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.
What if the boy who is your destiny is the one person you can’t have?
I went into this book with high expectations. Although the book didn’t meet those expectation, I did enjoy it.
It’s junior year and Lani and Erin are BFFs. Even with Lani not really hanging out with their old group of friends and Erin continuing to do so, these two girls are pals. And Erin really wants Lani to like her new boyfriend Jason, so she throws them all together as often as she can. Lani isn’t sure how this will go because Jason is also part of the in-crowd, the crowd that Lani stopped hanging out with a while ago (and who kind of resent her for it). But no, Lani and Jason totally hit it off. Big time. Pretty soon, Lani realizes that she has feelings for Jason and Jason has feelings for her. When Erin goes away for camp during the summer, Jason takes the opportunity to break up with her, and then he and Lani get together – in secret.
As soon as Erin comes home, Lani wants to tell her what’s going on, but Jason says he wants to do it in person. Well he does and Erin is furious. Now this is where what happened to Lani and Erin when they were 10 comes into play. You see Erin’s mom was driving the two girls somewhere when they got into a car accident and Erin saved Lani’s life. So when Erin demands Lani have nothing to do with Jason to make up for the fact that she basically stole her boyfriend, Lani agrees. Even though it’s killing her and Jason, she agrees to stay away from him. But that doesn’t make Erin happy – at all. So she has to spread nasty rumors about Lani all around school and life gets pretty miserable for Lani. But this kind of torture can’t last forever, can it?
This book was working great for me up until Erin starts getting her payback against Lani. The characters were great, the story was moving at a good pace, I was totally falling for Jason and was so happy when he finally got to be with Lani.
But Erin was a big drama queen and thought she was the center of the world and totally made Lani jump through hoops. And Lani just went along with it. She felt so guilty and felt like she owed Erin her life! She figured Erin would get tired of her mean girl tricks and let her and Jason be together. She was Erin’s doormat. At first I could understand it, but Lani was so blind to exactly everything Erin was doing. And that eventually got on my nerves. But it was also to portray how guilty Lani felt over everything.
In the end, I have to give Something Like Fate a B. It’s still enjoyable and I will definitely read Susane Colasanti again.
I’m not real anxious to read this one because I read Elizabeth Scott’s The Unwritten Rule in March and it has a similar storyline. And I LOVED it so I’m kinda doubting I’d like this more….
To read or not to read…that is the question!
I don’t know why I like these kinds of storylines (well sometimes they work for me and sometimes they don’t) but I really want to read both this book and the Scott because of the both of you (Ames and Mollie).
Mollie, I’ll read them both and let you know. =P
Great review Ames, I already hate Erin. LOL.
Mollie-I soooo want to read that book! I was hoping the library would get it, but nope. I should suggest they get it, but in the meantime, I don’t want to wait! LOL I think I’ll bite the bullet and order it from book depository.
WenaI really like these kinds of storylines too! So much drama! LOL
hey!
thanks for stopping by. i’m always happy to find another NBA fan!! i have to admit though it was quite a bummer to hear you say you’re a lakers fan. i understand though since you live in la.
i don’t know if i should say this here, and no hard feelings or anything, but… i really hate the lakers. i hate them almost as much as the utah jazz ( and don’t even get me started on them.)
i’m from houston, so i have to root for my boys, the rockets. we had a tough season last year without yao, but i’m hoping for better things next season.
maybe now that you know i’m a rockets fan you can understand why i hate the lakers so much. i will never forget what derek fisher did to luis scola and for that.. i despise fisher. fisher is just a dirty player and it makes my blood boil every time i see him on the screen.
sorry for my crazy rant about the lakers. hopefully you’re not too offended. it’s just friendly smack talk between bloggers right?
Hey toothy,
Thanks for stopping by my blog, I appreciate it!
And I totally hear you, I’m not mad at you for hating the Lakers. It’s your job as a Houston fan. I was pretty bummed when you guys got Ariza as I really loved him as a Laker.
I don’t hate Houston. I don’t even hate San Antonio. But I hear you on hating Utah. I despise them. I hate everything about Utah and it’s highly possible that I hate jazz music because of Utah. My hatred for that team and their fans just annoys the ever living, well you get the idea. I don’t like them. But while you hate Derek Fisher (which I totally see why you do, I’m not mad at you), I love the guy. Sometimes, I get mad at him when he’s not performing as well as I know he’s capable of performing but I don’t hate him.
