This Is How It Always Is: A Novel

New York Times Bestseller
The Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick

"Every once in a while, I read a book that opens my eyes in a way I never expected." --Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine book pick)

 

People Magazine's Top 10 Books of 2017
Bustle's 17 Books Every Woman Should Read From 2017
PopSugar's Our Fa...show more

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336 pages

Average rating: 7.89

450 RATINGS

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12 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

brittshank91
Mar 25, 2024
10/10 stars
This book clearly (and not so clearly, in its own way) described what it’s like to be “in the middle”. Other. Not quite fitting in box A or B and there’s no other option. It’s a reminder that sometimes, family is all you have, and sometimes, people you think you can trust will betray you. But that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. You can always adjust, pivot, and continue building your path, whatever that may look like.
Anonymous
Dec 15, 2023
4/10 stars
While this subject was important and interesting, I had so many grievances while reading and would not recommend this book. Her writing style is very aggravating - very long for no compelling reason. Her dialogue for characters is very unrealistic, especially the dialogue written for the young characters. The dialogue is far too sophisticated and convenient. Conversations between Rosie and Penn felt like lectures - I pictured two people in a room...read more
Anonymous
Aug 01, 2023
10/10 stars
This is a beautiful story. It goes something like this: First, there was Claude. But Claude felt that being a boy wasn't quite right. So around the start of kindergarten, Claude started wearing dresses. Sometimes this was a big deal (for other people), sometimes it wasn't. Claude (and Claude's parents) were just figuring it out as they went along (with the help of a very quirky (in the best way) guru cum therapist). Not long after, Claude b...read more
KikiStoneCreek
Jun 03, 2023
8/10 stars
The Book gets too much into the mother's work near the end, which totally eludes the main focus--Poppy.
AttorneyStella
Mar 22, 2023
10/10 stars
a story to enlighten and inform us; very well written

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