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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
Rating is so hard. Is Foolish Hearts "Big Great Literature" a la depressing Russians? No. But it made me laugh, melted away my anxiety, had characters that seemed flesh and bone and not ink and paper. It was sweet, heart felt, and fun. So, yes, it deserves five stars. It's a different sort of five stars that I'd give Anna Karenina, but whatever. Rating is completely subjective.
Foolish Hearts truly surprised me. I got an exclusive copy in my December Owlcrate and was hesitant because I only read contemporary every now and again when I need to reground myself after a particularly good Fantasy novel (ie, [b: The Cruel Prince|26032825|The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)|Holly Black|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493047153s/26032825.jpg|45959123]). That being said, this one nailed it out of the park for me.
It was a quick and easy read that I really enjoyed. The writing was light and fluffy and fun and everything I desire in a contemporary novel. Some contemporary's try too hard to make it seem like it's not a contemporary and that bothers me. This one did not try that.
This is a story about a girl and a boy and the friends they make and try to maintain and navigating high school and it brought me back to my time in school. I thought everything was shown to be true to life. High School is awkward, teenagers are awkward. This book was awkward, and I loved it.
It was a quick and easy read that I really enjoyed. The writing was light and fluffy and fun and everything I desire in a contemporary novel. Some contemporary's try too hard to make it seem like it's not a contemporary and that bothers me. This one did not try that.
This is a story about a girl and a boy and the friends they make and try to maintain and navigating high school and it brought me back to my time in school. I thought everything was shown to be true to life. High School is awkward, teenagers are awkward. This book was awkward, and I loved it.
This was a great, light-hearted contemporary. I blew threw this book in two nights. I loved all the characters and the whole Midsummer's Night Dream subplot going on.
First of all, who let me get so emotionally invested in this book that not only was I incapable of putting it down but I also wanted to flip back to its first chapter as soon as I had read the last line?
This book was like a face mask for my soul. And I think it could really use an extra page or two. Scratch that, maybe it's me, I just need more pages of:
✨ girls loving girls
✨ platonic displays of affection between boys
✨ siblings bonding over their shared love for video games
✨ just god-tier relationships in general
✨ boy bands and Shakespeare plays
✨ a game of fuck, marry, kill where Voldemort surprisingly doesn't get killed
✨ and a wholesome romance that made me painfully aware of the lack of cuddling I'm experiencing right now.
This book was like a face mask for my soul. And I think it could really use an extra page or two. Scratch that, maybe it's me, I just need more pages of:
✨ girls loving girls
✨ platonic displays of affection between boys
✨ siblings bonding over their shared love for video games
✨ just god-tier relationships in general
✨ boy bands and Shakespeare plays
✨ a game of fuck, marry, kill where Voldemort surprisingly doesn't get killed
✨ and a wholesome romance that made me painfully aware of the lack of cuddling I'm experiencing right now.
Emma Mills is slowly but surely becoming one of my favourite contemporary authors. Foolish Hearts is my third book by her, and I've already preordered her next, she's that good. In Foolish Hearts, Claudia's senior year should be perfect, but everything seems to go wrong from the get go. At a back to school party, she overhears two of the popular girls, and the it couple of the all girls school she goes to, break up. What makes it worse is that one of the girls, Iris, is a bona fide 'mean girl', and she has Claudia in her sights. They end up being forced to work together on a paper for class, and, as you can imagine, it doesn't go well. To make up their grade, their teacher makes them audition for the school play, a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream, that will be performed with the linked all boys school. As they slowly start to work together, they form an alliance that quickly becomes a friendship that helps each other through school and relationships and a mutual love for the same band.
Claudia was one of the best characters I've read in a YA contemporary. She honestly felt like a 'real' person, who acted like her age would warrant, and had proper relationships with family, friends, and beaus. In her family, she has older siblings, as well as a brother-in-law, and they are all really close. There is an online game, Battle Mage, that they keep in touch through, and seeing that kind of family dynamic was wonderful. The friendships in the book all were natural too, with Claudia and her best friend Zoe - who goes to a different school - and Claudia's fledgling friendship with Iris. As a new friendship, which didn't start off all that well, we see how they struggle to get used to each other, to their quirks, and likes and dislikes, but also how they grow closer, and understand each other as if they've been friends for years.
