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“ Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
TeensReadToo.com wrote this review Friday, July 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Chloe and Lindsay were supposed to grow old together. They'd escape Las Vegas and go off to college in California. They were going to have awesome jobs that would allow them to own luxurious homes all over the globe. They were going to marry twin brothers. They were supposed to be ridiculously happy.
It didn't happen like that.
The summer after their junior year of high school, best friends Chloe and Lindsay were going to be apart. Chloe's parents decided to take the family on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe for two weeks. Chloe begged to let Lindsay come with them. It was Lindsay's mom who allow it. So while Chloe and her family were off to see the best cities in Europe, Lindsay would be stuck at her life-guarding job with Chris Nolan.
The night before Chloe leaves, Lindsay tells her that she's going to "Go to Vegas" with Chris. (This is their secret code for having sex with someone.) Chloe is no longer a virgin, but doesn't want Lindsay to make the same mistake she made, and definitely NOT with a sleaze like Chris Nolan. The conversation leads to a fight between the two friends, and Chloe leaves for her trip, not speaking to Lindsay.
Little does either girl realize that they'd never get the chance to speak to each other again, let alone say "I'm sorry." For while Chloe is in Italy, her dad receives a call that he decides not to share with the rest of the family. Lindsay has been murdered.
Upon return to Las Vegas, Chloe struggles to get over the dependence she had on Lindsay. Their families are so close that they moved from North Carolina to Las Vegas together. Lindsay was more like a sister to Chloe than Chloe's own sister, Zoe, has been. Looking back over their last few years together, Chloe pieces together when the dynamic between the two of them started to shift and the friendship started to change.
Ms. Altebrando writes a moving story of a teenager forced to grow up far more quickly than anyone had planned for her. Dealing with the grief of losing her best friend, Chloe must accept that Lindsay's death is not her fault. Chloe thinks that had she not been in Europe having her grand adventure, she could have prevented Lindsay from going out that fateful night. But Chloe struggles to realize that there may have been more differences between the two of them than she ever realized, and that she may just be able to stand on her own after all. With a supporting family and a budding relationship with Lindsay's older brother, Chloe comes to accept life after the death of her best friend. ”
“It's a really great book although I don't ususally read books involving death. It's about a girl named Chloe whose best friend got murdered while she was out of town. She didn't know anything about it until she arrived and her best friend's brother, Noah, who she is secretly in love wiith is mad at her. She's guilty and she feels it's her job to find out who did it. It's a great book about going through hardship. I love MTV books.”
Dessa Bart wrote this review Saturday, May 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I loved Tara Altebrando’s first YA novel, The Pursuit of Happiness. It was really amazing, so I’m pleased to be able to say that What Happens Here is far from disappointing! It’s an impressive, unputdownable, really marvelous book.
teenbookreview wrote this review Saturday, March 8 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Chloe, the narrator, is going on a fantastic vacation to Europe with her family. Travelling has always been a dream that she and her best friend, Lindsay, shared, so she’s disappointed that Lindsay won’t be coming along. She and Lindsay have been best friends their entire lives. Their mothers were best friends, too–the families even moved from North Carolina to Las Vegas together before the girls started high school! This will be one of very, very few experiences that Chloe and Lindsay will not share. But, still–two weeks in Europe! Chloe is understandably excited (though her older sister is less so–for Zoe, it means spending time away from her boyfriend, Johnny, and Zoe’s not really that into travelling anyway).
And the vacation is amazing, though marred by the fact that she and Lindsay fought right before Chloe left, at the top of a half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower. Chloe sees sights she’s only dreamed about, sights that before were only pictures plastered on her bedroom walls. All Lindsay gets is post cards. Chloe doesn’t know what Lindsay’s up to all this time, as her father has confiscated her phone and they’re not allowed to use email on the trip.
Luckily, she’s met someone outside of her immediate family to talk to: Danny, a cute, funny guy who also lives in Vegas. They see the sights of Europe together, and Danny wants to be together when they get home, though Chloe can’t help but wonder if there’s someone else she’d rather have with her–Lindsay’s brother, Noah. Of course, she’d never do that to Lindsay, who subtly let them both know she didn’t want Chloe and Noah hanging out, years ago.
There’s some serious use of foreshadowing here. Chloe is having such an awesome time, and saying this is how things are supposed to go in her life, the reader just knows some tragedy is about to strike. And they’re right. Tragedy strikes.
I loved this book for so many reasons. The settings! Much of this book is set in Las Vegas and the rest of it is set in various exciting locations around Europe. I loved reading about these places. I’m always one for books that involve traveling or just exciting settings; I plan to travel all around the world someday. Backpacking through Europe is one of my dreams, just like Chloe. I could especially relate to her about that, and loved that whole aspect of this story!
All of the characters are fantastic. Chloe in particular is such a real, three-dimensional character; Tara Altebrando really understands people. Their relationships are so real, too. What Happens Here deals with all different types of relationships: friends, family, romance. And all are done so well!
It’s a very well-written book, too. Tara Altebrando is a talented writer, and she does a great job with Chloe’s voice. This is quite an engrossing story; I couldn’t stop reading, once I picked it up (luckily that was on a Saturday afternoon where I had nothing else to do!). I read it in one sitting.
What Happens Here is an honest, powerful, moving book about love, loss, friendship, holding on to (and figuring out) your dreams, and growing up. It’s about putting the pieces back together, too, after a tragedy; things can never be like they used to be. I adored this book, out in May, and strongly suggest you go get copy as soon as it’s available!
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