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13th out of 239 books
—
1,794 voters
Bittersweet
by
Sarah Ockler (Goodreads Author)
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 dre...more
So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dre...more
Hardcover, 378 pages
Published
January 3rd 2012
by Simon Pulse
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If you're about to start reading this: put everything down. Step away from the book, find yourself a good half a dozen cupcakes first, and then come back. Because if you don't, you're going to spend a couple of hours in a frenzy of longing over the incredible desserts whipped up in this book and you may end up gnawing off your own arm.
Dark chocolate cupcakes with red peppermint mascarpone icing, edged with chocolate and crushed candy canes
Miniature banana cupcakes smeared with a thin layer of ho...more
Dark chocolate cupcakes with red peppermint mascarpone icing, edged with chocolate and crushed candy canes
Miniature banana cupcakes smeared with a thin layer of ho...more
There is something so sweet about falling in love for the first time (*).
About all those insecurities you might have, about not knowing what to choose, what is best for you.
About wanting to risk it all but fearing that you will lose everything, about dreaming with your eyes wide open, about waiting for a kiss that might never come..
There is something so sad about broken families (**), about the loneliness the kids might feel when the parents decide not to be part of their lives anymore.
It's in...more
And the award for lousiest friend of the year goes to...
Hudson Avery!
The story starts with Hudson being on the verge of becoming a figure-skating star. On the day of a very important competition, she discovers her parents are about to divorce and her whole life shatters into pieces like a beautiful ice sculpture.
Fast-forward 4 years. Hudson Avery is now 16 and, besides going to school, she works in her mom's diner, baking the most delicious cupcakes ever.
She's permanently hung her skates, but...more
Hudson Avery!
The story starts with Hudson being on the verge of becoming a figure-skating star. On the day of a very important competition, she discovers her parents are about to divorce and her whole life shatters into pieces like a beautiful ice sculpture.
Fast-forward 4 years. Hudson Avery is now 16 and, besides going to school, she works in her mom's diner, baking the most delicious cupcakes ever.
She's permanently hung her skates, but...more
Red Hot Double Crush Cakes:
Ginger vanilla cupcakes with chilli-infused dark chocolate cream cheese frosting, dusted with cinnamon.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, the cupcake Queen of Watonka! That's right, Hudson is the queen of everything cupcake and a wonderful character to boot. Living in a humble little town just getting by on her mother's diner income, Hudson has thrown herself into creating (delicious) cupcakes to forget that she once had big dreams. However, these dreams are b...more
Ginger vanilla cupcakes with chilli-infused dark chocolate cream cheese frosting, dusted with cinnamon.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, the cupcake Queen of Watonka! That's right, Hudson is the queen of everything cupcake and a wonderful character to boot. Living in a humble little town just getting by on her mother's diner income, Hudson has thrown herself into creating (delicious) cupcakes to forget that she once had big dreams. However, these dreams are b...more
Why is it so damn hard to find a well-written, likeable protagonist? Why?!
So this book is about cupcakes, figure skating, hockey, and irrational bitches. Hudson Avery (why does her name sound like it's backwards?) is a spineless little wimp, and her mother is an oblivious, controlling shrew. I found it hilarious that while Hudson is trying to juggle school, waitressing (something she didn't want to do, but has to to help out her mom), baking, training, helping a hockey team in exchange for rink...more
So this book is about cupcakes, figure skating, hockey, and irrational bitches. Hudson Avery (why does her name sound like it's backwards?) is a spineless little wimp, and her mother is an oblivious, controlling shrew. I found it hilarious that while Hudson is trying to juggle school, waitressing (something she didn't want to do, but has to to help out her mom), baking, training, helping a hockey team in exchange for rink...more
Yays! For a while there I was worried that the YA contemps would be bust this year, what with my last two picks being so non-stellar. But my 4-hour read to 3 in the morning with BITTERSWEET proves otherwise. And while my back says Ouch, Josh and Bug were worth it. I’m half tempted to bring out my fangirl gif.
