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Riverbend Friends #2
Searching for Normal
Six months ago Shay Mitchell’s life changed forever. Now she’s just trying to survive school bullies, drama class, and living with her Aunt Laura above the bookstore. No one, not even her new friends, knows her real story or the reason she’s living with her aunt in the first place.
When Shay learns the truth about her biological father, she jumps at the chance to meet him. This could be her chance! Maybe she’ll finally find the normal life she’s longed for―a life where she feels loved and wanted―you know, part of a real family.
This is the second book in a series that travels alongside four friends as they deal with teen life in Riverbend, Indiana. The novel inspires girls and young women to deepen their relationships with God and solve their problems in God-honoring ways.
When Shay learns the truth about her biological father, she jumps at the chance to meet him. This could be her chance! Maybe she’ll finally find the normal life she’s longed for―a life where she feels loved and wanted―you know, part of a real family.
This is the second book in a series that travels alongside four friends as they deal with teen life in Riverbend, Indiana. The novel inspires girls and young women to deepen their relationships with God and solve their problems in God-honoring ways.
256 pages, Paperback
Published April 6, 2021
12 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Darlington
15 books389 followersC. J.'s love of reading began when she was a kid dragging home bags of books from the library. When she was twelve she started dreaming about becoming a published author. That dream came true when her first novel Thicker than Blood won a national writing contest. It became the first book in the Thicker than Blood series, which also includes Bound by Guilt, Ties that Bind, and Running on Empty. She has also written Jupiter Winds and Jupiter Storm the first and second books in the Jupiter Winds series. Her children's fantasy Alison Henry and the Creatures of Torone has also been well received. She lives in Pennsylvania and is the horse care manager at a stables in Lancaster County.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 9, 2022
I need to read the rest!!! XD This was just as great as the first! (i'm horrible at writing reviews for books... XD)
Spiritual: Church. One girl feels like got doesn't care about her or something.
Language: Maybe a few words.
Romance: None... Well, talks about being pregnant before marriage.
Violence: Car crash mentioned. Talks about not caring if she gets run over by a truck (I think. I may be wrong). Animal abuse.
Other: Nothing.
AWESOME book!!!!!!!
Spiritual: Church. One girl feels like got doesn't care about her or something.
Language: Maybe a few words.
Romance: None... Well, talks about being pregnant before marriage.
Violence: Car crash mentioned. Talks about not caring if she gets run over by a truck (I think. I may be wrong). Animal abuse.
Other: Nothing.
AWESOME book!!!!!!!
March 10, 2024
This book was SOOOO good. (Not the first time this series has made me cry).
What I liked about it:
~There were good morals
~Shay was the most relatable character I've ever read
~HORSES!!!!
~Uh... her aunt has a bookstore!
~Overall excellent plot
~The emotions were there
~It had exactly what I needed to hear in this stage of my life
What I didn't like about it:
~It ended
I highly recommend this series to Christian (and honestly non-Christian) teen girls. (Maybe an age rating of 15-18?)
What I liked about it:
~There were good morals
~Shay was the most relatable character I've ever read
~HORSES!!!!
~Uh... her aunt has a bookstore!
~Overall excellent plot
~The emotions were there
~It had exactly what I needed to hear in this stage of my life
What I didn't like about it:
~It ended
I highly recommend this series to Christian (and honestly non-Christian) teen girls. (Maybe an age rating of 15-18?)
July 25, 2022
slow at times... the ending was sweet tho
rating - 2.5 stars
rating - 2.5 stars
April 28, 2023
This book had me filled with so many different emotions that I couldn’t process them all at once. I felt everything for Shay and her situation because I can’t even imagine going through what she did at her age.
Shay is mostly a relatable character for me, in that she’s introverted and prefers to curl up with a good book rather than going out and being around people. However, she has a few friends to pull her out of herself once in a while (I did too) and that’s a good thing, especially for her. Shay’s a bit more shy and reserved, and even wary about her friendship with Tessa, Izzy, and Amelia. After all, she’s still new to Riverbend and has a bit of a past going for her, so she tries her best to hide it, all while dealing with the still-fresh loss of her adoptive dad, the possibility of meeting her biological father, and bullies.
