So Much Closer [Hardcover]

Susane Colasanti (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 3, 2011

When Brooke's crush, Scott, moves from their suburban town to New York City, she decides to follow him there. Living with her formerly estranged dad and adapting to a new school are challenging, and things go from bad to worse when Brooke learns that Scott already has a girlfriend. But as she builds her new life, Brooke begins to discover a side of herself she never knew existed. And as she finds out, in the city that never sleeps, love can appear around any corner...

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"For fans of Sarah Dessen looking for an atypical romance and an authentic teen voice." --VOYA

"Colasanti's Manhattan is a teenager's paradise, with rooftop hideaways and low parental involvement. The contrast between Brooke's dull New Jersey town and life in the big city will resonate with teens craving a change." --Kirkus Reviews

"Readers who are floundering a bit in terms of what they want to do, who they want to be, and whom they want to be with will find their quandaries reflected in Brooke's dilemmas." --BCCB

"Colasanti has once again formulated a teen romance that feels realistic, which will make this novel a hit with readers." - School Library Journal

"Colasanti fans will love this. A fun exploration of a city and a teen's dreams." - Booklist

From the Author

The inspiration for So Much Closer came from my own experience. I'm from Middle of Nowhere, New Jersey. Nothing ever happened in Middle of Nowhere, New Jersey. I was always longing for something to happen. I could not wait for my real life to start. I wanted to move away and reinvent myself, be the person I'd always wanted to be, create a new life somewhere exciting where anything is possible and your soul mate could be around any corner. Twenty years later, I still feel that way about New York City.

Brooke from So Much Closer shares my story. She leaves everything behind senior year and moves to New York City. Which is a really scary thing to do. When I moved to New York 15 years ago for grad school, I didn't know anyone. I didn't even have a job yet. But I knew I was meant to be here. And the second I got here, I knew I was home. That's really what So Much Closer is about - following your heart even when it's scary. Because you just know that things will be better on the other side.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 243 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; 1 edition (May 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780670012244
• ISBN-13: 978-0670012244
• ASIN: 0670012246
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #463,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susane Colasanti is the bestselling author of When It Happens, Take Me There, Waiting for You, Something Like Fate, So Much Closer, and Keep Holding On. Before becoming a full-time author in 2007, she was a high school science teacher for ten years. Susane has a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree from New York University. She lives in New York City.

Susane's seventh teen novel, All I Need, will be released on May 21, 2013.

You can connect with Susane at susanecolasanti.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun, romantic novel May 3, 2011

By The Compulsive Reader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Brooke has had a crush on Scott Abrams forever, but he barely knows she exists. When she finally gets up the courage to tell him how she feels, she's shocked to discover that his family is moving from their New Jersey suburb to New York City. Brooke is devastated--until she comes up with the perfect solution. She'll move in with her dad, who lives in the city, for senior year and track Scott down. And her plan works perfectly--she's practically Scott's neighbor in New York--until she discovers that Scott has wasted no time in getting himself a girlfriend in their new neighborhood. But luckily for Brooke, the city is packed with opportunities and she's not about to give up on having the year of her life.

So Much Closer is a fun, romantic, and endearing novel with a terrific setting. Colasanti describes New York vividly, with an eye for the unexpected details that really make the Brooke's neighborhood come to life with energy, and invites the reader right in. Brooke is a very dynamic narrator, and her narrative is very fun, relatable, and authentic. She's naturally smart and talented, but she's never been pushed to do well or pursue academic goals, which is frustrating to those around her. She's full of contempt for the school systems she has been through, but when she gets to the city, becomes friends with John (a cute guy who is driven but struggles academically), is pushed by good teachers, and inspired by her environment, she begins to grow and realize her foolishness in wasting her talents. This is a great coming-of-age story as Brooke not only finds Scott and figures out what it's like to get what you want and discover that maybe it's not all that you has hoped, but as she also deals with her parents' divorce and her feelings about it and finds her passion in life. So Much Closer is an unexpected, funny, and real novel that is charged with energy and life. Once again, Colasanti doesn't disappoint.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Liked it well enough May 26, 2011

By Aimee

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I liked this well enough. I don't know if I really liked the writing style it was written with though. It didn't really seem to flow, instead it cut off and changed scenes. I liked the premise of the story, but as I read, it didn't really wow me too much like I thought it might. But still a good read.

Brooke moving to NYC because of a boy seemed a bit dramatic, but I like to think that it was her opportunity to go somewhere she's always wanted to live and to really have a chance to find herself. I kept cringing when she talked about telling Scott why she moved and how they were meant to be together. I realize we all thought we were meant to be with someone in high school, but I still cringed and hoped she wouldn't completely embarrass herself with it.

I didn't really care for John and first. Brooke tutors John and he seems a little spazzy. It took a while for me to realize while he may be hyperactive, he isn't some immature guy who just seems to get annoying at time. By the end, I was liking this character more than I thought I would.

I was glad that Brooke was able to find out what she wants to do with her life. While I did like this story, it still wasn't anything amazing. I'd still recommend it once the price comes down. Not worth the $11 though.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could make Susane Colasanti take this book back November 5, 2011

By georgiaphobia

Format:Hardcover

I have never given a book 1 star but this book is just asking for it. Here is my main problem with the book: Brooke does this absolutely insane, creepy thing, and nobody around her tells her that it is insane and creepy. In fact, everybody, including Scott the boy she stalked, tells her it is romantic. ROMANTIC. As I read this book, I wanted to reach in and shake her and all of her friends. Were they crazy? This is not normal, acceptable behavior. It frightens me to think that some naive girl out there will pick up this book and have all of her fantasies validated. This book is not completely without any value, the setting of New York City is beautifully used, the prose is nice enough, but all that is overshadowed by this incredibly dangerous thinking.