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Peta Lyre's Rating Normal by Anna Whateley is the Neurodiverse (and queer!) Tale we all Needed to Hear

"Lyrebirds don't just mimic. They make their own songs too, and dance to their own beats."


Peta Lyre's Rating Normal by Anna Whateley is my honest-to-god new favourite book. I feel in love with Peta and the way her brain works made so much sense to me. Novels like this one are the stories of the future, where neurotypical and straight are not the default. Peta is so much like me (and so many other readers) and by the end of the book I felt like I was her best friend.
Peta Lyre's Rating Normal is about a girl with ASD, ADHD and SPD and her journey of self-acceptance and learning to stop giving so much of a crap. It includes a wholesome skiing trip and an lgbt romance that we can all get behind.
This feel-good novel has such a wonderful message and I loved every page. Peta is a character that I can finally relate to and Anna Whateley portrayed neurodiversity in a positive and proud light that made autism seem so much simpler and more familiar to the reader. When I finished the book I was a little bit heartbroken to be back in the real world again, but I know I will come back to Peta time and time again and my copy of Peta Lyre's Rating Normal will become well-worn and loved even more each time I read it. 


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