Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - How to Excavate a Heart

This book turned into more than I expected. The cover alone promises a very sweet romance and that’s certainly what I got. I grew to love these characters so much. It’s easy for the characters in these sweet romances to pass me by without too deep of an attachment, but at some point I just wanted to give these characters hugs and advice. The struggles of being young, figuring out your emotions and really just dealing with yourself was done so well. Shani definitely had some very irritating moments, but they were real and understandable. It never caused me to let her go. If anything, it made me want to help her.
This was a beautiful journey, perfect for this time of the year.

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stacy837's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

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sophie42's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

3.5

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avencl's review

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funny lighthearted medium-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

you know what guys. i loved this. the PERFECT little book for the lead up to finals like i truly got so into it and am considering buying a paper copy it's an instant classic to me!

(rr: needed something to read during class and i just plowed through this thing in like an hour or two of american studies plus some of math. happy pre-finals week to me!)

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siobhanward's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was fun and cute - definitely felt a lot like YA a lot of the time as Shanni could be self-centred and immature. However, she also was born in this millennium so she's young enough I won't hold it against her. I loved Raphael and Beatrice, although I wish we had learned more about Shanni's great grandmother, or honestly any of her family in general.

The romance plot was cute - it was very surface-level, but also I get it. This was definitely a book where a lot of the secondary characters were more interesting than the protagonists, so I wish we'd seen more of them, but it was still a fun read.

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costellar's review

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emotional 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

3.75

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mooglemania's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Honestly dull and overrated. Annoying characters with little to no chemistry. Basically skips from enemies to lovers with no in-between. And nothing really gets resolved in the end. The whole thing of it is miscommunication and they resolve it by talking a little. Still feels like there's a whole lot unresolved in the end. Oh and the diversity is mostly just some token characters of colour who barely speak and are just there to give advice once or twice. Even the main characters who are gay are pretty whitewashed and cishet presenting.

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mikwrites's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Get your sapphic young adult stereotypes here!

Jake Maia Arlow delivers a delightful Hallmark-esque holiday season romp through the lens of a young lesbian reeling from her first relationship.

How to Excavate a Heart is a fast-paced read, with characters you’ll grow to root for even if you’re not so sure on page one. It reads like a bubblegum pop album of sapphic fiction - a lot of fluff, a throughline of late-teen angst, and a hopeful finish. The big revelation Shani has around the relationship that just ended is set up well, giving the reader a good guess at what’s coming.
I do think the main Jewish characters could’ve been less “cookie cutter” - both are portrayed as pretty non-to-minimally observant Jewish girls. And the narrative still strangely feels centered around Christmas, even though both vocally don’t celebrate? It just feels a bit off.

Overall a quick, enjoyable read that I’ve already recommended to friends!

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