Release Date: December 1, 2010Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Review Source: Library
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.
She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.
Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?
Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.
My Thoughts:
I found this to be a charming contemporary novel which centres around Delilah Hannaford and her screwed up family. The book is really about the harm that can come from keeping secrets and the mixed up feelings that can occur from not knowing the truth. It was nice to read a book which centred around a family of three women, while also featuring a cute romantic subplot.
Delilah was an interesting character. I could relate to her on some levels, but I never fully connected with her. Delilah was so scared of being alone that she was scared of feeling anything real. However, I didn’t always think her reasons for feeling like this were justified; you almost had to look below the surface and try and imagine why she felt the way she did, and because of this, I thought she overreacted to situations a lot. However, everyone is different, and I still liked Delilah and felt for her.
Honestly, Delilah and Patrick are such a cute couple. I loved reading about them, up until the end. My biggest pet peeve in love stories is the big miscommunication that causes a couple to fight/break up, when really the whole scene could have been easily avoided, and unfortunately that’s what happened here. I can understand Delilah running scared, but the fact that Patrick ignored her back felt really strange. That whole part of the story was a bit overdramatic, with both of them acting really childishly.
Despite my minor qualms with the drama in the romantic subplot, I would definitely recommend this book, even if I didn’t like it as much as ‘Twenty Boy Summer’ (which I adored!). ‘Fixing Delilah’ is a strong contemporary offering about families, and I think fans of Sarah Dessen would really enjoy Sarah Ockler’s writing style.
Rating:
Find Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca
I'm with you Ashley, the big romantic miscommunication-that-could-have-been-avoided is always frustrating for me as well. I just want to yell at them to be honest and just say what they mean or what they're afraid of. This still sounds like a cute book though even with those minor drawbacks. Fabulous review:)
ReplyDeleteThe whole miscommunication thing is too over used now. It works in some cases but not all.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds good. I want to read it now :)
Great review Ashley! I completely agree with many of the items you pointed out, included the whole lack of communication between couples thing. It makes me a bit frustrated but it does add a certain drama element to the novel! Sarah Ockler definitely has a knack for writing beautiful contemporary stories! ^_^
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this book. I have a copy of her Twenty Boy Summer, but haven't read it yet. Sadly. But I plan to!
ReplyDeleteGreat review. :) I added this book to my tbr/wish list.