Review: This Ordinary Life by Jennifer Walkup

This Ordinary Life
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Date Read: November 2015

Publication Date: October 26, 2015
Paperback, 352 pages


Summary From Goodreads:
Sometimes Hope is the Most Extraordinary Gift of All.

High-school radio host Jasmine Torres's life is full of family dysfunction, but if she can score the internship of her dreams with a New York City radio station, she knows she can turn things around.

That is, until her brother Danny’s latest seizure forces her to miss the interview, and she’s back to the endless loop of missing school for his doctor appointments, picking up the pieces of her mother’s booze-soaked life, and stressing about Danny’s future.

Then she meets Wes. He’s the perfect combination of smart, cute, and funny. He also happens to have epilepsy like her brother. Wes is living a normal life despite his medical issues, which gives Jasmine hope for Danny. But memories of her cheating ex-boyfriend keep her from going on a real date with Wes, no matter how many times he asks her.

Jasmine can’t control everything. Not who wins the internship, not her mother’s addiction, not her brother’s health--not even where her heart will lead her. She wishes she could just have an ordinary life, but maybe what she already has is pretty extraordinary after all.

My Review: 

This was such an awesome book. First off, look at that gorgeous cover! {Have I mentioned before that I'm a bit of a book snob?} Right, well I love Jazz. She's such a strong character, and she doesn't let anything get her down. She definitely has a lot of responsibilities, and there are a lot of curve balls that get thrown her way {like having to be both mom and dad to her little brother Danny, because dad walked out on them forever ago, and mom is almost always drunk} but she doesn't let any of them stop her from doing what she loves.

Wes. Oh my word, Wes. He's this super sweet, ever so optimistic guy, and I just... Ahhhh. Yeah. Not to mention the fact that he's also super funny and flirty, but he's also very sincere. He was so persistent when it came to trying to win over Jasmine. And he was confident, but not in an annoying, cocky way. I think every girl needs a Wes in their life.

I felt a sort of kinship with Jazz. Not because I have an alcoholic mother, {my mother is actually quite amazing} or a brother who has seizures... But I do have a baby sister who is diabetic. And even though the responsibility of taking care of her is not one that I have to shoulder, I still worry. I know first hand what could go wrong, and that's pretty scary. So, yeah, I felt a connection with Jazz on that level.

I was so glad when Jasmine finally stood up for herself and confronted her mother, and things started to look up for her

 I really wish this book had been longer, that I'd been able to get more closure with some of the characters. The ending seemed kind of abrupt, and that's the only reason that stopped me from giving this book a 5 star rating. I still loved it though... It's one of the best books I've read this year.