Violet Page is having a rough time. This former popular girl is lost. Her parents uproot everything after her younger sister’s suicide, moving states away to escape the lingering pain of loss. She doesn’t fit in anywhere, but finds herself strangely drawn to the boy she watches view the world through a telescope. Finnley Crawford isn’t your typical boy next door. Being autistic has always set him … set him apart from kids his age. None of them quite knows how to approach him or interact, leaving him only one friend in the form of his support dog. His lack of friendships lead him to a unique love of space and aspirations of one day reaching the stars. For in the stars, he sees a peace and beauty he can’t find on Earth.
The more time these two seemingly opposite teenagers spend together, the more they learn it isn’t what’s on the outside that counts. So much can be found on the inside if you only care to look.
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Micalea is a very talented author who started writing really young. She captures & draws you in every story she writes.
Violet & Finnleys story was beautiful to say the least. This hit home & cried a little because my 24 year old stepson is minor autistic. He is photogenic but his social skills are lacking. If you are looking for a different kind of love, read “Whatever Happens”. Loved this book!
“Whatever happens,” I murmur against the skin of his neck, “we’ll always have the stars.”
He kisses me softly, cradling my cheek in his hand. “The stars have burned for a millennia, and we will too.”
Just then, a star shoots across the sky. Finn’s words echo in my head from long ago. “I don’t believe wishes come true, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth making.”
So, under that night sky, wrapped in the arms of the boy I love, I make a wish.
I love this! I abso-freaking-lutely love this story! So much!
Two people who are so different from each other, find common ground and then proceed to have the most beautiful friendship and further relationship.
Violet Page & Finely Crawford were the perfect pair in every way possible and their story… GAH! SO MANY FEELS! SO MANY OF THEM!
This story, the characters, they made me smile, fall in love with them and broke my heart all at the same time.
My heart especially went out to Finely. He is autistic and as I’ve usually read other students/children are not that friendly towards kids who are not “normal”.
One of my favourite things about this book was how it focused on the main leads, their families and their individual development.
I also appreciated the fact that while everyone in school thought Fin was weird and did stay away from him, nobody was going out of their way to bully him or pick on him.
I’m just… I don’t think I can stop reiterating the fact that I ADORED this book. My heart was and still is full after finishing this book.
This book was one of the rare ones where from cover-to-cover the entire book was my favourite.
I love reading about teenagers falling in love for the very first time, especially if they are clean romances like this one. There is just something so pure and wholesome about them falling in love without the physical aspect playing a part in it.
Whatever Happens, was everything I had hoped for it to be. The story is beautiful and the epilogue only adds to it, tying up everything perfectly.
{Now only if I could somehow wrangle a copy of this book in India. My life would be simple}
I loved this book so much! I adored Finn. I was drawn to this book because of Finn having a disability. I teach special needs kids and getting to read a book where a very special person can find love had me intrigued.
Violet at one point was like any other teenager until tragedy strikes her family. They pick up and move to help the healing process. This is when she meets Finn. From the first day she saw him she was drawn to him and when you find out why it will break you but warm your heart. I loved reading how their relationship bloomed. It wasn’t easy and there are lots of bumps on the road for them but in the end you will have a happy heart.
This love story is just beautiful and aw inspiring. The truth that LOVE can conquer ALL.
Whatever Happens is a beautifully captivating and an emotionally heartbreaking journey that wholeheartedly captivated my heart and soul. Micaela Smeltzer’s powerful storytelling ability ALWAYS has me hook, line, and sinker right from the first few words on the page and this story was no exception. This phenomenally talented author never ceases to amaze me with the stories she writes and this is hands down one of my favorites from her. I COULD NOT put this story down and the characters have secured a special place in my heart forever and always!
