Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

What Happens Here

by Tara Altebrando (Goodreads Author)

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 187 ratings · 21 reviews

We were going to see the world together, Lindsay and I. We were going to eat it up, whole. But it didn't happen that way. It didn't happen that way at all....

When Chloe's parents decide to take her to Europe the summer before senior year of high school, she's ecstatic...she only wishes her best friend, Lindsay, could come too. Living in Las Vegas, they have long imagine

...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published May 6th 2008 by MTV Books

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

MTV Publishing

40th out of 45 books — 158 voters

YA Novels of 2008

110th out of 199 books — 115 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 536)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Nov 04, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews, trt-gold-star-award-winner

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Chloe and Lindsay were supposed to grow old together. They'd escape Las Vegas and go off to college in California. They were going to have awesome jobs that would allow them to own luxurious homes all over the globe. They were going to marry twin brothers. They were supposed to be ridiculously happy.

It didn't happen like that.

The summer after their junior year of high school, best friends Chloe and Lindsay were going to be apart. Chloe's parents decided t...more Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Chloe and Lindsay were supposed to grow old together. They'd escape Las Vegas and go off to college in California. They were going to have awesome jobs that would allow them to own luxurious homes all over the globe. They were going to marry twin brothers. They were supposed to be ridiculously happy.

It didn't happen like that.

The summer after their junior year of high school, best friends Chloe and Lindsay were going to be apart. Chloe's parents decided to take the family on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe for two weeks. Chloe begged to let Lindsay come with them. It was Lindsay's mom who allow it. So while Chloe and her family were off to see the best cities in Europe, Lindsay would be stuck at her life-guarding job with Chris Nolan.

The night before Chloe leaves, Lindsay tells her that she's going to "Go to Vegas" with Chris. (This is their secret code for having sex with someone.) Chloe is no longer a virgin, but doesn't want Lindsay to make the same mistake she made, and definitely NOT with a sleaze like Chris Nolan. The conversation leads to a fight between the two friends, and Chloe leaves for her trip, not speaking to Lindsay.

Little does either girl realize that they'd never get the chance to speak to each other again, let alone say "I'm sorry." For while Chloe is in Italy, her dad receives a call that he decides not to share with the rest of the family. Lindsay has been murdered.

Upon return to Las Vegas, Chloe struggles to get over the dependence she had on Lindsay. Their families are so close that they moved from North Carolina to Las Vegas together. Lindsay was more like a sister to Chloe than Chloe's own sister, Zoe, has been. Looking back over their last few years together, Chloe pieces together when the dynamic between the two of them started to shift and the friendship started to change.

Ms. Altebrando writes a moving story of a teenager forced to grow up far more quickly than anyone had planned for her. Dealing with the grief of losing her best friend, Chloe must accept that Lindsay's death is not her fault. Chloe thinks that had she not been in Europe having her grand adventure, she could have prevented Lindsay from going out that fateful night. But Chloe struggles to realize that there may have been more differences between the two of them than she ever realized, and that she may just be able to stand on her own after all. With a supporting family and a budding relationship with Lindsay's older brother, Chloe comes to accept life after the death of her best friend. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 23, 2009 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, loved, 2009

Found this on the shelf at the library and WOW, it was so good! The author has an amazing way with words, drawing the scenes so well that I felt like I was watching it all unfold in front of me, and I loved the characters and how no one was perfect, but all were trying to be good.

The plot: Chloe, about to be a senior in high school, goes on a trip to Europe with her family (a trip, btw, that is described in such beautiful detail that I wanted to be in all the exotic places with her!), and then...more

