
Faking Normal
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.79
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Emma Galvin
About this listen
Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.
At school, nobody sees the scratches or her pain. The only person she connects with is the mysterious Captain Lyric, who writes song lyrics on her fourth-period desk for her to complete. With pencil marks and music, Alexi carves out a comfortable space for herself as she and the Captain finish each other's songs - words on a desk feel safer than words spoken aloud.
But when Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend who understands her better than anyone. He has secrets of his own and knows all about suffering in silence. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally speak up.
With her powerful, moving debut novel, author Courtney C. Stevens emerges as an extraordinary new talent to watch.
©2014 Courtney C. Stevens (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishersListeners also enjoyed...
-
Speak
- 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Laurie Halse Anderson
- Narrated by: Mandy Siegfried, Ashley C. Ford, Jason Reynolds, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From her first moment at Merryweather High, Melinda Sordino knows she's an outcast. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, a major infraction in high-school society, so her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't know glare at her. She retreats into her head, where the lies and hypocrisies of high school stand in stark relief to her own silence, making her all the more mute.
-
-
Recommend with Slight Reservations
- By FanB14 on 05-21-12
-
The Way I Used to Be
- By: Amber Smith
- Narrated by: Rebekkah Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes. What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.
-
-
Tear jerking, jaw breaking, just a whole lot
- By Elena S. on 06-22-18
By: Amber Smith
-
We Were Kings
- By: Court Stevens
- Narrated by: McKenzie Fetters
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty years ago, 18-year-old Francis Quick was convicted of murdering her best friend, Cora King, and sentenced to death. Now the highly debated Accelerated Death Penalty Act has passed, giving Frankie 30 final days to live. Surprising everyone, one of the King family members sets out to challenge the woefully inadequate evidence and potential innocence of Frankie Quick.
-
-
WOW. GET READY TO BE HOOKED.
- By Morgan K. on 02-19-22
By: Court Stevens
-
Girl in Pieces
- By: Kathleen Glasgow
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kathleen Glasgow
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At 17 she's already lost more than most people do in a lifetime. But she's learned how to forget. The broken glass washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don't have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you. Every new scar hardens Charlie's heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.
-
-
Touching, Sobering, Fascinating
- By Wendi on 05-31-17
By: Kathleen Glasgow
-
Beautiful Disaster
- By: Jamie McGuire
- Narrated by: Emma Galvin
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand. Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid.
-
-
5 things you should know before buying this book
- By Guiselle on 08-16-12
By: Jamie McGuire
-
How It Feels to Float
- By: Helena Fox
- Narrated by: Candice Moll
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Biz knows how to float. She has her people, her posse, her mom, and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn't tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface - normal, okay, regular, fine.
-
-
Fantastic!
- By Melanie on 12-18-23
By: Helena Fox
-
Speak
- 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Laurie Halse Anderson
- Narrated by: Mandy Siegfried, Ashley C. Ford, Jason Reynolds, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From her first moment at Merryweather High, Melinda Sordino knows she's an outcast. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, a major infraction in high-school society, so her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't know glare at her. She retreats into her head, where the lies and hypocrisies of high school stand in stark relief to her own silence, making her all the more mute.
-
-
Recommend with Slight Reservations
- By FanB14 on 05-21-12
-
The Way I Used to Be
- By: Amber Smith
- Narrated by: Rebekkah Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes. What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.
-
-
Tear jerking, jaw breaking, just a whole lot
- By Elena S. on 06-22-18
By: Amber Smith
-
We Were Kings
- By: Court Stevens
- Narrated by: McKenzie Fetters
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty years ago, 18-year-old Francis Quick was convicted of murdering her best friend, Cora King, and sentenced to death. Now the highly debated Accelerated Death Penalty Act has passed, giving Frankie 30 final days to live. Surprising everyone, one of the King family members sets out to challenge the woefully inadequate evidence and potential innocence of Frankie Quick.
-
-
WOW. GET READY TO BE HOOKED.
- By Morgan K. on 02-19-22
By: Court Stevens
-
Girl in Pieces
- By: Kathleen Glasgow
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kathleen Glasgow
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At 17 she's already lost more than most people do in a lifetime. But she's learned how to forget. The broken glass washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don't have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you. Every new scar hardens Charlie's heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.
-
-
Touching, Sobering, Fascinating
- By Wendi on 05-31-17
By: Kathleen Glasgow
-
Beautiful Disaster
- By: Jamie McGuire
- Narrated by: Emma Galvin
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand. Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid.
-
-
5 things you should know before buying this book
- By Guiselle on 08-16-12
By: Jamie McGuire
-
How It Feels to Float
- By: Helena Fox
- Narrated by: Candice Moll
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Biz knows how to float. She has her people, her posse, her mom, and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn't tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface - normal, okay, regular, fine.
-
-
Fantastic!
