The Book of Broken Hearts
By Andrea Beach,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Teen fights for forbidden love in sweet romance.
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What's the Story?
Jude is the youngest of four daughters whose parents are from Argentina. She decides to spend the last summer at home before college with her father, recently diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. When his old motorcycle resurfaces, Jude hopes that restoring it will keep the disease at bay. To help them with the restoration, Jude hires a handsome boy and finds herself quickly falling for him. Too bad he belongs to the one family Jude and her three older sisters have sworn off forever. Isolated from her high-school friends, Jude shoulders the full-time responsibility for Papi's care while trying to hide Emilio's true identity from her family. Eventually, the truth comes out, and Jude has to learn to let go of the past and of the things she can't control, and summon the strength of character to follow her own path.
Is It Any Good?
Thanks to Sarah Ockler's poignant writing and spot-on voice, our hearts flutter right along with Jude's as she writes her own entry in THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS. But romance isn't the only cause of heartbreak. There are also changing friendships, family loyalty, and coping with disease, to name a few of the others. Ockler explores each with authenticity and warmth.
For the first quarter of the book, Jude comes across as a bit shallow and flighty, due mostly to a heavy hand with the superficial trappings of teendom. It doesn't last long, though, and we're soon shown a strong, admirable young woman. Her stubborn refusal to accept her father's condition and conflicted feelings about family loyalty, caused by her growing love for Emilio, will have readers of any age rooting for Jude's happiness.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why stories about forbidden love are so popular. Would the story of Emilio and Jude be as interesting or compelling if he wasn't from the "wrong" family?
How much do you know about Alzheimer's disease? How does Jude cope with the changes it brings? Would you want to know if you carry the Alzheimer's genetic mutation? Would you make different choices if you knew for sure?
Have you ever taken an oath? Were you ever tempted to break it?
Book Details
- Author: Sarah Ockler
- Genre: Romance
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Simon Pulse
- Publication date: May 21, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 17
- Number of pages: 368
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: April 23, 2020
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