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girlinthepages's review against another edition
4.0
Well it looks like fourth time is the charm for me and Sarah Ockler, because I finally found a book by her that I truly adored. The Book of Broken Hearts took me back to the days of YA contemporary by the likes of Sarah Dessen and I got all of the same great vibes here- strong, developed family relationships, takes place over the summer, a forbidden romance...it's the perfect YA read for a teenager. I loved the dynamic of the Hernandez sisters and their "book of broken hearts" and associated pact, and how that is juxtaposed against the Vargas brothers (although I'm annoyed I didn't get to find out exactly what happened between Celi and Johnny!). I loved the family legacies and traditions that were passed down through the sisters (for better or for worse) and each sister's specific personality and role they played in the family. The romance was also pretty swoon-worthy and Emilio was the perfect mix of fun, funny, and just slightly infuriating.
Like any great YA contemporary, this book has an undercurrent of seriousness beneath the romance and family drama. Jude's father is sick with a rapidly deteriorating condition, and it's truly heartbreaking to see his condition worsen over the summer, and how rapidly the Hernandez's family dynamic changes. I think Ockler struck the right balance between levity and grief, light and darkness, in this story, and the theme of broken hearts spans across multiple meanings, from romantic heartbreaks to the heartbreak of losing the most formative male figure in your life- your father. Yet there were moments of true humor within the family that felt authentic and not forced and showed how much of an emotional roller coaster a terminal illness truly inflicts (like Jude's narration of her dog Pancake's thoughts. Truly and deeply hilarious).
I also loved this book because I didn't realize it was diverse, and I loved getting to see two different Latin cultures highlighted (Jude's family is from Argentina and Emilio's is from Puerto Rico). There were a lot of cool glimpses into Jude's father's life in Argentina when he was part of the Aranas Blancas, a biker group. If anything my one complaint about this book is that I wanted to learn MORE about the rich histories and cultures of these families, from why Jude's parents moved to America to why Emilio's dad had returned to Puerto Rico. I wanted more on both of these large families full of fleshed out characters!
Overall: One of my favorite diverse YA contemporaries to date and my FAVORITE Sarah Ockler book, The Book of Broken Hearts is a truly bittersweet tale that layers the complexity of family tragedy beneath a young adult story of coming of age and falling in love.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
Like any great YA contemporary, this book has an undercurrent of seriousness beneath the romance and family drama. Jude's father is sick with a rapidly deteriorating condition, and it's truly heartbreaking to see his condition worsen over the summer, and how rapidly the Hernandez's family dynamic changes. I think Ockler struck the right balance between levity and grief, light and darkness, in this story, and the theme of broken hearts spans across multiple meanings, from romantic heartbreaks to the heartbreak of losing the most formative male figure in your life- your father. Yet there were moments of true humor within the family that felt authentic and not forced and showed how much of an emotional roller coaster a terminal illness truly inflicts (like Jude's narration of her dog Pancake's thoughts. Truly and deeply hilarious).
I also loved this book because I didn't realize it was diverse, and I loved getting to see two different Latin cultures highlighted (Jude's family is from Argentina and Emilio's is from Puerto Rico). There were a lot of cool glimpses into Jude's father's life in Argentina when he was part of the Aranas Blancas, a biker group. If anything my one complaint about this book is that I wanted to learn MORE about the rich histories and cultures of these families, from why Jude's parents moved to America to why Emilio's dad had returned to Puerto Rico. I wanted more on both of these large families full of fleshed out characters!
Overall: One of my favorite diverse YA contemporaries to date and my FAVORITE Sarah Ockler book, The Book of Broken Hearts is a truly bittersweet tale that layers the complexity of family tragedy beneath a young adult story of coming of age and falling in love.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
andreana_k's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable read but was let down by a poor plot structure, that is the basic arrangement of events that went in to making up the story. Especially so at the end, bit of a narrative mess really.
yurieslays's review against another edition
5.0
Learning about your parent disease is just a heartbreaking. & this book makes me love Argentinia empanadas tho I haven’t tried it yet because it’s one of family’s favorite dish and hyping it up.
rdyourbookcase's review against another edition
5.0
My new favorite Sarah Ockler book! I loved it - everything! I loved the characters, I loved the romance, I loved the family dynamic. It had its sad moments, for sure. Jude takes care of her father all summer, causing friction with her friends. It's a lot of responsibility for her and she takes it very seriously. She was an amazing daughter but didn't seem to realize that taking care of her father would eventually be too much work for any one person. It was something she had to learn, just like she had to learn to stand up to her sisters.
