Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

Noelle doesn't like going to high school. Well, who does? But Noelle is one of the poorest students at this high school - everyone else is really rich, so she gets bullied and picked on.

But Noelle also doesn't like to be at home. Her mother always complains about work, she blames their poorness on Noelle, and doesn't leave any food for Noelle to make lunches.

So Noelle is stunned when gorgeous, rich, and nice guy Julian starts to talk to Noelle - and not to make fun of her or bully her. He actually talks about topics Noelle can relate to.

That all stops, though, when Julian asks her out on a semi-date and Noelle turns him down. But Noelle knows that once Julian finds out exactly what Noelle goes through between her mother and the bullying classmates, he won't want to be with her.

When a classmate that Noelle somewhat knew, Ali, commits suicide, Noelle realizes that she needs to start changing her attitude toward life. And to start sticking up for herself instead of letting the bullies get away with every mean thing they do.

But a life of being bullied puts pressure on a person. Can Noelle finally go after what she wants and stand up to the bullies? Or will she stay the same shy, timid, and scared person she's always been? Read Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book has a great message to the readers. Bullying is a huge part of high school, no matter where you live and I think it's a great topic to write about and show the readers that anyone can find help they need when being bullied.

I'm just not sure that this was my favorite novel. It's a very short novel, just 202 pages, but it seemed to take me forever to get through it.

I loved how Noelle grew as a character and a person throughout this novel. She started to make more friends, found a group that she loved, and maybe found her lifetime goal career after she gets out of high school.

And I love her determination to her her friend, Sherae, after a bad relationship ended abruptly.

Just, for some reason, I found something to be lacking in this story. Nothing horrible, just something little that I was missing.

This topic can really be helpful to teen girls (or guys as well) who are bullied. I think that any teen reader should pick this up and read Noelle's story to see how well she grew throughout the last semester of one high school year.

When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

Sara: Decent grades, two best friends, senior year in high school applying for her dream college. All that is missing now is a boyfriend to make her life complete.

The new boy, Dave, has everything she wants in a guy: looks, popularity, sincerity... Or so she thought.

But when Sara finds herself daydreaming more about a different guy than Dave, she needs to rethink about why she wants to be with Dave, or if she should be with Tobey instead...

Tobey: Ever since junior year, Tobey has been secretly crushing on Sara. However, he doesn't think he's good enough with his average grades, his band, and he's not going to college next year.

At the beginning of senior year, though, Tobey makes a goal for him to talk to Sara and see if they could have a real beginning together.

Even when Sara starts to see Dave, Tobey creates plans and scenarios between Sara and Tobey to see if they could have a shot, or if they just weren't meant to be together.

Want to know what happens with Tobey and Sara? Read When It Happens by Susane Colasanti to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a cute novel. Takes me back to senior year when applying for colleges and sticking to my own "clique" at school.

This is the first novel of Susane Colasanti's that I've read, and I loved how she did alternating narration between Tobey and Sara. The reader got a chance to see inside of both characters and their insecurities/thoughts throughout their senior year.

I was also really glad to see character development in this novel. Many authors do that during series, but Colasanti was able to develop both characters within this book and learn from one another.

Tobey learned how to be studious and Sara learned to live a little.

I think many high school readers would enjoy this novel. They would be able to relate to either Sara or Tobey and they could relate to the pressure of senior year and college applications.

The only thing that I wish was different was the cover. Because this is in alternating gender narrations, I think teen guys would like this novel, but the cover is definitely for a female audience.

I don't foresee too many guy readers picking this up, which is unfortunate because Tobey's story is really compelling, especially for aspiring musicians.

I might have to pick up another novel by Colasanti and see if she's the next "Sarah Dessen" or "Maureen Johnson"!