Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Published: July 12, 2011 by Simon Pulse
Pages: 320/Hardcover
Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab
Summary: On the last day of her junior year, Hannah's boyfriend Sebastian dumped her. Facing a summer of loneliness, Hannah turns to her best friend Ava for comfort. Ava does what BFFs do: she stays by Hannah's side...until it's time for Ava to head up to Maine for the summer. Also left behind is Ava's boyfriend, Noah, who's such a great guy he gets Hannah a job at the diner he waits tables at. Slowly, Hannah comes out of her funk thanks to Noah's good conversation and their fun times at the diner. But things get complicated when their friendship turns into attraction--and one night, into a passionate kiss.
The novel opens on the first day of senior year; the day Hannah is going to see Ava, Sebastian, and Noah all in one place. Over the course of the day secrets and betrayals are revealed, and alliances are broken and reformed. In the end, everyone is paired up once again, but not the way you might think...
Review: This is the third book by Lauren Barnholdt I've read and since I enjoyed her previous books I was looking forward to this one. There were some things that I think could have been better but it was an overall enjoyable read.
I think the main aspect to Sometimes It Happens the fact that it's basically a flashback book. I have a bit of a problem with books that involve flashbacks. I either like them or I don't. It wasn't that this book's flashbacks weren't well done, because they were. I just think it would have been a lot smoother if the book had started on the Last Day of Junior Year and gone from there without the flashbacks instead of starting on the First Day of Senior Year and going back and forth between flashbacks.
Character-wise the main characters didn't do it for me. I much preferred the secondary characters like Lacey. I found her quite funny and well rounded. Again, it's not that Noah and Hannah were bad, they just didn't hold a lot of emotional power over me. I guess you could say they seemed flat.
I also didn't see the chemistry between Noah and Hannah that led to The Thing. I definitely saw them grow closer, but more as friends than boyfriend/girlfriend. That being said, I still think it made for a good romantic-ish book.
My biggest problem with the book was how all of the resolution was at the end and it just seemed to rushed and unbelievable. I was happy to see that the book showed a realistic depiction of friendship (being mad at each other, fighting, making up, etc.) but all of the making up between characters was just too much and too soon to put into a few pages at the end.
Sometimes It Happens is a book that realistically shows a friendship and what can happen when other factors are thrown in. Some characters rubbed me the wrong way while other aspects didn't sit that well with me, but overall I really liked Barnholdt's newest work and can't wait for her next.
More Books by Lauren Barnholdt
Two-Way Street
One Night That Changes Everything
Aces Up
Reality Chick/Watch Me
The Witches of Santa Anna Series
At the Party Series
Before That Night
More Books by Lauren Barnholdt
Two-Way Street
One Night That Changes Everything
Aces Up
Reality Chick/Watch Me
The Witches of Santa Anna Series
At the Party Series
Before That Night
1 comment:
I liked this book, it wasn't great, just a little predictable. One thing I didn't like at all is the lack of description, I finished the book and didn't have the slightest idea of Hannah's or Noah's appearance. Didn't fall in love with the characters, they just didn't jump from the pages. But overall it's cute and breezy. The thing I found interesting is the change in time between chapters, the first one starts in the present first day of senior year, the second takes you 3 months back and so it goes alternating between which keeps you glued to the pages just to find out what happens two chapters away.
Post a Comment