“And it’s not like I assumed Christians were immune to mistakes. We were all on an even playing field when it came to sin, but it was different when it was your mom."
I have to say that Shay’s a pretty strong character. I did spend a lot of time going “just tell someone!” when it came to her dealing with having bullies who were threatening to spill her secret around school, but you know that’s never what happens at first, even in real life. She even struggled with her faith a bit, not in that she turned away from God or anything, but she felt like there was a wall between her and God, which made it hard for her to pray over her situation at times. I immediately related to that because I’ve been there more than once, and I think every Christian goes through those times, so it was good to see that the author portrayed that in Shay’s character. The good thing was that Shay had a group of Christian friends to pray for her when she couldn’t herself.
I’m a little upset that the injustice of a couple parts of this book weren’t brought to, well, justice and the people basically got away with what they did, but I guess that’s also realistic to how life works. What I did like was that even though Shay’s bullies got away with a few things they did, Shay learned to stand up to them and her friends were there to back her up.
As it is with any book I loved, I have so much more to say but I don’t want to give anything away. I will say there were moments I nearly cried (which involved a dog – no worries, he didn’t die), and that alone makes me love a book because if I can feel that hard for a book then you know it’s good. I also realized after reading The Me You See that I’m reading this series a bit out of order, but oh well… it happens.
Rating: 4.75/5 stars
Shay is mostly a relatable character for me, in that she’s introverted and prefers to curl up with a good book rather than going out and being around people. However, she has a few friends to pull her out of herself once in a while (I did too) and that’s a good thing, especially for her. Shay’s a bit more shy and reserved, and even wary about her friendship with Tessa, Izzy, and Amelia. After all, she’s still new to Riverbend and has a bit of a past going for her, so she tries her best to hide it, all while dealing with the still-fresh loss of her adoptive dad, the possibility of meeting her biological father, and bullies.
“And it’s not like I assumed Christians were immune to mistakes. We were all on an even playing field when it came to sin, but it was different when it was your mom."
I have to say that Shay’s a pretty strong character. I did spend a lot of time going “just tell someone!” when it came to her dealing with having bullies who were threatening to spill her secret around school, but you know that’s never what happens at first, even in real life. She even struggled with her faith a bit, not in that she turned away from God or anything, but she felt like there was a wall between her and God, which made it hard for her to pray over her situation at times. I immediately related to that because I’ve been there more than once, and I think every Christian goes through those times, so it was good to see that the author portrayed that in Shay’s character. The good thing was that Shay had a group of Christian friends to pray for her when she couldn’t herself.
I’m a little upset that the injustice of a couple parts of this book weren’t brought to, well, justice and the people basically got away with what they did, but I guess that’s also realistic to how life works. What I did like was that even though Shay’s bullies got away with a few things they did, Shay learned to stand up to them and her friends were there to back her up.
As it is with any book I loved, I have so much more to say but I don’t want to give anything away. I will say there were moments I nearly cried (which involved a dog – no worries, he didn’t die), and that alone makes me love a book because if I can feel that hard for a book then you know it’s good. I also realized after reading The Me You See that I’m reading this series a bit out of order, but oh well… it happens.
Rating: 4.75/5 stars
January 17, 2021
Shay Mitchell’s life has fallen apart. The trauma of losing your mother before you ever knew her really never goes away, but Shay and her dad had built a life for themselves together. Then he died and she was shipped off her grandparents’, who were going through their own loss. Those competing losses didn’t work out well and they’d kicked her out and sent her to her aunt’s. And that’s where Searching for Normal begins.
Shay is an orphan, living with an aunt she doesn’t really know, kicked out by grandparents who don’t seem to love her, not able to pursue her favorite hobby, dealing with a new city, a new school, trying to make new friends, and avoid new bullies. It’s all a bit overwhelming.
As the story progresses, Shay finds healing in a new group of friends even as she struggles to adapt and deal with adversity. With a few shock revelations along the way, Searching for Normal takes readers on a character-driven, intensely-relational look at finding one’s identity and the importance of community.
Writing for a younger YA audience, C.J. Darlington manages to telegraph this message clearly while still allowing it to rise organically from the story. At times, this requires Shay to seem wise beyond her years—such as when she notices her grandparent’s coldness toward her stems from the loss of their son, her dad. At other times, it requires her to seem more childish than normal. Indeed, for much of the book I assumed that Shay was twelve or thirteen and not fifteen.
