Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

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?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.

Review:

Ever since Sarah's promising YA debut with Twenty Boy Summer, I have been eager to read more of her books. Therefore, when Fixing Delilah landed in my hands a few weeks ago, I was excited beyond words. Thankfully enough it was everything I wished it would be and more. Because not only did I find the characters to be lovable and the writing and world building tight and well done, but its story was one that truly hit a chord in me.

Fixing Delilah tells the story of Delilah Hannaford, a girl who used to have it all together: perfect grades, friends she liked, and more. However, as of lately, everything has begun to fall apart. Her mom's lost trust her, her boyfriend is more of a hook-up friend than anything else, and her plans for the future are looking quite bleak. After a family tragedy, Delilah and her mother are off to Vermont to pick up the pieces, and while Delilah's mother thinks this will be a brand new beginning for Delilah, Delilah thinks it will be nothing more than a bore of a summer. Nevertheless, when Delilah arrives in Vermont she is pleasantly surprised because not only does she reunite with her childhood friend Patrick but also she falls into some family secrets like no other. Now with an old diary and new found friends, Violet is off to figure out what happened to her family all those years ago, but will she find out more than she expected? Moreover, what happens when a friendship turns into something more? Only time and more pages can tell in this story of one crazy summer like no other.

Delilah was simply the perfect lead character for this. Witty, confused, and full of spunk, she is one girl you cannot help but root for as she comes to peace with the past and makes her way to the future. However, best of all she always felt real to me so to say because while she was one girl who made mistakes, she still managed to not only learn from them (even if it did take a while) but she always remains this compassionate and full of heart girl.

Nevertheless, what I liked most of this book was not Delilah directly but the relationships that were present. There was the one between Delilah and Patrick, which was as sweet as candy, but also full of problems and issues that always had me to curious to see what would happen between them. Then there was the one between Delilah and her mother. While it was rocky and full of angst, it worked perfectly in the way both came to understand and appreciate the other as time went on. Lastly there was the one general one between family and like most one's it was complicated beyond relief but how Sarah allowed Delilah to put all the pieces back together so to say truly made this book the amazing thing it was.

Adding to this all, I loved Sarah Ockler's writing. Because not only did it paint such a vivid scene in my head with the characters and setting, but it truly was the backbone of the novel, carrying it and making it full of twists and turns that constantly left me eager to read more, more, more.

In all, Sarah Ockler truly has something special in Fixing Delilah, which gives me even more reason to suggest that YOU should pick it up ASAP.

Grade: A+

Fixing Delilah is now out! You can read a short excerpt here.

Source: Library