What’s funny is that I hate Utah fans (more than the team) because of the way that they constantly boo Fisher whenever he’s in town. We all know that they boo him for getting out of his contract in Utah to come back to L.A. and if he did that because he hated being in Utah then I wouldn’t be mad at them for hating him but he came back to L.A. because his daughter had some form of eye cancer and the best doctors to treat her were in L.A. so he came back to L.A. FOR HIS DAUGHTER and yet, the way that they boo him and all of that just fuels my hatred for each and every one of those fans.
Another team I hate is Denver. I cannot frickin’ stand that team. So I’m okay that you hate my team but I’m glad that you’re not a Utah or Denver fan.
I can’t hate on you for hating Fisher because I hate J.R. Ward and Dahntay Jones for doing the same thing to Kobe. I even hate Matt Barnes and all he did was try to get under Kobe’s skin…but anyway, I get what you mean.
What’s funny is last season, I hated Ron Artest but now that he’s a Laker, I love him. LOL, how fickle us fans can be. =P
LOL, and by J.R. Ward, I totally meant J.R. Smith. LOL.
This book sounds so cute! And I love the cover!!!! BUT idk…I have a problem with friends going after friends boyfriends (that sounded confusing lol). I mean they were BFF’s right?!?!? =/ Glad you liked it babe!
And Ween the blog is SO coming along wonderfully! Love it!
I’m with Monroe, I don’t usually like friends fighting over guys. However, that’s why I REALLY liked Scott’s book. She took a storyline I was apprehensive about and really made it work.
Sounds like this one has a little more cat fighting than I could handle.
Monroe,
Thanks sweetie, it’s been pretty great so far..I’m loving it. I’m also loving the hell out of Ames for helping me too. She frickin’ rocks!
Monroe-She doesn’t go after him. She really does all she can to avoid him but he goes after her! LOL
Mollie-The cat fighting was relegated to the last half of the book, and yeah, Erin was definitely a drama queen about the whole thing. I’m going to try and read Scott’s book soon, just to compare the two books! Also, I’ve never read Scott before. 😛
Wena-You rock too! LOL Thanks for letting me share the YA love over here. 😛
The thing about this though is that it sounds so typical, the fact that Erin got nasty and started spreading rumors 🙁
I haven’t read this one, but really liked When it Happens by Colasanti.
I’m glad we can still be friends after my crazy rant.
I completely agree though! I hate Denver too, did I mention that up there? Not sure if I did, but just in case I didn’t, I hate Denver and I hate Carmelo Anthony. He’s so overrated. And about the whole jazz music… same here! I don’t like anything that has to do with utah or jazz. I wanted to boycott the olympics that one year when salt lake city was hosting it because i hated utah so much. It’s nice to know that we have something in common.
I completely know what you mean with the whole hating Ron Artest and then liking him. I can’t say I love Ariza or at least not yet because I know he could of played a lot better than he did last season, but there was just too much pressure on him without TMAC and Yao.
Don’t worry about it toothy, I’m known to go on crazy rants too so if you can deal with my Laker loving self then I can deal with your Houston loving self. =)
I hate the entire Denver squad from Carmelo to Kenyon Martin and don’t even get me started on Birdman, ugh. LOL, that’s too funny about the Olympics. Man that made me laugh out loud.
Awwww, don’t give up on Ariza. He’s used to playing a smaller role on the Lakers team. He was the King of the small things and he did those things so well and I have ever confidence that he will do your Houston team proud, he just needs to get used to playing a bigger role.
I’m glad I saw these comments and the book review. Hey Wena, this is the book i was telling you about that i saw at B&N and it looked iteresting to me. THis book is definitely one on my list to read.
I read all the comments and YES it is typical of Erin to make Lani’s life a living hell but being BFF’s thats a toughie.I know most BFF’s believe in no dating others X’s or well that would be one of my rules. But this was trying being that Lani and Jason both had strong feelings for each other, hmm.. I haven’t read the book but when I do, I’ll definitely give some feed back.
B Nizzle!
Thanks for stopping by girl! Now it makes sense. When you asked me about it, the first book that came to mind was the Elizabeth Scott book that Mollie up there read and loved. We both need to hurry up and get on the train of reading this book. It seems too cute pass up.
I can’t see myself going after any of Theresa’s exes…just not my thing. It’d be like going after one of my sister’s exes…gross.
I thought this book was cute. I don’t care for any of her other books though…