When It Happens

When It Happens is the debut novel of young adult novelist Susane Colasanti. Publisher’s Weekly called the 2006 book “sweet,” and several other reviews describe it as “cute” and “fun.” Told through the alternating voices of two high school seniors, Sara and Tobey, the story centers on their dreams for the future. Although Sara is studious and Tobey is a slacker, each may be the “real thing” the other is searching for.

Sara Tyler lives with her mother in suburban New Jersey. At eighteen, she’s older than her mom was when Sara was born. Having struggled as a single mother, Sara’s mom blames her daughter for derailing her life and remains emotionally distant. Determined not to repeat her mother’s mistakes, Sara is a virgin, a stellar student and hopes to become an architect. As she begins her final year of high school with her friends Maggie and Laila, Sara’s most pressing concerns are to get accepted by her top-choice college, NYU, and to find her perfect romantic match.

Despite having a good head on his shoulders (enhanced by deep blue eyes), Tobey Beller lets schoolwork slide. He devotes most of his attention to making music on his guitar with his friends Josh and Mike in their band, MindFlame. He also spends a lot of time fantasizing about sexual encounters with Sara. Although he’s nowhere on her radar, Tobey has been in love with Sara for a long time, and now, starting senior year, he’s resolved to win her heart.



During the summer, Sara’s thoughts had dwelled on Dave, a new student whose classic good looks and athletic talent landed him a spot in the popular crowd when he arrived last year. Sara is more brainy than popular, so she’s surprised when Dave sits beside her the first day of school and asks her out. Of course, she accepts. Giddy with joy, Sara goes to Maggie’s house to prepare for her big date. Maggie is a beautiful blonde with plenty of sexual experience. As she helps Sara find the right date-night outfit, she replies to Sara’s questions about sex by cautioning that it’s painful the first time.

Dave takes Sara to a movie, and afterward, says goodnight with a polite kiss on the cheek. Sara is somewhat disappointed, but that’s just the beginning of Dave’s campaign to lose his virginity with Sara. Soon, they’re an established couple, and Sara is suddenly one of the popular kids. While she’s is attracted to Dave, Sara fends off his frequent attempts to have sex because it doesn’t feel right to her. Moreover, because he drives her home after school every day and then hangs around, he hijacks her study time.

Meanwhile, Tobey practices in preparation for the upcoming Battle of the Bands and pines for Sara. He observes with dismay Sara and Dave’s developing relationship, not only because it interferes with his own romantic ambitions, but also because he has first-hand knowledge of Dave’s cruelty. The previous year Tobey had witnessed Dave and his friends beating up another boy in the locker room, and, following that, they discussed hooking up with virgins, including Sara.



With help from his friends, Tobey hatches a plan to get Sara’s attention. He and Sara are in the same music class, where students work in pairs. Tobey approaches Laila, Sara’s friend and music partner, and asks her to switch with him, confessing he’s smitten with Sara and believes she’s “his something real.” Laila agrees to the switch and then calls Sara to repeat every word Tobey said.

The instant connection Tobey and Sara feel when they talk in music class only promotes Sara’s niggling doubts about Dave. Unlike Dave, Tobey likes the same music and movies as Sara, and, as it turns out, they both like mustard on their onion rings. Finally, Sara calls it quits with Dave. She leaves him, stunned, at the mall and goes to Tobey’s house. When he learns she’s dumped Dave, Tobey kisses Sara.

Now that they’re an item, Sara and Tobey expand each other’s horizons. She persuades him to study more and to audition for the Manhattan Music Academy, and he drums up her enthusiasm for the Battle of the Bands night at school. Sara sits in on MindFlame’s practice sessions and is impressed by their sound. The night of the competition, however, Dave organizes the popular kids to heckle Tobey’s band, resulting in their last place finish.



For Valentine’s Day, Tobey surprises Sara with a reservation at a nearby hotel. They order room service and watch movies, and then Sara, feeling ready to make love for the first time, pulls Tobey on top of her. But he holds back to tell her he’s had sex before. Having assumed Tobey was a virgin, too, Sara is startled. Tobey assures her it was only casual sex, but he won’t divulge the girl’s name. When he says it didn’t mean anything to him, his flippancy about intimacy offends Sara, and she turns her back on him for the night.

Following the failed hotel adventure, Sara decides she over-reacted to Tobey’s confession, and they reconcile. Sara is still troubled by Tobey’s refusal to name the girl he slept with, and she worries it was Cynthia, a pretty girl of easy virtue. An encounter with Cynthia in the school hallway confirms Sara’s fears and refreshes her anger with Tobey. She tells him she needs some “space,” and he shouldn’t call her.

Several nights later, Sara’s mom is out with her boyfriend when Sara hears music outside her window. It’s Tobey, holding a boom box above his head, staging Sara’s favorite scene from the movie Say Anything. Her anger dissolves, and she opens her window to let him in. As they dance to the music and slowly undress, the chapter ends.



Sara is thrilled to get her acceptance letter from NYU, which elicits an awkward hug from her mother. Meanwhile, Tobey gets into the Manhattan Academy, and his parents are overjoyed. Sara looks forward to their future together in New York City.

Susane Colasanti was a high school teacher for ten years. That experience comes through in her string of successful young adult novels. Praising her debut novel’s “realistic dialogue” and inclusion of “issues that matter most to teens,” Kirkus Reviews declares, “Colasanti knows how teens operate.”