Honestly, the same could be said for the love interest, Gideon. Gideon was someone who you just had to like from the get go. He got along with everyone, and though he was a bit of a flirt, it was harmless. He likes everyone, and they can't help but like him back. Claudia is a bit clueless when it comes to boys, and from their very first meeting, I just knew that she and Gideon would be together, and it would be perfect - the chemistry was just so good. She is really quite awkward around him, not knowing what to make of him, and whether he actually like likes her, or just as friends. It's only through the other characters, and especially Iris, that she realises he's not messing about, and whenever they're on the page together, it is seriously cute and fluffy. Be warned though, it is a slow burn of a romance.
As much as I've loved Emma's previous books, I think this is my favourite of the lot. I can't recommend this enough, and if you haven't already tried one of her books, you need to get on it, ASAP!
Claudia was one of the best characters I've read in a YA contemporary. She honestly felt like a 'real' person, who acted like her age would warrant, and had proper relationships with family, friends, and beaus. In her family, she has older siblings, as well as a brother-in-law, and they are all really close. There is an online game, Battle Mage, that they keep in touch through, and seeing that kind of family dynamic was wonderful. The friendships in the book all were natural too, with Claudia and her best friend Zoe - who goes to a different school - and Claudia's fledgling friendship with Iris. As a new friendship, which didn't start off all that well, we see how they struggle to get used to each other, to their quirks, and likes and dislikes, but also how they grow closer, and understand each other as if they've been friends for years.
Honestly, the same could be said for the love interest, Gideon. Gideon was someone who you just had to like from the get go. He got along with everyone, and though he was a bit of a flirt, it was harmless. He likes everyone, and they can't help but like him back. Claudia is a bit clueless when it comes to boys, and from their very first meeting, I just knew that she and Gideon would be together, and it would be perfect - the chemistry was just so good. She is really quite awkward around him, not knowing what to make of him, and whether he actually like likes her, or just as friends. It's only through the other characters, and especially Iris, that she realises he's not messing about, and whenever they're on the page together, it is seriously cute and fluffy. Be warned though, it is a slow burn of a romance.
As much as I've loved Emma's previous books, I think this is my favourite of the lot. I can't recommend this enough, and if you haven't already tried one of her books, you need to get on it, ASAP!
THIS WAS SO ADORABLE. I devoured this. It was so cute and hilarious and fluffy and UGH. My heart just feels happy.
I have a couple complaints, so I'll give this 4.5. Will update this review when I've had time to consider all of my thoughts because right now I have that "finished a new favorite book" high and I need to think about this some more.
I have a couple complaints, so I'll give this 4.5. Will update this review when I've had time to consider all of my thoughts because right now I have that "finished a new favorite book" high and I need to think about this some more.
"The course of true love never did run smooth" Shakespeare tells us in one of the opening lines of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Of course, love never accounts for foolish hearts or foolish actions, no matter the kind of love -- between friends, family, or lovers. There is a lot of love in the world, and none of it is easily obtained or easily held on to, if its worth it. Mills takes a stab at this idea, and captures the feelings associated withe budding and evolved love in her third novel, Foolish Hearts. Starring a flawed yet likable main character with her unexpected new friend, Claudia takes on new adventures in her last year of high school, that might just lead to new understanding of herself, and of those all around her.
Emma Mills is the author of First & Then, This Adventure Ends, Foolish Hearts, Famous in a Small Town, and Lucky Caller. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and has recently completed a PhD in cell biology. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @elmify. If you're interested in more of my reviews of her work, you can find them all here.
When Claudia accidentally eavesdrops on the epic breakup of Paige and Iris, the it-couple at her school, she finds herself in hot water with prickly, difficult Iris. Thrown together against their will into a class production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, along with the goofiest, cutest boy Claudia has ever known, Iris and Claudia are in for an eye-opening senior year. Smart, funny, and thoroughly, wonderfully flawed, Claudia navigates a world of intense friendships and tentative romance in this book about expanding your horizons, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and accepting--and loving--people for who they really are.
