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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
4.5 stars.
So cute and funny. I smiled so much reading this.
So cute and funny. I smiled so much reading this.
4.5/5
This book so cute omg.
So many feels.
This book so cute omg.
So many feels.
I've read two other Emma Mills novels, and so far, this is the one I like the least. I enjoyed First and Then, my first of her books, and have had less interest in each subsequent story (so this may be my last).
Foolish Hearts is sweet. Claudia is a high schooler that's not quite an outcast, but not quite in the in-crowd. She goes to an exclusive, private school, but she's not from a wealthy family like her classmates. Her best friend goes to the public school, and she is close with her family, but her inner circle ends there. At a party night, she stumbles upon an awkward break-up scene, and despite the initial friction between her and the dump-ee, she ends up befriending her. The story builds from there.
The positives: easy and light reading. LGBT characters that are part of the story, but their queerness is not the point of the story (I'm so pleased with the fact that diverse characters are being more frequently added to YA novels). Claudia is a gamer, does well in school, and gets along with her siblings.
The negative: I'm not convinced this story had a point. I kept waiting for something to happen, and I never felt it did. The moments of anxiety didn't make me anxious, the romance sub-plot didn't give me a book-crush, and the drama was low-key.
Overall, Foolish Hearts is fluff. If that's what you're looking for, sure, read it. But otherwise, wouldn't bother.
Foolish Hearts is sweet. Claudia is a high schooler that's not quite an outcast, but not quite in the in-crowd. She goes to an exclusive, private school, but she's not from a wealthy family like her classmates. Her best friend goes to the public school, and she is close with her family, but her inner circle ends there. At a party night, she stumbles upon an awkward break-up scene, and despite the initial friction between her and the dump-ee, she ends up befriending her. The story builds from there.
The positives: easy and light reading. LGBT characters that are part of the story, but their queerness is not the point of the story (I'm so pleased with the fact that diverse characters are being more frequently added to YA novels). Claudia is a gamer, does well in school, and gets along with her siblings.
The negative: I'm not convinced this story had a point. I kept waiting for something to happen, and I never felt it did. The moments of anxiety didn't make me anxious, the romance sub-plot didn't give me a book-crush, and the drama was low-key.
Overall, Foolish Hearts is fluff. If that's what you're looking for, sure, read it. But otherwise, wouldn't bother.
I love Emma Mills' writing - it's so easy to fall into and become invested in. I will be reading anything and everything she writes. I didn't connect with the characters as much in this one as I have with past Emma Mills books, but I still really liked this.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a balm to the soul in so many ways but mostly:
->Sapphic relationship that no-one makes a big deal out of.
->Hilarious and heartfelt inner dialogue that felt like someone had stolen some thoughts out of my own head.
->Platonic and non-toxic relationships between boys.
->Fantastic portrayal of fandom culture and how great it is to find “your people”.
->Siblings/friends bonding over video gaming (with an epic boss fight sequence description).
->A truly lovely romance that has me hankering for a sequel – even just a fluff sequel!
EMMA MILLS IS A TREASURE. Oh my, this was fantastic. I think she is my favorite contemporary YA author. She is like the goddess Sarah Dessen, with the fantastic friendships, the swoonworthy book boyfriends and the relatable family dynamics PLUS laugh out loud humor. Seriously, I cracked up so many times. Sometimes authors try to write funny or sarcastic characters and it comes off so forced. Emma Mills is a master at her craft. I basically can't stop grinning and want to restart the book over right now.
This book is the epitome of Pure and Wholesome.
Awesome things about this book include:
THE FRIENDSHIPS: There are so many great existing friendships in this book but also there are great ones that develop over the course of the story. In particular I loved the friendship between Gideon (the main love interest) and Noah because I so rarely see such close, loving friendships between boys. It was so wonderful to see.
THE FANDOM LOVE: I mean there's not a ton of fandom stuff in this book where I'd call it a fandomy book, but the main character Claudia goes through this obsession with a boy band that very clearly reflects a mash-up of One Direction and Korean boy bands. I've never been into boy bands so I didn't find it personally relatable but I definitely related to the fandom talk and the way the characters related to fandom.
THE TEEN SLANG: It's accurate! The phrase "my guy" was used accurately! The teens curse! Not a lot but a realistic amount! I felt like they talked like actual teens. I mean, I haven't been a ten in like seven years so I can't like, bet my life on that, but it seems like they talked like real teens. They use a lot of slang I see on Tumblr, anyway.
