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So Much Closer

by Susane Colasanti (Goodreads Author)

3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 · rating details · 3,503 ratings · 341 reviews

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 e...more

Hardcover, 241 pages

Published May 3rd 2011 by Viking Juvenile (first published April 12th 2011)

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Dec 18, 2010 Morgan F rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, young-adult, romance, not-yet-released, own, goodreads-author, read-2010, medium-sized, its-a-girl, new-school, realistic, surviving-school

This book confuses me. It is loaded with contradictions.

Sometimes I liked Brooke, sometimes I didn't. She was supposedly a genius (albeit a reluctant one), but then she goes and does something as infinitely stupid as moving to a whole new city for a boy. A boy she has only had one conversation with. It just confounded me. What kind of person thinks that is a good idea? And then she actually thought about telling Scott what a stalker she was, before they even developed a friendship. Once again, w...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Rose rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit-challenge-2012, young-adult, romance, realistic-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary

Initial reaction: To be blunt, I thought "So Much Closer" was rather mediocre in what it tried to put across, considering the heroine (Brooke) was quite insufferable for much of the book. Don't get me wrong, I saw the aim of the novel's thematic, and a coming of age story where the MC realizes there's more to life than crushing over a boy and that being true to yourself is more important, but this book sent all kinds of mixed signals between that, some of which I outright did not like in their p...more

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May 26, 2011 kari rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, ya

I love Susane Colasanti's dialogue and voices. I always enjoy "hearing" what's being said and thought by her characters. Speaking of which, her characters are well-drawn as far as their peronslities, even though I don't always know exactly what someone looks like. fFr instance, John is never phyically described, but his mannerisms, speech patterns and overall disposition is very clear. And given a choice between mutlitple descritions of some gorgeous guy's utterly fabulous appearance or actually...more I love Susane Colasanti's dialogue and voices. I always enjoy "hearing" what's being said and thought by her characters. Speaking of which, her characters are well-drawn as far as their peronslities, even though I don't always know exactly what someone looks like. fFr instance, John is never phyically described, but his mannerisms, speech patterns and overall disposition is very clear. And given a choice between mutlitple descritions of some gorgeous guy's utterly fabulous appearance or actually knowing who he is, well, I'll take the knowing anytime, thank you very much.
This book is so much more than a teen romance. Reading the synopsis, you might be expecting little more than that and, if so, you're in for a pleasant surprise.
Brooke moves to New York City in hopes of starting a relationship with a boy she's been attracted to for a few years. This sounds silly, but Colasanti really makes it work as Brooke's divorced father lives in NYC so it's also an opportuninty to reconnect with him. She tells her parent she needs a more stimulating school to attend, not that she's chasing a boy. While you might think she's actually going too far, well, of course chasing some boy is going too far, there are other reasons for her to make a change; reasons that even Brooke is unaware.
This book is about Brooke figuring out her life and what she wants to do, where her passion lies and who she wants to be. She doesn't start out wanting to know any of those things, but she ends up in the right place if for the wrong reason.
John, the boy Brooke very reluctantly starts tutoring, is one of my favorite characters. His exuberance and frustration will tug at your heart as he struggles with his life. He is one of my favorite characters (I know I already said that, but it bears repeating) and so well-crafted.
Scott, the boy she follows, is something of a blank character. Of everyone, we get more description of him physically than most of the others and I think that works because Brooke really doesn't know him and doesn't really come to know him. He remains mostly an object of desire, object being the main focus. She can't know him other than superficially; who she does come to know is herself.
There are several threads interwoven and I liked seeing Brooke growing and changing, however much she thinks she doesn't want to, as she starts being aware of more than just the boy she likes.
Great read.(less)

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Nov 12, 2012 Nicola rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh wow, that was one seriously dumb protagonist. The reader is constantly reminded that she's some sort of gifted genius but she makes hilariously stupid decisions. 3 stars for sweet guy, John, and also because the book gives an interesting perspective on a few things. Colasanti is no Sarah Dessen, though.

