Something Like Fate

by Susane Colasanti

Lani and Erin are bonded for life. One thing that connects them is their fascination of fate. Lani wonders how much of our lives has already been decided and how much we can actually influence. Since the Unknown can unexpectedly change our lives forever, how much can we really control?

From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can't deny the intense connection they share. It feels like she's known him forever. She's not sure if he feels it, too. But it doesn't matter. Because Jason is Erin's boyfriend. Lani is determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than risk hurting her best friend.

How long can Lani keep running from the boy who might be her destiny?

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Chick Lit, High School, Fiction

268 pages, Hardcover

First published May 4, 2010

About the author

Susane Colasanti is the bestselling author of When It Happens, Take Me There, Waiting for You, Something Like Fate, So Much Closer, Keep Holding On, All I Need, Now and Forever, and the City Love trilogy. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from New York University. Before becoming a full-time author in 2007, Susane was a high school science teacher for ten years. She lives in New York City.

You can connect with Susane on her Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Reviews

[Sandee is Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read another book not so long ago where the lead female character hooked up with her best friend's boyfriend.

My reaction was:



I was not at all happy with how that one played out.

But with this book it was an entirely different story.



It was put in a way that I liked the lead character despite the fact that she fell in love with her best friend's boy.

Lani and Erin have been best friends for as long as they could remember.
But they were different from each other as night and day.
Lani was the environmentalist who usually likes to likes things simple.
Erin was the exact opposite.
She was the outgoing one who does something she wants without hesitation.
Erin started to date Jason whom she thinks was her soul mate.
Lani was okay with the fact that Erin was going out with Jason.
Jason was a good guy and it wasn’t hard to see that.
When Erin went to camp leaving Lani and Jason together that’s when things started to get complicated.
Lani know it was wrong but she was starting to develop feelings for Jason.
What made it worse was the fact that Jason seemed to be feeling the same way.
Lani has to choose between keeping her friendship with Erin or hurting her just for the sake of her getting the guy who she thinks was the guy fate chose for her.

One good thing about this book was that it was relatable.
The plot was not that unique but the characters made it so.
Lani, Erin, Jason and Blake were very relatable.
When we read this book we either see a piece of ourselves with Lani, Erin, Jason or Blake and that was what made this book good.

I do believe in fate but don’t entirely depend on it.
Fate would sometimes intervene but in the end out decisions would still be the last call.
We can make our own destiny.
Though I love how the author used the fate thing in this book.
I definitely look forward to more books from this author.


I give this book a 4! :D

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can obviously tell what this book is about from the cover. I picked up this book because I saw that some people compared Colasanti's writing to Sarah Dessen. I pretty much got the opposite of what I expected.

What I didn't like:

Lani's Thoughts
The inner dialogue was written as following:

I was all like, "..."
I go, "..."
He's like, "..."
And I'm all, "..."

Yes, some teenagers do actually talk like this, but this got incredibly annoying throughout the book. Honestly, if what was actually in quotes was like that, fine. But what ever happened to I said, "...."?

Random Characters
After every few chapters, a new character is introduced randomly. The main character Lani just mentions a new character as if I'm supposed to automatically know who they are. This actually happens a lot throughout the book, not only in the first few chapters. And after these characters are just randomly introduced, you never see them again. At all.

Characters
I hated how stereotypical the character Blake was. He's a gay guy and he's a 'fashion diva' and he acts totally girly. That's really stereotypical..that's not how all gay guys act.

Lani's character was just plain stupid at times. In the end, Erin embarrasses Lani online and Lani just forgives her for it like it's nothing! Honestly, she didn't even THINK about it... that annoyed me to no end!! Honestly, Lani... think a little!

Jason was a flat character. He had pretty much NO personality. Whatsoever. I couldn't connect with him at all, and I really don't get what exactly makes him and Lani "soul mates".


Soul mates? I think not.
All of the connections between Lani and Jason were two dimensional... they never really got the chance to 'connect' or whatever. One of the reasons they think it's fate that they should be together is that raspberries are both of their favorite fruits. Seriously. Other reasons include that they played together in a sandbox when they were little (They live in a small town. The entire junior class is like seventy people, so it's not unlikely that they would have known each other as kids.), they both have the same poster in their rooms... I think you get the point here.

Overall, it wasn't a very enjoyable book. The one thing I did like about it was the fate aspect of it. Lani and her "best" friend Erin are obsessed with fate, and I really liked that, because you don't really see that type of thing in many books. But, that's the only reason it got more than 1/5 stars.

So... I will be giving Susane Colasanti's books another chance... "Take me There" by her was on the Bargain Books on Amazon, so I added it to my order last week. (I haven't gotten the books in yet).. But if I don't like that, I'm not going to be reading any more of her books...

Revising this review about 10 months later, Take Me There is still sitting on my shelf... haven't read it yet, and I'm thinking that I might just to get a good laugh out of it. I don't know.

[Yan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something Like Fate is a typical YA novel of two best friends wooing the same guy. One takes the initiative and asks said guy, Jason, out. He agrees. But then the best friend of said girl, Lani, begins talking to him and finds out that she likes him…and he likes her back. They talk more, with the initiative girl, Erin's, consent, and finds out that they have a lot in common! Like a freakish amount of things in common (I’m still wrapping my mind around the common oddities). So when the girl goes away, the cats will play. Jason’s and Lani’s relationship is refreshing and ever so endearing. But when Erin comes back things go downhill….

It was within the last few chapters that things get out of hand. Erin is a complete ’itch. Lani needs to stop being a pushover but they are times where I applaud her. To make amends for stealing her ex-boyfriend (Jason and Lani hook up after Erin gets dumped), Erin tells Lani to stop seeing Jason, which she compiles. Excuse me for a second while I scream. Seriously!? Are you daft woman? In the very next line, Erin tells Lani that she is yet to be forgiven and ignores her for the next several days at school. So the purpose of not seeing Jason is…?

