Wonderful story of a family facing so many issues we all must cope with. Liv is the ultimate sandwich female- her elderly father has dementia, her elderly mother an orthopedic condition, her son is headed to college, and her sixteen year old daughter Hazel just got pregnant. Told alternately by Liv and Hazel, this is an amazingly honest novel. Liv's finally come into her own, started her own business, and is feeling good about herself and her relationship with her husband Oscar (a great guy btw). Liv knows that Hazel's thought- she's convinced that Tyler, the father of her child, will marry her and they will live happily ever after- is just a dream and that she'll be the one who once again cares for an infant, which she's just not prepared to do. An adopted child herself, she urges Hazel to put the baby up for adoption. Their tug of war continues even as things spiral for Liv's parents. Faulkner is a great storyteller and even better, you actually sense the differences between Hazel and Liv (so often dual narrations sound alike). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. There's so much in here but it's a terrific book and one I highly recommend.

I’m not much of a crier, but I felt all the feels with this one. I don’t know how, but you could just feel the raw emotion just exuding through the pages of this piece. The characters just flew off the page, feeling so absolutely... real. Faulkner dives into family dynamics and seamlessly plays a tale across heartstrings. (Was that too much? 😂)

There were parts of the narrative that bothered me as I read, but they were relatively addressed by the end of the novel. Hazel was getting on my last nerve. I couldn’t stand her until I realized that it just goes to show how wonderfully the author sculpted her out. Though self-absorbed and obnoxious, she’s a teenager fully formed. You can’t help but respect that.

The ending was a bit abrupt, but also felt necessarily so. It also seemed like there were some pretty deep issues between Liv and Oscar and these were not addressed after the climax of the storyline.

Thank you so much for the ARC of this piece. It was an absolute delight to read! A comprehensive review will be posted on social media closer to the date of publication.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of a story that would be shown on 16 and Pregnant. It really shows you that a teen pregnancy can happen to anyone no matter how smart you think you might be. I loved how the author really showed how it could be for a pregnant teenager.

Loved this book! Hoping for a sequel. Every teenage parents nightmare, a teen pregnancy, put to the pages of this book. The characters were real, the angst was real and the plot was well delivered. The author did a great job of capturing middle age and the trials of parenting a teen, as well as having aging parents. Hoping the author writes a sequel and follows up with all of these characters 20
Years down the road. Thank you for an advanced copy!!!!

This is the first book I've read by this author. Our New Normal does a great job in how it portrays a mother who lost her identity raising her children and finally having the ability to pursue her dreams again only to be completely ambushed by the fact that her teenage daughter is pregnant and wants to keep the baby.

It was well-written and I found that I could not put it down until I saw how it ended. Full of heartbreak, loneliness, wants, and broken dreams, and growing up, this is a book I would recommend. I would definiely recommend it as book club choice.

Thank you #netgalley and #kensingtonbooks for the eARC.

Your kids are growing up-one is heading to college and the other is almost 17. Your husband’s career at the Hospital is established and you’re so excited because it is finally here! It is finally your turn to live your dream! The kids are old enough that they don’t need you 24/7. You have your first clients for your new business and you are so excited to get started.

And then, there is a positive pregnancy test. And, a second positive pregnancy test, in case the first one was wrong. Now what?

I loved this book! I loved each of the characters and the roles they had. Oscar, Husband and Dad, level headed, logical Oscar. He loves his family and his kids, but had his career, so was, admittedly, a bit “hands off” when his kids were young. Liv, supportive Wife and responsible Mom to Sean and Hazel, caregiver to aging parents, so excited to start this new phase of her life. Sean, heading to college. Hazel, age 16, three months pregnant.

Everyone is thrown for a curveball by this pregnancy and everyone has different ideas for Hazel’s future. Relationships are changing and emotions are running strong in this family.

Even though they are all seeing this from a different angle, the underlying theme is love. Oscar loves his wife and child. Liv loves her husband and daughter so much, and she cannot understand that they can’t see her ideas for Hazel’s future are because of that love. Hazel is a child herself, but she knows she wants to keep her baby. They all love Charlie so much! Can love get them through the difficult relationships and hurt feeling that have happened? Can love and time heal them?

5 stars. Loved this book!

Every married woman with teenagers should read this book. OUR NEW NORMAL is about an upper middle-class family trying to navigate uncharted waters when their 17-year-old daughter announces she is pregnant and keeping the baby. Told through the eyes of wife and mother, Liv and the daughter, Hazel, OUR NEW NORMAL is a beautiful, heartbreaking, heart-filling book about real life. Although my 17-year-old is not pregnant (and hopefully won't be for many, many years), I could relate to every emotion Liv expressed. I was particularly impressed to see how well Faulkner captured the doldrums in a long marriage, where caring for children becomes more important than maintaining connection to one's spouse. This would be an amazing book for a husband-wife book club (although I have never heard of such a thing). I cared so deeply for these characters and was really sad when the story was over.