Favourite quotes:
“The stupid thing about anger is how people hurt you and then you let them keep hurting you by being angry about how they originally hurt you. It’s a vicious cycle.”

“Physical...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Taylor Moses rated it 5 of 5 stars

i am reading this and it is a very good book about a boy who a girl has a very big crush on and he moves to New York... the girl follows him to New York and lives with her dad in an apartment. She finds out the boy has a girlfriend... The question you need to find out is what will she do?

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Dec 31, 2011 Karen LOVESREADING rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, young-adult, chick-lit

Having not being familiar with Colasanti’s work, I found that I quite enjoyed this book. It’s a pretty simple and fun book to read.

At first, I was a bit sceptical about the plot and the message it’s sending out to people, especially about the protagonist, Brooke, following her crush, Scott, to New York City and who she has only talked to a couple of time. It’s pretty creepy but I guess it was supposed to be light hearted and it was. I found it humorous.

All the characters were likable. Brooke, s...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Eden rated it 4 of 5 stars

The cover:

I actually like this cover, though I usually detest no-face models. In this one, they don't look like they've been deliberately hidden--they look like they could be in an actual, you know, conversation (instead of making out behind a tree or whatever); the girl's hand flicking away adds to that feel. The boy could be either of the two main male characters, which is an intriguing possibility. Having an actual setting in the background sets the mood right as well.

The book:

I totally didn'...more The cover:

I actually like this cover, though I usually detest no-face models. In this one, they don't look like they've been deliberately hidden--they look like they could be in an actual, you know, conversation (instead of making out behind a tree or whatever); the girl's hand flicking away adds to that feel. The boy could be either of the two main male characters, which is an intriguing possibility. Having an actual setting in the background sets the mood right as well.

The book:

I totally didn't expect to like the novel (no matter how much the cover appealed), but Susane Colasanti ops for a, well, balanced balance: Brooke's worries encompass school and romance (lighter subjects) as well as the problem of her parents' divorce. Her attitude towards making the best of New York City even when her relationship with Scott seems to be crawling is what makes her so likeable. Brooke never focuses solely on Scott (despite what her actions state), which would've been a deal-breaker.

The character of John is the true sunshine here. He's got the disability dysgraphia, which makes his personality and perspective ever so unique; he shows Brooke the best NYC sights, and he wholeheartedly captured my heart before he got Brooke's. The discussions between Brooke and Sadie over "boy confidence" endear them both to the reader; Brooke's concern for Sadie's love interest ensures Brooke isn't wrapped up in her own problems. There are one or two people who could almost be defined as random, expect for how Colasanti uses them to develop her protagonist.

Brooke's oblivion to how John feels (especially after his reaction to her being with Scott) is a little hard to believe; the end Brooke and Scott's relationship meets is also a little predictable. The issues with her parents and old friends add some needed weight to the light mood, but the issues Brooke has with school and her campaign of failing it (even though she's supposedly a genius in IQ) just seem petulant. I'm not sure what the title's relevance is (it seems to be one of those obscure phrase titles with hinted-at double meanings), but overall So Much Closer is a warm, sweet read.(less)

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Jul 14, 2011 Rowena rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to read this book because it reminded me so much of the old show, Felicity. You see, Felicity does the exact same thing that Brooke in this book does. She moves to a different city to follow a boy that she thinks she's meant to be with. She just completely picks up her life and moves it for a person they didn't know all that well but had a fierce crush on.

In this book, Brooke moves to New York City to be closer to Scott. She has a huge crush on Scott and when she finds out that he's mov...more I wanted to read this book because it reminded me so much of the old show, Felicity. You see, Felicity does the exact same thing that Brooke in this book does. She moves to a different city to follow a boy that she thinks she's meant to be with. She just completely picks up her life and moves it for a person they didn't know all that well but had a fierce crush on.

In this book, Brooke moves to New York City to be closer to Scott. She has a huge crush on Scott and when she finds out that he's moving to New York...she makes that move. She moves in with her Dad and she tries to get into Scott's inner circle, thinking it'll be easy since they're both new to the city but when she runs into Scott and finds out that he already has a girlfriend, she's bummed...but not discouraged.

