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Naomi Kanakia

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We Are Totally Normal Kindle Edition

by Naomi Kanakia (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.9 296 ratings

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In this queer contemporary YA, perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story, Nandan’s perfect plan for junior year goes awry after he hooks up with a guy for the first time.

Nandan’s got a plan to make his junior year perfect, but hooking up with his friend Dave isn’t part of it—especially because Nandan has never been into guys.

Still, Nandan’s willing to give a relationship with him a shot. But the more his anxiety grows about what his sexuality means for himself, his friends, and his social life, the more he wonders whether he can just take it all back.

Is breaking up with Dave—the only person who’s ever really gotten him—worth feeling “normal” again?

Print length

290 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

HarperTeen
Publication date

March 31, 2020
Reading age

14 - 17 years
Grade level

9 - 12
File size

1614 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Not Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"An endearing, messy, and honest exploration of identity that reminds us that discovering who we aren't is as important as discovering who we are."

-- "Shaun David Hutchinson, author of Brave Face"

About the Author

Rahul Kanakia's novels include We Are Totally Normal and Enter Title Here. Additionally, his stories have appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, Clarkesworld, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Lightspeed, Indiana Review, and Nature, and he has received fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Lambda Literary Foundation. Originally from Washington, DC, Rahul now lives in San Francisco. Visit him at www.rahulkanakia.com.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07TRMMYYM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperTeen (March 31, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 31, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1614 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 290 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #833,598 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #458 in LGBTQ+ Romance for Teens & Young Adults eBooks
- #622 in Teen & Young Adult Coming of Age Fiction eBooks
- #694 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Dating & Sex (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
3.9 296 ratings

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5

296 global ratings

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mikeg

Totally agree with "Poignant, Messy, Beautiful"

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2021

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In the standard "gay-themed" young adult literature found today, the protagonist is more likely than not to be totally on top of things, self-assured, competent, certain, goal-oriented, etc. I LOVED this book because Nandan is the antithesis of this kind of person. He is REAL. He has no idea what he's doing or what he wants. For most of the novel, his greatest desire seems to be a vaguely-expressed need to be perceived as a "leader" by his peers. He wants to be more like Avani and Pothan, and I don't think he ever understands, even at the end, that he IS, and always has been, like Avani and Pothan -- at least, to a certain extent. His ambivalence and confusion regarding his sexuality are both heartbreaking and annoying (probably more "annoying" to him than to the reader.) The book brilliantly depicts both the self-centeredness, and the lack of self-awareness, which define almost everyone during this time of our lives. If we were able to see a week into the future (after the ending), it wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that Nandan has decided (again) that he's actually repulsed by Dave, and breaks up with him (again) while simultaneously professing his love. "Messy" is definitely an apt description of this book in general, and Nandan in particular - but it's a sincere and genuine kind of messy that rings true in a way that most books of this genre, do not. I greatly enjoyed "We Are Totally Normal"; highly recommended.

2 people found this helpful

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Moon

Bad main character

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2020

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Beautiful cover. Not sure I liked the main character, seemed like he used people.

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2021

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Ok, this book wasn’t an easy read. It was a bit uncomfortable to read about the non-stop drinking and partying, hookups, minimal parenting, and the ebb and flow of power struggles and cliques. But dang, it really captured the spirit of high school dynamics, as well as confusion when coming to terms with one’s sexuality. And, as a gay male, kudos to the female author for writing in an authentic male voice.

So, having said all that, I give this 5 stars for amazing writing, and a wide breadth of supporting characters. Well done!

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Kindle KW

What did I just read?

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2021

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I kept reading, hoping this book would go somewhere, but it never did. There was no plot and no character development. It felt like reading the diary of an uninteresting narcissist. The one good thing I can say about it is that the characters felt very real, so much so that I wondered if they were real people the author knew. But I'd say they were realistic to a fault, in that less realistic characters would have been more likeable. In the end, I didn't really like anyone in this story.

4 people found this helpful

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Elizabeth R

A book that didn't accomplish much

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2020

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This book has an absolutely beautiful cover, which was a factor in me purchasing it. I'll keep this short and hopefully with no spoilers. This book does not read like a romance, which is fine. Similarly, even though the protagonist and all other main characters are in high school, the exploration of sexuality is really the only "coming of age" aspect of this book. When comparing the first and last chapters, surprisingly little has changed about the protagonist. There are way to many characters in this book too that are supposed to have meaning, I found myself getting lost often. I'm happy for the author because by reading the acknowledgments it sounds like writing this book meant a lot to him, and maybe that kind of realism resulted in the book not reading like typical fiction. Regardless, I didn't enjoy reading this book.

15 people found this helpful

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Sogood

Beautiful, insightful writing

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2023

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For those of us on one end end or the other of the Kinsey scale and who are finding it hard to understand what it might be like to be bisexual, this story is for you. Nanden will explain everything.

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021

Verified Purchase

I love that this book explores the complexities of sexual orientation. Set in the world, views and language of today's teenagers, it's groundbreaking, eye-opening, and ultimately hopeful for older readers like myself, who knew a very different and unwelcoming place when we were that age. No doubt this material will upset some, since the characters are drawn with human flaws and conflicts. But the fact that the teen characters have complicated and sometimes messy lives will no doubt comfort other teens who will see that they are not alone on their journeys of self discovery.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

A NaNoWriMo unedited fever dream

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2020

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I only made it about 40% before I gave up on this ego stroke of a book. The writing style is attempting to be a stream of conciousness but it reads like drunken ramblings of a teenager with quickly diminishing brain cells. The random flourishes of literary prose intermixed with drunken episodes of an existentialist crisis left me truly confused and constantly attempting to keep up with all the random descriptions of other characters and previous parties (not always easy to catch the difference between the two because they are often described in the same way). It was a waste and the description of the book led me to believe that there was going to be a real story here instead if attempting to wax poetical about the randomness of being a teenager. I'm all for randomness but the writing has to be amazing in order to pull it off.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer

Best book

Reviewed in India on January 13, 2023

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This is the best book you will ever read

Charles S.

Oui nous sommes totallement normaux

Reviewed in France on April 30, 2021

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même lorsque les situations ne sont pas idéales pour que tout se passe pour le mieux. Frictions entre les uns et les autres, teens agissant comme des teens autant dire que cette romance n'est pas de tout repos ce qui lui donne le tempo suffisant pour ne plus décoller des pages et n'avoir qu'une envie savoir enfin où tout cela va finir ... et ce n'est certainement pas où vous le pensiez au départ !

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Po

Very emotional. Would 100% recommend

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

Smashed through this book in a day, once I started I knew I couldn't put it down until I saw it through to the end. Nandans struggle with his sexuality, intimacy and navigating friendships resonated with me on a level I can't describe.

It's not perfect, but this book made me feel a little less alone. It has weaved its way into my heart. Definitely worth the read.

One person found this helpful