We have a house guest which makes me totally guilty of neglect. I blame it on Zarr’s great writing! It is true that yesterday, I left the entertaining to my husband (and also made our guest fend for herself) while I read SWEETHEARTS straight through. I liked Zarr’s other book, STORY OF A GIRL (along with about a zillion other people and the NBA judges), but this one really kept me on the edge of my seat. Well, okay, I was slouched back in the big, blue velvet chair for hours, but you know what I mean. The pacing and the way this story unfolds is really well done. Sometimes I read a book and think, “Ah…yes. This is the type of book I write. I could’ve written this.” but with Zarr’s books, I just think, “Yeah, right. Who am I kidding? This is just amazing!” It’s not that I want to write like her, it’s more that it could just never, ever happen, and in a way, that makes it even better. It’s like when you go to a restaurant and you order a dish and when it comes you get all excited and start thinking, “Ooooh…I could make this at home.” vs “Wow! So glad I came here because even though I’m a good cook, this could never happen in my kitchen.” Both are great, but sometimes eating (or reading) something you could never replicate yourself is a real treat.
Anyway, I highly recommend this. Especially to anyone who has read all of Sarah Dessen’s books and is looking for something else fabulous by a storyteller who writes in a similar vein. Plus, isn’t it a wonderful cover? Enjoy!
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