Picture me thoroughly charmed because I liked all of them. Hudson Avery in particular is big surprise because I don’t normally go for girls her type… the sad on purpose type, the solo fligh...more
Picture me thoroughly charmed because I liked all of them. Hudson Avery in particular is big surprise because I don’t normally go for girls her type… the sad on purpose type, the solo fligh...more
Original post at One More Page
I wasn't exactly a Sarah Ockler fan and while so many people raved about her debut, Twenty Boy Summer, I was just pretty lukewarm about it. So I wasn't very interested to read her newest book, Bittersweet until I started reading cute reviews about it from some of my trusted reviewers. Curious, I borrowed a copy from a friend and read the first few pages, and before I knew it, I was halfway through. :D
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler is about Hudson Avery, whose bright fi...more
I wasn't exactly a Sarah Ockler fan and while so many people raved about her debut, Twenty Boy Summer, I was just pretty lukewarm about it. So I wasn't very interested to read her newest book, Bittersweet until I started reading cute reviews about it from some of my trusted reviewers. Curious, I borrowed a copy from a friend and read the first few pages, and before I knew it, I was halfway through. :D
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler is about Hudson Avery, whose bright fi...more
I decided that I needed to write even MORE about how much I love this book over at
Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.
P.S. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CUPCAKES!!!!
FNL Character Rating: TAMI AND ERIC!!!!!!
Full Disclosure: I grew up in the Buffalo region and used to figure skate. When I first started reading, I considered making a drinking game out of this book whenever the author referred to something that induced regional nostalgia. After ten pages, I realized if I actually went through with it, I would have to...more
P.S. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CUPCAKES!!!!
FNL Character Rating: TAMI AND ERIC!!!!!!
Full Disclosure: I grew up in the Buffalo region and used to figure skate. When I first started reading, I considered making a drinking game out of this book whenever the author referred to something that induced regional nostalgia. After ten pages, I realized if I actually went through with it, I would have to...more
****Full Review Below****
"I've never met a problem a proper cupcake couldn't fix."
Cupcakes, Cupcakes everywhere!!
5 delicious cupcakes!
Bittersweet was a really funny, cute, original, adorable, and sad story. It was about love, ice skating, hope, and dreams, and trying, and wanting, and... Cupcakes.
Hudson Avery:
Hudson is one of those awesome characters. She was sassy, she had cute cupcake names for her cupcakes, she was a daydreamer, and she had a serious thing for hockey boys ;D. Her story is...more
"I've never met a problem a proper cupcake couldn't fix."
Cupcakes, Cupcakes everywhere!!
5 delicious cupcakes!
Bittersweet was a really funny, cute, original, adorable, and sad story. It was about love, ice skating, hope, and dreams, and trying, and wanting, and... Cupcakes.
Hudson Avery:
Hudson is one of those awesome characters. She was sassy, she had cute cupcake names for her cupcakes, she was a daydreamer, and she had a serious thing for hockey boys ;D. Her story is...more
Hudson Avery is the Cupcake Queen of Watonka, not a title she was really aiming for. But while trying to distract her brother Bug from the pain of their father's desertion by baking with him, she ends up making really amazing cupcakes for her mother's diner, Hurley's.
Hudson has had a tough three years. Right before an important skating competition Hudson realizes that her dad has been cheating on her Mom. Hudson feels that their marriage problems are the result of the extra pressure, and demand...more
Hudson has had a tough three years. Right before an important skating competition Hudson realizes that her dad has been cheating on her Mom. Hudson feels that their marriage problems are the result of the extra pressure, and demand...more
Dec 02, 2012
Victoria
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who wants to read a book about flawed-relatable characters that explores real-life situations
Recommended to Victoria by:
Wendy Darling's awesome review
Shelves:
chick-lit,
realistic-fiction,
cover-i-love,
winter-reads,
2012-favorites,
leaves-awesomeness-behind,
best-characters,
best-couples,
best-endings,
books-that-i-love,
cute-and-sweet,
favorites,
heartfelt-and-inspirational,
heroines-i-love-and-respect,
made-me-laugh,
young-adult,
treasure-keeps,
books-reviewed,
ya-sc-2012,
rainy-day-re-reads
After some disappointments from reading YA PNR, I decided to stop reading those books for a while and focused on realistic fiction for a time. Luckily, my library has this book and I was fortunate to take this book with me to read. From glancing at the beautiful, creative cover and reading the blurb in the book, I just got a good feeling that I will enjoy it! And you know what?! I was right!
You know there're some books that totally deserve every one of those stars? Well Bittersweet deserves it....more
You know there're some books that totally deserve every one of those stars? Well Bittersweet deserves it....more
Holy cupcakes, this book was sweet! I don't know what I was expecting when I started Bittersweet, but it definitely wasn't this: a deep, provocative, compelling yet fun story. I completely fell in love with Hudson; her struggles, her relationships, her plethora of mistakes, her revelations, and, of course, her cupcakes!
