Bittersweet

There is something so sweet about falling in love for the first time (*).
About all those insecurities you might have, about not knowing what to choose, what is best for you.
About wanting to risk it all but fearing that you will lose everything, about dreaming with your eyes wide open, about waiting for a kiss that might never come..

There is something so sad about broken families (**), about the loneliness the kids might feel when the parents decide not to be part of their lives anymore.
It’s in the need to follow their dreams, in the need to make them proud, in the broken little hearts that find for the first time that they are quite alone in a big-big world, it’s in the pain of understanding that their father is not coming home, in the fear that he might not care anymore.

There is something heartbreaking about losing your dreams (***).
About waiting for your moment to shine but never get to make it true, about hiding in a dark place afraid to face the world.
About trying too hard, or giving up too soon, about regrets and never-ending, haunting memories, about disappointment and hopes never met, about missing chances.

But there is also something bright about trying, about coming back and struggling to find another dream, about having close your friends and family, about smiling with your heart, about enjoying every moment of your life, no matter how many storms come your way, no matter how hard it is or how many times you’ve failed before.

Even if I carry the scars of regret for the rest of my life, I know that this winter, for a little while, I was part of something bigger. Something special.

It’s all about hope, and dreams, and trying, and wanting…
This is what this story is really about…
And cupcakes. Do not forget the cupcakes and start reading this story with your belly full, or you will end up eating this book page by page.

When life hands you lemons, stuff’em in your Bra Cakes

What I liked about this story is the fact that it made me smile a lot.

I cared for Hudson, I cheered for Josh (hockey boy #1), I smiled with Dani (best friend) and laughed with Bug (little brother), I understood Will (captain of the hockey team).. and I loved it all.

Hudson is one of those awesome characters with her sassy voice, her cute cupcakes names, with her sweet day-dreams, and her troubled hockey-boys-crushing.
Her story is complex, coming from way back when she was a kid following his father’s dreams, and it’s more about trying to find what she really wants, who she really is.
I liked how she tried to help the guys improve their skating skills, I liked her private lessons with Josh and how shy she became when she was with him (or boys in general). There was something cute and honest in all that she did, as she was always following her heart even when she was wrong or when she made a mistake. Hudson felt like a real person and this made me like her even more.

“But I don’t know how to speak the language of impossible dreams en français”

Also, what makes this story really enjoyable is the pack of cute character we have in there.
All those friends Hudson has (Dani and the boys, and even Kara) they were all so nice and had so much to tell. I enjoyed every moment with them and I wanted some more time to know them even better.

“Let’s get something strait, wolf pack. I have my own reasons for being here, and they have nothing to do with your sparkling personalities.”

My favorite character is Bud, the little brother, because there was something about his innocence that made my heart ache in a way I didn’t think it was possible – bittersweet might be a good description. He was so damn cute, and smart, and so fragile but in the same time so mature for his age. He was a sweetheart and I got to love him so much.

Dani was a great source of humor through the story. I wish i had a friend like her. She tried too much, she pushed too much, but she was a really good friend, as much as Hud allowed her to be. It was sad to see them grow apart and I was glad that they got past their differences by the ending.

“The basic rule is to smile a lot,” she says, lending me into the kitchen. “Even when you feel like choking someone, keep smilin’. The minute you show them you’re pissed, you lose.”

And now about the love interest (won’t say his name to keep you guessing):

I wanted more time with him, as Hud has been in love with him probably since before the story even begun, I wanted more moments to see those sparks shine, still, those few moments with them together were precious.
I liked his conversations with Hud, and how he saved her in so many ways, I liked his shyness, even though at times he was such a kid (and I was mostly like: “oh, just kiss the girl already, damn it!”), but they were great together and I waited patiently for them to figure out their feelings and be together after all.

When [he] inches his chair closer to mine and smiles, my stomach fizzes again. Brain to stomach: we talked about this! Knock it off!

As a bottom line, this is a very cute love story, that will make your heart skip a beat or two, also there is more to the story – some drama, some humor as well – there’s a bit of everything for everyone, and I really hope that you will love it just as much as I did.

Happy Reading!

(*) “No permanent damage, right?”
“Nah.” Just the temporary mental kind, causing my mind to wander dangerously into forbidden crush territory.

(**)  Everyone says that the internet is so awesome because you can connect with people from all over the world, but I think it’s the opposite. The internet doesn’t make it easier to connect with anyone – it just makes it so you don’t really have to.

(***) “When you’re out here alone, contemplating all the things you didn’t do and the person you didn’t become … if you think about it too long a hush seeps into the gray space, and the wind will hollow out your bones, and the purest kind of loneliness comes up from the inside to swallow you like an avalanche”

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