Book review: Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

So, I kind of feel like this is going to be a half-hearted review. But don't assume it's because I didn't like the book... it's just that the book wasn't really anything special.

Let's go over something: My first experience reading a Sarah Ockler book was in June, when I was house-sitting for my aunt while reading Twenty Boy Summer (I would say I read it while house-sitting, but that seems backward). That book made me cry, made me laugh, and occasionally made me uncomfortable. But I liked it. So then recently, I read Fixing Delilah. I loved that book. I didn't realize until now just how much I loved it, but after comparing it to Bittersweet I can definitely tell you that that one was better. It seemed to have more heart and more endearing characters (what can I say? I'm a sucker for the Boy Next Door who falls in love with the Girl Next Door, a la Lola and the Boy Next Door).

Basically, Bittersweet is about Hudson Avery (sometimes I can get over an awkward main-character name. Sometimes I can't. Unfortunately, Hudson's nickname was "Hud," so this falls into the latter category), former pro-track ice skater who now works at her mom's diner making cupcakes that win the town over. Then business starts going bad, so her mom makes her waitress at the diner. Then she has to help the high school hockey team get better at skating so she can have private ice time without anyone knowing. Then her best friend gets jealous that she's not hanging out with her anymore. Meanwhile, she's torn between Josh Blackthorn-- smart, cute, humble, funny hockey co-captain-- and Will Harper-- cute, confident, [insert third adjective here-- oh wait, there isn't one] hockey co-captain who forgot that he was her first and only kiss up until now.

Okay, so, my problem was this: Hudson is a feisty character. I don't really know how to explain this in light of her actions, but she is. You just know it. And yet, she lets all of these people push her around. She lets her mom make her waitress, because she realizes it's for the good of the restaurant and, thus, for her family. That's fine, but she doesn't have to let her mom's waitress-demanding schedule run her life. As we can see, she's got other things going on, and I find it hard to believe that she couldn't come up with an acceptable lie to get out of waitressing occasionally-- as she lies to her mom about pretty much everything else. Also, she doesn't have to hang out with her best friend constantly. They're together at work, and I don't see why that wasn't enough, seeing Dani knows how much Hudson has going on. She started getting really annoying, when I actually liked her at the beginning of the book. She becomes just another person tugging at Hudson and making her feel like she doesn't know who she is.

And the one person Hudson wants to hang out with because he doesn't have any expectations of her, she keeps him at a distance because she thinks he has a girlfriend. And then she goes and dates Will for the same reason, when obviously she never liked Will as much as she likes Josh. Unnecessary Love Triangles for 300, please. Hudson, now you're just adding to your own stress, when you've got enough people doing that for you.

Now, the ending. Of course, we find out that Josh doesn't have a girlfriend; the girl Hudson thought was his girlfriend was actually, GET THIS, his sister. Mistaking family members for girlfriends! Never done before, ever! However, I did like the other part of the ending. How [spoiler alert] Hudson realizes that she doesn't actually want to live the figure-skating competition life. The whole time she was training for the scholarship competition, I was concerned about that. I actually thought to myself that she didn't really seem to be paying attention to the fact that she'd have to face competition in the form of girls who had been participating in these things their whole lives-- the glam, the unrealistic expectations, all of that. So, um, that was good. And then everything fell into place in true rom-com fashion.

So, here's THE LIST:

Things I liked

-Josh Blackthorn

-Josh and Hudson's easy banter

-BUG (Hudson's genius little brother)!!

-The role of Kara, Hudson's ex-best friend-from-figure-skating, in everything that happened

-How much the hockey team grew to love Hudson (and how she calls them her hockey boys)

Things that were too cliche:

-The love triangle

-The "Oh, Abby is your sister? I thought she was your girlfriend" thing.

-Dani being just another person who turns on Hudson

-Hudson blaming herself for her parents' divorce. Come on.

