The Fragile Ordinary

3.75 stars--THE FRAGILE ORDINARY by Samantha Young is a contemporary, young adult story line focusing on sixteen year old British student Comet Caldwell, and American Tobias King. Told from first person point of view (Comet) THE FRAGILE ORDINARY follows one year in the life of sixteen year old Comet Caldwell, a product of emotionally absent parents whose lifestyle has affected their only child. Comet is a bit of a loner; a unique teen whose sense of style is one of a kind; a socially-awkward nerd who prefers to spend Friday nights with a book rather than partying with her two closest friends. But things are about to get a little more exciting when an American student saunters into our heroine’s life. Enter sixteen-year old Tobias King, the young man with whom Comet will fall in love. What ensues is the slow building friendship and relationship between our leading couple, and the fall-out as life, betrayal and loss threaten any semblance of normalcy for our struggling heroine. Comet Caldwell uses poetry and pose to pen her deepest secrets and the painful reality of life amongst the Caldwell clan. Her home life is a mess, as she battles the emotional highs and lows of her first teenage crush without the support of the people at home. Tobias King has been uprooted from his American home, and finds himself caught between right and wrong. Meeting Comet Caldwell is like a breath of fresh air but not all is well as life begins to spiral out of control. THE FRAGILE ORDINARY has all of the hallmarks of the young adult genre: oblivious and narcissistic parents who struggle to maintain their own destructive relationship; the mean girls and boys whose direction in life is to make everyone else miserable and sad by spreading lies and rumors, issuing threats and ultimatums; a love triangle or a potential for a love triangle involving one or both of the leading characters; the odd-ball heroine who is a little bit clumsy, unfashionable, geeky and lost; and ultimately, the object of our heroine’s affection- the beautiful, athletic and broken bad boy whose own secrets and history are damaged and dark. Samantha Young pulls the reader into a coming of age, heart-breaking story. An emotional roller coaster of teenaged angst mixed with successes and failures, rejection and acceptance, ultimate highs and pitiful lows. The premise is endearing; the romance is sweet and passionate-the sex scenes are limited and mostly implied; the characters are colorful and engaging.

June's been a great month for me as far as YA reads are concerned, and Samantha Young's latest standalone lands rather comfortably among those very few and select novels that I loved and left a positive and lasting impression on me. There were aspects about Comet's personality and her own story that brought to mind my own memories back in high school and as a teen trying to find my own place in the sun. My heart went out to her--for the lack of attention from her parents and the almost awkward way that she was among her peers. And while Tobias was the boy who would change her world, he's not necessarily the boy-next-door type of guy. But see, that's what I loved about this book. Neither Comet nor Tobias are flawless and idealistic individuals just a couple of years from adulthood. They're young, impressionable, and already have cracks in their psyches. However, throughout this tale, it's Comet's resilience and later self-confidence that shines brightest, showing she is indeed extraordinary, as we are all capable of being if only we allow ourselves to be who we truly are. Five-plus stars for The Fragile Ordinary. ♥

Oh man, I really loved this book. Comet was simply an amazing character that is sure to make any reader love her. I truly related to her on a very deep level simply because she lives her life in a way I wish I was brave enough to live (at her age). Each character was fleshed out and I loved the backstories that were present. I do wish that we learned a little more about the side characters but I truly loved Tobias & Comet. Their story was fresh and I loved that it didn't feel too young nor did it go into too much of an adult realm. At 28, I was still able to love the story. This is the first young adult novel that I have read by Samantha Young. I've been hooked by her books for years so I was a little nervous to go from adult romance to young adult romance. It's always interesting to see how a writer's writing changes when it comes to age. Though I prefer Samantha Young's adult novels, I truly loved this book. It is realistic, it's fast paced, and it is sure to make you think back to your high school woes (if you're older). Honestly, it was fantastic. I truly loved it. **I received this book in exchange for an honest review.**