To say that Brooke has balls of steel is putting it lightly. This girl has monster balls. She moves to New York with the sole purpose of making Scott realize that they were meant to be together. We're talking about a guy who didn't know she existed until right before he moved away from Jersey. Scott having a girlfriend doesn't really phase Brooke because she keeps on keepin' on and with the help of some new friends, Brooke makes a life for herself in the big city.

Watching Brooke grow into her own and seeing her grow apart from her friends back home and closer to the friends of her new home, made for an entertaining read (I say this a lot in my reviews but I don't know how else to word it). Brooke doesn't get it right in the beginning but seeing her make mistake after mistake and then finally getting it right was fun to read. Her friendships with John and with Sadie were fun to read about but there were quite a few things that I wish I had gotten more from.

One of those things was Brooke's relationship with her parents. Her Mother was introduced as this bittered woman who was scorned by Brooke's father and a few descriptions of what happens next comes along but it would have been nice if more was built on to that whole thing. The same goes with Brooke's father. There's a troubled relationship there but not much is explained or dealt with aside from that. It just would have been nice if we got more from those two then we did, I probably would have enjoyed this book even more.

Another thing that kind of fell flat for me was her friendships with her friends from back home. They drift apart and then that's it. Not much else came from that and it would have been nice if something more was built on and then dealt with on that score.

My favorite part of this book were the additions of both Sadie and John. I adored their characters and the friendships that bloomed with Brooke. The way that John saw New York, the way that he felt about New York made me want to go there and see what he's talking about and seeing Sadie come out of her shell and go after her guy was too cute for words.

Overall the story was good but I couldn't help feeling that it could have been so much better. I'm glad that I read this book and I will definitely be reading more from Colasanti, it's just this book isn't my favorite of the Colasanti books I've read.

This review was originally posted on The Book Scoop by Rowena.(less)

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May 04, 2013 Abbie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, ya-contemporary, ya-romance, never-read-again

This was supposed to be amazing! I didn't like the first Susane Colasanti novel I read because of the drama. But now I am as depressed as ever. Not only did I dislike this book but I also felt the need to put it on my never-read-again shelf.

Why? Because I hated the premise, the protagonist and the execution. Brooke Greene was an insecure, nonconformist genius (doing well in school isn't a crime. Her argument for not doing well in academics is invalid. And a waste of God's blessings). Her parents...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Gaby rated it 3 of 5 stars

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

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Jan 28, 2013 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Susane Colasanti is one of those writers that I am not sure what to think of. When I first got back into young adult fiction during my freshman year of college after reading the classics during my last couple years of high school, three of the countless young adult novels I read were Susane Colasanti’s first novels. I remember really enjoying “When It Happens,” “Take Me There,” and “Waiting for You.” I was excited when “Something Like Fate” came out about a year later. But something about that b...more Susane Colasanti is one of those writers that I am not sure what to think of. When I first got back into young adult fiction during my freshman year of college after reading the classics during my last couple years of high school, three of the countless young adult novels I read were Susane Colasanti’s first novels. I remember really enjoying “When It Happens,” “Take Me There,” and “Waiting for You.” I was excited when “Something Like Fate” came out about a year later. But something about that book just got to me. I could not get into it at all. The story—a girl falls for her best friend’s boyfriend—was decent, but the writing was not. “Something Like Fate” lacked the flow I had grown to expect from young adult fiction. So when “So Much Closer” came out in hardcover, I didn’t buy it. This summer, Colasanti’s latest, “Keep Holding On,” has been getting a lot of positive attention, so I decided to buy the recently released paperback version of “So Much Closer” (which has a much nicer cover) and base my decision to purchase Colasanti’s latest hardcover on the quality of “So Much Closer.”

The premise for “So Much Closer” is a bit of a stretch. Brooke has had a crush on Scott Abrams for over two years. Despite the fact that she has barely spoken to Scott, she believes in “The Knowing,” which tells her that she and Scott are destined to be together. So when Brooke learns that Scott is moving to New York City for their senior year, she moves there, too, by living with the father she hasn’t seen or talked to in six years. Brooke’s friends, April and Candice, are, of course, wicked mad that she’s moving to follow stalk some boy, but Brooke just doesn’t understand what their problem is. The Knowing says that she must be with Scott, after all.

