Cameron and Jennifer were both unpopular and best friends until Cameron died. Years later when Jennifer is seventeen and has transformed herself into beautiful and popular Jenna, Cameron shows up at her school as the new kid! This book is full of mystery, suspense and heartache.

I really like Sara Zarr's books - she takes typical themes and creates something very meaningful around those themes. Jenna was once Jennifer - a fat girl who was very unliked by her schoolmates. She was teased cruelly except for one friend - Cameron Quick - who had his own problems. Jennifer's mother was working full time and going to nursing school, and she really neglected her allowing a terrible episode to happen with Cameron's abusive father. Then Cameron's family disappeared, Jenna believed they were dead, and she created a new life where she was popular and organized. Suddenly Cameron returns - causing her to question the life she has. The biggest part of this friendship and connection for Jenna and Cameron is what has happened to them together, and what Jenna's mom calls unfinished business. This sense of togetherness and love is amazing, strong and trumps everything else going on her life. I think this is a great story about friendship between a guy and a girl that never turns into anything romantic - it's just a strong connection that cannot be denied. I was also apalled by the mom and Jenna's relationship and how terrible it had become because of what had happened when she was nine. Very thoughtful, thought-provoking and unusual. ( )

Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

I enjoyed this book. SWEETHEARTS is a character-driven novel where there isn't much action but a big emotional journey with quite a kick.

Jennifer Harris is a social outcast. She is fat and the other girls in third grade are very mean. She eats lunch alone until the day that she decides to make Cameron Quick her friend. After that, she and Cameron are always together, both of them outcasts.

Then, one day Cameron disappears, and the other kids tell her that he is dead.

The book then forwards on to present day and Jennifer has recreated herself. She is pretty, popular, has a cute boyfriend, and has changed her name to Jenna. She is a senior but she feels like she is just acting a part. It takes a lot of energy to be the girl that she is.

Enter Cameron Quick -- who she thought was dead. He reenters her life and the past comes flooding back in big waves. They reconnect and discover what real love is all about. I liked the fact that this relationship between Cameron and Jennifer was real but not sexual. In fact, when she does have sex with her boyfriend she feels unconnected to him. This love is not about sex but about experiences that will live within you for a lifetime. It rushes in and takes over.

The characters of the story were real and you truly wanted to be their friends. I especially liked Jennifer's dad. He was someone that I wish I could talk with for hours. The book is also one that doesn't have a definitive ending. I kept thinking up fun endings for days afterwards. ( )

Its so..you just can’t wait to see what happening next. The most compelling aspect is when she realizes Cams not dead. Her and Cam didn’t date. AHS/AB

It’s a very touching book, I really enjoyed it! I loved how he came back for her and found her! I didn’t like the ending! They should’ve gotten together or something! It made me sad when they didn’t get together. I liked how he followed her and sent her something on her B-day it showed he still cared for her. AHS/MB

It kept you reading, and always left you wanting to know more. I couldn’t put it down! The way she strategically placed the details of the traumatic experience was great it made it impossible to stop reading. It was the first book I’ve read in a while that I read in one day. AHS/JC

It's not your typical sweetheart book love happens no matter what. Love happens. It was well written and was very sweet. AHS/TA

It’s one of those books you can’t put down and will think about for day after. I love how Jenna, the main character, grows from beginning to end. It was more than I expected. I thought it’d be your every day teen girl book about highschool drama, and while it had that it also had so much more. The writing was amazing Sara Zarr really pulls you in and everything is worded beautifully. It’s also on e of those books that really makes you think and learn a lesson about yourself. AHS/HK

It was really good id didn’t want to put it down. I love d the relationship and memories of the main characters. The most compelling aspect of the book for me was when Jenna told about her experience with Cameron and his dad and how Cameron had to get away. AHS/RK

I liked how the author would bring pack live flash backs. I also like how she changed and how she shows her feelings. AHS/BG

I liked a lot about this book. I liked how it is very realisitic. I like how it is very related to life because in most books they end really happy, and have happy endings or are just weird to me. I liked how Jenna told about how her and Cameron were before and described how she felt near the end. I found this book to be really good. I liked everything about this book. I just couldn't put it down, and usually I don't read a full book. So I loved it it was funny, cute, romantic, and sad all at the same time. AHS/SD

This book doesn't follow the classic "Prince Charming" story line. It is a new twist on a love story. AHS/KA

So many kids have rough childhoods that nobody knows about or acknowledges. As Jennifer, aka Fattifer, reconnects with her childhood sweetheart, her ONLY friend, she learns to really start dealing with her past that she has previously tried to bury. While I could see it being a book that girls may enjoy, I cannot “recommend” it due to the expletives (omg, – fecal material, etc.). In 4.5 hours it took for me to read the book, there were not any words the kids don’t already use, but the story could have been told without having the “boyfriend” (not the childhood sweetheart) calling Jenna a female dog and then having the comment repeated 4 more times. Having said that, I do see how it might help some kids… When Cameron comes back into her life, Jenna finally tells her mother about an incident that happened at age 9… Reading the book may give other kids the courage to tell an adult what needs to be told. Help cannot be given until somebody knows there is a problem (though a next door neighbor in the book came to tell Cameron’s father she would call the police AGAIN, but the situation didn’t change), the right person, the one willing to help, needs to know. ( )