Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: The New Normal
AUTHOR: L.J. Hayward
SERIES: Gold Coast Collage #1
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 240 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2020
BLURB:
Brian Stagliano’s life should be pretty sweet right now. Two of his closest friends are getting married, and he’s taking a new, exciting step in his career as a doctor. Most amazing though, his best mate has been given the all clear from cancer. But Brian’s normal has just been tipped A over T and the friendship he’s relied on for years is in danger. All because of five little words.
Andrew Fitzroy should be on top of the world. The cancer that’s haunted him is gone. He can finally get on with his life—except he doesn’t know what that life is anymore. Is he brave enough to come out as bisexual? Should he pursue architecture or stay in construction? Either way, Andrew knows happiness won’t be his until he has what his engaged friends have—love, joy, passion. So, he says those five little words to Brian—I’m in love with you.
Friends since childhood, Brian and Andrew have always been closer than brothers. Best mates. Nothing could ever tear them apart. Except for those five little words. Now, Brian’s not sure about so many things—their friendship, his own desires—and the foundation Andrew’s built his world on feels like its crumbling. But if they manage not to destroy everything they have together, Andrew and Brian might just find a new normal with each other.
REVIEW:
“The new normal”: lately we’ve been questioning ourselves during these COVID-19 days – when will life go back to normal? Will life ever go back to normal, or is this our new normal? In L. J. Hayward’s The New Normal, the central conflicts include Brian coming to terms with his sexual identity, Andrew testing the waters as a partially out bisexual man, Andrew working to attain a new normal after conquering his cancer, and the pair of them establishing a new normal as a couple after a lifetime as best friends.
For those of you who are big fans of Hayward’s incomparable Death and the Devil series – one of my all-time favorite action/suspense series – you should know The New Normal is a massive departure. It’s a lovely story of bisexual awakening in the contemporary romance sub-genre. I commend Ms. Hayward for stretching her wings with something radically different for her. It’s a success; I really enjoyed the evolution of this relationship from best friends to lovers.
Brian and Andrew have been best mates since childhood and have endured much together, including Andrew’s agonizing yet successful battle against cancer. Brian was by Andrew’s side unfailingly, throughout his diagnosis and grueling treatment. Both men are now experiencing other stresses in their lives. Brian is starting a new job rotation of his medical internship in the A&E department where he wants to specialize, so there’s a lot of pressure to do well. Andrew has recently been given a clean bill of health. He’s working construction, having given up his dream of pursuing a career in architecture, but he doesn’t know if he’s made the right decision. He’s plagued with doubts about his career and how his cancer has affected his confidence. He also experiences trouble in more ways than one on the job. Furthermore, his ex-girlfriend is getting married and the groom, also Andrew’s friend, has asked him to be his best man. Awkward! It’s after this uncomfortable moment that Andrew starts drinking heavily and drunkenly proclaims to Brian that he’s in love with him.
Brian is struggling to come to terms with his sexual identity, which he is questioning after Andrew’s pronouncement, causing him confusion, frustration and distress. Is he gay? Bi? Demisexual? Homoromantic? He’s not in denial that he’s something other than straight, he’s just having trouble finding an accurate label for himself. That is until a friend from work lets him know it’s okay to have several labels, or none at all, or one or more that change over time. Hayward does a nice job of exploring numerous sexual orientations as Brian struggles with his identity. There are also lesbian and homoflexible characters. I appreciate when an author makes it clear that there are more options than gay, straight, or bi. Eventually, Brian and Andrew, who are roommates, embark on a sexual relationship. It’s a sweet exploration for these two gay-sex virgins. I would have enjoyed more spontaneity and romance, however.
Friends play an integral role in the novel. Brian has two good friends from the hospital who help him with advice and a place to stay when he needs time to clear his head. Then there are the four who comprise Brian and Andrew’s friends’ group, including the future bride and groom, and a set of twins. There’s a lot of angst among this sextet of mid-twenty somethings, much of it involving the upcoming nuptials which become their own subplot because of all the drama they create. These two women and two men are characters with strong personalities, love them or hate them, with their fits of pique, imagined slights, resentment toward Brian and Andrew, and, at times, juvenile behavior. The behavior is sometimes annoying, yet feels realistic. The group dynamics almost threaten to overshadow Brian and Andrew as a couple.
Hayward is a talented storyteller, which we knew from her previous novels. There’s something fresh about her take on the friends to lovers trope. I truly enjoyed The New Normal and recommend this sweet book.
RATING: 
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