Caroline's Reviews > When It Happens

"Maggie's like, 'Did he call'" Already, by this line in the second paragraph I was frustrated and disappointed by "When it Happens." The author is a high school teacher; she should have been able to write realistic compelling dialogue. However, her writing seemed to fall between corny and contrived. The alternating first person narratives between the two protagonists does not present a cohesive story but rather a battle of the sexes and comes no where near the writing of "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist." The plotline, all though certainly not an original one, could have worked had Colasanti not confined her characters to stereotypes of "jock" "geek" and "slacker." The emotions of the characters are blunt and one dimensional. Unless you like to go through a book and make your own edits, I do not recommend this read. However, I hope that if encouraged to experiment and with a little writing help, Colasanti could come out with a strong second novel.