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halcyone's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted at The Cozy Armchair.
Bittersweet was such an enjoyable read, successfully balancing fluff and realistic life lessons. I never once thought it was superficial, and it never took the easy way out when it came to decision-making and relationships. But it's also the kind of book that fills you with warmth, a perfect read when you need a bit of a pick-me-up.
I mean, what else would you expect from a book that starts each chapter with delicious descriptions of Hudson's famous cupcake creations? I had to fight the urge to go buy a dozen to snack on while reading, and I kept seriously lamenting the fact that her cupcakes weren't actually available to buy at my local bakery.
Anyway, I loved just about everything in this book: the small town setting, the winter season backdrop, a past in ice skating, a present in baking and hockey training, confusing hockey-playing boys, a struggling family, etc. Not to mention that I love, love, love anything to do with culinary arts and restaurant management, so when those elements make an appearance in books, I'm basically guaranteed a good time.
Hudson is a great, sympathetic character. She has big dreams but feels trapped by her obligations to her family (working in her mom's diner, taking care of her brother Bug). I could understand where she was coming from with her frustration and resentment, but at the same time it was very easy to see it from her mom's point of view too. Her mother works tirelessly to keep the diner open and pay the bills, and it makes sense that she would turn to Hudson for support.
Hudson takes on a lot of responsibilities and tries to juggle them all on her own, ultimately learning to pick and choose her priorities carefully. In this regard, the book's title couldn't be more accurate. The story touches upon the good and bad times of life - whether it's the small moments you have baking cupcakes with your brother, or the stress of keeping a secret from your mom, or understanding that it's not always about getting out of a small town, it's also about the people you'd leave behind.
So when I said this book managed to deliver a good message while spoonfeeding you a sweet romance and fluff, I meant it. And there were so many other elements to love, like Hudson's friendship with Dani and their ups & downs, how Hudson wormed her way into the hockey team, her relationship with her adorable little brother Bug. Not one character is perfect in this book, but that only serves to make the story feel believable.
Bittersweet had a kind of atmosphere that really drew me in. Even though I read it in the middle of a hot and humid Florida summer, I could imagine myself in the middle of the winter season instead. This would be a perfect book to read in December while wrapped up in a blanket and nursing a cup of hot chocolate. Seriously, it gives you that kind of warmth when you read it, so this is one book I'd have to highly recommend!
Bittersweet was such an enjoyable read, successfully balancing fluff and realistic life lessons. I never once thought it was superficial, and it never took the easy way out when it came to decision-making and relationships. But it's also the kind of book that fills you with warmth, a perfect read when you need a bit of a pick-me-up.
I mean, what else would you expect from a book that starts each chapter with delicious descriptions of Hudson's famous cupcake creations? I had to fight the urge to go buy a dozen to snack on while reading, and I kept seriously lamenting the fact that her cupcakes weren't actually available to buy at my local bakery.
Anyway, I loved just about everything in this book: the small town setting, the winter season backdrop, a past in ice skating, a present in baking and hockey training, confusing hockey-playing boys, a struggling family, etc. Not to mention that I love, love, love anything to do with culinary arts and restaurant management, so when those elements make an appearance in books, I'm basically guaranteed a good time.
Hudson is a great, sympathetic character. She has big dreams but feels trapped by her obligations to her family (working in her mom's diner, taking care of her brother Bug). I could understand where she was coming from with her frustration and resentment, but at the same time it was very easy to see it from her mom's point of view too. Her mother works tirelessly to keep the diner open and pay the bills, and it makes sense that she would turn to Hudson for support.
Hudson takes on a lot of responsibilities and tries to juggle them all on her own, ultimately learning to pick and choose her priorities carefully. In this regard, the book's title couldn't be more accurate. The story touches upon the good and bad times of life - whether it's the small moments you have baking cupcakes with your brother, or the stress of keeping a secret from your mom, or understanding that it's not always about getting out of a small town, it's also about the people you'd leave behind.