Violet Page and Finnley Crawford were an interesting pair of characters and their love story was absolutely epic. It gave me all the warm and fuzzies deep inside my chest and was unlike ANYTHING I have ever read before. These two unique souls perfectly complimented one another and proves that love can find you at the most unexpected times. Finn definitely reminds me a lot of some of the autistic students I have worked with in the past. Micaela Smeltzer did an extraordinary job showing the truth behind people with autism and my future special education teacher heart completely fell in love!
This story was EVERYTHING and so much more. Hands down one of my all-time young adult reads and my only complaint was that I wanted more because I never wanted to finish this story!
A beautiful story very worthy of 5 shining stars
I absolutly adored this story, i was pulled in right from the start .Violet is dealing with heartbreaking grief and barely functioning having moved homes to try and make life easier and memories a little less painful. She forms a strong friendship with the boy next door finn which ultimately leads to a beautiful relationship ,but real raw love never run smoothly, we follow vi and finn on an emotionally powerful and heartbreaking journey of not just first love but of self acceptance and worth ,of moving on from suicide and its after effects .
“Whatever happens , you’ll always love me, right?”
This book had me crying ,laughing and oh in places it made my heart hurt but ultimately left with a huge smile on my face loved every minute of reading this book .
Whatever Happens was a breath of fresh air from everything else I’ve been reading lately. Violet and Finn captivated me from that beautiful cover to the first words all the way the last where I was left wanting more of these two special characters. This book deals with some hard hitting issues that Micalea did an amazing job addressing. Throughout this book, Micalea takes us on an emotional journey filled with loss, heartache, healing, and love. Although Violet and Finn come from two different worlds, they are both suffering, and they need one another to finally heal. I love how they fit together and completed one another. Their growth from the beginning to the end was impressive and I was rooting for them to get their happy ending. I love how real the characters and their story line felt and I could definitely feel every single emotion that they were feeling. I love absolutely everything about this story from the characters to the very real feeling story line to the amazing author that wrote this beautiful heartfelt book. I would 1000% recommend this book to anyone and everyone!! And pretty please can we get a book for Lydia and Husten?!
Truthfully books like these arnt my normal books that I choose to read. But I’m so glad I read this one. Whatever Happens is an amazing YA emotional ride. A standing ovation feel good book. I really couldn’t have expected how much I would fall in love with Violet and Finn. This book just takes you by the soul and teaches you how to be open to love and friendships in unexpected places. The slow innocent way that Finn and Violet come together is simply beautiful and needs to be felt by everyone. I’ve never been so happy to sit down and read a simply heartwarming book. Prepare yourselves guys. This book will go big and be in every library for high schoolers in America.
** I received an ARC in exchange for an HONEST review**
A truly beautiful inspiring story that has inbeded itself in to my heart and will stay with me forvever.
Finn and Violet’s story is an unforgettable sweet love that i felt right down to my soul.
This endearing story captured me from the start never letting me go, written so beautifully that i felt every emotion like i was right there with Violet.
Some people go a lifetime without ever looking up at the stars. They know they’re there and have maybe even studied them in a textbook. Knowing basic facts about something, however, isn’t seeing or understand.
Violet Page and Finnley Crawford know this all too well. They know the consequences of things being overlooked, unseen, and cast aside. These two teenagers are each struggling through their last year of high school.
The once-popular Violet has just moved to a new town after the death of her sister to start fresh with her family before heading off to college. Violet is struggling to deal with her grief and discovering the person she wants to be.
Finnley (Finn) is the handsome high school outcast. His fellow students don’t understand him or his autism; they don’t try to. Finn struggles with feeling misunderstood and abnormal. He keeps to himself and finds escape in astrology and books.
When Violet notices her new neighbor is being gossiped about she decides to befriend Finn in whatever way he’ll allow.
Through their journey, they push each other to be better and cope with struggles. Together they share the stars.
Violet and Finnley teach us… If you just take the time to look up and see the stars, you can appreciate them for their unique and magical beauty just as they are.
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I really enjoyed this book! I love it when Micalea Smeltzer breaks outside her usual book series and does something different. ‘Whatever Happens’ and her book ‘Bring Me Back’ stand out to me as some of her best.
