The Book of Broken Hearts

by Sarah Ockler

• ISBN10: 1442430397
• ISBN13: 9781442430396
• Publish Date: 20 May 2014 (first published 21 May 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

The synopsis for this book does this story no justice. Yes, there was the whole Vargas boys heartbreaker history in there, but for me, the real story was about Jude connecting with her father, coming to terms with his illness, and finding her voice.

It all started with Jude wanting to do something special for her father. She wanted to restore his beloved motorcycle hoping that it would help him hold on to some of the memories from his past. She wanted to do this for him, because his early onset Alzheimer's was progressing faster than they had anticipated. Emilio was the mechanic they found to help with the restoration, but he was also a Vargas, and therefore, off limits. However, Emilio was not simply their mechanic, he became a source of support for Jude, as her father's illness progressed, and a very important person in her life.

This book was such a beautiful combination of many different elements. First, there was a sweet and endearing romance between Jude and Emilio. They had chemistry, and could banter for days, but Emilio worked his way into my heart by not being scared off by Jude's dad's illness. When all her friends were avoiding her, he was showing up. He helped her, and was a wonder with her dad, when he was experiencing bad episodes.

I also loved seeing Jude and her dad together. Alzheimer's is such a brutal illness, and watching someone fade before your eyes has to be devastating. I felt both Jude's and her dad's pain. It was heartbreaking, but seeing them connect and make the most of the time they had together was worth all the tears I shed.

It was wonderful seeing Jude find her voice in the family. As the youngest, her sisters were often steering the boat. But, with all of them being out of the house, Jude took on a bigger role with her father. She began to assert herself more, make more choices, and her sisters began to see her in a different light.

The title eludes to broken hearts, but hearts aren't only broken due to romantic entanglements. Jude faced coming to terms with fading friends and her father's illness. Both these things broke her heart, in different ways, but also made her stronger.

Overall: I laughed and cried, and had to soothe my aching heart, but I loved every second of it.

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[pagingserenity]

Dang, I don't know why I didn't read this sooner. It's definitely one of my favorite books I've read so far this year. There's just so much to like from Jude & Emilio's banter, Jude's inner thoughts, Pancake the dog (Jude's translations for him are the best), and the family theme throughout the book. It even got me to tear up a bit! Definitely at least a 4 star read, but I might raise it later.

[girlinthepages]

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

[Bianca]

Don’t settle, okay? Not for anything. I mean it. You only get this one chance at life, far as I know. Take it. Even if it’s not with me.

[whisperingchapters]

This review was first published on GenGen's Book Blog

The father-daughter relationship in this book was awe-inspiring. Jude is the youngest of four sisters and living at home. She is spending her last summer at home to take care of her ill father. Jude's father used to ride Valentina, his motorcycle and his memories of the times he would ride are crystal clear in his mind, unlike most things of his life. Jude thinks that buy fixing Valentina, her father will go back to the way he was. Jude and her father end up hiring Emilio Vargas, a very good-looking, Puerto Rican boy who works with motorcycles and is willing to help for a cheap price. There is one problem. Jude's sisters may have moved out but an oath remains: Never get involved with a Vargas.

Let me start by saying that not many teens would stay at home on a summer to take care of their parents, blowing off friends and going out. Jude is one of those that decides to stay and spend time with her viejo. Out of the whole family, she is the one that understands him more. I believe Sarah Ockler really portrayed how difficult it is to deal with a person that has Early Onset Alzheimer (EOA). Sarah portrayed it so well, I felt Jude's pain throughout the entire story, of seeing her viejito deteriorating before her eyes, confusing her with one of her other sisters, causing scenes in public when he was confused, doing things and not remembering later...it was hard to read. And Sarah also showed a good technique for families that have a family member with EOA: label everything with specifics: OVEN AND STOVE FOR COOKING ONLY. DO NOT USE ALONE, RIGHT FOR COLD/LEFT FOR HOT, PRESS DOWN TO TURN OFF WHEN DONE. These were some of the many that were mentioned in the book and I must say it is creative.

Jude is such a witty character! Here are two of the many phrases she says that had me loving her and laughing:

*The law of probability dictates that with three older sisters, a girl shall inherit at least one pair of cute shorts that actually fit. Agreed? Bzzz! Thank you for playing! Please try again.

*Yes, Hell? This is Jude Hernandez. Just phoning in my reservation. Table for one, near the fireplace if you've got it.