So when I said this book managed to deliver a good message while spoonfeeding you a sweet romance and fluff, I meant it. And there were so many other elements to love, like Hudson's friendship with Dani and their ups & downs, how Hudson wormed her way into the hockey team, her relationship with her adorable little brother Bug. Not one character is perfect in this book, but that only serves to make the story feel believable.
Bittersweet had a kind of atmosphere that really drew me in. Even though I read it in the middle of a hot and humid Florida summer, I could imagine myself in the middle of the winter season instead. This would be a perfect book to read in December while wrapped up in a blanket and nursing a cup of hot chocolate. Seriously, it gives you that kind of warmth when you read it, so this is one book I'd have to highly recommend!
eatingwords's review against another edition
4.0
I don't even know where to start. There are so many aspects of the book that I liked (and also a few that I didn't).
I read this book for the Young Adult Book Club and I wasn't sure whether I would like it and what to really expect from the story as I have read a few reviews in which Hudson was not a particularly nice and fun main character, but selfish and on a big ego trip. But I didn't feel that way. I would rather say that Hudson's behaviour was justifiable.
Now onto the things I loved:
1. The Cupcake Theme. Since I started reading this book I'm craving cupcakes. Delicious, chocolatey cupcakes.
2. The love triangle. I am usually so not a fan of love triangles. I hated them in manga because the second guy always came in the way of the relationship of the original couple. I was always annoyed with it and I avoided reading books with two love interests ever since. But I think that Sarah Ockler solved it quite well as I didn't mind reading about the two boys. It didn't annoy me and I quite enjoyed reading about both characters.
3. The writing. I think Sarah Ockler's writing is beautiful. As I started this novel I got engrossed in the story and in the writing.
4. The figure skating/ice hockey. At first I wasn't sure I would enjoy it because of the figure skating/hockey thing. I'm not into sports, whether it's in real life or in books. But I found that even the parts about sports were interesting and I found myself rooting for the Wolves. I think Sarah Ockler did a nice job with the writing and especially with the description of the competitive ice skating. It was fun to read those parts.
5. Hudson. She was a great main character. She was caring, a great sister to Bug (who was also very adorable), funny. She had her problems and sometimes she seemed to be selfish. But let's be true here: who doesn't? I thought that it was great of Hudson to pursue her dreams, to start skating again. She never complained although she had so much to do. She had to go to school, act as a parent-surrogate for Bug, train the Wolves, go ice skating (and that without her mother finding out!), she had to bake cupcakes in her mother's diner and then also be a waitress there. Furthermore she also has a social life and her problems there: her friendship with Dani (which was great!), her problems with her father, the relationship drama with the two love interests. I think she deserves some credit here! I don't know if I could manage all of that at once. So yes, if she seemed selfish, may it be.
6. The setting. The setting was on ice because of the figure skating/ice hockey thing. But mainly the setting was the diner. And I loved the diner. I loved Trick, Marianne, Dani, the atmosphere behind the counter. It was great and I enjoyed reading about it. Where I live we don't have diners per se, so I was quite fascinated by the whole thing.
I couldn't quite give the book a five-star-rating because there were a few things that bugged me (pun intended):
1. Hudson's mother. The diner was her dream, yes. The diner is also the only income the Avery family has. I understand that. But I thought that Hudson's mother seemed to be oblivious of so many things going on in her children's life. She took everything for granted that Hudson did for her. She even expected her to be the surrogate-parent for Bug. She expected her to take care for paying the gas bill and when Hudson forgot it in all of her trouble, she was mad at her. I sometimes wanted to just shake her and tell her to wake up.
2. Josh Blackthorn. Yes, the swoon-worthy main love interest. It's not that I didn't like him. He was a good friend to Hudson. They shared the same music interests, their love for ice skating. Everything was great. Expect for his personality. I just hate it when boys (actually not just boys but anyone) don't know what they want. Or rather: when they don't say what they want. It drove me crazy how Hudson and Josh had this sexual tension going on quite a few times and he always backed away. Who does that?! It was quite obvious that he seemed to like Hudson more than just a friend. But instead of saying it straight out or acting appropriately, he does..nothing. Argh!!