I feel like "smart, funny, and thoroughly, wonderfully flawed" captures the essence of Claudia's character better than I could have (thanks to the one who wrote the summary!). Claudia's flaws, certainly, were what made her such a compelling main character. She's awkward at the Pink Party, and sometimes she fails at when to pick and choose her battles, but she's also selfless and knows who she is (or, at least the kind of person she wants to be). She stands up for herself, and for others who can't, even in the face of personal or social embarrassment. Claudia might not be instantly relatable, because she's such a specific character, but in the end, everyone will find some part of her they can tie themselves to. For me, that was her desire for nothing to change, despite life hurtling at break-neck speed. This desire of hers, made clearer by her reconciling with it at the end, is a similar desire across the young adult fiction genre, but is different in that it doesn't relate to college at all! It's a fresh of breath air, seeing the same desire applied to a young adult character, but it affects them and their decisions and mindset in a completely different way. One last. note on Claudia was her ability to quickly fall in with the theatre crowd. I'm not sure if this is true of all situations, but the drama club at my high school was full of cliques -- I admired Claudia's go-get-'em attitude, and how she "fell in" with the theater folks by being herself, and only herself. To me, it was an awesome and empowering way to maintain complete control of yourself and your desires. I am so grateful that Mills portrayed Claudia in this way, because it reminds any and all readers that truly the only path through life is through, and the only way to get through is by being yourself.
At first, I detested Iris, and hated her for being so mean to Claudia -- some of the things that came out of her mouth at the beginning sting. But Claudia offers forgiveness and extends friendship to Iris, when Iris needs it the most. And Claudia's the only one that knows Iris needs it. While driven to this odd friendship by the sheer need to have someone at your side (being at an all-girls school and all), their connection grows much deeper. Iris becomes a character we can all relate to, if only in the sense that when we're at our lowest, we're usually at our worst. I appreciated how Mills expanded on Iris's character slowly, reflective of how Iris herself is slow to open up. Claudia and Zoe can joke as much as they want about a redemption arc for Iris, but I truly believe that Iris uncovered herself during this novel, and is determined to make herself a better person.
I would be remiss not to talk about Gideon, the tentative love interest mentioned in the summary! It is true though, that the love interest is tentative. I would even argue that the book is way more about Claudia's relationships with her friends and family, than about any romantic relationships. I wish we saw more books like that in young adult fiction, and again am grateful for this portrayal of high school Emma Mills gives us. Gideon reminds me a lot of Levi from Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl: nice to a fault, loves to please, and knows when to back off. Best of all, he knows exactly when and how to be a friend to Claudia, even though he's hoping for more. The book is about friendship, truly, and how to be a friend to someone when they don't know they need a friend, when you don't really want to be a friend, and when you want to be more than friends. Mills captures all these experiences perfectly, in a way that yes, these relationships all revolve around Claudia because they involve her, but they also exist because of Claudia and her actions. Luckily for our romantics, the end for Claudia and Gideon is hopeful and exciting, the same way all the other loose ends get tied up in the story, for all the relationships and tangles involved. Mills didn't leave one thread untied or one rock left unturned, which is greatly appreciated by all readers, everywhere.
One of my favorite observations about the book was how it was rooted in its specificity. Claudia's family and friend situations is not "perfect" but it's also not "dysfunctional." She has a best friend, but they don't go to the same school. She has siblings, but there's a major age gap. She goes to an all-girls school, but still hangs out with and interacts with boys her age. She's not rich, but she's also not poor. Mills's ability to deconstruct some of our assumptions about "extremes" gives Claudia's story depth. Some of these details feel "off" or "skewed" (how can you be best friends with someone in the same town as you but not go to school with them, for example?). These specific details remind readers that Claudia's life is far from any sort of "perfect," which actually reminds us that her life is perfect, in its own way. Claudia wouldn't have had to learn or grow the way she did, had any of these details been different. We also learn so much about all the characters through details (what game Gideon likes best, how many cardboard cutouts Iris owns). In fact, for me, this story comes alive in those details, because they allow me to see the story up close. Without them, I might not have been able to relate so easily to Iris's (and Claudia's) love of TION. I might not have understood that no matter the years between them, sisters will always be sisters, and brothers will always be brothers, in how they act towards and speak to one another. They say that the devil is in the detail, but I found that the heart of the story could be traced back to the thousands of details we earned as the story progressed, and eventually found its very satisfying end.