I really love Jude's personality. She is not only witty and creative, but she truly loves her Papi and cares for him like no other. I admire her strength. I did get frustrated a bit because she wouldn't talk back to Mari until half of the book but I still enjoyed reading her perspective on what was happening.

Now let's go with Emilio Vargas (Points for the last name. My fiance's last name is Vargas). I really thought he was a bad boy, but once I got to know the guy, he is a very down-to-earth, caring, funny teenage guy. His family and him are Puerto Rican (This gets major points because I am Puerto Rican and damn proud of it) and I was so happy to finally find a book that featured a Puerto Rican guy. What I would have loved was more mention on our culture and the delicious food we have but that's okay.

I really love how he never judged Jude's father. He would always go with the flow with Jude's dad, not questioning him about what he would be talking about. Emilio started caring a lot for Jude's dad and always looked out for him or asking about him.

The Book of Broken Hearts is a funny and emotional story that I love and is going on my favorites for 2015. I found it so different from many other YA Contemporary Romances, the reason being it focuses more on the father-daughter relationship—Jude and Emilio's romance is purely a bonus for the story. I highly recommend it to all of you. You won't regret it. It definitely makes you put things into perspective and to cherish the moments we have with our family.

[nitzan_schwarz]

4.5 stars

Originally published on my blog.

I'm going to admit something: I decided I wanted this book purely because of the cover. The fact the synopsis sounded appealing... well, that was just a bonus. But I am not ashamed of this. I am not ashamed of it at all, because it made me read this book. and this book... THIS BOOK, you guys.

This book is hella emotional, and it deals with the hard, painful subject of early onset Alzheimer's, which is on itself a subject not discussed enough in literature, in my opinion. But it's not a tearjerker, even though it will make you cry. Why? Because you don't feel like this book is trying to make you cry. You don't feel like the whole purpose of it is to wrangle your emotions and make you an emotional mess. And that makes it all the more powerful, to me.

It shows you the truth, reality, in such an honest and upfront way, and that reality is painful, and it is hard, yes. But itbalances the hard. It balances it with the good, and the romantic, and the familial. This book, it doesn't try to bring you down with it. It tries to push you up. To give hope, where a situation is hopeless. To show us it's not the end.

It does so through Jude, and her journey dealing with this Demon that's eating through her father.

She's just finished high school, and instead of enjoying her last summer, she is home taking care of her father. I loved this girl, and her voice. She was funny, emotional, real and very much her age - she still had that naivety and awkwardness we all have at her age. She feel like I did two years ago (and I still feel like this sometimes).

But she also grew tremendously throughout the story. She learned a lot about life, about human nature, about love and independence. About family and standing up to them. I loved watching her evolve and grow.

Than we had Emilio Vargas. Naturally, he's the love interest, and I think he is definitely worth some swooning. He is not a bad boy, despite what the synopsis might hint. He is actually just a kind, nice, motorcycle loving guy, which I loved. You get the nice hot guy with an edge. And Jude sees that, which makes the whole swore-not-to-get-involved-with-a-Vargas deal extremely difficult.

Though, I did think the whole 'I betrayed my family' deal was a bit over-the-top. Her sisters are grown women - they should know better, and act better. I would've liked to hear more, too, about what happened in the past. It's never fully explained - and I was interested. This is really the only reason I didn't give the book a full 5 stars.

However, this really doesn't matter. The synopsis doesn't lie when it tells you this is a "poignant and romantic novel", and if that sort of thing is anywhere near your thing, you should read this book ASAP.

Ps. even if this isn't your thing, you should read this book just for the pleasure of meeting Pancake the dog and his obsession with bunnies. Just saying.

[lizarodz]

LOVE it! Review coming soon :)

[Joséphine]

By the time I finished reading The Book of Broken Hearts I was in tears but smiling right through them. You see, this is the first time I read a book by Sarah Ockler, so up to now I've had to just take others for their word that her books are well-written. At first I wasn't so sure about Jude. Neither was I sure how the conflict about the Vargas boys would hold up for long. Amazingly, it did. Alongside other issues, of course. And somehow, everything combined had me go through an emotional roller coaster ride. There were so many different moments that had me react differently. Let me break down the reactions:

Laughter. Jude is kind of humorous. Her voice can be rather witty when things are light-hearted. Her attention to mannerisms had me laughing when she called out people on practising their moves in front a mirror. She also has comebacks that puts boys in their place.

