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ilsejose's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
steffmau's review against another edition
3.0
I must admit, I picked up Fierce Fragile Hearts at probably just about over half way through Beautiful Broken Things; I genuinely couldn't wait to see what happens to the girls and really liked Sara's writing and approach to hard subjects.
This was a great follow up! It continued to feature important messages, moments that caught you and Suze's neighbour was an absolute treasure! Another lovely read, but less stars as I wasn't quite as invested as the first read and the love interests / focus bummed me out a little, as having hardly relationship drama within this first read was refreshing for a YA read.
Overall another great book from Sara and I have a couple more of hers on my shelf to read which I'm looking forward too!
This was a great follow up! It continued to feature important messages, moments that caught you and Suze's neighbour was an absolute treasure! Another lovely read, but less stars as I wasn't quite as invested as the first read and the love interests / focus bummed me out a little, as having hardly relationship drama within this first read was refreshing for a YA read.
Overall another great book from Sara and I have a couple more of hers on my shelf to read which I'm looking forward too!
phoenixfaie's review against another edition
5.0
I was so excited when I saw that this was available to request on NetGalley, and even more so when I was approved- I had LOVED Beautiful Broken Things last year so I definitely wanted to read this.
Fierce Fragile Hearts starts with Suzanne moving back to Brighton after moving away and getting help after her spiral in Beautiful Broken Things.
This time Suzanne is trying to stand on her own two feet, she has her own bedsit, she has a job and she ends up befriending the elderly lady Dilys from the flat below- I honestly believe this may have been my favourite friendship because it was just so pure.
Caddy and Roz are moving off to University, and unfortunately, long distance friendships can have problems, especially when you have a tendency to shut people out when you start to spiral and get stuck in your head.
It was interesting reading from Suzanne's perspective- although it was also quite hard at times as well as she has a LOT of problems and my heart was breaking for her the more we found out about her history, Sara has a way of writing that I wanted to reach out and just hug Suzanne, I don't have my own children but I have nephews and a niece and the thought of anyone harming them is soul destroying so for Suzanne to go through what she did and have people act like she is over reacting broke my heart.
I think that Caddy and Roz being away at university was better for Suzanne in the end, it helped her form connections and bonds with other people, while there is a potential for a certain romantic relationship I love that Sara left them as just friends in the end (with maybe something in the future... just saying, if Sara wants to give us a third book with these characters I would not mind at all).
For all the faults Suzanne seems to think she has I honestly believe she has more strength than she ever realised.
I will 100% be purchasing the paperback when it is released in February next year.
Fierce Fragile Hearts starts with Suzanne moving back to Brighton after moving away and getting help after her spiral in Beautiful Broken Things.
This time Suzanne is trying to stand on her own two feet, she has her own bedsit, she has a job and she ends up befriending the elderly lady Dilys from the flat below- I honestly believe this may have been my favourite friendship because it was just so pure.
Caddy and Roz are moving off to University, and unfortunately, long distance friendships can have problems, especially when you have a tendency to shut people out when you start to spiral and get stuck in your head.
It was interesting reading from Suzanne's perspective- although it was also quite hard at times as well as she has a LOT of problems and my heart was breaking for her the more we found out about her history, Sara has a way of writing that I wanted to reach out and just hug Suzanne, I don't have my own children but I have nephews and a niece and the thought of anyone harming them is soul destroying so for Suzanne to go through what she did and have people act like she is over reacting broke my heart.
I think that Caddy and Roz being away at university was better for Suzanne in the end, it helped her form connections and bonds with other people, while there is a potential for a certain romantic relationship I love that Sara left them as just friends in the end (with maybe something in the future... just saying, if Sara wants to give us a third book with these characters I would not mind at all).
For all the faults Suzanne seems to think she has I honestly believe she has more strength than she ever realised.
I will 100% be purchasing the paperback when it is released in February next year.
melissyteapot73's review against another edition
5.0
I have NEVER cried so many times reading a book. Sad tears, happy tears, ugly tears. Damn you, Barnard, damn you!
meganlowe10's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
ashortbooklover's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautiful and powerful story from a clear champion of UKYA that left me in an emotional wreck.
I’ve previously discussed how I rarely cry at books, but FFH succeeds in making me break that, not just once, but multiple times.
Suzanne has such a memorable and brilliant voice. She is allowed to be fragile and vulnerable, allowing room for growth and development. This fragility also lets Barnard have a frank and raw discussion of mental health and the rocky road of recovery. Safe to say, I utterly loved reading Suzanne’s story. That’s the beauty of Barnard’s writing, all of her charcaters are flawed and relatable.