- By Melanie on 12-18-23
By: Helena Fox
-
Girl Made of Stars
- By: Ashley Herring Blake
- Narrated by: Krystal Hammond
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mara and Owen are as close as twins can get, so when Mara's friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn't know what to think. Can her brother really be guilty of such a violent act? Torn between her family and her sense of right and wrong, Mara feels lost, and it doesn't help that things are strained with her ex-girlfriend, Charlie. As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie come together in the aftermath of this terrible crime, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits into her future.
-
-
Angsty
- By Pink Amy on 06-08-24
-
Paperweight
- By: Meg Haston
- Narrated by: Mandy Siegfried
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seventeen-year-old Stevie is trapped. In her life. And now in an eating-disorder treatment center on the dusty outskirts of the New Mexico desert. Life in the center is regimented and intrusive, a nightmare come true. Nurses and therapists watch Stevie at mealtime, accompany her to the bathroom, and challenge her to eat the foods she's worked so hard to avoid.
-
-
The Fake Southern Accent? Yeeeeesh!
- By Daryl on 06-30-17
By: Meg Haston
-
Divergent
- By: Veronica Roth
- Narrated by: Emma Galvin
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue - Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is - she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
-
-
It's not for me. Loved it anyway.
- By Grant on 05-24-12
By: Veronica Roth
-
Pushing the Limits
- By: Katie McGarry
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews, Tara Sands
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible....
-
-
The Tough Stuff.
- By Bee on 09-12-12
By: Katie McGarry
-
A List of Cages
- By: Robin Roe
- Narrated by: Graham Halstead, Christopher Gebauer
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he's got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn't easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can't complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is Julian - the foster brother he hasn't seen in five years.
-
-
Heart wrenching!
- By Heather Shaver on 02-28-18
By: Robin Roe
-
Used
- By: Kate Dunbar
- Narrated by: Stella Hunter
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the age of 17, after a decade of lies, hurt, and severe abuse by her brother, Lucas, Sabra Valentine is able to breathe. Lucas is behind bars, thanks in large part to Sabra's quick thinking and self-preservation - even if that's one more secret she has to keep. Now, seven years later, life is moving forward, and Sabra is starting to heal, live, and love again with her friends and Trevor Collins by her side. He's tall, dark, and sexy, and he doesn't fall for Sabra's games. The future is finally looking bright - until one phone call shatters everything.
-
-
✫✫ 4.5 Stars ✫✫
- By ❤️Cyndi Marie❤️🎧Audiobook Addicts🎧 on 03-08-21
By: Kate Dunbar
-
Hate to Love You
- By: Tijan
- Narrated by: Savannah Peachwood
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New year. New place. New me. Right? Wrong. And all because of Shay Coleman. Football captain and quarterback, he was the big guy on campus. The cocky guy in my political science class with a smirk. I hated him on sight...and he was about to break all my rules.
-
-
Ok book, good narration
- By Aaron on 10-25-17
By: Tijan
-
Notice
- By: K. Webster
- Narrated by: Kylie Stewart, Eric Roilon
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I didn’t notice her before... but now I do. Once I focus on her, I can’t take my eyes from my newest obsession. I need to know everything about her. Her past. Her present. The way she takes her coffee. Exactly how she smells after a spritz of perfume in the mornings. I notice the organized way she arranges her clothes in her closet. How she visits the same market each Saturday. The sounds of her breathing as I lie beneath her bed in silence. Violet is mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.
-
-
Loved this obsessively
- By Nicole B. on 12-13-17
By: K. Webster
-
Stained
- By: Cheryl Rainfield
- Narrated by: Emily Bauer, Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An intensely powerful account of a teen, bullied for herport-wine stain, who must summon her personal strength to survive abduction andhorrific abuse at the hands of a deranged killer
Sixteen-year-old Sarah Meadows longs for "normal."Born with a port-wine stain covering half her face, she has beenplagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust all her life. But when she's abducted onthe way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knewshe had, become a hero rather than a victim, and learn to look beyond her faceto find the beauty and strength she has inside. It's that - or succumb to akiller.
-
-
I love this book
- By ruth on 11-26-13
By: Cheryl Rainfield
-
Easy
- Contours of the Heart, Book 1
- By: Tammara Webber
- Narrated by: Tara Sands
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A girl who believes trust can be misplaced, promises are made to be broken, and loyalty is an illusion. A boy who believes truth is relative, lies can mask unbearable pain, and guilt is eternal. Will what they find in each other validate their conclusions, or disprove them all?
-
-
Easy and Enjoyable Listen
- By Katherine on 02-18-13
By: Tammara Webber
-
The Day She Cried
- A Novel
- By: K. Webster
- Narrated by: Erin Mallon, Noah Michael Levine
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She was my first love. She was my first hate. The very sun in my world tried to burn me alive with her lies and cruelty. Until I dimmed her light for good.... Or so I thought. Now she’s back. Cracked. Broken. Lost. And for the first time in a long time, I feel free. Free from our past. Free from my present that suffocates me. Free to destroy her future. Her misery is my music. Thrilling. Invigorating. Intoxicating. For so long, all I’ve done is hate her. So why do I love her?
