The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers - Lynn Weingarten
Synopsis: If there’s an upside to having your heart broken, it’s this: A broken heart makes you brave.
The first day of sophomore year doesn’t go the way Lucy planned. After a summer apart from her boyfriend, she’s ready to greet him with a special surprise and instead gets a shocking one in return: He’s breaking up with her. Beyond devastated, Lucy has no idea how she’s going to make it through homeroom, let alone the rest of her life.
Enter three stunning girls with the unnatural ability to attract boys and an offer Lucy can’t refuse: They can heal her heart in an instant. And then she’ll be one of them—a member of a sisterhood that is impervious to heartbreak and has access to magic distilled from the tears of brokenhearted boys. But to gain their power, Lucy must get a guy to fall in love with her the old-fashioned way, and then break his heart in the next seven days. While the sisterhood may need another Heartbreaker, Lucy’s only desire is to get her ex back. But how far is she willing to go, and who is she willing to cross to get what she wants? (From Goodreads)
I can't help but think that if I'd read this book when I was 14 I would have been a lot less of an awkward human being. Of course, it's completely speculation, and quite honestly - I'm a little attached to my awkward teenage self. Of course I think that now, but back then I had a lot of humiliating moments due to my lack of social grace and my naive view of boys. While I know now that all these things gave me character and shaped who I am, I'm guessing this perspective would have been helpful then.
Alas, Lynn Weingarter didn't write this book until I was 23, so many of these lessons have already been learned (whether they are remembered or executed is a different story). Still, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Lucy learn to deal with her first heartbreak and to transform into an awkward (how many times can I use the world "awkward" in one review? Let's see...) girl to a confident young adult. She is ushered into her transformation by three older girls who take her under their wing and teach her how to be the one in control of the boys (these are the lessons I wish I had learned...)I cringed at her behavior in some places, and in others I admired her ability to adapt and overcome.
This is a coming of age novel more than anything else. It has its magical moments, but the magic is almost there as a fairy-dust frame for some other more important things going on. There's the first love story - falling in love and having your heart broken for the first time - but the best part of this book is the way that it illustrates friendship.
The sisterhood is really four girls who are strong individuals on their own, but when they all come together they are an incredible force. It's a testament to the kind of person you can become if you have friends to back you up, to let you be yourself, and to help you to never lose sight of what is really important. I didn't believe in some of the ideas that drive this sisterhood (like having a heart that can never be broken -) but I do believe in the bond they have.
I had a few issues with this book, but in the end they are relatively minor and ultimately unimportant. It comes down to - I fully enjoyed reading this novel. Most of it is just so adorable, some parts are awkward, and a lot of what the sisterhood teaches Lucy is quite useful. (Awkward word count - not including this one - 5! Yay for awkwardness.)
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers - Lynn Weingarten
Synopsis: If there’s an upside to having your heart broken, it’s this: A broken heart makes you brave.
The first day of sophomore year doesn’t go the way Lucy planned. After a summer apart from her boyfriend, she’s ready to greet him with a special surprise and instead gets a shocking one in return: He’s breaking up with her. Beyond devastated, Lucy has no idea how she’s going to make it through homeroom, let alone the rest of her life.
Enter three stunning girls with the unnatural ability to attract boys and an offer Lucy can’t refuse: They can heal her heart in an instant. And then she’ll be one of them—a member of a sisterhood that is impervious to heartbreak and has access to magic distilled from the tears of brokenhearted boys. But to gain their power, Lucy must get a guy to fall in love with her the old-fashioned way, and then break his heart in the next seven days. While the sisterhood may need another Heartbreaker, Lucy’s only desire is to get her ex back. But how far is she willing to go, and who is she willing to cross to get what she wants? (From Goodreads)
I can't help but think that if I'd read this book when I was 14 I would have been a lot less of an awkward human being. Of course, it's completely speculation, and quite honestly - I'm a little attached to my awkward teenage self. Of course I think that now, but back then I had a lot of humiliating moments due to my lack of social grace and my naive view of boys. While I know now that all these things gave me character and shaped who I am, I'm guessing this perspective would have been helpful then.
Alas, Lynn Weingarter didn't write this book until I was 23, so many of these lessons have already been learned (whether they are remembered or executed is a different story). Still, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Lucy learn to deal with her first heartbreak and to transform into an awkward (how many times can I use the world "awkward" in one review? Let's see...) girl to a confident young adult. She is ushered into her transformation by three older girls who take her under their wing and teach her how to be the one in control of the boys (these are the lessons I wish I had learned...)I cringed at her behavior in some places, and in others I admired her ability to adapt and overcome.
This is a coming of age novel more than anything else. It has its magical moments, but the magic is almost there as a fairy-dust frame for some other more important things going on. There's the first love story - falling in love and having your heart broken for the first time - but the best part of this book is the way that it illustrates friendship.
The sisterhood is really four girls who are strong individuals on their own, but when they all come together they are an incredible force. It's a testament to the kind of person you can become if you have friends to back you up, to let you be yourself, and to help you to never lose sight of what is really important. I didn't believe in some of the ideas that drive this sisterhood (like having a heart that can never be broken -) but I do believe in the bond they have.
I had a few issues with this book, but in the end they are relatively minor and ultimately unimportant. It comes down to - I fully enjoyed reading this novel. Most of it is just so adorable, some parts are awkward, and a lot of what the sisterhood teaches Lucy is quite useful. (Awkward word count - not including this one - 5! Yay for awkwardness.)
