Tabitha's Book Blog
A young adult book blog where I read and review the books I like - and then maybe some that I don't like.
Review: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
Originally posted on Tabitha's Book Blog.
You know those books where you never want them to end, and when you notice that you’re almost finished - you subconsciously do things to delay that ending? That was The Book of Broken Hearts for me. One minute I was whizzing away, devouring the book like it was going to disappear, yet when I saw that I was at 88% - a mere 12% from the end of the book - I suddenly discovered all of these things that couldn’t wait another 30 minutes. I checked ALL of my social media accounts, made a pot of coffee, even planned a few blog posts, until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to finish the book, and it was definitely worth the delay.
It’s no secret that I haven’t been reading as much lately - what with upcoming graduation plans, my new found obsession with mountain swap, and just not having enough time to read - it was pretty surprising that I was able to read a book in one sitting. And what a book it was. The Book of Broken Hearts is so much more than some lighthearted contemporary like we’re lead to believe in the synopsis, it’s a book about family, love, and loss. The writing was incredible; it left me wanting more - and this may seem a bit presumptuous considering this is the first book of hers to read, but Sarah Ockler may have just made it onto my auto-buy list.
Jude is such an incredible character - really. It’s the summer before she’s supposed to leave for college, and instead of doing her normal routine of performing in community theater and hanging out at the local coffee shop, she spends it restoring her fathers old motorcycle. But that’s not what makes her an incredible character. It’s that she’s so committed to her papí, and to her sisters, and just to her family in general that she’d give up the things (possibly people) she loves just to make them happy.
Then there’s Emilio. Who was such an incredible character, and I loved how he didn’t just serve as some filler love interest. He actually had a purpose in bringing this family closer together. Jude automatically puts him off as this bad boy, whose family has burned hers before - and he’s just so patient with her, and when she finally does open up to him - everything is just perfecttttttttt. Sorry for my extreme fan girl syndrome - it’s just that I love this book.
ALSO. I know everyone loves to see a strong sense of family in a young adult book, and that’s exactly what you’re going to get with this one. Sarah Ockler got everything right - from the sense of responsibility to your family, to the bratty siblings, and even to that one relative that always has to butt in. However, despite all of the faults - there was an incredible relationship between this family and I loved reading about it.
I could probably go on for so much longer with this review, but I'm cutting myself off. If you're a fan of contemporaries with a strong sense of family and a swoon worthy romance to the max - then you're going to want to pick this up. Don't write it off as some lighthearted contemporary - because while it is lighthearted in some ways, it's about so much more and worth the read. And it's amazinnnggggg.
