12 March 2012

Review: The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten

Title: The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers
Author: Lynn Weingarten
Publication Date: 27 December 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library
Summary (courtesy of goodreads.com):
If there’s an upside to having your heart broken, it’s this: A broken heart makes you brave.

The first day of sophomore year doesn’t go the way Lucy planned. After a summer apart from her boyfriend, she’s ready to greet him with a special surprise and instead gets a shocking one in return: He’s breaking up with her. Beyond devastated, Lucy has no idea how she’s going to make it through homeroom, let alone the rest of her life.

Enter three stunning girls with the unnatural ability to attract boys and an offer Lucy can’t refuse: They can heal her heart in an instant. And then she’ll be one of them—a member of a sisterhood that is impervious to heartbreak and has access to magic distilled from the tears of brokenhearted boys. But to gain their power, Lucy must get a guy to fall in love with her the old-fashioned way, and then break his heart in the next seven days.

While the sisterhood may need another Heartbreaker, Lucy’s only desire is to get her ex back. But how far is she willing to go, and who is she willing to cross to get what she wants?
I really, really wanted to love this book.  When I started reading, I got the feeling that it was going to be a sort of novelization of Mean Girls meets The Craft meets a little bit of Foxfire, but I ultimately felt let down by the way the story developed.

Lucy is kind of a horrible character.  She's obsessed with getting her ex-boyfriend back, and she doesn't even seem to question that the things she's doing to get him back - lying, cheating, stealing - are in any way wrong.  She's also horribly indecisive.  There were these rare moments where she finally started showing some balls, and I was starting to say, "You go Glen Coco Lucy!" and then I'd turn the page and she'd be right back where she was at the beginning of the book.  Her growth seems haphazard, and almost accidental or coincidental, like it never would have happened without this random moment tossed in at the end of the book to bring about the desired conclusion.  I never found myself rooting for Lucy and wanting her to be happy.  No, I wanted someone to give her a good knock upside the head and tell her Welcome to life!

Likewise, the trio of Heartbreakers seems to lack any sort of moral compass for the majority of the book.  I read a review somewhere (I forget, I'm sorry!) that mentioned that there are so many good things they could do with the "power" they have, and instead the waste it on making random boys fall in love with them, and breaking their hearts.  Making more random boys fall in love with them, and breaking their hearts too.  It seemed unnecessary and redundant and pointless.  Gil seems sweet enough, but like with Lucy, she's erratic and I can't get a good grasp on if that's really who she is.  Liza takes being snarky too far across the line between sarcasm and just plain aggression.  And Olivia, dear sweet cupcake Olivia.  It was like I was reading a self-help book whenever she opened her mouth.

I like the idea Lynn Weingarten came up with, and I really wish it had been developed in a different way.  These girls could have had so much more depth, the plot could have had so many more twists, and there are so many ways the story could have gone that would have been ten times more exciting than what actually happens.

Rating:

3 comments:

  1. What a shame that this wasn't as good as you'd hoped! I have read a reviews that say the same thing but I still want to read it but now I'm prepared not to expect too much!

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  2. And with "You go Glen Coco," you have won a fan for life.

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  3. Aww too bad you didn't like it! But on the bright side I just discovered your blog (its adorable btw) and I'm following you now! :D

    -Kimberly @ Turning The Pages

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