How can you talk about something you can’t remember?

Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still…), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.

Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect… or so she thinks.

Cassidy “Sid” Murphy isn’t exactly popular, despite being a cheerleader, and she’s never really received positive attention from guys. So when a local college guy takes an interest in her during a school ski trip, Sid can’t resist going off to meet him alone. Unfortunately, the last thing she remembers is talking with him in his kitchen before waking up alone in his bed and dealing with the ramifications of having sneaked out. It’s clear to Sid what her mystery guy has taken from her: her virginity, along with a lock of her springy red curls. But she can’t tell anyone and so she develops a reputation: some classmates see her as a rebellious hero, while others label her a slut. Her inability to confide in anyone causes her to lose her true friends. In an effort to distance herself even further, she signs up for A/V, where she spends an entire period with only Corey “the Living Stoner” Livingston for company. Slowly, Sid finds out that there’s more to Corey than meets the eye; he’s surprisingly easy to get along with and he doesn’t seem to judge Sid. The two start spending more time together, but Sid’s not sure how far their relationship can go without Corey realizing Sid’s hiding a major secret.

I was tentative about starting What Happens Next. Rape is a big, intense subject and it’s easy for authors to deal with it badly or unrealistically. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed What Happens Next. It’s a book about rape, without being a book about rape, if that makes sense. The title probably comes closest to explaining what I mean; this is a book about what happens after a traumatic event. And by that I don’t mean the police investigations and broken family situations. Sid chooses to keep her secret and try to move on with her life, a decidedly atypical reaction that makes her a fascinating character to read about. Sid makes a lot of irrational choices, all the while understanding that her choices are irrational and that she’s probably doing the wrong thing, without being able to stop herself. But still, the point of this book is joining Sid on her journey as she tries to get back control of her life. We watch as she transforms into a different person and root for her to show her attacker that while he may have taken something precious from her, he can’t take her life away.

So what sets this book apart? As soon as Sid first makes the decision to lie instead of telling the truth, we essentially stop hearing about “the event.” Instead, we focus on Sid’s inner thoughts and psychological dissection of herself. I love Sid. I can’t stress enough how utterly stupid a lot of female characters in YA are and Sid is the exact opposite of that. She’s so, so smart. Her thoughts are so real that they mirror the thoughts of the reader as you’re reading. Throughout the book, Sid struggles with obsessive thoughts and bulimia. She questions why she’s forcing herself to purge, only to remember, “Well, I know why I’m doing it. I just don’t know how to stop.” One of my absolute favorite things about Sid is how self-aware she is. She watches herself to terrible things and she questions those things, but she is so broken that she’s unable to stop herself. This is possibly the most real depiction of coping with a traumatic event that I’ve seen in YA literature and though, hopefully, many of us can’t claim to relate to Sid’s situation directly, her feelings of self-doubt and helplessness are definitely relatable, which make the story that much more powerful.

Of course, this book is also a love-story, though there are definitely two love-stories at play; we have Sid’s relationship with Corey, and then Sid’s relationship with herself. Sid and Corey’s relationship simmers slowly and boils into something incredibly sweet. Corey is not at all what I expected and a thousand times better. He is so very real, the guy that every girl wants but forgets to give a chance. And he’s a baker! What more could you ask for? Oh, I know, a revelatory transformation on the part of our main character. Because, in essence, Sid learns to love herself, which turns out to be the most satisfying journey of the entire novel.

The only problem with What Happens Next is that the conclusion leaves the book feeling a bit unresolved. Not that I need or want some big, dramatic confrontation with Sid and her attacker — I much prefer the emotional poignancy of the confrontation between Sid and Corey, which is beautifully, believably done. I get that this story is all about characterization, which I love. The ending just doesn’t feel like a complete ending for me, though it’s clear that it is. But that’s the only reason I’m knocking off half a heart, rating-wise. Otherwise, What Happens Next is a beautiful and moving story of a traumatized girl overcoming the most awful of circumstances and finding her inner strength.

Pages: 310
Publication Date: October 2012
Publisher: Poppy
Source: Provided by Publisher
Rating : ★★★★½

Teaser Quote: “I try and picture what his face will look like when he is looking at me for the first time after knowing. But I don’t know what it will do. I’m afraid to know that.“