The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
Published by Simon & Schuster on May 21, 2013
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
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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.

Sarah Ockler is very quickly moving up my list of favorite authors. Each book she writes just seems to be better than the last. The Book of Broken Hearts is no exception.

Characters can make or break a book for me more than anything else and the characters in The Book of Broken Hearts definitely made this book for me. Jude is a flawed character, that’s for sure, but that’s really what made me love her from the very start. It took me no time at all to get completely wrapped up in Jude’s story and I wanted a happy ending for her so badly! Jude’s father has early onset Alzheimers and all she wants is to spend one last summer with him as himself. He’s rapidly forgetting everything about himself and his life but Jude thinks there might be one thing that can help keep him with her for at least one more summer and that’s Valentina, his motorcycle. She knows they won’t be able to restore it themselves and that’s where Emilio Vargas enters the picture. Jude knows to stay away from the Vargas brothers but that’s easier said than done. He’s sweet, funny, sexy, and above all, he’s not embarrassed or ashamed by her dad. He’s the only person who has stuck around no matter how bad it gets with him. Emilio was pretty much the perfect guy and I loved his banter with Jude.

Jude’s father was another really big part of why I loved The Book of Broken Hearts. He was beyond adorable. I wanted to cry at times reading about him because it’s so true. I can’t imagine the research Sarah Ockler did to make this book so authentic. This type of illness isn’t something commonly written about in young adult books and it was really a big part of why I loved this book so much. It added a depth to the book that would not have been there if it was just a cute romance. It didn’t hurt that her dad was so awesome either. Even with his illness, he was funny, smart, kind, and such a great dad. Can’t help but love awesome parents in YA books!

The story is a little heavy (obviously it deals with a parent with a serious illness) but surprisingly this book made me laugh and smile a lot more than it made me cry. I did tear up a few times but like I said, more time was spent laughing than anything else. While there isn’t a whole lot of action in The Book of Broken Hearts it’s still a book that is difficult to stop reading once you pick it up. It’s so cute and funny and full of awesome banter between characters and a completely wonderful family dynamic. It’s the perfect contemporary read for a day by the pool!

Overall, The Book of Broken Hearts is definitely a book that I’d recommend to all contemporary lovers. I’m already eagerly awaiting Sarah Ockler’s next book!