Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

When her semi-wealthy stepfather passed away, Noelle and her mother had to move to a small apartment and cut down on the luxuries they'd previously been used to. Living in a wealthy area, this made life hard for Noelle at school - where fitting in is the key to surviving high school. The students, most coming from the same wealthy area, are snobby and cliquish. The people who don't fit into this mold are harassed. Noelle's home life is just as bad. Her mother treats her horribly, neglects to buy her the things she needs, and Noelle has to scrounge around for her lunch every day so she won't starve. Noelle is just trying to survive the last couple of days until summer comes. When the bullying of one of her friends goes to far, Noelle decides to try to fix things. With her newfound love Julian at her side, she decides to take on the bullies and try to change things at her school.

When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

In the first chapter, readers find out that Sara is entering her senior year hoping that she'll find true love. She is ecstatic when Dave asks her out. He is part of the in crowd, and she begins to hang out with his friends, at the expense of her relationships with her friends. Next, readers hear from Tobey. He has had short flings with a couple of girls, but is uncomfortable with that kind of relationship. He thinks Sara is his real thing, and he asks her friend Laila to help him win her over. Tobey and Sara become partners in music class and find they have much in common. Dave, on the other hand, is a disappointment to her. When he pressures Sara, she finally realizes that she confused her attraction to his good looks and connections with honest feelings. Through alternating chapters, readers get the perspectives of Tobey and Sara about their developing relationship. Owing a lot to (and even referencing) the 80's movie Say Anything..., this is a good romance with a lot of promise. This is Colasanti's debut novel and, reading her other novels, you can see the improvement.