Mills is also the author of Famous in a Small Town, a story about another girl in another town, with all sorts of drama and a classic Mills ending. If you're interested, find the book wherever books are sold, and then stay tuned for my review!
*This review can also be found on my blog, toreadornottoreadnm.blogspot.com*
Emma Mills is the author of First & Then, This Adventure Ends, Foolish Hearts, Famous in a Small Town, and Lucky Caller. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and has recently completed a PhD in cell biology. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @elmify. If you're interested in more of my reviews of her work, you can find them all here.
When Claudia accidentally eavesdrops on the epic breakup of Paige and Iris, the it-couple at her school, she finds herself in hot water with prickly, difficult Iris. Thrown together against their will into a class production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, along with the goofiest, cutest boy Claudia has ever known, Iris and Claudia are in for an eye-opening senior year. Smart, funny, and thoroughly, wonderfully flawed, Claudia navigates a world of intense friendships and tentative romance in this book about expanding your horizons, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and accepting--and loving--people for who they really are.
I feel like "smart, funny, and thoroughly, wonderfully flawed" captures the essence of Claudia's character better than I could have (thanks to the one who wrote the summary!). Claudia's flaws, certainly, were what made her such a compelling main character. She's awkward at the Pink Party, and sometimes she fails at when to pick and choose her battles, but she's also selfless and knows who she is (or, at least the kind of person she wants to be). She stands up for herself, and for others who can't, even in the face of personal or social embarrassment. Claudia might not be instantly relatable, because she's such a specific character, but in the end, everyone will find some part of her they can tie themselves to. For me, that was her desire for nothing to change, despite life hurtling at break-neck speed. This desire of hers, made clearer by her reconciling with it at the end, is a similar desire across the young adult fiction genre, but is different in that it doesn't relate to college at all! It's a fresh of breath air, seeing the same desire applied to a young adult character, but it affects them and their decisions and mindset in a completely different way. One last. note on Claudia was her ability to quickly fall in with the theatre crowd. I'm not sure if this is true of all situations, but the drama club at my high school was full of cliques -- I admired Claudia's go-get-'em attitude, and how she "fell in" with the theater folks by being herself, and only herself. To me, it was an awesome and empowering way to maintain complete control of yourself and your desires. I am so grateful that Mills portrayed Claudia in this way, because it reminds any and all readers that truly the only path through life is through, and the only way to get through is by being yourself.
At first, I detested Iris, and hated her for being so mean to Claudia -- some of the things that came out of her mouth at the beginning sting. But Claudia offers forgiveness and extends friendship to Iris, when Iris needs it the most. And Claudia's the only one that knows Iris needs it. While driven to this odd friendship by the sheer need to have someone at your side (being at an all-girls school and all), their connection grows much deeper. Iris becomes a character we can all relate to, if only in the sense that when we're at our lowest, we're usually at our worst. I appreciated how Mills expanded on Iris's character slowly, reflective of how Iris herself is slow to open up. Claudia and Zoe can joke as much as they want about a redemption arc for Iris, but I truly believe that Iris uncovered herself during this novel, and is determined to make herself a better person.
I would be remiss not to talk about Gideon, the tentative love interest mentioned in the summary! It is true though, that the love interest is tentative. I would even argue that the book is way more about Claudia's relationships with her friends and family, than about any romantic relationships. I wish we saw more books like that in young adult fiction, and again am grateful for this portrayal of high school Emma Mills gives us. Gideon reminds me a lot of Levi from Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl: nice to a fault, loves to please, and knows when to back off. Best of all, he knows exactly when and how to be a friend to Claudia, even though he's hoping for more. The book is about friendship, truly, and how to be a friend to someone when they don't know they need a friend, when you don't really want to be a friend, and when you want to be more than friends. Mills captures all these experiences perfectly, in a way that yes, these relationships all revolve around Claudia because they involve her, but they also exist because of Claudia and her actions. Luckily for our romantics, the end for Claudia and Gideon is hopeful and exciting, the same way all the other loose ends get tied up in the story, for all the relationships and tangles involved. Mills didn't leave one thread untied or one rock left unturned, which is greatly appreciated by all readers, everywhere.