I dislike the ending very much so. It was way too fast. Erin apologies, Lani forgives; Lani apologies, Erin forgives; they cry and hug. That’s it. I did not see much character development for the majority of them.

There were some characters that I found really enjoyable to read: Blake and Connor. Blake is gay but no one knows about it and Connor is from Canada (yay Canadians). They add a touch of serenity and whimsical humor at times that added much to the dialogues. I love the fact that Blake was able to forgive and grow whereas Connor is sweet, caring, and a steady rock.

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover is totally off-putting. The intent is obviously to be playful but it's giving off a wrong message, like it's completely okay to cheat on your best friend with her boyfriend. But then the question below the title gave me a pause. What if your soul mate is your best friend's boyfriend? Of course it still doesn't make cheating okay but it got me really curious how the author will attempt to answer the question.

And true enough, the story really isn't about cheating which makes the cover misleading. Lani and Jason didn't really cheat on Erin. They really just had an undeniable connection that they couldn't resist and didn't mean to hurt Erin in the process of finding their soulmates in each other. And it does prove their good character that they did not act on their feelings while Jason and Erin were still together, that Jason broke up with Erin first to be with Lani, the one he really loves.

Also the things Lani went through after her fallout with Erin are quite extreme and unfair. She honestly didn't deserve it and Erin is quite very mean and selfish to turn their entire class against her. Thank goodness for a select few who stood by Lani- Blake, Connor, and Sophie. Also, I'm glad she still gets her happy ending.

The reason I didn't enjoy it more isn't really the plot. It's more the writing which I find a little immature for the theme. I also find the transitions a little off like at times, random details make it into the pages that aren't really connected with the subject at hand. But overall, it wasn't really bad. In fact, it's a lot better than I expected.

[Yaryna · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is now my favorite book. maybe because i'm 13. so i read some reviews here. and i'm shocked. i mean... this book is amazing. of course its not for everyone but i couldn't believe that such little things people were focusing on like the way she said "and ... was like" . do you really think that matters so much. the point of a book is to focus on the plot. and i think that this book really went deeper than just some teenagers falling in love. it shows about fate and how things work out how they're suppost to... and in my opinion, i am NOT big on astrology and things like that. but why does that matter. this book isn't suppost to be everything you want. this is told from the point of lani. and i think she did a great job with this book.

my experience reading this:
i started reading this at about.. 7:30 pm. i read about 1/3 of it by 9:30 pm. i stopped reading because i needed to do something family related. then i picked up again at around 10:00 pm. i read this ENTIRE book in one day. i stayed up to 1:20 am. i could NOT put it down. when i was done reading it, i was angry that it ended.

this book is my favorite book. apperently a lot of people disagree with me, but to me that doesn't matter. i LOVE this book.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is going to be painful to write because I tend to enjoy Susane Colasanti's work. When It Happens and Waiting for You are two of my favorite YA books. Sadly, there's no cosmic law that prevents good authors from sometimes writing bad stories, and Something Like Fate proves it.

More than likely, you've already read the synopsis and have an idea of what the story is about. However, the synopsis is slightly misleading. Let's start with the first slightly misleading statement: Lani and Erin are best friends. This in itself isn't a lie, but the write-up would have you believing that Erin is deserving of this friendship. Unfortunately for the reader, we are left wondering why Lani even bothers with Erin since it's obvious after the first few chapters that Erin is a fatuous, volatile, selfish bitch. She is oblivious to everyone but herself and generally treats Lani more like an accessory than a friend.

The second misleading thing about the synopsis is that it makes it seem like Lani begins a secret romance with Jason while Jason is still dating Erin. From the synopsis I thought this was going to be one of those books where the protagonist betrayed her friend in the worst way imaginable and then has to try and put the pieces back together, one agonizing piece at a time. What the synopsis doesn't tell you, however, is that Jason and Erin are no longer a couple when he and Lani begin their secret relationship. So this whole "betraying her best friend" thing is nothing more than some hyper-sensitive BS on the part of hysterical, irrational teenagers.

None of the characters in the book are particularly endearing. Lani is weak in a way that infuriates me, allowing the insecurities of others to dictate how she lives her life. Erin, her best friend and "soul sister" is a complete bitch who treats Lani like crap. It's one thing to be angry with your friend and get into a fight, maybe not speak, say some things you may not mean in the heat of the moment, etc. What's not acceptable, however, is forwarding a private email (that you've modified to make yourself look better) to your entire graduating class in order to get everyone to turn on your supposed best friend. Also unacceptable is allowing some of your other friends to create a website talking about how big of a slut your former best friend is. These are inexcusable offenses, yet even as Erin is carrying them out, Lani, wracked with guilt (for reasons I can't even begin to comprehend) is staying away from Jason in order to prove to Erin how much their friendship means to her. Obviously it doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot to Erin, but I guess that's beside the point...?

Jason, while being the cute, sweet dream boy, thoroughly disappoints with his complete lack of concern for Lani once she tells him they have to be apart. I can understand him being hurt and angry, but you would think that a guy who cares about her would stand up for her at least once. Jason doesn't bother which didn't endear me at all to him.

Another of Lani's "friends", Danielle, quits speaking to Lani after she finds out that Lani lied to her about her birthday party. Even after Lani apologizes and admits she screwed up, Danielle is apparently too good for her.

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Aside from the things that made me angry, there were at least two things that didn't make any sense. The first is Erin's treatment of Blake, Lani's and Erin's homosexual friend. When he is outted by a more popular boy (who is another of Erin's friends), then ostracized and harassed for his sexual orientation, Erin doesn't seem to care.

The second is the treatment of Lani by her entire graduating class. It's supposedly a "small" class (less than 100) who don't know each other all that well, yet they all instantly "hate" Lani once they learn of her "betrayal".

I'm sorry, what?

