Happenstance by Jamie McGuire - 2.5 STARS

Happenstance by Jamie McGuire

2.5 wanted it to be so much better but fingers crossed for the rest of the series stars

Blurb - Erin Easter, one of three Erin’s in the small senior class of rural Blackwell High School who not only share a first name, but also their birthday. Erin Easter, raised by a neglectful single mom, keeps to herself and admires Weston Gates from afar. The other Erin’s, Erin A. and Erin M. are the darlings of the community: daughters of the two wealthiest families in town, best friends, cheerleaders, and everything Erin Easter isn't--and they never let her forget it. Erin A. has even claimed Weston since the 8th grade.

Weston is a well-liked star athlete and the son of two prominent attorneys. He struggles daily with the pressures of living up to his family name and secretly empathizes with Erin Easter's feeling that she belongs somewhere else; in a different life. Not until he begins sneaking nights out with Erin does he gain the courage to buck expectations and acknowledge his feelings ... both for his future, and for her.

But when a shocking tragedy rocks the tiny town, Erin's life is turned upside down in the best way possible. But when the truth is revealed and everything Erin thinks she wanted falls into her lap, life only becomes more complicated.

Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster are two of my favourite books ever; I mean I’m actually ever so slightly obsessed with Travis lol.

So I was super excited to read Jamie McGuire’s new Novella Happenstance.

I’m not really a fan of novellas, for me they are just not long enough. By the time things are getting started they are over.

Hmm so the good bits...

·         Erin Easter, I like that she is strong and deals with a horrible situation with dignity.

·         Weston, it might have taken him eight years to grow a pair, be a man and stand up for Erin’s bullies but once he did he went all in.

And the not so good bits....

·         Sooooo not long enough!!!!

·         Bullies, I know they are a fact of life but I still hate them.

Ok so before I start going on I’m just gonna say SWAPPED AT BIRTH WTF!!!

I’ll be honest I’m not a massive fan of Happenstance; I think if it were a full length novel I would have loved it. But as it stands it just kind of annoyed me.

Here’s why... Erin’s bullies are just dead (how convenient) and now she finds out she’s really the child of her worst bullies parents. Yet apart from a few tears she has no emotional reaction to the news WTF!!!

For me the main problem with this novella is that I didn’t feel anything for these characters. I appreciated that Erin took the bullying in her stride and dealt with it without retaliation. Beyond that I just don’t care about any of the other characters, sorry but just how I felt.

This for is the main problem with novellas, character development takes time and in short stories I just don’t think it’s possible.

I’m so disappointed I really wanted to love this book and I just didn’t, it was too annoying, far too short and I hated that I didn’t care about the characters.

HOWEVER..... I’ve just found out that this is part one in a series so hopefully all my hopes for this book maybe fulfilled but I may wait till the series is complete before I read it.