Review: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti
Released: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 268
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by: Carey
Synopsis: Lani and Erin are bonded for life. One thing that connects them is their fascination of fate. Lani wonders how much of our lives has already been decided and how much we can actually influence. Since the Unknown can unexpectedly change our lives forever, how much can we really control?

From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can't deny the intense connection they share. It feels like she's known him forever. She's not sure if he feels it, too. But it doesn't matter. Because Jason is Erin's boyfriend. Lani is determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than risk hurting her best friend.

How long can Lani keep running from the boy who might be her destiny?

Review:

Susane Colasanti tends to write somewhat the same story. Well, the same character, really, at least for her first four books. (Which in my opinion isn't bad; I personally love it, because there's always something different about each one of them.) There's a smart, artistic girl who likes to recycle, some more than others in each aspect. They're always down to earth, and they always want something real. They always believe in fate, or in The Now, karma, or something among those lines.

Lani, the main character, loooooves astrology, or anything like that. She and her best friend, Erin, take months at a time to study things like tarot cards, graphology, dream analysis, palmistry, et cetera. She also is president of the recycling club called One World. She believes in psychics, in fate, and that The Energy will always help you out, that it'll do things for you, send you signs, et cetera. I love Lani. She's probably my favorite Colasanti character because of how zen she really is.

But then she goes and falls in love with Jason, which really makes her think about her fate and everything. Jason is Erin's boyfriend. Apparently he and Lani hit it off before Erin and Jason were official, but didn't do anything about it. Blake, Lani's gay best friend, feels strongly about the fact that Jason and Lani are so into each other and they don't even realize it, and neither does Erin. Which is good, I guess, since when the summer begins (the novel starts off in April), Erin goes off to camp. For the entire summer. Which is so totally not good. It's an accident waiting to happen, and nobody knows it yet.

But before that, probably around the endish of May, Lani's horoscope says that she should take a risk when she normally wouldn't. Even the Magic 8 ball says so. So she goes to ask Jason if he likes her. But before she can even ask, he says that he does. Oh. Poor Erin. And all of the sudden Lani's all, "How could I do this to her? She saved my life." Which makes you wonder... What happened? (Since this is my third time rereading it, of course I know, but I'm not going to say anything until it happens.)

They were in an accident. It was said multiple times thus far (about 115 pages in). Pretty much it was raining insanely bad, a downpour. Erin's mom was driving the then ten-year-olds back from a Girl Scout camping trip. She said she could see anything, so she decide to pull over on the side of the road. But they hydroplaned  And then crashed into something. And then they were wobbling. On the lake. The one literally in Lani's backyard. Erin's mother was knocked out cold. The doors and windows wouldn't open. The car was sinking. They were drowning. Water was somehow in the car already. Eventually the car was found, before they did drown. Of course that was how Lani got the scar, she must have hit her head in something. It only said that it was in the accident. Erin's mom was okay, and so was Erin. They were completely fine. And Erin and Lani were then soul sisters for life.

So then off Erin goes to camp. Jason breaks up with Erin via letter. Jason and Lani end up being together, of course. Blake is the only one who knows. The entire summer is them sneaking around, since they can't been seen in public, because they don't want Erin to somehow find out from anyone not them and in a letter.

I just gotta say: I love when authors say the title of the book in the book. It just gives me this warm, fuzzy feeling on the inside, you know? Okay, so maybe you don't know. Sorry.

So school starts and Jason tells Erin that they're together and Erin forwards the email, changing it a bit, telling everyone that Lani is a slut and Lani gets shunned and Blake is outed and he hates Lani cause she accidentally told Jason earlier in the book and everyone starts bullying Lani. (Wow, now that was a run-on sentence!)  And it's so bad.  Girls are vicious bitches, even in The Book World, sadly.

At this point, Jason and Lani aren't seeing each other. She promised Erin she wouldn't so that they could still be friends, even though Erin is treating her like crap and isn't even talking to her, and then there's this website saying "we hate sluts" and it's only a picture of Lani. I don't see why Lani doesn't realize that Erin isn't holding up her end of the deal and that she doesn't deserve to be treated like this, even if it wasn't her who started the website. 

Blake gets kicked out when his father finds out that he's gay and he has to go and live with his uncle 45 minutes away, poor kid. But him and Lani are friends again because she stood up for him when his locker was vandalized. Blake ends up standing up for himself and he's happy. I'm glad that Colasanti wrote in a gay character. I haven't read that many books where even a minor character is gay, let alone gay and out. It was also risky, let's be real. Even if it's fictional literature, I'm sure some people gave her crap about writing about a gay boy. (Which is ridiculous and saddening.) Props to Colasanti.