I think my favorite character in this one was Papi. He had such a sense of humor and his life was crazy interesting.
The best part of the book was when Jude learned about her name.
I think my favorite character in this one was Papi. He had such a sense of humor and his life was crazy interesting.
The best part of the book was when Jude learned about her name.
aneeqah's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Honestly, this was just one of those quickie reads that was a nice breath of fresh air with all my other reads going on.
Honestly, this was just one of those quickie reads that was a nice breath of fresh air with all my other reads going on.
dknakal's review against another edition
1.0
Didn't really care for this book. Actually, it was hard to get through.
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
5.0
Sarah Ockler is very quickly moving up my list of favorite authors. Each book she writes just seems to be better than the last. The Book of Broken Hearts is no exception.
Characters can make or break a book for me more than anything else and the characters in The Book of Broken Hearts definitely made this book for me. Jude is a flawed character, that's for sure, but that's really what made me love her from the very start. It took me no time at all to get completely wrapped up in Jude's story and I wanted a happy ending for her so badly! Jude's father has early onset Alzheimers and all she wants is to spend one last summer with him as himself. He's rapidly forgetting everything about himself and his life but Jude thinks there might be one thing that can help keep him with her for at least one more summer and that's Valentina, his motorcycle. She knows they won't be able to restore it themselves and that's where Emilio Vargas enters the picture. Jude knows to stay away from the Vargas brothers but that's easier said than done. He's sweet, funny, sexy, and above all, he's not embarrassed or ashamed by her dad. He's the only person who has stuck around no matter how bad it gets with him. Emilio was pretty much the perfect guy and I loved his banter with Jude.
Jude's father was another really big part of why I loved The Book of Broken Hearts. He was beyond adorable. I wanted to cry at times reading about him because it's so true. I can't imagine the research Sarah Ockler did to make this book so authentic. This type of illness isn't something commonly written about in young adult books and it was really a big part of why I loved this book so much. It added a depth to the book that would not have been there if it was just a cute romance. It didn't hurt that her dad was so awesome either. Even with his illness, he was funny, smart, kind, and such a great dad. Can't help but love awesome parents in YA books!
The story is a little heavy (obviously it deals with a parent with a serious illness) but surprisingly this book made me laugh and smile a lot more than it made me cry. I did tear up a few times but like I said, more time was spent laughing than anything else. While there isn't a whole lot of action in The Book of Broken Hearts it's still a book that is difficult to stop reading once you pick it up. It's so cute and funny and full of awesome banter between characters and a completely wonderful family dynamic. It's the perfect contemporary read for a day by the pool!
Overall, The Book of Broken Hearts is definitely a book that I'd recommend to all contemporary lovers. I'm already eagerly awaiting Sarah Ockler's next book!
Characters can make or break a book for me more than anything else and the characters in The Book of Broken Hearts definitely made this book for me. Jude is a flawed character, that's for sure, but that's really what made me love her from the very start. It took me no time at all to get completely wrapped up in Jude's story and I wanted a happy ending for her so badly! Jude's father has early onset Alzheimers and all she wants is to spend one last summer with him as himself. He's rapidly forgetting everything about himself and his life but Jude thinks there might be one thing that can help keep him with her for at least one more summer and that's Valentina, his motorcycle. She knows they won't be able to restore it themselves and that's where Emilio Vargas enters the picture. Jude knows to stay away from the Vargas brothers but that's easier said than done. He's sweet, funny, sexy, and above all, he's not embarrassed or ashamed by her dad. He's the only person who has stuck around no matter how bad it gets with him. Emilio was pretty much the perfect guy and I loved his banter with Jude.