It has been three years since Hudson's parents split up, three years since her father cheated on her mother, yet his infidelity still seems to hang over their life like a plague...more
It has been three years since Hudson's parents split up, three years since her father cheated on her mother, yet his infidelity still seems to hang over their life like a plague...more
4.5 Stars
This was a wonderful read. Light and fluffy, sugary and sweet…just like Hudson’s wonderful cupcakes.
There were so many things that were right about this book:
1. The gorgeous prose. Ockler’s writing is a pleasure to read. Whimsical and dreamy, the novel would not have been the same without it.
“When you're out here alone, contemplating all the things you didn't do and the person you didn't become ... if you think about it too long a hush seeps into the gray space, and the wind will hollo...more
This was a wonderful read. Light and fluffy, sugary and sweet…just like Hudson’s wonderful cupcakes.
There were so many things that were right about this book:
1. The gorgeous prose. Ockler’s writing is a pleasure to read. Whimsical and dreamy, the novel would not have been the same without it.
“When you're out here alone, contemplating all the things you didn't do and the person you didn't become ... if you think about it too long a hush seeps into the gray space, and the wind will hollo...more
This book is such a cute, sweet and fluffy read. I had a so much fun reading this. I laughed and drooled a lot in this book (oh, just imagine those cupcakes, yum!). The characters are adorable and brilliant, especially Hudson. That girl is just really funny and hilarious. This is my first Sarah Ockler book and I loved her writing style, and those cupcake descriptions are just soo yummy it left me totally craving.
After reading the prologue I thought this was a serious, dramatic type of book. But...more
After reading the prologue I thought this was a serious, dramatic type of book. But...more
Bittersweet's recipe for success!
1 cup of outstanding cast
I'm going to make a big sweeping statement here. Get ready. Hudson, Dani, Bug, Josh, Will and the rest of the Wolves are Ockler's most memorable characters by far. The chemistry between them shone through on each page and made this book so enjoyable to read. I kinda want to give them all a big hug. Where can I find myself a friend like Dani? Love that girl.
A sprinkle of dreamy prose
When I think of Sarah Ockler, I think of gorgeous, drea...more
1 cup of outstanding cast
I'm going to make a big sweeping statement here. Get ready. Hudson, Dani, Bug, Josh, Will and the rest of the Wolves are Ockler's most memorable characters by far. The chemistry between them shone through on each page and made this book so enjoyable to read. I kinda want to give them all a big hug. Where can I find myself a friend like Dani? Love that girl.
A sprinkle of dreamy prose
When I think of Sarah Ockler, I think of gorgeous, drea...more
4.25 to 4.75 stars!
Cupcake overload!!!
I'm making all those cupcakes someday. I swear!
Princess Pink a.k.a Hudson Avery took my breath away. She's a smart-ass, totally sassy, blabbering away whenever she sees Josh. :D Purrr-fect sense of humour. Truly.
This book is full of funny, sugary sweet, witty, sensitive, emotional, cute, intense moments and well everything else too!
I found myself enjoying each and every line of it. Each and every cupcake recipe in it. Opening up YouTube and looking up each a...more
Cupcake overload!!!
I'm making all those cupcakes someday. I swear!
Princess Pink a.k.a Hudson Avery took my breath away. She's a smart-ass, totally sassy, blabbering away whenever she sees Josh. :D Purrr-fect sense of humour. Truly.
This book is full of funny, sugary sweet, witty, sensitive, emotional, cute, intense moments and well everything else too!
I found myself enjoying each and every line of it. Each and every cupcake recipe in it. Opening up YouTube and looking up each a...more
Like I always say: I've never met a problem a proper cupcake couldn't fix.
If this were the case, I wouldn't be able to fit through the door in a matter of weeks. Nevertheless, a good cupcake is always appreciated.
I feel obliged to warn you not to read this book on an empty stomach. Even the strong-willed individuals and the ones who claim they cannot easily be tempted will dream of extra-large lemon cupcakes with light pink vanilla cream cheese icing, topped with a maraschino cherry or vanilla...more
If this were the case, I wouldn't be able to fit through the door in a matter of weeks. Nevertheless, a good cupcake is always appreciated.
I feel obliged to warn you not to read this book on an empty stomach. Even the strong-willed individuals and the ones who claim they cannot easily be tempted will dream of extra-large lemon cupcakes with light pink vanilla cream cheese icing, topped with a maraschino cherry or vanilla...more
Jan 18, 2012
Jasprit
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
out-2012,
read-in-2012,
contemporary,
romance,
realistic-fiction,
series-dropped,
ya,
arc-galley
Bittersweet was one of those books which leaves you with warm fuzzies, it’s a book full with banter, fun, charming characters and mouth-watering cupcakes that you can’t help but smile your way through it.
