Customer Reviews

When It Happens

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

When her senior year starts, Sara's attention is focused on college and on Dave. Dave is a new student and a popular athlete, and Sara thinks he may just be a candidate for the "something real" she wants to find. Tobey, however, is focused on his music and on Sara. He wants Sara to fall in love with him (as he is in love with her, despite the fact that the two are not close), but unfortunately he's got Dave as competition.

Despite Sara's attraction to Dave, Tobey and Sara are obviously meant to be together. They're almost unrealistically compatible, having even the little things--such as how they eat their onion rings--in common. Even more importantly, they both want the same thing. They're both searching for "the one," a soulmate, what Sara calls "something real"--could they find it in each other? Even if they do, there are still some obstacles. Tobey and Sara want different things from their futures, but can they overcome that?

WHEN IT HAPPENS is a wonderful story told in the fresh voices of Tobey and Sara. It's a romance, certainly, but there's more to it than that. Tobey and Sara are fantastic, likeable, and believable characters, with lives outside of each other, which adds an extra dimension to what would otherwise just be one of a million cheesy romance novels, but is instead a wonderfully written and almost too-good-to-be-true story of two teenagers looking for love.

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

When It Happens is a book you must read. This book will take you to a journey that you will never forget. As you read When It Happens, you don't have to rip your hair out thinking what the other person is thinking about, because Susane Colasanti wrote this book from the two main character's perspective. The characters are so well developed that it is hard to believe the book is fiction. If you are a girl this book will give you a sneak peek to boys mind, and if you are a boy this book will show you a part of woman you have never seen before. I love this book so much that my mom had to take it away from me because I wouldn't go to sleep. The reason I am writing this review is because I don't want you to miss anything. So have fun reading!

The writing style of this author is not particularly good. The plot line is not at all creative. However, I'll give the author credit: her writing does create a strong sensory appeal, by using descriptions of sounds and sights and smells.

The subject matter of this book concerns me. The whole focus in the second half of the book is sex--will they have sex? Or won't they? The book gets very lusty. I don't care if you're an adult or a teen; should sex be the central focus of a romantic relationship? Aside from physical attraction, the two main characters have a relationship based on things like enjoying the same music and liking mustard on their burgers. That's deep. I wonder what the title is referring to--when what happens? A good relationship? Or sex? Sex might be a valid topic for teens, so maybe the sex subject isn't what bothered me so much. Sensuality combined with shallowness is what got to me. Yuck.

I wouldn't offer this book to my kids as a reading option.

This books catches you from the first page, with the ongoing love story. It is great for teens of all ages. It shows you that the most popular guy in school isn't always the nice guy or right guy for you. It shows to follow your dreams, because anything can happen. Most of all its just a fabulous book that every teen guy and girl should read.

Part of what made this book so amazing for me is that I could relate so well. I couldn't go a full page without reading something so perfectly put into words that made me laugh out loud, cry, or jump up and down. One of the many super cool things about it was how it went back and forth between Tobey and Sara. You get to see a few scenes from each of their points of view. I love the language and music references, because they are exactly how my friends and I talk.... which makes sense, because the author is a high school teacher. All in all, it was a phenomenal book, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

What was so fantastic about this book was that it showed both the female point of view and the male point of view to every interaction throughout the book. I might compare this book to the movie Say Anything in the way that Tobey is a typical teenager with average grades who is trying to win the beautiful class brain. It shows how compatibility is so important in a relationship and even shows the pressure of having sex. All in all, I found the characters to be admirable and entertaining, especially how all Tobey can think about is being near her and having sex with her. I find this to be a very typical teenage male way of thinking. Overall, a wonderful book and well worth the while.

I thought the author's ability to take me into the hearts and minds of the characters was wonderful. When I put the book down they stayed in my head and my understanding of their different needs and challenges continued to develop. Her ability to communicate the reality of the trials of sexual tension that occur in the hormonally challenged life of a teenager was insightful. It brought me back to the 'way back when of adolescence'.

I think it was a remarkable book for a first novel and I can't wait to read the next one.

