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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Thank you Macmillan for sending me a copy!
I finished this in a few hours and I'm still processing my feelings about it. This book is by no means "bad." I just expected a lot more. I expected to be sobbing uncontrollably into my teddy bear by the end and it just didn't happen.
I am hopelessly bad at predicting how books will end, but I called this one from the start. Was it romantic? Eh, sure. I was ok with it. I didn't find Owen as swoony as Peyton did, and I am a constant swooner.
However,I've never read a book that looks at steroid usage in sports, so I am grateful that this book tackles this subject--although my knowledge is limited and I can't (and won't) speak to the validity of the experience.
I'm flitting between 2.5 - 3 stars. Maybe I came in with too high expectations, but I also just felt whelmed overall.
I finished this in a few hours and I'm still processing my feelings about it. This book is by no means "bad." I just expected a lot more. I expected to be sobbing uncontrollably into my teddy bear by the end and it just didn't happen.
I am hopelessly bad at predicting how books will end, but I called this one from the start. Was it romantic? Eh, sure. I was ok with it. I didn't find Owen as swoony as Peyton did, and I am a constant swooner.
However,
I'm flitting between 2.5 - 3 stars. Maybe I came in with too high expectations, but I also just felt whelmed overall.
Pour ma chronique complète : https://laviedekat.wordpress.com/2020/05/30/chronique-broken-beautiful-hearts-par-kami-garcia/
"La romance est vraiment cute. Elle ne m’a pas semblé précipitée ni forcée ce qui est vraiment bien. Je trouvais leurs interactions crédibles pour leur âge. J’ai trouvé le contexte scolaire de l’histoire plutôt crédible aussi, ils ont des cours, ils ont des devoirs, ils ont des activités sportives, mais pourtant ils ont quand même l’air d’être des adolescents. J’ai particulièrement aimé les liens fait avec le football, ça m’a rappelé la série Friday Night Lights que j’avais adoré."
"La romance est vraiment cute. Elle ne m’a pas semblé précipitée ni forcée ce qui est vraiment bien. Je trouvais leurs interactions crédibles pour leur âge. J’ai trouvé le contexte scolaire de l’histoire plutôt crédible aussi, ils ont des cours, ils ont des devoirs, ils ont des activités sportives, mais pourtant ils ont quand même l’air d’être des adolescents. J’ai particulièrement aimé les liens fait avec le football, ça m’a rappelé la série Friday Night Lights que j’avais adoré."
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCferU-BCL2dlFjWdD0rS75Q
Peyton is an aspiring soccer player, heading to college with a spot on the team. When she discovers a secret her boyfriend is hiding, she confronts him. She ends up falling down the stairs, causing a serious knee injury, jeopardizing her spot on the soccer field. She says she was pushed, but no one believes her. She decides to go live with her uncle in order to rehab her knee but ends up meeting a boy named Owen, who she can't seem to stay away from.
I related to Peyton so much on a personal level. I too had a career-ending injury, not as traumatic as hers, but I can definitely relate to that feeling of lost identity. I also relate to the end of her relationship, as mine went down the same way (minus the fall down the stairs). I like how she refused to entertain her abusive ex-boyfriend, but I wish she had asked for help when he began stalking her. I also like how this dealt with the aftermath of speaking up in a realistic way. Sometimes, people don't believe you and that can be scary when you know you're speaking the truth, but I love how Peyton stood up for herself and refused to back down about what she knew happened to her. I love how she had a support system around her as well. Owen was also a great love interest, and I really liked the slow-burn between them. I like that he was patient and didn't push Peyton into anything she didn't want to do. I also love how he helped her work through the emotions of losing her father. The twins were definitely my favourite characters of the story, they were just so loyal and adorable. The girl-on-girl hate was a bit annoying, feeling very tropey because it involved the bitchy cheerleaders... but I did like how Peyton developed a positive friendship with Grace in the end.
Overall, a fast read, dealing with some heavier topics, but is very well done!
Peyton is an aspiring soccer player, heading to college with a spot on the team. When she discovers a secret her boyfriend is hiding, she confronts him. She ends up falling down the stairs, causing a serious knee injury, jeopardizing her spot on the soccer field. She says she was pushed, but no one believes her. She decides to go live with her uncle in order to rehab her knee but ends up meeting a boy named Owen, who she can't seem to stay away from.
I related to Peyton so much on a personal level. I too had a career-ending injury, not as traumatic as hers, but I can definitely relate to that feeling of lost identity. I also relate to the end of her relationship, as mine went down the same way (minus the fall down the stairs). I like how she refused to entertain her abusive ex-boyfriend, but I wish she had asked for help when he began stalking her. I also like how this dealt with the aftermath of speaking up in a realistic way. Sometimes, people don't believe you and that can be scary when you know you're speaking the truth, but I love how Peyton stood up for herself and refused to back down about what she knew happened to her. I love how she had a support system around her as well. Owen was also a great love interest, and I really liked the slow-burn between them. I like that he was patient and didn't push Peyton into anything she didn't want to do. I also love how he helped her work through the emotions of losing her father. The twins were definitely my favourite characters of the story, they were just so loyal and adorable. The girl-on-girl hate was a bit annoying, feeling very tropey because it involved the bitchy cheerleaders... but I did like how Peyton developed a positive friendship with Grace in the end.