like · see review

Apr 03, 2013 Sarah Menezes rated it 2 of 5 stars

I didn't hate this book, not even close, but it seemed so all-over the place that I just couldn't even get into it, and it often just frustrated me. It felt like there was no sincerity at all, or whatever sincerity there might have been when first going into writing this was lost.
BUT I'll go ahead and list a few things that I did appreciate:
1. It's a book about Vegas that isn't "about Vegas". The Vegas part about it isn't too cliche, and I actually kind of like the little code "never been to Veg...more I didn't hate this book, not even close, but it seemed so all-over the place that I just couldn't even get into it, and it often just frustrated me. It felt like there was no sincerity at all, or whatever sincerity there might have been when first going into writing this was lost.
BUT I'll go ahead and list a few things that I did appreciate:
1. It's a book about Vegas that isn't "about Vegas". The Vegas part about it isn't too cliche, and I actually kind of like the little code "never been to Vegas" that they use that kind of connects thing (this doesn't mean that I'm not annoyed relentlessly that this book marketed as some juicy vegas-scandal-sexy-adventure book when it could take place anywhere, really).
2. It tries to go for that first-world problems wake up call thing (and achieves it to some extent, but keeps faltering and tripping up on it's self).
3. That Chloe didn't end up becoming an over-night private-eye nancy-drew crime solving master mind like it felt like it was headed at one point. (But I'm still kind miffed that it seemed to change it's mind last minute- like "oh, we'll make this a murder mystery now! wait, never mind, let's have it be about family, no let's have it be about friendship! first love?")
4. It does (briefly) attack slut shaming (or tries to). After watching some tv shows where main female protagonist occasionally slut-shame without remorse, I'm glad that at the very least Chloe is for a second like "You guys are being horrible, just shut up you have no idea what you're talking about".
5.Her realization with Danny, and how he wasn't turned into a bad guy since none of this was his fault ( I also like how Chloe asks him about his parents at the end of the book, realizing he had been going through things as well).
What made this book not work at all:
1.Too many ideas, not enough care put into it. It's like throwing a bunch of common YA tropes at wall to see what sticks, and nothing really did.
2. I forget the term for this, but the parents in this, or the adults in general, were horribly under-developed and unbelievable, and stuck in kind of "typical YA novel parent" bubble.
3. way too much disconnect. It didn't' flow, there for even though it's a super quick read, I never felt compelled to stick with it.
4.(spoiler part) Lindsey was RAPED and MURDERED and it feels like most of the focus is on Chloe not wanting to feel like the bad guy, and it was more important to her that her friend might have willingly slept with some jock than the fact that she had been horribly tortured and raped, and then brutally murdered and stuffed in a duffle bag. Everything Chloe does seems more like to prove that she was a good friend to Lindsey and what happened to her wasn't Chloe's fault than really grieving over her friend's HORRIBLE death.

I love Tara Altebrando's books, I just think this one didn't work for me. oh well.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 21, 2013 Elizabeth Gottwald rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: enjoyable-reads-3-and-4-star-rating

This book was definitely an enjoyable read, don't get me wrong. It just left me feeling not quite as satisfied as I would have liked it the end. The main character Chloe got on my nerves a little bit. She kind of had that whiny "Oh no one understands me" type of attitude a few times throughout the book and it got irritating. Of course there are tragic events that she has to deal with that I have no idea what that would be like to experience. I'm wondering if that's the reason why the book was go...more

like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 E rated it 3 of 5 stars

Also Found On: A Book and A Record

Wow, What Happens Here blew my mind, and I’m still trying to figure out if it was in a good way or a bad way. The subject material just felt so heavy. You know what I mean? I’ve read Altebrando’s past books, and all of them deal with grief over the death of a loved one in some way or another, so that part I was expecting, but there was something about What Happens Here that was just so dang intense. Although I have to admit, I enjoyed the mystery aspect, and Chl...more Also Found On: A Book and A Record

Wow, What Happens Here blew my mind, and I’m still trying to figure out if it was in a good way or a bad way. The subject material just felt so heavy. You know what I mean? I’ve read Altebrando’s past books, and all of them deal with grief over the death of a loved one in some way or another, so that part I was expecting, but there was something about What Happens Here that was just so dang intense. Although I have to admit, I enjoyed the mystery aspect, and Chloe’s yearning to still be the best friend she can for Lindsay. The Chloe/Noah intrigue was a little hot and cold, but I felt that it reflected back on the tone of the novel well, so it wasn’t incredibly bothersome. As a matter of fact that bothersome thing for me was Lindsay’s death. It’s told in snippets and through the surveillance cameras of Vegas, and though I liked the surveillance camera aspect of it, like I really really liked that aspect of it, I felt that it was pushed too much to the background of the novel, bringing mindless conversations to the foreground. Altebrando has a really unique voice as far as writing is concerned, and in other novels of hers I have really enjoyed that. She has a way of connecting with readers that are the same age as her protagonists. However, with What Happens Here I was in a constant debate: Is this a mystery novel, of a best friend and an older brother trying to find justice for a girl that was killed, or is it a novel about a girl trying to find her identity after her best friend is gone? Normally both of these plot lines could work really well together, but I felt that combining this with the European vacation and all of the family drama just made it into too much to handle. Especially when the length of the book is taken into account, there just wasn’t enough time or words to explain everything justly, and that is why I had a harder time with this one than I’ve had with other of Altebrando’s works. It was good, just not great.(less)

