Review: #scandal by Sarah Ockler

Title:  #scandal
Author: Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release date: June 17th 2014
Pages: 368
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: Edelweiss - I received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
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Lucy’s learned some important lessons from tabloid darling Jayla Heart’s all-too-public blunders: Avoid the spotlight, don’t feed the Internet trolls, and keep your secrets secret. The policy has served Lucy well all through high school, so when her best friend Ellie gets sick before prom and begs her to step in as Cole’s date, she accepts with a smile, silencing about ten different reservations. Like the one where she’d rather stay home shredding online zombies. And the one where she hates playing dress-up. And especially the one where she’s been secretly in love with Cole since the dawn of time.
When Cole surprises her at the after party with a kiss under the stars, it’s everything Lucy has ever dreamed of… and the biggest BFF deal-breaker ever. Despite Cole’s lingering sweetness, Lucy knows they’ll have to ’fess up to Ellie. But before they get the chance, Lucy’s own Facebook profile mysteriously explodes with compromising pics of her and Cole, along with tons of other students’ party indiscretions. Tagged. Liked. And furiously viral.
By Monday morning, Lucy’s been branded a slut, a backstabber, and a narc, mired in a tabloid-worthy scandal just weeks before graduation.
Lucy’s been battling undead masses online long enough to know there’s only one way to survive a disaster of this magnitude: Stand up and fight. Game plan? Uncover and expose the Facebook hacker, win back her best friend’s trust, and graduate with a clean slate.
There’s just one snag—Cole. Turns out Lucy’s not the only one who’s been harboring unrequited love...

My rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I hate having to write this review. I'm a huge fan of Sarah Ockler's previous books, so I had high expectations for #scandal. Sadly, though, #scandal did not live up to my expectations: I was disappointed with almost everything about it. I really hate having to write a negative review for an author I love so much, but #scandal just didn't work for me.

I think the problem is that there is just too much going on in #scandal. All the individual aspects of #scandal had a lot of potential, but there's just so many different storylinse and so many secondary characters that none of them turn out fully developed. It was really hard not to lose track, and at some point, I couldn't get myself to care anymore.

The cyber bullying is supposed to be the main part of the story, but I don't think it's handled appropriately at all. There is too much drama and fluff for such a serious issue: #scandal reminded me more of Gossip Girl than of anything with a serious message. The mystery surrounding the #scandal didn't impress me: Lucy spends most of the novel trying to figure out two mysteries: who uploaded the pictures of her and Cole to Facebook, and who is behind the Miss Demeanor site. The first mystery, I figured out relatively early on, but the second one did manage to surprise me. It wasn't really the outcome of these mysteries that bothered me, though, but rather the fact that Lucy focused on them so much. Rather than figuring out who publicized her kiss with Cole, I wanted to see Lucy address the kiss itself, to see her apologize to Ellie and figure out what to do about the love triangle. It frustrated me how much Lucy focused on what everyone else thought, rather than trying to fix her relationships with the people that she actually cares about.

I usually love Sarah Ockler's characters, but the ones in #scandal just didn't impress me. Lucy, to me, seemed kind of boring: we are told that she is a zombie-slaying badass, but we are never shown anything that would make her stand out, so she stayed a very bland character, for me. Cole's character is ridiculously underdeveloped: the whole story revolves around Lucy's hidden feelings for Cole, but we never get to see what's so special about him. He's actually absent for most of the novel, and just randomly appears every once in a while. Other than a couple of melodramatic declarations of love for each other, we don't get to see Lucy and Clare interact very much. Without really understanding Cole's character or their relationship, I couldn't justify all of this drama surrounding them. Ellie is just as underdeveloped: we are told that she and Lucy are best friends, but don't find out much about her character or their friendship either. Again, this made it hard for me to understand all this drama surrounding Lucy's betrayal.

Absent parents are something I don't even comment on anymore most of the time because they're so common in YA, but in #scandal, it was just ridiculous. They were on vacation the entire time this was going on, and Lucy was home alone with her sister. I actually really liked reading about Lucy's relationship with her sister, but, like everything else, this storyline wasn't fully developed, either. And I just found it very unrealistic that no one know that the celebrity Jayla Heart is Lucy's sister - if she's the pride of the town, how come no one has tried to figure out what family she belongs to? That whole concept just didn't make sense to me.

#scandal had a lot of potential, but with so much going on, basically everything about it fell flat. I'm really disappointed, since like I said, I loved all of Sarah Ockler's previous work. I really hope her next book will be as strong as her previous ones, rather than another melodramatic, underdeveloped mess like #scandal.