When an author can bring you back from wanting to cry your eyes out and feeling heartbroken, it’s a winner in my book.
I also love that the author has a personal connection to writing the character Finn. I think sometimes in books, characters who have disabilities or difference are depicted with severe characteristics. However, with Finn, we are reminded that each person is unique regardless of the specific title(s) put on them. He feels like someone I might meet in my everyday life.
If I had to say something negatives about the book, it would be how the characters came together in the end. It was a bit predictable for this genera, but I appreciate why it was significant for these characters.
Also, I was waiting for Violet to tell Finn what happened to her sister. He seems interested in hearing about her as an important person to Violet, but that discussion never happened. I’m going to assume it did happen because if it didn’t that would make a conversation Violet had with Finn a little confusing for him. I also wanted to see how he would react to the news.
On a more positive note, I loved that we get a flash-forward after college. It gave the reader some peace of mind on how everything turns out down the road.
Overall, this was a great read of you are looking for something in the YA genre with a bit of emotional content.
I can’t wait to see what Smeltzer writes next!
(Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC. All thoughts and options in this review are entirely my own.)
If you read one book this year, make it this one. Whatever Happens is the story of Violet and Finn, a girl who last her sister, and a boy with autism. Moving to a new town isn’t always easy, but Violet makes the best of it, especially after befriending her neighbor. Finn is the outcast in school, nobody wanting to take the time to get to know him. Their story made me laugh, and also shed many tears. I was hooked from the first page! Whatever Happens is definitely one of my top favorite reads this year.
I am over the moon with this book. Micalea touched on a few tough issues that many have and are going through ( me included). The journey Violet, Finn and the other characters take were written with so much care. This book had me Laughing, crying and hanging on the edge to what was next. A beautiful must read. Way to go Micalea.
I have never read a book with an Autistic main character. I loved Violet and Fin. Their story was so sweet. I wish we could have seen the story through their college years.
Whatever Happens was a beautiful story. There are hard-hitting issues that Micalea did a wonderful job addressing in this book. Violet and Finn are sweet characters. I really felt for the two of them. They had some deep issues that needed to be dealt with and as the story progressed we see the change in them. They both have strengths and flaws that contribute significantly to their personalities. Their growth from the beginning of the story to the end is impressive and I just wanted the best for them. I liked how Violet and Finn just meshed perfectly together. Overall, I enjoyed this story greatly. The writing, the characters, the plot was lovely. Whatever Happens was a well-rounded alluring story.
What a beautiful, heartbreaking, powerful story Micalea Smeltzer has written! I don’t usually read YA novels, but this book drew me in within the first paragraphs and I couldn’t put it down!
We meet Violet at the start of her senior year, after moving from Texas to Massachusetts after a devastating loss, she and her parents are trying to rebuild their lives and find a semblance of normalcy after Violet’s fourteen year old sister committed suicide. Her losing her sister in such a way caused Violet to really look into herself and see the person she was becoming and did a total 180. She used to be a popular cheerleader, but now she just wants to get through her last year of high school so she can go to college and continue her life.
She meets her next door neighbor Finn, and immediately feels a pull towards him. He’s different than any boy she used to know, and not just because he’s autistic (her sister had a form of autism as well) but because of who he is on the inside. She sees someone who doesn’t fall into the norms of high school, and being a teenager especially, but someone who is just living day by day, just like she is.
Eventually these two form a friendship, and even though we only get Violets POV throughout the novel, you can tell that Finn feels just as deep for her as she does for him. After a few innocent touches and kisses, and one heavy make out session, they finally declare what they are to each other.
I love how even though they are so different, they balance each other out in the best of ways. He convinces her to try out for their school play (Beauty and the Beast!!) And they wind up both being the leads, and their chemistry offstage transfers onstage as well.