Hudson was a talented skater, she had the raw talent, and drive to get really far, until on the night of her regionals at the empire games (view spoiler). Her father always supported her through her skating career, bro...more
Hudson was a talented skater, she had the raw talent, and drive to get really far, until on the night of her regionals at the empire games (view spoiler). Her father always supported her through her skating career, bro...more
"When it's like this, I don't notice the cold. I don't hear the wind howling through the empty spaces. I don't feel like a small, broken-winged bird trapped in a rusty cage." Unfortunately for MC Hudson, it doesn't get "like this" very often, and it does, in fact, mostly feel like she's small, broken and trapped. The rusty cage is the upstate New York town of Watonka, where the abandoned steel mills and frozen lake might well represent what happened to Hudson's dreams and plans for the future th...more
I was really excited to read this and I’m not even embarrassed to say that it was because it involved cupcakes. I mean really, who doesn’t like cupcakes? Al-Qaida that’s who! Anyone who knows me is aware of my slight dessert obsession, so obviously I felt like Bittersweet was just calling to me.
Quick Overview: The past few years have not been ideal for Hudson. Her parents split and she blew her only chance at making it big in ice skating. Now she receives a couple of random e-mails from her dad...more
Quick Overview: The past few years have not been ideal for Hudson. Her parents split and she blew her only chance at making it big in ice skating. Now she receives a couple of random e-mails from her dad...more
A sunshine yellow lemon cupcake with a coconut infused marshmallow frosting. Filled with a raspberry and blueberry jam and decorated with marzipan figure skates and hockey sticks. Drizzle with silver glitter dust and serve on a plate of awesomeness!
Sarah Ockler has done it again! This book was just beyond amazing! Seriously I thought I loved Ockler before with her amazing works Fixing Delilah and my favorite Twenty Boy Summer, but I'm head over heels now.
Ockler has a gift for getting down to the...more
Sarah Ockler has done it again! This book was just beyond amazing! Seriously I thought I loved Ockler before with her amazing works Fixing Delilah and my favorite Twenty Boy Summer, but I'm head over heels now.
Ockler has a gift for getting down to the...more
Bittersweet takes us into the life of Hudson Avery, former figure skater and current Cupcake Queen. She lives in a small town and is bursting to get out and explore the world. But what is she willing to sacrifice and who is she willing to push out of her life to make her dreams come true? And are they really her dreams or is she feeling nostalgic for her seemingly perfect past?
My first Sarah Ockler book! I have Twenty Boy Summer on my bookshelf but haven't read it and after reading Bittersweet,...more
My first Sarah Ockler book! I have Twenty Boy Summer on my bookshelf but haven't read it and after reading Bittersweet,...more
2.5 stars
Despite my lower rating, this really is a cute story and I think most girls will enjoy it. I started off loving the voice. Ockler has such wit in her writing style and I often smiled at her jokes (when they weren't overdone). I thought I was going to love the story, but I couldn't make a lot of the leaps Ockler takes her reader on and Hudson, as much as I liked her in the beginning, wore on my nerves. I prefer characters who are rounded and flawed, which Hudson is, but the balance was o...more
Despite my lower rating, this really is a cute story and I think most girls will enjoy it. I started off loving the voice. Ockler has such wit in her writing style and I often smiled at her jokes (when they weren't overdone). I thought I was going to love the story, but I couldn't make a lot of the leaps Ockler takes her reader on and Hudson, as much as I liked her in the beginning, wore on my nerves. I prefer characters who are rounded and flawed, which Hudson is, but the balance was o...more
Also seen on: http://tarnishedmirrorsreviews.blogsp...
4.5 stars
Hudson Avery is a former competitive figure skater who is ultimately dissatisfied with her lot. She works at her Mum's diner where she bakes cupcakes. Dani her best friend works with her at the diner and really helps to keep Hudson positive. Soon she finds herself literally colliding with a cute hockey player named Josh and somehow is roped into coaching the flailing hockey team. Hudson soon begins a journey trying to discover hersel...more
4.5 stars
Hudson Avery is a former competitive figure skater who is ultimately dissatisfied with her lot. She works at her Mum's diner where she bakes cupcakes. Dani her best friend works with her at the diner and really helps to keep Hudson positive. Soon she finds herself literally colliding with a cute hockey player named Josh and somehow is roped into coaching the flailing hockey team. Hudson soon begins a journey trying to discover hersel...more
This review is also published on my book blog, The Bookish Poodle. It can be found here!
