diannenah's review against another edition
3.0
I think this book is okay..and I mean, oKAY only. Don't really know what to say. It's not my expectations (but can't blame this). First, Hudson Avery is such a whiner! Drama queen! The story...umm it was okay... The love interest is so complicated like..ughh its just not my type of book.
lexieb's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 very readable (I DID finish it in a day), very cute, very genuine and lovely at times, but there were also a bunch of little things that bothered me, which is why I can't give this a higher rating. characters acting outrageously stupid, unnecessary love triangles, erratic focus, lots of anticlimactic moments or the feeling of skipping over important developments. they were all just a bit frustrating.
despite that, though, it was a very sweet and very fun novel, one I would recommend.
despite that, though, it was a very sweet and very fun novel, one I would recommend.
readingwithheba's review against another edition
2.0
It was an ok read. Not great and it wasn't bad either. Nothing memorable.
feliciar33ds's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book of essays on, "...change, grace, and learning the hard way." This is a super inspirational book that provides food for thought on getting through the hard times and recognizing that life has ups and downs. It doesn't stay up forever, but (thankfully) it doesn't stay down forever either.
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
4.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 3.5
Characters: 3.75
Believability: 3.5
Uniqueness: 4.5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 4
Story Line: 4.5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 3
Overall: 4.08
alykat_reads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up.
As a YA novel, I think the characters acted how teenagers act. Hudson did grow throughout the novel and I did like that, as that is what is supposed to happen throughout the teenage years.
Hiding for spoilers just in case.
Dani wasn't a great friend as much as Hudson wasn't a great friend but yet people are saying how great of a friend Dani was..? She seemed really great in the beginning, but then she started ignoring Hudson because Hudson missed one "girl's night" even though Dani hung out with a boy instead - and then just pretended to never see or hear Hudson when she tried to reach out. This is typical of teenage girl friendships - but the accountability shouldn't have all been on Hudson at the end, and I didn't like that.
Her mom didn't care at all about anything that was important to Hudson and made Hudson cancel any plans she had if she needed Hudson for the restaurant. She was so upset Hudson never told her about the ice skating but she'd never let Hudson get a word in edgewise when she tried to talk about anything besides the restaurant. And the lack of appreciation for everything Hudson was doing - like paying the heating bill and paying the baby sitter - as if those are normal things that a 16? 17? year old should be doing or concerned about. It should NOT be up to the children of the house to make sure the bills are paid. The conversations that happened at the end were much needed, but I felt there could have been more instead of Hudson basically taking the fall for everything.
Overall, it was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the story for the most part, though some parts were a little slow. I did like the fact that the MC had some growth throughout the book and did learn to stand up for herself and what she wanted.
As a YA novel, I think the characters acted how teenagers act. Hudson did grow throughout the novel and I did like that, as that is what is supposed to happen throughout the teenage years.
Hiding for spoilers just in case.
Spoiler
However, I don't understand some of the reviews here. Hudson had so much thrown onto her plate because everyone wanted something from her, but then when she wants to do one thing for herself everyone calls her selfish or guilt trips her to make her feel bad for doing anything for herself...?Dani wasn't a great friend as much as Hudson wasn't a great friend but yet people are saying how great of a friend Dani was..? She seemed really great in the beginning, but then she started ignoring Hudson because Hudson missed one "girl's night" even though Dani hung out with a boy instead - and then just pretended to never see or hear Hudson when she tried to reach out. This is typical of teenage girl friendships - but the accountability shouldn't have all been on Hudson at the end, and I didn't like that.
Her mom didn't care at all about anything that was important to Hudson and made Hudson cancel any plans she had if she needed Hudson for the restaurant. She was so upset Hudson never told her about the ice skating but she'd never let Hudson get a word in edgewise when she tried to talk about anything besides the restaurant. And the lack of appreciation for everything Hudson was doing - like paying the heating bill and paying the baby sitter - as if those are normal things that a 16? 17? year old should be doing or concerned about. It should NOT be up to the children of the house to make sure the bills are paid. The conversations that happened at the end were much needed, but I felt there could have been more instead of Hudson basically taking the fall for everything.
