Review: Relatively Normal by Whitney Dineen

About the Book:

Catriona Masterton’s fiancé, Ethan, is Normal.

He plans trips six months in advance and arrives at the airport a minimum of three hours early. He purchases life insurance, luggage insurance, and always opts for the extended warranty. He’s responsible, reliable, and would make any woman a wonderful life partner.

In other words, he’s the exact opposite of the Masterton clan.

Cat’s mother has a kitchen gadget fetish, a father whose best friends are taxidermied field mice, and a super stoner man-child brother who lives–where else?–in the basement. Then there’s Nan, her proud Scottish grandmother with a proclivity for profanity and mischief.

What on earth will Catriona’s Normal fiancé think when he comes home with her to meet her parents? What will he think when he discovers his soon-to-be in-laws invited Cat’s ex to join them for a holiday dinner?

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/relatively-normal-by-whitney-dineen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41814535-relatively-normal

My Thoughts:

Is it safe to say that most people think their family is a little bit crazy? No matter how crazy you think your family is, Catriona Masterson has you beat. From start to finish, author Whitney Deneen had me in stitches with the Mastersons’ antics or Catriona’s reaction.

Catriona took her broken heart to college and vowed to distance herself from her crazy family and the guy who destroyed her dreams. Fourteen years later and under duress, she heads back to her home town in rural Illinois to introduce her fiancé and his parents to her family. Her fiancé, Ethan, is predictable and stable. While Catriona thinks that is what normal looks like, is it really what her heart desires?

Ms. Deneen’s characters are wacky but lovable. Catriona’s family is over-the-top hilarious, and the local towns people accept them quirks and all.

“Everyone’s crazy in their own way. What makes two people compatible is finding someone whose crazy complements yours and vice versa.”

The storytelling is light and fresh, and while the book is a romantic comedy, it is also has strong messages about family and being true to yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed the wit and dry humor in this novella.

About the Author: Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries — not always in that order.

She’s a multi-award-winning author of romantic comedies, non-fiction humor, thrillers, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.

She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.