Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

Hannah's life couldn't be more out of control: she's been trying to dodge Sebastian, her ex-boyfriend, since he cheated on her on the last day of junior year, her co-worker is her best friend Ava's boyfriend, and in Ava's conspicuous absence over the summer, Hannah has been falling for Noah. Now it's the first day of senior year, and Hannah will see all three of them in one day...and must somehow figure out how to deal with the tangled web of partial truths, mixed emotions, and drama that she's gotten herself into.

Sometimes It Happens is such a raw, realistic, funny, and complicated book. Alternating between the first day of school and the summer days leading up to it, Barnholdt has Hannah's reactions and feelings down perfectly, from her ice cream-fueled depression over Sebastian cheating on her, to the friendship she forms with Noah over their shared experiences working twelve hour shifts at a local diner. The dynamics between Hannah, Noah, and their friend Lacey are just so well-written and fun to read, and their days at the diner are realistic and entertaining. Ava was an interesting character; she is a bit controlling and subtly negative, which made Hannah's unintentional betrayal easier for the reader to swallow. The summer and Hannah's drama was just as much about her mistakes as it was her finding her own independence and learning what a good friend is, and that Ava was not one. Still, Barnholdt doesn't let her characters off the hook. Hannah and Noah have to face up to what they've done, but they learn that despite all of the hurt, sometimes these things happen, and it's not the end of the world. Sometimes It Happens is a memorable, insightful, funny book about mixed feelings, up and down emotions, mistakes, and love.

Cover Comments: I like how bright this cover is, with the little pink accents here and there. I think it's pretty and somehow very appropriate.

ARC provided by publisher.

This one will be available on July 12th, 2011!