The struggle with any book written to a young audience that deals with deeply complex and messy themes is the ability to approach these themes appropriately, giving them their due weight while also acknowledging the age of the reader. It’s no different in Searching for Normal. Shay is dealing with the loss of both parents, the lovelessness of her grandparents, and issues surrounding adoption (to say any more would be to ruin a twist).
Any one of these would make material enough for a whole novel. By adding in so many issues, Darlington isn’t able to talk deeply about any of them. The adoption storyline—something dear to my heart, as I have two adopted children—was particularly rushed and, while providing the book with its twist, unnecessary to the plot.
The book’s heart is how Shay finds a new normal in her group of friends, who take her into their group and provide her with emotional support throughout the twists and turns. It’s this piece of the novel, this relational core—along with Shay’s developing relationship with her aunt—that makes the book worth reading.
Overall, Searching for Normal is a fairly typical, good quality young YA book. If you have a younger girl who loves horses, this book might stand out to them in particular. Younger YA fiction is sometimes a forgotten-about segment in Christian fiction and I’m happy to see Darlington filling that role here.
Shay is an orphan, living with an aunt she doesn’t really know, kicked out by grandparents who don’t seem to love her, not able to pursue her favorite hobby, dealing with a new city, a new school, trying to make new friends, and avoid new bullies. It’s all a bit overwhelming.
As the story progresses, Shay finds healing in a new group of friends even as she struggles to adapt and deal with adversity. With a few shock revelations along the way, Searching for Normal takes readers on a character-driven, intensely-relational look at finding one’s identity and the importance of community.
Writing for a younger YA audience, C.J. Darlington manages to telegraph this message clearly while still allowing it to rise organically from the story. At times, this requires Shay to seem wise beyond her years—such as when she notices her grandparent’s coldness toward her stems from the loss of their son, her dad. At other times, it requires her to seem more childish than normal. Indeed, for much of the book I assumed that Shay was twelve or thirteen and not fifteen.
The struggle with any book written to a young audience that deals with deeply complex and messy themes is the ability to approach these themes appropriately, giving them their due weight while also acknowledging the age of the reader. It’s no different in Searching for Normal. Shay is dealing with the loss of both parents, the lovelessness of her grandparents, and issues surrounding adoption (to say any more would be to ruin a twist).
Any one of these would make material enough for a whole novel. By adding in so many issues, Darlington isn’t able to talk deeply about any of them. The adoption storyline—something dear to my heart, as I have two adopted children—was particularly rushed and, while providing the book with its twist, unnecessary to the plot.
The book’s heart is how Shay finds a new normal in her group of friends, who take her into their group and provide her with emotional support throughout the twists and turns. It’s this piece of the novel, this relational core—along with Shay’s developing relationship with her aunt—that makes the book worth reading.
Overall, Searching for Normal is a fairly typical, good quality young YA book. If you have a younger girl who loves horses, this book might stand out to them in particular. Younger YA fiction is sometimes a forgotten-about segment in Christian fiction and I’m happy to see Darlington filling that role here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2023
A well worth reading YA contemporary with no romance. Great for horse lovers.
Content:
Brief, mild cussing (bull, heck). Mention of a character's mom becoming pregnant out of wedlock. A man is abusive towards animals. A girl has a flashback to a car accident. Mentions of affairs.
Ages 13+
Content:
Brief, mild cussing (bull, heck). Mention of a character's mom becoming pregnant out of wedlock. A man is abusive towards animals. A girl has a flashback to a car accident. Mentions of affairs.
Ages 13+
August 27, 2021
Absolutely amazing. I confess I cried at several points.
March 29, 2021
This is the second book in the Riverbend Friends series told by various authors. Searching For Normal follows Shay's story.
Six months ago, Shay's adopted dad died. She was living with her grandparents until she made one mistake. That one mistake
not only made her grandparents no longer want her but it's now hanging over her new life in Riverbend.
Now she's living with her aunt in an apartment over a bookstore and going to a new school, living a life where she can't
seem to find normal. On top of her failure in drama class and keeping her new friends at a distance, she's dealing with
bullies who know her secret.