When Brooke first moves, she does not seem to like much about New York City except New York City itself. She has no desire to make new friends because she’ll graduate and leave them all in a year anyway, so she still talks to April every day. Despite the fact that Scott has only been in New York City for the summer, he already has a girlfriend: Leslie, who seems to have The Jealous Type written all over her face. Brooke also is not enjoying living with her dad because he works late every night. At least he leaves money for her to order dinner. But that doesn’t make up for the hole in between them that’s leftover from all of the things they didn’t say back when Brooke’s parents first got divorced.

As April and Brooke stop talking every day, Brooke starts to make some new friends in New York City. Sadie and John are easily the best characters in the book. Sadie, who is all about helping others, convinces Brooke to become a peer tutor partly by leaving her warm fuzzies, which are notes written to cheer others up. John is the student that Brooke tutors. Although he has a disease that makes writing and focusing hard for him, John is far from unintelligent. He is always pointing out the beauty of New York City and knows exactly what he wants to do with his life: help others with diseases like his.

Another prominent character is, of course, Scott. But his personality doesn’t come through as well as Sadie’s and John’s do. Scott is the type of guy who doesn’t care about much except having fun. A deeper part of his character is revealed when he tells Brooke about his brother, but Scott’s brother is not mentioned again after that. In what I found to be weak plotting, Brooke actually does end up with Scott; however, in just a few chapters, Brooke learns that what she wants isn’t necessarily what she’s getting. When that happens, the novel changes gears. Whereas Brooke once wanted nothing but love, she now wants nothing but to dedicate her life to something she actually cares about. This change was certainly necessary because I am sure I am not the only one who couldn’t stand how Brooke wasted her insanely high IQ by getting a C average because she didn’t believe in the school system.

For the most part, “So Much Closer” by Susane Colasanti is a poorly plotted novel with a humorous premise that jumps from one completely unrelated thing to another at least three times per chapter. But then there are just these extremely well-written lines mixed in with the parts that are not so well-written. Colasanti perfectly captures a feeling I have never quite been able to put into words here: “Because how do you convince a boy that you belong together when he’s going out with someone else?” Also, I thought that these lines really captured Brooke’s feelings toward people at the beginning of the novel: “People destroy your trust. Then they leave. You can never completely know anyone, no matter how well you think you do. There will always be parts of their lives they leave out. There will always be some truth about them you don’t ever get to know. Or maybe one day you’ll find out their truth. And you’ll wish you never had.” Those lines, along with others like them, made reading “So Much Closer” worth it to me.(less)

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Jan 08, 2013 Brianna rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have loved all of the authors previous books she has published, and So Much Closer is a perfect quick read in my opinion. The main idea of the book is a girl, Brooke, really likes a guy in her class, Scott, and her world is thrown into a spin when he says he is moving to New York City when she finally gets the nerve to talk to him at the school's junior picnic. So she does what anyone else might do, she called her divorced Dad who lives in the city and persuades him to let her change schools a...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Kelly Dang rated it 2 of 5 stars

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

This book is basically about a stalker and how she ends up biting off more than she could chew. (I'm not sure why I keep reading books by the same author even though her books do not suit my taste very well. I guess it is because I keep having high hopes that eventually one will be good enough so that I have shivers after I finish reading like some previous books I have finished) SO, what happens is the main character (Brooke) moves to another city just to follow a crush (Scot...more ***SPOILER ALERT***

