Laurie Frankel's 2018 novel This is How It Always Is has really been celebrated. A New York Times Bestseller, Reese's Book Club's pick of October 2018, one of People Magazine's Top 10 Books of 2018, several Best Books of the Year lists, and Bustle's 17 Books Every Woman Should Read from 2017. We do deal with some body shaming and bullying, transphobia, medical content, and outing.
Rosie has always wanted a daughter. Ever since she had a conversation with her younger sister, Poppy, about traveling the world together, a dream that never happened since Poppy died very young, Rosie has planned to have a daughter with long hair that she could name Poppy and travel with. When she and her husband welcome their son Rue, they're delighted. When Ben follows soon after, their delight and love grow with their family. They decide to try again and are soon graced with twin sons, Rigel and Orion. But Rosie wants to try once more and they finally get the girl they've yearned for, but not in the way they expect. You see, their youngest son Claude has said from a very young age that he wants to be a girl when he grows up. As the years go by, they begin to think this is more serious than they thought and that they're family is growing a bit differently than they expected. Watch as Rosie and her husband Penn struggle with all the aspects of parenting: moving schools, play dates, juggling a career, and trying to protect their children as best as they can.
This book was beautiful. It was soft and lovely and thought provoking. It made me laugh, it made me smile, it made me cry. It travels on a linear timeline with several side stories to explain what is happening, like how Penn and Rosie meet. The characters in this book are absolutely delightful. Penn and Rosie are the kind of parents that I aspire to be, that try to protect their children while still giving them the space to explore and to grow but who still make mistakes sometimes and don't always agree on plans for the future. Their kids are funny, thoughtful, kind, sarcastic, and still make dumb decisions sometimes. The writing is wonderful and I loved the story within this story, a fairytale that Penn started the first night he and Rosie spent together and that grew and changed with the needs of his family. A wonderful portrayal of the different ways that a family can look. I loved it. I absolutely loved it and I'm tearing up as I type this, just by thinking about it.
I'm giving This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel 5 stars and I will definitely be looking out for more books from her.
To see more from Laurie Frankel, check out https://www.lauriefrankel.net/
Pairs well with blueberry pancakes and publishing an ongoing story about a puppy and a panda who solve mysteries together.
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