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lorilaws's review against another edition
5.0
The Book of Broken Hearts wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Nope, it was so much more. I’m not sure I had even read the blurb anyway. All I needed to see was Sarah Ockler and I was sold. But when I opened the book and started reading I was a tad bit surprised. A vintage motorcycle? A dad with early onset Alzheimer’s? A huge family and, of course Emilio Vargas. This book was a lot of uncommon themes done beautifully.
Jude was such a fun character. I knew I was going to adore her from the very first chapter. (How could you not love her after that inner monologue with the short shorts?) She’s in such a tough situation. She, of course, wants to have a normal teenage summer, but chooses to spend time with her ailing father instead. I loved her selflessness and maturity. She was a little naive, but really who wouldn’t wish that one simple thing could make the person you love all better. She really was just an all around loveable character.
While the book does have some sad elements, there’s still plenty of lighthearted and fun moments. Jude definitely brought a lot of light to the story, but there was also Pancake the family dog. Yeah, he was pretty awesome. I loved that Sarah Ockler included these little snippets of Pancake’s doggy thoughts. They made me smile every time. Jude’s father was also delightful. I really enjoyed his stories and his surprising strength. I was really infuriated by Jude’s sister, though. Wow did she get under my skin, but in the best possible way. I really love when a book can bring that much emotion out in me.
One thing that I’m happy to say The Book of Broken Hearts is missing is broken hearts. There is romance, of course! It’s slow burn. It was never super angsty or at all irritating. I really loved Emilio. I adored how honest he was. His feelings were clear from pretty early on so he never went through a jerkface stage as some YA boys are prone to do. He was really just a nice, swoon-worthy boy.
As you can tell I really adored The Book of Broken Hearts. It was the perfect mix of funny, lovable characters and a real family issues. It was heartwarming and I loved ever word of it. It’s definitely a great Summer read.
Jude was such a fun character. I knew I was going to adore her from the very first chapter. (How could you not love her after that inner monologue with the short shorts?) She’s in such a tough situation. She, of course, wants to have a normal teenage summer, but chooses to spend time with her ailing father instead. I loved her selflessness and maturity. She was a little naive, but really who wouldn’t wish that one simple thing could make the person you love all better. She really was just an all around loveable character.
While the book does have some sad elements, there’s still plenty of lighthearted and fun moments. Jude definitely brought a lot of light to the story, but there was also Pancake the family dog. Yeah, he was pretty awesome. I loved that Sarah Ockler included these little snippets of Pancake’s doggy thoughts. They made me smile every time. Jude’s father was also delightful. I really enjoyed his stories and his surprising strength. I was really infuriated by Jude’s sister, though. Wow did she get under my skin, but in the best possible way. I really love when a book can bring that much emotion out in me.
One thing that I’m happy to say The Book of Broken Hearts is missing is broken hearts. There is romance, of course! It’s slow burn. It was never super angsty or at all irritating. I really loved Emilio. I adored how honest he was. His feelings were clear from pretty early on so he never went through a jerkface stage as some YA boys are prone to do. He was really just a nice, swoon-worthy boy.
As you can tell I really adored The Book of Broken Hearts. It was the perfect mix of funny, lovable characters and a real family issues. It was heartwarming and I loved ever word of it. It’s definitely a great Summer read.
astosic011's review against another edition
4.0
4 Stars
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The story follows a seventeen year old girl names Jude who decides to spend the summer with her father re-build his old Harley. The catch: the mechanic who is doing said re-building is, in a way, of limits and her father has EOA (Early Onset Alzheimers).
I went into this story thinking that the main focus would be the 'love' interest. However, I was surprised, and pleased, to find that an equal, if not greater, amount of the novel was allotted to the father-daughter relationship. Jude is the youngest of four girls in her family and it was heartbreaking to read about her, essentially, losing her father. The Slow Goodbye .
I would most definitely recommend this book. The novel is not heavy on the romance as other NA and YA books are. Instead the relationship between Emilio and Jude really develops in the background of a heart-breaking circumstance in her life.
Why not 5 stars then? The dialogue was too short for my taste, there could have been more. In addition, some aspects seemed to be too redundant while others I wish were expanded on.
