Blog Tour Guest Post with Sarah Ockler, Author of The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler (and GIVEAWAY!)

Welcome to the blog tour for The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler! Today, I have a very visual post for you all - and an awesome giveaway! Read on, gentle readers!

The Book of Broken Hearts | #scandal | The Summer of Chasing Mermaids

The Road Trip in The Summer of Chasing Mermaids

When the idea for The Summer of Chasing Mermaids came together in the fall of 2013, I knew that I wanted to set the story somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. But I'd never visited coastal Washington or Oregon! My only visit to Washington was an all-too-brief book tour stop in Seattle the previous summer, and I'd only been to Oregon for a work event in Portland more than a fifteen years ago. Without an authentic feel for the setting of my book, I felt like I couldn't finish the story. 

Obviously, there was only one thing to do... RESEARCH ROAD TRIP!

My (thankfully) adventurous husband and I packed up our car with road trip essentials like a tent, hiking boots, plenty of white cheddar popcorn, and some bottled water, and hit the road from Colorado, driving northwest until we reached Washington. From there, we made our way south along the coasts of Washington and Oregon, visiting towns and natural sites that inspired the fictional town of Atargatis Cove, Oregon, where the novel is set. 

My Favorite Stops

The Goondocks and Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. Fellow 80s kids will recognize this! And it totally made me want to write a story about pirates. For now, though, the only pirates in the book are the sailors who race in the Pirate Regatta. The 3rd picture features some of the houses that inspired the houses at Atargatis Cove.

Forks and LaPush, of Twilight fame. What kind of YA author would miss out on these places? LaPush is stunning, by the way.

Point Hudson Marina in Port Townsend, which helped me envision Chelsea Marina.

Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park, which inspired a hike in the story. That little orange dot at the bottom is me hugging a giant tree!

Thor’s Well at Cape Perpetua, a favorite spot for Elyse’s Aunt Lemon. I don’t know who that crazy person is down there, but that one is *not* me!

Bandon-by-the-Sea, including lunch at The Chowder House, where Christian buys Elyse her first fish-n-chips.

Crater Lake National Park, which is just a stunning place to visit. The lake is even bluer than the sky, and the water is so pure that scientists use it to measure baseline purity for drinking water.

Road Trip, Part 2

After a few weeks on the road, we finally returned home to Colorado (totally landlocked), where I got to work on writing the novel, totally inspired by everything we’d researched. But we missed the sea! So, less than two months after I finished The Summer of Chasing Mermaids, we took another road trip—this time, to move. Without much of a plan, we packed up our belongings and headed northwest, hoping for the best! We settled into a small seaport town in Washington, ready for a new adventure. Many of the people we'd met in restaurants and shops on our fall trip remembered us, so it really did feel like coming home! 

I love research road trips. I have to think about where I’d like to set my next book. Maybe Alaska—haven’t been there yet! :)

About the Author:

Sarah Ockler is the bestselling author of young adult novels, including #scandal, The Book of Broken Hearts, Bittersweet, Fixing Delilah, and the critically acclaimed Twenty Boy Summer, a YALSA Teens' Top Ten nominee and IndieNext List pick. Her latest, The Summer of Chasing Mermaids, hits the shelves in June 2015. 

Sarah is a champion cupcake eater, coffee drinker, night person, and bookworm. When she's not writing or reading at home in Washington, she enjoys taking pictures, hugging trees, and road-tripping through the country with her husband, Alex.

Visit her website at sarahockler.com or find her on Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr

About the Book:

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: June 2, 2015

Official Summary:

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 . . .

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

The Giveaway:

Win (1) of (2) Sarah Ockler's prize packs that include a hardcover copy of The Summer of Chasing Mermaids and paperback copies of #Scandal, The Book of Broken Hearts and Bittersweet (US Only)

Giveaway starts on MAY 27th and finishes on JUNE 8th

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Review: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: June 2, 2015

Rating: 3 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

From the bestselling author of Twenty Boy Summer, a talented singer loses her ability to speak after a tragic accident, leading her to a postcard-perfect seaside town to find romance.

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 . . .

