Two years ago, when Eliza Sellman was in ninth grade, her dad found out he was being transfered and the family was going to move. Having always been shy and not so confident about her body, Eliza took that opportunity to start a list in her private notebook of all the things she planned on doing when she moved but had always been afraid to--like wearing a miniskirt and asking guys to dance; singing karaoke in front of strangers; posting a photo of herself on her Facebook wall in a bikini...you get the idea. New town, new Eliza, right? Well, she'll never know because the transfer fell through and they didn't move. But Eliza kept adding her goals and secret fears to the list in the notebook. Now it's two years later, and in that time Eliza has had and lost her first boyfriend. But this was more than your average breakup...turns out the sweet and cute Cooper was only dating her as a hazing stunt by a secret society. Eliza got her revenge by posting some pretty nasty (and only sort-of true) stuff about Cooper online. That posting has had major consequences and now Cooper and his buddies have stolen her private notebook and won't give it back until she performs all the things on her list in one night. It's torture...until Eliza steals something from the boys she knows they'll want to trade her notebook for. What starts out as a night of humiliation turns into a night of revelations as Eliza learns what Cooper was really thinking when they dated, the real reason he's stolen her notebook, and how freeing--and life-changing--it can be to do the things you fear the most.Review:
When I want a fun and fast paced contemporary read, I always know that a Lauren Barnholdt book is the perfect choice. Therefore, when I was in need of just that the other night, I picked up One Night That Changes Everything, and luckily, it provided everything I had been looking for.
In the book, Eliza, the main character, has her journal (where she has listed everything she wants to do but is too afraid to try) stolen by her ex-boyfriend's friends. Eliza was a character I liked from the start for a variety of reasons. For one, I felt that it was easy to relate to not only in her mixed feelings over her ex's deception but as well as for her fear in trying new things. Secondly, it was exciting to see her evolve as a character. In the start, she was timid, afraid of doing the "wrong" thing, but by the end, she turned into quite the go-getter! I also adored reading about her two best friends. Both had such different personalities, and they managed to not only make me laugh out loud constantly, but also have me even more hooked to the story, as I was dying to know what would happen to them as well. I had a love/hate relationship with Cooper, Eliza's ex, because while I loved how he was when he was with Eliza, he seriously needed to stand up to his "friends" at times!
The plot in this was also a ton of fun! I loved the fact that it took place over one night and highlighted a handful of different "fears" Eliza was forced to tackle. Each one provided a little suspense and a whole lot of laughs as well as heart. However, the best part wasn't the tasks per say but the trouble that came from them as well as Eliza's determination to get back at Cooper's friends. In addition, I enjoyed the "will they or won't they" romance that came with Eliza and Cooper's relationship. Even at times when I knew I shouldn't have been, I was fully rooting for them to reconcile!
In all, if you're looking for a read that will provide laughs and lots of excitement, One Night That Changes Everything is the read for you! I simply can't wait to read more by Lauren!
Grade: B+
One Night That Changes Everything (Amazon, BN, Goodreads) is now out!
Source: Library
I just read Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt and really loved it! She's a fantastic contemporary/romance writer! So glad you liked this one.
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