One of my favorite observations about the book was how it was rooted in its specificity. Claudia's family and friend situations is not "perfect" but it's also not "dysfunctional." She has a best friend, but they don't go to the same school. She has siblings, but there's a major age gap. She goes to an all-girls school, but still hangs out with and interacts with boys her age. She's not rich, but she's also not poor. Mills's ability to deconstruct some of our assumptions about "extremes" gives Claudia's story depth. Some of these details feel "off" or "skewed" (how can you be best friends with someone in the same town as you but not go to school with them, for example?). These specific details remind readers that Claudia's life is far from any sort of "perfect," which actually reminds us that her life is perfect, in its own way. Claudia wouldn't have had to learn or grow the way she did, had any of these details been different. We also learn so much about all the characters through details (what game Gideon likes best, how many cardboard cutouts Iris owns). In fact, for me, this story comes alive in those details, because they allow me to see the story up close. Without them, I might not have been able to relate so easily to Iris's (and Claudia's) love of TION. I might not have understood that no matter the years between them, sisters will always be sisters, and brothers will always be brothers, in how they act towards and speak to one another. They say that the devil is in the detail, but I found that the heart of the story could be traced back to the thousands of details we earned as the story progressed, and eventually found its very satisfying end.
Mills is also the author of Famous in a Small Town, a story about another girl in another town, with all sorts of drama and a classic Mills ending. If you're interested, find the book wherever books are sold, and then stay tuned for my review!
*This review can also be found on my blog, toreadornottoreadnm.blogspot.com*
i am just so happy for the sole existence of this book and thankful that miss emma mills wrote it
More reviews up on my blog Inside My Library Mind
Reread in 2019 : I blame this reread solely on Melanie and her vlogs. I decided to reread this last night at midnight, and finished it in 3 hours and I was just so happy, so that's the best decision I made this whole month.
I cannot believe I did not review this book in full on Goodreads before?
This book was just pure and unyielding joy.
I adore Emma Mills precisely because she can write such amazing and layered and happy friend groups, while also being able to discuss bigger topics and the problems these teenagers go through.
Our main character, Claudia, is really funny and sarcastic and smart, and I love her so much. But she is also very set in her ways and prefers to not risk anything and stay on the sidelines. I absolutely loved her and could relate to her a lot.
Iris is an absolute treasure and I really adored her. She has such a harsh exterior but such a soft and caring interior and I loved her for it.
There's a boy band aspect to this story, that I think was done in such a realistic way, and I love how Emma Mills made Iris, this bitchin, cool kid, also someone who loves bright and happy pop music and is obsessed with this band. It was PRECIOUS, OKAY.
Also, let's talk about Gideon Prewitt. I LOVE HIM, OKAY? I adore quirky characters and I love how weird Gideon is. He is also the kindest and sweetest character, and I just LOVE that. His relationship with Claude was also so damn sweet and the way his face fell every time Claudia unknowingly (and knowingly) denied him made me ACHE. I think he was, beside Iris (because we STAN Iris), my favorite character in the novel, and is one of my favorite Emma Mills character.
I also love that Claudia has this amazing relationship with her brother and sister. This balance of friendship, family and romance that Emma Mills does is my absolute favorite thing in the world. I loved Julia and Alex, and the fact that all of them play this MMORPG together. Claudia loves the game because it's a place where she hangs out with her family and friend and that's just? beautiful???
And the reason I loved this a lot is because this book really manages to portray teenagers realistically. I think the whole finding new friends and feeling like you are betraying your old ones is such a mood of my teenage years and I could totally relate to that. On top of that, this book shows these young people who have different passions and goals and are just people, while also being teenagers and hanging out and going to parties. I really loved that. GOD, GO READ THIS PLEASE.