What I Liked:

Awww, boo, a Sarah Ockler book I didn't completely love. Granted, I've only read The Book of Broken Hearts and #scandal (and now this book), but that's a pretty good sample, right? I loved The Book of Broken Hearts, and really enjoyed #scandal, Believe me, I thought I would love this one! I thought it was just okay. It's certainly unique, but it didn't grab me, throughout the story.

Fun fact about me: I'm Trinidadian Indian. My parents were born and lived in Trinidad for most of their lives, and then came to the U.S. in the late eighties. Both sides of my family has lived in Trinidad for several generations - I think my great-grandparents came from India (on both sides) through slave trading back when Britain had possession of India and parts of the West Indies (if I'm getting my history correct). I've been to Trinidad, and Tobago, many times. I wanted that personal connection with this book, because Trinidadian is rooted in me - it's a part of me. We are rare and unique, and you'll never forget a Trinidadian once you meet one. I didn't connect with this connection as much as I'd like, and I blame the authenticity the author tries to present. But let's get to this review.

Months ago, something happened to Elyse, a terrible accident at sea involving her twin sister Natalie, resulting in the loss of Elyse's voice. No longer able to talk, let along sing with her sister, Elyse flees to a seaside town in Oregon. Christian Kane, a player and handsome sailor, is spending the summer sailing and enjoying his time from his first year at Stanford. When Elyse agrees to be Christian's first mate on a ship Elyse used to hide in, she's thinking of the town, of a bet the mayor and Christian's father made. Neither she nor Christian expect to fall for each other. Elyse doesn't know if she'll be able to be in open sea again, if she is strong enough to move forward from her past.

Like I said - I think I enjoyed this book? I certainly finished the book, and was not going to not finish it (always a good sign). Ockler always writes a good story and a great romance, and I especially liked the romance. But there is a complex and intriguing story, and I'm not only talking about Elyse's past.

The book is told in a way that we have no idea what happened to Elyse. All we know is that she has no ability to speak anymore, there was some sort of accident, and her twin sister was somehow involved. Everyone treats her like she's broken or a cause or charity... except for Christian Kane. He's never really acted like he's feeling sorry for her. He just sees her. 

Christian and Elyse connect for the moment they lay eyes on each other. Elyse knows that Christian has a string of girls behind him, but she's attracted to him. Elyse is obviously quiet, but she's a girl that isn't throwing herself at Christian, and she's a difficult person to read in general. Christian and Elyse are friends, and then Christian asks Elyse to be his first mate on the Queen of. They're friends... until they're something more.

The progression of Christian and Elyse's relationship is really sweet! I think the romance was my favorite part of the book. That and Elyse's relationship with Sebastian, Christian's younger brother. I didn't really get a feel for his age but he must be really young? Probably ten years old or younger. Anyway, the romance. Christian and Elyse don't fall for each other from the start, though they do notice each other immediately. I like that they are friends first, and then the physical nature of their relationship changes.

I can't think of anything else specifically to say, so I shall move on to the next section!

What I Did Not Like:

I had a few issues with this book, and they were big enough for me to take down my rating some. I wasn't really feeling the tragic-past-story thing that Elyse has going on. I know, that sounds really callous and harsh. Thing is, I'm not a huge fan of tough-issue contemporary novels. It's just not my type of read. I don't like reading about such heartbreaking and severe issues that others have. I don't enjoy reading about these topics, so... I don't. It was hard for me to sit through this book, knowing that some deep dark secret was to be revealed about Elyse. For several reasons.

One reason I generally don't like tough-issue contemporary novels, and specifically in this book, is because the protagonist spends the majority of the book feeling sorry for herself. This book is no exception. Look. I get it. She went through something traumatizing, she's not past it and she hasn't gotten over it and she isn't willing to let go, etc. I do understand this. But again - I don't necessarily like reading about characters that mope or are depressed or are feeling sorry for themselves. So if you don't either... you are warned.

