Review Detail

Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabb is a touching story of Mia, a teen who is dealing with the startling death of her mother. A mere twelve days after being diagnosed with melanoma, Mias mom dies. Her death is a stunning blow for Mia, who does not know if she will ever truly get over the loss of her mother. This story is the story of how Mia, and her family, which now consists of only her older sister and her dad, attempt to get through their mothers funeral and carry on with their normal lives. But what is normal? Mia doubts that her life will ever be normal again.

If her mothers death is not enough, Mias father unexpectedly has a heart attack. While he is okay, he is sent to the hospital, where he must undergo heart surgery. Now Mia doesnt even know what to expect out of life. It seems that at every corner, she doesnt know what is going to hit her. And she has an unreasonable fear of death, always worrying that it will be creeping up behind her at any moment. But Mia finds a way to survive all of her pain with her quick wit and spunky attitude. She pours all of her feelings out on the pages of this novel, and lets readers share her experiences as she finds new friends, watches her father find himself a new girlfriend, and maybe, just maybe, finds love for the first time.

Rabb does not try to fit Mias life into a neat cookie-cutter tale of love and loss. She allows the story to tell itself, with its own meanderings and at its own pace. And thats what makes this book great. Cures for Heartbreak is the best book that Ive read in months (not including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). This is the type of book that can only be written by someone who has experienced true grief, and Rabb is able to draw on her own life experiences to make this story feel real. She articulates the internal conflicts that emerge from the grief of losing a parent in a bittersweet, yet hopeful novel. Most importantly, Rabb is adamant that love will always live on, even after death.