Overall, it was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the story for the most part, though some parts were a little slow. I did like the fact that the MC had some growth throughout the book and did learn to stand up for herself and what she wanted.
belles_bookshelves's review against another edition
4.0
I was really excited to read this and I’m not even embarrassed to say that it was because it involved cupcakes. I mean really, who doesn’t like cupcakes? Al-Qaida that’s who! Anyone who knows me is aware of my slight dessert obsession, so obviously I felt like Bittersweet was just calling to me.
Quick Overview: The past few years have not been ideal for Hudson. Her parents split and she blew her only chance at making it big in ice skating. Now she receives a couple of random e-mails from her dad as he travels the west coast with his shelvis girlfriend, while Hudson is stuck baking cupcakes in her mom’s diner. It’s not all bad. Hudson actually likes baking cupcakes and hanging out with her genius little brother, Bug. She can’t help thinking that she ruined the only chance she had at leaving her little town. Hudson loves ice skating, but when she’s presented with a second chance she’s terrified of taking it. Things get even more complicated when the co-captain (who might like her) of the hockey team asks for her help. Hudson has to figure what she wants and how much she’s willing to sacrifice for her second chance.
I’ll admit that I was a little disappointed that the book didn’t concentrate more on the cupcakes, but I love it when I can read a book that’s fun without having to endure vapid characters. Hudson is so funny and flawed, but she’s trying so hard to do what she thinks is right. Some of her choices are a lot more selfish than I would’ve thought her capable of, but it never feels like it’s coming from the wrong place. The diner plays a big part in the book and Ockler did a great job of bringing it to life. She shows the good, the bad, and the really ugly involved in working at the diner. I absolutely loved Hudson’s precocious little brother, Bug. He is so sweet and smart while still being a believable (and awesome) eight year-old. Josh was obviously pretty great too and I liked Hudson’s interaction with the hockey guys.
Even though I really enjoyed reading [b:Fixing Delilah|7074259|Fixing Delilah|Sarah Ockler|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1337286829s/7074259.jpg|7328132], this book was more of my speed. Ockler’s writing seems to be getting lighter and I think it suits her. Bittersweet was fluffy and sweet (hello, there’s cupcakes), but it still brings likable, real characters. I’m not gonna lie, I totally made a batch of cupcakes after reading this and ate two right away, and then another for dessert. I didn’t even feel a little bit bad. So if while you’re reading you get a hankering for sweets, just eat the cupcakes my friends. Life is just better with dessert.
Quick Overview: The past few years have not been ideal for Hudson. Her parents split and she blew her only chance at making it big in ice skating. Now she receives a couple of random e-mails from her dad as he travels the west coast with his shelvis girlfriend, while Hudson is stuck baking cupcakes in her mom’s diner. It’s not all bad. Hudson actually likes baking cupcakes and hanging out with her genius little brother, Bug. She can’t help thinking that she ruined the only chance she had at leaving her little town. Hudson loves ice skating, but when she’s presented with a second chance she’s terrified of taking it. Things get even more complicated when the co-captain (who might like her) of the hockey team asks for her help. Hudson has to figure what she wants and how much she’s willing to sacrifice for her second chance.
I’ll admit that I was a little disappointed that the book didn’t concentrate more on the cupcakes, but I love it when I can read a book that’s fun without having to endure vapid characters. Hudson is so funny and flawed, but she’s trying so hard to do what she thinks is right. Some of her choices are a lot more selfish than I would’ve thought her capable of, but it never feels like it’s coming from the wrong place. The diner plays a big part in the book and Ockler did a great job of bringing it to life. She shows the good, the bad, and the really ugly involved in working at the diner. I absolutely loved Hudson’s precocious little brother, Bug. He is so sweet and smart while still being a believable (and awesome) eight year-old. Josh was obviously pretty great too and I liked Hudson’s interaction with the hockey guys.
