Bittersweet (Review)

Title: Bittersweet

Author(s): Sarah Ockler

Edition: Hardcover, 378 pages

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Source: Borrowed from library

Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

The Summary

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Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances... a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life... and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.
It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last...

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

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I feel in love with this book the moment I saw the trailer (check it out below).  I love cupcakes, so the niche caught my attention right away.  After I started reading, it was the characters and the writing that captured me, making Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler a delicious read.

I really liked Hudson, the protagonist.  She lives for her brother, Bug, who is a riot, and she also does what she can to help her mom.  Hudson's super funny and a little awkward, but she's all heart, even if it gets lost for a little bit.  Together with her best friend Dani, she's unstoppable.  I can just see us being friends in high school!  I love smart, witty girls, and Ockler wrote Hudson just that way.

But while I loved Hudson, I only liked Dani.  I didn't always agree with how she acted towards Hudson.  I felt she was pushy in many situations, and tried to get Hudson to just settle.  Another character that annoyed me more often than not was Hudson's Mom.  She kept trying to push her dream of running the diner on to Hudson, but never really considered if that was something Hudson wanted to do.  I felt she was discouraging, and there was no wonder why Hudson felt the need to hide things from her.  But even if I didn't like these characters too much, they were essential to the story, and acted as catalysts for some of Hudson's decisions.

The thing that knocked this book out of the park for me was Ockler's writing.  It was well-crafted and a great mix of sweet, snark, and poignant.  There were so many great one-liners that had me belly laughing, and a couple of frustrating scenes that made me grit my teeth.  Such a great balance throughout, making the story very realistic and a delight to read.  My favorite bit of writing was of the cupcake descriptions at the beginning of each chapter.  For example, "Red Hot Double Crush Cakes: Ginger vanilla cupcakes with chili-infused dark chocolate cream cheese frosting, dusted with cinnamon" is one of the many tasty cupcakes within the book, and it proceeds a chapter all about Hudson's crush.  I just love how Ockler matched the cakes with the chapters.  So cute, but also adds a little humor even to a difficult chapter.

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler is a sugary sweet book full of yummy cupcakes and bitter issues.  But it's all topped off with a happy ending!  Go check it out at you local library or bookstore now!

Extras
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Book trailer for Bittersweet


Final Rating

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Book Cover: 4/5
Book Title: 4/5
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Overall: 45/50: A-

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