The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.
Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.
Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life.
When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . .

Book Review:
I had high hopes for this book. I really did. Sarah Ockler is one of my favorite authors, hands down. The Book of Broken Hearts is one of my all time favorite books. So I was really excited to get a review copy of her new book The Summer of Chasing Mermaids. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I had anticipated. Here's the breakdown:
The PROs:

• I love that the main character is a woman of color with a rich background story. LOVE IT!
• The way Elyse interacts with other characters despite losing her voice.
• Elyse's ability to move past her tragic past.
• Sebastian, the love interest's little brother. Adorable!
• How supportive the secondary characters were. They seemed like genuinely nice people.

The CONs:

• Typical YA love story. It could have used some spicing up.
• Typical main love interest...a bad boy that just isn't understood.
• The pacing. It took me quite a while to get through the story.
• In the beginning the story seemed a little confusing. There was a lot of back and forth between places and timelines. Perhaps because this was an uncorrected proof?
• The ending. It left the whole story arc unfinished...I was a little let down.

Obviously, as you can see, despite some issues, there were several things about this novel that I enjoyed. I don't think this contemporary YA is for everyone, though I can see that it appeals to some.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for this copy.
Published June 2nd 2015
This is my honest review.

Cover Art Commentary:
I love this cover! I love the beach-y feel! The setting is essential to the story.

Rating:

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): 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….

Book Trailer:


Book Review:
I was first introduced to Sarah Ockler when I read Twenty Boy Summer for banned books week back in 2010. I immediately feel in love with Ockler's writing style. However, Ockler really won me over with her follow-up novel Fixing Delilah. I often reflect back to Delilah. It is a book that I know I will read again from time to time. Needless to say, I was uuber eager to get my hot little hands on a copy of Ockler's latest novel, Bittersweet. Ockler has a way of writing flawed characters in such a way that you wish you were friends with them. She reminds us that our imperfections are what make us human, and encourages us to remember that it's not important how many mistakes we make, but rather how we mend them. I looooove the characters in this book. Hudson is real. She struggles with the choices she makes. While I didn't always agree with her choices, I appreciate that she takes time to think through her decisions. I'll admit, there were times where I was more than a little irritated with Hudson's mother. However, this was a good reminder that life isn't perfect. More times than not, we are living in less than perfect situations. Ockler has such finesse in writing about these situations. There were times that this book made my heart soar and times where my heart sunk. There were also laugh out loud moments. This book has it all. Seriously, I could go on forever. This book is amazing. Just like Delilah, I will read this again and again. I am an Ockler fan for life. :) Also...the cupcakes are a FABULOUS touch!

Favorite Quote:

"Left too long without supervision, most kids would probably finger paint the walls, flush their underpants down the toilet, or, I don't know, set the whole place on fire. Our little genius? He turned our entire living room into an airport, complete with a four-foot-high LEGO traffic control tower and a fleet of paper planes, plastic army pilots taped safely into their cockpits. From deep beneath the couch, a large utility flashlight illuminates some sort of...landing strip? I crouch down for a better look. Oh. My. God. Stuck to the carpet in parallel, unbroken paths from one wall to the other are two lanes of brand-new maxi pads. Plastic dinosaurs stand guard at every fourth pad...protecting the airport from enemy aircraft and/or heavy flow." (p. 218-219)

Cover Art Commentary:
Simple. Elegant. Lovely.

Rating:

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Book Summery (via 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?
Book Review:

After reading Ockler's Twenty Boy Summer, I was hungry to get my hands on more of her work. Along came Fixing Delilah. Reading Fixing Delilah was like coming home, or eating a piece of pie with a good cup of coffee. In essence, it was comforting. I felt like Ockler had a lot more character development in Fixing Delilah, which is what I missed in Twenty Boy Summer. However, I felt that Twenty Boy Summer had a much more original storyline, which is why I ultimately gave Fixing Delilah 4 stars. Don't get me wrong, I adored this book, and read it in large gulps. It was a wee bit predictable, which is what made it comforting, but at the same time, less original. This story is charter driven, and I loved them all, even the ones who weren't present (i.e. Nana and Stephanie). Ockler writes such lively and vivacious prose. I can easily picture Aunt Rachel carrying around her sage sticks, Emily serving coffee at the coffee house, Patrick and Delilah discussing Holden Claufeld on a luscious, green hill....I was completely enveloped in Delilah's colorful world. To me this story is a reminder that people aren't perfect, they are flawed human beings that make mistakes. Further more, it's not the mistakes or flaws that you should focus on, but rather how people deal their mistakes and trials in life. How they overcome the obstacles laid out ahead of them. Overall, I was moved and yet again am eager to my hands on more of Ockler's work. For more information, check out Ockler's website.

Favorite Quote:

"Sometimes I wonder if my whole life will pass by this way: me waiting in the shadows, waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone else to make it happen. Something new or different or crazy or amazing. I've been there for so long, letting everyone else figure it out for me, floating along without much direction or conscious thought." (p. 147)

Cover Art Commentary:
Love the color scheme and the paper dolls. There's a slight reference the "cracks and imperfections" that is displayed on the taped-up doll.

Overall Rating:

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Book Summery:
"Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"
"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer. -goodreads.com

Book Trailer/Author Intro:



Book Review:
Sarah Ockler takes us on an emotional journey through friendships, loss, love, and beginnings in her debut, Twenty Boy Summer. I was honestly shocked at how much this book impacted me. Though I have never been in this particular situation, reading this book stirred feelings of loss, love, and life in general. Feelings that I have shoved down and all but forgotten about. I love that Ockler narrates this from Anna's voice. The forgotten victim...the best friend. Who feels guilty for grieving. Twenty Boy Summer is story of firsts...first loves, first losses, first flings, first fights...If I had a teenage daughter, I would eagerly pass this book along to her. Ockler tackles a tough subject with a beautiful vocabulary and honest perspective in her debut. Her characters are real, flawed, and easy to relate to. I highly look forward to her next book, Fixing Delilah Hannaford, which is released next month. :) Craving more information? Check out Sarah Ockler's website (found here) for more insight into the author, excerpts of her books, and her offical blog, in which she discusses banned books, and the controversy of censorship (which is one of the main reasons I read Twenty Boy Summer, as it has recently been challenged to be banned from high school libraries).

Favorite Quote:

"After packing our bags, cleaning our room, and eating a light breakfast with Uncle Red and Aunt Jayne, I take a final walk out to the ocean - my sad blue secret keeper. She's witnessed everything on this trip - albatross cast off, secrets unleashed, history destroyed, love and friendships found and broken - yet she remains the same. Reassuring. Undying." (p.274)

Cover Art Commentary:
At first glance, this cover might seem simple. At least, it did to me. After reading the book contents, the cover becomes exceptional with significant meaning. The layers of sea glass pieced together to create a heart, that's not quite whole. With one piece of the ever-coveted red sea glass that will hold a special place, forever.

Overall Rating: