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When It Happens

by Susane Colasanti (Goodreads Author)

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 17,711 ratings · 879 reviews

Reminiscent of the movie Say Anything, a debut novel for all those searching for The One!

Sara and Tobey couldn-t be more different. She is focused on getting into her first-choice college; he wants to win Battle of the Bands. Sara's other goal is to find true love, so when Dave, a popular jock, asks her out, she's thrilled. But then there's Tobey. His amazing blue eyes and...more

Paperback, 336 pages

Published May 1st 2008 by Speak (first published May 4th 2006)

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May 14, 2012 Maja rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: my lovely vanilla queens

Shelves: 2012-favorites, arc-2012, contemporary-fiction, favorites, just-another-book-crush, alternating-povs, own-a-dtb, ya, reviewed-in-2012

Adorable isn't a word I use often to describe books. In Majaland, the word is not even a compliment in that context– it’s almost insulting, really, like calling a guy cute. But there have been a few exceptions along the way, and When It Happens happens to be one of them. It’s just… adorable.

Told from alternating POVs, this is a story about Sara and Tobey’s senior year in high school. They both start the year single, but Sara has a small crush on Dave, the new boy, and Tobey has a huge crush on...more Adorable isn't a word I use often to describe books. In Majaland, the word is not even a compliment in that context– it’s almost insulting, really, like calling a guy cute. But there have been a few exceptions along the way, and When It Happens happens to be one of them. It’s just… adorable.

Told from alternating POVs, this is a story about Sara and Tobey’s senior year in high school. They both start the year single, but Sara has a small crush on Dave, the new boy, and Tobey has a huge crush on Sara. The thing is, while Dave has both the looks and the popularity, Tobey spends his time playing chess with his best friend Matt and chokes up every time Sara comes near him. He gets very nervous when she’s watching and often does the craziest, most embarrassing things, like falling UP stairs and dropping all his books at her feet.

Our poor Tobey doesn’t have it easy. Getting a girl to notice him while she’s busy dating the blond-and-popular – especially a girl who’s been shy and withdrawn all her life, but seems to be enjoying being at the center of attention now – is no easy task, that’s for sure. But all those ours of playing chess and strategizing are finally paying off – Tobey is very good at planning ahead and rearranging players in a way that will checkmate the other king.

When It Happens is everything contemporary YA should be. It’s very realistic and it has a set of extremely well-developed characters, the language is straightforward, easy to digest, and used in a way that contributes to characterization. It is Susane Colasanti’s debut novel, first published in 2006, but I never would have guessed that based on the narrative alone. It radiates experience, maturity, but most of all, understanding. She’s not one of those authors who set out to write a young adult novel without any kind of insight into the mind of teens.

Out of the two, Tobey was my favorite. I suppose I have a soft spot for boys who know exactly what they want and how to get it, but are as far from arrogant as they can possibly be. As for Sara, although she made some stupid choices, her behavior was something I’d expect from a shy and withdrawn person who suddenly finds herself in the spotlight. In other words, her actions didn’t strike me as something Colasanti did just to further complicate the plot, but rather as something that came from genuine understanding of both teens and shy people in general.

Alternating POV narration is always a bit risky, in my opinion. It can be very hard to separate voices of two characters with similar backgrounds, but that wasn’t a problem here. This is another point where Colasanti used language to her advantage: she made Sara sound like a girl and Tobey like a boy, and she made it very easy to tell their voices apart.

Truth be told, contemporary YA is never my first choice. Or my second, or my third. But if I do decide to read it, this is exactly the kind of book I want. I recommend it to all my Vanilla Queens.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, Scholastic UK, for review purposes.

Also posted at The Nocturnal Library (less)

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Oct 20, 2008 Steph (Reviewer X) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People looking for a very endearing, feel-good romance book.