Though Violet’s feelings quickly turn into love, Finn and her have a turning point in their relationship that I expected, but it still was so heartbreaking. He never felt like he could be enough for Violet, or that be was good enough for her (though no fault of her own) he let her go. They of course find their way back to one another months later, after which Violet goes to therapy to deal with her lingering anger towards her sisters suicide, and she comes out the other side stronger than ever.
I love how at the end, we are thrust 10 years after they graduate college, and are (literally) about to become parents. I’m a sucker for a first love turned into forever love romance!
Another aspect that I love about this story is that Violet never cared about what Finn looked like — she was attracted to him physically, but what she fell in love with most of all was his heart and soul, and that’s something that should not be taken lightly, especially in this day and age. I also love how Micalea often shows in her writing that mental health is just as important as your physical help, and when Violet told her parents that she wanted to see a therapist, they didn’t see any negatives to that. Therapy often times comes with a stigma, and if our society wasn’t so closed minded, maybe we would be happier as a whole.
I cannot gush about this story enough: their love was perfect, as was the main takeaway of this love story: it’s more important who a person is in their soul, versus how they look on the outside. I love that so much.
Go read this novel; you won’t be disappointed!
**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
I have been an avid van since the last to know book that I happen to stumble upon one day, her work is so amazing and I knew this story would be just as good, it’s definitely something you’ll pick up and not be able to stop until the end!! Absolutely fantastic!
Violet’s family has made a big move to a new town after enduring a terrible tragedy. She is quiet & keeps to herself, no longer the socializing, popular cheerleader she was before. She is not looking forward to starting her senior year, especially with the memories & guilt she can never escape from. When she notices the quiet, social outcast boy next door, she can’t help but feel drawn to him. They slowly develop a friendship that neither was asking for. Both feeling out of place but no longer wanting to be alone, they embark on a journey of trust & self-discovery that eventually leads to so much more.
This was an amazing YA book that really hits home. Having an autistic seven-year-old son, I often wonder how life will treat him as he gets older. Kids can be cruel & I can’t keep him in a protective bubble forever. I love how Violet is patient & accepts Finn with all of his quirks & issues. She never asks for more, except to push Finn out of his comfort zone when necessary because she sees this amazing bright light in him that he isn’t aware of. While helping Finn she doesn’t realize that he is also healing her feelings of pain & guilt. I hope that my little boy will one day find a friend like Violet who will love & accept him for all the years to come. This is an incredible, fantastically written book & I look forward to reading more from this author!
This book was undeniably heartrending, but it never lost that hopeful feel to it. I loved how Violet and Finn evolved throughout the story. She was the girl who wasn’t looking for sympathy and found solace with her neighbor; he was the boy who lived in solitude but discovered solidarity with the new girl. These two, alongside their respective stories and their own story as a couple, made me smile but they also brought me to tears. Micalea Smeltzer did a phenomenal job with this novel, never pandering to her reader, instead putting forth an inspirational read that I feel many can relate to on one level or another. All I was hoping for when I picked up this book was to enjoy it for a couple of hours, and what I got was a tale of first love, family, and friendship that will stay me for the foreseeable future. Violet’s fortitude even as she endured different forms of loss and heartache highlighted the everyday truth that sometimes, it’s the most trying of times that makes us the strongest and that it’s okay to put yourself–to choose yourself–first. I’m seriously recommending Whatever Happens. Five-plus stars.
I am completely in love with this book. It gave me all the feels! It sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go until I was finished and even then, the story stayed with me. One of the best books I’ve read so far this year.
I have to say this isn’t the normal genre that I read and also this is a new to me author. But I can absolutely honestly say I loved this story. It was an amazing storyline and characters that were so true to themselves. An absolutely beautiful story.
I received a copy from the author for review purposes.
Whatever Happens is a beautiful story of loss, acceptance, and love. Thank you Micalea! This year I have been reading a lot of good books but I have been missing that book that when I’m finished I can feel it in my chest. You know that tightness in your chest you get as all of the emotions and charters settle into heart where they will stay forever.Whatever Happens is that book I’ve been waiting for!