This book is basically about a stalker and how she ends up biting off more than she could chew. (I'm not sure why I keep reading books by the same author even though her books do not suit my taste very well. I guess it is because I keep having high hopes that eventually one will be good enough so that I have shivers after I finish reading like some previous books I have finished) SO, what happens is the main character (Brooke) moves to another city just to follow a crush (Scott) who you should keep in mind that she never talks to him let alone know much about him except what he looks like. Then, she has then abandons her close friends back home and even going as far as to chase hi even though she knows one of her friends likes him too. At the end, she then using the poor "friendzoned" guy (John) as a rebound THREE DAYS after she broke up with Scott whom she "loved so deeply". I don't even know why he did not find Brooke creepy. I mean, I would find someone creepy if they moved across the state to find me when I clearly have NO IDEA who this person is. Then this person confesses their dying love to me? Uuumm, no thanks. I'm not into that stalking thing. I'm not too sure but I think she claimed she liked him only because she wanted a boyfriend that badly. With the exception of Sadie, Brooke's new friends, I found most of the characters very narrow minded in a sense that they don't really think about their actions as well as a normal human being would. I'd also just like to point out she is super smart and has the ability to memorize everything but doesn't try because she thins shes rebelling against the school system. If she thought about it, what is one person going to do? She is just plain dumb. She also can be a total (female dog) sometimes. I feel like she mistreats everyone around her and somehow manages to get lucky and her life goes very well for her. I also don't like how she is easily influenced by people. She also tries to act "deep" or "hip". I think it's how the character was born but I feel like she randomly mentions her interests at random times. The book would just be talking about staples and she'll just randomly comment about how much she loves 80's music and how "deep" and "different" she is. Okay, maybe not THAT exaggerated but it is pretty close to what the reality is.

ALSO, side note: The way this book was written was very distracting. I noticed this author uses alot and I mean A L I T of phrases like "he's like" and "so I was like" instead of using phrases such as "I replied" or "I said". I do not really understand why she did that. Perhaps it was an attempt at appealing to younger audiences but it was VERY and I mean V E R Y distracting from the story. I would stop and stare at it for a while while I was reading sometimes.

But this book does have some good sides to it. Like the character Sadie simply because she is so cute, kind, and ADORABLE. The way Sadie write notes to make people feel better is just so cute in my opinion. And the way the book described her, I feel like she actually thinks about her actions sometimes (lol).(less)

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Aug 31, 2012 Dalimar rated it 3 of 5 stars

Antes que nada,me encantan los libros de Susan Colasanti que he leido.De hecho,este ultimo ha sido una sorpresa para mi encontrarme con un personaje tan desesperante y amargado como Brooke.Ese rollo de que ella y Scott estaban destinados a estar juntos es de lo mas patetico.Es de locos irse a Nueva York a casa de un padre que ha estado ausente de tu vida por 6 aïos,perder tus amistades,solo porque el chico que te gusta con el que solo has hablado dos a tres palabras en tu vida se haya mudado.En...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Agnes Sy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks

So um, this was kind of bad.

From the start, I already had a feeling I wouldn't like it. I mean seriously, following a guy you've barely talked to to another state? Pretty shallow. I know, I know - she already had supposed dreams of going to New York, but in the end she still went there coz of a guy.

But I'm giving it 2 stars anyway because it did get a little interesting somewhere along the line. And I admit Brooke was a little unique in her own way. You don't often find geniuses who downplay t...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Katie G rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-book-list

Let me start by saying that I hate the premise of this book. I'm not sure how I missed what it was about since the inside cover states that she follows the guy to a different state when she's still in high school, but somehow I missed that part. I hate the idea of a girl dropping everything for a guy she barely even knows, and had I realized that that's what this was at first, I probably wouldn't have read it.

I'm quite glad that I didn't know.

Yes, I still hate the premise of this novel, and I...more

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May 28, 2012 Kelsey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'll start off by saying that this book isn't entirely horrible. Thankfully it is a huge improvement from Colasanti's "Something Like Fate" which had lowered my expectations for this book.
The main character, Brooke, in this story seriously gives off a stalker vibe that I still can't seem to rationalize. Basically, this girl leaves her home in New Jersey to live with her dad in NYC because the boy she's in love with moves there. Let it be known that she has never even had an actual conversation...more

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May 20, 2012 Turquoise rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: banished-to-hell, why-did-i-read-this, wth-romance, failed-to-finish

What happened here is this.