But all in all I really liked this novel and I have already added Sarah Ockler's other works to my wishlist.
I read this book for the Young Adult Book Club and I wasn't sure whether I would like it and what to really expect from the story as I have read a few reviews in which Hudson was not a particularly nice and fun main character, but selfish and on a big ego trip. But I didn't feel that way. I would rather say that Hudson's behaviour was justifiable.
Now onto the things I loved:
1. The Cupcake Theme. Since I started reading this book I'm craving cupcakes. Delicious, chocolatey cupcakes.
2. The love triangle. I am usually so not a fan of love triangles. I hated them in manga because the second guy always came in the way of the relationship of the original couple. I was always annoyed with it and I avoided reading books with two love interests ever since. But I think that Sarah Ockler solved it quite well as I didn't mind reading about the two boys. It didn't annoy me and I quite enjoyed reading about both characters.
3. The writing. I think Sarah Ockler's writing is beautiful. As I started this novel I got engrossed in the story and in the writing.
4. The figure skating/ice hockey. At first I wasn't sure I would enjoy it because of the figure skating/hockey thing. I'm not into sports, whether it's in real life or in books. But I found that even the parts about sports were interesting and I found myself rooting for the Wolves. I think Sarah Ockler did a nice job with the writing and especially with the description of the competitive ice skating. It was fun to read those parts.
5. Hudson. She was a great main character. She was caring, a great sister to Bug (who was also very adorable), funny. She had her problems and sometimes she seemed to be selfish. But let's be true here: who doesn't? I thought that it was great of Hudson to pursue her dreams, to start skating again. She never complained although she had so much to do. She had to go to school, act as a parent-surrogate for Bug, train the Wolves, go ice skating (and that without her mother finding out!), she had to bake cupcakes in her mother's diner and then also be a waitress there. Furthermore she also has a social life and her problems there: her friendship with Dani (which was great!), her problems with her father, the relationship drama with the two love interests. I think she deserves some credit here! I don't know if I could manage all of that at once. So yes, if she seemed selfish, may it be.
6. The setting. The setting was on ice because of the figure skating/ice hockey thing. But mainly the setting was the diner. And I loved the diner. I loved Trick, Marianne, Dani, the atmosphere behind the counter. It was great and I enjoyed reading about it. Where I live we don't have diners per se, so I was quite fascinated by the whole thing.
I couldn't quite give the book a five-star-rating because there were a few things that bugged me (pun intended):
1. Hudson's mother. The diner was her dream, yes. The diner is also the only income the Avery family has. I understand that. But I thought that Hudson's mother seemed to be oblivious of so many things going on in her children's life. She took everything for granted that Hudson did for her. She even expected her to be the surrogate-parent for Bug. She expected her to take care for paying the gas bill and when Hudson forgot it in all of her trouble, she was mad at her. I sometimes wanted to just shake her and tell her to wake up.
2. Josh Blackthorn. Yes, the swoon-worthy main love interest. It's not that I didn't like him. He was a good friend to Hudson. They shared the same music interests, their love for ice skating. Everything was great. Expect for his personality. I just hate it when boys (actually not just boys but anyone) don't know what they want. Or rather: when they don't say what they want. It drove me crazy how Hudson and Josh had this sexual tension going on quite a few times and he always backed away. Who does that?! It was quite obvious that he seemed to like Hudson more than just a friend. But instead of saying it straight out or acting appropriately, he does..nothing. Argh!!
But all in all I really liked this novel and I have already added Sarah Ockler's other works to my wishlist.
cburgbennett's review against another edition
4.0
SUPER cute. This is a contemporary, teen, romantic-comedy, done right, and here are the reasons why.
Number one: all the cupcake talk made me super hungry. Hudson (is a girl) made a bunch of super amazing sounding cupcakes. Seriously. Cupcakes dipped in silver glitter (edible of course), cupcakes frosted with fluffy peanut butter cream cheese frosting and topped with three different kinds of chocolate...i mean seriously. Can I have a cupcake now? I mean this alone made the book excellent.