This book also helped me to finally pinpoint Colasanti's most glaring weakness; her characters maturity levels. While I understand that everyone matures at a different pace, every character in Something Like Fate speaks and behaves like they are 13, perhaps 14 years old. These are supposedly high school seniors....borderline legal adults, yet their speech patterns and behaviors mimic those of your average 6th grader. It's a disconnect that's almost surrealistically jarring, and it's something that the characters in Colasanti's other books also suffer from, albeit to a slightly lesser degree. Like, they are like, totally immature. Totally. Totally, totally, totally. Cheers.

Colasanti has a talent for occasionally writing endearing characters and cute stories. This, however, is one of those books that you should probably steer clear of, especially if irrational, weak characters make you a little insane. When I want nothing more than to climb into a book and give each and every character a black eye, it doesn't make for a particularly endearing experience. Like, totally.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review can also be found here

Orange Rhombus.
Sky blue Triangle.
Red Circle.

No clue what I'm talking about? Well the characters, Lani and Jason, think different kinds of water taste like this. Evian tastes like sky blue triangles and Poland Spring tastes like red circles. Don't believe me, check pages 98 and 99 in the paperback.

If that wasn't ridiculous enough, half of the dialogue between Jason and Lani sounds like it belongs in the seventies. Who says "Far Out" anymore? Oh and Lani talks to her shopping cart. Just saying. That's kind of weird.

The talk of Fate throughout this book really got on my nerves. They live in a small town, where as children they would probably run into each other and just because that happened, they were "meant to be together" or because they like the same thing it's "Fate". It got to the point, where I didn't want to even finish the book. If I never hear the word Fate again in my entire life it will be too soon.

The characters were just so unlikeable. Erin was vain and self centered, everything in the entire world revolved around her. Lani had too much of an obsession with Fate and took everything to extremes. And Jason, he was just plain annoying. The conversations the characters had throughout the novel were unrealistic and extremely weird.

The only two characters who had potential were Connor and Blake and there just wasn't enough of them in the story, if there had been maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. They seemed like they were only there to move the main character along and when they weren't needed they disappeared.

So overall, this book was a bust for me. The premise of the book sounded like it could be interesting, but it just never delivered.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Guys, this book was bad.

Ok quick rundown. Lani and Erin are best friends. Erin starts dating Jason. Jason meets Lani - they are instant soulmates. Jason breaks up with Erin. Jason and Lani secret date. Secret comes out. Erin turns into crazy bitch and is horrible to Lani. Lani is like, no still be my friend Erin even though you supported a website that called me a slut. Everyone forgives everyone. The end.

This was the third Colasanti book I've read and it was by far the worst. Not just the plot, but also the writing. The constant use of beginning conversations with "I go" or "He goes" or "He's like". It read extremely childish and lazy. Also, these characters acted like they were 13 not about to graduate high school.

Then there's the extremely toxic relationship that is Erin and Lani. Lani feels like she owes Erin for saving her life, so because of this, Lani lets Erin do and say whatever she wants. Even when Erin is hurtful, Lani brushes it off with, well she saved my life so I owe her. You owe her what? Gratitude for being a horrible person? And let's not even go into how she acted when their mutual friend was outed at school. But who cares about other people right?

But let's get to the reason we're here. The main romance - Lani and Jason's "relationship". I put that in quotes because I don't believe it exists. And as for them being soulmates. Just take a read at this connection:

"Hey," he says. "I never see you before fourth"
"Well...here I am."
"Nice. What do you have now?"
"Um. English."
"Do you have Mrs. DeFranco?"
"No, Ms. Martin."
"I hear she's decent."
"Yeah, I like her."
"See you at lunch?"
"Yeah."

From this, Lani believes they are soulmates. Guys, all of their conversations are like this. They never actually talk to each other. It's all one liners.

Then there was the gay friend who was just wasted.

I don't recommend this book. It's full of slut-shaming, horrible friendships, and non-existent connections.

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gaved up on this book. After reading half of the book i just went and i skipped chapters. It was cheesy and shitty written. And it didn't even felt like a real story. The plot was awful,boring,cliché,not exciting at all... An adjective for the whole book would be : Unrealistic AF



In my life I have never ever ever found a character like Lani so annoying!! But if i stop and think for a bit every character in this book was annoying. But she was so childish,it didn't even seemed that she was 17! And in every chapter she was going on and on about astrology. Like geeeeeeez.



I'm so mad right now because i really thought this was a nice summer enjoyable read.It was a waste of time for me,and i have many other books to read! So,picking up this book was...



I'm not even going to add quotes to this review,that's how mad i am.

[Ruby Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was off and on good. I really didn't like how everything ended up blowing up in Lani's face toward the end. Also this book seemed to go on and on as if the author just thought of adding new stuff to the book constantly. The end seemed added on, but definitely ended well. I really did have an off and on experience.

DISCLAIMER: I listened to the audiobook version.

PARENT NOTE: Blake and Lani do have a "sleepover" when Blake's dad verbally abuses him for being gay. I really think that is the worst spot in the story and it actually ends well for everyone.

VIOLENCE: Not much if any. The only thing you should be worried about is how Lani and Erin get in a car accident when they were younger and Erin's mom drives into the lake. Could be bad for some people, it wasn't bad for me. She did gain a scar.

ROMANCE: Clean, but there is A LOT of kissing but it wasn't bad either.

AGE RATING: 6/10 (Check my profile for more information about how I rate these).

Follow me for more reviews like this one! Have a wonderful read :) -Ruby

[Kirsti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously? Have I angered the reading gods? because this is book two of two in the past few days that has been an absolute bomb! I picked this one up secondhand at Savers in Adelaide, and I probably should have left it on the shelf. I have never, in all my time reading YA books, found one where the main character and every other character in the book acted so childish. In fact, it almost feels like an insult to the word child, because I know six year olds with more maturity than most of the characters here.

