SWEETHEARTS

Zarr, Sara. 2008. SWEETHEARTS. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008.

SWEETHEARTS is the story of Jennifer Harris, a quiet, overweight, picked on little girl. Jennifer—“Fattifer” to  her meaner classmates—transforms herself into Jenna Vaughn, a popular, pretty, and in shape teenager. As a child, her only friend was Cameron Quick, who suddenly moves one day with no explanation to her. She is later told by classmates that he was killed in accident and she accepts it as truth because she never hears from him again. Years later, she still thinks about Cameron, and painfully orchestrates every sentence that leaves her mouth, every action that she makes because she is afraid of going back to being that ill liked little girl. And then one day, she discovers that Cameron isn’t really dead. In fact, Cameron’s come home, and with his homecoming, Jenna must face her inner demons once and for all.

This novel is a perfect illustration of how losing weight and becoming popular doesn’t automatically make you happy on the inside. In SWEETHEARTS, Jenna discovers she is stronger than she knows, and it’s a positive message that is conveyed to readers in her age group. Jenna’s parents, especially her stepfather Alan, play an important role in the story, as they are a source of comfort for her. Cameron is pretty much still the same, though his life took a different direction than Jenna’s. While Jenna has carefully carved her niche in the world, Cameron is still searching for his place. He, too, struggles to be strong.

With Cameron’s reappearance, Jenna’s fall back on some old bad habits, such as binge eating, and I found this to be a realistic reaction. How often has someone promised they’ll eat right and get healthy only for a stressor to throw them off track? For this reason, readers will be able to relate to Jenna’s fall from grace and root for her to succeed in the end. The writing style of the novel made the words seem to flow off the page, making it easy to continue turning the pages. Kirkus Reviews says of SWEETHEARTS, “Haunting and ultimately hopeful....A convincing, fire person narrative voice....Zarr transfixes teen readers with enticing explorations of identity and enduring love.”

Reference List:

Kirkus Reviews. December 15, 2007. Review of Sweethearts, by Sara Zarr. Kirkus Reviews.