Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker Published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA on May 22nd 2012
Genres: Young Adult, General, Family, Love & Romance, Social Issues, Friendship
Pages: 240
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams' heart. She fell for her best friend's boyfriend and long story short: he's excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents' plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he's just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem's walls and heal her broken heart? Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem's heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to.
There are certain topics that make me pull a Fred Savage – one being cheating. Yet, I had read Melissa C. Walker’s books in the past and really connected with them and thus set out to read Unbreak My Heart despite my brain going ‘Is this a cheating book?’ Friends, obviously I was in good hands while reading and surprisingly connected and had sympathy for the main character, Clem, the illustrious other woman.
Clem is about to spend her summer on the family boat: The Possibility. Instead of being excited she is sad and fixating on what happened before leaving for the summer. You see, Clem started to grow attracted and form a flirtation with her BFF Amanda’s boyfriend, Ethan. They got caught and Clem really regrets her actions, as her friendship was way more important than a boy.
James the ginger proves a great love interest in Unbreak My Heart. He offers respite for Clem. He is upbeat, artsy and does not know Clem’s past. It’s good for her because he’s kind of like a judgement free zone which is what she needs to move past what she did.
I think I would be totally remiss if I did not mention Clem’s family. They are the bomb diggity and consist of her mom, dad and little sister Olive. Y’all most of the scenes that Melissa C. Walker writes Olive into end up stealing the show. I loved how tightly-knit and functional Clem’s family is. It totally made the book for me.
While reading about the flirtation in Unbreak My Heart made me uncomfortable, it was nice to see the guy take some of the blame for what happened instead of it all being the other woman’s fault. It takes two to tango, ya know? I actually found myself sympathizing with Clem and felt horrible about what she did and how she kept beating herself up when you can’t exactly change the past.
If you like reading about characters who undergo self change, discover, and working things out for themselves, you’ll love Unbreak My Heart. It contains solid writing about how we ALL make mistakes when we are young, but you have to move past those mistakes. Yes, be sorry, but don’t dwell forever just because you did something wrong. Seriously, I was a big fan of the life lessons in Unbreak My Heart because they were real and not overly saccharine, definitely a strong contemporary read.
Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.
Other reviews of Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker:
Rather Be Reading – “I was prepared for lots of tangled emotions.”
Anna Reads – “helped me grow as a reader”
Hobbitsies – “moving and relatable and fun.”
Confessions Of A Bookaholic – “a beautiful coming-of-age story”
Books by Melissa C. Walker:
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I couldn’t finish this one… I was getting annoyed with Clem, but maybe I’ll try it again… 🙂
Awww, I can see where that annoyance comes from, but she does get better!
Great review- I really want to read this now! Sounds intriguing x
You should read it!
I’ve only read one book by Melissa Walker-Small Town Sinners, which I really liked. I might check this out from the library this time. I like books with character growth and even though Clem was the “other woman” I might be able to look past that in this book too if the writing and character development are that good. Thanks for your review!
I really need to check out Small Town Sinners.
Also? Love the library! I am a huge fan of character growth as well and Unbreak My Heart has it in spades.
I’m always really hesitant about books with a cheating theme. The last one I read just made me a little angry. This one sounds great though. I really enjoyed Small Town Sinners and if Walker could make those characters likeable then I’m sure I would like Clem as well. 🙂 Great review!
It’s hard for me to read about cheating too, but Walker definitely works some kind of writer magic with Clem, making her super likable.
My lord. I NEED to read this book. It’s just got so much FRESH-ness about it, the other perspective on cheating, the sailboat, and I’ve just heard so many great things about it. I LOVE contemporary. Should check out her debut too, that got quite the feedback. 😉 Nice review!
YES YOU DO! I mean, if you love contemporary Unbreak My Heart is like the perfect book to read.
I started this one a while back and really couldn’t get into it… I think because I had a lot on my plate at the time, not because it wasn’t good… but this is the second review that I’ve read that’s really made me WANT to finish it! I do love books that have great life lessons.
