Susane Colasanti Books in Order (Updated April 10, 2026)

Susane Colasanti is one of the simpler authors to organize, which is good news for readers. Her catalog does not split into multiple overlapping universes or long companion webs. The cleanest way to think about it is this: the first eight books are standalones, then the final three books form the City Love trilogy.

That means there are really two useful ways to read her work. You can go straight through in publication order, or you can sample any of the first eight books in whatever mood suits you and then save City Love for last as the one sequence that truly needs order.

The practical answer

For most readers, the best route is:

1. Read the eight standalones in publication order if you want to watch her voice develop naturally.
2. Finish with the City Love trilogy in series order.
3. If you only want one first book, start with When It Happens for the classic early Susane Colasanti experience, or Waiting for You if you want a slightly broader emotional range right away.

Full Susane Colasanti reading order

The standalone novels

1. When It Happens (2006): An alternating-voice senior-year romance in which Sara is chasing true love and college plans while Tobey is trying to prove he is more than a slacker band guy.
2. Take Me There (2008): Told across one intense week, this follows three friends dealing with heartbreak, forbidden attraction, friendship strain, and the fallout of trying to take down a mean girl.
3. Waiting for You (2009): Marisa wants a fresh start and the right boyfriend, but the story opens wider into anxiety, depression, family breakdown, online-risk worries, and the mystery of an anonymous school podcaster.
4. Something Like Fate (2010): Lani feels an immediate destiny-level connection with Jason, except he becomes her best friend’s boyfriend, turning the novel into one of Colasanti’s clearest fate-versus-loyalty romances.
5. So Much Closer (2011): Brooke follows the boy she believes is meant for her to New York City, only to discover that the bigger story is partly about reinvention, family wounds, and becoming someone new.
6. Keep Holding On (2012): One of Colasanti’s heavier books, this centers Noelle’s bullying, unsafe home life, and slow movement toward speaking up for herself.
7. All I Need (2013): A summer, soul-mate-leaning romance that starts with one beach-party meeting and then tests whether an intense connection can survive distance, trust problems, and different backgrounds.
8. Now and Forever (2014): Sterling’s boyfriend becomes an overnight rock star, and the book asks what happens when the glamorous dream everyone envies stops feeling like your own life.

The City Love trilogy

This is the only place where order really matters. Goodreads lists City Love as a three-book series, the author’s official site presents the books in sequence, and Susane Colasanti herself has said this trilogy should be read in order.

9. City Love (2015): Sadie, Darcy, and Rosanna share a Manhattan apartment the summer before college, and the first book sets up the trilogy’s mix of romance, friendship, reinvention, and New York freedom.
10. Lost in Love (2016): The second book deepens each girl’s storyline with heartbreak, trust problems, ex drama, and the emotional cost of trying to build a new self too quickly.
11. Forever in Love (2017): The trilogy closes by bringing each girl to a more difficult, more adult reckoning with trauma, forgiveness, independence, and the future waiting after that one formative summer.

Which order is best?

Best order for first-time readers

If you want the smoothest possible reading experience, use publication order from When It Happens through Forever in Love. It lets you see Colasanti move from high-school-centered standalones into the more ensemble, city-set structure of the trilogy. The order itself is supported by Goodreads publication listings and the author’s own books page.

Best order if you only want the essentials

If you do not want all 11 books, this shorter route works well:

1. When It Happens: Her breakout-style early romance and still the cleanest introduction to her voice.
2. Waiting for You: A good next step if you want a little more emotional depth and messiness.
3. Keep Holding On: The strongest choice when you want to see her tackle a heavier contemporary setup.
4. City Love
5. Lost in Love
6. Forever in Love

That route gives you a representative spread of her standalone work and still preserves the one part of the catalog that genuinely needs sequence.

Where to start, depending on what you want

Start with When It Happens if you want the classic Susane Colasanti formula: alternating voices, first love, music, and senior-year longing. Start with Waiting for You if you want something that still feels romantic but has more family and mental-health pressure in the background. Start with City Love if you are specifically here for the New York summer trilogy and want the only true series in the bibliography.

What counts as separate continuity?

Only City Love, Lost in Love, and Forever in Love form a clear shared continuity. The first eight books are not part of a series, and the author has directly said they can be read in any order. That is the most important boundary to keep straight on this page.

Latest release status

The latest confirmed Susane Colasanti novel in her official book list is Forever in Love (2017), the third City Love book. Her current Q&A page says she completed two manuscripts for new projects and hopes to share news, but there is no newer officially listed published novel on her site as of April 2026.

Final recommendation

Do not overcomplicate Susane Colasanti.

Read the first eight books as standalones in whatever order appeals to you, or use publication order if you want the fullest picture. Then read the City Love trilogy straight through at the end: City Love, Lost in Love, Forever in Love. If you want one safest first pick, go with When It Happens.