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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
emotional
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:
No
funny
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
This book was cute, light hearted and quirky. I needed a bright and happy book and this was the perfect mix of giggly. I admit, Oliver and Stella were my favorite and Felicity was sometimes “eh” but it was a cute book❤️
I can't get enough of this series-fast reads and super cute! While the first book was a bit more of a favorite, I still really enjoyed this one, though if I have one complaint it's that I wish there were more whole band scenes-their interactions and banter are my favorite!
I loved the first book in this series, The Heartbreakers, and was incredibly excited to dive back into this boy band world. I'm a sucker for the whole famous person + non-famous person fall in love trope, and this book did not disappoint! I quickly got sucked into the story of Alec and Felicity, and while I loved their romance, I also enjoyed that both of them had stuff going on in their lives outside of the love story-obstacles to overcome, friendships to develop, etc. I also loved getting to see the other members of the band again, and would even say I wish they had more of a presence in this book. Overall, this was a fun romance that teens who enjoy love stories will definitely want to read.
A Wattpad originated series, Paper Hearts by Ali Novak is the sequel to The Heartbreakers, following Felicity as she uncovers a family secret and goes on a spontaneous road trip shortly after meeting Alec from The Heartbreakers, a wildly popular boy band.
Although cheesy and unrealistic, I adored The Heartbreakers and loved every second reading the first novel where readers get a glimpse of the band members, including Alec. With the sequel however, I was hoping to learn more about Alec, but instead, I found myself a little disappointed despite enjoying Paper Hearts.
Felicity is a well-written character who struggles with her mother’s expectations, and many readers can relate to her struggles with saving for college. I especially enjoyed reading about her relationship with her best friends, Asha and Boomer, as they went on a search for her sister.
Paper Hearts is perfect for those who want a quick read with a boy band romance, family issues and strong friendships.
This review is originally posted on 60 Seconds Online Magazine
Although cheesy and unrealistic, I adored The Heartbreakers and loved every second reading the first novel where readers get a glimpse of the band members, including Alec. With the sequel however, I was hoping to learn more about Alec, but instead, I found myself a little disappointed despite enjoying Paper Hearts.
Felicity is a well-written character who struggles with her mother’s expectations, and many readers can relate to her struggles with saving for college. I especially enjoyed reading about her relationship with her best friends, Asha and Boomer, as they went on a search for her sister.
Paper Hearts is perfect for those who want a quick read with a boy band romance, family issues and strong friendships.
This review is originally posted on 60 Seconds Online Magazine
What a let down. I think my bubble just popped. I flew through the first one and even though I acknowledged that the writing was pretty abysmal, the storyline carried me through. I felt like this was basically the same style, the same pattern, the same characters, and the same bad writing. And it just was not nearly as enjoyable as I found the first one.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the first one in the series but I still liked it. I can't wait for more books.
Paper Hearts is the second book in The Heartbreakers Chronicles. This time, we're focused on Alec, the Heartbreakers' bassist. It's a sweet book, full of cute moments and fun shenanigans - just the kind of thing I look for in YA romances. Although Paper Hearts ditches a lot of the music/band focus from The Heartbreakers, it's still a fun return to the world and characters of The Heartbreakers Chronicles.
That said, I didn't enjoy Paper Hearts quite as much as I liked The Heartbreakers. It's a perfectly solid second installment, and a cute romance, but it didn't quite have the same spark to it that The Heartbreakers did.
The Good
Something I really enjoyed in Paper Hearts was the road trip element. There's something really appealing to me about road trips, especially in YA books, and it was fun to see Alec, Felicity, and Boomer driving up and down the West Coast in search of Felicity's sister (Asha was a bit of a different story). It fed into one of the things I really liked about Felicity and Alec's relationship, which was the slow, quiet build of it. Although they make an initial connection quickly, it takes a good while for that connection to turn into more than friendship and crushes. Paper Hearts finds a good balance, keeping the romance at a nice slow burn but also leaving plenty of space in the book for Alec and Felicity to actually be in the relationship.
I also liked the non-romance plot (which I would call a co-headliner in the book, as opposed to a B-plot like you'd often find in a romance-centered book). The quest to find Felicity's missing sister was interesting, and the family drama gave a nice depth to Paper Hearts.
(As an added bonus, Paper Hearts gave us the opportunity to check in on Stella. It was really cute to see how her relationship with Oliver and her friendship with the other Heartbreakers - especially Alec - had developed since the end of The Heartbreakers, and it was nice to know that Cara is still doing okay.)
The Mildly Disappointing
Coming back to that missing spark I mentioned, I think it was the Heartbreakers themselves. One of my favorite parts of The Heartbreakers - one of the things that made it more than just another celebrity romance book - was the friendship between the Heartbreakers. They're goofy and fun and idiotic, closer to brothers than bandmates, and it made The Heartbreakers into something special. But for most of Paper Hearts, the Heartbreakers are MIA. I don't think it's a coincidence that my favorite chunk of Paper Hearts was when Felicity, Alec, and co. stopped over at Safe House and hung out with the rest of the Heartbreakers and Stella. (Plus, it was a lot of fun to see Stella and Oliver's relationship from an outside POV; they're in a much more solid place than they were at the end of The Heartbreakers and it's so nice to see.)
