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A review by destinyandpaper
Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle
3.5
Conditions of a Heart is a story about the struggle of having a sickness in a world where everyone underestimates you. It's a love story and celebrates relationship of all kinds (familial, sisterly, friendships, and romantic).
My favorite part of this book would have to be the characters. They're all flawed and sometimes they make the same mistakes but they actively try to learn from it. They're not perfect, but they're trying.
I also enjoyed how the author focused less on the romance and more on the characters and what she's going through. Although the romance was fun to read, I wish there were more reminiscing on when they first met. I wasn't attached too much to the couple, and I felt like that would've helped me more. (Admittedly, some of the lines in the book were very cheesy)
The writing style was a mix of humorous and emotional, but it didn't quite do it for me. The style almost felt too simplistic and an emotional moment would be interrupted by something meant to be funny in commentary.
Now, to be more specific.
Let's talk about Francesca. Throughout the beginning of the book, the main character comments on how she doesn't feel Francesca is really her friend. In the middle, Francesca gets into an argument with the MC about not discussing her highschool dropout with her. (Totally valid point) That subplot ends up being forgiven with a "cute" humorous note. They don't even end up talking about the friendship, when one of them didn't even feel like they were friends.
As for Eliza, it felt like a total personality switch. It went from her being a bitch to her being a flawed character who makes mistakes but tries to correct them and listen. I would've much preferred to have some sort of show or more details into Eliza's life and how she really is. When the main character first got upset with her, she continued arguing and refused to acknowledge her mistakes. Later, they get in another argument, and suddenly she's all over herself to correct her flaws and be a better sister??? Neither of them are necessarily great siblings, but the main character at least consistently tried throughout the book.
Although some parts frustrated me, I have to say that the ending was really well done. It felt like the perfect conclusion, both cheesy and emotional. Everything turned out pretty much perfect, which isn't... amazing? I wish there were still more to go than a perfect ending, but nevertheless it was still cozy.
Overall, the pacing was well-done (it never felt too fast or too slow), the characters were great despite certain changes, and the ending was fantastic. It ended up being too cheesy and too much of a writing style I couldn't bring myself to enjoy, but still entertaining. Annoying parts, decent writing, and will probably be forgotten soon.
My favorite part of this book would have to be the characters. They're all flawed and sometimes they make the same mistakes but they actively try to learn from it. They're not perfect, but they're trying.
I also enjoyed how the author focused less on the romance and more on the characters and what she's going through. Although the romance was fun to read, I wish there were more reminiscing on when they first met. I wasn't attached too much to the couple, and I felt like that would've helped me more. (Admittedly, some of the lines in the book were very cheesy)
The writing style was a mix of humorous and emotional, but it didn't quite do it for me. The style almost felt too simplistic and an emotional moment would be interrupted by something meant to be funny in commentary.
Now, to be more specific.
Although some parts frustrated me, I have to say that the ending was really well done. It felt like the perfect conclusion, both cheesy and emotional. Everything turned out pretty much perfect, which isn't... amazing? I wish there were still more to go than a perfect ending, but nevertheless it was still cozy.
Overall, the pacing was well-done (it never felt too fast or too slow), the characters were great despite certain changes, and the ending was fantastic. It ended up being too cheesy and too much of a writing style I couldn't bring myself to enjoy, but still entertaining. Annoying parts, decent writing, and will probably be forgotten soon.