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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review.
This book was great, and a lot better than I originally was made out to believe. I thought this was one of those young adult contemporaries that could get lost among the rest but this book provided something that the others did not: Characters I care deeply about, a plot that connected all the characters and made everything interesting, the call out on racism, and the importance of family and friends. Another thing I enjoyed was the romance. It was pure and just cute!
This book also packed a punch! Of many multitudes. Like I previously mentioned, it called out the blatant racism from Isabella's Grandma, and how even from a young age Isabella knew it was wrong. Her dad ended up leaving the family because of it (not a major spoiler I promise). There was diversity, with multiple examples of integration of different languages (which was so cool and made it more real to life) and the culture brought by Isabella's mother, all so great!! I also loved the Habitat for Humanity storyline, it was unique and something I personally haven't seen done before in a young adult book. It's something I knew of already, but it's important to introduce it to younger people because it's an amazing thing.
Overall, this book was great and I would very much recommend it to anyone looking for a heart-wrenching yet heart warming young adult contemporary!
Received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review.
This book was great, and a lot better than I originally was made out to believe. I thought this was one of those young adult contemporaries that could get lost among the rest but this book provided something that the others did not: Characters I care deeply about, a plot that connected all the characters and made everything interesting, the call out on racism, and the importance of family and friends. Another thing I enjoyed was the romance. It was pure and just cute!
This book also packed a punch! Of many multitudes. Like I previously mentioned, it called out the blatant racism from Isabella's Grandma, and how even from a young age Isabella knew it was wrong. Her dad ended up leaving the family because of it (not a major spoiler I promise). There was diversity, with multiple examples of integration of different languages (which was so cool and made it more real to life) and the culture brought by Isabella's mother, all so great!! I also loved the Habitat for Humanity storyline, it was unique and something I personally haven't seen done before in a young adult book. It's something I knew of already, but it's important to introduce it to younger people because it's an amazing thing.
Overall, this book was great and I would very much recommend it to anyone looking for a heart-wrenching yet heart warming young adult contemporary!
Thanks to the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really like the writing style of this author, it is light, and quick paced, so much so that I read it in a day! It's very easy to not put it down.
However, it felt a lot like Jackpot: a poor POC girl reluctantly at first but then gives in to liking a very rich white boy who has a heart of gold underneath it all. She has a lively younger brother that pushes them together. At least with Jackpot their is a bit more discussion and nuance around race, class, being poor, here, I feel like it was brought up but not dealt with in any real way - the mother says she doesn't like using the word racist, and what is race anyway, etc.
I really like the writing style of this author, it is light, and quick paced, so much so that I read it in a day! It's very easy to not put it down.
However, it felt a lot like Jackpot: a poor POC girl reluctantly at first but then gives in to liking a very rich white boy who has a heart of gold underneath it all. She has a lively younger brother that pushes them together. At least with Jackpot their is a bit more discussion and nuance around race, class, being poor, here, I feel like it was brought up but not dealt with in any real way - the mother says she doesn't like using the word racist, and what is race anyway, etc.
This book was really good! I enjoyed the story of a half Puerto Rican finding her confidence and her true self also having a strong relationship with her best friend. Izzy, the main character, develops a lot because she was scared that her rich private school friends will find out that her family (the dad passed away) is poor and is living in a trailer park. She also had a hard time telling her background story to her boyfriend and finding her true home. Izzy hides herself from the world until she meets the right people and comes out to find her true self.
This story shows how people hide themselves from others and don’t share their personal stories because they would feel judged. Izzy did have a strong connection with her best friend and at the end with her family from her dad’s side. Izzy made some new friends along the way of her journey and also started to trust others with her life.
What I really enjoyed about this book is the way the author wrote it. She did an amazing job making the story come to life inside my hand and made it all an emotional joyride. I did love the way the author added snip bits of Izzy’s life from the past and the writing overrall. The author also put in some Spanish phrases which was cool in my opinion because it brings out that Puerto Rican side of Izzy. There was nothing I hated about this book.
This story shows how people hide themselves from others and don’t share their personal stories because they would feel judged. Izzy did have a strong connection with her best friend and at the end with her family from her dad’s side. Izzy made some new friends along the way of her journey and also started to trust others with her life.
What I really enjoyed about this book is the way the author wrote it. She did an amazing job making the story come to life inside my hand and made it all an emotional joyride. I did love the way the author added snip bits of Izzy’s life from the past and the writing overrall. The author also put in some Spanish phrases which was cool in my opinion because it brings out that Puerto Rican side of Izzy. There was nothing I hated about this book.