Review: Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

Title: Bittersweet
Author: Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release date: January 3rd 2012
Pages: 378
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Bought
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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...

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I'm a huge fan of Sarah Ockler's Twenty Boy Summer and Fixing Delilah, so I was really looking forward to reading Bittersweet. Somehow, though, I didn't end up loving her newest one as much as Sarah Ockler's earlier novels. It was a pretty good read, but it didn't have the same spark as Twenty Boy Summer and Fixing Delilah.

The main reason I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to is the main character, Hudson. I just couldn't connect with her. She's so melodramatic, makes such a big deal out of everything. It annoyed me to no end how she could never make up her mind and blamed herself for everything that went wrong in her life. Yes, I get that Hudson is a realistic 16-year-old girl character, but, well, her behavior is also infuriating, and I just couldn't get past that.

The secondary characters are just okay. Most of them are fully-developed, but I didn't love them like I'd hoped - I just have higher standards for Sarah Ockler. For example, there's the romance storyline, which didn't work for me - so much unnecessary drama! There's a sort of love triangle between Josh and Will, except, well, not really, because it's made obvious from the start that Josh is the one Hudson wants. And Josh is just kind of... meh. He's sweet, but he's too perfect to be realistic, and we don't get to know him well enough. Will is a good character and I liked his backstory, but I didn't get the point of the whole storyline with Will. I can't say too much about this without spoiling anything, but all the drama about the one misunderstanding was unrealistic and completely unnecessary - that's just something you find out about a friend, and I don't see something like that causing so much drama.

The family storyline didn't wow me, either. How Hudson kept blaming herself for her parents' divorce just bugged me. I know it's realistic and kind of the point, but it still frustrated me to no end. And I didn't really get how the family drama made her quit skating - the way it's presented, it just didn't make sense to me. I didn't love the parents' characters, but I guess we weren't supposed to. We were, however, supposed to like Hudson's little brother, Bud, and I guess he is pretty cute. But, to be honest, I thought his whole character was kind of trying too hard to be cute - why do so many YA MCs have such genius younger siblings!? Can't they ever just be normal and annoying!?

And then there's the drama between Hudson and Dani. Dani's a good friend to Hudson most of the time, but I also found their fights kind of melodramatic. I thought it was kind of strange how needy Dani was towards Hudson, always getting mad when Hudson had other plans, since, supposedly, Dani's the one with a social life outside of Hudson.

Despite all this negative stuff, there were a lot of things I loved, too. I'm still a huge fan of Sarah Ockler's writing - even when I didn't love the plot, the beautiful writing carried the rest of the novel, for me. I love the atmosphere Sarah Ockler has created here, with the small town feel and everything related to winter - I just love strong seasonal settings, and this one really made me feel like I was there alongside Hudson, experiencing winter in Watonka. And of course I loved everything relating to cupcakes because, well, cupcakes! Yum. Hudson's experiences as a waitress were fun to read about, too, and I loved the insight we got into Hudson's life as a figure skater, since that's something I know nothing about.

There were a lot of things I loved about Bittersweet, but large parts of the plot and the main character just didn't work for me; it was too predictable, melodramatic, and cliched for me, and I was expecting more from Sarah Ockler. Still, it's a cute read, and Sarah Ockler's writing is still amazing. Bittersweet wasn't my favorite Sarah Ockler novel, but I'll keep reading whatever she writes.

Review: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Title: Fixing Delilah
Author: Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Release date: December 1st 2010
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Bought
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Goodreads description:

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?

First sentence:

"Claire? It's Rachel. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars


I loved Sarah Ockler's debut, Twenty Boy Summer (my review) - one of my favorite books ever. So to say I had high expectations for Fixing Delilah would be an understatement. I knew I was going to love it. And while I didn't like Fixing Delilah quite as much as Twenty Boy Summer, it didn't disappoint!


The writing is what's best about this book. It's vivid and beautiful, just perfect. I know, that doesn't mean much - those are words we use all the time. But Sarah Ockler's writing is... wow. Her style is just perfect for me, and I fell in love with each of her sentences. This book makes me wish I wasn't too lazy to take notes while reading - I'd love to have some quotes written down to show you how amazing the writing is. But, since I am lazy, you'll just have to trust me - Sarah Ockler's writing is gorgeous. It flows nicely, and I felt like I was there alongside Delilah the entire time. The imagery is so beautiful and perfect. I could go on and on about Sarah Ockler's writing. It reminds me a lot of Sarah Dessen's style. Yes, comparing a contemporary YA author to Sarah Dessen is an obvious and boring choice, but it's true. Fixing Delilah sounds like something Sarah Dessen could have wrote. But - and this is a big deal - I think I like Sarah Ockler's style even more than Sarah Dessen's. Really, that's the highest praise any writing could get from me!


