Book Review: Sweethearts

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

Hardcover Edition- 217 Pages

Genre- Contemporary

5/5 Lily Pads

Would I Recommend It? Yes!

No Spoilers!


Hey there I'm back with a review. Today I am reviewing "Sweethearts" by Sara Zarr. Before I start this review I just want to say, this book has been on my TBR for years, and I'm so glad I finally read it. It was such a beautiful and amazing book. Let's get on with the review.

The Plot

The plot for this book is actually pretty simple. It's about a girl named Jennifer/Jenna. When she was nine years old she was a shy, fat, outcast in school. She only had one friend named Cameron. They were best friends and then one day Cameron disappears. Jennifer doesn't know why he left, and people told her Cameron died. She believed he was dead for the next 8 years. But then, Cameron comes back. Now 8 years later, Jennifer is different. She's not the chubby outcast she used to be. Now she is Jenna, a girl who is totally different. She's thin and prettier and has friends and a boyfriend. Her life is fine until Cameron comes back. Now everything is different because it brings back memories from Jenna's past. Why did Cam come back and how does it affect Jenna? Read the book to find out what happens. 

My Opinion

Like I said before, I loved this book! It was so beautiful. 

Let's talk about the writing. I really liked the author's writing style. It was simple and beautiful. 

The pacing was done really well. This book was very short but the pacing was fine. I wasn't really satisfied at the end, but I understand why Sara ended the book that way. 

Finally let's talk about the characters. I really liked the main characters. Jenna was a really great protagonist. She's relatable and she is a kind person. She really wanted to help her friends, especially Cameron. I really liked Cameron too. He was a great guy and I felt bad for him. I didn't like her boyfriend, Ethan. He was a jealous, insecure boyfriend. He was also selfish. I did like Jenna's friend Steph (haha, that's my name). I liked the relationship she had with her mom and stepfather, Alan. So yeah I pretty much liked all the characters. 

Overall, this book was just beautiful. If your looking for a romance book, I wouldn't recommend this book because there's not much romance in it. I liked that because I get sick of reading books with romance all the time. This book focuses on friendship. Some people said this book was sad, but I didn't think it was depressing.  It was a little sad but it was also a happy book too. The ending was actually pretty realistic. The message of this book is, if you don't get to see your friends much because of long distance, you'll always have them in your heart and you'll never forget them. I gave this book 5/5 Lily Pads. This book is so underrated and I feel more people should read it. If you love contemporary books that focus on friendship, I really recommend this book. I think this book is worth a buy. I have Sara's other book "The Lucy Variations" and I can't wait to read it! Thank you so much for reading, have a great day and keep on reading! Bye :)