4.5 stars.
How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian is a poignant, humorous young adult novel of self discovery.
Sixteen year old Isabella "Izzy" Crawford, her Mami and younger brother Jack have moved from place to place ever since her beloved, larger than life father died in Iraq six years earlier. The family now lives in a mobile home park and she and Jack attend a private Catholic school. While she is best friends with neighbor Roz Jenkins, Izzy does not allow her two very disparate worlds to collide. Partly because Roz is extremely vocal about her opinions of her wealthy classmates. And partly because she does not want her wealthier school friends to know where she lives. But Izzy's unexpected friendship with fellow a capella singer Aubrey Shackelton puts her in an uncomfortable position as she keeps the truth about herself carefully hidden. Her life is further complicated when her family is selected for a new home by Habitat for Humanity. Putting in sweat equity is no problem, but putting her face and family story out into the world for all her friends to see? Not. A. Chance.
Izzy is a smart young woman who wants to please her mom but she is grappling with her sense of self. She is compassionate and caring, yet she runs from her problems instead of facing them head on. This tendency leads to a huge problem between her and Roz when Izzy hides something very important from her friend. When she can no longer keep the truth about herself from being revealed, Izzy runs to her father's family. Will she find the answers she is searching for within her estranged extended family?
Roz is a little wild and a lot resentful of her wealthier classmates. Her home life is incredibly dysfunctional and the Crawfords are a safe haven when things spiral out of control. Izzy is quick to defend Roz to Mami, who thinks she is not a good influence on her daughter. Will their friendship survive the changes occurring in Izzy's life?
How to Build a Heart is a heartwarming novel with a wonderful cast of diverse characters. Izzy undergoes a great deal of growth as she works to reconcile her conflicted feelings about herself, her family and her place in the world. Mami is a strict but strong role model for her children. There is also a slight romantic element to the storyline when Izzy's relationship with a friend takes an unexpected turn. Maria Padian brings this charming novel to heartfelt and uplifting conclusion. I highly recommend this enchanting young adult novel teen and adult readers.
How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian is a poignant, humorous young adult novel of self discovery.
Sixteen year old Isabella "Izzy" Crawford, her Mami and younger brother Jack have moved from place to place ever since her beloved, larger than life father died in Iraq six years earlier. The family now lives in a mobile home park and she and Jack attend a private Catholic school. While she is best friends with neighbor Roz Jenkins, Izzy does not allow her two very disparate worlds to collide. Partly because Roz is extremely vocal about her opinions of her wealthy classmates. And partly because she does not want her wealthier school friends to know where she lives. But Izzy's unexpected friendship with fellow a capella singer Aubrey Shackelton puts her in an uncomfortable position as she keeps the truth about herself carefully hidden. Her life is further complicated when her family is selected for a new home by Habitat for Humanity. Putting in sweat equity is no problem, but putting her face and family story out into the world for all her friends to see? Not. A. Chance.
Izzy is a smart young woman who wants to please her mom but she is grappling with her sense of self. She is compassionate and caring, yet she runs from her problems instead of facing them head on. This tendency leads to a huge problem between her and Roz when Izzy hides something very important from her friend. When she can no longer keep the truth about herself from being revealed, Izzy runs to her father's family. Will she find the answers she is searching for within her estranged extended family?
Roz is a little wild and a lot resentful of her wealthier classmates. Her home life is incredibly dysfunctional and the Crawfords are a safe haven when things spiral out of control. Izzy is quick to defend Roz to Mami, who thinks she is not a good influence on her daughter. Will their friendship survive the changes occurring in Izzy's life?
How to Build a Heart is a heartwarming novel with a wonderful cast of diverse characters. Izzy undergoes a great deal of growth as she works to reconcile her conflicted feelings about herself, her family and her place in the world. Mami is a strict but strong role model for her children. There is also a slight romantic element to the storyline when Izzy's relationship with a friend takes an unexpected turn. Maria Padian brings this charming novel to heartfelt and uplifting conclusion. I highly recommend this enchanting young adult novel teen and adult readers.
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
The story focuses on Izzy. Since her father was tragically killed while deployed, she and her mom and brother have moved often and been trying to find someplace to call home. At their newest stop, Izzy loves her school. However, even though she finds friends and a boyfriend, she's doing this with a secret. She's on scholarship, and she doesn't have the privilege that the other students do. Her family has also been selected for a Habitat for Humanity build. While exciting, Izzy doesn't want to be the face of this project, especially because she doesn't want her classmates to find out who she really is. She especially doesn't want her boyfriend to know as she's never had a relationship like this. This book explores the complexities of one girl's story. She is in some ways living multiple lives and cannot live her full truth in any of them. Like many young adult reads, I think about when I was the target audience. This is definitely a story I would have been drawn to. I would have liked the love story overlayed with the difficulties of Izzy trying to find herself.
