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A review by sparksofember
The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak
2.0
2.5 Stars. Fluff that didn't make a lot of sense but I enjoyed listening to it anyway. I liked the concept of the MC being a triplet, her love of photography, and the way her sister's cancer played a part in her actions and thinking.
The romance was insta-love and I never understood it. Oliver was possibly the least-developed character in the entire book. Maybe he was supposed to be mysterious (?) but to me he was just someone who kept bizarre secrets for no reason and had zero backbone. There was a lot of conflict that felt manufactured and unrealistic.
I also thought it weird when Stella told her family she needed to think about being her sister's bone marrow donor - even though she's already decided - because she wanted to go delete her blog and turn down her school acceptance. It's not like they were going to wheel her into the operating room the second she said yes - she even acknowledged that it would take some time. It felt like Stella needed to read the email and experience some character growth that very moment and her actions were dictated to facilitate that in a way that made little sense to the plot. Both characters were dealing with fear and having to overcome it but only Stella's made sense. And frankly, Oliver was so busy being mysterious and broody that all three other boys (even annoying, pervert JJ) came across as much better options. They all pushed Stella to believe in herself and encouraged her to plan for her future. (Which is why I definitely plan to read the next in the series ;-) )
The romance was insta-love and I never understood it. Oliver was possibly the least-developed character in the entire book. Maybe he was supposed to be mysterious (?) but to me he was just someone who kept bizarre secrets for no reason and had zero backbone. There was a lot of conflict that felt manufactured and unrealistic.
Spoiler
I spent the majority of the book thinking his mother was in prison or sick or had recently died. The big reveal ended up being that he was raised by his grandparents and afraid of losing it all. He's 18-21ish and a massive star! It made no sense. And why he stood Stella up without calling or explaining never made sense either. He said he thought hurting her would make her get over him faster but if that was true, why did he try apologizing and getting back together literally the very next day? How the heck was a "no dating rule" in his contract a secret he wasn't allowed to tell her? And what miraculously changed that made him grow a spine later?I also thought it weird when Stella told her family she needed to think about being her sister's bone marrow donor - even though she's already decided - because she wanted to go delete her blog and turn down her school acceptance. It's not like they were going to wheel her into the operating room the second she said yes - she even acknowledged that it would take some time. It felt like Stella needed to read the email and experience some character growth that very moment and her actions were dictated to facilitate that in a way that made little sense to the plot.