Review: Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti
/
Summary
“Derek’s clearly the love Marisa’s been waiting for, but there’s just one problem: he has a girlfriend. Nash is clearly wrong for Marisa, but he’s crushing on her. And, as if life wasn't complicated enough, Marisa’s also contending with a best friend who won’t stop falling for older guys, a family that’s acting totally bizarre, and a secret crush on a guy whose identity is a mystery—even to her. Sophomore year is going to be intense.”
Review
We are always waiting for something. Whether it be the love of our life, the next best thing, or even a movie to come out on Blu Ray and Dvd; we are constantly standing still, watching life pass us by, instead of participating in its festivities. Waiting For You is a book about a girl who is waiting for her true love but at the same time she is also waiting for her real life to begin, dying for the chance to leave a boring state of existence. However, Waiting For You isn't about waiting at all. It’s about seizing the moment and taking life by the reigns and making things happen for you, not waiting until they happen to you.
Our story is a typical high school story. Girl, Marisa, likes guy, Derek. Other guy and childhood friend, Nash, likes girl but girl does not see him as potential boyfriend. And Derek has a girlfriend and doesn't even know Marisa exists. Thus we have our love triangle. Yet this triangle is anything but calm, happy teenage love waves; inside there a Bermuda storm of emotional teen drama that leaves everyone reeling.
Now Marisa and Nash are in the same chemistry class, mixing a little chemistry of their own but Marisa is also in a class with Derek and he is finally noticing her. This could be her chance to be with him, except for the fact that he still has a girlfriend. How can she be with the perfect guy if he’s dating someone else and tell the imperfect guy, Nash, that she doesn't like him the way he likes her?
On top of that, things at home are becoming weird. Her parents don’t look as happy as they used to be, her mother is becoming more distant and while they aren't fighting, they aren't talking as much either. Also, her best friend Sterling is withdrawing from the real world by trying to find a boyfriend online. And to make matters worse, Marisa’s anxiety is flaring up and she feels her depression coming on again.
Feeling lost in a sea of turmoil, Marisa finds solace in this mystery internet broadcaster, Dirty Dirk. Every time his show comes on, it is like he can see into her world and answer her unasked questions before she thinks them. If only Dirty Dirk were real, maybe he could be her one.
Yet despite her lifesaver, she is still drowning. Her parents aren't who she thought they were, Marisa is fighting with Sterling and her new reunion with Nash is crumbling worse than it did before. Can she rise above it all or will she sink even further than before?
Waiting For You is a novel worth reading. It explores the everyday trials of teenage love as well as their lives and puts it in a perspective that not only teenagers but even adults can relate too. Waiting For You is about not waiting for the things you want in life but making the things you want happen. This book is about living life today and not waiting until tomorrow or the future for life to happen to you.
Reviewed by Camia Rhodes
Book Information
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication date: 4/6/2010
Pages: 336