All three of the friendship group have evolved from Beautiful Broken Things and their journey seems authentic and relatable, which adds another emotional layer to this incredible book.
This tackles some heavy issues, but with respect and clear consideration. It can be intense and dark, so please check the trigger warnings for this book before reading it.
A heart-breaking and utterly beautiful story that I will treasure for a long time.
I’ve previously discussed how I rarely cry at books, but FFH succeeds in making me break that, not just once, but multiple times.
Suzanne has such a memorable and brilliant voice. She is allowed to be fragile and vulnerable, allowing room for growth and development. This fragility also lets Barnard have a frank and raw discussion of mental health and the rocky road of recovery. Safe to say, I utterly loved reading Suzanne’s story. That’s the beauty of Barnard’s writing, all of her charcaters are flawed and relatable.
All three of the friendship group have evolved from Beautiful Broken Things and their journey seems authentic and relatable, which adds another emotional layer to this incredible book.
This tackles some heavy issues, but with respect and clear consideration. It can be intense and dark, so please check the trigger warnings for this book before reading it.
A heart-breaking and utterly beautiful story that I will treasure for a long time.
brinchen's review against another edition
4.0
4 Stars
Read this and other reviews here: Brina and the Books
Fierce Fragile Hearts (FFH) wasn’t very high up my TBR after reading Beautiful Broken Things (BBT), book one, last year. I liked BBT but something held me back from picking up FFH – until last month. Now, I’m actually glad that I read it because I really enjoyed the story.
This time around we get to read the story from Suzanne’s POV who moves back to Brighton in the beginning of the story. Just like BBT, the main focus is the girls’ friendship – this time around it’s a long distant friendship though, since both Rosie and Caddy move away to study in different parts of the UK. The issues the friends have to face, e.g. finding new friends, having your first real relationship, finding out who you truly are with a possible change of character, staying less in contact with old friends, are pretty accurate and were presented very well by Barnard. Change is never easy and it’s difficult for everyone but it’s inevitable and sometimes necessary to grow as a person and as friends.
What I enjoyed the most was getting to know Suzanne properly. Even though she was already a main character in the previous book, the reader only got to know her through Caddy’s POV. The reader never had the chance to look behind her always tough and happy façade – until now.
Suzanne is a really interesting and complex character. I understand her better now and also finally know the reason for the things she did.
There were only a few characters in this book that I didn’t like: Suzanne’s mom and Caddy. Whereas Suzanne’s mom was simply a bad person, Caddy was mostly annoying and a bad friend in my opinion.
I really liked Dilys and Rosie. Is there a book planned for Rosie?
Besides tackling friendship issues and living alone for the first time, FFH is also about accepting yourself for who you are, conquering your fears and demons, and coming out stronger on the other side. It’s easy for some of us and difficult for others, but I believe that choosing yourself in certain life situations is the key to being happy. Choosing yourself is not selfish and it doesn’t mean that you think others are not important. It simply means that you value yourself because you are important too and you should do what’s best for you and not for others.
“This is your only life, and it is short. Surround yourself with people who love you.”
To me, FFH is different than other typical YAs these days. The story is refreshing but mostly real, and honest. I didn’t think I would enjoy FFH as much as I did. But those are the best books right?
“Of course I’m scared of [love]. How can I not be? That’s what I don’t understand. Giving yourself to someone that way, exposing all the vulnerable parts of you. How could you ever trust anyone that much? How could you ever trust yourself that much? Letting someone love you like that is giving them ammunition to destroy you. The more you care, the more it hurts.”
**********
I enjoyed this way more than book 1!
RTC!
Read this and other reviews here: Brina and the Books
Fierce Fragile Hearts (FFH) wasn’t very high up my TBR after reading Beautiful Broken Things (BBT), book one, last year. I liked BBT but something held me back from picking up FFH – until last month. Now, I’m actually glad that I read it because I really enjoyed the story.
This time around we get to read the story from Suzanne’s POV who moves back to Brighton in the beginning of the story. Just like BBT, the main focus is the girls’ friendship – this time around it’s a long distant friendship though, since both Rosie and Caddy move away to study in different parts of the UK. The issues the friends have to face, e.g. finding new friends, having your first real relationship, finding out who you truly are with a possible change of character, staying less in contact with old friends, are pretty accurate and were presented very well by Barnard. Change is never easy and it’s difficult for everyone but it’s inevitable and sometimes necessary to grow as a person and as friends.
What I enjoyed the most was getting to know Suzanne properly. Even though she was already a main character in the previous book, the reader only got to know her through Caddy’s POV. The reader never had the chance to look behind her always tough and happy façade – until now.
