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The New Normal
Tamar Robinson knows a lot about loss―more than any teenager should. Her younger sisters are dead, her parents are adrift in a sea of grief, and now Tamar is losing her hair. Nevertheless, she navigates her rocky life as best she can, not always with grace, but with her own brand of twisted humor. She joins the chess club with her friend Roy, earns a part in the school production of The Wizard of Oz , buys an awesome wig, lands a crappy job, gets invited to the prom (by three different guys!) and helps her parents re-enter the land of the living. What Tamar lacks in tact (and hair), she makes up for in sheer tenacity.
232 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2013
22 people are currently reading
319 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
January 26, 2013
I’m actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The synopsis was really vague, but it peeked my interests so I gave it a try.
Stories about after death are for some reason a favorite of mine. Tamar had a great voice. Some people hide the part of grief where you are mad at the dead. But Tamar embraced that, and I felt more connected to her because of it. Everyone must go through the different stages of grief to finally feel somewhat normal.
I loved her parents. And I loved Roy and how he perceived Tamar.
There wasn’t much of a storyline, but it just made it easier to breeze through this book. Not that this book is in anyway light, but I just wanted to stay with Tamar, her parents, and Roy a littler longer. Just to make sure they were going to be okay.
Stories about after death are for some reason a favorite of mine. Tamar had a great voice. Some people hide the part of grief where you are mad at the dead. But Tamar embraced that, and I felt more connected to her because of it. Everyone must go through the different stages of grief to finally feel somewhat normal.
I loved her parents. And I loved Roy and how he perceived Tamar.
There wasn’t much of a storyline, but it just made it easier to breeze through this book. Not that this book is in anyway light, but I just wanted to stay with Tamar, her parents, and Roy a littler longer. Just to make sure they were going to be okay.
September 9, 2019
WHOA way too much happened within....a month? How long was this book's setting? In thinking about it more, I find it even less recommendable. Each of the individual events on their own would be devastating (sisters dying in a car crash, undiagnosed visible disease, mother leaving, mother in the hospital, being sexually harassed, being held up at gunpoint) even being stood up for prom!), but none of them seemed to affect her or alarm any of the adults in her life at all???
It's confusing and underdeveloped. Great representation of hair loss but not very true to life.
It's confusing and underdeveloped. Great representation of hair loss but not very true to life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2014
Tamar was really awesome. how she reacted to everything was exactly how i would have reacted. she is my spirit book animal.
December 20, 2020
Tamar Robinson and her parents have suffered a loss of 15-year-old twin sisters/daughters. The family seems to be falling apart, Mom is meditating and doing yoga all the time, Dad is drunk and can't seem to move forward at all, and Tamar has lost all of her body hair and almost all of the hair on her head... and then she is bald... in high school. She is trying to deal with everything on her own and without bothering her devastated parents who are only barely holding on. She faces the issues of high school students, some bullying, some mean girl stuff, but has a supportive best friend, Roy.
The book is short and can be read in a single sitting if you are a fast reader. I found that the plot had an unsteady pace, fast-forwarding and then dragging a bit.... in some places I thought it was a book where really nothing happens, but that isn't really true and it does include healing from loss and the major premise is that life continues and you have to move with it.
An enjoyable read at 3 stars.
Happy Reading
The book is short and can be read in a single sitting if you are a fast reader. I found that the plot had an unsteady pace, fast-forwarding and then dragging a bit.... in some places I thought it was a book where really nothing happens, but that isn't really true and it does include healing from loss and the major premise is that life continues and you have to move with it.
An enjoyable read at 3 stars.
Happy Reading
June 30, 2023
Easy little read.
April 19, 2014
This book is about a girl named Tamar Robinson and how she deals with the problems in her everyday life and the death about her two little sisters. She also starts losing her hair and worrying about what everyone else might think about her having no hair. She then buys a wig which gets pulled off due to being in a fight. A boy named Roy befriends Tamar helping her through the her problems in her life and Tamar realizes that being bald is okay. Roy and Tamar start dating and trying to survive through the tough high school life.
The reason i picked up this book was because the cover made the book seem quite interesting. Once i read the back, it made me want to read the book even more interesting. The book was pretty good although there were some parts in the book where the author did tend to speed through the problem and just push it aside.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read a book that is a little realistic but would still have that originality kind of feel to it.
The reason i picked up this book was because the cover made the book seem quite interesting. Once i read the back, it made me want to read the book even more interesting. The book was pretty good although there were some parts in the book where the author did tend to speed through the problem and just push it aside.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read a book that is a little realistic but would still have that originality kind of feel to it.
