All I Need

In the angst ridden, twisted love triangle world of YA books, Colasanti delivers a huge breath of positivity and possibility, and I'm drinking in every word of the newest novel All I Need. In today's society, many people have become cynical and eaten up with negativity. Colasanti's All I Need is quite the opposite. If true love and soul mates make you queasy, then Colasanti's novel is not for you. If you believe and hope for the best for yourself and others, then Skye and Seth's story will help you realize that positive thinking, instead of negativity, can take you much farther in life. Thank you Susane for writing a positive, uplifting novel.

Skye spends every summer with her parents at their beach house, and every year she hopes to find that one life-changing love. It never happens. At least, not until the summer Seth wanders into her parent’s end of the summer beach party. There’s an instant connection between the two of them, and they end up spending the next two days with each other. The night before Seth is set to leave for college, they agree to meet to say goodbye and exchange contact info. Skye shows up, but Seth doesn’t, leaving Skye to wonder if she’d been played.

A year passes, and all Skye and Seth can do is think about one another. Seth is sure Skye never got the note he left for her, and Skye wonders if she’ll see Seth again when she arrives at the show more beach house. She knows in her heart that Seth is the one for her, but does he feel the same?

There’s something about a summer romance that I love (I know — SHOCKER!). I went into this one with very high hopes, and while I liked the story okay, I wanted a lot more depth. I liked how it began, and I liked the spark between Skye and Seth. While there was a definite case of insta-love here, I went with it, mainly because I knew from the synopsis that I was going to get just that. Where the story fell flat for me was in the execution. There are severe time jumps in the novel which left me feeling a bit disoriented. While I got what Ms. Colasanti was going for, it felt very jarring. The book covers the span of two years in a short amount of time, and I never felt I got enough time to “get” why Skye and Seth missed one another as much as they did. It was also very clear where the story was going, and there wasn’t as much tension as I would have liked.

The story is told from Seth and Skye’s alternating viewpoints. I liked seeing both sides of the story and I felt Ms. Colasanti captured their voices well. When it came down to it, I felt I knew Seth better. Maybe it was just because I was able to relate to him more. I liked Skye okay, I just never really connected with her. I liked her more from Seth’s viewpoint than I did when I was reading from hers.

All I Need had a promising premise, but sadly, for me, it was just an okay read. It didn’t have that tug that I wanted, and I wasn’t left really feeling anything by the end. If you are looking for a light, summer romance I would recommend this one. Personally, I much preferred Michelle Dalton’s Sixteenth Summer which was released a couple of years ago. To me, it’s a better “summer love”/boy meets girl and they’re not sure if they’ll see one another again, type of romance. show less

Skye, a hopeless romantic, is attending the last beach party of the summer with the hopes that she will finally meet someone. Just as she had hoped, she meets Seth and they have undeniable chemistry; they just get each other completely. The only problem is that Skye is still in high school and Seth is heading off to college in Philadelphia, which means while Skye is worrying about high school drama, Seth has more serious concerns like how to pay for college. Both are optimistic that they can make it work and keep in touch, but things take a turn for the worse. When they were supposed to meet to exchange information, something happens and they miss each other. Seth spends his first year of college still wondering about Skye and Skye show more spends her time back at home thinking about the boy who got away. As fate would have it, they both meet up next summer at the shore, but can they get past their differences enough to make their relationship work? Susane Colasanti's All I Need is a light beach read that will make teenage girls swoon.

Skye comes from a wealthy background. Her parents have a gorgeous house at the Jersey Shore; whereas, Seth's family has more of a bungalow, his parents are separated and they aren't sure how they will pay for his college tuition. Both come from very different backgrounds, but they hit it off instantly; in other words, cue the insta-love. However, I found their relationship to be a little too immature for me to really find it swoon-worthy. I'm sure if I were in high school I would have loved their relationship, but older readers may want a bit more in All I Need. It doesn't help that I found Seth to be a little weird and not in a good way. I dig his unconventional/artist vibe and his love of 80s music, but when he tries to convince Skye that The New Kids on the Block are a talented musicians, I rolled my eyes a bit.

For me, the best part of All I Need is the setting. I love that Colasanti has it set at the Jersey Shore and even though it isn't my Jersey Shore, it was still fun to read about it. Plus, Seth goes to school in Philadelphia, so part of the setting took place there, which I loved. It's always fun to read about locations you are familiar with and I haven't read too many contemporaries that take place in Philadelphia.

The synopsis compares All I Need to Serendipity and it's very similar with the whole change meeting and will-I-ever-see-him-again story line. While I love this kind of story line, I felt like it was unbelievable for such a young couple, especially one trying to have a long distance relationship while one person is in college. What can I say? I am a skeptic. And it does make me cringe a bit when I see a young girl alter or adjust her college plans for a boy. I'm not a big fan of that message; I like to see more young girls live a little before they settle down. I never want to see a young girl go to a particular college just because their boyfriend's college is in that city.

But nonetheless, All I Need is a sweet story and perfect for the beach this summer. I'm sure many teenagers will find Skye and Seth's tale to be hopelessly romantic. I mean who doesn't dream of meeting the perfect guy at a beach party in the summertime? show less

Ok...so this was very cute and very lovey-dovey-mushy. I found All I Need perfect for a quick beach read but overall it wound up being just too young for me to enjoy. It was very cheesy and lacked anything serious or solid for mature reading.

While the kids were cutesy, there was no hook, no allure and no potential to be more serious. While I understand the Disney teen appeal, I found myself comparing it to High School Musical without the music in a negative way.....whinny, bratty kids insta-loving in ten minutes.....not the best impression to walk way with.