-Hudson's melodrama about cupcakes-vs.-skating-vs.-waitressing-vs.-boys-vs.-Dani-vs.-Mom

Overall: 3.5/5 stars.

WHAT DID I TELL YOU.

Guys, remember when I did my review of Crossed and I pointed out that the third book was probably going to have Cassia in a red bubble? What I said exactly was, "can anyone else tell that the cover of the third book is going to be Cassia in-- or out of-- a red bubble? Whether that bubble is broken, or invisible, or empty, it will be red. I'd put money on it."

Red bubble. Broken. I told you so.
That is all.

Is pandemonium synonymous with disappointment?

fSDIFHODILSHDSLHF;SDF ;SIODHILISDZHCV;DSJVI.SD ;VOIZSDHFOI;SDJF;Z

Here I go again. This book. I just... okay.

To be honest with you, I didn't like this book. In my opinion, it suffers from Second Book Syndrome big-time. It's like everything that started happening in the first book was put on hold, and none of the characters returned for the second installment. Including, but not limited to the main character, Lena.

Sure, she's the narrator in this one, just like she was in Delirium. But she's not Lena. The narrator in this book is, justifiably, someone completely different. She thinks Alex is dead; she's left her old life behind, and she won't let herself think about it. No Hana, no Alex. We get new characters, none of whom are all that fleshed out. I didn't feel an ounce of connection to them.

One of those characters, of course, was Julian Fineman. The new "love interest." It really bothered me that Lena started to fall in "love" with him, and not because she should be holding out for Alex (she thinks he's dead. Okay, fine, move on if that's what you have to do), but because Julian is the first boy who's given her the time of day since she left for the Wilds. It kind of cheapens her relationship with Alex, because it makes you wonder if she'll fall in love with any boy her age who spends time with her**. Julian makes her feel safe, I guess, but at the same time she's constantly protecting him (and we all know my stance on that). He's a little bit weak. I didn't connect with him because he has no personality-- he's a blank slate. Just because we learn about his family/personal history doesn't mean we actually know anything about who he is, what he believes in, who he wants to be. He doesn't even know those things himself, which is what makes it so hard for me to believe that Lena-- now stone-cold, fierce, passionate Lena-- would fall for him.

The whole time she's with Julian, she has to push back thoughts of Alex. Every sentence with his name ripped out my heart and did a little dance on it. Without him, Lena isn't herself anymore; she's him. She becomes Alex, because she thinks there is nobody else in the world to be him. Which, in turn, makes Julian the old Lena, the one Alex fell in love with. The parallels are almost too much, straight from Lena telling Julian "I'm not who you think I am," to her watching him from the observation deck, the way Alex watched her when she went for her evaluation. I just can't help but feel like it's so obvious that Lena only "loves" Julian because she realizes that she's Alex and he's Lena. Because Alex and Lena belong together, not Lena and Julian.

And yet, she's completely in denial about it because she hardly even lets herself think of Alex. Which, ultimately, makes this book extremely disappointing. I'm not anti-love triangle. I'm fine when it's done the right way, but this one is so completely not done the right way. There is no way she is not going to choose Alex, now that he's back in her life and, you know, not dead. I would have been much happier if he had come back in the middle of the book, with some kind of information about her mother, or news that he's been searching for her, or anything. Please, give me a reason why his return had to wait until the very end of the book, other than for the suspense of it. I don't think a single reader ever actually believed he was dead (I certainly didn't).

Basically, this book was a filler. Yes, there was a shift in the main character, toward someone she didn't want to be, and then-- at the VERY END-- toward someone she does want to be. Yes, the resistence is getting stronger. But that's about the extent of the progress that occurs in Pandemonium. So much more could have happened, especially with Alex.

But alas, there is a glimpse of hope at the end. You see, at the end of Delirium, Alex tells Lena to promise she won't look back once she gets near the woods, and she promises-- but she looks back anyway. And at the end of Pandemonium, Julian tells her to promise that they'll stay together, and she promises-- but then Alex pops in and says, "Don't believe her." Because he knows what happens when she makes a promise. BAM. And that is why Alex should have come back sooner.

