A Review for One Night that Changed Everything by Lauren Barnholdt.

Posted by Donna

Release Date: July 6th, 2010

Finished Date: July 1st, 2012

Publishers: Simon & Schuster

Source: Swapped

Format: Paperback

Pages: 272
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Two years ago, when Eliza Sellman was in ninth grade, her dad found out he was being transfered and the family was going to move. Having always been shy and not so confident about her body, Eliza took that opportunity to start a list in her private notebook of all the things she planned on doing when she moved but had always been afraid to—like wearing a miniskirt and asking guys to dance; singing karaoke in front of strangers; posting a photo of herself on her Facebook wall in a bikini...you get the idea. New town, new Eliza, right? Well, she'll never know because the transfer fell through and they didn't move. But Eliza kept adding her goals and secret fears to the list in the notebook. Now it's two years later, and in that time Eliza has had and lost her first boyfriend. But this was more than your average breakup...turns out the sweet and cute Cooper was only dating her as a hazing stunt by a secret society. Eliza got her revenge by posting some pretty nasty (and only sort-of true) stuff about Cooper online. That posting has had major consequences and now Cooper and his buddies have stolen her private notebook and won't give it back until she performs all the things on her list in one night. It's torture...until Eliza steals something from the boys she knows they'll want to trade her notebook for. What starts out as a night of humiliation turns into a night of revelations as Eliza learns what Cooper was really thinking when they dated, the real reason he's stolen her notebook, and how freeing—and life-changing—it can be to do the things you fear the most.

The Review: I’ve had a few days off from reviewing books, so finally I’ve been able to catch up with my own books that have been sitting on my shelf for a while, and One Night that Changed Everything was one of them. 

I won’t re-cap the synopsis because it tells you pretty much what you need to know, but I will say before reading this GO AND READ “Before that Night” by Lauren Barnholdt. This is the prequel to One Night that Changed Everything and I’m so glad I read it first, because it gives you the details on how Elize and Cooper first met. I felt it was a very important part of the story and although Lauren does a good job giving you the details on long the way, I still felt there could have been more and I would have missed some of the details, had I had not read the prequel.

Anyway, the story was just what I needed for a quick, enjoyable weekend read. Full of laughs, embarrassing and emotional times, One Night that Changed Everything was a good read. I really enjoyed the way the author had set the book up, because it’s told over the span of one night. You can see the time ticking down for the main character Elize, so it gives you a lot of intense scenes – some which are quite heart-breaking. 

I really enjoyed Elize as a character; she was fun and bubbly and had insecurities about herself like any normal teenage girl. What made Eliza stand out was the fact that most of the secrets in her diary, are probably some other girls secrets too. Don’t we all wish we could walk up to a guy and ask him to dance? Or tell someone a deep secret? I know I do, and I know someone people will agree with me. My only problem with Elize as a character was that she was a little naïve at times and I wished she’d open her eyes and see Cooper for who he was. I loved Cooper! I thought he was a great love interest. And although you have to guess his real feelings for Elize, because of what he’s done to her, you can see that he does love her. 

I really do enjoy Lauren Barnholdt’s work but I do have a slight problem and that’s the ending of her books. From the books I’ve read so far, there’s no closure. As soon as the characters make up, the book ends and I feel like there is more than enough room for a few extra chapters, so we, as readers can see the characters happy together. Other than that, I enjoyed it. 

A review for Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

Posted by Donna
Published Date: July 12th, 2011
Finished Date: July 3rd, 2011
Source: ARC, Galley Grab
Format: E-Galley
Pages: 320
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The Blurb from Goodreads: 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.

The Review: Sometimes It Happens is a fun, enjoyable and quick read that any girl is sure to love. I didn’t realise how quickly I flew through this book until I finished it. Honestly, it was a matter of hours. 

The story follows Hannah; a high school student who is catches her boy friend making out with another girl at a party on the last day of school. It’s safe to say, their relationship ends. While spending the start of her summer mopping around after her ex, Noah helps her get a job working at a local diner. Fast becoming friend, Hannah and Noah end up spending more time together, listening to music, going to concerts and finally, Noah soon becomes Hannah’s shoulder to cry on. When Hannah realises she’s starting to fall for him, she’s knows that a problem, a big problem. Why? Because Noah is her best friend’s boyfriend. And would she betray her best friend to get the guy of her dreams? 

I was surprised by how much I liked this story. I’ve read Lauren Bardholdt ‘The Witches of Santa Anna’ series and was praying this wasn’t like it. Not that I didn’t enjoy her series but the books are so small and you pay a bomb for each e-book and there’s loads of them, anyway, back to the point Sometimes It Happens really surprised me. I liked the style of writing, I liked the character and I loved the whole genre plot of the story. 

The story alternates from what happened over the summer between our main characters to the present day, starting back at school. As you’re going back and forth between each chapter, it’s like a mini cliff-hanger that leaves you dying to know what happens next. It’s full of suspense and I loved it. I also really enjoyed Hannah and Noah as characters. Both totally loveable. I wasn’t too keen on the best friend Ava, who I found really self-centred but I suppose everyone needs a character like her in a book. 

The main reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars was because I felt the ending just kind of….stopped. The story was nicely tied up but I felt there was room for a couple more characters on the romance. Or on Ava and Hannah’s friendship but hey, that’s just my view. 

Overall, Sometimes It Happens is the ideal summer read. Fun, lovable and totally swoon worthy. Read it, enjoy it, I did!