November 11, 2014
3.5 I wanted to read The New Normal because I was intrigued by the hair loss issues as well as how she would handle it on top of the rest of the loss she had in her life.
Karen at For What It's Worth and Mary at The Book Swarm occasionally post twitter-style reviews. Karen calls hers Short and Tweet, and I am going to borrow that review style here.
Tweet (or two)
I flew through this & connected with Tamar. She was strong and funny and realized there was more to her than appearance- she ended up owning the loss of hair and made it a new part of who she was. The family aspect was well done and could feel the grief of loss of sisters.
I rated it a little bit lower than first impression of a 4 star because I read this a week and a half ago, and don't remember many details besides I enjoyed.
Bottom Line: Loved the mc and character growth.
Karen at For What It's Worth and Mary at The Book Swarm occasionally post twitter-style reviews. Karen calls hers Short and Tweet, and I am going to borrow that review style here.
Tweet (or two)
I flew through this & connected with Tamar. She was strong and funny and realized there was more to her than appearance- she ended up owning the loss of hair and made it a new part of who she was. The family aspect was well done and could feel the grief of loss of sisters.
I rated it a little bit lower than first impression of a 4 star because I read this a week and a half ago, and don't remember many details besides I enjoyed.
Bottom Line: Loved the mc and character growth.
March 1, 2014
It was ok. This book felt like more of a story collection that a novel. I like the premise behind the book but I would have preferred to see more of what happened before the book began. Maybe start with the death of the sisters and show how life has progressed. I would have liked to have seen the moment when Tamar first started noticing that she was loosing her hair. It seems that she went from having a bald spot to being completely bald in a matter of days. After that, the rest of the book just felt like little stories, not necessarily related to the big picture.
Probably not one that I will carry in my library. Probably not one I will recommend. However, it will be the one that, one day, I might be like... oh yeah... I think I read that.
Probably not one that I will carry in my library. Probably not one I will recommend. However, it will be the one that, one day, I might be like... oh yeah... I think I read that.
February 1, 2016
the new normal by ashley little was an average book. tamar the main character of this book is a weird teenage girl who struggles with the loss of her two twin sisters and has to cope with her parents drifting. tamar is just an ordinary who starts to lose her hair and eyelashes and begins to wonder. this book is good for you if you like comedy but serious subjects at the same time.
May 13, 2020
i loved this book it was really good and interesting this girl named tamar wen through a much harder life than most teenagers her younger twin sisters died. tamar is loosing her hair and doesn't know why. she skipped school to see a doctor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2019
Problems regarding representation of "Asian" characters:
1. What the fuck was Uncle Lung's accent? And also, Uncle Lung? Are you serious? Why choose the one name that's going to make him seem ridiculous? If anything, make it Lang or whatever
2. No one says "a bubble tea." I have not heard or read this phrase once and okay, maybe it's different in Central Canada (I'm from Toronto) but bubble tea that's "squidgy and lukewarm" is shitty bubble tea. Bubble tea is either hot or cold. You only get lukewarm if you let it sit at room temperature for forever. And the "squidginess," as you put it, come from the fucking tapioca, not the tea. The standard milk bubble tea is just black tea and milk. You need to specify tapioca, which usually costs extra. I'm all for representation, but how hard is it to go and buy some bubble tea? Or at least research these things properly. There could've been so many other details - even mentioning tapioca would've been a start. Is it really that hard??? Let's be real, bubble tea isn't considered a tea. It's like 20% tea. No one calls them "teas" because it's not ACTUAL TEA
Also, what the fuck was happening??? The story moved so fast Tamar didn't seem like a real person
1. What the fuck was Uncle Lung's accent? And also, Uncle Lung? Are you serious? Why choose the one name that's going to make him seem ridiculous? If anything, make it Lang or whatever
2. No one says "a bubble tea." I have not heard or read this phrase once and okay, maybe it's different in Central Canada (I'm from Toronto) but bubble tea that's "squidgy and lukewarm" is shitty bubble tea. Bubble tea is either hot or cold. You only get lukewarm if you let it sit at room temperature for forever. And the "squidginess," as you put it, come from the fucking tapioca, not the tea. The standard milk bubble tea is just black tea and milk. You need to specify tapioca, which usually costs extra. I'm all for representation, but how hard is it to go and buy some bubble tea? Or at least research these things properly. There could've been so many other details - even mentioning tapioca would've been a start. Is it really that hard??? Let's be real, bubble tea isn't considered a tea. It's like 20% tea. No one calls them "teas" because it's not ACTUAL TEA
Also, what the fuck was happening??? The story moved so fast Tamar didn't seem like a real person
February 28, 2024
It was a good short read but not my favourite type of genre. At first it seemed to be headed down a path of my interest but eventually it just seemed mundane and I felt there was no real climax to the story. The mother leaving seemed very unusual given the situation. Also I would’ve liked there to be an explanation for the hair loss even if it just was an anxiety ridden reason but there was no real conclusion for that either. A good read on dealing with grief without being too heavy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2020
I got through this more than I thought I would at the beginning and am surprised I didn’t stop reading earlier on in the book. I hated it.