Lani. Don't worry about college, dear, because at 17 if you can't handle basic social interaction, form coherent sentences, and think that playing in a sandpit when you're a child with someone makes them your soulmate, then you probably shouldn't go. I don't know how she made recycling posters for school, because I wouldn't trust her with a pair of safety scissors. She seriously thinks things like 'drinking coffee the same way' is a binding fact that will bring people together forever. Both listing raspberries as their favorite fruit? SOULMATES! Liking hot air balloons? Marriage material!

Alright, so maybe there are some redeeming factors, if Lani is really that irritating. All books have them, right? WRONG. The writing is some of the worst I've ever come across. When a character speaks, this is how the author starts the sentence; 'I go' 'I was like' 'She's all like'. This is meant to make you appreciate the 'teenager' element of the book, and instead results in making you think this book is actually set in primary school. You know what I and every other person I know was thinking and doing in year 12? (the same age as these characters) The smart ones were studying, learning and preparing to leave the nest for university or to enter the workforce. The not so smart ones were thinking about the pub, and having the legal right to drink in a few months time(I get it this book is set in America, so maybe the not so smart ones here were still lamenting the age limit of 21 for drinking, but still). There is no way in hell that even in a small town, the entire school class of 73 students in this book should react with horror at one of their members supposedly dating the ex of one of their classmates. People Lani doesn't even know revile her. Really? not a single one of those 73 are mature enough, or focused on other things, to just let it go? Nope.

Something like fate is the kind of book I'd recommend for the immature range of readers, who might find solace in like, whatever this book is about, you know? Actually, I take that back, I don't recommend that at all -shudder- I feel really mean even thinking it, but I can't see why anyone else should ever suffer this book. I honestly wish I could purge it from my memory! One star, and please, please let me pick me a good book for my next read! D:

[Sydney · Rating 1 out of 5]

While browsing the shelves of my local bookstore, I came upon an accumulation of books by Susane Colasanti with beautiful book covers and promising(though perhaps slightly cliched) storylines.
After I had staggered through the first chapter, I realized that Edwin Rolfe and Lester Fuller really knew what they were talking about. You really can't judge a book by its cover.
Here are just a few things that made me want to give up on this book entirely:

1. The constant referral to 'fate' as a recurring motif throughout the story when considering the main character, Lani. In fact, anything involving Lani provided me with a sense of discomfort. For one thing, her main interests include obsessing over horoscopes and discussing the colors and shapes of various brands of bottled water. I have never had the opportunity to drink Poland Spring, but I doubt I would ever make the connection and apprehend that it tastes like a "red circle".
But what bothered me most about Lani was the fact that she wouldn't stop droning on and on about fate. She would put every ounce of her stale personality into preaching about astrology and her obsessive infatuation for horoscopes and palm readings. What's more is that fate seemed to be equally infatuated with her and in the form of a dapper young man named Jason, which leads me to the next vexation...

2. Jason's whole purpose in life must have been to take form as Lani's lapdog (or 'French bulldog', if you will) because he has no 'popular guy' attribute whatsoever. Though he was dating Erin (who I will rant about later), he found himself immersed in conversations with Lani about the importance of raspberries and the wonders of kite flying. He is famous for drawing perfect circles and has kept the same Little Prince poster since he was four. And to top it all off, he knows that his water tastes like an orange rhombus.
Funny thing too, because Lani is equally interested in every one of these things, so I shouldn't have been surprised that within one week of meeting each other, Lani and Jason were sitting together in their own private table in the cafeteria, completely isolated from Jason's popular guy friends and his girlfriend, Erin, who also happens to be Lani's best friend.
And speaking of which...

3. Erin was a cold hard bitch. Lani spoke of her as if she were the world, but all she ever did was talk about boys and cast away her best friend to go talk to her boyfriend and see how he felt about her (which is a whole new matter entirely, considering that if he really was your boyfriend, you could have just as easily asked him about his feelings yourself).
And after it became apparent that Lani and Jason were obviously destined for each other, Erin went ahead and ruined Lani's life to the point of making vicious websites, turning her classmates against her and banning her from seeing Jason. And what did this solve? Absolutely nothing.
So forgive me for thinking that Erin and her group of "Golden Kids" were a bunch of languid morons.

4. And speaking of the "Golden Kids", who exactly put them in charge of the school? All they ever wanted to do was help the environment and make the world a better place; honorable qualities, but not the kind you'd find in a prominent high school crowd. I was forced to conclude that Susane Colasanti had no recollection of what it was like to be a teenager in high school.

Overall, I just found this book to be very monotonous to the point of near hilarity (I'm still trying to figure out how Evian tastes like a sky blue triangle), and even during the "serious" parts I found myself doubling over in fits of hysteric laughter. I would only recommend this book to fans of romance with no regard for well-written love predicaments.

[Andrea Fleury · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would give this book a chance. With so many reviews I just wasn't sure. Ya has been my favorite for awhile. But This was just not my thing.The character was too wrapped up in recycling. Astrology etc. All things that don't interest me. It bored me to hear all that. Her best friend was bossy and she wasn't honest

[Angelica Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it really considered cheating when you know that someone is your soul mate and you were meant to be with them? What would you do if you were caught up in a love triangle and in the triangle is your best friend?

Lani and Erin are best friends in high school. Everything is going great and they are getting ready for their senior year. Lani is happy where she's at and she feels nothing can make where she is in her life better. Erin is also happy especially with her new boyfriend Jason. Jason becomes a problem. Jason can be labeled the typical brown hair blue eyed jock. However that's not what Jason is too Lani. When they first meet at a pizza date with Erin, Lani immediately feels a connection with Jason. A connection like no other, that unexplained feeling of love really is. When Erin goes off for a summer camp she leaves Lani to be with Jason who have both become mutual friends at this point. Things heat up and Lani is put in a place to make a hard decision. To be loyal or to back stab her best friend. Her decision.. We may never know.

