Sara Zarr, author of Sweethearts, was raised in San Francisco, California, and she now lives with her husband in Salt Lake, Utah. This novel tells a story about two 'social outcasts', Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick, who were each other's only friend, until one day, Cameron disappeared without warning and Jennifer was left alone and wondering where Cameron had gone. Later on in the novel, when Cameron Quick suddenly reappears, him and Jennifer are 'faced with memories of their shared past and the drastically different paths their lives have taken.' Throughout the novel there are friendships gained and lost, and hearts broken.

In this novel, there were many interesting events that took place. The most interesting occurrence that happened in this novel was at the beginning of it. This part really made me read over it twice and think deeply about it. This part was the part when Jennifer learned that her only friend, Cameron Quick moved, without telling her. Later on, she was told by a bully in her grade, named Jordana that he had died. Right away, my heart dropped and I thought to myself how Cameron could have died and if it was true. I thought about this part, and I was curious to know what really happened to Cameron, so I kept on reading, since I had become very inquisitive. It was not until much later on in the novel when the reader finds out what really happened to Cameron Quick and where he really went.











In the novel, Sweethearts, there were many parts that I know I will always remember. However, there is a certain turning point in this novel that I know will stick with me forever. This part of the novel is the part when Jennifer Harris learns that Cameron Quick left, without notice. This section will stick with me forever because it really touched me, and made me put myself in Jennifer's position, in the sense that Jennifer Harris' only friend left her and now she is all alone. She has been left alone to face the lonely days at school, and she was left alone to face the cruel bullies. Another reason why this part of the novel will forever stay in my mind is because the bully bullying Jennifer tells her that Cameron died, and so she faints. This truly made me feel terrible for the main character, Jennifer Harris, because she was told a lie by the bully, Jordana, which she believed that made her feel like her everything was gone. This shows how mean kids and teenagers can be and it made me promise to myself to always stand up for the person being bullied and to always do the right thing.

At the end of the novel, the main character, Jennifer Harris, has gone through many changes, physically and emotionally. Throughout the novel, she undergoes changes, and in total, she has changed her name and personality around three times. The reader first learns about Jennifer Harris in the beginning of the novel when the author describes Jennifer Harris to be a chubby, shy, little girl with only one friend, Cameron Quick. During this part in the novel, when the reader is introduced to the young Jennifer Harris, the reader also learns that Cameron Quick suddenly vanishes and does not tell Jennifer where he went and so she has no clue about his whereabouts. Later on in the novel, when Jennifer grows up and changes to a new high school, we learn that Jennifer Harris changes her name to Jenna Vaughn. At this point in the novel, the new Jenna Vaughn, has gone through a full transformation and now she is skinny, popular, has a boyfriend, she is happy with her life, and she lives in a nice house. The new Jenna Vaughn does not go through another change until Cameron Quick shows up eight years from when he has been missing. When Cameron shows up, she realizes how she put her past behind her, but kept the memory of Cameron with her, and now that he is back, she is confronted with her past, which will end up staying with her forever. It is at this point that Jenna realizes how she has changed and how much she missed Cameron. After Cameron stays with Jenna for a little while, he goes back to live with his family, and this is when Jenna changes once again, but not physically, this time she changes emotionally. By the time Cameron leaves, he has truly touched her and unintentionally made her go through another change. Jenna changes emotionally because when Cameron came back into her life, she was reminded of so many things that the two of them had shared together in the past, from fun things to scary things to sad things. Jenna changes since while Cameron was with her, he was a part of her, and now that he has left again it was as if the same thing was happening all over again that had previously happened eight years ago. Throughout the novel, one can see how Jennifer Harris changes; she changes her name, her personality, her appearance, and her thoughts. Jennifer Harris, also known as Jenna Vaughn, is an important character and truly put a different perspective of friendship into my head.

During this novel, Sweethearts, many events occurred. While some events were cute and funny, there were some sad ones. There were a few events that intrigued me and a few that I knew I would remember forever. The main character goes through many transitions during this novel, and during all of her transitions the reader learns many things about themselves and about life. I loved reading this novel and I cannot wait to read another one of Sara Zarr's work.