paper hearts review

paper hearts by ali novak (the heartbreakers, book 2)

release date: july 4, 2017

overall rating: 4.1/5

characters: 4

relationships: 4

plot: 4.5

writing: 4

genre: YA, contemporary, romance

synopsis: 

Felicity has her entire future planned. Ever since her older sister ran away, she’s had the full weight of her mother’s expectations on her shoulders. So she works hard to get straight As and save for college.

Except sometimes the best things in life are unplanned-like when Felicity meets a handsome, masked stranger while she is volunteering at a charity masquerade ball. She never thought he’d flirt with her. And she certainly never thought he’d turn out to be a member of the world-famous Heartbreakers band, Alec.

Then Felicity uncovers a shocking family secret. Suddenly, she, Alec, and her two best friends are off on a road trip to find Felicity’s missing sister. And she’s about to discover that unexpected turns have a peculiar way of landing her right where she needs to be…

*i received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

my thoughts:

i read ali novak’s the heartbreakers a while ago and really enjoyed, so when i found paper hearts on netgalley, i had to request a copy! i actually didn’t realize it was a sequel (oops) to the heartbreakers, but that kinda raised my expectations. although paper hearts was definitely an enjoyable read, i thought the first book was significantly better.

the main characters in paper hearts are likable and interesting, but i wish there was more development. i felt like there were a lot of character tropes, which made me feel kinda eh. there are also clichés with the relationships and the plot, which i wasn’t a huge fan of. however, i did like the romance (even though there is some instalove)! the family relationships are also pretty interesting, but i felt like everything was resolved too easily. as with the characters themselves, i wish all the relationships had been developed better, which could have added a lot of depth to the story.

the plot is interesting and definitely kept my attention! it wasn’t that i couldn’t put the book down, but i wanted to find out what happened next, which made me keep reading. the beginning and middle of the story are paced well, but i think the end is too rushed, and some events throughout the story also seem really sudden.

despite everything, i really liked the writing style! ali novak’s writing is very real, and i can feel felicity’s personality through her narration. the writing feels alive and honest without being convoluted or too simple.

overall, paper hearts is an enjoyable read, even though it uses some clichés and tropes.

goodreads || book depository

have you read this? what did you think?