Lani is a very happy teenager. She is a protagonist who always looks at the glass half full instead of half empty. Lani has a subconscious that carried on throughout the whole book. To betray or not to betray. However she keeps a very mature attitude throughout the book despite her pain and feelings that take over. Her character reflects her loyalty when she decides to talk to Erin about her feelings for Jason after she returns from camp. Though Erins reaction was over dramatic Lani kept her composure and took understanding in Erins actions.

Susan Colasanti, is an avid writer of teenage novels. She typically takes tough teenage situations and portrays them in her books very well. She does it with maturity allowing for a clear message to get across to her readers. She herself did not have the best time in high school and believes that your teen years are the hardest years in any ones life, so she writes about teens to help them get past the hard times with a little more understanding.

I liked this book it was a nice easy read. However it was a little too typical for me. I did not like the way it ended because I feel like story lines like the on in this book should not be left as a cliffhanger, especially if there is no second part to the book. I do like the way Susan writes though. She takes difficult but typical teenage, boyfriend, girlfriend and best friend situations and deals with them in a mature appropriate manner. The story wasn't cliche the way it played out is how I would be able to imagine it in my high school life, being a teenager now.

In this book Susan uses dialogue which gives the boo an easy flow and makes it an easy read. One of the scenes in the book between Jason and Lani was pure dialogue it was a conversation they had at lunch which really allowed the reader to see the connection between the two characters. The conversation they had showed that their relationship was more than what he had with Erin. They spoke about water bottles and how each one has a different color. This is when Lani realized that Jason wasn't like any other guy he understood her the way no one else could. This scene was the definition of love too me. The two spoke as if they have known each other for years upon years.

We all hit those teenage years in our lives when our hormones begin raging and we feel like no one understands us. This is part of our human nature its just what we all have to go through. However in today's society it may be a little more difficult then it was for teens in the 80's and 90's. Friendship is more difficult to keep and the idea of "don't fight over a boy" is a lot more difficult. This book reflects the idea of what feelings really mean. The idea that the heart wants what it wants. Lani's heart definitely wanted what it couldn't have or rather what it shouldn't have. No matter what you gotta think with your head and not your heart, but if it comes down to it don't let your past relationships ruin your future ones. Sometimes the only thing you can do is just move on, and let everything play out the way it was meant to.

[Arlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating Clarification 3.5

If you believe in coincidence, then you aren’t paying attention.
– David Life

A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.
– Jean de La Fontaine

The expected is just the beginning. The unexpected is what changes our lives.
– Meredith Grey

Something Like Fate was great read about two people drawn together by fate, but kept apart by friendship. When I started the book, I read it in one sitting because it just flows smoothly through events and dialog that kept me engaged throughout the storyline.

I really enjoyed reading about all of the characters, especially the secondary male characters including Blake, Conner and Jason. These guys really shined through with their all around awesome and sincere interactions in the book. I was a bit disappointed in the girls especially Erin and Danielle and how they reacted to situations with such intense and evil actions, but overall their reactions were realistic.

About the book: Lani has been best friends with Erin since they were girl scouts in grade school. They are complete opposites, but they share a history that involves a tragic accident where Lani feels indebted to Erin for a heroic act that saved her life. There is absolutely nothing that can tear these two girls apart... until Jason enters the picture. He begins dating Erin but everyone can tell the chemistry is definitely between him and Lani. After spending time with each other, there is no denying that Jason and Lani are meant to be, so the question becomes... How long will Lani ignore fate in the name of friendship?

Something Like Fate is a book you won’t be disappointed in if you enjoy reading YA Romance. Susane Colasanti pens an authentic story of the complications it is to be a teenager in love. Fun read!

[Breanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this book a solid 3 because I'm feeling generous and I enjoyed parts of this story. It wasn't at all what I had expected, I have read a book like this before and it was 10x better than this.
The writing in this story wasn't mature enough for my standards or age. I felt like I was reading my journal from when I was 10 years old. I also didn't like the characters because they didn't feel like real teenagers to me. I'm 17 and nobody I know talks like this or acts like this. We might use similar language but we don't act like we're 12.

And I just want to say that if I was 12, I probably still wouldn’t have loved this book.

Another thing that bugged me about this book was how flippantly they talked about eating disorders. I don’t think the word "anorexic" or as they used "manorexic" ever needs to be brought up unless its something your character is going through and even then please don't use a word as disgusting as "manorexic".

I might lower the rating in the future but for now, its a 3. I honestly expected so much more out of this novel considering I have read a Susane Colasanti novel before. I didn't enjoy that previous book but I have heard her other novels are better and I'm disappointed to find out that they aren't.
I'm not giving up on this author entirely, I just don't think in the near future I will pick up another book from her.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gah, this was such a lame YA book!! I had never read anything from this author before and I think I saw her blurbbed on the back of someone else, which is how I got her name. Not a bad book, just so so so boring. Two girls are best friends. Main Girl is protag and the voice of the story. Girl Friend starts dating some random from school and before you know it, Main Girl likes him too, shocker! Gah, you can see where this is going already. Girl Friend leaves town for the summer for camp or something and Dude and Main Girl becomes friends. Yes, doesn't this sound like that summer season on 90210 when Brenda went to Paris and Kelly and Dylan started hooking up? It's the same thing, but lamer. Girl Friend comes back from camp and Main Girl doesn't want to see dude again until he tells Girl Friend that they are broken up. Shit happens and Girl Friend finds out that Main Girl and dude hung out all summer and she gets super mad. So now no one dates dude and the Girls are no longer friends. Main Girl comes out the total looser in this situation, yet she thinks it's her fault (it sort of is). Of course, the whole thing wraps up in like 3 pages and everyone is friends again. YAY! Just like senior year, only FUNNER! Lame.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Lani and Erin have a long history. As best friends, they have an amazing history together, but they also have a dark past that strengthened their bond. Lani thinks nothing will ever tear them apart, until she meets Jason - Erin 's boyfriend.

At first, she gets to know Jason because Erin wants them to be friends. Before long, she discovers the two of them have an undeniable chemistry. She has no idea if Jason feels the same way, but she's determined to ignore her feelings.

