Review - Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Title and Author: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Publisher:Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: December 1st, 2010

Paperback/Hardcover: 20

Genre: Young Adult

Summary:

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Review:

I loved Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler and so I was both excited and a little hesitant to read Fixing Delilah. Gladly, the book did not disappoint me and a very pleasantly surprised.

Delilah has reached a bad place in her life. Her mom is constantly working and never has the time to spend time with Delilah and answer her questions about her family. Delilah’s grades have slipped, she had no friends and she was caught accidentally stealing a lipstick. To top it all, her summer plans are put aside when her grandmother dies and she and her mother have to move to Vermont for a few months. They haven’t been on Vermont for eight years – not since a fight between her mother and her grandmother pushed them all apart – and it’s obvious there are a lot of family secrets Delilah knows nothing about.

I really liked all of the characters in Fixing Delilah.

Delilah, as the main character, is going through a lot. There are many things about her family Delilah doesn’t know and she grows more and more frustrated. It is clear she is broken and lost and frustrated at her mother for keeping secrets from her.

Another great character is Patrick. He is super sweet right from the start and you can’t help falling in love with him. He cares a lot about Delilah and the fact he is a very talented musician only adds to his appeal.

The relationship between Delilah and Patrick develops very nicely. It’s nice reading about them getting reacquainted again and realizing they still have as many things in common as they did when they were little kids. They are a great couple.

The relationship between Delilah’s mother and her sister was also very interesting. They are so completely different and there’s a lot of tension between them. Like Delilah, the other women in her family are broken and lost.

While they are in Vermont secrets are revealed and relationships are mended.

There are a lot going on in this book, which I appreciated. It made me want to keep reading so I could found out exactly what would happen.

All in all, Fixing Delilah is a great and captivating read that was able to keep me both interested and entertained. I loved all the characters. The plot development was great as well as the writing.

Fixing Delilah is a story about secrets, family, heritage and falling in love I would recommend to any YA fan. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Rating: Somewhere Between Worth Your Time and Must Read (4 ½ Stars)

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