Smirks. Hand-me-downs are common for younger siblings but the way Jude talks about such mundane things in the grand context of the plot had me smirking. That and every other instance that reminded me of my own family. Or remarks about the difficulties of being a vegetarian and Argentinian. I get flak all the time about how my diet doesn't reflect my own ethnic backgrounds.

Cringing. There where also moments that had me cringing in disgust, asking how anyone could even do such a thing. The ritual of the sisters' oath. Eeew. I've never been one for initiation rites and the likes. That is all I can say. Don't want to spoil the good parts.

Confusion. People are confusing. One moment they do or say one thing and the next they do something different altogether. I empathized with Jude. Emilio isn't the only one sending mixed signals. Her best friends too added to the tensions of the plot.

Sadness. Central to the plot is Jude's father's early onset of Alzheimer's Disease. It's hard watching loved ones deteriorate like that. No matter how much we wish we could stop time, our parents are growing old, just as we have grown up. Ockler explores very well what it means to have limited time left with a father who is so dear to us.

Fear. What does the future hold? Struggling with whether we want to know, or not at all, when given the choice isn't easy. It's no wonder Jude is so fixated on the past, trying to bring back her father's memories. His Harley means so much to him and restoring it over the summer might just be the answer. Yet no matter what, there always is the underlying fear of having to let go.

Bitterness. In the face of her father's terminal illness, Jude doesn't evade bitterness either. As patient as she is, choosing her father over all her other activities over her summer holidays, she still experiences bitterness. Death and illness are the last things she wants to deal with.

Looking at this whole range of reactions and emotions, I think it's clear that this book is a good mix of light and heavy reading. It is not so heavy that it should get anyone down and completely disillusioned about life while not so light it borders on fluff.

One thing I especially liked was the portrayal of Alzheimer's. It wasn't a matter simply of whether Jude's father was healthy or sick. It was about the progression and varying degrees. One person with Alzheimer's is not the same as the next. That, I think, was what made reading about Jude's summer so interesting. Then again, I'm a sociology major, so no ills of society are ever completely black. They always come in grey tones.

This review is also available on dudettereads.com.

[Rowena]

The Hernandez sisters (Araceli, Lourdes, Mariposa and Jude) made a pact when Jude was 12 years old that they were completely done with everything Vargas. Reading back on it, I thought it was kind of silly but I understood why they did it. I mean, they went all official and swapped blood, lit candles and everything. Their blood ritual was legit and all these years later, Jude was scared of what her sisters would say when they found out that the youngest Vargas brother was working on their father’s motorcycle and Jude was getting really close to him.

Jude didn’t really understand the whole pact or the book of broken hearts that was passed down from sister to sister, a book that documented their broken hearts. Those older Hernandez sisters were a fierce and loyal lot. They hated the guys that broke their sisters hearts and two of those guys are Emilio’s brothers. So because Johnny and Miguel Vargas broke Celi and Lourdes’ hearts, the Vargas brothers were off limits. That whole family was off limits, to be exact.

But over the course of that summer, Jude and Emilio grow close. Emilio is helping Jude’s father come back to life. He’s bringing a smile to his face and joy to his life again which is rare these days. Jude will do whatever it takes to keep that smile on her Dad’s face for as long as she can. So Emilio stays. The closer they get, the deeper she falls and seeing her struggle with her loyalty to her sisters and her feelings for this Vargas brothers made for a really great story. As my daughter is fond of saying, “The struggle is real.” And it really was, for Jude.

Jude was dealing with what was happening with her father, the strain she can see her mother dealing with and dealing with her friends slipping away from her. On top of that, was her thing with Emilio.

I really liked Jude. I really, really liked Emilio. Emilio was so flirty spice and he was so carefree but you knew that there was more to him than what he put out for everyone to see. I really liked the emotional journey that we go through right along with Jude and I thought that Ockler did a fantastic job of writing Jude’s story. She wasn’t a perfect character but she was likable. And I was able to connect with what she was going through and how she was feeling.

I really liked getting to know her family and I liked Emilio, his friends and his mother. I loved getting to know each and every single character that we came across in this book and I’m so very glad that I read this book. It was entertaining, it was emotional and it took me to my happy place so overall, I loved it. I highly recommend this to lovers of contemporary YA, new adult and contemporary stories in general. It’s a good one.