What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers     
Publication date: October 9th 2012
My rating: 4 stars

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.

What Happens Next has been on my wishlist since January 2012. I knew I would enjoy the heck of it. And I knew I was right. I'm just not sure why I didn't read it the moment it was released. 

I've mentioned this a couple of times- YA contemporary is my favorite genre. I never get tired of reading about real life situations and how different people deal with them. What Happens Next deals  with two very hard to talk about topics-rape and bulimia. 

A guy rapes Sid on her skiing trip she went with her friend. She doesn't remember the act itself because she was drugged but that doesn't help her feel any better. She withdraws from her best friends, start running two times a day. She starts to sleep and eat less. She tells no one what happened on the ski trip because she want to protect her loved ones. 

I understand why she hid the truth from everyone. Because she feels like it won't help anyone if they do find out. The rapist won't get caught cause and her family and friends will feel terrible and she doesn't want that to happen. It's enough that she feels horrible. 

The romance was slow but satisfying considering what Sid's  going through. Corey were a normal guy with a few problems but whenever they're in the A/V room together everything else disappears and they get the chance to just be. 

The way Mrs. Clayton wrote her debut novel is extraordinary because I don't think normal people know what it feels like to be a victim of a rape or to suffer from an eating disorder. She must've had an encounter with those type of people to be able to fully understand their daily struggles. 

I recommend this books to those reader who don't shy away from tricky subjects.