Number two: As sad as the premise of the story was, parents got divorced, dad totally ignores his children, Hudson gave up ice skating because of it, she lost her best friend Kara when she quit ice skating, Hudson works her butt off at her mom's diner now, and she has a bunch of other stuff going on...including training sexy hockey players so that she can have skate time. Sign me up...for the hockey player part...and maybe the making cupcakes part too. But with everything going on in the book, everything somehow was fixed in a realistic manner. It didn't seem fake or ridiculous. It sounded like real life. And that is what contemporary is about. Being real.
Number three: Josh was seriously the nicest sounding guy ever. He was quirky and funny and smart and an athlete (which means he probably has a nice bod...and a great personality), he was just pretty much a great guy.
Number four: The book had some great lines that made me crack up. And here are just a couple lines:
1) “It takes forty muscles to frown, and only twelve to jam a cupcake in your mouth and get over it.”
2)“What's up?" Need a kidney? Two of them? Where do I sign? I grab my pen again, just in case.”
3)“What do you need, Josh?" Just name it. Anything. I'm totally here for you.
(hudson imagining what josh needs) I knew I could count on you, Hudson. The thing is... I don't know if I'm a good kisser. It's not the sort of thing you can figure out on your own, you know? So I was thinking, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, maybe you could kiss me, everyday for a year, and then you can...
"Hudson?”
4) “See, some people politely encourage their tone-deaf friends to sing. Some people even convince them to go on live television and audition for national competitions. But me? I am not that friend.”
And those aren't even the best ones. Gosh. In conclusion...I really enjoyed this book. Pretty clean. Not a lot of swearing. And just overall great. Yep. I'm done now.
Number one: all the cupcake talk made me super hungry. Hudson (is a girl) made a bunch of super amazing sounding cupcakes. Seriously. Cupcakes dipped in silver glitter (edible of course), cupcakes frosted with fluffy peanut butter cream cheese frosting and topped with three different kinds of chocolate...i mean seriously. Can I have a cupcake now? I mean this alone made the book excellent.
Number two: As sad as the premise of the story was, parents got divorced, dad totally ignores his children, Hudson gave up ice skating because of it, she lost her best friend Kara when she quit ice skating, Hudson works her butt off at her mom's diner now, and she has a bunch of other stuff going on...including training sexy hockey players so that she can have skate time. Sign me up...for the hockey player part...and maybe the making cupcakes part too. But with everything going on in the book, everything somehow was fixed in a realistic manner. It didn't seem fake or ridiculous. It sounded like real life. And that is what contemporary is about. Being real.
Number three: Josh was seriously the nicest sounding guy ever. He was quirky and funny and smart and an athlete (which means he probably has a nice bod...and a great personality), he was just pretty much a great guy.
Number four: The book had some great lines that made me crack up. And here are just a couple lines:
1) “It takes forty muscles to frown, and only twelve to jam a cupcake in your mouth and get over it.”
2)“What's up?" Need a kidney? Two of them? Where do I sign? I grab my pen again, just in case.”
3)“What do you need, Josh?" Just name it. Anything. I'm totally here for you.
(hudson imagining what josh needs) I knew I could count on you, Hudson. The thing is... I don't know if I'm a good kisser. It's not the sort of thing you can figure out on your own, you know? So I was thinking, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, maybe you could kiss me, everyday for a year, and then you can...
"Hudson?”
4) “See, some people politely encourage their tone-deaf friends to sing. Some people even convince them to go on live television and audition for national competitions. But me? I am not that friend.”
And those aren't even the best ones. Gosh. In conclusion...I really enjoyed this book. Pretty clean. Not a lot of swearing. And just overall great. Yep. I'm done now.
sarakovach's review against another edition
5.0
Cupcakes, Figure-skating, and Hockey. What a combination - but it works!!!! The format of the book - with cupcakes as chapter headings - how ingenious! The names and descriptions of the cupcake "titles" definitely matched the story-line of each chapter.