Suzanne is a really interesting and complex character. I understand her better now and also finally know the reason for the things she did.
There were only a few characters in this book that I didn’t like: Suzanne’s mom and Caddy. Whereas Suzanne’s mom was simply a bad person, Caddy was mostly annoying and a bad friend in my opinion.
I really liked Dilys and Rosie. Is there a book planned for Rosie?
Besides tackling friendship issues and living alone for the first time, FFH is also about accepting yourself for who you are, conquering your fears and demons, and coming out stronger on the other side. It’s easy for some of us and difficult for others, but I believe that choosing yourself in certain life situations is the key to being happy. Choosing yourself is not selfish and it doesn’t mean that you think others are not important. It simply means that you value yourself because you are important too and you should do what’s best for you and not for others.
“This is your only life, and it is short. Surround yourself with people who love you.”
To me, FFH is different than other typical YAs these days. The story is refreshing but mostly real, and honest. I didn’t think I would enjoy FFH as much as I did. But those are the best books right?
“Of course I’m scared of [love]. How can I not be? That’s what I don’t understand. Giving yourself to someone that way, exposing all the vulnerable parts of you. How could you ever trust anyone that much? How could you ever trust yourself that much? Letting someone love you like that is giving them ammunition to destroy you. The more you care, the more it hurts.”
**********
I enjoyed this way more than book 1!
RTC!
rrachowww's review against another edition
3.0
so much better than the first book!! Although it borders on cheesy at times and it gave a bit of my little pony friendship is magic. But anyway I still preferred reading about suzanne's trauma and the way that she's dealing with her shit feels so realistic. I really liked that the ending wasn't all flowers and rainbows and she didn't magically get over her issues with the power of love or some shit. The other characters were also so wonderfully flawed and I love all the drama.
bookphenomena_micky's review against another edition
4.0
FIERCE FRAGILE HEARTS did not disappoint carrying on the story of the three friends but this time with Suzanne as the protagonist. I was absolutely ready to get into Suzanne’s head and life; she was messed up and complex but I loved her honesty, humility and character growth. Suzanne was bravely stepping into independent life, in a bedsit and with a job.
Suzanne, Caddy and Rosie were two years on, 18-going-on-19 and they were all transformed in a realistic way. Lots had happened since the days of BEAUTIFUL BROKEN THINGS and Caddy seemed to be the most different, sometimes good and sometimes not so much. Suzanne had a big heart, it might have been fragile but I could feel it getting stronger and from this, her individuality began to shine.
Kel and Matt were brilliantly woven into the story. I loved Kel’s friendship and everything to do with Matt was welcome. Dilys was the warmest addition to the storyline as was Henry.
This duo of books finishes in a good position and yet I still want more so if Sara Barnard would please write these three, especially Suzanne in the future, I will be queuing to buy it.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Suzanne, Caddy and Rosie were two years on, 18-going-on-19 and they were all transformed in a realistic way. Lots had happened since the days of BEAUTIFUL BROKEN THINGS and Caddy seemed to be the most different, sometimes good and sometimes not so much. Suzanne had a big heart, it might have been fragile but I could feel it getting stronger and from this, her individuality began to shine.
Kel and Matt were brilliantly woven into the story. I loved Kel’s friendship and everything to do with Matt was welcome. Dilys was the warmest addition to the storyline as was Henry.
This duo of books finishes in a good position and yet I still want more so if Sara Barnard would please write these three, especially Suzanne in the future, I will be queuing to buy it.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
hargunkaursachdev's review against another edition
4.0
TW for the book: Physical and emotional abuse.
This book, like the first, made me cry. However, this one made me cry a lot more. Kind of constantly throughout the book. I think that's because it's so relevant to me right now. For someone who is trying to adult + deal with their mental health and years of trauma, this book can be cathartic, if they are like me and like to sit and process everything. Not for those who rather not label things and deal with them right away.
I understood Suze because I have friends like her and because I too have been like her. And that's also why I understood Caddy.
This book filled my heart with joy and hope and it got a lot of things about abuse and healing correct which was a relief because when books try to pick such topics but can't handle them with care it's the worst thing.
This book, like the first, made me cry. However, this one made me cry a lot more. Kind of constantly throughout the book. I think that's because it's so relevant to me right now. For someone who is trying to adult + deal with their mental health and years of trauma, this book can be cathartic, if they are like me and like to sit and process everything. Not for those who rather not label things and deal with them right away.
I understood Suze because I have friends like her and because I too have been like her. And that's also why I understood Caddy.
This book filled my heart with joy and hope and it got a lot of things about abuse and healing correct which was a relief because when books try to pick such topics but can't handle them with care it's the worst thing.