Recommended to Steph by: Khyrinthia, Nurin

Warning: It took about 30-50 pages for me to get sucked into the narrative. So if you don't feel the effect super quickly, at least give it those initial 50 pages. The book's a quick read anyhow :)

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 ha...more Warning: It took about 30-50 pages for me to get sucked into the narrative. So if you don't feel the effect super quickly, at least give it those initial 50 pages. The book's a quick read anyhow :)

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.(less)

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Mar 23, 2011 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was born too late! I wish I were more conscious/aware the decade when The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire and Pretty in Pink were cool and hip. Then my inexplicable crushes on Andrew McCarthy *sa-woon* and John Cusack *sa-wooning some more*, wouldn’t be so… well, inexplicable. But thanks to weekend reruns on ABC5, I have watched them over and over and over again (much to my brother’s confusion.) Why am I so into those movies anyway?

I am very fond of those movies for the same reason I am very...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Sana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

The synopsis of When It Happens was interesting; unfortunately, that's not what I cay say about the book. It falls short and by a large margin as well. I was really psyched to read Susane Colasanti after Something Like Fate. Thus, I decided to read this out the three options I had: Waiting For You and Take Me There.

My feelings about the book could be summed up by a repetitive dialog in the book, “You"re so much more than you"re letting yourself be." That's what I felt like saying to the author,...more

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Jul 23, 2008 Runa added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It's one of the best YA novels out there, and definitely the best love story, on par with that of Ron/Hermione, or Lily/James. It's one of those epic ones that you don't logically think exist, and yet, can't help but hope...
Tobey's the guy every girl is looking for. He's sincere and honest and sweet and just a thoroughly lovely open person. He and Sara make an unbeatable pair.
While Sara and Tobey are the main focus, the other plotlines (Maggie's parents, college hunting, etc) all work effectivel...more

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2009 Maryelin Ramos rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would like to start of saying that I really liked this book and I think it is romantic. Sara starts of dating some popular guy named Dave but realizes hes not her type and asks her to do something that shocks her, and she also has two close friends who are always there for her. This story also goes from the point of view of tobey who has a secret crush on Sara who cant ignore his big blue eyes once she finds out, tobey wants to win battle of the bands and get into a college hes dying to go to...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Karla♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chicklit, covers-me-like, contemporary, e-books, favorites, romance, young-adult, 2011-reads, le-handsome-guys

Like other books, i wanted to read this just for its pretty cover ~~very likely of me. haha~~

Basically, this one is a very fun, fresh and witty read. Since i'm a big sucker for happy endings I love love stories like this. What i trully like about this one is how it is told in both the perspectives of the main characters Sara & Tobey regarding the same situations. The scenes between these two are so sweet, romantic and well-written. I especially like the remake of the scene from Say Anything...more

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Apr 15, 2009 Aimee Garcia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is about a girl who has two option wheather to stay with the nerdy boy or the cool guy and needs to know which one of them is the one that truelly loves her and which one desires her. What I liked about this book is that it shows what many teen go through when it comes to love. What I didn't like about this book is that the girl was to dumb.A person that will like to read this book is a person who is into romance movies . If you would like to read this book it can be found in Ms.Lacy's...more

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Dec 22, 2008 Hailey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When It Happens begins on an awkward note. The author's use of "so I go" and "then she was like" instead of the tried and true "he said", "she said" was more distracting than anything else. It jolted the reader out of the narrative long enough for them to think, "Wow, the author's trying too hard," before sinking back in to the story.

With little things like that, it took awhile for it to really feel that Colasanti got into the groove of the story. Things started to sink into place between pages...more

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May 26, 2011 kari rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, ya, 5-star

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 17, 2013 Czermaine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Teens who wanted to be IN and looking for SOMETHING REAL. :D

There was something lacking in this story. I figured out maybe because I was waiting for a closure on Sara's family issue. She grew up without a father so, I thought she'd be able to find him esp. when she had a conversation with Mr. I-forgot-who. ^^V I was like it might be a conflict to this but it didn't. Anyways, about the characters, I guess this is how Susane Colasanti wants her stories to be --- open ended. It was a good book though. I won't hide the fact that I reacted crazy about the sex...more

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May 24, 2013 Melody rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've passed my chick lit stage but I had this book collecting dust on my shelf. After reading another book, I wanted a change and read this one.