Just when she's giving up on normal, she learns the truth about her biological father. The father who could change
everything about her life. She dreams of family and security. When she has the chance to meet him, she takes it.
Will he be the father who changes her life forever and give her the normal she's searching for?
I liked this second book in the series, mainly because I like the characters a lot!
I really liked Shay's character, and really liked getting inside her head. In REAL, NOT PERFECT, we didn't know much about
her which intrigued me. I could relate to her in a lot of ways. She's the quiet, introverted girl of her friend group which
I strongly relate to. Her struggles with everything felt authentic and real, and I really sympathized with her. I loved
that she was a bookworm and liked that she wasn't obsessed with boys. A unique quality in this genre!
I liked Tessa even more in this book. It was neat seeing her from someone else's POV after being in her head in the first
book. It was like I knew the behind the scenes of her life, but seeing her from Shay's perspective was cool.
I love Izzy, she's awesome! I can't wait for her story. And although Amelia still isn't my favorite, I'm excited for her
story.
The bullies and her Grams were pretty infuriating. But I liked her aunt a lot! Oh, and the greyhound Stanley, of course.
Like the first book, I liked that this book focused on friendships rather than relationships with a boy. It's a unique
and nice change from typical YA contemporaries.
I liked watching the girls grow closer and open up. And I love how supportive they are of one another. But
they're not altogether perfect. They're a fun friend group for sure!
The struggles Shay faces with her faith, particularly not understanding why things happened the way they did, was really
relatable. And the feelings of shame she felt at admitting her anger and frustration was something I could identify with.
Also, how cool would it be to live above a bookstore? And your aunt owns it? You can basically get a book anytime you want
one... awesomeee. Also being around for author signings and all that stuff. I wouldn't choose to because I'm not a city
girl but it still sounded like a booklovers dream!
I actually teared up a few times, especially at the ending. It was bittersweet.
Overall, this was a very quick read which I liked! It focused on a lot of relatable topics, especially for highschoolers
and Christian teens. It deals with being bullied, struggling with school classes, and being open to friendship.
It talks about Shay's struggles with her relationship with God, her questions and confusion in a real way.
I'm looking forward to Izzy's story in the next in this series!
*I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Six months ago, Shay's adopted dad died. She was living with her grandparents until she made one mistake. That one mistake
not only made her grandparents no longer want her but it's now hanging over her new life in Riverbend.
Now she's living with her aunt in an apartment over a bookstore and going to a new school, living a life where she can't
seem to find normal. On top of her failure in drama class and keeping her new friends at a distance, she's dealing with
bullies who know her secret.
Just when she's giving up on normal, she learns the truth about her biological father. The father who could change
everything about her life. She dreams of family and security. When she has the chance to meet him, she takes it.
Will he be the father who changes her life forever and give her the normal she's searching for?
I liked this second book in the series, mainly because I like the characters a lot!
I really liked Shay's character, and really liked getting inside her head. In REAL, NOT PERFECT, we didn't know much about
her which intrigued me. I could relate to her in a lot of ways. She's the quiet, introverted girl of her friend group which
I strongly relate to. Her struggles with everything felt authentic and real, and I really sympathized with her. I loved
that she was a bookworm and liked that she wasn't obsessed with boys. A unique quality in this genre!
I liked Tessa even more in this book. It was neat seeing her from someone else's POV after being in her head in the first
book. It was like I knew the behind the scenes of her life, but seeing her from Shay's perspective was cool.
I love Izzy, she's awesome! I can't wait for her story. And although Amelia still isn't my favorite, I'm excited for her
story.
The bullies and her Grams were pretty infuriating. But I liked her aunt a lot! Oh, and the greyhound Stanley, of course.
Like the first book, I liked that this book focused on friendships rather than relationships with a boy. It's a unique
and nice change from typical YA contemporaries.
I liked watching the girls grow closer and open up. And I love how supportive they are of one another. But
they're not altogether perfect. They're a fun friend group for sure!
The struggles Shay faces with her faith, particularly not understanding why things happened the way they did, was really
relatable. And the feelings of shame she felt at admitting her anger and frustration was something I could identify with.