And all the little bits truly make this novel and bring it to a favorite status - the Shakespeare play they are putting on (with a modern twist), the jokes which include a fuck, marry, kill with Voldemort and Darth Vader (I forgot the third one and my book is to far away), the video game, the texting... I just really loved everything about this.
Can you count how many times I said sweet or that I loved this? TOO MANY TO COUNT. But it's the truth. Thank you, Emma Mills, for being the actual best. Thank you, Melanie, for being a queen. Thank you to this reread that made me feel so happy on a Sunday at 3 am. Go read all of Emma Mills' books. Now.
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Reread in 2019 : I blame this reread solely on Melanie and her vlogs. I decided to reread this last night at midnight, and finished it in 3 hours and I was just so happy, so that's the best decision I made this whole month.
I cannot believe I did not review this book in full on Goodreads before?
This book was just pure and unyielding joy.
I adore Emma Mills precisely because she can write such amazing and layered and happy friend groups, while also being able to discuss bigger topics and the problems these teenagers go through.
Our main character, Claudia, is really funny and sarcastic and smart, and I love her so much. But she is also very set in her ways and prefers to not risk anything and stay on the sidelines. I absolutely loved her and could relate to her a lot.
Iris is an absolute treasure and I really adored her. She has such a harsh exterior but such a soft and caring interior and I loved her for it.
There's a boy band aspect to this story, that I think was done in such a realistic way, and I love how Emma Mills made Iris, this bitchin, cool kid, also someone who loves bright and happy pop music and is obsessed with this band. It was PRECIOUS, OKAY.
Also, let's talk about Gideon Prewitt. I LOVE HIM, OKAY? I adore quirky characters and I love how weird Gideon is. He is also the kindest and sweetest character, and I just LOVE that. His relationship with Claude was also so damn sweet and the way his face fell every time Claudia unknowingly (and knowingly) denied him made me ACHE. I think he was, beside Iris (because we STAN Iris), my favorite character in the novel, and is one of my favorite Emma Mills character.
I also love that Claudia has this amazing relationship with her brother and sister. This balance of friendship, family and romance that Emma Mills does is my absolute favorite thing in the world. I loved Julia and Alex, and the fact that all of them play this MMORPG together. Claudia loves the game because it's a place where she hangs out with her family and friend and that's just? beautiful???
And the reason I loved this a lot is because this book really manages to portray teenagers realistically. I think the whole finding new friends and feeling like you are betraying your old ones is such a mood of my teenage years and I could totally relate to that. On top of that, this book shows these young people who have different passions and goals and are just people, while also being teenagers and hanging out and going to parties. I really loved that. GOD, GO READ THIS PLEASE.
And all the little bits truly make this novel and bring it to a favorite status - the Shakespeare play they are putting on (with a modern twist), the jokes which include a fuck, marry, kill with Voldemort and Darth Vader (I forgot the third one and my book is to far away), the video game, the texting... I just really loved everything about this.
Can you count how many times I said sweet or that I loved this? TOO MANY TO COUNT. But it's the truth. Thank you, Emma Mills, for being the actual best. Thank you, Melanie, for being a queen. Thank you to this reread that made me feel so happy on a Sunday at 3 am. Go read all of Emma Mills' books. Now.
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This book gave me cavities. It was tooth-rottingly sweet, and I adored every second of it. This is the kind of pure content I like to consume. Please give me more. It keeps me alive. I loved this book so much that my heart would give it five stars, but my mind tells me I can only grant it a four (at best).
Foolish Hearts starts with Claudia overhearing a conversation that causes her to fall on the bad side of the mean girl at school. When Claude and Iris, the mean girl, get paired up for a paper and promptly flunk it, they're forced to work on their school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for extra credit. Claudia is sure this will lead to disaster, but instead develops new friendships, an obsession with a boy band, and a crush on a boy.