like · see review

Nov 09, 2011 Kassia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-2012

This story was pretty scary and intense. The author wrote about a pair of best friends (Choloe and Lindsey)who have done everything together. One of them, Chloe, goes to Europe with her family. During that trip, she falls in love with one of the family friends' that was there. She was having the time of her life, but felt really disappointed since Lindsey wasn't there with her. The family trip to Europe went well, until Chloe came back. She realized that her best friend, Lindsey, passed away whi...more

like · see review

Mar 01, 2008 Taylor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Totally amazing, unexpected, a crazy-good story told beautifully. Read it!

1 like · like · see review

May 07, 2009 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Chloe and Lindsay were best friends that were supposed to grow old together. They had their lives mapped out from where they were going to live(homes all over the world) to who they were going to marry(twin brothers). Little did they know, things would not go that way.

The summer before their senior year in high school Chloe gets the chance to live out one of their dreams: go to Europe. Chloe's family gets to spend two weeks traveling all over Europe while Lindsay is forced to stay home in Las Ve...more Chloe and Lindsay were best friends that were supposed to grow old together. They had their lives mapped out from where they were going to live(homes all over the world) to who they were going to marry(twin brothers). Little did they know, things would not go that way.

The summer before their senior year in high school Chloe gets the chance to live out one of their dreams: go to Europe. Chloe's family gets to spend two weeks traveling all over Europe while Lindsay is forced to stay home in Las Vegas with her own family. No matter how much they begged neither of the girls could convince their parents to let Lindsay join them on the trip.

The night before Chloe leaves for the trip she and Lindsay get into a fight. Lindsay decided that she was finally ready to "go to Vegas" with a guy she works with., sleazy Chris Nolan. While Chloe has already "gone to Vegas" she doesn't think it is the right thing for Lindsay to do and especially not with Chris Nolan. After arguing it out the girls part ways angry and not speaking. That was the last time they ever saw each other.

SPOILER ALERT

After returning from a fabulous two weeks in Europe, Chloe finds out that while she was gone having the time of her life, Lindsay was losing hers. After a night out partying with Chris Nolan and his friends, Lindsay was kidnapped and her body was found two days later in a nearby dumpster. She had been murdered.

END OF SPOILER

Chloe can't seem to get over the shock and return to her life. She lives in constant fear that she or someone she loves will die. The only time she feels normal is when she is with Noah, Lindsay's older brother. She knows that if Lindsay were alive she would hate their budding relationship and so she ends it but she still can't forget about him or the way he makes her feel safe. She may not want to face it but Noah may be the only person who can help her face life head on and truly live.

I admit to having a little trouble getting into this book but once I actually focused on it alone I was blown away. Tara Altebrando's writing was so detailed and vivid I felt like I was drawn into the book. I could almost picture Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower or the Piazza San Marco.

I also admit to tearing up a little while reading this book. Chloe was such a likable character, I just couldn't help but feel her pain and her joy. This book earned everyone of the five stars that I gave it. It addresses such a real issue without making it into a huge downer. I think that any teen girl can benefit from reading this book!(less)

like · see review

Mar 30, 2009 Elaine Warner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Chloe and Lindsay have been best friends forever. The grew up together in North Carolina, but when they were 10, their fathers decided to move the families to Las Vegas where the economy was booming. Chloe and Lindsay have a dream, to grow up, meet and marry brothers(preferably twins), and travel the world living in exotic places. The summer before her senior year in high school, Chloe's parents decide to take their family to Europe on vacation. Chloe is sad to leave Lindsay behind, but the trip...more

like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Reynje rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemp-or-realistic, read-2013, young-adult

At one point early on in What Happens Here I felt like I’d been corralled onto a Contiki tour bus and I wanted off.

