Far From Normal

Hijinks ensue in this hilarious sporty rom-com, in which “normal girl” Maddie must repair the image of Major League Soccer’s bad boy, Gabe, to ace her internship. A perfect read for fans of Morgan Matson and Miranda Kenneally.

Maddie McPherson is sick of Normal—both her hometown of Normal, Illinois and being the ‘normal’ sibling. But when she lands a summer internship with a sports marketing firm, she finally has a chance to crawl out of her genius brother’s shadow. Not to mention, a glowing letter of recommendation could land her the scholarship she needs to get into her dream college.

But Maddie’s nickname is “Calamaddie” for a reason, and when the company assigns her to work with nineteen-year-old MLS star Gabriel Fortuna—who’s famous for crashing a Maserati after flubbing Italy’s World Cup hopes—she wonders if she’s set herself up for another embarrassment.

She takes the brooding soccer star to his appointments, and it’s going well—a bit too well. The more time they spend together, the more Maddie wonders if Gabriel’s lack of catastrophe has more to do with his flirtations than her abilities. Falling for a footballer is exactly how “Calamaddie” would botch this internship. But with the firm calling her a miracle worker for keeping Gabriel out of the tabloids, is her heart worth risking?