Our New Normal
By Colleen Faulkner
4.5 / 5 ⭐

What was the last book you read where your heart actually hurt for a character? Where you felt your chest tighten and your throat close with emotion? ᴏᴜʀ ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ is that book for me. Colleen Faulkner did such an amazing job at capturing the voice of a wife and mother that at times I felt like she was inside my head. Before the younger crowd assumes this book isn’t for them - Faulkner also takes on the perspective of a pregnant 16-year-old.

Liv Ridgely has been a stay-at-home mom raising her two kids for the last 16 years. Her husband works long hours, and her parents now need extra help as her dad is suffering from dementia. Liv is excited about the new changes coming into her life. Her son is heading off to college, and she is starting up her own business. Liv finally feels like she may find herself again after years of giving so much of herself away to others.

A positive pregnancy test changes everything for Liv. It’s not Liv who is pregnant. It’s Hazel, her 16-year-old daughter. The pregnancy sends the family into turmoil as no one seems to be on the same page. Everyone has an opinion, and it begins to cause division. Especially between Liv and her husband.

The chapters volley back and forth between Liv and Hazel’s narration. The strain and distance that comes between Liv and her husband are palpable. Liv tries to mother her daughter who is going to be a mother herself, but Hazel is definitely not ready for this responsibility. From Hazel’s side, she thinks she’s got it all under control, she thinks she's in love, and yet, she’s not ready to grow up quite so fast.

At times I was so frustrated, it seemed like the person giving the most was seen as the most selfish. This book embodied the drama that a teenage pregnancy brings upon a family. It could be said that this book should be required reading for parents and their teenagers.

As a wife and mother, I empathized with Liv. But Faulkner did such a great job with both roles that I found myself being transported back to my 16-year-old self at times.

Thank you to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for this ARC
Publish Date: 8/27/19

Touching story. Characters well thought out, just a well rounded story. Nice one!

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

This book like all other books by Colleen Faulker is amazing. She really has a way of taking common situations that lots of people do unfortunately find themselves in and putting a nice spin on things. She has a powerful way with her words that keeps me coming back as a reader to devour whatever new piece that she puts out. I really enjoyed this book and I found while I loved the story line I think that the characters had to be my favourite part of this. They were so realistic in their actions and comments that it made me feel like I was watching this unfortunate situation play out in front of me by real people instead of just reading about them. The book starts our with our character Liv finding out that her teenage daughter Hazel is pregnant. Not only is Hazel pregnant but at sixteen she is now also vowing to raise this child with her troubled and unmotivated boyfriend Tyler. This book is told through two perspectives the mother Liv and her daughter's Hazel. I found that this was a great way to write the book which surprised me because I usually don't like switches in points of view. I enjoyed this one however because the author very clearly showed who was in charge by naming each chapter so it was very easy to keep things straight. Not only was it easy but it also gave the reader an insight on what each character was thinking about the whole pregnancy situation. The reader got all of the
characters feelings as well as worries and concerns which made the story line a lot stronger. Very compelling read and I'm very glad that I got the chance to check it out. The best part about this book was seeing the relationship between mother and daughter, Liv and Hazel. It was nice to see their struggles with everything going on but you really felt and saw the love that they had for each other in a way that is very had to write about. The only thing I wish for this book is as many people as possible get to read the beauty that is between these pages.

A heartbreaking, emotional and pretty damn realistic novel. I think, every teenager out there should read this one.. One thing I grasped from this book is that you do not get to undergo the hardships of being a mother until you are one. Being a parent, means you are the one who makes the difficult choices and have to endure the consequences too. Well, I'm glad I read this book. this one is for all the moms out there.

Thanks, NetGalley and Kensington providing me with the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a work of fiction, but it should be required reading for every teen girl. Heartbreaking, emotional and so realistic. Sometimes being a parent is about making the hard choices.

Thanks Kensington and Netgalley for the chance to read this dynamic novel before it hits bookshelves later this month.

Liv, mom to a college student and a 16-year-old daughter, feels like she’s done raising her kids and wants to do something for herself now. That something is restoring homes because she did a brilliant job of bringing the one she lives in to a new life. When everything seems to be going smoothly, Liv finds out that Hazel, the teen daughter, is three months pregnant. Liv suggests putting the baby up for adoption. Hazel is adamant that she and her loser boyfriend, Tyler will raise the baby together, even though neither of them has a good job nor the money to do so.

I don’t want to give away anymore because I think everyone should read this book. It shines a light on unwed mothers, what it’s like for the family to go through a teen pregnancy and how family dynamics change a long the way. It was really hard to put this book down as something was constantly going on, emotions were often raw and you never knew who was going to change their mind about the upcoming baby.

Even though I thought the mother was a whiner and Hazel was selfish and not very likeable, I still loved every page of this book.

I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a refreshing story. It was a little deeper than the average women’s fiction, and I really liked the exploration of adoption and how people react to it differently on both sides of the divide. I would be eager to see more from this author as I feel that this was an eye-opener

This is the first book I have read by Colleen Faulkner and I am a new fan! This book was amazing and I hated the times I had to put it down when life called me. Raw, real and honest, nothing was sugar coated. It was hard to choose a favorite character, but I will have to go with Hazel, the pregnant teenager. I highly recommend this book and the Author!