I wasn't entirely sucked into this book. Sure, it's unique and interesting, a retelling/story based off The Little Mermaid. The protagonist can't speak. But this book was weird, and I wasn't really impressed. It's entirely contemporary, but there's this element of almost magic. Mermaids are a huge part of this book, so it almost seems like there a magical part of this book. I wasn't really buying it, so you can imagine my overall not-amused attitude. I wasn't captivated by this magical aspect.

I didn't think Ockler did the absolute best job of capturing Tobago and Tobagonians. This book takes place entirely in Oregon, so I guess she felt like she didn't have to? You could see Ockler attempting to write out Trinidadian/Tobagonian speech, like spelling girl as "gyal". But that's really the only attempt she made at capturing the language. Trust me - Trinidadians and Tobagonians do NOT speak in proper sentences with fancy English and contractions and grammar. Noooo. We're native English speakers but the dragged-up English is very, very different. No, we do NOT sound like Jamaicans. The Trinidadian accent is very different from any other country, Caribbean or otherwise.

In any case, I personally didn't feel the authenticity of Trinidad and/or Tobago. I doubt anyone else will notice this because how many Trinidadian/Tobagonian readers of YA are there? Probably not too many, and I'm sure they'll notice the lack of complete authenticity in this book's structure.

The story isn't interesting, as I mentioned, and towards the end, it started to get really cliche, in terms of the Pirate Regatta. I had to roll my eyes at the cheesiness of the climax and ending. Let's go save the world! The town! One teen with no voice can do it! On paper it sounds absurd - and in the book, it was equally as absurd. Honestly. You have to read the book to know what I'm talking about, but ugh! I highly doubt, when it comes to money, that large companies really care about... things.

I think that's all I can think of. A few issues, but big ones.

Would I Recommend It:

Eh. Not really? Another meh book - I'm on a meh streak! I liked the two books of Ockler's that I mentioned above! Try those. But this one didn't impress me. I know some others have read this book and enjoyed it, but I didn't think it was all that great. It was okay though.

Rating:

3 stars. I liked it but wouldn't read it again, or recommend it. I'll definitely be reading more of Ockler's books in the future though! I love how she writes romance.

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

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Blog Tour Swoon Thursday (#72) and Giveaway: #scandal by Sarah Ockler

Welcome to the blog tour for #scandal by Sarah Ockler! A few weeks ago, I read this book, and loved it! I hope you enjoy the swoony excerpt I've choose - and be sure to enter the giveaway!

Read my review of #scandal!

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from #scandal by Sarah Ockler!

... I finally turn to face him. His eyes fill with sadness as he studies my hair, my skin, my mouth like this is the last time we'll ever see each other, five seconds before the earth explodes. His lips are full and pink and I'm wondering what they might taste like and then, with the horse looking on and Cassiopeia watching from the night sky, Cole presses his mouth to mine. Every cell in my body collides, a million tiny explosions under my skin. 

The swirl behind my belly button deepens, and when I close my eyes, the sky shatters and the stars fall, pinpricks of white-hot light landing on my shoulders like glitter. Cole's mouth is cool and sweet, apples and beer. I lean closer and wrap my arms around his neck. His hands are on me, one tangled in my hair, one pressing the bottle to my back, and I'm lost.

Spinning, falling.

- eARC, 11%

About the Book:

#scandal by Sarah Ockler

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: June 17, 2014

Summary (from Goodreads):

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...

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

About the Author:

Sarah Ockler is the bestselling author of novels for teens, including The Book of Broken Hearts, Bittersweet, Fixing Delilah, and the critically acclaimed Twenty Boy Summer, a YALSA Teens' Top Ten nominee and IndieNext List pick. Her latest, #scandal, hits the shelves in June 2014. 

Sarah is a champion cupcake eater, coffee drinker, night person, and bookworm. When she's not writing or reading at home in Colorado, she enjoys taking pictures, hugging trees, and road-tripping through the country with her husband, Alex.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

The Giveaway:

Win a prize pack with 4 signed hardcover copies of Sarah Ockler's books:  (Twenty Boy Summer, Fixing Delilah, Bittersweet, and The Book of Broken Hearts) - US Only

SPECIFICS:
- Must be 13 or older to enter
- Giveaway ends on June 16th at 11:59 pm
- A false entry will be consider as cheating, so this person will be disqualified. 
- Winner will be notified via email and needs to answer in 48 hours letting us know if he/she accepts the prize and send us his/her full name and address.
- Your personal information won't be used or be seen unless you're the winner of the giveaway. We won't sell it nor use it in a bad way.