Scale of 1-10:
Plot: 8
Characters:7
Writing: 8
Romance:5
Relationships:7
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The story follows a seventeen year old girl names Jude who decides to spend the summer with her father re-build his old Harley. The catch: the mechanic who is doing said re-building is, in a way, of limits and her father has EOA (Early Onset Alzheimers).
I went into this story thinking that the main focus would be the 'love' interest. However, I was surprised, and pleased, to find that an equal, if not greater, amount of the novel was allotted to the father-daughter relationship. Jude is the youngest of four girls in her family and it was heartbreaking to read about her, essentially, losing her father. The Slow Goodbye .
I would most definitely recommend this book. The novel is not heavy on the romance as other NA and YA books are. Instead the relationship between Emilio and Jude really develops in the background of a heart-breaking circumstance in her life.
Why not 5 stars then? The dialogue was too short for my taste, there could have been more. In addition, some aspects seemed to be too redundant while others I wish were expanded on.
Scale of 1-10:
Plot: 8
Characters:7
Writing: 8
Romance:5
Relationships:7
poeticalchemy's review against another edition
4.0
I loved how Sarah Ockler weaved in some spanish in her writing. It definitely made the story really enjoyable!
erpedraja's review against another edition
3.0
The novel chronicles the summer after high school for Jude. She has alienated herself from her friends to spend time with her father restoring an old motorcycle, in the hopes it helps slow down the progression of his early onset Alzheimer disease. Helping her restore the bike is the youngest Vargas boy, the younger brother of the family that broke her older sisters' hearts, the family she swore she would never get involved with.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Jude is a strong individual whose only dream at the time is to help her father get well and return her family to normalcy. She struggles between living her life, and trying to live for others, while accepting the changing nature of her papi. What I especially enjoyed about this was the sprinkling of spanish culture throughout- It reminded me of some of the happenings within my own family.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Jude is a strong individual whose only dream at the time is to help her father get well and return her family to normalcy. She struggles between living her life, and trying to live for others, while accepting the changing nature of her papi. What I especially enjoyed about this was the sprinkling of spanish culture throughout- It reminded me of some of the happenings within my own family.
coco_lolo's review against another edition
5.0
I had high expectations for Ockler's fourth book after reading Bittersweet, and this went above and beyond anything I had imagined! I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting into, but this was nothing like I expected - and I love it for that. This is without a doubt my favorite of her books so far.
Can I just take a moment to gush about Sarah Ockler's writing? It's phenomenal. Simply beautiful. She has such a way with words that pulls me in and makes me fall in love, which is the reason (besides the plot, of course), that I love this book so much.
Oh my gosh, the characters? I. Loved Them. Jude was such a good protagonist to me: She's lived her entire life following after her three older sisters, always doing as they say, so she's afraid to make any serious decisions on her own. And though this is a part of her that's vulnerable, it's what makes her more relatable. Emilio...that boy is exactly what Jude needed. He's sweet but he knows how to push her, and he's the one who finally shows her how to let go and just live.
Speaking of motorcycles, I had no idea this book would involve fixing up a vintage bike, or a family affected by Alzheimer's disease. As someone who has a loved one suffering from this, I was able to understand much of Jude's thinking as she hoped restoring her dad's motorcycle would help overcome the illness, as well as many of the emotions she experiences. This right here was one of the book's biggest themes, so it didn't focus entirely on the romance, and I absolutely loved this aspect.
The only thing I wish there had been more of was Jude's time in the theater, as well as a bit more with her school friends. I would have loved for her to describe more plays she was in, because I really liked that part of her character!
8/20/16: After reading this for the second time, I believe I love it even more - there honestly haven't been all that many YA books that have sort of staked me through the heart the way this one has. Something I failed to mention in my initial review was how much I appreciated the relationship between the Hernandez sisters, because while I was rereading this, these women's dynamics were one of my favorite aspects; not only that, but I found the older three to be well drawn and interesting, which was something I couldn't say the same for when it came to the main character's sisters in Ockler's sixth book, The Summer of Chasing Mermaids.
Can I just take a moment to gush about Sarah Ockler's writing? It's phenomenal. Simply beautiful. She has such a way with words that pulls me in and makes me fall in love, which is the reason (besides the plot, of course), that I love this book so much.