Also, how cool would it be to live above a bookstore? And your aunt owns it? You can basically get a book anytime you want
one... awesomeee. Also being around for author signings and all that stuff. I wouldn't choose to because I'm not a city
girl but it still sounded like a booklovers dream!
I actually teared up a few times, especially at the ending. It was bittersweet.
Overall, this was a very quick read which I liked! It focused on a lot of relatable topics, especially for highschoolers
and Christian teens. It deals with being bullied, struggling with school classes, and being open to friendship.
It talks about Shay's struggles with her relationship with God, her questions and confusion in a real way.
I'm looking forward to Izzy's story in the next in this series!
*I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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March 16, 2022Searching for Normal: A story of courage and bravery to reveal an unwanted past
Six months ago Shay Mitchell’s life changed forever. Now she’s just attempting to survive a new school and a drama course. She made one huge mistake that made her grandparents kick her out of the house, and now she is struggling to fit in her Aunt's house right above the bookstore. She battles everyday bullies (Kelsey and Jade) who poke fun at her outfits and make insulting remarks about her past. No one, not even her new friends, knows her genuine story or the reason she’s living with her aunt in the first place. When Shay learns the truth about her biological father, she is ecstatic to meet him! Maybe she’ll finally feel a part of a family where she feels cherished and wanted.
The reader explores the rollercoaster journey of Shay Mitchell and her struggle to relearn her past. She learns her biological father is a horse trainer she grew up with watching on TV for years, Mason King. She finally builds up enough courage to go to an arena he was performing at. She felt she was able to face this unknown situation with the support from her friends. However, about halfway into the performance, she saw Mason abuse and hurt the horse in a disturbing way. She then feels betrayed and all the courage it took to go was worthless. Anger and bitterness start to ignite inside of her. She begins to distance herself from her friends and aunt. She isn’t the fun loving and kind soul anymore. She has a deep hatred for her biological dad, and doesn’t know how to express her emotions any differently. However, as time progresses she learns that it is okay if all the questions aren’t answered. She knows that maybe her purpose in life wasn’t to uncover every mystery of her life. She begins to find peace and begins to confide in her friends about what has been truly going on behind the scenes.
This is the second book of a series that explores the relationship between four friends and how they navigate new experiences together; especially scary and unwanted truths. “Searching for Normal” is an incredible book and I really like how realistic and applicable it is. This is a simpler, easier read and not for those who are looking for an in depth, hard to follow book. I would definitely categorize this book under a “beach read”; you do not have to pay super close attention to detail in order to understand the book. Since the concepts are easier to pick up, the plot was a little slow for me. The author followed a narrative writing style, and chose a clear structure and storyline… “Aunt Laura handed me two paper bags with the logo of the Italian restaurant a few blocks away. I was starving, but I wasn’t sure if I could eat right now” (Darlington, 79). This quote explains how the concepts of the sentence structures are easy to understand and are predictable. Overall, I don’t have a desire to continue to read this series because of the over simplified plot. I would recommend this book to those who want to get back into reading and do not know where to start. This is especially good for those who are younger and do not want to read an incredibly long book. I really enjoyed the experience of trying a new book out, and broadening my horizons to new book concepts.
Six months ago Shay Mitchell’s life changed forever. Now she’s just attempting to survive a new school and a drama course. She made one huge mistake that made her grandparents kick her out of the house, and now she is struggling to fit in her Aunt's house right above the bookstore. She battles everyday bullies (Kelsey and Jade) who poke fun at her outfits and make insulting remarks about her past. No one, not even her new friends, knows her genuine story or the reason she’s living with her aunt in the first place. When Shay learns the truth about her biological father, she is ecstatic to meet him! Maybe she’ll finally feel a part of a family where she feels cherished and wanted.
The reader explores the rollercoaster journey of Shay Mitchell and her struggle to relearn her past. She learns her biological father is a horse trainer she grew up with watching on TV for years, Mason King. She finally builds up enough courage to go to an arena he was performing at. She felt she was able to face this unknown situation with the support from her friends. However, about halfway into the performance, she saw Mason abuse and hurt the horse in a disturbing way. She then feels betrayed and all the courage it took to go was worthless. Anger and bitterness start to ignite inside of her. She begins to distance herself from her friends and aunt. She isn’t the fun loving and kind soul anymore. She has a deep hatred for her biological dad, and doesn’t know how to express her emotions any differently. However, as time progresses she learns that it is okay if all the questions aren’t answered. She knows that maybe her purpose in life wasn’t to uncover every mystery of her life. She begins to find peace and begins to confide in her friends about what has been truly going on behind the scenes.
