Allie F.- Waiting for You- Susane Colasanti

Over the summer, I miraculously found time to read several books. The one book that really stood out to me is by Susane Colasanti, and i t’s entitled Waiting for You. Out of all of the realistic fiction books that I read over the break, this story seemed the most compelling, but like many other books, it also has its flaws.
The reason why this book was one of my favorites is because of the conflicts throughout it. And yes, I do mean that there is more than one problem in the story.
The first external conflict is that at the beginning of the book, Marisa, the main character, has a HUGE crush on a guy in her grade named Derek. The only problem is, he already has a girlfriend, and to top it off, she’s extremely popular. Another internal conflict is that while Marisa is madly in love with Derek, she then discovers that her geeky friend, Nash, has a huge crush on her. This dilemma then leads to the internal conflict of Marisa having to ‘find herself’ and make life-changing decisions. These are just a few of the many predicaments that occur in the story.
Another reason why this book is so good is because of the author’s style. Don't you just hate when an author makes their characters say things that are so exaggerated and fake? Well, this is exactly what Colasanti doesn’t do, which results in the characters coming to life and seeming real. Furthermore, even though the story is kind of a cliché, it has many twists and turns such as Marisa having a best friend named Sterling who meets older guys online that she has never met before. Also, along with the unoriginal plot of having a crush on a popular guy, but having a dorky one have a crush on you, the main character has many family problems at home that enhance the story's uniqueness. This book is unlike many others because of the author's choices.
There are also many literary devices incorporated throughout the writing. To begin with, the perspective has a lot to do with stories. In this specific piece, it is in first person, and Marisa is the one telling the story. This results in the reader only knowing her perspective on things, unless of course, another character flat-out tells Marisa what they are feeling. This device can sometimes be challenging, specifically if Marisa is having an argument, but the reader only gets to hear her side of the story, without even knowing the other character's thoughts. Another significant literary device is foil characters. In this book, the foil character is Derek (the popular jerk that Marisa has a crush on). Because Derek is such a jerk and so manipulative (you'll have to read the book to find out why), he really brings out the best in smart, considerate and super-sweet Nash. This is just a small sample of the literary devices used in the book.
Just like every other book, this one has many highlights. One of my favorites is when Nash confesses his love for Marisa, and then attempts at kissing her (which doesn’t really work out). I love that part because it lets each of their personalities really shine through. Another highlight is when Marisa ends up going out with Derek and uncovering some of his hidden traits. It just really shows that you have to get to know someone before you fall in love with them. The message of the story is the more you learn about people, the more your opinion changes of them, for both good and bad.
In my opinion, this book deserves a nine out if ten. It didn't earn that extra point because even though it was realistic and well written, there were times where it was extremely predictable. The book is perfect for teens, but it’s also girly, so I would not recommend it for boys.