Bittersweet is such a sweet story - literally - pun intended. You get drawn into each character. Hudson - our protagonist has so much going on in her life - the diner, figure-skating, her family, her friends, the boys - where does she start, and where does she end. She struggles so much to make the right decisions, for herself and for those she cares about. The hockey boys - what a refreshing look. I usually hate athletic boys in stories - so cocky and full of themselves. While there was a little of this, the author showed us a side of them that made me actually like each one.
I just loved how so much was wrapped up into this story. It was a quick and easy read, but kept me wanting for more. I could not put it down once I started. I was wrapped up in Hudson's life, that I still feel myself drawn back in and thinking about it.
Bittersweet is such a sweet story - literally - pun intended. You get drawn into each character. Hudson - our protagonist has so much going on in her life - the diner, figure-skating, her family, her friends, the boys - where does she start, and where does she end. She struggles so much to make the right decisions, for herself and for those she cares about. The hockey boys - what a refreshing look. I usually hate athletic boys in stories - so cocky and full of themselves. While there was a little of this, the author showed us a side of them that made me actually like each one.
I just loved how so much was wrapped up into this story. It was a quick and easy read, but kept me wanting for more. I could not put it down once I started. I was wrapped up in Hudson's life, that I still feel myself drawn back in and thinking about it.
michalice's review against another edition
4.0
This is the perfect book for me to read, cupcakes, ice skating and ice hockey. I can't skate to save my life due to balance issues and fears of losing fingers, but I love anything to do with it.
Hudson Avery intentionally throws an ice skating competition in the hopes it will keep her family together, but it doesn't and her Father ends up leaving her Mother. The family end up downsizing and working together to keep things running and a roof over their heads.
Hudson receives a letter in the mail about a scholarship and she sees this as her chance to get out of Watonka, New York. She makes a deal with the hockey team, she will teach them techniques in exchange for ice time to practise her skating, and ends up falling for one of the players but begins a relationship with another. With the competition closing in Hudson has to make a decision that will not only affect the rest of her life, but also her friends and family.
Bittersweet is the first book I have read by Sarah Ockler and I could not put it down, I managed to finish this book in one day, even while trying to move into a new house. It was easy to fall into the lives of the people of Watonka and empathise with what they were feeling or going through. The characters Sarah has created are believable and likable and you can see this happening in real life. Although there is only a small collection of characters and places they visit I never felt like it was too boring or too little information and anything that was spoken about was described with enough detail to be able to imagine it.
If you have never read a book by Sarah then this is a book that you need to pick up and I will be looking for more books by Sarah to read.
Hudson Avery intentionally throws an ice skating competition in the hopes it will keep her family together, but it doesn't and her Father ends up leaving her Mother. The family end up downsizing and working together to keep things running and a roof over their heads.
Hudson receives a letter in the mail about a scholarship and she sees this as her chance to get out of Watonka, New York. She makes a deal with the hockey team, she will teach them techniques in exchange for ice time to practise her skating, and ends up falling for one of the players but begins a relationship with another. With the competition closing in Hudson has to make a decision that will not only affect the rest of her life, but also her friends and family.
Bittersweet is the first book I have read by Sarah Ockler and I could not put it down, I managed to finish this book in one day, even while trying to move into a new house. It was easy to fall into the lives of the people of Watonka and empathise with what they were feeling or going through. The characters Sarah has created are believable and likable and you can see this happening in real life. Although there is only a small collection of characters and places they visit I never felt like it was too boring or too little information and anything that was spoken about was described with enough detail to be able to imagine it.
If you have never read a book by Sarah then this is a book that you need to pick up and I will be looking for more books by Sarah to read.
lisaspon's review against another edition
3.0
Last book of 2012 and the first book on my kindle! First off, there should be a cupcake on the cover of the book instead of a cookie. Since the main character is like a cupcake baking master, at the start of each chapter she describes a kind of cupcake and oh my gosh I desperately wanted to eat all of them! This book was cute and fluffy, but not super cheesy. I definitely enjoyed all the cupcake descriptions, the ice skating, the romance, and the main character's little brother (he was adorable!). It was a good book, but it just didn't blow me away. It was a nice, wintery book and I'm glad I read it :). Now I'm going to go bake some cupcakes....
janina_reads's review against another edition
3.0
You would think that Bittersweet is the perfect book to be read while lying in bed sick, right? Well, I certainly thought so. Cupcakes, winter setting, the promise of a cute and tingle-inducing romance.
