Review: What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

What Happens Next
Colleen Clayton
Publisher: Poppy (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Release Date: October 9, 2012

How can you talk about something you can't remember?
Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy "Sid" Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she's thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid--including a lock of her perfect red curls--and she can't remember any of it.
Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey "The Living Stoner" Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect...or so she thinks.
Witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton's stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.

What Happens Next surprised me; I liked it better than I thought I would when I started it and found that this novel wasn't what I thought it would be. 

Sid had a long way to go from the beginning. At first, she was very shallow and naive. And though I couldn't ever completely relate to her (due mostly to her personality), I still enjoyed watching her story unfold and was hoping for her to heal. 

Despite the subject matter, What Happens Next isn't incredibly hard to read or heartbreaking like I thought it might be. I mean, it was still sad and a terrible situation, but I never found it hard to read or get through. In fact, I found it hard to put the book down. 

Colleen Clayton was able to write this novel in a witty manner. This is part of the reason this book wasn't absolutely heart breaking or very difficult to read. What Happens Next was, at some parts, humorous. Not in a laugh out loud manner, but in a more subdued way, which I appreciated. 

Overall, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed What Happens Next. I liked the story and, for the most part, the characters. I'm looking forward to more of Colleen Clayton.