From my perspective, Tamar’s grieving process didn’t even seem like a grieving process; it was if she wasn’t sad at all about their deaths.
I couldn’t finish, and I don’t plan to.
From my perspective, Tamar’s grieving process didn’t even seem like a grieving process; it was if she wasn’t sad at all about their deaths.
I couldn’t finish, and I don’t plan to.
August 16, 2017
It was a good book with a pretty good story & topic to it but only 4 stars because it didn't really have an ending to it. I mean it ended & concluded yes but there wasn't an actual complete ending. Nothing got better or worse it just ended.
October 15, 2023
This story was so touching. I've never read anything that discusses the grieving process and I think this book does a really good job at that. I found myself rooting for Tamar and her various relationships.
September 21, 2017
It was a sweet book showing the ups and downs of life it was a nice light read. very pleasant
September 23, 2017
Awesome YA novel (and Ashley is a wonderful human as well).
May 31, 2018
I thought this book was very sad :( but I did enjoy the ending.
June 22, 2018
I think that it was a good book, I could have just used a couple chapters more.
Book 28/75 (2018)
Book 28/75 (2018)
April 27, 2020
I loved the plot! But maybe Ashley could have added the part where Tamar's sisters died... I also thought she could have added more to the ending, as it seemed rushed.
June 20, 2020
This is a really good book! I definitely recommend it!!!
June 29, 2021
Beautifully written, but I find that it was a bit slow and nothing eventful really happens. Beautiful is you're interested in following along a tragic story that delves deep into the grief process.
January 29, 2022
I loved this book and I had both happy and sad tears at the end.
Read
October 8, 2022Set in Canyon Meadows subdivision of Calgary
Tamar visits Fish Creek Park
"Canyon Meadows High" is clearly Dr. E. P. Scarlett.
Thoroughly enjoyable read.
Funny connections to Grace Awakening Dreams!
Tamar visits Fish Creek Park
"Canyon Meadows High" is clearly Dr. E. P. Scarlett.
Thoroughly enjoyable read.
Funny connections to Grace Awakening Dreams!
February 22, 2017
The New Normal had a strange rhythm to it. Plot developments I expected to be explored never were.
For instance, Tamar gives her late sister's guitar to a drug dealer to pay off a debt her sisters -- they were twins and died together -- has incurred.
What I did like is that I'd never read a book before with a heroine who had to deal with hair loss. That's a new story for me. And a girl in high school? Whew. But it turned out to be, like much of the story, not explored as much as I would expect or watch.
Tamar's parents also seemed quote real to me. Her love interest and that story was told in a really low key way, and I sorta loved that. Here is a guy who is her best friend, accepts her who she is, and they make sense together.
I suppose I'd just have to say that the muted quality of the book lead my reaction to be a little muted as well.
For instance, Tamar gives her late sister's guitar to a drug dealer to pay off a debt her sisters -- they were twins and died together -- has incurred.
What I did like is that I'd never read a book before with a heroine who had to deal with hair loss. That's a new story for me. And a girl in high school? Whew. But it turned out to be, like much of the story, not explored as much as I would expect or watch.
Tamar's parents also seemed quote real to me. Her love interest and that story was told in a really low key way, and I sorta loved that. Here is a guy who is her best friend, accepts her who she is, and they make sense together.
I suppose I'd just have to say that the muted quality of the book lead my reaction to be a little muted as well.
August 24, 2013
What is normal? Are you normal? I don’t consider myself normal nor do I want to be normal because to me normal is just one sheep out of a flock. And then again I like consistency, I like dependency and I like not to stand out too much but I don’t consider myself or my life normal. For Tamar, she thought her life was normal. Two parents, two sisters, not the best-looking one around nor the smartest but somewhere in the middle and her life was “normal” or what you would consider normal for a teenager until the accident. The tragedy that claimed the lives of her sisters and now her life is far from normal. Tamar’s own hair is falling out and the reasoning behind it, well there is no reason behind as far as she can tell. With the help of doctors and other specialists, Tamar’s trying to find out the logic behind this madness as her parents walk like around like zombies trying to cope with the tragic accident surrounding their daughters. Tamar’s physical change has emotional and life-altering consequences and it consumes her. Using her quick and witty tongue, Tamar is able to help combat the issues surrounding her at home and at school but you have to wonder just how deep these issues go with her. With no close friends on board immediately to help her deal with the problems, what happens to Tamar and her family? The issue with her finding and dealing with her new normal becomes a struggle and an adjustment.
