{Audiobook} Mini Reviews: Bittersweet, If I Should Die & The Nightmare Affair

Because I tend to get over-zealous with my audiobook listening and neglect to write thoughtful reviews for every single one I've completed, here are a few mini reviews to catch you up on what I've been listening to lately:

Title: Bittersweet
Author: Sarah Ockler
Narrator: Ariadne Meyers
Series: n/a
Publisher: Listening Library
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

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...

I've had this book on my shelf since I got a finished copy at ALA Midwinter 2012.  I'd heard great things, but I just hadn't gotten around to it yet.  Then I read/listened to Ockler's newest book, and I knew I had to make time for Bittersweet.  And magically, it arrived on audio shortly thereafter.

I'm rating this book the same as I did The Book of Broken Hearts, but in all honestly, I think I liked this book better.  The narrator was great, and she sounded just as I'd expect a Hudson-like character to sound:  independent but also a little whiney.  And for some reason, I always find myself really digging stories centering around a figure skating career.  My sister was always the one who watched those competitions, but somewhere along the way, I must have developed a taste for the sport myself.  Though, it probably does help that there are hot young hockey player studs in this book, as well.  =)

My only real complaint with this story, as with may contemporaries, is the use of miscommunication to further the plot or draw out the story.  So many misunderstandings and hurt feelings could have been avoided if the characters would have just talked to each other.  Aside from that, I really enjoyed this audiobook, and I'll definitely make it a point to read Sarah Ockler's other books.

Rating: 

Title: If I Should Die
Author: Amy Plum
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Series: Revenants, book #3
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

I will not lose another person I love. I will not let history repeat itself.

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together was shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now our enemy is determined to rule over France’s immortals, and willing to wage a war to get what they want.

It shouldn’t be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is somewhere out there, I know he’s not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.

After what we’ve already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying—to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others—so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?

When it comes to this series, I just have to admit that my reading tastes have changed a lot over the last couple of years.  I loved Die for Me when I read an ARC all those months ago.  It was one of the first ARCs I'd ever received, so maybe that had something to do with my excitement, too.

The idea behind this series is intriguing, even now.  It's just the follow-through, I think, that just didn't do it for me.  That, and a big ole fake-out when it came to the romance.  Gah, and that cliffhanger at the end of Until I Die just about made me lose my shiz.  Because you just knew how things were going to play out, and pretend killing off a main character just doesn't fly with me.

Oh, this was the first book in this series that I listened to, though, and I have to say, I did enjoy the narration.  I liked Julia Whelan's narration of Flat-Out Love, but I truly enjoyed this narration because of all the French pronunciations that I just know I butchered the first two go-rounds with this series.  Whelan's French was just lovely.  It almost made up for the general blah-ness of the actual story.

Rating:  

Title: The Nightmare Affair
Author: Mindee Arnett
Narrator: Cassandra Morris
Series: The Arkwell Academy, book #1
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
Publication Date: July 9, 2013
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

I think my biggest problem with this novel was that it read at a much younger level than I was expecting.  I loved Rachel Vincent's take on mara or Nightmares in her Soul Screamers series, and I guess I was hoping this would be similar, but on a much grander scale since the Nightmare was the main character in this story. But, alas, it was not to be.

Unfortunate that the story didn't quite live up to the awesome cover. Because I do LOVE that cover.  Very reminiscent of the cover of Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan.  Unlike with SRB's book, though, it was relatively easy to figure out where this story was headed, who the culprit was, and how it all came to be.

The narration was also performed by the same (young) narrator as Tiger Lily.  I think that probably also gave the story more of a MG feel than intended.  Even so, I'm still intrigued enough by the Nightmares and the school for magickind that I'll pick up subsequent installments.  But I'm much more excited for Mindee Arnett's Avalon.  How awesome does that book sound?

Rating:   1/2

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Labels: amy plum, audiobooks, bittersweet, contemporary, gothic mystery, harper-collins, mindee arnett, paranormal, revenants series, reviews, sarah ockler, simon schuster, the arkwell academy, tor teen, zombies

Judging a Book By Its Cover #28: A Kid's Perspective on Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

Okay, so I totally stole this idea from Sara at Forever 17 Books, who got the idea from an article on Babble called Judging a Book by Its Cover: A 6-year-old Guesses What Classic Novels Are All About.  I just discovered her lovely segment, and I immediately requested forced my own five-year-old daughter Katie to provide me with some of her own cover art artwork and then asked her what she thought the book was about.



This week, Katie gave me her take on the following book:

"A girl found a cookie that looked like a puzzle piece heart.  A little boy saw the girl, and he asked her if she found the cookie he left for her."

Cover Art

Bittersweet as envisioned by Katiebug

Okay, TBH, Katie had a whole conversation going between the boy and the girl, but she was talking so quickly and I can only write so fast, so yeah.  =)  I didn't bother to tell her the book's actually about cupcakes.  She was already running around the house screaming, "CAKE!" earlier because I told her we were going to bake Daddy's favorite cake for Father's Day this weekend.  :D

Have you read this book or do you plan to?  What do you think of Katie's guess at the premise?  