I'm sure if I were a pre-teen I would have enjoyed this a lot better. It wasn't horrible though, but it wasn't the best chick book I've ever read.

*SPOILER BELOW!*
Sara is this insanely smart girl who also coincidentally happens to be very beautiful. She has this boring relationship with the "hottest" guy in school who is also part of the popular crowd. Oh...more

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May 15, 2013 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When it Happens is a really cute read. I really loved the dual POV. I thought it was done really well. Tobey has had a crush on Sara for the longest time. The summer before their senior year, Sara decides she wants something real. Only Sara is hoping her "real" is Dave.

I was really impressed with the way Colasanti wrote the parts with Sara and Dave. Not so much them together, but the way that Sara descibes her feelings of hollowness. She feels really confined and even though she wants it to wor...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Sara rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS:

Literally one of the most awful books I have ever read, and this is coming from a girl who has read a lot of books, and always finds something to like about them no matter what.

Unless you’re thirteen or have a thirteen-year-old’s ideology of love, I suggest you skip over this one.

Sara wants Dave the hot guy and Dave wants to have sex with Sara, the hot/smart girl. Tobey likes Sara for who she is (and also wants to bang her) and Sara feels something “real” for To...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Amy Yang rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-2013

Sara and Tobey are seniors in high school. Sara wants two things in her last year of high school which is to get into her first choice college, NYU and to find true love. Tobey also wants two things for his senior year which is to win Battle of the Bands and to make Sara fall in love with him. All summer, Sara was waiting for Dave to call her, since he asks her for her number on the last day of school. Dave is this gorgeous, popular jock in her high school. Later on, Dave asks Sara out and she w...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Erika Aivazi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I chose this book because it was written by one of my favorite authors: Susane Colasanti. This book to me wasn't a typical teenage love story. It was about a senior in high school named Sara who has started applying to colleges and a musician at her school named Toby. Each of them have a different goal. Toby wants to win this big contest called "Battle of the Bands". Sara liked Toby but then the most popular guy at school asks her out and they start dating. He starts to become a very big distrac...more I chose this book because it was written by one of my favorite authors: Susane Colasanti. This book to me wasn't a typical teenage love story. It was about a senior in high school named Sara who has started applying to colleges and a musician at her school named Toby. Each of them have a different goal. Toby wants to win this big contest called "Battle of the Bands". Sara liked Toby but then the most popular guy at school asks her out and they start dating. He starts to become a very big distraction to her studies. It turns out to be a love triangle situation. Sara also doesn't have a father and her mother is never around. Her lifestyle is very different than Toby's or Dave's (the popular guy). Getting good grades was the only goal in Sara's life. Toby does eventually ask Sara out but throughout the book and their relationship some plot twist. All in all it's like a roller coaster trip. My favorite quote in this entire book was, "And something else has been bothering me for a while. dave usually drives me home every day and the stays at my place for a few hours. Lately, I'm feeling that confined feeling even more. I miss my alone time." This showed that life before dating Dave had been much different. Before Sara would come home and do all her homework. Now with Dave, she misses the only time she had for herself. This to me explained a lot about Dave's character. He seems to be one of those clingy boyfriends. This book by far has been the best book I can relate too. I can relate to it not because of the love triangle drama, but to Sara herself. In the book she describes herself in first person narrative that she wants to become an architect as a her future career. When i read that part, the irony of it hit me like a bullet. I also want to become an architect and so that part really got my attention. Susane Colasanti is like Sarah Dessen in the genre of writing they choose. Susane has a very unique style of writing. I like how she has self-dialouge. Also, she knows how to grab a reader's attention. In the beginning of the story she starts off with dialogue. That type of "hook" always catches my attention. She likes to write in first person narrative and i really like that. I would recommend this book to girls ages 12-15. I think that Susane can portray a characters struggles really well in her stories and she develops the plot in excellency. Through the entire story i could easily place where i was whether at the rising action, climax, or falling action. It really was a well developed book.(less)