This is the second book of a series that explores the relationship between four friends and how they navigate new experiences together; especially scary and unwanted truths. “Searching for Normal” is an incredible book and I really like how realistic and applicable it is. This is a simpler, easier read and not for those who are looking for an in depth, hard to follow book. I would definitely categorize this book under a “beach read”; you do not have to pay super close attention to detail in order to understand the book. Since the concepts are easier to pick up, the plot was a little slow for me. The author followed a narrative writing style, and chose a clear structure and storyline… “Aunt Laura handed me two paper bags with the logo of the Italian restaurant a few blocks away. I was starving, but I wasn’t sure if I could eat right now” (Darlington, 79). This quote explains how the concepts of the sentence structures are easy to understand and are predictable. Overall, I don’t have a desire to continue to read this series because of the over simplified plot. I would recommend this book to those who want to get back into reading and do not know where to start. This is especially good for those who are younger and do not want to read an incredibly long book. I really enjoyed the experience of trying a new book out, and broadening my horizons to new book concepts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2021
The second book in the Riverbend Friends series picks up where the first left off, but now readers get to focus on Shay and see her story. A great YA/Coming of age story that is perfect for young adult readers.
The second book in the Riverbend Friends series focuses on the life of Shay Mitchell. Her life changed forever six months ago when she came to live with her aunt and started a new school that brought about her being bullied. Living with her Aunt Laura above a bookstore is nice, but none of her new friends know the real reason she came to live with her aunt and what happened in her past that is causing her to be bullied. While living with her aunt, Shay learns the truth about her biological father and rushes at the chance to meet him. All she wants is a normal family life and to be happy without all the bad stuff hanging over her. But what she wishes for and how she thinks it will happen might be the farthest thing from a happy normal life.
With this second book in the Riverbend Friends series, I am falling in love with these four friends and the way these books are written to young adults, especially young girl readers. For me, this is the perfect series because it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, it shows these girls going through hard things and the way they lean on each other and find a deeper relationship with God through the problems they are facing. They go through hard things, but they realize that even through bad, good things come out of it, like the new friendships they find with each other. I think that is one of the most important things, especially now, finding a few good friends you can trust and rely on through the hard times makes getting through those hard times a little bit easier.
Shay and her story picked up where the first book left off but also gives readers some good back story as to what happened to her and makes the first book even better because I was able to reflect on why she reacted the way she did to some of what happened in that book. I liked this character and how she handled what happened to her, her aunt was one of my favorite characters with her taking Shay in and dealing with how she was treated by both family and school issues. I would recommend reading the first in the series with this one, it could be read after but in my opinion to get the most out of the series go in order. Young girls will be the target audience for this one and parents can enjoy the fact that it is a good story that is clean and no questionable content.
I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
The second book in the Riverbend Friends series focuses on the life of Shay Mitchell. Her life changed forever six months ago when she came to live with her aunt and started a new school that brought about her being bullied. Living with her Aunt Laura above a bookstore is nice, but none of her new friends know the real reason she came to live with her aunt and what happened in her past that is causing her to be bullied. While living with her aunt, Shay learns the truth about her biological father and rushes at the chance to meet him. All she wants is a normal family life and to be happy without all the bad stuff hanging over her. But what she wishes for and how she thinks it will happen might be the farthest thing from a happy normal life.
With this second book in the Riverbend Friends series, I am falling in love with these four friends and the way these books are written to young adults, especially young girl readers. For me, this is the perfect series because it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, it shows these girls going through hard things and the way they lean on each other and find a deeper relationship with God through the problems they are facing. They go through hard things, but they realize that even through bad, good things come out of it, like the new friendships they find with each other. I think that is one of the most important things, especially now, finding a few good friends you can trust and rely on through the hard times makes getting through those hard times a little bit easier.
