One Night That Changes Everything

Okay, I’m not gonna lie: I read this book in about two hours. I literally didn’t put it down until I read it all.
I found the premise of the story terrifying: someone finding your notebook filled with pretty much every secret desire and all the fears you’ve had over the past few years. This kinda sorta happened to me the summer before I started high school, though not in quite the same way, when some classmates moved into my house uninvited while my family was on vacation and found my journal. So I can relate to Eliza in that sense of feeling violated. But knowing that someone has read your thoughts and is now demanding that you act out your fears? That’s a nightmare.
Although the story is a little predictable, watching Eliza work show more her way through all the tasks she was given was entertaining. I’m going to say this was probably due to the fact that Cooper, who’s mostly to blame for her being in the situation in the first place, is constantly there, monitoring her progress and trying to convince her that he’s not the jerk she thinks he is. Of course, Eliza isn’t hearing any of that, seeing as he’s monitoring her progress. Because this group of boys who’s forcing her to do all these things, the 318s, Cooper’s one of them. By choice.
This is a quick and easy read. But, there’s also all this stuff about high school politics packed into it. The 318s is this – how should I describe it? – douchey (really, there’s not another word that adequately describes it) group of boys who basically want power but don’t have any, so they create ways to feel like they have power. Then, to counter that, the girls (Eliza’s older sister, in fact) created Lanesboro Losers, a website where the girls can rant and rank the boys of the school. I kind of love this, because I think one of the hardest parts of being young is feeling powerless, and this is the kind of stuff that happens as a result of that. Everyone is vying for power, disregarding who gets hurt in the process.
This book works on many levels. There’s kind of an a-ha! moment in there that’s important for Eliza. It deals with the fact that communication (or lack thereof) can destroy relationships. But mostly, it’s light and fast-paced and I had fun reading it. show less

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When her father gets offered a job in a brand new city, Eliza’s twelve year old self decides this will be the perfect opportunity to reinvent herself. With her allowance, she buys a purple notebook and begins making a sort-of bucket list of all the things she wants to do but has always been afraid of. Except the move never happens. Now 5 years older, the list has grown and includes much more personal items—things she doesn’t want anyone to read because some aren’t just about herself. And so, when it is stolen by the 318s (a secret society made up of the popular boys of her high school, including her ex-boyfriend Cooper), she has no choice but to do what they say or they’ve show more threatened to post her notebook online for everyone to see. Except this isn’t going to be easy because the tasks they’ve chosen for her are the things she wrote…all the things she’s never had the guts to do.

This was a very quick read (I’m sure I would have finished in a day had I not had a paper to write the same weekend I started this) that sucked me in from the beginning. It takes place in the span of just one night, but oh so much happens in those 12 short hours. The 318s basically have Eliza and her two best friends, Marissa and Clarice, on a wild goose chase all over Boston and the surrounding cities. She is forced to do 4 tasks throughout the night that she does, in my opinion, like a champ. They honestly weren’t that bad—except for one—but I can understand why she would have added them to her notebook of things she’s not brave enough to do.

Eliza is sarcastic, spunky, and, at times, kind of crabby. I wanted to tell her to just shut up and listen to what people—particularly Cooper—were trying to tell her, but she definitely had me laughing out loud because of some of her comebacks. She has no choice but to do what the 318s tell her to, but she does most of the tasks defiantly and only as a way to buy her time so she can come up with a better way to get her notebook back. I think Clarice and Marissa are great secondary characters. They balance each other out because they are polar opposites—although both are pretty naive when it comes to aspects of love. Despite the length of the storyline and how fast everything seems to happen, it is obvious that all three of them takeaway something positive from what they experience that night.

This is a story of friendship, second chances, and conquering your fears—even if you are literally blackmailed into doing so. I’ve read a few of Barnholdt’s books and have enjoyed all of them so far. I highly recommend this as a fun and quick read! show less

One Night That Changes Everything picks up a few weeks after Before That Night left off. We are reintroduced to Eliza, her friends Clarice and Marissa, Cooper and the president of a super secret (read: known but not publicized) 318's, Tyler.

For Eliza, still reeling from her break up, she feels like shes about to shatter when she finds out that her Purple Notebook is missing and in the hands of Tyler. It isn't enough that her relationship with Cooper was based on an initiation tactic, some of her deepest throughts are taken from her as retaliation for posting about Cooper on a website her sister started.

I really wished I liked the characters more than I did. I thought the girls were especially superficial and it was quite irritating at show more times. Sure, high school girls are mean, catty and superficial at times but these girls were over the top. I would have never left my friend at a club to chase after a guy, like Eliza's friend did. There were many instances in this book that I thought were just insane and a little over the top. Then there is the issue with the posting of the book. Eliza was acting as if the book contained dirty little secrets of sexual encounters and murder. I remember everything seemed like it was the end of the world as a teenager, but I felt like if she was going to get that worked up over a book of silly fears it should have been at least more character deforming and profound then being afraid to karaoke.