Even though I really enjoyed reading [b:Fixing Delilah|7074259|Fixing Delilah|Sarah Ockler|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1337286829s/7074259.jpg|7328132], this book was more of my speed. Ockler’s writing seems to be getting lighter and I think it suits her. Bittersweet was fluffy and sweet (hello, there’s cupcakes), but it still brings likable, real characters. I’m not gonna lie, I totally made a batch of cupcakes after reading this and ate two right away, and then another for dessert. I didn’t even feel a little bit bad. So if while you’re reading you get a hankering for sweets, just eat the cupcakes my friends. Life is just better with dessert.
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going to be as forthcoming as possible and say that the moment I heard this book was set in Western New York, I had to get my hands on it. There is no place like home, and that's what Buffalo is for me. I didn't grow up there, I just went to school there. But five years was all it took for Western New York to be everything to me. Hudson is right when she says:
But there’s something about Watonka, they say. Something that pulls us back, the electromagnet that holds all the metal in place. It’s the food, they say, or the chicken wings or the sports teams or the people or the way the air over the Skyway smells like Cheerios on account of the old General Mills Plant.
Sarah Ockler presents WNY (Watonka, really) perfectly. Out of anything with this story, that was the most important part for me. After reading Fixing Delilah, and catching the reference to Forest Lawn Cemetary (the cemetery that was across the street from my college!), I was pumped for what would come next. Add to the mix that I was also known by my friends at college as Cupcake Girl, how could this possible go wrong?
Hudson hides in the back prep area of her mom's restaurant, baking cupcakes. She's hiding from all kinds of things, and the sad thing is that even in the end, she doesn't stop hiding. Her goals are drowned by the people around her, and she admits defeat, returning to the back room to bake cupcakes for the next forever.
The thing that really sucks? That her "supportive" best friend and mother cow her into staying. Her "best friend" gets angry, jealous, bitter, and dismissive the second anything good happens for Hudson. I didn't understand any of their fights, or why Hudson even felt bad for what she was doing. She packed the guilt on herself over and over, when she didn't have any reason to that I could see.
Even her mother gets in on it. Her mother has the idea that in order for her little diner (her dream) to be successful, it needs to suck the life out of everyone around them. She doesn't have much respect for her daughter's growing ambitions, and she's so obsessed with her diner and making it work that she doesn't really bother to find out what Hudson's future plans even are. This might be a case of the Bad Parent in YA trope, but if anything, the absent-and-new-family father fits that bill with more flair.
I'm going to point out here that this is an exceptionally good depiction of life in WNY, where the only people who seem to want to stay there are people who aren't from there. The people who want out are the ones who've been there forever. There's something magnetic about the city of Buffalo, but it's repellent at the same time.
The "love triangle" between Will, Hudson, and Josh didn't make much sense to me. We're made to like Josh immediately. It's even clear that Hudson likes him. But then... out of nowhere, Will takes center stage. He's the big hockey jock, and it's a mystery why Hudson sees anything in him. There's no chemistry there, just a whiny adolescent boy with secrets and too much testosterone. That entire sub-plot left me confused.
Why is it that in any book related to sports, the characters have an irritating need to always call each other by last names? It's not even on occasion, it's almost any time they talk to each other. Maybe this is a general sports phenomenon that goes over my head, but every few lines, "Weakly witty line, Avery!" "Equally weak retort, Blackthorn!"
...and this is really stupid, but Hudson's name stuck out like crazy in the sea of Dani, Kara, Josh, Will. I kept forgetting if Avery or Hudson was her first name.
On the character level, Sarah Ockler nails it every time. Hudson is a teenage girl, in the best sense. She's indecisive, her self esteem is wobbly, and she's prone to embarrassment. Sometimes, though, you don't really know what's going on with her. Will is dumped into her lap, but at a few points, she says she's falling for Josh. It takes her a while to sort that out, and it's realistic. Sarah Ockler makes every second we're with Hudson enjoyable.
