Book Review: ‘All I Need’ by Susane Colasanti

Summer is practically here, so that means I have a ton of “beach reads” topping my review list. I’ve read and reviewed a couple of them already and found that I was still in the mood for some light summer reading. So I decided to pick up Susane Colasanti’s All I Need. It seemed like the perfect warm weather read, it has an attractive couple embracing on the beach for a cover, and it’s short, being a little over 200 pages. Not reading a Susane Colasanti’s book before, I hoped for something enjoyable and somewhat original.

Yeah, I didn’t get any of that reading All I Need. The characters and relationships in this book are so contrived, full of cliché and boring conversations and drama. I’ve read it all before.

All I Need follows Skye and Seth, two people who meet one night at an end of summer beach party. The two connect instantly but part ways without ever exchanging contact information. They head back to their homes in different cities, and as the year goes by, they find that they can’t stop thinking about each other. Summer comes again and the two finally reconnect. Can they move past their different backgrounds and life drama in order to stay together?

The chapters alternate perspectives between Skye and Seth. The first two chapters set up their romance with their first meeting. These two chapters had to convince the reader that this was a real, true connection, not some overly hopeful teenage delusion. I’ve read so many great books and seen so many excellent movies that can produce a truly captivating romance and connection in such a short time. It’s possible, which is why it’s so disappointing that All I Need doesn’t do that at all. Not for one second did I believe in Skye and Seth’s connection. Their “intense” conversations were laughable, and I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two. The whole story is based on this first meeting, and since it was executed without any fervor or authenticity, the rest of the novel was bound to suffer.

Yet kept reading is what I did! I had hope that maybe Seth and Skye’s second encounter, the one that leads to an actual relationship between the two would be profound. In fact, the second time ends up being lamer than the first, and it just goes downhill from there. Everything becomes predictable and eyeroll-worthy. Drama arises from the most frivolous problems and non-issues. It was almost like I was reading through the #WhitePeopleProblems Twitter feed. Honestly.

If there’s one thing that All I Need gets right is that it’s well-paced. The author moves through time efficiently. If you do find yourself caring about these characters, unlike me, you won’t be bored.

All I Need may be “light” and partially set during the summer on the beach, but it’s not a read I recommend. Unless you want something that won’t make you think or feel too much.

Rating: 3.5/10

All I Need by Susane Colasanti will be available wherever books are sold on May 21, 2013. Support The Young Folks and purchase a copy at our TYF Store, powered by Amazon.

Book Info:

Publisher:  Viking Juvenile (May 21, 2013)
Length:  240 pages (Hardcover)
Series: N/A
Source: ARC (Provided by publisher)
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Summer, Friendship
Completed: May 2013

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