332 reviews for:

Hearts Unbroken

Cynthia Leitich Smith

3.63 AVERAGE

literaryfeline's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

 Hearts Unbroken was the February selection for the Diverse Romance Book Club I am in. I haven't read much in the way of contemporary YA fiction, so this was a tad outside my norm. I enjoyed this romantic coming of age tale about Louise Wolfe during her senior year of high school. She is smart and not afraid to stand up those she cares about, even if only sometimes herself. Along with the everyday challenges teens face, Cynthia Leitich Smith tackles the serious issues of racism and discrimination, including zeroing in on microaggressions and more overt acts of bigotry.  

I enjoyed the high school newspaper setting and the way the student reporters show up for one another and their dedication to reporting the truth despite internal and external pressures. Joey, Louise's love interest, was a sweetheart and although I wish his character could have been fleshed out a little more, I thought he and Louise were well matched--much more so than Louise and Cam, her ex. Shelby, Louise's best friend, is another great character.

I adored Louise's family and how supportive they are of each other. Louise and her family are Native Muscogee (Creek), relatively new to Kansas, having moved there from Texas during the middle of Louise's junior year. Kansas appears to be a conscious choice for the setting given the musical at the heart of the controversary (set in Kansas); adding to that Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum's racist editorials about Native Americans. The uproar by groups like the Parents Against Revisionist Theater regarding casting non-white students in roles is very much a real world problem, sadly. In Hearts Unbroken, we see the escalation of the pressure and discrimination against the students and their families as well as the faculty. 

The author packs a lot into the novel, and I came away wishing there had been more development of the side characters as well as more attention given to certain aspects of the story for a deeper look into some of the themes presented. Even so, I think the author captures the essence of her teenage protagonist very well. For the seriousness of the topics covered in this romantic YA novel, the strength in community, family, and friends is at its heart. I enjoyed Hearts Unbroken overall. 

jenmulsow's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

booksaiyan's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved it. It had me raging and kicking my feet and raging some more. The slow progress of Lou to finally say something was so realistic. Her brother is so strong for being so young. and her family being so united was beautiful. For sure put into perspective into being the minority in the Midwest.

kristenreadswhat's review against another edition

3.0

Location: Kansas

Representation: Indigenous MC

Content warnings: racism; racial slurs; xenophobia; religious bigotry; bullying; hate crime; cultural appropriation

Quick review: This one was a quick & short read. I enjoyed it but wasn't overall wow'd by it. It felt a tad choppy. I don't know what it was missing, but I just wanted more.

peshy182's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.75

edodsonreads007's review

4.0

Hearts Unbroken was a pleasant surprise. This book was an assignment for a course for my literary certificate. I'd never heard of the author or this book prior to reading it.

This book is about a Native Muscogee girl named Lpuise and her family living in Kansas. The book follows her through her senior year in high school dealing with current, real-world society issues with other cultures and races in America.

Louise's family deals with trials and tribulations bringing them closer to each other as well as giving Louise a sense of purpose as a writer for her school's newspaper The Hive. Louise chooses to write about tough topics, one being the cast of The Wizard of OZ performance her school is putting on. The casting choices being "unconventional " because the cast members were of different cultures and races than the original storyline.

There was definitely tough subjects to digest. But an overall good read.

ameuche's review against another edition

3.0

I appreciated how this book dealt with heavy issues in an accessible way but it felt more middle grade than young adult to me. Which isn’t bad but didn’t exactly fit the high school atmosphere.

librosycafe25's review against another edition

5.0

Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5 (but since there's no half star I gave a 5)

When Louise Wolfe’s boyfriend, the star jock, disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over e-mail. She's a writer for her school newspaper and is paired up with Joey Kairouz. Together they have a story to cover. The school's musical director’s inclusive approach to casting The Wizard of Oz has been provoking a backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town.

The Parents Against Revisionist Theater (PART) is organized, Louise's family and non-white neighbors receive anonymous threats, and hostilities are spreading against teachers, parents, and students — especially the cast members at the center of the controversy, including Lou’s little brother, who’s playing the Tin Man.

These storylines make for an interesting and fast-paced read. Louise is smart, assertive and family focused. I liked her character and how the author showed how integral her family was to her self-identity.

What I found compelling was how Louise navigated what it means to be Native in a school and town which is predominately white while at the same time included how Louise also disrespects Joey's background. There are several examples of microaggressions in the story which are good examples of what many people of color live with daily.

There are a couple of minor issues (her quick sexual relationship with Joey and not much depth to her best friend) but overall this is a book worth reading. I'm going to read other books by this author because I enjoyed this novel.
I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

booked_by_danyelle's review against another edition

3.0

MAYBE: an important voice that is very underrepresented in YA fiction. Recognizable teen characters, believable voice, and a cute romance. However, pacing was a little uneven (short chapters, choppy scenes), and the novel lacked focus -- too many topics explored at once.

godseyz's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0