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katieinca's review against another edition
3.0
Very sweet M-M holiday (Hanukkah) romance, plus a little magic thrown in (golem!) and a geeky D&D-loving protagonist with a sweet supportive family? Yes, please. This one's been on my to-read list for a while, and this break was the perfect time for it. I didn't realize it was a novella; it only took me about an hour!
ellelainey's review against another edition
5.0
This was a gorgeous little Hanukkah/Christmas story that doesn't disappoint. I'm a firm fan of Elliot Cooper's writing and this story was just as brilliant as every other I've read.
There was a great depiction of the holiday - Hanukkah - without it being a lecture on what the holiday or what it meant to people. Some books tend to be more of a lesson, but this one had a nice natural feel that allowed for a personal description of what the holiday meant to Dave, without being over-done. There was excellent writing style, description and characterisation. I loved the chemistry between Dave and Amit. The entire story is a really original twist on the "in love with the best friend/brother-in-law's uncle" idea.
I loved Jake, who was an excellently written trans character, as well as Dave's best friend and brother-in-law. Dave's bisexuality was nicely explored without being in-your-face. I love how both were mentioned, how they were dealt with in terms of the family's religious views and family setting. I also absolutely love the fact that there's an entire paragraph challenging all the thoughts I have in stories like these - is it weird, because of their legal relationship? Was Amit asexual, aromantic, straight? And did any of it matter if there was a connection. Major kudos to Elliot for adding that, because I'm always asking myself these questions in other stories and I didn't have to here, because it was done for me.
I loved the golem aspect of the story. It was a surprise, well written, and really well explained without, again, being over-done or a history lesson. At the same time, I really loved that Dave's love of pottery painting and his experiences with it had already been really nicely explored before the revelation.
I'm not a D&D player, but there was a really nice description of the game that will appeal to players and non-players alike, as it shows some really nice bonding time between Dave and Amid. I didn't need to follow it, because it wasn't overly technical, but more of a conversation that had nice balance.
And can I just say YES! to the fact that Dave's favourite childhood movies are Willow and The Princess Bride? It's like we had the same childhood!
Adorable, beautiful, and with great characters. There was a perfect ending, that left the story open and not at all clean cut and "forever" but still gave it the feel of hope and a future together. I'm never disappointed by this author and this one proves why. A perfect Christmas Day read.
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Favourite Quote
"He could just exist and feel tethered to some semblance of normalcy, locked in Amit's gaze. No pressure to talk. No pressure to be interesting. Just two souls sharing the same wavelength."
""I have so many questions," Dave said, his voice soft, as if Amit were so fragile that loud tones might break him.
A grin lit Amit's face with renewed strength as he laughed, deep and heart. "You always do.""
There was a great depiction of the holiday - Hanukkah - without it being a lecture on what the holiday or what it meant to people. Some books tend to be more of a lesson, but this one had a nice natural feel that allowed for a personal description of what the holiday meant to Dave, without being over-done. There was excellent writing style, description and characterisation. I loved the chemistry between Dave and Amit. The entire story is a really original twist on the "in love with the best friend/brother-in-law's uncle" idea.
I loved Jake, who was an excellently written trans character, as well as Dave's best friend and brother-in-law. Dave's bisexuality was nicely explored without being in-your-face. I love how both were mentioned, how they were dealt with in terms of the family's religious views and family setting. I also absolutely love the fact that there's an entire paragraph challenging all the thoughts I have in stories like these - is it weird, because of their legal relationship? Was Amit asexual, aromantic, straight? And did any of it matter if there was a connection. Major kudos to Elliot for adding that, because I'm always asking myself these questions in other stories and I didn't have to here, because it was done for me.
I loved the golem aspect of the story. It was a surprise, well written, and really well explained without, again, being over-done or a history lesson. At the same time, I really loved that Dave's love of pottery painting and his experiences with it had already been really nicely explored before the revelation.
I'm not a D&D player, but there was a really nice description of the game that will appeal to players and non-players alike, as it shows some really nice bonding time between Dave and Amid. I didn't need to follow it, because it wasn't overly technical, but more of a conversation that had nice balance.
And can I just say YES! to the fact that Dave's favourite childhood movies are Willow and The Princess Bride? It's like we had the same childhood!
Adorable, beautiful, and with great characters. There was a perfect ending, that left the story open and not at all clean cut and "forever" but still gave it the feel of hope and a future together. I'm never disappointed by this author and this one proves why. A perfect Christmas Day read.
-
Favourite Quote
"He could just exist and feel tethered to some semblance of normalcy, locked in Amit's gaze. No pressure to talk. No pressure to be interesting. Just two souls sharing the same wavelength."
