Review: Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt
Title: Sometimes It Happens
Hardcover, 320 pages
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: July 12, 2011
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon
Book 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:
I hadn’t read a Lauren Barnholdt book before Sometimes It Happens (I know, I know, I call myself a contemporary reader). I tried to go in with medium expectations so that I didn’t throw the whole thing off. Not fair to do!
Sometimes It Happens is the story of Hannah, who gets dumped by her boyfriend right before her best friend leaves for the whole summer. The story flips between her first day of high school (the present) and the “incident” that caused all of the problems Hannah is having now. In the beginning I was a little confused (it takes a few flashbacks for you to understand who Lacey is and why they would be friends in the present) but as the events started to work themselves out I actually found myself really enjoying how the book was laid out. I felt a little like I was uncovering parts of a mystery – actions several chapters in would explain why something had happened before, etc.
I liked Hannah as a person, even though she does start to have feelings for her best friend’s boyfriend. She is very honest in her dialogue to herself – recognizing that she is not supposed to have these feelings because it breaks that code of friendship. Ava, on the other hand, is not one I liked much – she was a great friend at times, but also very snotty at others. I preferred Lacey, Hannah’s new summer co-worker, even if Lacey did get a little crazy about going to the doctor all of the time.
The romance in this book was different from many because it is one that eases into itself because of the situation Noah and Hannah are in. As events and feelings are unraveled, you’re not sure how it’s going to all end up, which keeps you reading until the end.
Sometimes It Happens is a great summer book. It has summer elements but also a depth that will catch on to readers looking for something more intelligent than a fluffy light book. I plan on reading more of Barnholdt!
Buy: Amazon
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