“When you're out here alone, contemplating all the things you didn't do and the person you didn't become ... if you think about it too long a hush seeps into the gray space, and the wind will hollow out your bones, and the purest kind of loneliness comes up from the inside to swallow you like an avalanche.”
It is very rare that I give books 5 stars. I only give a perfect rating to books that I could definitely...more
“When you're out here alone, contemplating all the things you didn't do and the person you didn't become ... if you think about it too long a hush seeps into the gray space, and the wind will hollow out your bones, and the purest kind of loneliness comes up from the inside to swallow you like an avalanche.”
It is very rare that I give books 5 stars. I only give a perfect rating to books that I could definitely...more
I really liked this book and recommend it to everyone looking for a great winter read!
I love how the characters in this book are so real. I think everyone could just relate to them. Normal people with normal problems trying to have a normal life. I feel bad for the characters, I am happy for the characters, all kinds of emotions. The book made me want to be an ice skater. Unfortunately I grew up when roller blades were just starting to become popular so I only used roller skates. AND my balance...more
It's Sarah Ockler so I don't even really care what it's about . . . I just know I want/have to read it
Oh, Lord. I am so severely disappointed with this book. I was so flipping excited for it! There were some pretty good/decent reviews and I was thinking: hmm this looks like a cool, fun, and girly book. Right? No. See, I didn't know this book would be that cliche. I knew it had some Sarah Dessenish aspects to it, with the lost girl, divorced parent, silly best friend stuff that we tend to read a lot about. However, the insta-love, man. How much more cliched could that get?
1. Girl and boy literal...more
1. Girl and boy literal...more
3.5 stars
I should definitely preface this mini-review by saying that, in general, these kind of romantic-comedy heart-warmers don't do much for me. However, I really loved both Anna and the French Kiss & Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins and have been trying to find something similar since. I've read some cute books along the way, and this was one of the better ones.
This book is... delicious. But it is also pretty predictable, a little too long, and at times borderline annoying...more
I should definitely preface this mini-review by saying that, in general, these kind of romantic-comedy heart-warmers don't do much for me. However, I really loved both Anna and the French Kiss & Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins and have been trying to find something similar since. I've read some cute books along the way, and this was one of the better ones.
This book is... delicious. But it is also pretty predictable, a little too long, and at times borderline annoying...more
It takes forty muscles to frown, and only twelve to jam a cupcake in your mouth and get over it.
3 and a half stars
This book is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen. So far, I've read Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler and I find the themes/writing style is quite similar to Sarah Dessen.
I liked this but I didn't connect with it enough to feel much more than mild like. The premise sounded so promising. I've always loved watching figure skating and I adore cupcakes possibly more than a...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Adult Book ...: Final Thoughts (spoilers) | 31 | 74 | Mar 03, 2013 02:55pm | |
| Young Adult Book ...: * Q&A with Sarah Ockler | 27 | 104 | Mar 02, 2013 10:51am | |
| Friends with Books: Bittersweet | 5 | 8 | Mar 01, 2013 08:54am | |
| Young Adult Book ...: Initial Reactions | 27 | 76 | Feb 27, 2013 01:12pm | |
| Young Adult Book ...: The Cupcake Queen | 22 | 58 | Feb 23, 2013 01:17pm | |
| Young Adult Book ...: Hockey Boys (possible spoilers) | 5 | 29 | Feb 18, 2013 02:08pm |
Sarah Ockler is the bestselling author of novels for teens, including Bittersweet, Fixing Delilah, and the critically acclaimed Twenty Boy Summer, a YALSA Teens' Top Ten nominee and IndieNext List pick. Her latest, The Book of Broken Hearts, hits the shelves in May 2013.
Sarah is a champion cupcake eater, coffee drinker, night person, and bookworm. When she's not writing or reading at home in Colo...more
More about Sarah Ockler...
Sarah is a champion cupcake eater, coffee drinker, night person, and bookworm. When she's not writing or reading at home in Colo...more
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“Would 'sorry' have made any difference? Does it ever? It's just a word. One word against a thousand actions.”
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220 people liked it
“It takes forty muscles to frown, and only twelve to jam a cupcake in your mouth and get over it.”
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91 people liked it
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