I really enjoyed Tamar’s sharp tongue and her tell-it-like-it-is voice. She is raw and speaks her mind and I laughed a few times reading her thoughts and her comments. As she matured and dealt with issues in the book, you could see her change and it was like a melting occurred. I liked the part about the jobs, and her reflection on them. Some parts of the book, I felt were rushed and I wished the author would have spent more time as I would have felt more connection with the characters and more committed to them. I also felt there were a few loose ends at the end of the book that I wished had been answered.
Mature readers: adult language
I really enjoyed Tamar’s sharp tongue and her tell-it-like-it-is voice. She is raw and speaks her mind and I laughed a few times reading her thoughts and her comments. As she matured and dealt with issues in the book, you could see her change and it was like a melting occurred. I liked the part about the jobs, and her reflection on them. Some parts of the book, I felt were rushed and I wished the author would have spent more time as I would have felt more connection with the characters and more committed to them. I also felt there were a few loose ends at the end of the book that I wished had been answered.
Mature readers: adult language
April 13, 2013
Grades 7 & up
Canadian sixteen-year-old Tamar does not beat around the bush. She's losing her hair and no one knows why, or if it will ever grow back. She assumes it has to something to do with the fact that she and her parents are still reeling from the loss of Tamar's twin sisters in a drunk driving accident. Her dad has checked out emotionally, her mom takes refuge in doing yoga 24/7, neither one has returned to their jobs, so money's tight. And Tamar is pissed off. Rightfully so.
I fell in love with her take-no-prisoners voice immediately. I also thought the author realistically portrayed the roller coaster effect of coping with grief. I was particularly amused by Tamar's mom's retreat into yoga practice. But certain inconsistencies began to eat away at my enjoyment - the first when Tamar was utterly devastated by an anonymous note left in her locker warning her away from her best, and nearly only, friend, Roy Lee. Another had to do with her mom's flight to a yoga retreat for six weeks shortly after her dad falls off the roof and breaks his leg. There were no phone calls, letters or any communication from the mom, which would be in character except for the rather tidy turnabout at the end.
Then, there's the prom section. First, I don't know about Canadian proms, but here in America, prom is a big deal, with dates being set months in advance along with dress shopping, limo reserving and the like. No way does someone get asked the day before and if they do, red flags should be waving fiercely. It seemed contrived; put there as yet another slap in Tamar's face. I would've preferred the issues halved in favor of character development. Still, given the unique issue of alopecia and Tamar's intriguing voice, the book will find its readers.
Canadian sixteen-year-old Tamar does not beat around the bush. She's losing her hair and no one knows why, or if it will ever grow back. She assumes it has to something to do with the fact that she and her parents are still reeling from the loss of Tamar's twin sisters in a drunk driving accident. Her dad has checked out emotionally, her mom takes refuge in doing yoga 24/7, neither one has returned to their jobs, so money's tight. And Tamar is pissed off. Rightfully so.
I fell in love with her take-no-prisoners voice immediately. I also thought the author realistically portrayed the roller coaster effect of coping with grief. I was particularly amused by Tamar's mom's retreat into yoga practice. But certain inconsistencies began to eat away at my enjoyment - the first when Tamar was utterly devastated by an anonymous note left in her locker warning her away from her best, and nearly only, friend, Roy Lee. Another had to do with her mom's flight to a yoga retreat for six weeks shortly after her dad falls off the roof and breaks his leg. There were no phone calls, letters or any communication from the mom, which would be in character except for the rather tidy turnabout at the end.
Then, there's the prom section. First, I don't know about Canadian proms, but here in America, prom is a big deal, with dates being set months in advance along with dress shopping, limo reserving and the like. No way does someone get asked the day before and if they do, red flags should be waving fiercely. It seemed contrived; put there as yet another slap in Tamar's face. I would've preferred the issues halved in favor of character development. Still, given the unique issue of alopecia and Tamar's intriguing voice, the book will find its readers.
February 20, 2013
What if one day you looked around and your twin sisters were gone? Your parents aren’t working anymore and neither is their marriage? You don’t know what to do with your life and suddenly all of your hair is falling out. All of it. This is The New Normal for Tamar.