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Sep 02, 2012 Elena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Susane Colasanti is apparently convinced that people who are meant to be have to have the same tastes.
Whatever happened to "opposites attract"? After reading two books from this author, Something Like Fate and this When It Happens, I am more and more convinced that this woman would rather marry her clone twin than any other person in this world.

But people have their own tastes and beliefs. I personally don't think two people who like the exact same things are necessarily supposed to be together,...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, young-adult, contemporary, drama

This review originally appeared on my blog, www.thebiggestbookshelf.blogspot.co.uk

I read this one when I was on holiday in America and it was fantastic!

The blurb of When It Happens also features a Kirkus review, which says "Chick lit for girls who think". I think this summarizes this novel perfectly, as it was a quick, yet well thought-out read that I really enjoyed. It is different from normal chick-lit because, again, Susane Colasanti's books feature deep topics, and have, dare I say it, inte...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chemistry-is-good, chewing-gum-for-the-mind, contemporary-romance, high-school-angst, trust-issues, young-adult-romance

WHEN IT HAPPENS could have meant many different things but it is about relationships. The connections with other people. And at the heart of this story is Sara and Tobey. Two young people on the brink of adulthood who suffer from simple anxieties like so many others. I was going to add 'at this age' but when do we not worry? Teens with normal names who, primarily, live in the moment.

I liked this simple story. Sara is intelligent and works for her grades. That takes her down a notch with most of...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Lena Wright added it · review of another edition

If you've ever known any town people, who are totally wrong for each other, but somehow end up together, that odd story is told in this book.

Two high school students, in their senior year, want completely different things. Sara, is a hard working girl, focused on two things- school, and falling in love. Tobey who has much more on his mind than school, could be described as a polar opposite of Sara. But Tobey has one other goal- to make Sara fall in love with him. The only thing in their way was...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Taylor Horan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Have you ever heard of the saying "opposites attract"?

Tobey and Sara are seniors in highschool and they couldn't be more different. Sara is a good girl who's focus is on school and getting into her first-choice college. Tobey is like a bad boy. He is focused on music and not so much on school. Yet he is also focused on Sara. His goal is to make her fall in love with him. And lucky for Sara, her goal is to fall in love. The only problem is there's another person, Dave. He's a popular jock, you...more

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May 22, 2012 Lillian rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

GOODREADS RECOMMENDED THIS BOOK TO ME AND I DO NOT KNOW IF I CAN TRUST THEM ANYMORE. Anyway, I probably would've picked this book up if I was just perusing the library shelf so I'll shush up. ANYWAY. I've been meaning to read a Susane Colasanti book for awhile now and... This book probably shouldn't have been my first one. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was a good read (haha) but... It took over 100 pages to even be invested into the story. I really like that Colasanti discredited Dave right off...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Alexis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 20, 2012 Anna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Q. Did I like 'When It Happens'?
A. It was alright.

Q. Did I get confused?
A. Erm... YEAH!

Seriously, I did like the book. It's very good, easy to follow between the alternate points of view and Susane Colasanti has done something that few other female authors can do - write in a male perspective and make it seem legitimate. Which was refreshing.