That said, All I Need is pure fluff, and great brain candy for summer reading, I think it would be fantastic for younger (15-17) teen readers who are looking for mushy teen show more reads....however readers looking for more depth would probably want to pass it by. show less

All I Need is a classic teen summer romance. And as far as that goes, it's a heartwarming story.

Skye and Seth meet when they are both at their summer houses -- and they only see each other a couple of times before summer is over. And through a mistake, they don't have each other's contact information. But they are both convinced they have found their soul mate.

It's very mushy. After spending two days with Seth, Skye says "How it felt to be with Seth was undeniable. After experiencing how amazing that immediate attraction was, there's no going back to mediocrity. Why should I have to settle for someone who doesn't understand me the way Seth did." After a couple hours together?? So, yea, there's instalove. Big time. So if you can't handle show more that, All I Need isn't the book for you.(quote is from the ARC, so might not be accurate.)

I also found both Seth and Skye (but especially Skye) to be whiny and complainey at times. Neither one has confidence in their long distance relationship. And they complain about their respective situations incessantly.

It is a cute story and a very quick read. It is very "happily ever after." And, they really are very romantic. It is what it is. If you like sweet, sappy, mostly predictable summer romances -- All I Need is a great one. I always recommend Colasanti's books to my teen girls who are fans of romances. All I Need isn't my favorite of hers, but I'm sure they will like it. show less

I thought that I was going to love this book and the romance within it. It looked like it was going to be a great nice and light summer read. I was really disappointed in this one. This was the first time that I was reading any of Susane Colasanti’s books so it was a bit of a let down.

Skye and Seth meet one night on the beach and they begin a journey of destined soul mates. Throughout a span of three years, we are taken through the trials and tribulations of high school drama, college life and unpleasant roommates, and love that is once in a lifetime.

Skye and Seth were a great couple and the way that they met was just dreamy. Their characterization was well portrayed and I could picture both of them throughout the book. The thing that show more really let me down in this book is that it was all over the top and too much. The romance was over the top, the soul mates and their belief in it was over the top- it was too much and in the end it made it really unrealistic and not that believable.

I loved how we got a chance to see both personalities and voices of Skye and Seth in their respective sections. I wish that it was a bit clearer as to when they went back to school or college because aside from a few mentions, you don’t know when it is that they are meeting up.

I loved that they didn’t give up on each other after knowing each other for less than 48 hours and then not seeing each other for the whole year. I don’t think it would really happen like that in real life, but you never know. I found that I could relate more to Seth and not Skye. He had to work for everything and was responsible and had to fight for everything. In some sections, Skye really seemed like a spoiled brat and that didn’t resonate well with me.

Overall, it was a fast read, too fluffy and filled with romance that was just too much and not believable. I love my fluff and romance, but even I was put off by this. I think if the author wrote it in a different style or just made it more realistic, it would have the potential to be something amazing.

I am not going to give up on this author yet. I will read a few others that she has before coming to a conclusion of whether she is worth reading or not. show less

When Skye meets Seth at the beach party, there's an instant connection. It's a feeling she thought was reserved only for fictional romances, those in movies and books, and something she thought she'd never feel herself. It's obvious they have something real.

When Seth leaves for college before they're able to exchange contact info, Sky's left wondering if everything was a real as she thought -- and felt. Wondering, but still hoping.

If the two do make their way back to each other, will things be the same as they were? Are they really something special . . . or were they not meant to last, after all?

All I Need, Susane Colasanti's newest release, out today, is told, in alternating chapters, through both Skye and Seth's points-of-view. show more Beginning at the beach party where they meet the story then follows their whirlwind romance and later their separation. As Skye and Seth go on divergent paths, readers are able to see what they're each up to and whether or not they're thinking about each other and missing the other.

As well as, of course, whether or not they do, in fact, get back together.

Colasanti did a great job with Seth and Skye's relationship. Their romance in the beginning is fast, but it's undeniably sweet. It does have that almost fictional, only-in-the-movies feeling to it. After that, however, when things get more difficult for the pair, as they're separated and their feelings, their whole 'relationship' really, come into question, the story feels very real.

It would be easy, perhaps, to keep the entire novel cute and happy, light and breezy. Yet, it's the tougher things the characters go through that make it feel more true to life. There is definitely still some sweet in the story, just less than the 'honeymoon' phase we see in the very beginning.

We experience a very enjoyable read because we get to read about Skye's life including her friends, their romances and their relationships with each other, about Seth and his starting out at college along with some of his family troubles. All along the Seth and Skye story line that keeps things real by not being sunshine and rainbows when that's not realistic.

The time jumps that occur do get a bit confusing. Well, maybe not confusing but one chapter is sometimes directly after the previous chapter or in line with it, sometimes it's weeks or months after it and it's not always obvious right away. When I was expecting certain chapters to be followed up by a chapter by the other character in/around the same time only to have it be months later, it was strange.

The jumps leave you missing some connection with the characters that follow-up (ie that second chapter) would have presented. One of the things I love most about dual narration novels is that I usually connect with them more. When the same situation is seen through two characters' eyes, it gives some insight into each of the characters and enhances the reader's connection with, likely, both characters. In All I Need a lot of events (time periods, really) were told only by one character. I didn't connect with the characters in this novel as much as I would have liked and I think this may have been a big part of why.

All I Need does leave you thinking about how one little moment, one little thing can possibly change your life forever. It's a great read, good for (almost) summertime. show less