Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

Goodreads Summary:
Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like.  Then betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground.  Now she's a girl who doesn't believe in second chances... a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom's diner and obsessing over what might have been.

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified.  Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life... and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals.  She's got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who's been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

It's time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she's willing to sacrifice to get it.  Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last...

My Review:
4 out of 5 Stars

In this novel by Sarah Ockler, Hudson Avery is a seventeen year old girl struggling to help out her family after her parent's divorce tears it apart.  She bakes creative cupcakes for her mother's diner and helps out as often as she can but she can't help thinking about everything that she has left behind in her old life... Before her father cheated on her mother and walked out.

Hudson used to know exactly where she was going.  She was going to be a professional figure skater that would be able to travel all over the world and enjoy her dreams, but now she is stuck in her small town taking care of a diner she never wanted to have to be in charge of. 

One day she crashes into the hockey team's captain, Josh Blackthorn, while practicing ice-skating and things begin to take a turn.  She is tempted by starting over and having a second chance at her long remembered dream but as she struggles to find time, she begins to split herself too thin and risks losing people along the way.

Hudson is a delightful main character whose sense of humor makes the novel.  She has hilarious alternate realities in her brain and her creative cupcakes are so charming and inspired.  I really loved her as a main character and found her easy to relate to, even when she was doing things that I didn't approve of.

Out of the other characters that are introduced in this novel, I think that Hudson's little brother, Bug, is probably my favorite.  He is adorably cute and I love his take on the world.  Him and Hudson are presented as this great team and I love their interactions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and could easily relate to Hudson and the problems she was having and thought her friends and family were treating her a little harsh throughout the novel.  But I really understood the confusion Hudson was having over what to do and could easily relate to her problems.

I'm giving Bittersweet 4 stars because I flew through it and was completely absorbed in the story but towards the end I was starting to get frustrated with everyone's lack of communication and didn't really see a point to a large amount of the conflict.  But overall, I really enjoyed it and wouldn't mind reading it again in the future.  I enjoyed how the ending turned out, but for awhile I didn't think it was going to end in a good way so I was nervous for the last couple chapters of the book.

All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1

Creative Team:  Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Scott A. Williams

Goodreads Summary:

The talents responsible for some of Batman's greatest tales, Frank Miller (BATMAN:  THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, Sin City) and Jim Lee (BATMAN:  HUSH) team up for the first time to bring you Batman and Robin like you've never seen them before in this reinvention of these classic characters.

All hell breaks loose at the circus as Bruce Wayne and gal pal Vicki Vale witness a young boy's life shattered before their eyes.  Orphaned, Dick Grayson has nowhere to go and no one to turn to -- no one but Bruce Wayne!  Expect action, adventure, guest-stars and the unexpected as Miller and Lee deliver the ultimate tales of the Dynamic Duo!

My Review:

4 out of 5 stars

In this hardback graphic novel, issues #1-9 of All Star Batman & Robin are collected that redesign the origin story of how Dick Grayson became emerged into the vigilante crime fighting world.  Dick Grayson, the youngest member of The Flying Grayson's is left an orphan when his parents are shot while performing in the circus.  Batman immediately sweeps him up and begins to introduce him to his world of crime fighting.

At this point, Batman is well established and is both intrigued and annoyed by the young Dick Grayson who is young but very smart and agile.  Bruce is often surprised at all that Dick can do.  I really enjoy this reintroduction to Robin's origin and find it very interesting.  Batman was a lot more aggressive and brutal in this collection than in many others.  He loves the violence and strives to inflict pain on those he is pursuing.

This collection also includes some guest appearances from other well known comic book characters, such as Wonder Woman, Black Canary, Green Lantern, Superman and a young Batgirl.

I really loved the interactions between Batman and Dick as well as the fact that almost every character has their own narration and voice throughout the issues.  It was really interesting to see not only into Dick and Bruce's head, but also the Joker's, Wonder Woman's and Black Canary's.  What I found amusing, was that Alfred and Bruce are in some disagreement on Bruce's inclusion of Dick and the fact that he is a twelve year old boy and I really enjoy Batman's battle with his mixture of both annoyance and pride when dealing with Dick.

There are some interesting interactions with the women in this book that I found thought provoking.  There is a panel where Black Canary is lip locked with Batman, which I found pretty standard but there is a slightly odd interaction between Wonder Woman and Superman that I thought I should mention.  Wonder Woman goes from cursing Superman to making out with him in the difference of one panel, and what I liked about it is that Superman is left shocked and in awe of what has just happened.

I thought that this was a very good collection and I really enjoyed reading it.  There are parts were Batman's complete disregard for human life (not that he was killing people) both surprising and a bit disturbing.  I know he is dark but I was surprised by some of the things he was doing.  However, I really think that this is a very important collection to read for all Batman fans and also fans of Dick Grayson, it's a great reintroduction into the character and I also love that the old favorites are included as well.