I don't know jack about figure skating and hate hockey. But somehow, even hockey came across more interesting through Ockler's details. Figure skating especially, though, where I could feel the excitement and dedication from Hudson. This is someone who cares about figure skating.
The pressure from all sides for Hudson to be what everyone else wanted her to be was frustrating to get through. But that reminder of the 190, of the Buffalo News, of everything Western New York, kept this book in my hands.
But there’s something about Watonka, they say. Something that pulls us back, the electromagnet that holds all the metal in place. It’s the food, they say, or the chicken wings or the sports teams or the people or the way the air over the Skyway smells like Cheerios on account of the old General Mills Plant.
Sarah Ockler presents WNY (Watonka, really) perfectly. Out of anything with this story, that was the most important part for me. After reading Fixing Delilah, and catching the reference to Forest Lawn Cemetary (the cemetery that was across the street from my college!), I was pumped for what would come next. Add to the mix that I was also known by my friends at college as Cupcake Girl, how could this possible go wrong?
Hudson hides in the back prep area of her mom's restaurant, baking cupcakes. She's hiding from all kinds of things, and the sad thing is that even in the end, she doesn't stop hiding. Her goals are drowned by the people around her, and she admits defeat, returning to the back room to bake cupcakes for the next forever.
The thing that really sucks? That her "supportive" best friend and mother cow her into staying. Her "best friend" gets angry, jealous, bitter, and dismissive the second anything good happens for Hudson. I didn't understand any of their fights, or why Hudson even felt bad for what she was doing. She packed the guilt on herself over and over, when she didn't have any reason to that I could see.
Even her mother gets in on it. Her mother has the idea that in order for her little diner (her dream) to be successful, it needs to suck the life out of everyone around them. She doesn't have much respect for her daughter's growing ambitions, and she's so obsessed with her diner and making it work that she doesn't really bother to find out what Hudson's future plans even are. This might be a case of the Bad Parent in YA trope, but if anything, the absent-and-new-family father fits that bill with more flair.
I'm going to point out here that this is an exceptionally good depiction of life in WNY, where the only people who seem to want to stay there are people who aren't from there. The people who want out are the ones who've been there forever. There's something magnetic about the city of Buffalo, but it's repellent at the same time.
The "love triangle" between Will, Hudson, and Josh didn't make much sense to me. We're made to like Josh immediately. It's even clear that Hudson likes him. But then... out of nowhere, Will takes center stage. He's the big hockey jock, and it's a mystery why Hudson sees anything in him. There's no chemistry there, just a whiny adolescent boy with secrets and too much testosterone. That entire sub-plot left me confused.
Why is it that in any book related to sports, the characters have an irritating need to always call each other by last names? It's not even on occasion, it's almost any time they talk to each other. Maybe this is a general sports phenomenon that goes over my head, but every few lines, "Weakly witty line, Avery!" "Equally weak retort, Blackthorn!"
...and this is really stupid, but Hudson's name stuck out like crazy in the sea of Dani, Kara, Josh, Will. I kept forgetting if Avery or Hudson was her first name.
On the character level, Sarah Ockler nails it every time. Hudson is a teenage girl, in the best sense. She's indecisive, her self esteem is wobbly, and she's prone to embarrassment. Sometimes, though, you don't really know what's going on with her. Will is dumped into her lap, but at a few points, she says she's falling for Josh. It takes her a while to sort that out, and it's realistic. Sarah Ockler makes every second we're with Hudson enjoyable.
I don't know jack about figure skating and hate hockey. But somehow, even hockey came across more interesting through Ockler's details. Figure skating especially, though, where I could feel the excitement and dedication from Hudson. This is someone who cares about figure skating.
The pressure from all sides for Hudson to be what everyone else wanted her to be was frustrating to get through. But that reminder of the 190, of the Buffalo News, of everything Western New York, kept this book in my hands.
alli_oopsie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
linmjenk's review against another edition
4.0
It's surprisingly cute novel. Nothing exciting, still in the YA ballpark but cute.