Unbreak My Heart

Gr 9 Up—"A summer in exile" is how Clementine Williams envisions her 16th summer when she and her family leave their home in Illinois to embark upon a three-month trip on their 42-foot sailboat. While sailing the Great Loop, Clem ruminates over betraying her best friend, Amanda, by falling for Amanda's boyfriend. Clem couldn't help herself; she and Ethan shared a sense of humor, spent hours talking, and before she could stop it they were hanging out one-on-one and holding hands. Now her best friend since kindergarten hates her. Ethan, however, was forgiven and got to keep Amanda in the bargain. Clem seems determined to spend her vacation crying, moping, and dwelling on being a terrible friend and person. "A little self-flagellation is healthy, right?" But "It's exhausting being sad," and eventually she opens up to James, who is also sailing the Great Loop with his father. Both coping with feelings of loss, they forge a romantic friendship. Clem's first-person narration smoothly switches from the past to the present, slowly revealing the full backstory of her heartache. Halfway through the story, the plot gets a much-needed puff of life as the teen's relationship with James takes on some energy. Clem's conflict with Ethan and Amanda does not get resolved, making the ending feel a bit abrupt. This summer read adequately, if a bit shallowly, treads the waters of teen emotions and relationships, and romance fans will enjoy the story.—Mindy Whipple, West Jordan Library, UT