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A review by lorilaws
The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
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.