A girl harbored a major crush for a boy, who later moved to a different city. She followed him like a stalker. She saw that he had a girlfriend who acted like a total biatch to her. Miraculously, for no reason what so ever, the boy noticed her and fell for her. Or something like that, I stopped reading it when I reached the 'finding him in a huge city as if she had superpower part'.

Reading this book really challenged my limit in taking in the whole 'crush on a cute, po...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Kayla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-love, books-with-characters-i-want-to-mar, covet-these-covers, fiction, lovely-characters, read-in-2012, romance, young-adult

Why, why why did it take me so long to start reading books by Susane Colasanti? I’ve had so many people recommend them to me, and just kept pushing it off. Now I regret that, because although I didn’t agree with some of the things the main character, Brooke, did, the writing style was absolutely captivating and pulled me right in.

The plot was simple, but frustrating. What sane person would move just to possibly be a little closer to a boy you say you love but who you’ve actually talked to twice?...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Tara rated it 2 of 5 stars

First off I started this book at 8pm after my kids went to bed. By midnight I only had about 50 or so pages left so being the 'nerd' that I can be sometimes, I decided to skip going to bed to complete. That being said, this is classified as an easy read. Susane Colasanti was compared to Sarah Dessen (an author I like) but I didn't see it. I just couldn't relate with this book like I could with a Dessen novel. I hope I picked the worst of her books to start with.

The book started off with the pot...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Ann Banda rated it 5 of 5 stars

NO ENTRES SI NO HAS LEÍDO; CRITICARE A BROOKE & HABRÁ SPOILERS ME TEMO!:/

Brooke; que vieja tan pirada!! Esa onda de viajar a Nueva York por un tipo con el cual solo has intercambiado como 15 palabras es de L O C O S !! Me desespero con su rollo de Scott & yo nos pertenecemos!
La Candice o como se llame también loca total;digo esta cañón por la onda de que también le gustaba el zanahoria este pero debería haber notado mas el que la amiga estaba media trolis por hacer eso jaja La April tamb...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Shxrxn rated it 5 of 5 stars

I can’t keep pretending we don’t belong together.
- Brooke
Heart.
In.
Pieces.
- Brooke
When forces beyond your control take over, they make you do stupid things. Or crazy things, like the way love was making me twist my whole life around.
- Brooke
World.
Shattering.
Apart.
- Brooke
What’s the point of digging up a lot of stuff that’s better off staying buried?
- Brooke
He gave me a reason to leave my whole world behind.
- Brooke
How do you convince a boy that you belong together when he’s going out with someone...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction, read-in-2011

I liked how easy this book was to read -- Colasanti's style is believable and her writing feels authentic.

I really found Brooke to be an annoying character though. She gives up her entire life to follow a boy to New York City. Over the course of the story she figures out her own life, but I really loathe the fact it all had to be over a boy. This is a story line that makes me unhappy. Romance is one thing, but giving up all autonomy to follow a boy (IN HIGH SCHOOL) doesn't do it for me. Likewis...more

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Oct 21, 2011 Marla rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: teens looking for an avant guarde love story

Shelves: 2011, chick-lit, romance, young-adult, with-reservations, challenged

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 3.5 stars. I expected the typical teen romance and was pleasantly surprised at the other aspects of the story.

Warning: this review has serious spoilers

I did NOT like the fact that Brooke moved to another city to live with her father to follow a boy she had a crush on. It would've been bad enough if her boyfriend moved away and she moved to be with him. But Scott didn't even remember who she was, the first time he saw her in New York. Once I got over that, I could be more objective. This is a gi...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Katrina Passick Lumsden rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not really sure what to say about this book. I love Colasanti's writing in general, but this one seemed a little rushed and lacking in areas. Brooke's maturation is refreshing and it's nice to have a change of pace regarding the whole Happily-Ever-After ending, but at the same time, this is given away entirely too early in the book so that you KNOW things are not going to end up the way you maybe originally thought they might. In my opinion, John was the best character, but I might be biased...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Reading, Eating & Dreaming rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-stars

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE YA REVIEWS AT READING, EATING & DREAMING I WAS BLAIR WALDORF

My sister, Chelsea, and I often share books. Chelsea let me borrow So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti. I just finished reading it, and I thought it was all right. If you want to read this book, I recommend borrowing it from a friend, family member, etc.