-
-
✫✫ 4 Stars ✫✫
- By ❤️Cyndi Marie❤️🎧Audiobook Addicts🎧 on 06-02-18
By: K. Webster
-
Becoming Charlie
- Part One
- By: Kristie Haigwood
- Narrated by: Melissa Moran
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My name is Charlie, and I'm invisible. Well, not literally, but until one of the most popular guys at Eden High saved my life, nobody even knew I existed. Sean Reese gave me more than my life back that night. He gave me friendship. And maybe, just maybe, I can save him, too. Will he still be my friend when he finds out my secret?
-
-
Charlie
- By MeDi on 06-04-19
By: Kristie Haigwood
What listeners say about Faking Normal
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- This Girl 1837
- 03-20-19
great book..not best audio performance
this book was really good. my issue is the performance was blah. if you can take the time to read it... it would be better.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kelly Nelson
- 02-27-17
Wonderful book!
I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I recommend it highly, you will love it too
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- debra
- 07-04-15
Courtney C. Stevens
What an amazing & insightful young writer. I hope every young woman reads this book & finds the strength & courage to come forward like Alexia.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Charles
- 07-05-15
It May Have More Truth Than You Can Handles
What did you love best about Faking Normal?
Whether you realize it or not, you probably know someone who was sexually assaulted as a teenager or young adult. I know more than one such person and have witnessed, without quite understanding, the gripping agony such an event can cause. This book takes you into that painful place with such power that you may find it difficult to read, as I did, if you or anyone close to you has lived with the aftermath of an assault of this type.
It tells the story of a teenage girl, struggling with the normal stresses of school, grades, fitting in with her social circle, dealing with the hateful outbursts of a sibling, and desperately seeking a place where she can feel safe, secure, and loved. At the same time, she cannot ask for help from anyone, because she is convinced that the burden she carries is her own fault. Her self loathing leads to isolation and self harm, all while wearing her game face with her friends and family. Even as they recognize something is wrong, none of them could guess why and believe her excuses. Only the patient intervention of a similarly tortured soul helps break down her barriers.
The plot itself could be ordinary, but the delivery is what gives this book it's power. Courtney Stevens has built a masterful narrative that draws the reader into the psyche of her main character with amazing power, and she leaves you haunted with her nightmares. Emma Gavin is the perfect narrator for this novel, and it is worth listening to for her performance alone. As a fan of Gavin's other performances, I believe this is among her best.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered about the inner workings of the mind of someone who has lost her virginity to an assailant, or anyone ready to be swept into that place. A warning: if you have lived through such a trauma, I don't know whether you will find this book cathartic or simply unbearable. I am sure the author intends the former, but she may have done too good of a job here.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- The Reading Date
- 03-08-14
Powerful story and performance
Faking Normal is Courtney C. Stevens’ debut novel, and it’s one I’ve had on my radar for a few months since I’m a realistic fiction fan. It’s about a girl dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event, and how she copes, and who she can turn to in her darkest hours.
We piece together a mystery in Faking Normal. We know that Alexi is hurting from an event that happened over the summer. We can see her hurt herself, and avoiding social events, but we don’t know why. Alexi keeps it all inside, like the title says, and can’t confide in her friends or family. Help comes from an unlikely source in the form of Bodee, a boy who is also suffering a great deal. Even though his pain is also so raw, or maybe because of that, he sees through Alexi’s façade and is able to get through to her the way that no one else can.
Though I haven’t been in Alexi’s specific situation, it felt to me that her behavior was realistic given the circumstances. We all have things we keep to ourselves, and the pain of Alexi’s secret felt very real. My heart went out to her, wanting her to reach out to someone for help, but understanding she was not physically or mentally ready to do so. She cuts as a coping mechanism, and another source of comfort are the lyrics the mysterious “Captain Lyric” leaves for Alexi on her desk at school.
Alexi’s friendship with Bodee is one of my favorite parts of the book. Sometimes people are there for you right when you need him, and Bodee is so sweet and careful with Alexi that he makes her feel truly safe.
I picked up the audiobook of Faking Normal, because I saw that one of my favorite narrators Emma Galvin performs it. Galvin does well with a variety of genres, but I think she’s particularly successful with action packed reads like Divergent. That said, Galvin connects with the characters and makes Alexi’s pain feel real. Galvin uses a Southern accent to go with the book’s setting, and makes both the male and female voices sound distinct. Lyrics play an important part in the narrative, so this book is probably just as powerful in print, though I didn't feel like I was missing out with the audio.
Faking Normal is a powerful, emotional read along the same vein as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Alexi’s story arc is satisfying even though everything is not completely tied up at the end. Looking forward to reading more by this author.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- N. Ross
- 03-13-14
Well Told Teen Crisis Story
Story: Excelent story. Easy to read, enjoyab, fun at times but involves a few weighty topics. I won't give it away because it's worth the read. Sadly, many teenage girls are dealing w/ these topics in silence. I was one of those girls. Its worth your credit/money. Well written. Well told
Narritor: Emma Galvin is the perfect narrator for all things teen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!