I think the absence of the Heartbreakers was especially notable because Alec and Felicity are both somewhat reserved, introverted characters. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it does leave the book feeling a little slow and low-key at times. The chaos and high energy that the Heartbreakers bring would definitely have been welcome, particularly in the beginning of the book. (Plus, Alec is wholeheartedly a more interesting character when he's around his bandmates than on his own.)
The Problematic
The one thing in Paper Hearts that I had an actual problem with was Asha. There's a fine line between fan and creepy, stalker-ish fangirl, and Asha generally fell on the wrong side of it. Particularly given how much The Heartbreakers Chronicles seems to lean into the idea that these are just regular guys who happen to be rockstars, Asha's hero worship and prying questions were uncomfortable.
More than that was the fact that no one really called her out for her obsessive behavior. On occasion, Felicity or Boomer would call her out for a specific action (such as taking pictures of Alec's toothbrush to post on her blog), but it never felt like she was critiqued for the big picture. Her behavior got toned down some as the book went on, but I was still kinda uncomfortable with Asha hanging out with Alec and the Heartbreakers and with the way she viewed Alec and Felicity's relationship.
Overall
Paper Hearts was a cute follow-up to The Heartbreakers. Felicity and Alec make a cute couple, and I enjoyed seeing the world of The Heartbreakers Chronicles expand. I didn't like Paper Hearts quite as much as The Heartbreakers, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to the other two installments of The Heartbreakers Chronicles.
4/5
That said, I didn't enjoy Paper Hearts quite as much as I liked The Heartbreakers. It's a perfectly solid second installment, and a cute romance, but it didn't quite have the same spark to it that The Heartbreakers did.
The Good
Something I really enjoyed in Paper Hearts was the road trip element. There's something really appealing to me about road trips, especially in YA books, and it was fun to see Alec, Felicity, and Boomer driving up and down the West Coast in search of Felicity's sister (Asha was a bit of a different story). It fed into one of the things I really liked about Felicity and Alec's relationship, which was the slow, quiet build of it. Although they make an initial connection quickly, it takes a good while for that connection to turn into more than friendship and crushes. Paper Hearts finds a good balance, keeping the romance at a nice slow burn but also leaving plenty of space in the book for Alec and Felicity to actually be in the relationship.
I also liked the non-romance plot (which I would call a co-headliner in the book, as opposed to a B-plot like you'd often find in a romance-centered book). The quest to find Felicity's missing sister was interesting, and the family drama gave a nice depth to Paper Hearts.
(As an added bonus, Paper Hearts gave us the opportunity to check in on Stella. It was really cute to see how her relationship with Oliver and her friendship with the other Heartbreakers - especially Alec - had developed since the end of The Heartbreakers, and it was nice to know that Cara is still doing okay.)
The Mildly Disappointing
Coming back to that missing spark I mentioned, I think it was the Heartbreakers themselves. One of my favorite parts of The Heartbreakers - one of the things that made it more than just another celebrity romance book - was the friendship between the Heartbreakers. They're goofy and fun and idiotic, closer to brothers than bandmates, and it made The Heartbreakers into something special. But for most of Paper Hearts, the Heartbreakers are MIA. I don't think it's a coincidence that my favorite chunk of Paper Hearts was when Felicity, Alec, and co. stopped over at Safe House and hung out with the rest of the Heartbreakers and Stella. (Plus, it was a lot of fun to see Stella and Oliver's relationship from an outside POV; they're in a much more solid place than they were at the end of The Heartbreakers and it's so nice to see.)
I think the absence of the Heartbreakers was especially notable because Alec and Felicity are both somewhat reserved, introverted characters. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it does leave the book feeling a little slow and low-key at times. The chaos and high energy that the Heartbreakers bring would definitely have been welcome, particularly in the beginning of the book. (Plus, Alec is wholeheartedly a more interesting character when he's around his bandmates than on his own.)
The Problematic
The one thing in Paper Hearts that I had an actual problem with was Asha. There's a fine line between fan and creepy, stalker-ish fangirl, and Asha generally fell on the wrong side of it. Particularly given how much The Heartbreakers Chronicles seems to lean into the idea that these are just regular guys who happen to be rockstars, Asha's hero worship and prying questions were uncomfortable.
More than that was the fact that no one really called her out for her obsessive behavior. On occasion, Felicity or Boomer would call her out for a specific action (such as taking pictures of Alec's toothbrush to post on her blog), but it never felt like she was critiqued for the big picture. Her behavior got toned down some as the book went on, but I was still kinda uncomfortable with Asha hanging out with Alec and the Heartbreakers and with the way she viewed Alec and Felicity's relationship.
Overall
Paper Hearts was a cute follow-up to The Heartbreakers. Felicity and Alec make a cute couple, and I enjoyed seeing the world of The Heartbreakers Chronicles expand. I didn't like Paper Hearts quite as much as The Heartbreakers, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to the other two installments of The Heartbreakers Chronicles.
4/5