Something Like Fate

May 10, 2010
Sixteen-year-old Lani feels an instant spark with Jason, but tries to ignore her feelings because he's dating her best friend, Erin. When Erin goes to summer camp, Jason breaks up with her and Lani starts seeing him in secret. Lani and Erin are both obsessed with fate—horoscopes, birth charts, dream analysis, etc.—and Lani must decide if her relationship with Jason is meant to be, even if it is what a fortune teller predicted will destroy her bond with Erin. Readers will understand both Lani's connection with Jason, who "feels like home," and her bond with Erin, which was crystallized when they were in a car accident years earlier, but has been weakening. Erin's reaction to the romance is intense, and Lani soon find herself a social outcast, while her friendship with her closeted gay friend, Blake, is strained after he's outed and harassed. Lani's obsession with the mystical can feel more like a device than an innate part of her personality, but her struggle with fate nonetheless adds needed depth to this familiar romantic triangle. Ages 12–up.

August 1, 2010

Gr 6-9-Colasanti turns a tired cliche-falling for your best friend's boyfriend-into an honest portrayal of romantic turmoil and backstabbing. Lani, 17, a well-meaning Jersey girl, is president of her school's environmental club and a firm believer in horoscopes, fortune-telling, and fate. When Erin, her friend since childhood, begins dating Jason, Lani finds that she is attracted to him, and it turns out that they have incredible chemistry. With Erin away as a leader-in-training at summer camp, Lani and Jason start a secret romance that Lani knows is wrong, but she wonders if fate is pushing her and Jason together. When Erin finds out about Lani's betrayal, she outs her friend as a manipulative backstabber. It's not every day that one reads about a sympathetic boyfriend-stealer, but it's hard not to root for Lani when she and Jason so clearly belong together. This novel will be an easy sell to reluctant readers and chick-lit enthusiasts.-Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2010
Grades 8-10 Lani and Erin are older teens who share an interest in fortune-telling. Erin is less serious than Lani, who backed out of the popular crowd because she is more interested in things like environmental action than parties. Although the two girls have a deep bond that began in childhood, Lanis true best friend is Blake, who fears his father will discover that he is gay. Erin is delighted when she starts dating Jasonone of many crushes she has shared with Lanibut when the three start hanging out together, Lani realizes that she and Jason are meant for each other. Colasanti provides credible and engaging character development for each cast member and interactions that spark just the right amount of tension to make this a romantic page-turner. A bit of steam is lost in the final pages, but a number of issues receive insightful inspection along the way: the meaning of friendship, whether fate plays a role in whom we love, intolerant parents, and coming to respect others' needs and feelings.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)