Shay and her story picked up where the first book left off but also gives readers some good back story as to what happened to her and makes the first book even better because I was able to reflect on why she reacted the way she did to some of what happened in that book. I liked this character and how she handled what happened to her, her aunt was one of my favorite characters with her taking Shay in and dealing with how she was treated by both family and school issues. I would recommend reading the first in the series with this one, it could be read after but in my opinion to get the most out of the series go in order. Young girls will be the target audience for this one and parents can enjoy the fact that it is a good story that is clean and no questionable content.
I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
April 12, 2025
C.J. Darlinton’s book “Searching for Normal” is a young adult christian fiction novel and is the second book in the Riverbend Friends series. The book is written from the point of view of the main character Shay Mitchell as she deals with some tough things and big changes all while longing for a “normal” life.
Shay Mitchell’s life is anything but normal. Her grandparents send her to live with her aunt in a new town, she’s stuck in a drama class that she hates, she’s bullied at school, she’s mourning the loss of her father and desperately searching for answers to who she is and wanting a place to belong, feel loved and accepted. We see Shay make new friends and see the importance of friendship and the difference it can make. Her friend’s are there for her through everything she’s going through and they all lean on each other. At times we see Shay struggle with God feeling distant. Her relationship with God is stretched and strengthened and through it all she realizes that God will always be there. Shay also recognizes that even bad times bring about some good things like, the drama class she hates brought these three good friends in her life and moving in with her aunt meant that she would finally have a dog, something she had always wanted.
I like that this series addresses the not so great things in life that teens my age sometimes deal with. Shay’s character was very relatable, you felt her emotions, you related to her thoughts on God feeling distant and identified with her search for a place to feel loved and belong. Shay told her friends: “It was always a hard concept for me: God actually forgiving and loving us, even when we make mistakes. I knew it was real and believed it in my heart, but in the practical, everyday life it was harder to understand.” (Darlington 64) Everything that happened to Shay, wanting to be loved and belong made the concept of God’s love and forgiveness a hard one to comprehend. The idea that the God of the universe loves and cares for us is a hard thing to understand and something some christians do sometimes struggle with. I liked that this book followed one character’s perspective/point of view. C.J. Darlington’s narrative style of writing made for an enjoyable read.
I really enjoyed this book, it was such a good read and so relatable for teens my age. Onne lesson that I learned from this book was that even in the hard times in life, God is there and gives us good things like friends, family, animals, etc… making the hard things bearable
Shay Mitchell’s life is anything but normal. Her grandparents send her to live with her aunt in a new town, she’s stuck in a drama class that she hates, she’s bullied at school, she’s mourning the loss of her father and desperately searching for answers to who she is and wanting a place to belong, feel loved and accepted. We see Shay make new friends and see the importance of friendship and the difference it can make. Her friend’s are there for her through everything she’s going through and they all lean on each other. At times we see Shay struggle with God feeling distant. Her relationship with God is stretched and strengthened and through it all she realizes that God will always be there. Shay also recognizes that even bad times bring about some good things like, the drama class she hates brought these three good friends in her life and moving in with her aunt meant that she would finally have a dog, something she had always wanted.
I like that this series addresses the not so great things in life that teens my age sometimes deal with. Shay’s character was very relatable, you felt her emotions, you related to her thoughts on God feeling distant and identified with her search for a place to feel loved and belong. Shay told her friends: “It was always a hard concept for me: God actually forgiving and loving us, even when we make mistakes. I knew it was real and believed it in my heart, but in the practical, everyday life it was harder to understand.” (Darlington 64) Everything that happened to Shay, wanting to be loved and belong made the concept of God’s love and forgiveness a hard one to comprehend. The idea that the God of the universe loves and cares for us is a hard thing to understand and something some christians do sometimes struggle with. I liked that this book followed one character’s perspective/point of view. C.J. Darlington’s narrative style of writing made for an enjoyable read.
