This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

Clues to describe this book: gender identity, parenthood, family, and challenges of life

Review: This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel is a contemporary novel is not a typical book I would read and it was definitely out of my comfort zone. The blurb was what intrigued me to read this book so I won’t say much except that it’s about parenthood and gender identity. This was definitely an eye opener and it was refreshing reading from the parents’ perspective. After finishing this novel, it made me really think of my perspective on how to raise kids and my opinions on this sensitive subject. The lessons in the novel about unconditional love and acceptance of anyone who is different could be universally applied and are so eloquently portrayed. Some aspects I didn’t like about this book were the descriptive writing style which seemed to drag on a bit, how it felt unrealistic at times, and the overall ending. That being said, this novel is a great start which opens the door for more positive and encouraging discussions on a sensitive subject.