Did your little darling create a work of art based on a book this week? If so, be sure to link up with Sara over at Forever 17 Books.

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Labels: bittersweet, contemporary, cover art, judging a book by its cover, katiebug, sarah ockler

{Audiobook} Review: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Title: The Book of Broken Hearts
Author: Sarah Ockler
Narrator: Zilah Mendoza
Series: n/a
Publisher: Listening Library
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Source: purchased audio, received galley from publisher for review
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

So, The Book of Broken Hearts was my first Sarah Ockler book.  I know, I know.  I do own a hardcover of Bittersweet.  But I recently discovered that was just released on Audible, so I'll probably go that route so that I can get to it sooner.  But also because I thoroughly enjoyed The Book of Broken Hearts and I'm anxious to read more from this author.

First off, I think the relationship between the sisters was portrayed beautifully.  I have one older sister who is eight years my senior, and then I have a little sister who is only a year-and-a-half younger than me.  (That'd be my co-blogger Mendy.)  There is a big difference in my relationship with each of my sisters, and I saw that dynamic mirrored in the way the Hernandez sisters interacted with each other.  However, had one of my sisters insisted on a pact made by candlelight and sealed with blood over some boy, I think I would have had to opt out.  :-P

Jude, our main character, is the youngest, and there are several years between her and Mariposa, the youngest of the older sisters.  But the difference in age means that she's pretty much grown up like an only child, her older sisters all having moved out and on with their lives.  And so she's left to care for her ailing father while her mother works to support them.  Not that they're suffering, but Jude's father is no longer able to work because of his condition.  Jude essentially foregoes all of her summer plans to spend her last months before college with Bear, and it's time with her father that she'll cherish forever.  Especially once they discover his old motorcycle in the barn and he begins telling her stories of his time as a biker in Argentina, which leads to Jude's decision to have the bike repaired.

Enter Emilio, one of the reviled Vargas brothers, whom Jude has sworn never to have any contact with.  Family being what it is, Jude tries to hate Emilio, but he has some redeeming qualities of his own.  First being that he's willing to work on her father's bike affordably.  But he also never pushes Jude and instead offers his friendship as she deals with the sorrow affecting her family.  I loved the slow progression from would-be enemies to something more than friends.  But I also loved that this romance remained in the background, even though the blurb had me believing that the story's emphasis would be the somewhat-forbidden romance between Jude and Emilio.

As for the narrator, Zilah Mendoza was perfection.  If I had read this novel myself, it wouldn't have felt as authentic because I definitely wouldn't have read it with an accent, despite the fact that the families in question are from Argentina and Puerto Rico.  I love when the narrator becomes one with the story, and it no longer seems like you're listening to someone read a book.  Instead, it felt like the narrator was simply relaying her own story.

The Book of Broken Hearts is a tale of family and love and heartbreak.  It's beautiful in its sadness, but it's also a hopeful story.  Bear's own story is a reminder to Jude that it's important to live each day to the fullest, but it's a reminder to us all, really.  Carpe diem and all that.  ;0)  This book was uniquely heartbreaking and funny, and it's ensured that I'll be picking up the author's other works in the near future.


Rating:  

Other books from this author:

About the author:

Sarah Ockler is the bestselling author of critically acclaimed young adult novels Twenty Boy Summer, Fixing Delilah, and Bittersweet. Her books have been translated into several languages and have received numerous accolades, including ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, Girls’ Life Top 100 Must Reads, IndieNext list picks, and more. Her short fiction and essays will be featured in two upcoming young adult anthologies: Defy the Dark and Dear Teen Me.

Sarah teaches advanced young adult fiction writing at Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver. She’s a champion cupcake eater, coffee drinker, night person, and bookworm. When she’s not writing or reading, Sarah enjoys taking pictures, hugging trees, and road-tripping through the country with her husband, Alex.

Find Sarah:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr

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Labels: audiobooks, contemporary, reviews, sarah ockler, simon schuster, the book of broken hearts, tough subject

Waiting on Wednesday: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selection is...

Title: The Book of Broken Hearts
Author: Sarah Ockler
Series: n/a
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 21, 2013

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

Why I'm waiting:  I'm on a bit of a contemporary kick lately, and this book sounds awesome.  I mean, c'mon....there are definitely going to be consequences to swearing an oath not to date a certain boy or boys.  ;) Regretfully, I haven't read anything by this author to-date, but I do have Bittersweet on my shelf.  It sounds equally as cute, so while I'm waiting on this book to release, I'm hoping I can play a bit of catch up and finally get to Bittersweet.

What are you waiting on this week?  Feel free to share it in the comments or leave a link so I can stop by!

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Labels: contemporary, sarah ockler, simon schuster, the book of broken hearts, waiting on wednesday (wow)