Okay, enough about the writing. I loved the story too. I really liked the focus on all things family-related. Why aren't there more contemporary YA books about family? I loved reading about Delilah's relationship with her mother. It's so, so real. Her aunt Rachel is a great character too. Each member of the family - living and dead - has a distinct and realistic personality. Usually, when there's some kind of secret the main character wants to uncover, it's predictable and boring, but not in Fixing Delilah. I loved finding out about the Hannafords' family history alongside Delilah. It's unraveled layer by layer, and the big secret you eventually find out about is not predictable at all. The family aspect is my favorite storyline; I loved seeing Delilah's relationship with her mom - and Delilah as a character - evolve over the course of the novel.


The other main storyline, Delilah's romance with her childhood friend Patrick, though, I didn't like as much. The relationship doesn't seem as realistic to me, and it develops too quickly. I don't want to call it insta-love, since Patrick and Delilah have known each other since they were kids, but still - they haven't seen each other for eight years, so it's not like they still know each other really well. I would have liked them to spend more time getting to know each other again before their friendship turns into something more. Patrick as a character, though, I did like -  he's sweet and swoonworthy. If their relationship had developed a little slower, the romance could have been great. The conflict between Patrick and Delilah towards the end didn't really work for me - it felt kind of constructed, and their fight is childish and melodramatic. That part annoyed me a little - it seemed like the author just wanted them to have a big fall-out, but really, I think I would have liked it better if that fight hadn't happened.


Delilah's friendship with Emily is okay. She's sweet, but I would have liked to see some more depth to her character - the way it is, with Emily not playing too important a role, what we find about her towards the end is kind of pointless.


I love the cover for Fixing Delilah - it's beautiful and fits the story perfectly. I just love the whole idea!


I didn't like Delilah's relationships with Patrick and Emily too much, and I would have preferred the story to focus even more on the family ties and less on those relationships. But I still loved Fixing Delilah - gorgeous, vivid writing, a fully-developed, relatable main character, and complex family bonds make Fixing Delilah worth reading. I have to get my hands on Bittersweet as soon as possible - I need more of Sarah Ockler's writing!


If you've read this book, what did you think?

Guest Post by Sarah Ockler (Bittersweet Blog Tour)

Today we have Sarah Ockler here for a guest post! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler. You can find out more about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops of the blog tour if you'd like to know more about Bittersweet!


This is a tens list by Bittersweet's main character Hudson on how to survive winter in her hometown.

Winter in Watonka, NY: Hudson Avery’s Top 10 Survival Tips


1. Don’t go outside. Really. Wait until June when the sun comes out again, then soak it up while you can, because it will probably start snowing again in August.


2. If you must go outside, dress appropriately. How? Hint: If you’re not wearing your body weight in layers of puffy fuzzy outerwear, you’re not dressed appropriately. Think Eskimo. Think frost-swept tundra. But don’t go overboard---snowshoes and Gore-Tex will mark you as a Watkonka foreigner, weak-blooded, not to be trusted.


2a. Embrace your mom’s ghetto layering techniques. Cut the sleeves and bottom half off a turtleneck, call it a “dickie,” and put it on under your coat and scarves. Poke holes in old tube socks and stick them on like glamorous ladies’ gloves. Line your boots with plastic Wonder Bread bags. Sure, these wind- and snow-blocking techniques are embarrassing and potentially hazardous (especially the bread bags), but they work! Who needs Gore-Tex?!


3. Know your snow. In some places of the world, snow is just snow. Not so in Watonka, where there are at least 42 different types of snow, seventeen directions of wind sheer, and 100 degrees below the 0-line on the outdoor thermometer, making the number of potential combinations of wintry blasts in the millions. Is today calling for freezing rain, or raining sleet? Blustery wind, or windy gusts and whiteout conditions? Powder or needles? Snow or ice or slush? Is it falling, sprinkling, swirling, or dumping? Is it snowing down or sideways? Each condition calls for different dress, different lingo, different driving or walking skills, and different grumbling attitudes. Don’t be left in the cold on this one!


4. Learn the lingo. While you’re out braving the arctic blast, you’ll likely encounter other brave/stupid souls doing the same. If you’re not too numb to speak, acceptable greetings include: Nice day! Stay warm! Wow, it’s a winter wonderland out here! And the safest bet: Go Sabres! If additional conversation is required, you are permitted to complain about the consistently inaccurate weather forecasters and/or the transportation department’s lack of plows on your side streets. Under no circumstances are you to long for summer or lament the last winter you spent at your cousin’s condo in Florida. Everyone in Watonka knows that people who migrate south and west during the winter months are pansies who, like weak-blooded Watonka foreigners, are not to be trusted.


