I was originally drawn to The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson, both by the LGBT+ content and the beautiful cover art (don't be afraid to judge a book by its cover.) I finally started reading the book over winter break and quickly finished it. The Art of Being Normal follows David's struggle to "come out" to his family as transgender. There is simultaneously a second plot line, following Leo, who struggles to fit in at his new school due to his history with violence. David's and Leo's storylines mesh and intersect in surprising ways. 

The novel was startlingly honest with its crystalline description of the everyday problems LGBT+ teens can face. Approaching twenty, I’m maybe a bit past the target audience of The Art of Being Normal, but I still enjoyed the novel immensely. The Art of Being Normal is a cutesy story where LGBT+ teens get if not a happy ending, then at least a happy beginning. Despite being a standalone novel, The Art of Being Normal ends on a note where readers see that Leo’s and David’s stories are only at their beginning.

-Laura