When It Happens

From School Library Journal Grade 9 Up–In the first chapter, readers find out that Sara is entering her senior year hoping that she'll find true love. She is encouraged when Dave asks her out. He is part of the in crowd, and she begins to hang out with his friends, at the expense of her relationships with her girlfriends. Next, readers hear from Tobey. He has slept with a couple of girls, but is uncomfortable with that kind of relationship. He thinks Sara is his real thing, and he asks her friend Laila to help him win her over. Tobey and Sara become partners in music class and find they have much in common. Dave, on the other hand, is a disappointment to her. When he pressures Sara to sleep with him, she finally realizes that she confused her attraction to his good looks and connections with honest feelings. Through alternating chapters, readers get the perspectives of Tobey and Sara about their developing relationship. The easy style of the writing reflects how teens speak, and some of the characters' language is realistically gritty. This is a fun romance with lots of dialogue that, due to the many popular-culture references, will become dated quickly. –Karen Hoth, Marathon Middle/High School, FL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Gr. 9-12. Told from the alternating perspectives of its two main characters, both seniors in high school, this story owes much to (and occasionally references) the 1989 teen romance film Say Anything. To brainy and beautiful Sara, Tobey is nothing more than a slacker band guy with no future prospects. This is unfortunate for Tobey, who has dedicated himself to winning her affections--a special challenge given the presence of Dave, Sara's stereotypically gorgeous, popular, and (of course) rotten boyfriend. It's a well-known and well-loved construct; unfortunately, Sara is not quite as likable as readers might wish, given her rigidity and often unkind behavior. Tobey's appeal is real, but is spoiled by occasionally loutish sexual thoughts (fantasies involve "his headboard . . . bumping against the wall") and by the ease with which he discards his worldview to impress his crush. Unlike Say Anything, this love story doesn't come together, but the premise will inevitably draw a crowd, and there is real charm in the vibrant supporting characters and their authentic, humorous dialogue. Holly Koelling Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "Realistic dialogue, multi-layered characters, musical references and issues that matter most to teens make this story happen. Like Sarah Dessen, Colasanti knows how teens operate." —Kirkus Reviews "It is a fully satisfying story that will please young adult readers looking for a little romance." —VOYA Susane Colasanti is the author of When It Happens, Take Me There, and Waiting for You . 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, Susane was a high school Physics and Earth Science teacher for almost ten years. She lives in New York City. From The Washington Post Sara is searching for something real. It's the start of senior year, and the brainy and beautiful teen is determined that this will be the year she finds "it" -- that elusive little thing called love. She's been crushing all summer on Dave, who asked for her phone number at the end of junior year. She's been waiting for his call for months, stressing about her search not for just any boyfriend but the one who truly gets her, understands that she must make it into New York University, grasps the whacked-out relationship she has with her mom. She's got all her hopes wrapped up in Dave, not knowing that Tobey -- the slacker guy from art class who seems to care only about his band -- has spent countless hours crafting a plan to win her over. So it goes in When It Happens (Viking, 17.99), Susane Colasanti's debut novel, which successfully captures the angst and exhilaration that come with new love. Colasanti's tale unfolds in a "she said/he said" style, with chapters that tell the story from the viewpoint of each main character. Two sets of typefaces -- one for Sara's side, another for Tobey's -- make it easy to track who's talking. That Colasanti, a public high school teacher in New York City, gets what high school is like is evident. Film and music references are sprinkled throughout her text, from Sara's favorite movie ("Say Anything") to a band (R.E.M.) she's heard of but never listened to until Tobey. Mentions of drugs, sex, eating disorders and the social pressures teens face aren't overdone, and the dialogue is breezy and realistic (including a few gratuitous f-bombs and a URL to a porn site). Even Colasanti's description about getting dressed for gym is legit: "First I sniff the shirt that's in my locker to make sure it doesn't smell too bad. Even if it does, I still have to wear it. But then I know not to stand too close to anyone." Colasanti obviously remembers the kind of love that makes your insides churn, belly flips and all. Her take on young romance is insightful, fresh and fun, her characters fully formed and likable. Knowing how the book will end hardly matters, for When It Happens is sort of like high school itself: The outcome may be predictable, but what's really important is what happens along the way. Debra Leithauser, editor of The Post's Sunday Source Copyright 2006, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved. Read more