Also, a comment about the writing: Sometimes the sentences in this book were so beautiful I just wanted to live in them, but other times they seemed extremely forced. Every time Lena feels something, for example, she feels it in her "throat." Like, "nausea rises up in my throat," or "disappointment is a rock in my throat." What? That doesn't even make sense. You're trying too hard, Miss Oliver.

I feel like I need a list of adjectives to sum up this book:

-slow

-muted

-agonizing

-beautiful

-frustrating

-heartbreaking

Overall I give this book 3/5 stars, but two of those stars come from the very last page.

**- I'm pretty sure the sequel to a book isn't supposed to make you question everything that happened in the first book. That is what I hate most about Pandemonium.

Another Actual Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Brief Summary: Mara Dyer, whose name is not actually Mara Dyer, wakes up in a hospital to learn that she was in a building with her friends when it collapsed and they all died. She doesn't remember anything. She has hallucinations and her mother wants to have her committed, but she convinces her parents to move instead, claiming that if they move away from the place where she's constantly reminded of her friends, she'll do better. So they move to Miami, where Mara and her older brother are enrolled in a stuffy private school with people who do things like put signs on other people's backs. There she meets Noah Shaw, resident bad-boy who for some reason takes an interest in Mara even though she makes it a point to act as if she's not interested in him. He's got a reputation. But, alas, it turns out he's really one of the few people she can trust, and he's got some secrets of his own. Oh, and he has an English (not British) accent.

Review: The more I think about this book, the more obsessed I become with it. I love the idea of a narrator we don't know if we can trust. I mean, I liked that Mara didn't even trust herself most of the time. It's not very often you come across a first-person protagonist with psychological issues this involved. She walks into a classroom and sees the whole thing collapse; she stands in front of her mirror and can have conversations with her dead friends (not that she wants to); she sees earrings at the bottom of scalding hot bathtub water and gets second-degree burns to retrieve them, only to discover that they were in her ears the whole time. Yeah, girlfriend's a little off her rocker. It makes for extreme suspense and entertainment, especially as she slowly recovers her memory of the night that changed everything-- and learns exactly how dangerous she is.

And as if bad-girl Mara weren't enough, enter Noah Shaw. Finally, a bad-boy love interest who is ACTUALLY BAD. He only ever denies one rumor about himself, indicating that he did, in fact, earn his reputation. Hallelujah! I'm so sick of stories where the leather jacket-wearing, edgy and brooding boy is just misunderstood and actually does things like write poetry and practice celibacy. Noah Shaw fights, threatens, has one-night stands, defiles children's books, and smokes cigarettes. Because he can. Are any of these less-than-desirable qualities the reason why Mara won't let herself fall for him? No. She won't let herself fall for him because she thinks he will break her heart. And then because she thinks she's a danger to him. I'll take "characters on antipsychotics who actually have logical reasons for not falling in love" for 200, please. Who is Mara Dyer? That is correct! (Also a good question.)

This book has an irresistible balance between dark-and-twisty and throw-your-head-back-and-laugh-hysterically. Two words: animal crackers. I was cracking up for 3 pages. And then you've got your awesome supporting characters, like Daniel, aka Mr. Perfect, who's witty and the kind of older brother any girl would want; and Jamie, the dreadlocked foreboder who amusingly warns Mara against getting involved with Noah-- but remains her friend even when he thinks she's ignored his advice. Wait, she does something he disagrees with and he doesn't unfriend her?!? I know, right?! I loved him and his one-liners and his condescending terms of endearment.

Basically, this book is unlike anything you've probably ever read. And you should read it. And then you should buy animal crackers and start calling people "asscrowns."
Since I make the rules on my blog, I give this book 4.5/5 stars. NOW GIVE ME THE SECOND ONE.

Book Survey!