Tobey and Sara are the main two characters. Sara is independent, knows what she wants and how to get it, intelligent and a good friend. Tobey is bright - bu...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Heather rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

i wish there was a rating for 'hated it' because that's exactly how i felt towards this miserable excuse of a book after i read it.
ive thought about writing a review and it was soo bad that i couldn't even do it.but now i'm going to.i feel like i need to warn people.
i think i read a review for this saying that we would be rooting for the characters. well let me just tell you that i most certainly did not 'root for the characters'.i didn't even care what happened to those crappy characters.
&i...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Kathy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First of all, i gave this a 1 star at first...but then I changed it because I finished the book. I am very confident that if a book was a 1 star book I would not have finished it HOWEVER this is the only book that I can remember reading and thinking the whole time "...only ____ more pages until this thing is finally over". this is the only young adult book that I have read and thought, man, maybe i', too old for these books. I am well aware that these books are intended for YOUNG adults but gene...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Kricket rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, teen-fiction, teen-romance, dual-narrators, rom-com

sara, a brainy but cute student, starts her senior year hoping hot jock dave will ask her out. but when he does, they don't have much in common and he's kind of a jerk. then she finds out that tobey, a slacker musician with amazing eyes, also likes her. as they fall for each other, she encourages him to get better grades and apply to music school. they have their ups and downs, but everything ends happily.

average teen romance- on the boring side. teens looking for fluffier romances will probably...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Shawna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-dramas-romances-comedies, single-books, rated-3-stars-or-above

When It Happens is told from 2 alternating view points.

Sara a high school senior who is incredible smart and has her life all mapped out. Sara has plans that include going to NYU to become a Suburban Devloper/Planner. She studies every night and does her homework. She is focused on what she wants. The only other thing she wants besides graduating out of high school is actualy obtaining a real boyfriend. She is looking for something real and of coarse she already has her sights set on Dave. Dave...more When It Happens is told from 2 alternating view points.

Sara a high school senior who is incredible smart and has her life all mapped out. Sara has plans that include going to NYU to become a Suburban Devloper/Planner. She studies every night and does her homework. She is focused on what she wants. The only other thing she wants besides graduating out of high school is actualy obtaining a real boyfriend. She is looking for something real and of coarse she already has her sights set on Dave. Dave the basketball, goregeous, popular jock. Of coarse she doesn't see how someone like him would like a nerd like her. She has her 2 best friends but has always been shunned from the popular crowd.

On the first day of senior day she gets her wish. Dave does like her and wants to be with her. As her relationship develops with Dave she is accepted into the popular crowd. A place she has always wanted to be. Yet is it what she thought it was cracked up to be. The more she gets to know the more trapped she feels. The more she starts to wonder perhaps is this truly the person she wants to be with. Dave appears perfect from far away but as she gets to know she starts to see what he truly is like. Dave is follower, not the leader she thought he was. Is her relationship something with Dave she needs to work on. Afterall this is the guy she has wanted all summer. There has to be more to him than what she sees, right. He has to be her something real.

Then there is Tobey. The slacker who has no desire to go to college. His desire to make it with his band in the music scene. His dream involves music. Tobey is also smart, smart enough to not do any homework or study yet pass his classes with a C average because he aces all of his test. The only other thing he wants besides his music success is....Sara. That's right, Sara the beautiful, smart, and already dating Dave.

Tobey has pinned for Sara all summer. He wanted to ask her out last year but never made his move. So all summer he thinks about Sara and decides this year is his year. He has a plan to get Sara to see him for who he is. To him she is the one. To him she is her something real. Of coarse his plan the first day does not work out the way he wants. Since on the first day Dave has already made his move on Sara. However since Sara is Tobey's something real to him she is worth fighting for. If only she would get to know she would see who he truly is.

Sara and Tobey both grow throughout the story. Sara learns to start living life now and not for the future. Tobey starts to realize that planning for a future and perhaps college really is perhaps a pretty good idea. As Sara starts to get know Tobey she realizes that she has this undeniable attraction to him. Why shouldn't she, he is smart, funny, talented, sweet, and hot. The question remains though what about Dave? Dave was her dream, but is Tobey her something real. You MUST read the book to find out.