Overall, a fast read, dealing with some heavier topics, but is very well done!
This review and more can be found at The Heart of a Book Blogger.
Kami Garcia is an author whose books have been in my TBR for a long time, but here latest, Broken Beautiful Hearts, is the first book of hers that I have read! I’m really glad to have started with a story that is very close to her own personal experiences, which you can read more about in this essay.
Peyton believes in having one perfect day and that her’s is here when she gets offered a spot on the soccer of her top college pick. This day isn’t as perfect as she believes when she discovers that her boyfriend Reed (who is also her best friend’s older brother) has been taking steroids in order to win the MMA fights he competes. Things go from bad to worse when Peyton confronts Reed and he pushes her down a flight of stairs. Not only has the fall caused her a knee injury that might leave her unable to play soccer again, none of her friends believe her side of the story of what really happened. Things get even worse when her now ex-boyfriend begins stalking her and she starts receiving threatening calls from strangers. To solve this problem, Peyton’s mom sends Peyton away to live with her uncle and twin cousins.
The first couple of chapters were hard for me to get into. From the start, I did not like Peyton’s boyfriend so when he pushed her, I wasn’t surprised (I hadn’t read the synopsis beforehand so I didn’t know it was coming). Once Peyton got to Black Water, I had an easier time slipping into the story and started to enjoy the writing more. Like Peyton, it took awhile for me to warm up to her twin cousins. They definitely rubbed me the wrong way and were very annoying. However, they did grow on me as they changed throughout the story. I did distinctly like Cam better than Christian, though.
As for the romance, I really enjoyed it. I liked Owen and Peyton’s semi-hate-to-love storyline at the beginning (although it does not last for long), which then turns into a friends-to-lovers trope. I definitely understood why Peyton did not want to get involved with another fighter so soon. However, Peyton starts to uncover Owen’s true character and realizes he is not like Reed. While most of Owen’s secrets are uncovered, there are still a few questions that were left unanswered.
Overall, I really enjoyed Broken Beautiful Hearts and I look forward to reading Kami’s other contemporary romance, The Lovely Reckless! Fans of Katie McGarry novels will love Broken Beautiful Hearts!
*This ARC was provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley & InkSlinger PR in exchange for a honest review.*
Kami Garcia is an author whose books have been in my TBR for a long time, but here latest, Broken Beautiful Hearts, is the first book of hers that I have read! I’m really glad to have started with a story that is very close to her own personal experiences, which you can read more about in this essay.
Peyton believes in having one perfect day and that her’s is here when she gets offered a spot on the soccer of her top college pick. This day isn’t as perfect as she believes when she discovers that her boyfriend Reed (who is also her best friend’s older brother) has been taking steroids in order to win the MMA fights he competes. Things go from bad to worse when Peyton confronts Reed and he pushes her down a flight of stairs. Not only has the fall caused her a knee injury that might leave her unable to play soccer again, none of her friends believe her side of the story of what really happened. Things get even worse when her now ex-boyfriend begins stalking her and she starts receiving threatening calls from strangers. To solve this problem, Peyton’s mom sends Peyton away to live with her uncle and twin cousins.
The first couple of chapters were hard for me to get into. From the start, I did not like Peyton’s boyfriend so when he pushed her, I wasn’t surprised (I hadn’t read the synopsis beforehand so I didn’t know it was coming). Once Peyton got to Black Water, I had an easier time slipping into the story and started to enjoy the writing more. Like Peyton, it took awhile for me to warm up to her twin cousins. They definitely rubbed me the wrong way and were very annoying. However, they did grow on me as they changed throughout the story. I did distinctly like Cam better than Christian, though.
As for the romance, I really enjoyed it. I liked Owen and Peyton’s semi-hate-to-love storyline at the beginning (although it does not last for long), which then turns into a friends-to-lovers trope. I definitely understood why Peyton did not want to get involved with another fighter so soon. However, Peyton starts to uncover Owen’s true character and realizes he is not like Reed. While most of Owen’s secrets are uncovered, there are still a few questions that were left unanswered.
Overall, I really enjoyed Broken Beautiful Hearts and I look forward to reading Kami’s other contemporary romance, The Lovely Reckless! Fans of Katie McGarry novels will love Broken Beautiful Hearts!
*This ARC was provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley & InkSlinger PR in exchange for a honest review.*
*CW: Abuse
I'm gonna start off by saying that I really enjoyed this book. If I was able to, I would have read it in one sitting, it's a page-turner. I loved Peyton and the relationship she has with her family. Her cousins were kind of idiots, but I loved them and how much they cared about Peyton. I loved how the relationship between Peyton and Owen developed. This book was definitely a heartbreaker.
I'm gonna start off by saying that I really enjoyed this book. If I was able to, I would have read it in one sitting, it's a page-turner. I loved Peyton and the relationship she has with her family. Her cousins were kind of idiots, but I loved them and how much they cared about Peyton. I loved how the relationship between Peyton and Owen developed. This book was definitely a heartbreaker.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This book is what I was looking for and maybe a little bit more. It filled my heart with a lot of love and hope. I wish guys like Owen existed because I want one for myself.
This plot felt so real and I love that the book tackles such series issues!!
4.8/5 Stars. This book made my heart hurt and cry and was just absolutely beautiful.