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Review: #scandal by Sarah Ockler

#scandal by Sarah Ockler

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: June 17, 2014

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

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...

What I Liked:

Before I start this review, can we all just take a moment to stare at the male model's hair?! Ahh, it looks so silky and soft, I totally want to run my hands through his hair. Tell me I'm not the only one? What - I'm crazy? That's fine, I'll have him and his wonderful hair all to myself. *feels satisfied*

Anyway. What a novel. I definitely walked into this one thinking that I'd get a great romance and a hilarious story, and most likely I'd love it, because I have a good feeling about Sarah Ockler's books. Well. That's not quite what happened. There IS a great romance, a hilarious story, and I did love this book. But this book went deep into the social norms and culture of teenagers and the presence of social media. #scandal is heavy on the repercussions of social media usage - it's quite heartbreaking in this book.

Lucy went with her best friend's boyfriend to the prom - her best friend said she was sick, but didn't want Cole NOT to go. Lucy has been in love with Cole for four years - little does she know that he has been in love with her the whole time as well. They kiss at prom, they fall asleep, and the next morning, pictures of them - and everyone at prom - are posted all over Lucy's Facebook page. Someone took her phone, created an album for prom pictures, and posted pictures of Lucy and Cole, and so many other teenagers messing around the night of prom.

Everyone, including the school's principal, thinks Lucy did it, that she is cyberbullying others. Things escalate quickly; Lucy is slut-shamed (she kissed her best friend's boyfriend), Lucy is harassed and attacked (she allegedly posted all of those embarrassing pictures of everyone else on Facebook), and Lucy is alone (Ellie, Cole's girlfriend, won't speak to either of them, and neither will Lucy's other friends, or anyone else at school). Lucy turns to the anti-social-media group, the valedictorian, and Cole, to find out who took and posted those pictures.

I was angry as I was reading this book. How dare everyone blame Lucy! How dare the principal ignore Lucy's protests of innocence! How dare everyone slut-shame Lucy! It's funny, because Ellie and Cole broke up before prom - that's why Ellie faked being sick, and asked Lucy to step in - she thought Ellie would be a harmless date that wouldn't try anything with Cole. I felt so bad for Lucy, and for Cole, because they definitely got the short end of the stick, out of everyone affected.

Lucy is so one-of-a-kind. She's a hardcore gamer, somewhat goth-ish, a total geek (meant in the nicest of ways). I really like her! She handles everything with controlled panic and some confidence. She's torn up about being blamed for everything and having to apologize for something she didn't do, but I like her character, and how she reined in her outbursts.

The Jayla Heart/Angelica Darling thing is confusing. Apparently, Lucy's sister is a TV star. Her real name is Janey, her star named is Jayla Heart, and her character's name (in the show) is Angelica Darling. Jayla comes home mysteriously, and takes over as Lucy is thrown into the prom scandal. It was weird, but interesting - the inclusion of a TV star/famous sister. Confusing, but interesting.

The story is pretty straightforward - find out who took those pictures and then uploaded them to Lucy's personal Facebook page, via her phone. I had a feeling who did it, and I was right, but I didn't solidify that conclusion until it was revealed, so that was cool. Ockler kept me going, trying to figure out who did it. It's like a whodunit type of story, but no one died.

I like how Ockler inlcudes the underlying theme of the danger of social media. It's important to understand that social media is pretty harmful. These days, you can access everything from your phone, and while that's cool, it's scary. All of your information, already logged in, right there for anyone to control. Clearly, that hurt Lucy (and others) in the end. One malicious act, and lives were ruined.

I also like the other underlying themes that Ockler including - the ones dealing with relationships. Lucy makes friends with people she would never talk to otherwise (the anti-vanity-technology guys, Franklin the valedictorian, etc.). She also develops a better relationship with her sister, who learns her lesson.

