel we open up this discussion about what it’s like to not have real privacy and the other strings attached with being famous. Did he have some real issues? Yes, but it felt like his life was a series of decision made for him not by him. I could see why he would behave the way he did or have a bad attitude.

It was a quick read that I read in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down. I loved how normal and relatable Maddy was. I saw someone mention in another review that they pictured Maddy’s aunt as Lorelei Gilmore and I cannot think of a more perfect comparison. If you’re looking for a cute and quirky rom-com do not hesitate to pick this one up!

About Becky Wallace

In second grade, Becky Wallace had to sit in the corner because she refused to write anything besides princess stories and fairy tales (and because she talked too much). Her time in isolation gave her plenty of opportunities to dream up the fantasy worlds she’s been dabbling with ever since. She was lucky enough to find her own, real-life prince charming. They have four munchkins and live in a happy little town outside Houston, Texas.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads |Instagram

International Tour-Wide Giveaway!

Head over to my Instagram account where you can enter the tour-wide giveaway to win a hardcover copy of Far From Normal by Becky Wallace! Open internationally.

Tour Giveaway

September 21
@paperfury – Bookstagram + Blog

September 22
@epochnovels – Bookstagram

September 23
@thereaderandthechef – Bookstagram + Blog

September 24
@book_bound_ – Bookstagram

September 25
@per_fictionist – Bookstagram + Blog

September 26
@findherreading – Bookstagram

September 27
@shelflifechronicles – Bookstagram + Blog

September 28
@theladysparks – Bookstagram

September 29
@nurse_bookie – Bookstagram + Blog

September 30
@storybookend – Bookstagram

Hosted By