khairun_atika's review against another edition
3.0
The Book of Broken Hearts portrays a loving family who deals with the patriarch's early onset Alzheimer's diagnosis. Jude Hernandez, the youngest of the four sisters, spends the summer with her Papi, eager to help get his beloved Harley fixed with the hopes that it would delay the progression of his illness. They enlist the help of Emilio Vargas, despite the fact that the Hernandez sisters had all taken a blood oath to never get involved with a Vargas brother. Emilio's brothers had broken the hearts of Jude's sisters...but Jude cannot help but notice how different Emilio is to his brothers. Besides its careful and heartbreaking portrayal of the effects of Alzheimer's, this book is also a coming-of-age story about a young woman trying to find what she wants for herself while living in the shadow of her older sisters. Jude is eager to do what she wants to do, and to admit her feelings, and her journey in finding the courage to face up to her present and her future makes this an enjoyable and fulfilling read indeed.
itsmytuberculosis's review against another edition
4.0
I was really satisfied with this book. At parts it was helarious and then it was heart breaking.
imashamedofmyoldreviews's review against another edition
3.0
Real Rating:3.5
Okay, so this was pretty good but I edited this review from rating 4.5 after rereading.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
El Demonio was portrayed Capital B Beautifully! *wink wink* It wasn't just a fluffy read but it was reallllyyy deep. It goes through the amazing journey of an ex-biker legend's family, particularly the youngest daughter of four- Jude. Totally worth reading. That part was really nice to read but the romance was just not ..... right. I feel Emilio and Jude didn't get to actually know each other and that this was just a summer fling caused due to hormones and proximity.
PS: Kinda reminded me of Still Alice with the genetic Alzheimers and 4 children but didn't fail any expectation.
Okay, so this was pretty good but I edited this review from rating 4.5 after rereading.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
El Demonio was portrayed Capital B Beautifully! *wink wink* It wasn't just a fluffy read but it was reallllyyy deep. It goes through the amazing journey of an ex-biker legend's family, particularly the youngest daughter of four- Jude. Totally worth reading. That part was really nice to read but the romance was just not ..... right. I feel Emilio and Jude didn't get to actually know each other and that this was just a summer fling caused due to hormones and proximity.
PS: Kinda reminded me of Still Alice with the genetic Alzheimers and 4 children but didn't fail any expectation.
jessica_lovestoread's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
3.0
nitzanschwarz's review against another edition
4.5
I'm going to admit something: I decided I wanted this book purely because of the cover. The fact the synopsis sounded appealing... well, that was just a bonus. But I am not ashamed of this. I am not ashamed of it at all, because it made me read this book. and this book... THIS BOOK, you guys.
This book is hella emotional, and it deals with the hard, painful subject of early onset Alzheimer's, which is on itself a subject not discussed enough in literature, in my opinion. But it's not a tearjerker, even though it will make you cry. Why? Because you don't feel like this book is trying to make you cry. You don't feel like the whole purpose of it is to wrangle your emotions and make you an emotional mess. And that makes it all the more powerful, to me.
It shows you the truth, reality, in such an honest and upfront way, and that reality is painful, and it is hard, yes. But it balances the hard. It balances it with the good, and the romantic, and the familial. This book, it doesn't try to bring you down with it. It tries to push you up. To give hope, where a situation is hopeless. To show us it's not the end.
It does so through Jude, and her journey dealing with this Demon that's eating through her father.
She's just finished high school, and instead of enjoying her last summer, she is home taking care of her father. I loved this girl, and her voice. She was funny, emotional, real and very much her age - she still had that naivety and awkwardness we all have at her age. She feel like I did two years ago (and I still feel like this sometimes).
But she also grew tremendously throughout the story. She learned a lot about life, about human nature, about love and independence. About family and standing up to them. I loved watching her evolve and grow.
Than we had Emilio Vargas. Naturally, he's the love interest, and I think he is definitely worth some swooning. He is not a bad boy, despite what the synopsis might hint. He is actually just a kind, nice, motorcycle loving guy, which I loved. You get the nice hot guy with an edge. And Jude sees that, which makes the whole swore-not-to-get-involved-with-a-Vargas deal extremely difficult.
