"When It Happens" tells the story of the unfolding relationship between Sarah and Tobey, switching between their perspectives in each chapter while chronicling their successes and fall outs in their relationships. Sarah is a girl who suddenly catches the eye of the guy she's been crushing over for a long time - Dave, a football player and a part of the popular crowd. Tobey is the guy in the background who has secretly crushed on Sarah for a long time and wants to finally "make his move," only to figure out that Sarah's beginning a relationship with Dave. It's a push/pull novel that's probably a little too easily resolved in places (and relies a bit too much on pop culture to move it along, but I think I'm used to those references in Colasanti's novels), but manages to be sweet and charming in places. I wasn't a big fan of Tobey in the beginning because of his obsession with sex, but as the novel went on, the story developed him out to be more than just a guy who wanted to get the girl. And Sarah's an ambitious girl who wants things in the universe to work in her favor, and somehow it all comes together - just in a way that she doesn't suspect.Unfortunately, there's really not that much depth to any character in this novel, and if you've read stories like this before, you probably know what's going to happen before the very end of the book. Also, there's some backtracking since, as a reader, you're observing similar events through the eyes of the alternating characters, which might come across as repetitive in spurts, but I appreciated the fresh eyes in each scene. It was an engaging read for the journey, kept my attention, but I have read better books that manage to make it a bit more realistic, fun, and the "tug at your heartstrings" romance that pulls a reader along. I understood the references clearly, but it does have a bit of too many (teen slang, pop culture references, and obvious references to "Say Anything") that bog it down. I think this being my (technically) fifth Colasanti novel, I've become used to certain parts of her writing that stand out and I can accept this as her style, though it always leaves me to think it could be better than what it is if the references were fewer and more subtle. And I realize this is her first novel, and it does a bit better handling the multiple perspectives than, say, "Take Me There."I would recommend giving it a try if you're looking for something light, fluffy, and simple story of a boy and a girl whose worlds happen to collide.Overall score: 2.5/5