Oh my gosh, the characters? I. Loved Them. Jude was such a good protagonist to me: She's lived her entire life following after her three older sisters, always doing as they say, so she's afraid to make any serious decisions on her own. And though this is a part of her that's vulnerable, it's what makes her more relatable. Emilio...that boy is exactly what Jude needed. He's sweet but he knows how to push her, and he's the one who finally shows her how to let go and just live.
Speaking of motorcycles, I had no idea this book would involve fixing up a vintage bike, or a family affected by Alzheimer's disease. As someone who has a loved one suffering from this, I was able to understand much of Jude's thinking as she hoped restoring her dad's motorcycle would help overcome the illness, as well as many of the emotions she experiences. This right here was one of the book's biggest themes, so it didn't focus entirely on the romance, and I absolutely loved this aspect.
The only thing I wish there had been more of was Jude's time in the theater, as well as a bit more with her school friends. I would have loved for her to describe more plays she was in, because I really liked that part of her character!
8/20/16: After reading this for the second time, I believe I love it even more - there honestly haven't been all that many YA books that have sort of staked me through the heart the way this one has. Something I failed to mention in my initial review was how much I appreciated the relationship between the Hernandez sisters, because while I was rereading this, these women's dynamics were one of my favorite aspects; not only that, but I found the older three to be well drawn and interesting, which was something I couldn't say the same for when it came to the main character's sisters in Ockler's sixth book, The Summer of Chasing Mermaids.
eatingwords's review against another edition
4.0
After reading Bittersweet, I wanted to read more by Sarah Ockler. Her writing is just plain beautiful and since The Book of Broken Hearts came out this year I wanted to see if I would like this contemporary romance as well.
What I liked very much:
1. The Argentinian family. I just loved how Jude and her family and actually almost everyone that they associated with had a South American background. I also enjoyed reading the scattered Spanish phrases and words that were embedded into conversations. Also reading about all of the food..thinking about it makes me hungry again :D
2. The non-existent love triangle. There just was no love triangle. I enjoyed that there was just one love interest. There was no need to put in a second guy to complicate things. It was complicated as it was.
3. The bond between the sisters. I loved their relationship and although Jude and the 'Hole Trinity' were quite a few years apart they still were the Hernandez sisters that had each others back no matter what.
4. Jude's love and fight for her father. It was so affectionate to read about how Jude wanted her father to get better although that was not possible. Her project rebuilding his motorcycle with him was great and I loved how much Jude wanted to do this for her father.
5. The romance. It was subtle and more in the background, which I liked. It didn't overtake the whole story. I liked that there were more important things than the romance.
6. The writing. As already mentioned, I really love Sarah Ockler's writing style. It is just so beautiful and once you have started reading, you don't want to stop.
7. Dealing with Alzheimer's. It's not like I would know how people cope with this kind of situation. How their relationships with the affected person changes and how people still try to hold everything together despite the disease. But everything about it seemed authentic and real to me. I didn't doubt that Sarah Ockler didn't know what she was writing about.
8. The motorcycles. Engines, cars and motorcycles are not really my thing. They are my boyfriends' thing. It's not that I'm passionate about them, but I enjoyed reading about them. Since the actual technical parts were not that long, I thought that it was cool to bring something so untypical for a contemporary romance up.
What I didn't like too much:
1. Mari's bossiness. I didn't like how she came around for a few weeks and then decided that everything should work like she wanted it. I also didn't like how Jude just stood there, let it happen and waited for her next order.
2. The Book of Broken Hearts. Like, really?! How could Jude be so naive and try not to break some oath that was ridiculous from the beginning.
Overall I really loved this story and I hope to read more of Sarah Ockler in the future!
What I liked very much:
1. The Argentinian family. I just loved how Jude and her family and actually almost everyone that they associated with had a South American background. I also enjoyed reading the scattered Spanish phrases and words that were embedded into conversations. Also reading about all of the food..thinking about it makes me hungry again :D
2. The non-existent love triangle. There just was no love triangle. I enjoyed that there was just one love interest. There was no need to put in a second guy to complicate things. It was complicated as it was.
3. The bond between the sisters. I loved their relationship and although Jude and the 'Hole Trinity' were quite a few years apart they still were the Hernandez sisters that had each others back no matter what.
4. Jude's love and fight for her father. It was so affectionate to read about how Jude wanted her father to get better although that was not possible. Her project rebuilding his motorcycle with him was great and I loved how much Jude wanted to do this for her father.