I really enjoyed this book, it was such a good read and so relatable for teens my age. Onne lesson that I learned from this book was that even in the hard times in life, God is there and gives us good things like friends, family, animals, etc… making the hard things bearable
September 23, 2021
This book is about a teen named Shay who has too go through high school without a dad or mom who both died in a car crashes, at different times. Although Shay feels alone she has four friends caring who help her along the way, who are always there, by her side to help. They are kind caring and loving too her. Shay lives with her single aunt who is always busy running her book store. But as Shay was talking too her aunt for one of the first times, Shay finds out that her biological dad is her horse riding idol, Mason King. Shay is struggling to find her purpose in life, but she has to be careful because it could change with one sentence. To be continued.
I personally love this book because there are a lot of exiting moments, and it gives me a perspective of someone who has the opposite life as me.
I personally love this book because there are a lot of exiting moments, and it gives me a perspective of someone who has the opposite life as me.
January 22, 2023
Protagonist Shay is a teen girl whose world has been turned upside down multiple times. She lands at her aunt’s house and learns a great deal about herself in relationship to her family, to her friends, and to her beloved horses. Her faith grows through the mistakes that she herself makes, living with the consequences of the mistakes that others make, and trying to make things right in her own life. Young teens and perhaps upper elementary students would enjoy this book for its reality and yet its hopeful message overall. I gratefully received this e-book as an AR, see from the publisher and author in exchange for my unbiased review.
February 16, 2023
This is the second book in the Riverbend Friends series. This book deals with adoption, death of a loved one, and anger. It's a great series, but it can be a standalone. I love how the books have great discussion points in them, but they're fun to read. Since it's a more modern book, it does include texting and Instagram, which is a plus for many teens. I highly recommend this book and this series.
July 21, 2021
This may actually be my favorite in the series. I loved all the discussions about books, partial setting in a bookshop, everything books! And horses…I loved all things horses growing up, and this brought back so many memories.
Really a solid installment that thoroughly developed every character and furthered the foursome’s bond. Loved it.
Really a solid installment that thoroughly developed every character and furthered the foursome’s bond. Loved it.
July 23, 2021
This is the 2nd book in this series, and I am loving the series! I feel like these books deal with issues that are relevant for teens today. I really love the main character of this story too, Shay. She really seems like a very real person to me--great job by the author!! Plus, I love the dog, Stanley! And, of course, Aunt Laura, and the bookstore, because I work in a bookstore myself. ;)
March 24, 2021
Searching for Normal is an entertaining and well written inspirational book. Great plot and character dynamics. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.
June 7, 2021
This book was also really good! It wasn't my favorite because I'm not a huge animal lover or anything like that and Shay was all about her animals. I again loved her friendships and all, it just took a really long time to figure out what happened in her past.
February 19, 2021
I cried through most of this one. And kept wanting to hug the characters. And to punch a few, too!
August 5, 2022
Really good. Sweet and short. Can’t wait to read the other books
January 2, 2023
This book is great! A must-read if you liked the first one.
August 8, 2023
It was a really good Christian teenager who’s struggling book and the second book in the series of the river-bend friends. It was good and had the cutest ending!
October 17, 2023
I enjoyed this one, because I relate to Shay in her anger issues, but... honestly, it was too country-ish (I'm a mountain girl myself), and slow.
Otherwise, three outta five.
Otherwise, three outta five.
January 23, 2025
⭐️3.5⭐️
October 27, 2025
Really good book. Really good Christian series. With romance, adventure, and more. All the books are things that happen in the real world. So good for young teens and older ones too.
July 12, 2024
I feel bad for this review because everyone else i know who's read this book has loved it but...
ummm the main character was a pick-me and wallowed in self-pity, the side characters had 0 personality, and the plot was just so boring.
dnf-ed afterr the first couple chapters. maybe i'll pick it up sometime and finish it so I can have a full opinion of this book, but for now just... no.
ummm the main character was a pick-me and wallowed in self-pity, the side characters had 0 personality, and the plot was just so boring.
dnf-ed afterr the first couple chapters. maybe i'll pick it up sometime and finish it so I can have a full opinion of this book, but for now just... no.
November 26, 2025
Content Rating: 4/5
Content Notes: Mild spoilers!
Content Notes: Mild spoilers!
September 7, 2023
I really liked the emotional settings in the book, the characters had a good dymanic. It felt real without being cliche or boring.
January 16, 2024
What a great Christian-girl series!! Definitely recommend for fans of Christy Miller.
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