Do well in school, do not party too much in case someone
needs your help, and never let anything separate you and
your best friend. Natalie has always followed these rules
and maintained a level head. She even did when her best
friend, Brooke, started dating her crush, Aiden. Brooke is
her opposite: party animal, spontaneous, and wild. After
Brooke and Aiden get into a major fight, something happens
that Natalie can't seem to remember. All she knows is that
Aiden seems to be spending more time with her...and away
from
Brooke. Natalie has to figure out what really is important
to her without losing the people she loves the most.
ANYTHING TO HAVE YOU by Paige Harbison is a quick, high
drama read. Love triangles involving a best friend scream
trouble, and in this case, also scream a highly entertaining
book. Natalie is in a situation that no one wants to be in;
though not everyone may be able to relate to having feelings
for their best friend's boyfriend, Natalie's struggle not to
hurt those she loves is something I think many people can
connect to.
What I love most about this book is the multi-layered
characters. On the surface, you could easily want to
stereotype Natalie as the conflicted heroine who tragically
and nobly self-sacrifices constantly for the sake of her
friend. However, what you have instead is a character who
does attempt that, but quickly and clearly does not succeed.
While she is conflicted, she has a lot of moments of
weakness where she does give in to her feelings, and
sometimes she even lets herself enjoy it for a while. A few
portions of the book are given in Brooke's point of view,
and she is not stereotypical either. She may be flawed, as
they all are, but she has good, true friend moments as well.
You get to know them both, and while you may not agree with
all the choices they make, it is very hard not to respect
them.
Overall, if you like Something Borrowed or anything along
those lines, this would be a great book to try. I really
liked it, though I do wish there had been even a small
section
where Aiden narrates. Even though the focus is on the
friendship, it would have been interesting to have seen his
point of view.
Nothing should come between best friends, not even boys. ESPECIALLY not boys. Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever. Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies. Brooke is the movie—the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be. Then it happens—one crazy night that Natalie can't remember and Brooke's boyfriend, Aiden, can't forget. Suddenly there's a question mark in Natalie and Brooke's friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means.
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