We Are Totally Normal by Rahul Kanakia
Genre: Realistic Fiction; Romance; LGBTQIA+Reviewed by Sarah M., 11th Grade
Rating: 9/10
We Are Totally Normal by Ruhal Kanakia is a young adult read about finding identity and high school social statuses. The book is told from the main character Nadan's point of view. Nadan is a sixteen-year-old Indian American, who seems to really care about his social status in high school. So when he starts a hook-up with Dave, one of his best friends, he starts to question who he really is. The book starts off with Nadan and his group of friends, hanging out on the beach partying and flirting.
At first I thought that this was a story of the party life of a handful of teenagers, but it ended up being so much more. Not just a story of partying, but a story of self discovery and queer identity. I read this in a time of hardship in my life and related to Nadan in many different ways. I liked the book not only because of some relation to Nadan, but because of how easily the emotions flowed throughout the story. I ended up laughing and crying with the characters, like we were old friends seeing each other for the first time in forever.
This book is a re-read for me; I don't remember exactly what year I read it for the first time (either 2020 or 2021), but I do remember having such strong feelings when reading it. So I decided to re-read it, and when I tell you I loved this so much more the second time I read it, I believe it was because I am now closer in age to Nadan and have some of the same experiences as him. It was so much fun to jump right back into Nadan's story. Readers should be aware that the book is aimed at an older teen audience as there are a couple of spicy scenes and some substance use.
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