The Fragile Ordinary by Samantha Young

 

 I am Comet Caldwell.
And I sort of, kind of, absolutely hate my name.
People expect extraordinary things from a girl named Comet. That she’ll be effortlessly cool and light up a room the way a comet blazes across the sky.
But from the shyness that makes her book-character friends more appealing than real people to the parents whose indifference hurts more than an open wound, Comet has never wanted to be the center of attention. She can’t wait to graduate from her high school in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the only place she ever feels truly herself is on her anonymous poetry blog. But surely that will change once she leaves to attend university somewhere far, far away.
When new student Tobias King blazes in from America and shakes up the school, Comet thinks she’s got the bad boy figured out. Until they’re thrown together for a class assignment and begin to form an unlikely connection. Everything shifts in Comet’s ordinary world. Tobias has a dark past and runs with a tough crowd—and none of them are happy about his interest in Comet. Targeted by bullies and thrown into the spotlight, Comet and Tobias can go their separate ways…or take a risk on something extraordinary.

The Fragile Ordinary, a new young adult novel by Samantha Young - is everything it promises to be.  Set in Edinburgh, Scotland, this is a one of a kind coming of age - young adult contemporary romance with heart-wrenching moments that will leave you teary one moment & full of joy the next.  A story about taking the leap to realizing your dreams & finding your place. "...and now I was awake. Really, truly, awake for the first time."  Spanning everything teenagers might face - around the globe.  From angst & uncertainty in young love, "...deeper connection...formed out of the already thriving friendship..." to growing into a deeper understanding of their parents & friends held most dear, bullying, the dangers of drug use & the impact of being intimate for the first time - or not.  All the way to dealing with grief & finding closure.  Learning the true impact & importance of relationships in this life - "...ordinary people had wounds that sometimes never healed."

This was a book that absolutely "...made me feel giddy with anticipation..."  I enjoyed the uniqueness of the characters & their intriguing family backgrounds, as well as the similarities within.  I loved that "...the boy made Shakespeare hot." & how Comet could seem so mysterious, but ultimately that these characters made up "The Fragile Ordinary" just like all of us.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

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