And there's the romance. It's not a romance that is in your face, all the time. Cole and Lucy do not have chemistry that flies off the page. Their stolen night is what caused this whole situation, but they fight to be together. Together, with the new friends, they find out who put up the pictures. This romance is less about the physical romance, and more about the mental and emotional side of the relationship. I love how Ockler created and progressed their relationship. The romance was really well-done, in this novel.

Heck, everything was really well-done in this book. I seriously enjoyed it! I spent most of the novel with simmering blood, but not at Lucy - at the unfairness of the situation. But Ockler teaches us several important lessons in this book, and that is excellent. 

What I Did Not Like:

I know I just said that I really liked the romance how it is, but maybe a little more between Cole and Lucy? It makes sense, that they would back off, after being "caught", but ahh, I wanted more scenes between them! Yes, mental and emotional bonds are important. But physical bonds are important too. Heh.

I can't really think of anything else! This book was really solid. Good stuff.

Would I Recommend It:

Yes! The non-contemporary-romance-fan likes another contemporary romance novel - what is happening!? That being said, I'm not usually a fan of contemporary romance novels, but I liked this one. The messages behind this book are super important, so there's that. The romance isn't overwhelming or dominant, so there's also that. This one is a good one, I promise!

Rating:

4 stars. I'm two for two with Ockler's books! And both are contemporary novels, huh. I'll definitely be checking out her future novels!

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

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Review: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: May 21, 2013

Rating: 5 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

What I Liked:

Oh my gosh, this book is so sweet! I absolutely LOVED this book - hence the 5 star-rating! Contemporary novels have been really good this year, but this one blew me away. The romance was sweet, the plot was up and down, and the characters were so well-written! I wanted to hug this book several times, especially after finishing it. And the writing in general was superb! Ms. Ockler has a firm control of her writing style, and it is near flawless. Not once was there language or dialogue that seemed out of place.

I love how well Ms. Ockler writes her characters. Jude is such a nice and lovable heroine. I knew I would like her right from the start. She does not take a lot of risks, or lives outside of the box, but she has good reason not to. I suppose that was her development throughout the book - to progressively learn to take chances. Especially in the form of Emilio Vargas.

Emilio is so well-written as well. He is the love interest, but he is also the mechanic who is fixing Jude's father's old motorcycle. Emilio is patient and kind, nonjudgmental and eager to help. He is nothing like his older male family members. All of the prejudices that Jude's older sisters held against the Vargas men did not apply to Emilio Vargas, something that took the entire book for those sisters to realize.

Jude's father is one of the primary characters in the story, even though he is a static character. He is the reason behind many of Jude's decisions, especially the decision to hire Emilio to fix the motorcycle. I wish that Jude could have let go a little, and let her father be, but Jude's stubbornness made her who she is.

The plot is based around Jude's father and his condition, and loosely around the motorcycle. I loved discovering more about Jude, Emilio, the Vargas family, and Jude's father. Sometimes the story was so sad, and other times, I couldn't stop laughing.

The romance in this book is so sweet. I feel like I can't stop using that word - sweet. But the romance is especially so! It's a slow romance, building quietly but surely as the book, and Jude, progresses. When Emilio and Jude finally kiss, I feel like the scene was slightly rushed, because the romance was slow, so the kiss should have been slow. But I loved that scene, and the aftermath.

The ending is bittersweet AND amazing at the same time. It feels like a good ending in terms of closure for Jude, as well as a fitting ending for Jude and her fence around life. It's a happy ending, with several sad twists. I'm satisfied with the ending though.

What I Did Not Like:

Erm... there wasn't much that I didn't like. The first kiss scene that I mentioned above - about it being rushed, in comparison to the slow-build romance. That was probably the only thing that really stuck out to me.

Would I Recommend It:

TOTALLY! If I give a book five stars... then, in my opinion, it HAS to be good. I don't just hand out five stars! But seriously, this book is great. A wonderful contemporary romance novel that I think anyone can and will enjoy!

Rating:

5 stars. I am really impressed by Ms. Ockler! This was my first novel that I have read by her, so I will definitely be looking up her other ones!

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

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