This is my top three favorite Colasanti books. Well, in the three-way tie for first place (along with Waiting for You and When It Happens). It's because this story, it's so true, it's so high school. The amount of times I remember hearing about some slut who stole their best friends boyfriend, or even the douche who stole their best bud's girlfriend (happened right at graduation, poor guy). People always spread rumors, make the two people feel bad, whatever. It's just so real. It's the realest novel Colasanti has ever written in my opinion. And that's why it gets five out of five stars.

Who know what makes this book even better? This:

HOW FABULOUS IS THIS? Susane, The Energy loves you and will continue to do great things for you.

You can check out my review for When It Happens here, and be on the lookout for All I Need.

Review: When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

Title: When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

Released: May 4, 2006 by Viking

Pages: 287

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed by: Carey

At the start of her senior year in high school, Sara wants two things: to get into a top college and to find true love.Tobey also wants two things for his senior year: to win Battle of the Bands and to make Sara fall in love with him. However, a popular jock named Dave moves in on Sara first. But Tobey’s quirky wit and big blue eyes are hard for Sara to ignore. Plus, he gets the little things that matter to her. Can a slacker rock-star wannabe win the heart of a pretty class brain like Sara?

Hilariously and movingly told through Tobey and Sara’s authentic voices, Susane Colasanti’s debut novel sizzles in its portrayal of two young people searching for The One. 

***

First of all: Susane Colasanti is tied for my favorite author, along with Sarah Dessen. Second of all, I'm in the middle of rereading all of my Colasanti books right now, so I will probably be reviewing all seven of her books right now. Actually, just six, because last year before my unofficial hiatus, I did review Keep Holding On.

I found this book around the end of March 2012. I had only then been getting back into reading, thanks to Sarah Dessen, and my growing obsession with her books. I only had one book of her's left to read: Lock and Key. And I could not find it anywhere. Barnes and Noble did not have it, and that was the only major bookstore around my area. Walmart/Target didn't have it, and neither did the cute little used bookstore in my old town. That was when Janice, the owner, called another bookstore a town over, asking them if they had a copy. And they did.

When I got to the bookstore, they didn't have it set out for me. They directed me to the YA section, and I thanked them. I instantly found it, and almost left, but then I saw the cover of When It Happens. I'm not going to lie: I judge books by their covers. I mean, come on. Everyone does!  And this book, right next to D for Dessen, was sitting with it's cover facing me. I instantly fell in love with it. I scanned the back, seeing if I would be interested in it, and then made sure it was written in first person point of view, and I bought it. I had never heard of who Susane was until that day.

About two weeks later, I was in a horrible car accident, causing me to be on bed rest for five months. I was stuck on the couch on a bunch of pain killers for what seemed like forever. And then , once I got used to being loopy all the time, I remembered this book, just sitting on my bookshelf. 

I fell in love immediately with Sara. I loved how she wanted to be so zen. I loved how driven she was.I loved how she wanted Mister Perfect. And then Tobey, oh, Lord, Tobey. He's so quirky and adorable and he plays guitar, of course I fell in love with him. I loved that Susane wrote in both points of view. I love how she made each character view things somewhat differently with their perspective chapters. I loved her writing style, I loved the romance, and I loved how Tobey chased after Sara for so long and finally got her, despite the asshole who is Dave.

This was Susane's debut novel, and it was perfect, honestly. It's weird to think that it came out in 2006, and  I didn't even know about it until 2012. But I'm glad that I did, because now she is my favorite author.

I guess this turned into a Susane Colasanti review in general, rather than for When It Happens. Awkward.

This book is honestly such a fun read in my opinion. It took a couple of chapters to get used to the dual point of view--- every other chapter is a different narrator (either Sara or Tobey). But it was just so real. Sara and her friends have such realistic high school problems, like not being the smart friend, worrying about relationships, their parents splitting up, sex, everything that actually happens their senior year. Even Tobey and his friends, with being slackers, and that they're in a band, everything. It's just so realistic. 

And it's just so simple and honest. I know high schoolers don't want to admit this, but all we do is talk about relationships. Okay, at least 95% of the time. Some people would be irritated because it's pretty much only about relationships and how Tobey is trying to steal Sara away from Dave, but I think it's just so honest. Like, that really is what high schoolers do. If you don't say so, you're lying to yourself.

I think Susane did such a good job with this because when she wrote When it Happens, she was still a high school teacher. Props to her.

Five out of five stars, Susane Colasanti. You go, Susane Colasanti.