Though, I did think the whole 'I betrayed my family' deal was a bit over-the-top. Her sisters are grown women - they should know better, and act better. I would've liked to hear more, too, about what happened in the past. It's never fully explained - and I was interested. This is really the only reason I didn't give the book a full 5 stars.
However, this really doesn't matter. The synopsis doesn't lie when it tells you this is a "poignant and romantic novel", and if that sort of thing is anywhere near your thing, you should read this book ASAP.
Ps. even if this isn't your thing, you should read this book just for the pleasure of meeting Pancake the dog and his obsession with bunnies. Just saying.
This book is hella emotional, and it deals with the hard, painful subject of early onset Alzheimer's, which is on itself a subject not discussed enough in literature, in my opinion. But it's not a tearjerker, even though it will make you cry. Why? Because you don't feel like this book is trying to make you cry. You don't feel like the whole purpose of it is to wrangle your emotions and make you an emotional mess. And that makes it all the more powerful, to me.
It shows you the truth, reality, in such an honest and upfront way, and that reality is painful, and it is hard, yes. But it balances the hard. It balances it with the good, and the romantic, and the familial. This book, it doesn't try to bring you down with it. It tries to push you up. To give hope, where a situation is hopeless. To show us it's not the end.
It does so through Jude, and her journey dealing with this Demon that's eating through her father.
She's just finished high school, and instead of enjoying her last summer, she is home taking care of her father. I loved this girl, and her voice. She was funny, emotional, real and very much her age - she still had that naivety and awkwardness we all have at her age. She feel like I did two years ago (and I still feel like this sometimes).
But she also grew tremendously throughout the story. She learned a lot about life, about human nature, about love and independence. About family and standing up to them. I loved watching her evolve and grow.
Than we had Emilio Vargas. Naturally, he's the love interest, and I think he is definitely worth some swooning. He is not a bad boy, despite what the synopsis might hint. He is actually just a kind, nice, motorcycle loving guy, which I loved. You get the nice hot guy with an edge. And Jude sees that, which makes the whole swore-not-to-get-involved-with-a-Vargas deal extremely difficult.
Though, I did think the whole 'I betrayed my family' deal was a bit over-the-top. Her sisters are grown women - they should know better, and act better. I would've liked to hear more, too, about what happened in the past. It's never fully explained - and I was interested. This is really the only reason I didn't give the book a full 5 stars.
However, this really doesn't matter. The synopsis doesn't lie when it tells you this is a "poignant and romantic novel", and if that sort of thing is anywhere near your thing, you should read this book ASAP.
Ps. even if this isn't your thing, you should read this book just for the pleasure of meeting Pancake the dog and his obsession with bunnies. Just saying.
lumos_libros's review against another edition
5.0
I can't even... this was so beautiful and done perfectly. One of the best, if not the best, book I've read this year. Ockler you got yourself a lifetime reader! Review when I don't have so many feels.
cupcakegirly's review against another edition
4.0
http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/13953-the-book-of-broken-hearts
dtrumps's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book. Spent a lot of time reading it with a smile on my face.
catladylover94's review against another edition
5.0
really good thought it would be a typical love story, it was not it was more about her fathers illness then anything, he has alzheimer's and it is getting worse and the youngest daughter of 4 is taking care of him over the summer, and then falls in love with the boy who is restoring her fathers bike.
jeanettesreadingcorner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
- I thought this book was going to be a fun, heated summer romance but it was so much more emotional and deeper than that. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did!
- I loved how close Jude’s family is. I could relate to her relationships with her sisters. I also like her a lot as a main character. I love all of the Spanish that’s included in the story too.
- Emilio is so nice and funny! I loved how the other characters would tease him and Jude. I also love how patient and kind he was with Jude and her father.
- I thought this was going to be insta-love but it wasn’t. I’m so glad Jude and Emilio became friends first and the slow burn was amazing.
- I’ve never read a character with early onset Alzheimer’s. The Jude experiences with her dad were emotional and realistic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury