Product Description

At the beginning of her sophomore year, Marisa is ready for a fresh start and, more importantly, a boyfriend. So when the handsome and popular Derek asks her out, Marisa thinks her long wait for happiness is over. But several bumps in the road—including her parents’ unexpected separation, a fight with her best friend, and a shocking disappointment in her relationship with Derek—test Marisa’s ability to maintain her new outlook. Only the anonymous DJ, whose underground podcasts have the school’s ear, seems to understand what Marisa is going through. But she has no idea who he is—or does she?

In this third romantic novel from Susane Colasanti, Marisa learns how to “be in the Now” and realizes that the love she’s been waiting for has been right in front of her all along.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5352 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780670011308
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 7–10—With summer camp over, Marissa and her best friend, Sterling, eagerly await the beginning of sophomore year. Reality kicks in the first day of school though, and, according to Marissa, "it majorly sucks." Sure, Derek is at least smiling at her, but her history of anxiety and depression still haunts her, even though she is determined to put it behind her. Nash, her old friend and next-door neighbor who has not spoken to her in several years, is assigned as her lab partner. She enjoys talking with him but thinks he is much too nerdy for her. As the school year progresses, Derek breaks up with his girlfriend and he and Marissa begin to date. Everything is going well until she realizes that Nash has fallen for her, her parents are splitting up because her mother has had an affair, Derek and his ex are spending a lot of time together, Sterling is about to hook up with a guy she met online who is at least six years older than she is, and her depression is returning. Marissa can become a bit tiresome and the story's pacing is uneven—parts of it seem to go on forever—but the teen and her friends are realistic as they struggle to make sense of high school, romance, and families and as they realize that not one of them has a perfect life and that they all need each other's friendship and love.—Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas, Denton
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Seems like there ought to be an advocacy group for the stereotyped hot guy of YA literature who is always portrayed as a cheating slimeball. This title follows a familiar story line: Marisa is thrilled when gorgeous Derek starts dating her, but it doesn’t last, and he is caught flirting heavily with his ex. The demise of her parents’ marriage coincides with Marisa’s own failing relationship, and astute readers will realize that her misplaced anger with her father should be redirected to her mother, who is the one having an affair. Throughout all this, nice, nerdy, next-door-neighbor Nash is there to support Marisa (and the rest of the school in his anonymous nightly advice podcasts, in which he answers e-mails and IMs). The twists in the plot are pretty transparent, and the language is peppered with enough “he goes,” “she’s like,” and “whatev’s” to signal the demise of grammatically correct English. Even so, the romance is less graphic than in many other similarly themed YA novels, and middle-school girls looking for love will find fulfillment here. Grades 7-10. --Cindy Dobrez

Review
"Author Colasanti has a knack of sustaining the heart-pounding suspense of young love for the length of a novel while managing to make it read, charmingly, like a conversation." --The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Colasanti presents an authentic picture of how complicated it is to be a teenager, especially one in love." --Publishers Weekly

"Marissa...and her friends are realistic as they struggle to make sense of high school, romance, and families." --School Library Journal

"The book is strong on snappy teen dialogue..." --VOYA

Colasanti keeps [the story] fresh by speaking to teens in their own language...Chick lit for girls who think. ---Kirkus Reviews

Customer Reviews

Sweet and genuine
Marisa is determined to make sophomore year great--she's going to make everyone forget how spacey she was last year when dealing with her anxiety disorder. She's made a pact with her best friend Sterling that from now on, they will live in the Now, and they will find boyfriends--there will be no more waiting.

But the new school year also brings some surprises as well: Marisa rekindles her friendship with her childhood buddy, the extremely nerdy Nash, and attracts the attention of charming and flirtatious Derek. Her unshakable parents are acting completely odd, and Sterling can't stop falling for older guys over the internet, a scary prospect. Marisa learns that sometimes things in life don't go the way they were planned--but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Waiting for You is a book that will really hit home with a lot of teens. At the center of the story is Marisa's struggle with waiting for that perfect someone who will love her for her, no matter what; a longing that is familiar to many. But rather than allowing the book to focus on that one want, Colasanti crafts a multi-layered read that digs deep into the details and captures the subtle nuances of friendship, school, and day-to-day life. Marisa is an engaging and refreshingly honest narrator with an authentic voice who sometimes gets too wrapped up in herself, but her genuinely kind qualities more than make up for it.

One of the best aspects of Waiting for You is how Colasanti weaves each of the situations and plot twists throughout the book seamlessly together to reinforce her main idea: the perfect guy isn't always what you expect him to be like, and not all great relationships can last forever. Waiting for You is a humorous, poignant, and quietly powerful book that will inspire readers to live their lives in the Now instead of waiting for something better.

So Realatable!!!
When I first read this title I knew it would be awesome. Then I read the dedication: To everyone who is still waiting. I fell in love. This book was awesome and can really boost your spirit if you are still waiting. This book defines all the feelings you would feel if you are waiting. And it helps convince yourself to never stop waiting and so when i come home from a lonely day and feel like giving up, i read this book because it really does help. P.S. I really love the characters too. I also liked and recommend: Attract Men Like Bees to Honey: The Magic Formula For Putting Him Under Your Spell

Sweet and Real
Marisa is starting her sophomore year with high hopes. She knows some people (well, everyone except her best friend Sterling) think she's some kind of freak, but she thinks she can show them she's really not. Marisa has an anxiety disorder but she's been down the therapy road for a while now and she really is feeling better.

Marisa is totally into Derek, a surfer-boy type who doesn't act like he thinks she's a freak. In fact, lately it seems like he's been flirting with her, even though he has a serious girlfriend. Then there's Nash, who Marisa was friends with way back in grade school. This year they're partners in Chemistry and Marisa's glad to have him back in her life - until Nash starts crushing on her, that is.

As is all the high school drama and her own insecurities weren't enough, something strange is definitely going on with Marisa's family. Everything is so weird with her parents and her sister lately. How is Marisa supposed to focus on making her life better when everyone and everything around her keeps falling apart?