I think that some books are meant to be read at certain times of your life and so maybe if they don’t work at one busy juncture, they might work at a more quiet point. Hope you try Unbreak My Heart again!
Oh my god, did you just reference the Lifetime Movie classic No One Would Tell? Or is pulling a Fred Savage something else?
I really have a hard time with friends-cheating-with-friends-boyfriends stories. I still can’t re-watch that episode of Buffy where Willow & Xander make out and Cordelia and Oz catch them. Just horrifying. I may eventually give this one a try, though. It sounds like a good vacation book, maybe?
It’s a Princess Bride reference when he goes ‘is this a kissing book?’
Sigh. That IS horrifying.
Unbreak My Heart would be a fab vacation book.
I really loved this book-a complete winner for me especially because of all the scenes with her family. Much as she groans about them, she does love them and I was so happy when she finally started to visibly appreciate them more.
Her family really made the book for me too. I love when that happens in a YA book.
Makes me so happy you enjoyed this as much as I did. THIS is the epitome of how I felt about this book:
“It contains solid writing about how we ALL make mistakes when we are young, but you have to move past those mistakes.”
*jumping for joy you loved it*
<3333 I love when my friends love the same books I love. <3333
Funny, I didn’t like this one quite as much as you did, but I did still enjoy it overall and I’m glad you did too!
Awww, I’m sorry it wasn’t your favorite ever, but at least you got some enjoyment out of it 😀
This probably marks me as completely culturally illiterate to admit this, but I had never heard the term “pull a Fred Savage” before. Haaahhh. I love it.
Yeah… I am definitely wary of cheating books as well. The cheating being one of the reasons, but more than that, I feel like authors often try and justify the cheating by making the guy’s girlfriend an overblown archetype of some horrid beeyotch. And it bothers me so much that authors seem to be touting the lesson that it’s okay to treat someone badly if they treated you worse.
But I agree with you, people make mistakes, and if this book is coming from that angle, I think I probably could enjoy it.
I really like your point about the girlfriend being portrayed as a horrid bitch. Like that bothers me too and I don’t think it’s ever okay to cheat no matter the circumstances, just break up if you aren’t feeling someone anymore, ya know?
And this book does come from the mistake angle, so it’s worth it. Plus the girlfriend is not portrayed as a bitch at all.
This sounds like an interesting book. I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I might have to give it a shot. It sounds like the author’s taken a different angle on what could be a story that just made me really angry and upset.
She does take a different angle and okay, normally I get angry and upset, but I actually had compassion for Clem, especially because she realizes it’s not the boy that matters but the friendship. I love that.
I’ve been wanting to read this one. Mainly because she’s on a boat, and I love water. 🙂
This sounds like a great read. Everyone does make mistakes, its’ important to just learned from them and move on. No dwelling. maybe I’ll get this one for my Kindle when it comes out, if it isn’t already. I’ll have to check.
Boats are awesome, even though water scares me.
I think you’d enjoy this one given your contemporary reads lately. 🙂
HELL TO THE YES on this. I loved this book so, so immensely. It’s interesting and enlightening to read about “the other woman,” as much as I hate her normally. Walker painted her as she was: a normal girl who was misled in the name of lurve and made a HUGE mistake. My favorite part was the remorse she felt and the HOPE that this book left me with. Such a fantastic serious-yet-adorable summer read. This book deserves ALL the attention.
Her remorse was so well done and I felt like I could see how she ended up making the mistake she did. I also liked that we got to see her get a second chance and felt the sort of hope as well.
I haven’t read anything by Melissa Walker, and I’ve been debating checking this one. Like you, I really have a hard time with books about or involving cheating. However, you’ve definitely made me want to read this one! I love anything with a “tightly-knit and functional” family – and that line right there is making me really want for read this one. Plus, it’s summer and the book cover is summery so that’s always a win, too.