This Ordinary Life
by Jennifer Walkup
Publisher: Luminis Books, Inc.
Release Date: October 1st 2015
Sometimes Hope is the Most Extraordinary Gift of All.
High-school radio host Jasmine Torres's life is full of family dysfunction, but if she can score the internship of her dreams with a New York City radio station, she knows she can turn things around.
That is, until her brother Danny’s latest seizure forces her to miss the interview, and she’s back to the endless loop of missing school for his doctor appointments, picking up the pieces of her mother’s booze-soaked life, and stressing about Danny’s future.
Then she meets Wes. He’s the perfect combination of smart, cute, and funny. He also happens to have epilepsy like her brother. Wes is living a normal life despite his medical issues, which gives Jasmine hope for Danny. But memories of her cheating ex-boyfriend keep her from going on a real date with Wes, no matter how many times he asks her.
Jasmine can’t control everything. Not who wins the internship, not her mother’s addiction, not her brother’s health--not even where her heart will lead her. She wishes she could just have an ordinary life, but maybe what she already has is pretty extraordinary after all.
My degree is Communications Broadcast Journalism and even though I went into the television side of things I did have a radio show in Middle school, High School and College. So it was fun for me to have Jasmine have this kind of interest. Although I wanted to reach in a say Radio makes no money unless you are big time DJ. Even so I was completely rooting for her from the get go. This is a girl to deserves good things in her life. I don’t think I have ever seen someone pursuing this kind of degree in any other books I’ve read.
I actually like the dynamic of the two boys Wes and Sebastian. The ex and the possible new love interest. It’s not like Seb and her break up and he’s magically out of the picture. I like that she has to actually deal with what he did and even though she is a super strong person, she has the fight off the easiness it is to fall back with someone who has been through so much with you.
Wes and Jasmine’s relationship is adorable and moves slow. It’s cute the way they interact and gradually become friends, which then turns into something else. She hesitant because of her recent break up with Seb and the fact that Wes has the same issues as Danny. It also in a way draws them closer because it’s so much easier when you have someone who really gets it and what it’s like to deal with a chronic disease.
Danny is so adorable, I just want to hug him. When I was younger my brother had absence seizures and actually had to repeat a grade. I still don’t really understand what they were in connection with but I remember him taking a bunch of medication. (I was like 4 so it’s like a foggy memory). I love the fact that Jasmine selflessly takes care of her brother. She has her moments like I shouldn’t be the mom but she never once puts this on Danny. She puts it on her mom which is where it belongs. She has unconditional love for her brother and it’s great to see. I feel so bad he has to go through what he has to.
I enjoyed the book, it’s a sweet story of a girl who has to find a way to prevail over the bad hand she has been dealt. Jasmine is a strong person and her dedication to her brother is amazing.
A couple songs I want to mention. Video Killed the Radio Star is one I always think of with radio things and it's actually mentioned in the book. Friday I'm in Love reminds me of my High School Radio DJ days.
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