When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

Title: When It Happens
Author: Susane Colasanti
Published: May 2008 by Speak

My Rating: 4 stars
Tags: YA | Realistic | Romance
Includes: Lots of Profanity, Sexual Content

First Lines: "So." "Yeah?" I say. But I already know what she's going to say. She's asked me the same exact question every day this summer. And the answer is always no.

Sara, a senior at high school, is focused on getting into the college of her dreams and getting a real boyfriend. She starts dating the popular jock, Dave, to later find out that maybe he's not the one out there for her. Then there's Tobey...the under-the-radar slacker, wannabe rockstar. Who believes that Sara is his soul mate. Despite the fact they they barely know each other, they begin to fall head-over-heels in love. They're both looking for "something real" and could this just be it? Or will their very different plans for the future get in the way of that?

Character development. One of my personal most important things for a book to have - and this one had it! I got to know Sara and Tobey so well throughout their story, and their chemistry seemed so real. They're both likeable characters with a separate personality, that fit each other perfectly. It's almost too good to be true!

I loved how the chapters alternated between points of view of both characters. It was like I got a sneak peek into a boy's head and finally was able to understand how they think for once, ha! However the derogatory ways that Tobey would think about Sara were sometimes a little insulting. He constantly would think about sex, whereas from Sara's POV it was all about talking and getting to know him. But Tobey's a sweet guy and I liked how honest he was and stayed true to himself throughout the book.

From page 139
Then Sara looks right at me, catching me off guard. I am instantaneously transformed into this sweating, heart-pounding freak. I am no longer Tobey Beller. It's bizarre that I'm still able to speak in this condition.

Something I really liked in the book was that even though Sara wanted to be with Tobey, while she was still dating Dave the idiot, she didn't give into temptation. It's good to see a strong self-control in the main character, and made me like her even more. In other books, she would have kissed him and then felt guilty afterward since she already had a boyfriend.

The book was a lot of dialogue, and I would've liked to see more details or things happening. Halfway through reading it, I couldn't even distinguish what the problem in the book was - it all seemed so happy go lucky to me, and that everything was working out a little too perfectly. Even after the satisfactory ending, I still can't quite put my finger on what was the 'problem' that arose somewhere in the book. Overall a great book, I really loved the two characters, and they shared a cute story.

From page 191
Music plays. A few kids start dancing, but most of them sit in groups on the bleachers. People filter in. They reek of self-consciousness. Nervous excitement is in the air. And there's that charge of hope I always feel at these things when I have a girl watching who's into me.

Book Supplied by: Traded it from paperbackswap.com