Review: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
Published: December 1st, 2010 (Little Brown Books FYR)
Pages: 308
Source: bought
Series: NA
Buy the book: Bookdepository
Rating: ★★★★☆


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?

The first thing I wrote down when I finished reading was 'Fixing Delilah has the perfect combination of tragedy and that cute contemporary feel that I love', which is pretty much the summary of this review.

Delilah has a very rocky relationship with her mother. Her mother is always working, closes herself off from everyone and has alienated herself from Delilah, who has been trying to get closer to her mom for years. Her mom, however, won't talk about what happened to tear the family apart all those years ago. This is really frustrating for Delilah and you as a reader and really makes you want to find out what happened. When it's finally revealed, it all becomes clear why it hasn't been easy for Delilah's mother to open up.

The characters are incredibly realistically written, in a way that I can completely picture them in my mind. I loved that both the 'good' and the 'bad' characters felt equally believable and had their own traits to make them human. One of the minor characters I particularly liked was Patrick's dad, even though I don't exactly know why. The chemistry between Delilah and Patrick was amazing and I loved reading all of their scenes, even the ones where they argued. It was so obvious that they connected, it was awesome to read.

Sarah Ockler has the gift to write a story that will draw you in and make you unable to stop reading. After reading Fixing Delilah and Twenty Boy Summer I now know I will definitely want to read more of Ockler's work and I cannot wait to get my hands on more of her books.