She tries avoiding him. She tries ignoring her feelings. She tries being just friends. She doesn't want to acknowledge that she's fallen for her best friend's boyfriend, but she can't keep hiding the truth. What kind of friend does this? How can their friendship possibly survive?

SOMETHING LIKE FATE is an amazing read of two people drawn together by fate, but kept apart by friendship. I loved watching this story unfold and the intense bonds of both friendship and love. Susane Colasanti is a new author to watch on my personal list. I look forward to reading her next books.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as a teenager and loved it . . . As an adult? Not so much. This book has very simplistic writing and not a lot of detail. Meaning, it’s written very heavy on dialogue, which I usually enjoy but didn’t with this one. Idk, didn’t hit home for me. Still enjoyed it though! I think it’s a good quick read! A nice pallet cleanser.

[Janssen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bleck. I am so sick of books where the girl falls in love with the best friend's boyfriend and then when the best friend finds out and does horrible things to the girl and is a complete and utter jerk in every way and spreads evil rumors and spills all her secrets and puts up a website about what a terrible boyfriend stealing jerk she is AND won't even talk to her, the girl still swears to never see the boy again. If the best friend is being so evil, there's not really much point in preserving that friendship, now, is there? (Maybe this attitude is why I have no friends).

Also, the main girl is obsessssssssed with fate and horoscopes and stuff and is just convinced things happen because of fate and I wanted to shake her and scream "get a grip! Your life is what you make of it."

Ahem.

[stuck_in_a_booksuzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say, your Best friend tells you she has this crush on this boy and she wants you to meet him, with her.
You agree, the next couple of weeks, he eats lunch with you and teaches you this code he made.
Your Best Friend is totally okay with it, because you guys are becoming friends.
Then everything goes down hill, half way through this book I could tell he had a crush on her.

[bambi]

R͎e͎a͎d͎ ͎d͎a͎t͎e͎:͎
R͎a͎t͎i͎n͎g͎:͎
O͎w͎n͎e͎d͎ ͎s͎i͎n͎c͎e͎: September 19th 2023
P͎u͎r͎c͎h͎a͎s͎e͎d͎ ͎a͎t͎:͎ Goodwill
P͎r͎i͎c͎e͎:?? 99¢

[Victoria King · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5
This book was very YA for me.
I felt annoyed at the drama. I don’t quite understand why Jason stayed with her best friend when he liked her, that seemed stupid. Overall just a very high school type book, which to be fair it is, it’s just not for me.

[Mayu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Razones que me harían descartar esta novela en un caso habitual:

1) Infidelidad.

2) Traición.

3) Triángulos amorosos.

Razones por las que al final le di una oportunidad a esta novela:

1) Lani me llamaba la atención. No es la típica protagonista y por eso quería conocerla.

2) Lani y Erin no eran de verdad amigas. En realidad, Lani solo estaba al lado de Erin porque Erin la salvó de niña y se sentía en deuda con ella.

3) No hubo ni infidelidad ni traición. Lani se enamoró del novio de Erin, cierto, pero se negó a verle, a acercarse a él, salvo lo infinitamente necesario. A Lani le gustaba el novio de su mejor amiga, y a Jason le gustaba Lani, pero ella nunca dió un paso para tener nada con él mientras siguiera siendo el novio de...

4) Lani se hizo novia de Jason, en secreto, pero Jason ya era soltero, otra vez.

5) En el fondo nunca hubo un llamado "triángulo amoroso" porque a Lani le gustaba Jason, a Jason le gustaba Lani, y Erin... bueno, Erin se gustaba ella sola.


Vale, habiendo escrito todo esto, os diré por qué decidí abandonar esta novela.

ENTRE OTRAS COSAS, porque Susane Colasanti cogió una historia un poco tonta y superficial y la explotó a base de drama. Suprimió toda profundidad emocional a cambio de drama, y más drama, y de decisiones estúpidas, por supuesto.

No es que sea una mala novela pero tampoco tenía nada que me hiciera seguir leyendo, así que fue fácil mandarla a la casilla de abandonados.

Esta novela podría haber sido muchas cosas, pero Susane decidió tomar la vía fácil, y hacer una historia ligera, muy de adolescente, llena de dilemas y decisiones tontas.

Esta novela, reúne muchísimos clichés. No tiene nada especial. Es sosa y le falta vida, y ese drama es incoherente, estúpido, es algo que podría haberse arreglado en dos segundos.

Desde la primera escena sabemos que Erin y Lani no son grandes amigas, en realidad no hay una unión especial entre ellas. Erin es la típica abeja reina y a Lani le falta sentido común y tenacidad para no seguirla en sus juegos. Erin dice "salta" y Lani lo hace. Lani es solo una niña, con grandísimas ideas, pero le falta mucho para ser una mujer, para poder luchar y defenderse a si misma.

Otro detalle es que, ya en el primer encuentro descubrimos que a Jason no le gusta Erin. Pero entonces, ¿por que pierde el tiempo junto a ella? ¿Por que juega con sus ilusiones? Susane también nos deja claro que Jason tiene un flechazo por Lani en cuanto la oye hablar. Entonces, ¿por qué perder el tiempo del lector y de los personajes con un drama innecesario e incoherente, que no hay quien lo sostenga?

Esas fueron algunas de mis razones para abandonar esta novela.

Otra de esas razones fue Jason. No me gustó este chico. Susane borda muy bien a los chicos que son superficiales e idiotas, a los que son unos capullos, a los niñatos que no saben lo que quieren y que se dedican a tontear con unas y otras. Jason es un gilipollas, me fue imposible comprender por qué estaba con Erin si la abejita reina no le gustaba. Si le gustaba Lani, ¿por qué no se atrevía a estar con ella? Un niñato inmaduro y desconsiderado, eso es lo que es Jason.


Por último, la pequeña Lani.