Despite my qualms, for a book which I thought would be all fluff, there were some underlying morals an lessons to be read and learned in One Night That Changes Everything. Friendship and strength run thick in this story as well as laughter, adventure, and the truths about high school romances and first loves.

The thing that I was most surprised at in this set of books was the fact that while I was left hating Cooper at the end of Before That Night, he easily became my favorite character showing more maturity and thought than the three mail girls put together. Had Eliza calmed down and let him actually speak rather than running off at the mouth she may have heard everything he proved to her during that one night that changed it all.

Before That Night and One Night That Changes Everything is definitely an entertainment read full of oh-my-gods of the hilarious sort and of the I'm-going-to-pull-out-my hair kind. These two stories also had a movie feel to it, I just didn't read the book, I saw the scenes rolling before my eyes even getting caught between the screen every now and again. Before That Night and One Night That Changes Everything overall was pretty darn fab! show less

In One Night That Changed Everything the main character “loses” her special notebook. Except, this notebook had everyone of her fears in it and she didn’t lose it, her exboyfriend’s friend stole it.
Eliza’s exboyfriend, Cooper, is in this group called the 318s. The 318s are a group of boys from Eliza’s high school. Basically, when Eliza and Cooper broke up Eliza talked trash on a website about Cooper. Because of what Eliza said, Cooper was unaccepted into his college of choice, Brown University.
For payback, the leader of the 318s, Tyler, makes Eliza do everything that she’s afraid to do that she wrote in her notebook. He makes her do things from dancing with a guy at a club, to telling her older sister about how she show more kissed her boyfriend from high school.
I really liked this book! Although it was an easy read, it had a good plot and it was a real page turner! It wasn’t too long, or too short. Overall, it was a really good book and I liked it a lot! show less

One Night The Changes Everything, I wanted it to last longer than one night. It's witty, light hearted, and just an awesome read! Filled with roller coaster romance to life changing events-and it all starts with a notebook.

Eliza's one(Long)night couldn't had been any worst from her horrible break up with Cooper to her quest to get back her precious 'notebook' which she has written her fears in since she was in seventh grade.I have to say the characters are my fave, there strong and easily liked. The story runs smoothly with the eventful excitement, courage, friendship, and true love. Eliza had it in her the whole time, Cooper...you gotta love him. He's sweet and honest. Even though Eliza didn't want anything to do with him. He helps her show more alot. Eliza's two BFF's, Marissa and Clarice are fun. They support Eliza though thick and thin.From breaking into a houses to lending a shoulder to cry on...

Lauren's has such great talent. She is now one of my Fave authors.She creates real life experiences that seem horrible, but you can count on that there will be light at the end on the tunnel with a little courage!(ending with a good guy beside you)

I really LOVE this story.I recommend this book to everyone who loves Jennifer Echols. Great summer read! On to reading more of Lauren's books. show less

When Eliza Sellman was in ninth grade, two years ago, her dad found out he was getting a job transfer and her family was going to move. Eliza was shy and not so confident about her body, she took that opportunity to start a list in her private notebook of all the things she planned on doing when she moved. She had always been afraid to… wearing a miniskirt and asking guys to dance; singing karaoke in front of strangers; posting a photo of herself on her Facebook wall in a bikini. She'll never know because the transfer fell through and they didn't move. But Eliza kept adding her goals and secret fears to the list in the notebook.
Now it's two years later, and now Eliza has had and lost her first boyfriend. But this was more than your show more average breakup. Turns out the sweet and cute Cooper she was dating was only dating her as a stunt. Eliza got her revenge by posting some pretty nasty stuff about Cooper online. That posting has had major consequences and now Cooper and his buddies have stolen her private notebook and won't give it back until she does all the things on her list in one night. It's torture, until Eliza steals something from the boys she knows they'll want to trade her the notebook back. What starts out as a night of humiliation, turns into a night of revelations as Eliza learns what Cooper was really thinking when they dated, the real reason he's stolen her notebook.
This book was a definite girl drama type book. There were some sappy love parts that I really didn’t enjoy at times. I think the author did a good job at writing this story. At some parts I was bored and wanting to know what was going to happen next. the way the story ended was amazing and I would defiantly want to read this again. The book was very good very all and I give it a 4 out of 5. show less

"3.5 out of 5 stars!! It's a sweet book about a girl who feels she has lost her most prized possession, just to have to turn up into the "enemy's" hands. So, she goes out of her way to do what they say to get it back. But just when ...."

Read more of this review and a TEASER here: https://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2010/07/made-grade-one-night-that-cha...