This YA novel is fairly well written and will appeal to young teens and older "teens at heart" who can relate to the themes of the book which are fitting in, falling in love and finding their place in the world.
The target reader is definitely a younger-teenage group.
It deals with friendships, families, mother daughter relationships, sibling relationships, loss of a parent, and most prominently: accepting who you are.
A very light easy read, I went to the library ten minutes before closing to search for a specific book which they did not end up having, and grabbed one of the first I saw, which happened to be this. I had low expectations but it isn't as bad as I anticipated, but I still doubt I'd recommend it to anyone near my age group..
The second half began to deal in deeper topics such as more family issues and even discussions about race in a very realistic and powerful way.
The target reader is definitely a younger-teenage group.
It deals with friendships, families, mother daughter relationships, sibling relationships, loss of a parent, and most prominently: accepting who you are.
A very light easy read, I went to the library ten minutes before closing to search for a specific book which they did not end up having, and grabbed one of the first I saw, which happened to be this. I had low expectations but it isn't as bad as I anticipated, but I still doubt I'd recommend it to anyone near my age group..
The second half began to deal in deeper topics such as more family issues and even discussions about race in a very realistic and powerful way.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy at an event for librarians. This was an engaging read that I tore through. I liked the story, and I thought the discussion around donors and recipients for Habitat for Humanity homes was very interesting and provided food for thought. The relationship between Izzy and her neighbor was real, but painful. I wanted to shake Izzy and tell her that you don't get a true friend very often.
The character of Sam really annoyed me though. He was so perfect, it was unrealistic. I didn't have any sense of why beautiful, athletic, popular, rich Sam was interested in Izzy except for the fact that she was new and didn't go to his school. He sounded like kind of a player, even while being super nice to Izzy and his sister. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Izzy to get hurt by him. I suppose it is nice to have a YA novel where things go pretty well, but this still could have happened without Sam being so one-dimensional.
I liked many of the adult women characters in this book. Izzy's mother, the church ladies, and Betts, are all strong women who hold each other up and are willing to defy convention. But they are minor characters in the book.
The character of Sam really annoyed me though. He was so perfect, it was unrealistic. I didn't have any sense of why beautiful, athletic, popular, rich Sam was interested in Izzy except for the fact that she was new and didn't go to his school. He sounded like kind of a player, even while being super nice to Izzy and his sister. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Izzy to get hurt by him. I suppose it is nice to have a YA novel where things go pretty well, but this still could have happened without Sam being so one-dimensional.
I liked many of the adult women characters in this book. Izzy's mother, the church ladies, and Betts, are all strong women who hold each other up and are willing to defy convention. But they are minor characters in the book.
I hardly ever click with YA anymore but I thoroughly enjoyed How to Build a Heart. I thought Padian wrote a lovely, wholehearted book about teens struggling with meaningful issues.
Izzy was a delightful protagonist - per YA norms, we do have to watch her make some painstakingly horrible decisions and suffer the consequences, but she was always empathetic and I found her spirit and love for her family to be incredibly admirable. The Habitat for Humanity storyline was really interesting, and certainly unique to this book.
Really, this story is a teen romance, but it's about poverty, living as a person of mixed race, feeling caught between two worlds, family, friendship, and much more. It actually reminded me of a less intense The Hate U Give - there were similar themes and the heroines were both strong-willed teenagers who felt caught between two worlds and struggled to find their own identity.
Thank you to Netgalley and Algonquin for providing me an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Out 1/28/20
Izzy was a delightful protagonist - per YA norms, we do have to watch her make some painstakingly horrible decisions and suffer the consequences, but she was always empathetic and I found her spirit and love for her family to be incredibly admirable. The Habitat for Humanity storyline was really interesting, and certainly unique to this book.
Really, this story is a teen romance, but it's about poverty, living as a person of mixed race, feeling caught between two worlds, family, friendship, and much more. It actually reminded me of a less intense The Hate U Give - there were similar themes and the heroines were both strong-willed teenagers who felt caught between two worlds and struggled to find their own identity.
Thank you to Netgalley and Algonquin for providing me an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Out 1/28/20