Book Review: Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison

Anything To Have You

Title: Anything to Have You
Author: Paige Harbison
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: February 2014
Pages: 303
Rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis (from goodreads):
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.

My Review:

They may seem like opposites but party girl Brooke and homegirl Natalie have been best friends for years. With only a few months left of their senior year of high school, Brooke is determined to make sure Natalie lets loose and enjoys herself before college. They may not see eye to eye on everything but they have always been there for each other. But life gets in the way and suddenly the two girls who used to tell each other everything are now keeping secrets. Is their friendship strong enough to last the distance?

I wasn’t expecting this book to switch point of views from Natalie to Brooke and back. It was a bit of a shock the first time it happened as I was a third of the way into the novel but I like the rounded view point that getting to hear how certain events transpired and just how both the girls were feeling about situations. Natalie is the solid best friend. She has always had Brooke’s back but she can’t help the feelings that she has for Brooke’s longterm boyfriend, Aiden.

I liked the realism of this novel. You can feel how jealous both of the girls are of the other for different reasons. There’s also a genuine feeling of confusion for them both as their lives take them places they weren’t expecting. Popular Brooke never thought she’d be jealous of Natalie’s camaraderie with Aiden and Natalie can’t help but be envious that the boy she has so much in common with is dating her friend. And the problems they face regarding their feelings towards Aiden are only the beginning. We get to see how the girls deal with conflict and deal with some hefty life altering decisions.

There wasn’t a lot in this book that I wasn’t expecting. But it was interesting to see how everything played out. Brooke isn’t nearly as well put together as she would like the world to see and Natalie is someone who usually just goes with the flow and she has to face up to a few things. I would have loved getting to see a bit of this story from Aiden’s point of view. There are questions about his actions and thoughts regarding the two friends that I would love some more insight into but I understand why he doesn’t get to share his POV. Because at heart – this is a book about female friendship. How there are voids in a girl’s life that can only be filled with her friends. I like the bond that Brooke and Natalie have and how it’s stretched and tested throughout the course of the novel.

Overall I enjoyed Anything to Have You. Paige Harbison has a great style and reading the stories of Brooke and Natalie felt authentic. There are some great characters facing real teenage issues. I will be reading more from Paige Harbison in the future.

 Thanks to Harlequin Teen Australia for the review copy.

Purchase the novel from:

Amazon| Booktopia | Book Depository | BookWorld

2 Comments

  1. I’m glad that you really liked this novel despite it being predictable. Two friends liking the same guy is NEVER a simple thing and it’s good to know that Paige Harbison makes this problem realistic. Great review!

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