Fixing Delilah Review

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release date: December 1, 2010

Source: Publisher

Other books by this author: Twenty Boy Summer

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:

After reading and loving Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah I was dying to pick up her sophomore novel. Luckily, it was just as beautifully written and well developed as her debut.

To begin with, Delilah was a unique, yet likable main character. She wasn't perfect, and right now things in her life just aren't going well. I liked Delilah because she was straight forward and didn't beat around the bush. She said what she meant and stood up for herself. The other characters; Aunt Rachel, her mother, Emily, Patrick, Megan... they all added a little something to the story and I enjoyed watching all of them change and develop over the course of the novel. I really liked Delilah's friendship with Emily. Em was such a sweet girl and she and Delilah clicked right away. Patrick, a childhood friend turned something more, wasn't developed as much as I would have hoped, but I still liked him. He was outgoing, original, and so sweet to Delilah. I enjoyed watching their relationship grow and mature.

There were a lot of little sub plots and tiny mysteries involved in the story and readers never knew the whole truth about the Hannaford family until the end. Romance wasn't a key element of the story, but rather family relationships and how important it is to maintain a strong relationship with your family members. Delilah's conflict was with her mother who was in conflict with her sister and mother. It was heartbreaking to see how much Mrs. Hannaford regretted not being able to go back in time and start over with her own mother, who passed away before Delilah even got to know her better because of all the tension between Delilah's mother and grandmother.

Overall, this was very well written and I loved the main character, Delilah. The plot was unique and kept me reading and I am eager to read more by Sarah Ockler. Fixing Delilah was a poignant and refreshing read that reminded me again of how much I love Sarah's books.

Overall: 4.25 out of 5 stars