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?
Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery."
- Good Reads
Stats:
- Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
- Release date: Dec. 1, 2010
- Page count: 320
- Unique elements: Description!
- Would appeal to: Fans of Sarah Dessen, romantics at heart, teens with family struggles
Favorite lines:
"One by one they floated and swirled and fell to my feet, and when he flashed his up-to-no-good smile with the moonlight soft and blue on his skin, I wanted to stay there forever."
"Mom keeps one hand on the wheel, the other searching for the right button, fingers poking around the dash like a bird for worms as the unsaid end of my sympathy stumbles and slips back down my throat."
"It's funny how someone can be such an integral part of your life, like you laugh at the same jokes and eat your ice cream cones the same way and share your toys and dreams and everything but your heartbeats, and then one day-- nothing."
"I'm squealing and sprinting and dodging Patrick all around the house, nothing but happy and sun and warm all over me, and I feel a release, a free fall of carefree summer days with no end in sight."
I loved this book. I picked it up because once I get attached to an author, I find everything she's ever written, and Twenty Boy Summer, Ockler's debut novel, was AMAZING. The woman is a master at imagery.
I felt like I knew Delilah's personality almost from the first three chapters alone. Delilah is the misunderstood child who isn't allowed to ask questions or discuss feelings. Mom is a workaholic. When D's grandmother dies, they must return to Vermont, where she remembers spending most every summer until her grandfather's death more than seven years ago, when she was suddenly yanked away and not allowed to return.
Delilah is both nervous and excited about seeing Ricky, her childhood friend. Patrick becomes a yummy male lead, especially when he's helping his dad with construction around D's grandmother's house.
Most everyone can relate to exploring or discovering family secrets!
Once you start reading, the characters (including D's incense burning, eccentric aunt) get in your head, and you won't want to stop.
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