Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

The Quick Cut: A teen girl finds herself questioning her direction in life when she gets a second chance at her dreams again. A Real Review: Our lives rarely turn out the way we plan them. Whether it's an unexpected opportunity or a devastating loss, things happen in our lives and we change direction accordingly. However, if an opportunity from the past comes back again, how would you react? Happy to have a second chance or conflicted about revisiting it again? This is the internal debate for Hudson. Hudson's life looks nothing like it used to. In the past, she was a figure skating prodigy with happily married parents. Now, she lives with her divorced mom, an uninterested dad far away, and spends her time baking cupcakes instead. When an opportunity to figure skate comes back, she gets excited thinking about the dream she once held to so strongly. However, is her passion still figure skating? Or should she focus on her love of baking instead? This is a really cute contemporary romance thats about so much more than a boy and a girl. It's about figuring out what matters most to you and how complex figuring that out can be. Do you want fame, money, and happiness? Which matters most to you? These are all questions Hudson has to ask herself in some way in this story and the journey is so relatable. Hudson suffers from what I like to call past versus present conflicts. Who she is now isn't who she used to be. So when the past comes a knocking in the present, she doesn't know who she wants to be. Seeing her chaotically try to do both is something I think many people try to do before life forces them to choose one. Seeing a character struggle with that choice made me as a reader feel less lost in my own choices. The romance was cute, but definitely a minor part of the real story. While I enjoyed the book, I do have to admit it felt overly complicated. If you enjoy the detail oriented world building, it can be fun. For many - the way this is written could be overwhelming. A fun journey that isn't necessarily about the destination. My rating: 4.25 out of 5