It has been a few months since the death of her younger, wild child twin sisters and Tamar is still coping. She doesn't understand why her sisters would get in a car with boys who had been drinking and agree to play road chicken. She doesn't understand why her mother is suddenly so obsessed with yoga and her father needs to drink all the time. She doesn’t understand why neither of her parents are working, despite the bills rolling in. She doesn’t understand why her hair is falling out. She just doesn’t understand.
This book was good, don’t get me wrong, but I felt like there was just something missing. There were scenes such as the prom date incident that were over much too quickly with not enough explanation. The novel had a few plot points, but overall it lacked a strong central plot. I thought Tamar’s point of view was enjoyable to read, but I often found myself unable to connect with what I was reading. It was a quick read, though and I had it finished in about a day. The romance between Roy and Tamar is innocent enough to make this one appropriate for middle grade readers, but the topics make it applicable to young adult readers as well. Overall I gave this one 3 stars out of 5 because it was enjoyable, but there was just that extra special something lacking that made me want to devour it over and over again.
It has been a few months since the death of her younger, wild child twin sisters and Tamar is still coping. She doesn't understand why her sisters would get in a car with boys who had been drinking and agree to play road chicken. She doesn't understand why her mother is suddenly so obsessed with yoga and her father needs to drink all the time. She doesn’t understand why neither of her parents are working, despite the bills rolling in. She doesn’t understand why her hair is falling out. She just doesn’t understand.
This book was good, don’t get me wrong, but I felt like there was just something missing. There were scenes such as the prom date incident that were over much too quickly with not enough explanation. The novel had a few plot points, but overall it lacked a strong central plot. I thought Tamar’s point of view was enjoyable to read, but I often found myself unable to connect with what I was reading. It was a quick read, though and I had it finished in about a day. The romance between Roy and Tamar is innocent enough to make this one appropriate for middle grade readers, but the topics make it applicable to young adult readers as well. Overall I gave this one 3 stars out of 5 because it was enjoyable, but there was just that extra special something lacking that made me want to devour it over and over again.
June 26, 2013
I hate when a book doesn’t get to the point. You read the blurb on the back and it sounds so exciting, so great, and then it takes half the book to get to that aha! moment that drew you into reading the book in the first place. The new normal is the opposite. The opening sentence grabs you immediately, “I am losing my hair, I don’t know why. I’m only sixteen” Tamar Robinson’s back story is filled in for you in the first two pages. She’s losing her hair and her twin sisters are dead “They died from riding in cars with boys. Stupid, drunken boys.”
Tamar’s parents are a complete mess, her dad sits at home in a fog while her mother hides from her grief by doing yoga 24/7, which leaves Tamar more alone than she ever thought possible, and wondering how you grieve the loss of sisters that weren’t all that likable to begin with?
Many parts of this book reminded me of The reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, especially with it set in the suburbs of Calgary and the family dealing with the grief of losing a sibling, how do you define yourself as a family after something like this?
Tamar is incredibly likable, and laugh out loud funny. Trying to get through grade 11 in one piece. There were a few loose ends that fell into place a little to nicely and abruptly at the end of the book in order to finish it up in the allotted pages, but for the most part this is a really great read from a new Canadian author.
Tamar’s parents are a complete mess, her dad sits at home in a fog while her mother hides from her grief by doing yoga 24/7, which leaves Tamar more alone than she ever thought possible, and wondering how you grieve the loss of sisters that weren’t all that likable to begin with?
Many parts of this book reminded me of The reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, especially with it set in the suburbs of Calgary and the family dealing with the grief of losing a sibling, how do you define yourself as a family after something like this?
Tamar is incredibly likable, and laugh out loud funny. Trying to get through grade 11 in one piece. There were a few loose ends that fell into place a little to nicely and abruptly at the end of the book in order to finish it up in the allotted pages, but for the most part this is a really great read from a new Canadian author.
September 17, 2013
I surprisingly really liked this book. If I could use one word to describe this book, it would be "honest." This story was so innocent and honest that it made the storyline very easy to relate to. Even though I couldn't personally relate to the circumstances in the book, there was a certain familiarity about it. There was something about it that was so addicting and I couldn't put it down. While I mostly loved this book, there were parts that I would have definitely left out. {SPOILER} For example, the random prom date who stands up Tamar. Even though it was heartbreaking, there was really no resolution to that incident, making me confused on why it was even in the story. Another example would be with the doctor in the beginning of the book. The doctor randomly closes his shop and moves away. Okay? Relevance to the story? If both of these examples would have had some resolution or closure, it would have made for a better story. But without any resolution or relevance, they were just random. Other than a couple unnecessary storylines, I thought this book was fun to read. It brought forth some different issues that were interesting to read about and I found myself rooting for Tamar from the first page of the book until the very end.
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