T.J. Klune

How to Be a Normal Person

aleksandra

4/5

Honestly, I don’t remember the last time I laugh so hard while reading a book. I literally had tears in my eyes from it. I don't even know how to properly describe it, but it was so embarrassingly funny at times that I had to take a break to just laugh. I should have read this sooner because I needed it. Thank you TJ Klune. 


Okay, but now seriously. This book was so wholesome and the characters so precious that I think it’s nearly impossible to not like them. Add to that TJ Klune's writing and I was pretty much in love with it from the very beginning. I know his writing style isn't for everyone, but I'm personally a huge fan of it.

I was also, in love with our main characters. Gustavo Tiberius, grumpy ferret owner, who has a video store that almost no one goes to, and Casey, the asexual stoner hipster with the biggest sunshine energy, who become famous after writing a series of extremely popular young adult postapocalyptic vampire/werewolf novels. Their banter, Gustavo’s grumpiness and Casey’s sweetness, made me laugh, "aww"-ed and smiled millions of times here. 


  
    "You’ve got this whole… vibe about you.” 
“I don’t have vibes,” Gus insisted, trying to not let out any vibes at all. “I’m vibe-less. I’m vibe-free. I’m so devoid of vibes, I’m like the anti-vibe.”

“Your lips,” Betty said. “You’ve got pouty lips.” Gus wished he’d never been born with lips at all."
  


How can I not love this stuborn grump?


  
    “Because that’s what new friends do,” Casey said. “They learn about each other so they can grow as people both together and apart.” 
“I like that,” Gus said. “Let’s grow apart.” 
Casey laughed. “You’re funny. Ooh, organic yogurt. Gus, you said they didn’t have organic anything.”
  


The way Casey wanted to be friends with Gus from the start and trusted him, made me tear up a little bit. 


  
    "Gus respected Casey and didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. He never wanted Casey to be uncomfortable around him, and he didn’t know when that had started, only that it had. But Casey didn’t move away at all. In fact, he pulled Gus tighter. He leaned over and whispered in Gus’s ear, “Hi, Gus.”
  


They were so precious


  
    “Oh, man,” Casey said, shaking his head. “This is going to be one of those stories we talk about when we’re reminiscing as old men, sitting in our rockers on the porch holding hands. Memories, man. It’s all about the memories.”
  


and I need my own Casey in my life. 

Let's not forget about the amazing side characters here, We Three Queens, the trio of elderly lesbians who were either sisters or in a polyamorous relationship. These ladies stole the show here. Lottie from Lottie’s Lattes, and Casey's friends, who I was skeptical of at first but I ended up liking them.

Unfortunately, I had one problem with this book. Comparing and making fun of sex workers.


  
    "He just hoped he didn’t look like a club whore."

“What’s the difference between a strawberry and a prostitute?” 
Gus choked a bit. “I have no idea.” He could feel Casey smiling. “The strawberry isn’t as messy when you eat it.”
  


The fact that it was written by a man is quite sad. That's why I'm taking half a star here. I took the second half star, because I was a little bored at times. 


In overall, a great and fun read. I highly recommend!

I love this book! It belongs to my most beloved books now. And there are a few reasons for its place among them.

*The style is really easy to read. It reminded me most of the time of an inner monologue – a very enjoyable monologue

*So much parts that make you laugh or grin
so many feels (please excuse my ‘tumblr-speak’) – but seriously, every time Gustavo’s dad was mentioned I had tears in my eyes because you feel how much they loved each other (Pastor Tommy for president)

*all the characters are so loveable and ridiculous
sooo much secondhand embarrassment – mostly thanks to Gus, who is a ridiculous, loveable asshole

*it is NOT the asexual person who thinks he has to change in order to become ‘normal’

*the relationship between Gus and Casey devolps realistically and it’s just fun to read it

A lot of pros, right? But there are cons to this book, too. You want to hide somewhere and read it in one session. Who needs chores when you can read How to be a normal person?

Maria Luiza

Nothing to see here, just someone reading their used-to-be-favorite-book and realizing they shouldn't have read it again because there are some things I don't like the fourth time around :(
___________________

After reading this for the third time (the second was january this year) I can confidently say it's still my favorite book. I love the characters, I love the place, I love the sense of humor so much!!!!!! I love the representation. God I just. Love this book like I never loved any book ever. Thank you for this masterpiece.

Gus plans to become a normal person for Casey, an asexual stoner hipster. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

Natalie Sypeck 

Let me just start by saying that T.J Klune is one of my favorite authors and I will own and read every book he has and will ever write. This book was so heart warming. I loved the characters and their back and forth dialog. Casey will be my favorite stoner for life! Happy Pride Month!

Ariel Himboi

Humor. Romance. Comedy. 

Tj Klune is at the top of the top. Book after book he manages to surprise me and make me feel things other authors cannot. He is always showing us the brightest sides of things whether or not the characters are facing drama and tragedy. Every time I read a book by him I find myself completely and utterly in love with his writing, his stories and his characters. 

I especially loved all the more diversity he brings to his books. A hilarious story about a weird, abnormal, strange grumpy man named Gus and his ferret. A romance with an asexual stoner, a Love You A Lottie pal and three amazingly hilarious lesbian/bi bikers. 

I adored this story and the way Klune makes a romance where the romance doesn't strangle the life out of the plot. I myself identify with a lot of his characters so it's unbelievably great that there is so much character development in such a short time, and incredibly well done! 

There were a few similarities in characters that I could feel were also resident in other book characters such as other series he's written, but it only happened once or twice and didn't bother me.

The pace was good, nothing too boring and slow and nothing that moved too quickly. It was a short read I needed to get out of my reading slump!

I definitely recommend this to new readers or anyone in general. I loved this book a lot and I can't wait to read everything Klune puts out!

How to Be a Normal Person

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