Creo que es una protagonista atípica en muchos sentidos, y eso me gustó. Es una defensora de la ecología, una apasionada de las estrellas, desborda alegría, energía, compasión. Es una niña que me gustó, pero también es muy maleable, le falta mucho para poder tener una personalidad fuerte y valiente. Hay decisiones que ya tendría que haber tomado, cosas que si no hubiera sido por sus propios miedos, ya habría hecho.


No creo que El novio de mi mejor amiga sea una gran novela. No merece perder el tiempo con ella. Tiene demasiadas cosas que no me gustaron. Y la única que me gustó -Lani y su aire de niña-, no vale lo suficiente como para seguir con una lectura vacía y superficial.

[Shauna Stof · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've recently read Something like Fate by Colasanti. I recommend this book to anybody who likes romance books. This book taught me some lessons. In life you have trust noone else but yourself. When it comes to boys and you tell ur freinds somethng you have to be able to trust them not go after the boy you like. It does happen. It's sad to say but some freinds wish you weren't with that one special person of your's becasue their jealous. Girls wish they could be with him and if there not a true friend they would try anything to ruin the friendship you have with the guy. I can relate it happens to everyone either now or sometime in your life. Once it happens you know who to trust and who not to trust. It's a lesson learned. I even myself only trust a couple of people and it may not even be the people i'm really close to either.

Lani and Erin have been best freinds for years now. They've always seemed pretty tight. Are they able to keep the trust going for both of them still? Erin finally gets a new boyfreind and introduces him to Lani. Most of your friends want you to be with someone who makes you happy if their a true freind. Lani meets Jason and she starts to have this connection, feelings thinking hes her soul mate. Why would Lani think that as soon as she sees Jason? It's their first time seeing eachother.

Erin has know clue Lani has this feeling for Jason and starts to like him. I was wondering why Lani would go after Jason if her bestfreind is dating him? Good freinds dont behind eachothers backs. Lani and Jason know that Erin is going away to summer camp soon. Jason starts to have the same connection Lani does for him. The more he sees Lani he starts to like her even more than Erin. Jason breaks up with Erin so he can date Lani. This surpised me that a good friend would stab her freind in the back. I thought Lani and Jason should've thought about how would Erin feel? When Erin goes off to camp "they secretly start dating".

I was just waiting to red more becasue I wanted to know how Erin's reaction would have been or if she would be okay or angry about it. Jason and Lani talk about how they should Erin soon before she finds out her own self. When Erin gets back they decide to tell her and she wasn't happy about it. Erin couldn't believe Lani would do something like this? She was so surprised, she distances herself from the both of them for awhile.

Later on Lani and Erin become freinds but not as close as they used to be. I always think that a boy thing fling should never ruin any type of freindship with your freinds. Your freinds are going to be there for you longer than your boyfreind will be. always find time to spend time with your freinds becasue you've have been freinds with them for years also like Lani and Erin were. I thought it was a stupid situaction to not be the best of freinds but Lani put it on herself.

I enjoyed this book overall. For anyone who likes romance books you should read this book!

[Jeni Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susane Colasanti’s SOMETHING LIKE FATE is the story of a girl who falls in love with her best friend’s boyfriend and struggles between the urge to give in to her feelings and the desire to be true to the friend who once protected her from harm.

Everyone can see that Lani and her best friend Erin’s new boyfriend, Jason, were meant to be together—everyone, it seems, except Erin, who is oblivious to the chemistry Lani and Jason share from the moment Erin introduces them to each other, and Lani, who can’t deny the attraction she has for Jason, yet won’t allow herself to believe that he has feelings for her, too. But two months after they meet – just as Erin is leaving for summer camp – Lani and Jason can no longer ignore the feelings they have for each other.

Lani knows she’s found her soul mate in Jason, who breaks up with Erin while Erin is away at camp to pursue a relationship with Lani. Lani and Jason are determined to keep the relationship secret until Erin returns home from camp and they can tell her the truth. “My life finally has the chance to be everything I’ve always wanted it to be,” Lani says. But as the summer comes to an end and Erin returns home, it’s clear that breaking the news to Erin will be harder than either Lani or Jason could have imagined. Lani is forced to choose between her own happiness and her loyalty to a friend with whom she’ll always be connected.

SOMETHING LIKE FATE is an I-love-him-but-I-shouldn't story that pulls you in from the first chapter. I found myself cheering for Lani when it was clear to everyone but her that Jason had a crush on her, cheering when Jason finally told Lani how he felt about her, cheering when they finally have their secret summer romance (although the way in which he broke up with Erin irked me, just a little), and holding onto hope for both Lani and Jason later, when Erin returns home. I cheered so much for Lani and Jason, I felt as though I was breathless when I finished this novel.

One of my favorite sections of dialogue is when Blake describes Jason's attraction to an oblivious Lani:

"I have never seen a boy look at you that way."

"What way?"

"Like he wants to lick you up."

"Stop."

"Lick you up like a sweet little ice cream cone."

"Can we not?"

"Like he was stranded in the desert."

"This is so messed up."

"We can't help who we like."

"I don't like him!"


SOMETHING LIKE FATE will be released May 4. I highly recommend it.

* Full disclosure: I received an ARC of this book.

[Flavia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Esta es una de esas novelas que lees por leer algo gratis en esos momentos en los que no tienes nada más ni mejor que hacer y que cuando las acabas te quedas como si no las hubieras leído. Es una novela insulsa, sin demasiado argumento, que te deja bastante indiferente. Al día siguiente de terminarla ya no te acuerdas de nada: ni el nombre de la protagonista, ni el nombre del chico... nada. Como si nunca la hubieras leído.

Lani (protagonista) y Erin son mejores amigas desde hace años. Pero ahora aparece un chico, Jason, y Erin empieza a salir con él. El problema es que Jason y Lani enseguida se sienten atraídos. Son almas gemelas que se comprenden y se complementan; se dan cuenta de que nunca se habían sentido así de bien con nadie y empiezan un tonteo que ambos niegan pero que saben perfectamente que está ahí.

