Something Like Fate

Something Like Fate

By: Susane Colasanti

Pub date: May 4th, 2010

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?

summary from goodreads.com

My Rating: 3/5

I am a very big fan of Susane Colasanti and have been ever since I read When It Happens a few years back. That's why I jumped on the opportunity to read this book when it was offered. Even though there has been talk about the premise being similar to that of other books, for me, it's all about execution and so I looked forward to seeing where Susane would take her characters and plot.

To be honest, I just was not a fan of this book. I liked parts of it and found myself only getting into Something Like Fate when it was a quarter way finished. I think the best way to go about this review would be to separate my likes from my dislikes that way, it is easier to understand.

Likes:

Susane has always been great with capturing the voice of her teenage characters and displaying that realness flawlessly. From their speech to what they think and feel it is all very authentic which is why I believe that so many young adults gravitate towards her novels. There is a connection present which is essential and which YA readers greatly enjoy and appreciate. Another thing I enjoyed about this novel is the little quirks and mentions that Susane always gives her characters which just make them more realistic. I also enjoyed the ending and thought it was well provided and offered enough closure to the reader.

From a character standpoint, I did like a few, mainly Connor and Blake.

Dislikes:

Something Like Fate took me quite a while to get through. It wasn't until the climax that the plot started to get interesting. As I mentioned above, things really only started to take off for me when the novel was almost finished. One of the major sections of this novel that bothered me is that Lani and Jason are supposed to be soul mates yet I never felt or believed the immense emotions they supposedly inhibited for one another. I felt as if there was too much telling me that they really really liked each other and not enough showing me that this was the case. This is mainly the whole point of the story and a major reason why Something Like Fate fell flat for me. I could not get wrapped up into Lani and Jason's story nor did I really believe that their emotions were authentic. Also, sometimes Susane has the habit of adding it bits and pieces of dialogue as well as descriptions that don't have much relevance in the story line. At times I'm alright with this because I know that it is human nature to ramble and it does give the inner thought process of the protagonist as well as the characters speaking an authenticity. However, sometimes, I just find myself skimming over these parts, desperately wanting things to get back on track.

I was actually going to rate this novel a little lower but the climax and the events that followed saved things for me. Towards the end of the novel is when I felt myself starting to care for the characters and also when I  started to believe more of what they said which up until that point hadn't been of a  high occurrence.

So there you have it. If you're a fan of Susane Colasanti like I am and you've been waiting eagerly for this book to come out I still think it's worth a shot. I have read a handful of reviews on Something Like Fate by other bloggers who just loved this book. Book reviews are subjective after all and what I disliked about this book you may love. It just makes me sad when I have to write reviews that are more negative than positive, especially when I adore the author. :(
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A HUGE thank you to Susane Colasanti as well as Viking and Samantha Dell'Olio for giving me the opportunity to read this novel before everyone else! It is much appreciated.