Sarah Ockler

"Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. But as Jude begins to fall for Emilio Vargas, she begins to wonder if her sisters were wrong"--

The Book of Broken Hearts

Zahra

I am completely wrecked and am ugly sobbing as i write this. Regardless, this book is beautiful. Full review to come after i get my feelings under control.

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A “touching father-daughter story” (Kirkus Reviews) from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer. Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one. Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas? Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong? Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

The second book of Sarah Ockler that I've read so far, and it makes me wanna check out more of her work! I thought at first that The Book of Broken Hearts would be a sad and beautiful, light book. Turns out there was more to it than meets the eye. It was pretty well written too, but I still think there's something missing that made me take out that one star.

Jude Hernandez, the youngest of three girls, is spending her last summer before college with her Father who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers. This was the part which surprised me most. it turned it from a cliche story to one dealing with real problems. That part gave it so much depth & substance, and I felt for her. Seventeen, at the start of her glory years, yet she already has so much to deal with. I found Jude very realistic and relatable.

Emilio was more of a supporting character. He was a great guy, charming, easy on the eyes and easy to fall for. But, I feel like he wasn't ... realistic enough, and I wish he was explored more, at extensive detail.

I kind of expected the way the events would turn out, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book a lot. 3.5 stars :)

Sven Test

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.

Becky

I read this book after a TTT post by a blogger I follow mentioned Sarah Ockler and their love for this book. I admit the cover has continually put me off, and the synopsis seemed pretty standard, no different to any other YA book out there. Boy, was I wrong.

This book made me laugh, made me cry (a lot) and it really made me think about things. Did it make me think about things like a deep emotional film does with it's deep message that changes your worldview for all of half an hour before something shiny distracts you? Maybe... but regardless it still made me think, and any book that does that has something going for it.

I adored Jude's relationship with her father, you could see how shaky it was, how she was really struggling with the changes in her life. Not only was she struggling with facing her future, she'd finished high school and had her whole life to figure out, but she also had to deal with her family problems. It was a daunting prospect for anyone so I could relate to Jude's problems in some ways. I loved seeing her relationship with her dad grow, it was always there, but as the book progressed their relationship and love really solidified and you understood both sides and how much they cared for one another. Her entire family was marvelous, although I do wish we saw more of her sisters, this book was obviously about the baby of the family and her struggles to hold onto a father that seemed to be slipping away too fast for her to understand. 

I can't even say how much I loved the relationship between Emilio and Jude either, it was their friendship I loved most, the teasing and banter and how he didn't flinch away from problems, but instead faced them head on. Jude often wanted to bury her head in the sand, her and denial were close friends through much of this book, but Emilio was the opposite and it was great.

There are so many good things to say about this book, so I will say this to you all, do not be put off by the cover and the synopsis, this book has hidden depths that you won't realise until you begin reading, and it is definitely worth a read.

María Belén

2.5 stars

I liked the story, it's sort of sad but it's also cute and even funny at times. The characters are okay, interesting enough—except for Jude's sisters, they're super annoying.

Now there's another aspect of the book that was important to me. Jude's parents are argentinian who emigrated to the US but still kept their language and customs. There are several interactions between the characters in Spanish and even more cultural references to the argentine culture. There are also many mistakes and references that are just wrong. I'm not going to detail everything here because this is a review and not a grammar lesson but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I'd have if the editor or whoever it is would have edited it properly.

It's wonderful that people are embracing diversity but I think that if we don't check our facts and portrait other cultures correctly the point of writing diverse characters is lost.

Anyway, I'm sure non argentinian readers will enjoy this book. It's a fast and cute read.

Genesis (@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.