5. Don’t make any extensive plans for the next 6-8 months. Winter in Watonka is a time for hibernation. Order pizza and wings with bleu cheese. Catch up on your favorite shows. Put on a nice layer of winter fat to keep you warm until summer. Don’t worry---you’re not missing anything. Everyone else is holed up at home too. There’s probably a driving ban.


6. Ignore the driving bans. Come on, people. This is Watonka! A few feet of snow, whiteout conditions, and ice slicks can’t stop us, can they? No. If you can’t drive properly in the snow, you might as well not have a license at all. Man up!


7. Stock your car with an emergency winter kit. A car kit includes a blanket, dry socks, some candy, board games, a few books, matches, candles, and a pee can. If you don’t know what a pee can is, you’ve obviously never been stranded on the I-90 for twelve hours, waiting for the trucks to come plow you out and the cops to yell at you for ignoring the driving ban.


8. Plan an emergency escape route. Freak snowstorms and lake effect blizzards are common here (’77, anyone)? The last thing you want is to get stranded at home with snow covering the doors and windows and no food in the pantry. Plot out an accessible route from your house to the nearest pizza and wings joint, which will undoubtedly be open and functioning regardless of any apocalyptic weather situations. Test the route in the summer (multiple times to be safe) and make sure everyone in your household knows it!


9. Skip the shower. Sure, it’s nice and hot in the moment. But the second you turn off that water, the cold air will suck out all the steam, and you’ll step onto that icy bathroom floor, and then you’ll start freezing your random bits off all over again. If you smell a little funkalicious, simply add a few more layers to your winter wardrobe. No one will be the wiser!


10. Find a snuggle buddy. Preferably a cute hockey boy. One who has the same non-shower policy in winter, lest either of you offend the other during said snugglefest. Best way to stay warm on a winter’s night in Watonka, hands down!

Thanks for the great guest post, Sarah!


Make sure to check out all the other stops of the tour, and keep your eye out for Bittersweet, which has already been released!

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
(Amazon / 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...

Review: Twenty Boy Summer

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
(Amazon / Goodreads)

Goodreads description:

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in ZanzibarBay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever 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.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First  off, let me say that I love this cover. At first, I just thought it was pretty, and now that I’ve read the book and understand what the sea glass means, the cover is even cuter. Okay, now to the actual story. This novel is a light, fun summer read with typical teenage life, but it’s so much more – it’s deep and moving, too.

I liked seeing how each member of the family and Anna coped with the grief of losing Matt. My favorite part of the novel were probably the characters. They were fleshed-out and realistic (except for Sam, who was a bit flat to me). At the beginning, I didn’t like Frankie (she was fake and superficial), but later on I understood why she acted the way she did. I thought Anna was a great character with a great voice – she was easy to relate to from the beginning on, and she made me feel each of her emotions – her excitement, her anger, her pain. I even felt her guilt for liking Sam and (in her mind) erasing Matt.

I loved Matt’s character, despite never having known him. The romance between him and Anna was incredibly sweet, especially the scene of their first kiss. The fact that he would leave a lucky penny lying on the street because he wanted someone else to have a lucky day made me smile, and I’ll probably have to think of this book every time I find a penny now. The writing was great as well – it made me feel as if I were there on the beach with them, and the dialogue was very realistic.

However, I found it a bit strange how close Matt and Frankie used to be, but maybe the reader just never saw the fights because Anna didn’t want to remember the bad things. One thing that annoyed me was how Frankie kept using wrong vocab words – at the beginning it was funny, but it was overdone and got stupid after a while, as some of the words Frankie didn’t know were totally normal, day-to-day words. Also, I didn’t enjoy the romance between Anna and Sam all that much – maybe I (like Anna) was caught up on Matt, or maybe it was because Sam’s character wasn’t as fleshed-out as he could have been.

One of the comments on the back of the book says that this story “breaks your heart and puts it back together again,” and I think that’s a perfect description for this novel – it evoked loads of emotions in me. It was hilarious at points and heartbreakingly sad at others.

Overall, this is an extremely sweet story with a great voice, great characters and great writing. It’s the perfect mixture of a sweet summer romance and an emotional depiction of grief. Definitely worth reading, and I’m looking forward to reading Sarah Ockler’s second novel, Fixing Delilah.