Let's start with talking characters. This is both one of the strongest points of this book and one of the weakest. I will explain. On the one hand, we have Claude, Gideon, and Iris who are really well-developed. We have insight about their likes and dislikes. We see them behave and react to different scenarios. We watch them grow and change. These three pack a really dynamic punch. I loved it. I loved them because I felt like I knew them. On the other hand, we have a bucket-full of side characters that often feel like tokens to move the plot along or ornamental pieces to remind you Claude is in high-school and, inevitably, other students exist. This was a problem. A lot of the time, I found myself struggling to remember who was who. Only Paige, Alex, Noah, Zoe, and Del were significant enough that I immediately recognized who they were. The rest of the side characters (and there are quite a few more mind you)? Not so much.
Now, when we talk plot, this is mostly a straight-forward romance with a slice of life feel to it. There isn't too much going on here. Most of the book is focused on dialogue. We're mostly following the characters from one place to the next as they talk and bond and whatnot. Sure, we have the play going on and rehearsals, but this is mostly just the backdrop for the characters to connect and bond. This book is just really about forming new friendships and opening yourself up to romantic relationships. Due to this, this is not exactly the most exciting book out there for a reader who is plot driven. Since I have been a character driven reader for years now, I didn't really care that there wasn't a really strong plot that kept this moving. I was fine just cruising along watching the characters grow and come together and whatnot.
What I ABSOLUTELY loved about this novel, though, was the romance. It was such a healthy and sweet romance. It was not rushed. There was no instantaneous moment of THIS PERSON IS THE ONLY PERSON THAT MATTERS AND I AM NOW OBSESSED WITH THEM. No. We actually have a relationship that develops first from a friendship. It's pretty clear from the start that both Claude and Gideon are crushing on each other, but they don't pretend it's all-consuming and mind-blowing. Mostly, they both tentatively play around spending more time together and getting to know each other. Even though there are many instances of Claude getting jealous because Gideon spends a lot of time with other girls, there is never any girl hate. Claude doesn't treat those other girls badly for spending time with Gideon. She never calls him out for spending too much time with other girls. If anything, her jealousy only convinces her that she's out of her depth when it comes to dating Gideon, but it doesn't cause her to either trash-talk Gideon or other girls. This was so UFF. SO GOOD. Claude was far from perfect in this book, and she did hurt Gideon, but it was because she was trying to protect herself. She didn't crush his heart going "I never even liked you and never will. Get a hold of yourself.". She tried to let him down gentyl. Even though it hurt my soul to read about her breaking Gideon's heart, it didn't feel inherently cruel.
Beyond just this, though, Claude and Gideon's dynamic was the purest shit ever. They're both such dorks, and I love them for it. Their conversations were so cute and hilarious and dorky. They really felt like awkward teenagers who really liked each other and that occasionally caused them to say something silly and embarrassing. Not just this, but Gideon was such a gentleman. He was always so respectful of Claude's comfort and needs. He was always asking if what he was doing was okay (not in an overbearing annoying way, just when it counted) and asking if she was comfortable with whatever it was he was offering her (whether a ride to the bus stop or whatever) and I just. . . I love my son. He was so sweet and pure. I need more male book characters like him. He was just so SWEET, and I wanted to eat him up. Please protect this child because he deserves the world. The combination of Claude and Gideon just made me combust with joy. Their whole dynamic just felt so real, but also super dorky and adorable. I need a hundred more of them.
Finally, I just wanted to point out a few little highlights of this book. One of them was the friendships. They were so amazing. I was so invested in Claude and Iris's friendship, but also Gideon's and Noah's, but also Claude's and Zoe's. They were just fantastic. There's also the matter of this book having a gamer girl main character without it feeling trope-y at all. It was fucking awesome. We also have the fact that Iris calls Kenji, a famous artist, her smol son. This is so accurate and representative of fandom culture. It was such a gift to read that. Finally, the fact that Iris once addresses how she automatically assumed Claude was straight? Yes, please. More of this.
All in all, I would highly recommend. The book is not perfect, but it's very sweet and light-hearted (for the most part).
Foolish Hearts starts with Claudia overhearing a conversation that causes her to fall on the bad side of the mean girl at school. When Claude and Iris, the mean girl, get paired up for a paper and promptly flunk it, they're forced to work on their school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for extra credit. Claudia is sure this will lead to disaster, but instead develops new friendships, an obsession with a boy band, and a crush on a boy.
