Bittersweet (Sarah Ockler)

***

         Hudson used to be a great figure skater, but she hasn't competed since her dad betrayed her family and left them.  Now she bakes cupcakes at her mom's failing small-town diner and tries to accept spending the rest of her life working there.  Lately, though, Hudson has been feeling trapped.  She's been making secret excursions to the frozen lake to skate and think about the future she could have had.  Then Hudson gets a letter in the mail inviting her to compete for a skating scholarship.  She realizes that it's her final chance to make her dreams come true.  The only problem is that her childhood dreams don't fit easily into the life that Hudson is living now.

         This was a good chick-lit novel, but not outstanding.  It's been a while since I read it, so I don't really remember much.  I only know that I wasn't a huge fan of the ending.  It felt a little abrupt to me, as though Hudson hadn't developed enough as a character or as a person to make the decision that she made.  Bittersweet was kind of a cookie-cutter book, but as I've said before, that's not always a bad thing.  If you like chick-lit, you'll definitely like this - but I wouldn't recommend that you go out of your way to read it if chick-lit isn't usually your thing.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: August 31, 2012

My Life Next Door (Huntley Fitzpatrick)

****

         Samantha Reed's mother does not approve of the next door neighbors, the Garretts.  They're noisy and messy, have lots of kids, and don't seem to care what other people think of them.  But those are the exact reasons that Samantha's been watching the Garretts since they moved in when she was a little girl.  The idea of a close-knit family is very appealing to Samantha, who is getting sick of her mother's quest for perfection both in public and at home as she runs for reelection to Congress.  While her mom is busy campaigning, Samantha meets Jase Garret and is quickly absorbed into the chaos of his family.  Just when it seems as though Samantha has found a place with the Garretts, her mother does something unforgivable and puts Samantha's relationship in jeopardy.

         If you're craving some serious chick lit, My Life Next Door is the sort of thing you want to read.  There's plenty of drama and a super-sweet guy.  What more could you ask for?  This novel is a Sarah Dessen read-alike, for the Sarah Dessen fans out there.  I thought it was really cute.  To be read when you're in the mood for something girly, or when you've just finished a depressing book and are looking for a happy ending.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: August 17, 2012

What do you think about chick lit - love it or hate it?  Share the best and/or worst chick lit books you've ever read in the comments.

Unbreak My Heart (Melissa Walker)

***

         Clementine's sophomore year didn't go quite as planned.  She broke the most important friendship rule in the book and ended up losing all of her friends.  Clem's lack of a social life is the only reason she's going along with the idea of a summer-long family sailing trip.  Even though Clem isn't putting up a fight, being stuck with her parents and little sister on a tiny boat for two months is a little more than she can handle.  So it's a really good thing when she meets James, who's sailing the same route she is with his father.  Maybe James will be the one to help Clem get over last year and start enjoying everything that she has left.

         Unbreak My Heart was a good but not super-memorable book.  Clementine was (understandably, I suppose) a little snippy with people at first, but she made some emotional progress.  She was really lucky to have such a kind, understanding family.  However, the contrast between their niceness and her angstiness (I'm not sure that's a word) made Clem seem like a worse person than she actually was.  James was also a really nice guy - despite the family problems he had, he was cheerful 99% of the time.  On top of that, he got over anything upsetting very quickly.  It might have given the story more depth if Clem wasn't the only person who was struggling with negative emotions.  Luckily, this is the kind of book where everything works out in the end, so Clem's problems all get solved.  Unbreak My Heart isn't the best chick lit I've ever read, but it was a pretty good book on the whole.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: July 22, 2012

So, to get completely off the topic of reading, the Olympics are over now.  Very sad.  I absolutely love the summer Olympics.  They're really bad for my book goal, but I'm willing to make the sacrifice for swimming and diving and gymnastics.  It was a great year for the US swim team; they were so fun to watch.  Did you watch the Olympics?  Which are your favorite sports and athletes to follow?  Let me know in the comments.

Back When You Were Easier to Love (Emily Wing Smith)

***

         When Joy's boyfriend, Zan, decides to go to college a year early with no warning or explanation, Joy is devastated.  Zan was the only one who understood Joy and her feelings about life in conservative Haven, Utah.  After a few months of going through the motions of her senior year, Joy concludes that there is only one option left: go to California to find Zan and get some closure (or, if she's being honest, get Zan back).  Unfortunately, none of her friends are willing to accompany her on this secret mission.  That leaves Noah, Zan's former best friend, who got as little closure as Joy did when Zan left.  As this unlikely pair goes out in search of Zan, they discover that some friends aren't worth keeping.  

         Back When Your Were Easier to Love is a lot like another book I read recently, Getting Over Garrett Delaney.  When two books are this similar, it's really hard not to compare them.  Personally, I liked Garrett better.  Joy wasn't as strong a character (or a girl) as Sadie was.  Both were obsessed with the guys in their life, but Joy spends almost the entire book clinging to Zan.  It got kind of old after a while, especially when it became clear that Noah liked Joy.  Which is really strange, actually, seeing as Joy was openly mean and prejudiced against Noah because he was popular.  Joy's personality brought the book down for me.  However, Back When You Were Easier to Love would have a strong appeal for people who don't like to read books that include teens drinking alcohol or even kissing.  Most of the characters are Mormon, and their behavior is heavily influenced by their religious beliefs.  Kissing was only barely mentioned, and the strongest thing Joy and her friends drink is Sprite.  Unless this is important to you, though, I would recommend reading Getting Over Garrett Delaney instead.  In the end, I think it's a more enjoyable book.  

Rating: 3/5

Completed: June 20, 2012