Y, justamente (¡oh, qué casualidad! *Ironía modo on*) Erin se va de campamento todo el verano dejando a la parejita sola. ¿Cómo acabará la historia? Ay no sé, no sé. Déjame pensar... mm... ¿mueren todos? ¿Jason se convierte en un zombie? ¿Abren la puerta a Narnia? ¡Jopé qué difícil es adivinar este final! No se ve para naaaaada lo que va a pasar...

Peeeeeero con esto no quiero decir que no me haya gustado. Creo que lo que lo ha salvado es la cantidad de cosas en común que tengo con la protagonista: morena obsesionada con reciclar y altamente concienciada con el cuidado del planeta (como yo, que me declaro una ecogirl en toda regla), que tiene pavor al agua y no sabe nadar (como yo), que es tauro (como yo), que tiene una obsesión con la astrología (lo confieso, yo también veo el programa de Esperanza Gracia por las noches), que se enamora de un chico libra (como yo), entre otras cosas.

Me parecía estar viéndome a mí misma en versión tonta. Ha sido divertido, nunca me he identificado tanto con una protagonista. Pero vamos, ya os digo que en cuatro días ya no me acordaré ni de su nombre. En conclusión, es una historia sencilla que se lee en un ratito y que agrada, pero que no tiene nada del otro mundo.

RESEÑA COMPLETA:
http://hastalosangelesleeran.blogspot...

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't help it, but I love cutesy YA romantic books- that's why I ended up giving this three stars. It was a fast read, thank goodness, because I really detested (strong word I know, but that's how I felt) the writing style.

I'm from California and I use the words "like" and "really" a lot. I would probably be really (ha, see) embarrassed if I went back and read a lot of my reviews. I'm sure I would see those words everywhere. But, they are only reviews. These words were used obsessively. I started to roll my eyes at one point. Anyway, the language was overdone. In addition, the phrasing "I was like" and "I say" for introducing who said what, was way over used as well. Annoying...

I know this is an advanced readers copy and I haven't read anything from this author before, but I couldn't image too much being changed, with that being said, the writing lacked for me (as I've already stated). Once again, I hate to degrade the YA readership by saying they might be okay with this writing style. It's probably true though.

I did think this was cute, but it was the same old same old story once again. Friends like the same boy, friends fight, and then all is well in the world at the end. Ordinary...

Because of my cork for not being able to finish a book once I started it, I ended up reading this super fast, just so I could be done with it. That doesn't sound good after just rereading that sentence. It's true though. Some would say I wasted my time, especially because I wont remember it probably a week from now. It's sad really.

I'm going on and on I'm sorry. I know it sounds like I really hated this book, but I didn't. I just didn't care for the writing (I've said that about the writing like...ha... how many times now... annoying isn't it) and that means something. The writing is essential, not all, but important to the connection and how we care about the characters and their stories.

I'm done ranting now... promise.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initially, I was really excited to read this book. I had just finished a book with a similar premise (The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott), so I was interested in seeing how this one would be different.

Unfortunately, I was not impressed. The love triangle premise has been done to death, so it was really disappointing that Ms. Colasanti didn't do much to spice it up. Maybe adding Lani's obsession with fate to the mix was her way of trying to create a different path, but in the end, that storyline just dragged on and on. Lani was obsessed with reading her horoscope and, of course, her horoscopes always applied to whatever situation she was in. Which leads me to my next annoyance: Jason and Lani have too much in common, and I'm not talking about sharing favorite poptarts or anything like that. It's obscure things, like how they compare brands of water to shapes/colors. For instance, they think one brand of water tastes like orange rhombus, while another tastes like red circle. What does that even mean? Definitely was rolling my eyes at that part.

Another problem I had was with the dialogue style. There were multiple pages where it was pretty much nothing but back and forth, short dialogue without much indication who was saying what. And Lani did a lot of this in her narration:

Erin was like, "Blah blah blah."
Then Jason goes, "Blah blah blah."
And I was all, "Blah blah blah."

I understand that a lot of teenagers talk like that, but it was really annoying to read it in narration like that.

The only two characters I liked were Connor and Blake, but even then they were barely in the novel, which was disappointing. Perhaps they had been featured more, I could have better enjoyed the book.

Overall, the writing was basic, the characters were basic, and, of course, the premise was basic.

[Catastrophe Queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. It was a love triangle theme with lots of typical high school drama. I just didn't really like the characters because they weren't that relatable.

Lani and Erin were best friends who shared a tragic past -- they were in a car accident together and Erin had saved Lani's life. So they were really close. Plus, they were quite obsessed with the idea of fate and destiny; meaning that they liked astrology, palm reading, tarot cards and etc.They also had a gay friend named Blake but nobody but Lani knows about it because Blake's dad is super strict.

Anyway, in typical love triangle fashion Erin liked this boy named Jason who had an instant connection with Lani (why is it always so fast?). Blake knew about it and so did the rest of the school because they were pretty close (and they hung out in public everyday. If I were Erin I'd be suspicious already). Over the summer Jason broke up with Erin and professed his love for Lani. Uh, there was this whole guilt thing so Lani wasn't very eager to go out with her best friend's ex (You feel guilty now?). Jason sent Erin an explanation letter about him and Lani... then a nasty fight ensued (the dude breaks up with Erin through a letter and tries to explain how he's in love with her best friend in a letter too? I don't like him).

But after a very public display of affection Erin forgave Lani and Jason (she can't really do anything about it). And they all lived happily ever after (typical).

I wish I liked it more but it was very predictable. And in my opinion it seemed that the supposedly high school students acted like a bunch of kids because of their closed-minded reactions. Even Lani seemed like she wasn't in high school sometimes. And I didn't really enjoy the "sweet" moments between Lani and Jason. But for people who like love triangles and fate, this would be a book you'd enjoy.