ARC Review: Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

Release Date: July 12, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rated: YA
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*Book provided by the publisher for review*

On the last day of her junior year, Hannah's boyfriend Ryan 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, Ryan, 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...  

What I thought:

 What a beautiful, heart aching story! I hadn't intended to read this as fast as I did, but it was a book I was unable to put down until I finished it. It didn't read like I thought it would, though. It alternated between the summer and the day back to school. But it was well written and marked so it didn't disrupt the flow. Normally, I don't like this format. I have a hard time when it breaks up the main story, but everything was relevant and easy to follow.

I felt bad for Hannah through most of this. Her boyfriend cheats on her, her best friend leaves her for camp after they had planned to hang out all summer, and her best friend sends her boyfriend to keep checking up on her, not making time to actually call Hannah at first. She really didn't have a great start to her summer.

I loved the premise. It wasn't orchestrated to be something that was intended. They didn't mean to start liking each other. Hannah and Noah tried so hard to do the right thing, but let their emotions and feelings get in the way. It was hard to read, because I wanted things to start to get better for Hannah, but when I finished, I thought it was a great story, despite the struggles and obstacles that Hannah had along the way.

My Rating:

  

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