""I have so many questions," Dave said, his voice soft, as if Amit were so fragile that loud tones might break him.
A grin lit Amit's face with renewed strength as he laughed, deep and heart. "You always do.""
katreadsalot's review against another edition
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? No
3.0
stillsarahjane's review
3.0
This was a really cute paranormal holiday romance novella, with an MM age-gap couple.
It was very sweet with a bit of pining. I've not read many Hanukkah romances so this was a noce change for me.
It was very sweet with a bit of pining. I've not read many Hanukkah romances so this was a noce change for me.
rosewelsh's review
3.0
Hearts Alight tells the story of Dave, an anti-consumerist, slightly anti-social bisexual Jewish man who tries to befriend his crush who is also his best friends' uncle. While I liked this book fine enough, and I am happy it exists in the world for those who would relate to it more, I had some issues with the romance aspect of it.
When Dave finds out Amit, his crush, is a golem after he nearly collapses at a bar, I expected some sort of supernatural or paranormal element to start infiltrating the story. We don't really get that aside from a few mentions of learning magic. I liked that Dave and Amit were a "normal" couple and didn't let the golem aspect of it matter to their lives, but at the same time it just seemed that everyone involved accepted that magic existed and this was real without batting an eyelash.
I also was a bit confused as to why the golem bit even existed in the story? Perhaps it was related to something Hebrew that went over my head, but honestly you could have the same story without the fact that Amit was a golem and it would read in the same way. There are a lot of things in the book that are brought up but dismissed with no resolution, like the fact that Amit is immortal. The author seems to spend more time describing a game of D&D than it does on any of the real supernatural elements. The fact that Amit was dying until Dave came into his life romantically happens about halfway through the book, and the story feels like it loses something at that point. There's nothing to build up to really after that point.
I love that this book has a M/M romance as well as Jewish characters, which is often hard to find and even harder to order in a physical format (as many are ebook only). It also had a holiday theme which was great. I initially found this while searching for romances that involved holidays other than Christmas, so I'm glad our library now has this as an option. I also loved the LGBT elements of this, especially the fact that a prominent character in this is a trans man and it is treated without pomp and circumstance. Jake was just a best friend who tried to help Dave in his life and his gender didn't define him as a character.
Overall this is a cute, short romance that would be great for any holiday romance display. Someone not knowledgeable about Hanukkah or Judaism may struggle to understand some of the things referenced, but learning is fun and this is a good way to get an intro.
Blog / Twitter
When Dave finds out Amit, his crush, is a golem after he nearly collapses at a bar, I expected some sort of supernatural or paranormal element to start infiltrating the story. We don't really get that aside from a few mentions of learning magic. I liked that Dave and Amit were a "normal" couple and didn't let the golem aspect of it matter to their lives, but at the same time it just seemed that everyone involved accepted that magic existed and this was real without batting an eyelash.
I also was a bit confused as to why the golem bit even existed in the story? Perhaps it was related to something Hebrew that went over my head, but honestly you could have the same story without the fact that Amit was a golem and it would read in the same way. There are a lot of things in the book that are brought up but dismissed with no resolution, like the fact that Amit is immortal. The author seems to spend more time describing a game of D&D than it does on any of the real supernatural elements. The fact that Amit was dying until Dave came into his life romantically happens about halfway through the book, and the story feels like it loses something at that point. There's nothing to build up to really after that point.
I love that this book has a M/M romance as well as Jewish characters, which is often hard to find and even harder to order in a physical format (as many are ebook only). It also had a holiday theme which was great. I initially found this while searching for romances that involved holidays other than Christmas, so I'm glad our library now has this as an option. I also loved the LGBT elements of this, especially the fact that a prominent character in this is a trans man and it is treated without pomp and circumstance. Jake was just a best friend who tried to help Dave in his life and his gender didn't define him as a character.
Overall this is a cute, short romance that would be great for any holiday romance display. Someone not knowledgeable about Hanukkah or Judaism may struggle to understand some of the things referenced, but learning is fun and this is a good way to get an intro.
Blog / Twitter
jkatiemarks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
- white Jewish cis m/m, bi x maybe gay, human x golem, anxious x stoic, Hanukkah, trans man sc
- this was so sweet!
- absolute loved the intentionality and care around their relationship development
eemms's review
4.0
Real cute! Maybe more of a 3.5 if I hadn't read so many disappointing holiday stories already this year that made this one such a welcome change. Hit just the right tone for me. Full review: https://dukedukegoose.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/hearts-alight-elliot-cooper/