One rule: You can't use the same answer twice.
1. What book are you currently reading?
Well, I'm between books. I'm waiting for Pandemonium to get to my house on Tuesday, and I finished The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer yesterday (review to come).
2. What is your favorite book?
The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (I say this not because Mockingjay isn't also my favorite, but because I saved it for a later answer)
3. Who is your favorite character in any book?
Augustus Waters.
4. What character are you most in love with?
Peeta Mellark.
5. What character are you most like in personality?
Katniss Everdeen.
6. What character do you look like?
Tris Prior. Small, with a plain face that competes with blond hair and blue eyes.
7. What character do you wish you were more like?
For some reason I want to say Alaska Young, even though I know she's all tortured and whatnot. It's the self-assured thing.
8. What book do you think is underrated?
Mockingjay. Severely.
9. Favorite bad boy character?
Noah Shaw. Because he actually did earn his reputation.
10. Favorite bad girl character?
Mara Dyer. She crazy. (Those two are such a pair)
11. Favorite English character?
Etienne St. Clair ("But he's not English! He's American! And he lives in France!")
12. Favorite author?
This is such a hard question to answer. Because my favorite books are The Hunger Games books, Suzanne Collins. Because he and his books are both made of awesome, John Green. Because I agree with her on everything and I love her books more than is probably healthy, Stephanie Perkins. Because she talks to her fans more than any author I've seen, and treats them like their questions are worth her time and their theories are valid, Cassandra Clare. And because she's completely crazy, Maureen Johnson.
13. Name a character with a psychological problem that you share (be it serious or not).
Anna Oliphant, obsessive compulsive.
14. Name a character you will/would defend to the ends of the Earth.
Will Herondale.
15. Favorite redheaded character?
Finnick Odair.
16. Favorite love triangle?
Will/Tessa/Jem.
17. Favorite blue-eyed character?
Cricket Bell.
18. Name a character people wouldn't expect you to love, but you do.
Gale Hawthorne.
19. Favorite book you've read this year?
The Fault in Our Stars
20. Favorite villain?
President Snow.
21. Name a book you could/would not finish.
Incarceron.
22. Name a book that made you angry.
Imaginary Girls ...I'm still not over what a waste of time that one was. I want to wring the main character's neck, as well as her sister's, as well as EVERYONE ELSE'S.
23. Name a book that made you happy.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
24. Name 5 books you're looking forward to.
1. Insurgent, 2. Mara Dyer #2, 3. Promised, 4. Isla and the Happily Ever After, 5. Clockwork Princess
25. A random fact about your book preferences.
I am fascinated by books involving secret societies (especially within schools) or factions, i.e. the Loyal Order of the Bassett Hounds in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks; the territory wars in Jellicoe Road
26. Favorite childhood book?
Well, I didn't really read that many books as a child. There was the Series of Unfortunate Events, but I was 11 when I started reading those. In 4th grade I read this book Wait Till Helen Comes and I loved it (early sign of my taste for the dark and twisty).
27. Bad book habits?
Lately I have not been timing my book-reading correctly, so I'm left without one to read for a couple days until I get back to my dad's. Also I buy them instead of, like, getting them from a library, so I have a lot of books and not a lot of money. Also I buy them on Amazon instead of from real book stores :/
28. Do you have an e-reader?
No.
29. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
One at a time. I feel like I'm cheating on them if I don't do it that way.
30. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
No.
31. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
My comfort zone is pretty expansive, so not often.
32. What is your reading comfort zone?
YA.
33. Can you read on the bus/in the car?
No, unfortunately.
34. Favorite place to read?
Don't have one.
35. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No.
36. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only school books.
37. What makes you love a book?
Above anything, I have to care about the characters and they have to be interesting. And then the plot has to be interesting. And then the writing has to be awesome, obviously.
38. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
Depends on the person I'm recommending it to.
39. Favorite genre?
Don't really have one, other than YA.
40. Genre you rarely read?
Adult. haha
41. Have you ever read a self-help book?
No
42. Most inspirational book you've read this year?
Considering I already said TFiOS, probablyyy... The Sky is Everywhere
43. Favorite reading snack?
Pretzel M&Ms
44. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone. I kept expecting it to get better instead of appreciating what I actually did like about it.
45. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I don't have exact percentages, but usually I do.
46. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I'll only do it if I really, truly hated the book and want to stop people from wasting their time on it. If I'm lukewarm about it, I'll usually give it 3 stars and try to focus on the things I did like.
47. Most intimidating book you've ever read?
I don't really read intimidating books. Buuuuut I just had to read one about the politics of the Swat Valley for political anthropology, and it was not fun.
48. Books you're most likely to bring on vacation?
Ones I haven't read yet. If it's a beach vacation, summer books. Obviously.
49. The longest you've gone without reading?
Recently? Probably a weekend.
50. What distracts you easily when you're reading?
My FATHER intentionally TALKING TO ME when he can see that I'm REALLY INTO a book.
51. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Water for Elephants. I liked the movie better than the book, I think.
52. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Twilight. Obviously.
53. The most money you've ever spent on books at one time?
Huhuhuhuhhh... about $220.
54. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Well I never just buy a book on a whim. I make sure I'm interested first, either through reviews or reading the first chapter on Amazon.
55. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through?
Only boredom can do that.
56. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I like to keep everything organized.
57. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?
If I liked them, I keep them. If I didn't, I try to sell them.
58. Are there any books you've been avoiding?
That I already own? Yes. That's all I'm willing to say on the matter.
59. A book you didn't expect to like but did?
Birthmarked. I avoided it for a while but got it for Christmas and was surprised by how much I liked it.
60. A book that you expected to like but didn't?
Tiger's Quest, the second in the Tiger's Curse series. It was pretty horrible.
61. Favorite historical fiction book?
The Book Thief
62. Hardcover or paperback?
I don't care. A book is a book.
63. Favorite book nobody has heard of?
Well, I know people have heard of her, but I feel like Deb Caletti is seriously overshadowed by the likes of Sarah Dessen. So anything by her.
64. Favorite classic book?
The Great Gatsby
65. Write something that only people who have read a certain book will understand.
Okay.