For some reason, despite not being all-enamoured with Ockler’s debut, Twenty Boy Summer, her books really entice me – I want to like them, I expect them to be great reads – something better and more memorable than a mere “I liked it” (but it’ll be forgotten soon). Now I am wondering if I just build them up in my head … and if I should decide that her style isn’t for me and kick her stuff of my list for good.
Just as with Twenty Boy Summer, the romance in Bittersweet (and don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not all about romance, but when a book promises me romance, I want romance!) didn’t move me. It was lukewarm at best, certainly not even close to tingle-inducing, and what about that whole kinda-sorta love triangle? Was that really necessary?
On the other hand, I loved Hudson’s relationship with her little brother, the atmosphere at her mom’s diner – even if they were struggling – and, of course, the cupcake business. The family problems – absent father, financially struggling mother, daughter having to take on responsibility early – were portrayed realistically, but I was a little disappointed that the issues concerning Hudson’s dad faded into the background towards the end. All in all, though, that was the plot line that had me most invested.
In contrast to that, the figure skating part of the story felt a bit flimsy. In order to get ice time to practice for an important competition, Hudson agrees to training her school’s hockey team: those sessions are sometimes described in detail, but her actually practicing her routine often happens off screen. Also, when does she select the music, when does she think up the choreography? The reader never takes part in this. Additionally, I just cannot believe that after three years off the ice, you can just come back like that, without a professional trainer, without hours on the ice each day and be able to perform any routine in under three months time.
But on a whole, it simply comes down to this: A lot, if not all, of the problems presented in this book could have been sorted out by the characters talking to each other. T-A-L-K-I-N-G, people. Well, Hudson, I get that you do not want to hurt your mother, but have you ever thought of the fact that she might be more hurt by your trying to suppress who you really are than by your taking up figure skating again - even though it was always a thing between you and your dad? Has it ever occurred to you to ask somebody (it doesn’t have to be your crush, but maybe one of his friends?) about that girl he’s always on the phone with instead of writing him off and making out with some other guy you don’t even like that much? Also, Dani, your best friend is behaving like an absolute egomaniac. Ever thought of calling her out on it like you always do instead of just slowly fading into the background, hurt and annoyed?
All things considered, I am now wondering why I even gave this three stars. Ah, well, who am I kidding? It’s the cupcakes!
For some reason, despite not being all-enamoured with Ockler’s debut, Twenty Boy Summer, her books really entice me – I want to like them, I expect them to be great reads – something better and more memorable than a mere “I liked it” (but it’ll be forgotten soon). Now I am wondering if I just build them up in my head … and if I should decide that her style isn’t for me and kick her stuff of my list for good.
Just as with Twenty Boy Summer, the romance in Bittersweet (and don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not all about romance, but when a book promises me romance, I want romance!) didn’t move me. It was lukewarm at best, certainly not even close to tingle-inducing, and what about that whole kinda-sorta love triangle? Was that really necessary?
On the other hand, I loved Hudson’s relationship with her little brother, the atmosphere at her mom’s diner – even if they were struggling – and, of course, the cupcake business. The family problems – absent father, financially struggling mother, daughter having to take on responsibility early – were portrayed realistically, but I was a little disappointed that the issues concerning Hudson’s dad faded into the background towards the end. All in all, though, that was the plot line that had me most invested.
In contrast to that, the figure skating part of the story felt a bit flimsy. In order to get ice time to practice for an important competition, Hudson agrees to training her school’s hockey team: those sessions are sometimes described in detail, but her actually practicing her routine often happens off screen. Also, when does she select the music, when does she think up the choreography? The reader never takes part in this. Additionally, I just cannot believe that after three years off the ice, you can just come back like that, without a professional trainer, without hours on the ice each day and be able to perform any routine in under three months time.
