Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler-- A very Sarah Dessen-ish book

Fixing Delilah

Delilah and her mother are headed for a summer in Red Falls, Vermont to deal with the death of her grandmother, who she hasn't spoken to in 8 years.  Delilah spent the first 8 years of her life making memories at her grandparent's house by the lake, but a falling out between her grandmother and mom has kept her away until now.

Now, she's dealing with the fallout from a crumbling relationship with her mother, the reemergence of an almost forgotten childhood friend, and family secrets that want to stay buried.

I'm finally starting to work on those backlist books that I've been neglecting (and thanks to everyone who voted for me to read this one).  Sarah Ockler has been one of my favorite authors since I first started blogging, so the fact that I hadn't read one of her earlier books bugged me!!  The problem is, I haven't been in the mood for Contemporary Romance lately (and by lately, I mean the last 2 years).  But I must say, if I was going to read a Contemporary Romance, I'm glad I chose this one.  It was one of those books that I would put up as EXAMPLE A of the genre.

This book had total Sarah Dessen-vibes.  Delilah felt so much like a Dessen main girl-- strained parental relationship (check!), slightly rebellious behavior (check!), touristy location setting (check!), super swoony/patient to a fault boy (check!).  And I mean all of that as a compliment because Sarah Dessen creates stories that you can just sink into and become completely immersed, and this book was very much like that.

Drawbacks: I didn't LOVE Delilah.  She had a tendency to be self-centered and make everything about her.  It was like Patrick (the boy) and Emily (the friend) weren't allowed to have lives and problems because she was GOING THROUGH SOMETHING.  There was also a lot of that kind of drama where if the characters just said 5 words, the misunderstandings wouldn't have happened-- and I tire of that.  TALK PEOPLE, TALK!! USE YOUR WORDS!

In the end, I'm glad I read this, and I had a nice feeling reading it.  It was like going home after I've been away for a while because books like these are my roots.  I will always want to come back to stories that suck me in and aren't super plot driven.  I will always want to read books that combine family and growing up.  And you should too!!

OVERALL: It was so nice to read a Sarah Ockler book after so long!!  This was one I had been meaning to read for years, and I'm glad I finally got to it.  It had major Sarah Dessen-vibes radiating, but that's not a bad thing!!  I liked getting immersed in the setting and characters, but I wished I liked Delilah just a tad more.

Date Published: 1/1/2010
How I got this book: Purchased from the Book Outlet
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers


Add it to your To-Read List!!

My Rating: 4/5

Character: Delilah Hannaford
Book: Looking for Alaska by John Green

• Her favorite book is Catcher in the Rye, so I was trying to think of a book with a Holden-esque character.  I don't really think Pudge is LIKE Holden, but he definitely has that whole "life happening to him" thing going on.