THE CHARACTERS: I love all of these characters so much. Claudia is so deadpan snark but she also cares so much about everything? Alex is such a good brother. Iris is fantastic; she is a young woman of Chinese heritage and is written completely outside the stereotype of the sweet Asian woman. Iris is fierce and prickly and sarcastic and mean but she's also really insecure. I love her so much; she's such a well-written character. And Gideon!!! When do I ever like male love interests? He's just...an energetic goofball and an absolute sweetheart I love him so much.
THE ROMANCE(S): I usually LOATHE romance and I don't usually like male love interests, but Gideon Prewitt is just??? Such a cinnamon roll?? And I think he jives wonderfully with Claudia, who is also hilarious but in a much snarkier way than Gideon, whose humor is more silly. I loved watching Gideon's interest in Claudia grow and I loved how she held herself back from him at first and I just loved the two of them together. I also loved Iris and Paige's relationship; I don't know how realistic it was for teens to be so mature but I loved it nonetheless.
This book just made me happy and warm inside, like I was made of melted chocolate. I'd read a sequel that's just about these characters having breakfast together.
Awesome things about this book include:
THE FRIENDSHIPS: There are so many great existing friendships in this book but also there are great ones that develop over the course of the story. In particular I loved the friendship between Gideon (the main love interest) and Noah because I so rarely see such close, loving friendships between boys. It was so wonderful to see.
THE FANDOM LOVE: I mean there's not a ton of fandom stuff in this book where I'd call it a fandomy book, but the main character Claudia goes through this obsession with a boy band that very clearly reflects a mash-up of One Direction and Korean boy bands. I've never been into boy bands so I didn't find it personally relatable but I definitely related to the fandom talk and the way the characters related to fandom.
THE TEEN SLANG: It's accurate! The phrase "my guy" was used accurately! The teens curse! Not a lot but a realistic amount! I felt like they talked like actual teens. I mean, I haven't been a ten in like seven years so I can't like, bet my life on that, but it seems like they talked like real teens. They use a lot of slang I see on Tumblr, anyway.
THE CHARACTERS: I love all of these characters so much. Claudia is so deadpan snark but she also cares so much about everything? Alex is such a good brother. Iris is fantastic; she is a young woman of Chinese heritage and is written completely outside the stereotype of the sweet Asian woman. Iris is fierce and prickly and sarcastic and mean but she's also really insecure. I love her so much; she's such a well-written character. And Gideon!!! When do I ever like male love interests? He's just...an energetic goofball and an absolute sweetheart I love him so much.
THE ROMANCE(S): I usually LOATHE romance and I don't usually like male love interests, but Gideon Prewitt is just??? Such a cinnamon roll?? And I think he jives wonderfully with Claudia, who is also hilarious but in a much snarkier way than Gideon, whose humor is more silly. I loved watching Gideon's interest in Claudia grow and I loved how she held herself back from him at first and I just loved the two of them together. I also loved Iris and Paige's relationship; I don't know how realistic it was for teens to be so mature but I loved it nonetheless.
This book just made me happy and warm inside, like I was made of melted chocolate. I'd read a sequel that's just about these characters having breakfast together.
This surprised me soo much!! I read it all night and don’t regret not one minute of sleep lost. I must say why was Claudia such an unnecessary bitch to Gideon! Any normal person would have given up after the first few rejections but ok he’s the perfect guy cliche lol
I loved this, but also the first chapter has stopped me from reading it for at least a full year. I thought for sure the characters would all be different than they actually were. In fact, I have no clue why Claudia was even at that party. It was completely different from the rest of the book, which I’m glad I finally pushed through and read... even though I literally just finished a different book that was about teenagers being coerced into playing Shakespeare because they got in trouble... so like... what are the odds.
I loved the characters! I really loved Claudia, and of course I loved Gideon. And Iris! Her development was really beautiful to me. But then so was Claudia’s, so yeah. I just really glad I read this book, and I loved it. Couldn’t put it down after I muscled through the first chapter.
I loved the characters! I really loved Claudia, and of course I loved Gideon. And Iris! Her development was really beautiful to me. But then so was Claudia’s, so yeah. I just really glad I read this book, and I loved it. Couldn’t put it down after I muscled through the first chapter.