So Much Closer was a little juvenile for my taste. I thought that the main character moving to a different state and a different school following a boy, who sh...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Elania rated it 2 of 5 stars

I liked Colasanti's first book, WHEN IT HAPPENS, but the other ones have been a bit of a disappointment. I think the premises are great but not the follow through. In SO MUCH CLOSER, Brooke follows her true love Scott to NYC and when she gets there she makes friends and wakes up to this whole new lief she never before thought possible.

Well, the author made it seem like Brooke had a longing for NYC all her life, but it didn't make sense because I never saw any hint of Brooke having this deep des...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Michelle (FabbityFabBookReviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-young-adult

Having only ever read When It Happens (which I did enjoy), I was not too familiar with Colasanti's work. But after reading this, I will be going back to check out her previous novels.

For the first few chapters, I was rather frustrated and perplexed by the main character, Brooke. She seemed very untenable; not necessarily unlikable, but ungrounded for a protagonist. Also: choosing to move to another city for a boy she has barely ever spoken to in high school? Switching schools, leaving her mom, f...more Having only ever read When It Happens (which I did enjoy), I was not too familiar with Colasanti's work. But after reading this, I will be going back to check out her previous novels.

For the first few chapters, I was rather frustrated and perplexed by the main character, Brooke. She seemed very untenable; not necessarily unlikable, but ungrounded for a protagonist. Also: choosing to move to another city for a boy she has barely ever spoken to in high school? Switching schools, leaving her mom, friends, etc., behind for a guy she has a 'feeling' she belongs with?? What?!?!

Needless to say, despite my initial annoyance with Brooke and her almost too-seamless move to New York, Colasanti keeps the reader interested as she keeps the story moving quickly and introduces new dimensions and vibrant new characters into the mix. Once Brooke arrives in New York City, the story begins to chip away at some of Brooke's reserved tendencies, her strained history with her mom and dad, and consequently we start to see why she puts so much into hope and feelings.

Brooke's primary focus of her life pre-New York- her love of Scott- slowly begins to transform once she starts rooting herself in the city. As a reader, we can guess that when someone gets what they think they want, it rarely turns out the way they expected. So, rather than focusing the story on Brooke and Scott, Colasanti paints a wonderful picture of New York, its inhabitants, and some of its unexpectedly beautiful spaces. (It is clear that Colasanti adores New York).

The addition of new characters, specifically Sadie and John, adds great richness to the novel, and brings out more substance in Brooke. Inspired by the liveliness and life of New York, the residents, its spaces and constant movement, Brooke begins to unclench her heart (a painfully tiny bit at a time) to new friends, different experiences at school and in her personal life.

Verdict: Good. It could have veered off into the predicable but Colasanti added elements of welcome unpredictability and character development. While the book started off a little shaky for me, the story and my attachment to it grew as the book went on. I ended up really enjoying it!
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Jun 03, 2011 Cathy/The Crazy Bookworm rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading So Much Closer because I have heard great things about this author. However, this book didn't live up to my expectations.

I thought there would be more development with the story about the crush and the move to New York, but there wasn't at all. I couldn't believe that Brooke just up and left her best friends, and her school to follow a crush who barely knows who she was. I found Brooke irritating at times and a little immature. I've read books before wher...more

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May 23, 2011 Aimee (Coffee Table Reviews) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

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....more

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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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Quotes from So Much Closer

“One of the most amazing things that can happen is finding someone who sees everything you are and won't let you be anything less. They see the potential of you. They see endless possibilities. And through their eyes, you start to see yourself the same way. As someone who matters. As someone who can make a difference in this world.
If you're lucky enough to find this person, never let them go.” — 78 people liked it

“You can never completely know anyone, no matter how well you think you do. There will always be some truth about them you don’t ever get to know.” — 69 people liked it

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