But on a whole, it simply comes down to this: A lot, if not all, of the problems presented in this book could have been sorted out by the characters talking to each other. T-A-L-K-I-N-G, people. Well, Hudson, I get that you do not want to hurt your mother, but have you ever thought of the fact that she might be more hurt by your trying to suppress who you really are than by your taking up figure skating again - even though it was always a thing between you and your dad? Has it ever occurred to you to ask somebody (it doesn’t have to be your crush, but maybe one of his friends?) about that girl he’s always on the phone with instead of writing him off and making out with some other guy you don’t even like that much? Also, Dani, your best friend is behaving like an absolute egomaniac. Ever thought of calling her out on it like you always do instead of just slowly fading into the background, hurt and annoyed?
All things considered, I am now wondering why I even gave this three stars. Ah, well, who am I kidding? It’s the cupcakes!
jbarr5's review against another edition
5.0
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Hudson Avery whose whole life was skating. Something happens to make her throw the competition so she loses as the rest of her life falls apart also.
Present day: her mom has the diner and she now works at it along with going to school and running The Cupcake Corner in the diner.
Love the 'cupcakeisms' at the beginning of each chapter! When a notice appears about a skating opportunity she starts practicing again til she collides with Josh the hockey team captain.
The coach also approaches her and wants her to aid the team with some moves in hopes it would improve their team game play.
When things become tense at work she loses herself in a daydream about her skating performances where she won awards and ribbons and all kinds of prizes.
Most all the kids can't wait to succeed and be able to leave the town. She hopes to be able to get the scholarship and then she will be leaving the area...
Love how the song dictates the name of this book and what it specifically means.
She never realized how much her one action affected others but maybe now she can work through it for the others involved...
Hudson Avery whose whole life was skating. Something happens to make her throw the competition so she loses as the rest of her life falls apart also.
Present day: her mom has the diner and she now works at it along with going to school and running The Cupcake Corner in the diner.
Love the 'cupcakeisms' at the beginning of each chapter! When a notice appears about a skating opportunity she starts practicing again til she collides with Josh the hockey team captain.
The coach also approaches her and wants her to aid the team with some moves in hopes it would improve their team game play.
When things become tense at work she loses herself in a daydream about her skating performances where she won awards and ribbons and all kinds of prizes.
Most all the kids can't wait to succeed and be able to leave the town. She hopes to be able to get the scholarship and then she will be leaving the area...
Love how the song dictates the name of this book and what it specifically means.
She never realized how much her one action affected others but maybe now she can work through it for the others involved...
heyjudy's review against another edition
3.0
~3.5/5
This was not as good as I hoped it would be, but not as bad as it could have been, I guess.
Hudson, the main character, used to be a figure skater, until she (intentionally) blew a competition, making the other people on her team hate her and 'resulting' in her parents divorcing. It's been three years since that happened, but she's still not over it. Her mother owns a restaurant that is going down in business (which bothered me a little, since it seems like they're always busy, but I guess that's not always enough?), and her father lives in another state and seems to always have a different girlfriend. And she's secretly started skating again, along with helping out her high school's hockey team, when she gets a scholarship entry into a skating competition.
I didn't particularly like Hudson...
(Read the rest here: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-bittersweet-by-sarah-ockler.html )
This was not as good as I hoped it would be, but not as bad as it could have been, I guess.
Hudson, the main character, used to be a figure skater, until she (intentionally) blew a competition, making the other people on her team hate her and 'resulting' in her parents divorcing. It's been three years since that happened, but she's still not over it. Her mother owns a restaurant that is going down in business (which bothered me a little, since it seems like they're always busy, but I guess that's not always enough?), and her father lives in another state and seems to always have a different girlfriend. And she's secretly started skating again, along with helping out her high school's hockey team, when she gets a scholarship entry into a skating competition.
I didn't particularly like Hudson...
(Read the rest here: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-bittersweet-by-sarah-ockler.html )