I loved reading the alternative view points between Sara and Tobey. You got read both sides of the story and how one another effected each other's lives. Of coarse once again her book reminds of a certains 80's movie but hey that's what happens when you had those great movies to watch growing up!!! All in all a nice enjoyable read. I would recommend it to a friend.(less)

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Mar 05, 2011 Erika B. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really really want to go and watch Say Anything right now! This book is like a tribute to it and it is one of my favorite movies! I'm such a sucker for the nerdy girl and the bad A boy. A book that captures the essence of high school love that becomes true love. I thought this book was a super sweet romance with lots of "butterflies in my stomache" moments. I just wish that the author could have cleaned up the language in it. If I was a sailor I would be blushing. I liked that the author would...more

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Feb 28, 2011 Kayla Johsnon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kayla Johnson
Ms. Campanella
English 3, Period 5
February 29, 2011
Good Reads, When It Happens By Susane Colasanti

The lesson that takes experience to learn is that life is too unpredictable to live by a plan. The novel When It Happens, by Susane Colasanti takes you on the journey of a teenager that is in a situation that almost everyone goes through, attempting to be patient when waiting for their first love. I would rank this novel a 3 on a scale of 1-5 because the story has good potential based...more Kayla Johnson
Ms. Campanella
English 3, Period 5
February 29, 2011
Good Reads, When It Happens By Susane Colasanti

The lesson that takes experience to learn is that life is too unpredictable to live by a plan. The novel When It Happens, by Susane Colasanti takes you on the journey of a teenager that is in a situation that almost everyone goes through, attempting to be patient when waiting for their first love. I would rank this novel a 3 on a scale of 1-5 because the story has good potential based on the topic and ability to relate to the readers life but the dialogue could leave the audience feeling a bit bored. The reason I chose to read this book is because I heard how relatable and fun the story was from a friend and I liked how different the author's writing style is.
The fictional story, begins the last day of summer before, the Sara's senior year. Her only goal, other then to be accepted to her first choice college, is to fall in love. Tobey, on the other hand, isn't as worried about his future in school. The only important things in life to him are winning first place in the upcoming battle of the bands competition and making Sara fall in love with him with help from her best friend, Laila. When school time rolls around, Sara is shocked to hear one of the in-crowd's best looking guys are interested in asking her out. Dan, who she hoped to be what she had been looking for, ended up just wasting her time. When Sara finally came to her senses about him she had gotten a new partner in music class, Tobey. The two narrators realized how much they had in common and built a real connection. The story then goes into detail about their relationship and the complications that are involved when dating in high school.
The theme of this story was not hard to interpret, you could find it right in the title. The theme the author is trying to get across is that if something in your life is meant to happen, it will happen when it is supposed to. This idea is also very easy to relate to because it can give people hope that things will eventually fall into place for them like the characters in the book. I would recommend this book to individuals that enjoy reading about romance and are interested in comical stories. This book can also be enjoyable because of the author's ability to give you great insight on the character's feelings and thoughts gives the reader a great experience.

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The Story	1	14	Oct 16, 2012 05:20pm
♥Teen Romance♥: Cristina and Moira! When It Happens by Susane Colasanti	29	24	Jul 27, 2012 01:24pm
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Genres

Young Adult

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Romance

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Contemporary

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Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

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Realistic Fiction

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Young Adult > Teen

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Young Adult > High School

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Young Adult > Young Adult Romance

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Music

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Romance > Contemporary Romance

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About Susane Colasanti

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

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Trivia About When It Happens

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Quotes from When It Happens

“Too bad guys aren’t like Mr. Potato Head Where you can pick and choose which parts you want. Then we might come up with a guy who meets your standards.
- Maggie” — 286 people liked it

“I'm thinking that it might actually be possible for things to work out sometimes. Definitely not everything and maybe not the way you imagined. But sometimes, when you least expected it, life surprises you.” — 131 people liked it

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When It Happens

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