In Sometimes It Happens Lauren Barnholdt delves into a uniquely told story, about a girl falling for her best friend’s boyfriend, and the consequences she, that they all, must face.
When first introduced, Hannah is dealing with the bad breakup from her boyfriend, Sebastian, and when her best friend, Ava, abandons her to work at a summer camp, she starts to spend more time with Noah, Ava’s boyfriend, and eventually Hannah and Noah start working at the same place for the summer. Hannah develops feelings for Noah, but what about Ava? What about her lingering feelings for Sebastian?
In this tale about these teens and their messy feelings, Barnholdt does a wonderful job in expressing Hannah’s confusion. However, the character development in the story is lacking.
I liked the concept of the story, and I hoped that Barnholdt would deal with the dynamics of each relationship better that Elizabeth Scott in The Unwritten Rule. However, I was slightly disappointed. I mean, the story was okay, it wasn’t brillant, in fact it was utterly forgettable.
After reading the novel, I still don’t see a relationship between Noah that was worth risking her friendship with Ava? In fact, I don’t even understand why she was even friends with Ava, in the first place.
I didn’t really connect with novel, but I still am a fan of Barnholdt’s previous work and recommend them for a good read: Two Way Street, Watch Me, Aces Up, and One Night that Changes Everything.
Sometimes It Happens isn’t the greatest book, but it still makes you think, not everything in the world is just black and white, and makes you want to examine those grey areas.
