Review: Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Release date: 1/3/12 (Simon Pulse)
Book challenge: Standalone challenge
FTC: purchased e-book
Rating: 4 purrs
Summary from Goodreads:
Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances… a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.
So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life…and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.
It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last…
So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life…and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.
It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last…
Review:
Before I start my review, I would like to state that I might be slightly biased towards Sarah Ockler. Sarah Ockler was the very first author that I met when I first started SLBAC. That was a couple months before her debut novel Twenty Boy Summer came out. We talk off and on Twitter since then and I've seen her a couple times at various author events in the city. In Bittersweet there is a cat themed cafe called, Sharon's Cafe! It was first mentioned on 44% on my Kindle Touch, so I'm not sure what page that is in the hardback. I'll let you all figure out whom that cafe is based on. ;)
Bittersweet came into my life at the perfect time. I've been reading some many dystopians and paranormal ya books. Many of which were quite disappointing. I've also done a great deal of moping around lately. In Bittersweet the main character Hudson, spends a great deal of time moping around as well. Hudson feels unhappy because of the way here skating career ended and her parents marriage failed. She has become quite successful at making cupcakes for her mother's diner but she continues to live in the past. There were times when I found Hudson to be annoying which is probably why I gave the book 4 stars. But she grew on my after a while. By the end of Bittersweet I was all about Team Princess Pink.
I really loved the message that Bittersweet teaches, that it isn't good to live in the past. If you look to the present and see how many people love and care about you, you will realize how lucky you are. Awesome message! At least that is what I took away from Bittersweet.
I also loved the setting in Bittersweet. The cold weather in western NY made me yearn for snow*. Some of my favorite moments were when Hudson was outside ice skating. I cannot even stand in skates but I almost felt like I was skating right alongside Hudson. Dang it, I REALLY wish that I knew how to ice skate!
I cannot write this review without mentioning the chapter titles and cupcakes. Each chapter had a cute title describing a type of cupcake. Cupcakes were a huge part of Bittersweet. I don't remember the last time a book made me so hungry.
For the most part I liked all of the characters in Bittersweet. Hudson's brother Bug was probably my favorite secondary character. Obviously there is also some romance in Bittersweet. Ehh I'm not big on romance. What can I say? They make a cute couple. If you like romance novels you'll probably appreciate this past of the story more than I did.
One things that did bug me was Hudon's eating habits. I always thought there ice skaters had to eat super healthy diets. Hudson eats cupcakes, fries, chips, etc. I mean it's good to see a girl who isn't afraid to consume calories but it just seemed odd that she didn't start eating healthier food. Wouldn't it be better to snack on fruit if you're training for an athletic event?
Overall, I enjoyed Bittersweet a great deal. It was a nice break from some of the lame dystopian books that I've been subjected to lately.
* Seriously! We need some snow here. We had one storm around Halloween and nothing but a few flurries since. Please pray to the snow gods for me. Thanks.
Posts
January 15, 2012 5:01 PM
I loved 20 Boy Summer and can't wait to read this book! Thanks for the review, Sharon!
January 15, 2012 6:00 PM
I started reading this a couple of day ago, and I'm really liking it! I'm seeing 5 star-reviews everywhere!
xo, Ella
January 17, 2012 10:14 PM
I am definitely biased towards Ockler as well! Fixing Delilah was the first ARC I read and reviewed ( I loved it!) and she will always hold a special place for me, no matter how insignificant that seems now. I loved this book! I really gotta read 20 boy summer now.