Review: Just Like Fate

Just Like Fate
Author: Cat Patrick & Suzanne Young

Publication Date: August 27th 2013        

Publisher: Simon Pulse


Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life.

The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both.

Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her long-time crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted.

Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...


Now I can say I've read all of Cat Patricks, up to this point, and I can honestly say that Just Like Fate is one of her strongest. I can't compare Suzanne Youngs' since I haven't read any of hers yet, but I think that's why this one was so strong.

Usually, when having two different writers, I expect it to feel different when it's the same perspective, and maybe fall apart in some places, but it didn't. Caroline's voice was eerily similar, though different experiences happen, the essence is there, and that was a really good surprise.

The first thing you need to know about Just Like Fate is that it's not a sci-fi, or paranormal, it's a normal, kind of coming-of-age, learning to carry on with grief, and the huge question book. The big IF.  The two worlds are similar, mostly the same things happen, but at different times, in different ways, and different people, and ultimately proving that some things are just fated.

The night Caroline's grandmother's admitted to hospital from a stroke, she has two choices...

Stay

When this Caroline stays, she comes to the conclusion a lot sooner than Go Caroline.

Stop running.

She stops.

She gets to say her goodbyes, she gets to face the music and fix her shaky relationship with her mother and sister.

Her childhood crush finally starts noticing her, and she thinks things are looking up, that though she's grieving, she has her family and friends support, she might fall in love.

But this Caroline loses a lot because though she learnt her lesson about running, she hadn't learnt her lesson about trusting. Her personality also got lost, she didn't quite learn who she was. She lost pieces of herself, instead of gaining them.

Go

Though this Caroline chooses to go, and in the process hurts herself more, she continues to run, but this was y favourite parts of Just Like Fate.

Sometimes you have to run to learn, and by continuing to run she realises, later than sooner, that she is a runner, and she needs to stop and own up to what she did and face the music.

Go Caroline didn't lose as much as Stay Caroline, which you would think it would be the other way round but Go Caroline learnt a lot, she went through the trials, but when she decided to go, she let others in. Though she doesn't quite trust herself, she learns to let others in, and in that she gained more than lost.

She lost her family relationship for a while,

She learnt a lot, and in the end got her happy ending

Just Like Fate is a quick heartfelt and divided novel about decisions, figuring yourself out, trusting and letting go. After all, life's a learning curve.

Rating: 4/5