5. The romance. It was subtle and more in the background, which I liked. It didn't overtake the whole story. I liked that there were more important things than the romance.
6. The writing. As already mentioned, I really love Sarah Ockler's writing style. It is just so beautiful and once you have started reading, you don't want to stop.
7. Dealing with Alzheimer's. It's not like I would know how people cope with this kind of situation. How their relationships with the affected person changes and how people still try to hold everything together despite the disease. But everything about it seemed authentic and real to me. I didn't doubt that Sarah Ockler didn't know what she was writing about.
8. The motorcycles. Engines, cars and motorcycles are not really my thing. They are my boyfriends' thing. It's not that I'm passionate about them, but I enjoyed reading about them. Since the actual technical parts were not that long, I thought that it was cool to bring something so untypical for a contemporary romance up.
What I didn't like too much:
1. Mari's bossiness. I didn't like how she came around for a few weeks and then decided that everything should work like she wanted it. I also didn't like how Jude just stood there, let it happen and waited for her next order.
2. The Book of Broken Hearts. Like, really?! How could Jude be so naive and try not to break some oath that was ridiculous from the beginning
Spoiler
(even if Johnny Vargas did cheat on Celi, it does not mean that Emilio Vargas will cheat on Jude..I don't really understand why Jude spoke so mighty of this oath because it seemed just absurd to me. Also, she was only twelve when taking that oath, so that makes it doesn't even count..)Overall I really loved this story and I hope to read more of Sarah Ockler in the future!
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
4.0
Jude Hernandez has just graduated from high school and going through her last summer at home before leaving for college. She has planned a road trip with her friends later in the summer, but in the meantime sheìs helping her father restore his old Harley. Her father is coping with the onset of early Alzheimer, so they decide to hire a mechanic for the job on the bike. Jude hopes that this can help with her father's memory. The only mechanic available, though, is a nineteen-year-old guy who used to go to Jude's school: Emilio Vargas, the youngest of the Vargas brothers. They are all notorious heartbreakers. Two of Jude's elder sisters had their hearts broken by Vargas boys; when Jude was only twelve, the four Hernandez sisters had a blood oath that they were never going to get involved with a Vargas. At first, Jude is suspicious of Emilio's smile and dimples, but after her friends dump her because of her father's illness, she spends more time with him and starts to wonder if her sisters were wrong after all.
I found this book very cute. I read it all in one sitting. It's a tender love story, but love is not the main focus. The most important theme is coping with a family member who's developing Alzheimer. At first, Jude is determined that she can take care of her father on her own and resent even her sister's help. Later, however, her father's episodes are getting increasingly frequent, and she has to admit that her family needs help.
Emilio is a wonderful love interest. He's flirty and sweet, and helps Jude with her father when she needs it the most. He's a nice change from the bad boy featured in many "new adult" books. I loved him.
The Book of Broken Hearts is my first Sarah Ockler read. I've wanted to try her books for a long time. Now I'm going to read soemthing else she has written. Bittersweet, I think.
I found this book very cute. I read it all in one sitting. It's a tender love story, but love is not the main focus. The most important theme is coping with a family member who's developing Alzheimer. At first, Jude is determined that she can take care of her father on her own and resent even her sister's help. Later, however, her father's episodes are getting increasingly frequent, and she has to admit that her family needs help.
Emilio is a wonderful love interest. He's flirty and sweet, and helps Jude with her father when she needs it the most. He's a nice change from the bad boy featured in many "new adult" books. I loved him.
The Book of Broken Hearts is my first Sarah Ockler read. I've wanted to try her books for a long time. Now I'm going to read soemthing else she has written. Bittersweet, I think.
thrscldrn's review against another edition
5.0
I'm ready for the unknown.
This book is literally what it is, "The Book of Broken Hearts". This is my favorite from Sarah Ockler so far. I love how it tackles family, illness, trust and love all at the same time. And most of all I love that Jude Hernandez lived her own life, made her own choices, just at the right moment.
This book is absolutely amazing!!!
This book is literally what it is, "The Book of Broken Hearts". This is my favorite from Sarah Ockler so far. I love how it tackles family, illness, trust and love all at the same time. And most of all I love that Jude Hernandez lived her own life, made her own choices, just at the right moment.
This book is absolutely amazing!!!