Cover reveal: Promised

OOOH! Prreeetttyyyyy. I'm a little upset that the Prized and Promised covers don't match my version of Birthmarked (also that Birthmarked doesn't start with a P), but whatever! I like this one!

AND AND AND...

Release date: October 2nd! This is good news, after the three incidences of bad news I have discovered lately (1. That Isla and the Happily Ever After got pushed back to 2013, 2. That The Madness Underneath isn't out until January, and 3. That Clockwork Princess won't be out for AT LEAST A YEAR.)

And now I must go decide whether to suffer through the rest of Incarceron, or start/reread a different book.

One obsession leads to another

So remember how when Safe & Sound first came out I was all like DOIFHASDF;OIHSDF; THIS IS THE MOST PERFECT SONG EVER?

You know how I still go all SODIFHAEOS;IHFSD THIS IS THE MOST PERFECT SONG EVER when I hear it?

Well, I think Safe & Sound might just be the beginning of my oncoming obsession with The Civil Wars. I had no idea I'd like them so much. Honestly, I didn't even know they were this country. I love me some country music, and this is kind of like oldschool country meets The Wreckers meets something totally different that fills a hole in my life I never knew was there. Soooo. Yeah. I would have gone to bed by now if it weren't for the fact that I just bought their full-length album as well as their EP and must finish listening to both before sleep.

It makes me kind of angry that they aren't played on country radio, but it also makes me kind of glad. Country radio, as much as I will defend it against all the old-timers who think everything was better in their day, has evolved so much since music like this was played on it. It doesn't really fit anymore, but it's still a shame. GOOD THING THEY HAVE TWO SONGS ON THE HUNGER GAMES SOUNDTRACK! soperfectsoperfectsoperfect.