Let's start with talking characters. This is both one of the strongest points of this book and one of the weakest. I will explain. On the one hand, we have Claude, Gideon, and Iris who are really well-developed. We have insight about their likes and dislikes. We see them behave and react to different scenarios. We watch them grow and change. These three pack a really dynamic punch. I loved it. I loved them because I felt like I knew them. On the other hand, we have a bucket-full of side characters that often feel like tokens to move the plot along or ornamental pieces to remind you Claude is in high-school and, inevitably, other students exist. This was a problem. A lot of the time, I found myself struggling to remember who was who. Only Paige, Alex, Noah, Zoe, and Del were significant enough that I immediately recognized who they were. The rest of the side characters (and there are quite a few more mind you)? Not so much.
Now, when we talk plot, this is mostly a straight-forward romance with a slice of life feel to it. There isn't too much going on here. Most of the book is focused on dialogue. We're mostly following the characters from one place to the next as they talk and bond and whatnot. Sure, we have the play going on and rehearsals, but this is mostly just the backdrop for the characters to connect and bond. This book is just really about forming new friendships and opening yourself up to romantic relationships. Due to this, this is not exactly the most exciting book out there for a reader who is plot driven. Since I have been a character driven reader for years now, I didn't really care that there wasn't a really strong plot that kept this moving. I was fine just cruising along watching the characters grow and come together and whatnot.
What I ABSOLUTELY loved about this novel, though, was the romance. It was such a healthy and sweet romance. It was not rushed. There was no instantaneous moment of THIS PERSON IS THE ONLY PERSON THAT MATTERS AND I AM NOW OBSESSED WITH THEM. No. We actually have a relationship that develops first from a friendship. It's pretty clear from the start that both Claude and Gideon are crushing on each other, but they don't pretend it's all-consuming and mind-blowing. Mostly, they both tentatively play around spending more time together and getting to know each other. Even though there are many instances of Claude getting jealous because Gideon spends a lot of time with other girls, there is never any girl hate. Claude doesn't treat those other girls badly for spending time with Gideon. She never calls him out for spending too much time with other girls. If anything, her jealousy only convinces her that she's out of her depth when it comes to dating Gideon, but it doesn't cause her to either trash-talk Gideon or other girls. This was so UFF. SO GOOD. Claude was far from perfect in this book, and she did hurt Gideon, but it was because she was trying to protect herself. She didn't crush his heart going "I never even liked you and never will. Get a hold of yourself.". She tried to let him down gentyl. Even though it hurt my soul to read about her breaking Gideon's heart, it didn't feel inherently cruel.
Beyond just this, though, Claude and Gideon's dynamic was the purest shit ever. They're both such dorks, and I love them for it. Their conversations were so cute and hilarious and dorky. They really felt like awkward teenagers who really liked each other and that occasionally caused them to say something silly and embarrassing. Not just this, but Gideon was such a gentleman. He was always so respectful of Claude's comfort and needs. He was always asking if what he was doing was okay (not in an overbearing annoying way, just when it counted) and asking if she was comfortable with whatever it was he was offering her (whether a ride to the bus stop or whatever) and I just. . . I love my son. He was so sweet and pure. I need more male book characters like him. He was just so SWEET, and I wanted to eat him up. Please protect this child because he deserves the world. The combination of Claude and Gideon just made me combust with joy. Their whole dynamic just felt so real, but also super dorky and adorable. I need a hundred more of them.
Finally, I just wanted to point out a few little highlights of this book. One of them was the friendships. They were so amazing. I was so invested in Claude and Iris's friendship, but also Gideon's and Noah's, but also Claude's and Zoe's. They were just fantastic. There's also the matter of this book having a gamer girl main character without it feeling trope-y at all. It was fucking awesome. We also have the fact that Iris calls Kenji, a famous artist, her smol son. This is so accurate and representative of fandom culture. It was such a gift to read that. Finally, the fact that Iris once addresses how she automatically assumed Claude was straight? Yes, please. More of this.
All in all, I would highly recommend. The book is not perfect, but it's very sweet and light-hearted (for the most part).