Publisher Description

From the author of Twenty Boy Summer, a teen pushes the limits to follow her dreams--and learns there's a fine line between bitter and sweet.... Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a 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....

Author Biography

Sarah Ockler is the bestselling author of Fixing Delilah" and the critically acclaimed Twenty Boy Summer," a YALSA Teens' Top Ten nominee and IndieNext List pick. She is a championship cupcake eater, coffee drinker, night person, and bookworm. When she's not writing or reading at home in Colorado, Sarah enjoys taking pictures, hugging trees, and road-tripping through the country with her husband, Alex. Visit her at SarahOckler.com and find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Review

"At its heart, this story is about family, community, and communication, and Hudson narrates it with warmth and wry humor. Bittersweet is a book worth recommending." --School Library Journal
"Hudson's conflicting emotions are richly realized... an engaging and sometimes emotionally challenging read..." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"An entertaining read with an engaging, relatable protagonist. Hudson's lively first-person narrative is both wry and sympathetic, and it incorporates issues ranging from self-discovery to family and relationship complexities, along with identifying and following your dreams." --Booklist

Review Quote

"If this doesn't make you want to eat a cupcake, cuddled up under a warm blanket on a cold winters night with a mug of hot chocolate than I don't know what will. This book is so well crafted from the sweet winter romance, to the icy back drop from the winter season in the small town of Watonka, NY to the ice skating and ice hockey subplots and the deliciously described cupcakes. I adored everything about this well-written story." --mundiemoms.blogspot.com

Excerpt from Book

Bittersweet Chapter One Damsels in Distress Dark chocolate cupcakes with red peppermint mascarpone icing, edged with chocolate and crushed candy canes In three years of baking for Hurley''s Homestyle Diner in Watonka, New York, I''ve never met a problem a proper cupcake couldn''t fix. And while I haven''t quite perfected the recipe to fix my father, I''m totally on the verge. "Taste this." I pass a warm cupcake across the prep counter to Dani and lick a gob of cherry-vanilla icing from my thumb. "I think it''s the one." My best friend sighs. "That''s what you said about the blueberry lemon batch. And the white mocha ones. Have you seen this thing walkin'' around behind me? It''s the Great Cupcake Booty of Watonka." She turns and shakes it, a few corkscrew curls springing loose from the pile on her head. "Last one. I promise." "Nice breakfast. You''re lucky I ... mmmph ... oh my God!" Her copper-brown eyes widen as she wolfs down a big bite. "I used half the sugar this time and buttercream instead of cream cheese. Doesn''t compete with the cherry as much." "Whatever you did, it''s delish." She wipes her hands on an apron and goes back to prepping for our open, topping off small glass pitchers of maple syrup. I love baking at the diner on Saturday mornings, especially when Dani''s on first shift. There''s something peaceful about it--just the two of us here in the stainless steel kitchen, radio on low, the hiss-pop-hiss of the big coffeemakers keeping us company while the winter sky goes from black to lavender to a cool, downy gray. I rinse the mixing bowls and set them back on the counter, rummaging through my stash for the next batch: eggs, butter, raw cane sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, espresso, shaved dark chocolate, a handful of this, a sliver of that, no measuring required. Every cupcake starts out a blank canvas, ingredients unattached to any shared destiny until I turn on the mixer. Now Dani stands on her toes to see into the bowl and together we watch it swirl, streaks of white and pale yellow and black, electric beaters whirring everything into a perfect brown velvet. "You really are an artist, Cupcake Queen." Dani smiles, hefting the tray of syrups onto her shoulder and pushing through the double doors into the dining room. Cupcake Queen. I owe the newspaper for that one. "Teen''s Talent Turns Struggling Diner into Local Hot Spot: Cupcake Queen Wows Watonka with Zany Creations," by Jack Marshall, staff reporter. The article''s preserved in a crooked glass frame on the wall behind the register, right next to an autographed black-and-white photo of Ani DiFranco and three one-dollar bills from Mom''s first sale as the new owner. You can see it clearly if you''re sitting at the front counter in the seat on the far left--the one with the torn leatherette that pokes the back of your thighs--if you lean over and squint. I don''t need to squint, though. I''ve read it so many times I can recite it backward. Creations zany with Watonka wows queen cupcake: spot hot local into diner struggling turns talent teen''s. I never set out to wow Watonka with zany creations or join the royal court of confectioners. When I first started inventing my cupcakes, it was just something to keep me and Bug--that''s what I call Max--from going nuts after Dad moved to Nevada. Whenever we''d start to miss him, I''d lure Bug into the kitchen, and together we''d dig through the pantry for stuff to bake into funny little desserts with made-up names and frosting faces. We''d bring the best ones to the diner for Mom to share with the waitresses and Trick, her cook. Soon the regulars at the counter were sampling them, wanting to know when they''d be on the menu, when they could order a few dozen for their next bridge club party. Somewhere between my first batch of custom Bug-in-the-Mud Cakes and now, somewhere between leaving competitive skating and looking for a place to hide out, somewhere between Dad''s departure and Mom finding the strength to get out of bed again, baking cupcakes became a part of me--both a saving grace and a real, moneymaking job. Staff reporter Jack Marshall didn''t ask about any of that stuff, though. My gaze drifts out the window to the snow falling beneath the lights in the back lot. It''s so gray and nondescript outside that I could be anywhere, anytime, and for a second the blankness is so complete that I lose track of the hour and forget where I am. Everything is flip-flopped, like the opposite of d

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