Anything To Have You

by Paige Harbison

[Leah]

When I spotted Paige Harbison’s third novel Anything To Have You on NetGalley, I thought it sounded really great. I love novels about friendships, I think they’re the best kind of novel, and I do like a good novel about a toxic friendship and this sounded as if it might veer into that territory. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting myself into, not having read any of her other two novels but she comes from good writing pedigree as her Mom is none other than Chick Lit author Beth Harbison, so I couldn’t wait to see for myself what Paige was all about.

Anything To Have You is your typical teen novel in that best friends Nat and Brooke are torn over the same guy. Brooke’s currently dating Aiden, but Nat’s had feelings for him since she met him, so when they end up at a party all three of them and Brooke and Aiden have a fight and Brooke goes off with some other girlfriends, Nat finds herself drunk, and with Aiden and some other guys. When she wakes up the next morning she’s got no idea what she’s done, having blacked out. As the semester wears on, Brooke’s and Nat’s friendship starts to fall apart as Nat falls further for Aiden, and Brooke finds herself at the center of attention with Reed, the hottest, most troublesome guy at school, even though she’s still dating Aiden. Things are about to turn even more on their head when Nat learns a troubling secret.

For the most part, I enjoyed Anything To Have You, I quite enjoyed Nat’s narration, I enjoyed Nat as a character and I did sort of root for her and Aiden, even though I am a firm believer that a guy should never come between two best friends. I did, however become less interested in the novel when Brooke took over narrating duties. I just never warmed to her as she seems super shallow, and full of herself, as if a rainbow shines out of her backside. That definitely lessened my enjoyment, because for the entire duration of her narrative she seemed to spend it flirting with guys who weren’t her boyfriend or drinking more than your average alcoholic. I would probably have preferred if the entire book has just stuck with Natalie, or even switched to Aiden, I didn’t feel that Brooke added anything to proceedings.

I’m quite surprised that the official synopsis of the novel gives away the fact Aidan and Nat slept together as that’s never made entirely clear until the end of the novel and thus, is kind of spoiler. All we know is they wake up in bed together after a house party, hardly substantial evidence. I admit it was also a bit skeevy as Nat didn’t even remember it. But, all in all, I am glad I read the book. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a solid 3 star read, and would mean I will look into Paige’s other novels. There were just bits I would have personally changed and I would have so loved Aidan’s perspective on the whole thing, it would have added more than Brooke offered, let’s me honest. But, a solid YA read nevertheless.