Jude's father was another really big part of why I loved The Book of Broken Hearts. He was beyond adorable. I wanted to cry at times reading about him because it's so true. I can't imagine the research Sarah Ockler did to make this book so authentic. This type of illness isn't something commonly written about in young adult books and it was really a big part of why I loved this book so much. It added a depth to the book that would not have been there if it was just a cute romance. It didn't hurt that her dad was so awesome either. Even with his illness, he was funny, smart, kind, and such a great dad. Can't help but love awesome parents in YA books!
The story is a little heavy (obviously it deals with a parent with a serious illness) but surprisingly this book made me laugh and smile a lot more than it made me cry. I did tear up a few times but like I said, more time was spent laughing than anything else. While there isn't a whole lot of action in The Book of Broken Hearts it's still a book that is difficult to stop reading once you pick it up. It's so cute and funny and full of awesome banter between characters and a completely wonderful family dynamic. It's the perfect contemporary read for a day by the pool!
Overall, The Book of Broken Hearts is definitely a book that I'd recommend to all contemporary lovers. I'm already eagerly awaiting Sarah Ockler's next book!
indra23's review against another edition
4.0
I cried so much at the end. This is suuuch a beautiful book and it portrays so beautifully the tragic-ness of living with Alzheimer or having a family member with Alzheimer. It touched a sore spot within my soul, but I needed it.
I related so much to Jude, and her relationship with her dad it's just incredibly tender and real and sad and beautiful. Also, Emilio was just perfect. Loved him. I wish we learnt more about him, and what happened to his brothers, but all in all it was the perfect complement to Jude's story.
A bit of a note, though: I really don't like the cover of this book. I feel like it gives the wrong impression of the book. This isn't really a romantic novel, I feel like it's about family, and growing up and growing old, and founding the beautiful things in every stage of life, and following your heart, and yes, loving with all of your heart even if it ends up broken. Because life is too short, and too unpredictable to stay on the safe path.
So if the cover of the book had to have the hernandez's Book of broken hearts, I imagine the book as a black little notebook with yellowed pages, not being able to close completely due to dried flowers and notes and things glued to it, some pages almost illegible because the ink got messed with tears... A real, hardcore, loved and hated, full of memories, book. Not that pretty with sunflower notebook in the cover. Just saying.
I related so much to Jude, and her relationship with her dad it's just incredibly tender and real and sad and beautiful. Also, Emilio was just perfect. Loved him. I wish we learnt more about him, and what happened to his brothers, but all in all it was the perfect complement to Jude's story.
A bit of a note, though: I really don't like the cover of this book. I feel like it gives the wrong impression of the book. This isn't really a romantic novel, I feel like it's about family, and growing up and growing old, and founding the beautiful things in every stage of life, and following your heart, and yes, loving with all of your heart even if it ends up broken. Because life is too short, and too unpredictable to stay on the safe path.
So if the cover of the book had to have the hernandez's Book of broken hearts, I imagine the book as a black little notebook with yellowed pages, not being able to close completely due to dried flowers and notes and things glued to it, some pages almost illegible because the ink got messed with tears... A real, hardcore, loved and hated, full of memories, book. Not that pretty with sunflower notebook in the cover. Just saying.
yesididbringabook's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This book was way deeper than expected. The relationship between Jude and her sisters is so relatable and complicated. And her sacrifice for her family, her struggle with her friends... There are some ya books that just completely capture the tangle of emotions involved in your late teens, and this is one of these. Additionally, the information on EOA was eye opening. It really brought everything home.
spoilers
Dear Jude,
I'm so glad you ended up traveling with Emilio. I wonder if not taking the test still plagues you. I bet it does, but I bet that it makes you a stronger and more courageous person. Good luck sweetheart.
Sincerely,
A Sympathetic and Similarly Confused Young Adult
spoilers
Dear Jude,
I'm so glad you ended up traveling with Emilio. I wonder if not taking the test still plagues you. I bet it does, but I bet that it makes you a stronger and more courageous person. Good luck sweetheart.
Sincerely,
A Sympathetic and Similarly Confused Young Adult
saskiacb's review against another edition
5.0
This was perfect. So special. And the topics it touched were sensitive ones that I believe were handled well and i'm crying