I LOVED this book. I felt such a connection to the characters that I didn't want to return it. The way it's written is so cute because you can see what things are important to Sara and what is important to Tobey in the way they tell the same story. Also, I like how big things are mentioned casually, like the two of them just forgot to write for awhile because something big had happened. It almost makes you jealous of the relationship that Sara and Tobey have- I wanted to call up by boyfriend right away and make him tell me everything about himself. It's a great book for any teenager especially those who are head over heels for someone. (And the author is totally nice!!)

I couldn't wait to buy this book. When I finally got it and started reading it, I couldn't wait to turn the page to see what happens! I was hooked! The writer really understands teenagers, and you can see it in her writing. She is really talented, and I can't wait for her next book! If you're contemplating whether to get your own copy of this book, it's a no-brainer. Get out and get it. You won't regret it!

God, I needed this. (A girl has much to grain from a pinch of romance amidst the midterm hustle.) I have no idea what worked here to make this novel as, I don't know, endearing? Whatever it was, kudos to Ms Colasanti--a mi me gusta.

Okay, so the theme of this novel is already stamped on the title--what happens when it happens. "It" being "something real". (I'm gonna do an adjunct summary to the one above because I'm having fun describing this story. Bear with me.) Voila:

See, the (very likeable) heroine, Sara, gets caught up in this relationship with one of those projected Everything Boys--popular, good-looking, charismatic, *barfs out every Gary Stu quality under the sun* (etc.). She's thrilled--wouldn't you be? Except that Dave (that's the Ken doll) doesn't make her feel very special; in fact, he's only in it to, you know, "get down tonight" and she's just not ready for that. Being with him is labor in and of itself cos the dude is, when you get down to it, a son of a bitch.

Meanwhile, over in Reality, there's Tobey, a seemingly confident (not so much on the inside, as seen through his first person narration) musician who wants to be with Sara. While she's undergoing her will-she-or-won't-she in regards to breaking up with Ken Doll, Tobey keeps devising ways to get her to get it over with already because he thinks she's his "something real" and vice versa. (! Too cute.)

This isn't really a spoiler because any half-wit can probably happens: They get together. (!! Too cute.) And unlike with Dave, Sara feels this incredible connection to Tobey. He does too, with her. It's instant--it's a click--it's love.

It is TOO CUTE. Just thinking about them as a couple makes me squeal, so I know other romance lovers out there (especially those who like for the girl to go for the dark-haired, brooding, creative type) will devour this one. It's not only for the fluff-munchers either--there's a certain aspect of their relationship (this is a spoiler I won't share) that inspires some tension between the two. (Tension = sweet torment for us readers. :D) So all is not perfect in paradise, making the realist within me very happy.

SQUEAL.

Make no mistake however, this isn't perfection epitomized. (Can perfection be epitomized?) While I loved the focus on Sara and Tobey's squeal-ness, Sara's best friend and even Sara herself had some tough home situations which were only dealt with in peripheral. If these element had to be in the story, I think they deserved to become more prominent (and, conversely, to be given a more complete resolution). Also, there were a couple of characters, like Cynthia and the art teacher, who felt more like props than real people and were only utilized when jealousy needed to be stirred or there was something to be figured out. In that sense, this novel came short.

ETA: Oh and I meant to add in here somewhere that sometimes I got sick of Tobey objectifying Sara (many a sexual scenario ongoing in his imagination). I mean, I know you've got the hots for her, but it got to the saturation level. Andandand, I sometimes found his narrative cheesy. Because this = two first person accounts, Sara and Tobey's. Most of the dual narrative novels I've read encounter this problem when the author tackles the opposite sex, so it's not exclusive to this book. Or maybe guys really are like they're portrayed and I just have issues when it comes to figuring that out.

Howeverrrrrrrrr, I (perhaps highly) recommend this one. It goes by very quickly and, to me at least, it was of the very feel-good variety.

That said, I still disliked the second Colasanti book, Take Me There. Hard to believe it followed When It Happens, but there you have it.