Review : The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : The Book of Broken Hearts
Author : Sarah Ockler
Publication Date : May 21st 2013
Publisher : Simon Pulse
Goodreads - Amazon

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.



Personal Thoughts

Sarah Ockler is one of the few truly brilliant YA contemporary authors out there. I fell in love with her magical writing in Bittersweet and I knew that she would not disappoint with The Book of Broken Hearts. This was a book that was perfect in every sense. Not only was the reader showered with a romance that made me extremely possessive of the love interest, but also a story about a family struggling with a disease that caused a lump to be present in my throat throughout those scenes.

The characters in The Book of Broken Hearts were beautifully written. Vivid and dynamic, this is a cast of characters that will stay with me for a long time. We have the protagonist of the novel, Jude, a a high school graduate spending her summer taking care of her Papi who is suffering from Alzheimer's. I adored Jude as a main character. Her love and care for her dad was definitely one of the focal points of this book and I love how the author truly shed light on that aspect. Too often, we have characters in YA who have parents that are MIA, so it's refreshing when the parents themselves play a big role in the development of the main character. Jude was an incredibly brave girl and she had a lot on her shoulders. The reader could see that dealing with her sick father was not an easy task but she did whatever it took to make her dad feel better because she shared a really strong bond with him. When he kept losing his memories, it killed Jude a little on the inside, but she put on a brave face no matter what the situation. Being the youngest girl in her family, Jude did let her elder sisters, especially Mari, push her around, but yet again she never said anything out of love and trust for her sister. If you would find that an annoying trait in a main character, then rest assured that she learns to stand up for herself and her happiness as the story progresses. Over the course of the book, Jude really grew on me and I formed an emotional connection with her. By the end of the book, I felt like I completely knew Jude as a friend.

Emilio, the love interest, had me at his first dimpled smile aimed at Jude. His flirtatious nature totally made me swoon. I loved that he was such a witty and refreshing character. He brought about a lot of humor to this otherwise deep book. He would say the absolute perfect things and I honestly really loved him. He might be my favorite Sarah Ockler love interest as of now. He had an uncanny ability to drive me nuts and make me swoon within the same scene. But behind all those layers of flirty attitude, Emilio was going through his own pain as well, but he never allowed his suffering to the surface. Sweet, supportive and charming, Emilio made me fall in love with him as he did with Jude. Jude's family was a lively , energetic and completely crazy one, like all families. I loved learning about each and everyone of these characters through Jude's eyes. It was crystal clear to the readers that they meant a lot to Jude and the love that existed between was palpable throughout the scenes.

The romance in this book was written to the perfection. Because of a blood oath (yes, with actual blood involved), Jude was forbidden to ever cast a glance at a Vargas boy because of the heartbreak her sisters have suffered from them. The element of the forbidden romance actually added some excitement to the already fabulous romance. The relationship between Jude and Emilio was sweet, touching and had my heart fluttering. It was the kind of romance that developed at a slow, realistic pace. Together with Jude, the reader also falls in love with Emilio. Sarah Ockler kept the tension between the two characters rising by every single scene and when the two of them finally give in to their love for each, it was sweet and satisfying.

Despite the romance being one of the focal points of this book, it was also mostly about Jude dealing with her father's Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is one of the worst disease that anyone could ever suffer from. Losing your memories is almost like losing part of yourself. It's also a disease that takes a toll on your loved ones. Jude truly suffered in this book when her dad kept forgetting things and she really wanted things to get back to normal. It was especially hard for her because this was her father and he was quite young to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The Book of Broken Hearts explored the complexities and troubles that this disease brings into a home blooming with love and I think the author nailed it with the emotions and feelings of the characters.

The Book of Broken Hearts was a deep, poignant and emotional book that had me almost crying. The beautiful characters, the touching romance and the heartwarming portrayal of a family fighting Alzheimer's made this book worth more than 5 stars. Ladies and gentlemen, Sarah Ockler has just become one of my favorite YA contemporary authors!

Rating

Cover: 4/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5

Big thanks to Simon & Schuster for the e-ARC of The Book of Broken Hearts.