I was still in the chapters detailing Chloe’s family holiday to Europe, and I found myself flipping back to the cover, reading the Sara Zarr blurb, and frowning. There’s a slightly going-through-the-motions, perfunctory quality to the storytelling – like breezing through capital cities so they could be checked off an itinerary. The Swanson family see the sights, Chloe laments not be...more

7 likes · like · see review

May 04, 2011 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book makes me want to travel to exotic destinations that transcend continents. It brings up memories of when my own friends and I used to sit and imagine silly scenarios about boys falling in love with us from afar. It makes me think about that ever present eye in the sky and compels me to look up satellite images of Las Vegas to get a feel for the place where this fantastic novel is set. It makes me cry and laugh and smile contentedly and dream about the future. It shatters my heart and so...more

like · see review

Jun 26, 2008 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Sarah Dessen fans

Shelves: young-adult

This was a wonderful YA novel about loss, friendship, and blossoming love. Everything about it was close to perfection -- from the characters to the multiple settings to Altebrando's ability to write real voices. I read this in three days because it was so entralling. I had to know what happened next each time I picked it up.

The first half of the book deals with the sixteen-year-old protagonist Chloe who lives in Las Vegas with her BBF Lindsay. When Chloe goes off to Europe for two weeks we get...more

like · see review

Feb 08, 2013 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Tara Altebrando is a whiz at true depictions of teen years and this may be her best book so far... two best friends have always planned to see the world together..one gets that opportunity when her parents plan a European vacation. While she goes to europe, (and the descriptions of each place are vivid and enthralling) her best friend back in Vegas is murdered...coming home to this is quite a shock and she can't rest without understanding what happened....brilliant, engrossing and utterly realis...more

like · see review

May 16, 2012 Jenn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, favorites

Wow, I loved this book! Having never read this author before I had no idea what I was in for. I'm so glad I gave her a try. It was so good mostly because for me it was so realistic. The friendships and the relationships really rang true to me. I would love to read more books by this author.

like · see review

Aug 20, 2012 Diana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, grief

I loved the travelling parts of this book. I have always wanted to travel and this was a fun exploration of places I will someday go see for myself. I could relate to the MC in a lot of ways, feeling stuck in a town that seems so lifeless and so drab. Her best friend in the book, Lindsay, just seemed like the wrong friend for Chloe to have in my eyes. Somehow, I knew where the book was leading and I couldn't help my feelings that Chloe was better off alone so she could see the world with her own...more

like · see review

May 12, 2011 Misti rated it 4 of 5 stars

Haunting! A little too much telling, instead of showing, but still a sad, heartbreaking look into the headlines we see so often.

like · see review

Dec 26, 2008 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this in just a few hours it was soo good.

like · see review

Jul 16, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very touching, layered, and thoughtful.

like · see review

Jan 23, 2013 Ryah rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

like · see review

Mar 24, 2013 Grace Anderson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very good book. Has a little bit of everything in it from romance to mystery and adventure. I would definitely recommend this book.

like · see review

Aug 01, 2008 Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen

So far, this is just as excellent as The Pursuit of Happiness. Is Tara Altebrando secretly still a teenager? Because she has a teen voice, and what it feels like to be a teen, down.

like · see review

Jun 01, 2009 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: incom, read-2009, ya-realistic

Very nice characters, could have used more resolution in the end. Released: May 2008

like · see review

May 21, 2013 Halli marked it as to-read

May 20, 2013 Mimi rated it 1 of 5 stars

May 19, 2013 Shanz marked it as to-read

May 19, 2013 GuavaGal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama, young-adult

May 12, 2013 Krissy marked it as to-read

May 11, 2013 Alexia Santos marked it as to-read

May 10, 2013 Liz marked it as to-read

Shelves: fya-swoon, slc

Apr 22, 2013 Kristen marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 17 18 next »

Contemporary

6 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Contemporary

3 users

Young Adult > Teen

3 users

Drama

2 users

Mystery

2 users

Realistic Fiction

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Tara Altebrando

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About What Happens Here

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: What Happens Here
avg rating	preview: What Happens Here Goodreads rating: 3.75 (187 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2199965.What_Happens_Here?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347477317l/2199965.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2199965.What_Happens_Here?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]What Happens Here by Tara Altebrando[/url]

What Happens Here

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (5)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Tara Altebrando

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About What Happens Here

What Happens Here

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (5)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Tara Altebrando

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About What Happens Here

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (5)