Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things – Jacqueline Firkins

Publication Date: December 17, 2019
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 384
Dates Read: December 12-16, 2019
Format: eARC provided by NetGalley and Publisher

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SYNOPSIS:

“Mansfield, Massachusetts is the last place seventeen-year-old Edie Price wants to spend her final summer before college. It’s the home of wealthy suburbanites and prima donnas like Edie’s cousins, who are determined to distract her from her mother’s death with cute boys and Cinderella-style makeovers. Edie has her own plans, and they don’t include a prince charming.

But as Edie dives into schoolwork and applying for college scholarships, she finds herself drawn to two Mansfield boys who start vying for her attention. First there’s Sebastian, Edie’s childhood friend and first love. He’s sweet and smart and . . . already has a girlfriend. Then there’s Henry, the local bad boy and all-around player. He’s totally off limits, even if his kisses are chemically addictive.

Both boys are trouble. Edie can’t help but get caught between them. Someone’s heart is going to break. Now she just has to make sure it isn’t hers”

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
3.5 STARS

This debut novel was a light and cute contemporary YA. It started out a little slow for me, but about 30% in, it really picked up and i zoomed through it. My favorite thing about the book is that there is a lot of heart poured into this story about self discovery and family relationships. I did feel that the character development fell flat a tiny bit. It almost felt as if Edie, even though she went through all this self discovery, didn’t change at all. I think this is why I didn’t absolutely love the romance although it was cute. I was not much of a fan of the ending. It might just be me, but I felt that she picked the wrong guy.

Overall, even though a few things fell flat for me, this was a sweet and enjoyable story, and I am glad that I picked it up.

Special thanks to Netgalley, HMH Books for young readers, and Jacqueline Firkins for the eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions

Content Note: Moderate amount of language throughout, some sexual innuendos, dialogue and situations with little to no detail, heavy kissing/petting, and teen drinking.