A review by lilythebibliophile
Artifacts of an Ex by Jennifer Chen

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this one. First, I’ll list what I liked about the book:

♢ I enjoyed that our protagonist Chloe had a unique interest (art curating), and she worked hard to make opportunities for herself within that interest. It’s important to show teens that they don’t have to join clubs if they don’t want to; they can go out into the real world and pursue their passions!

♢ I also thought the first few “dates” Chloe and Daniel went on were perfect and swoonworthy.

♢ The fact that Chloe’s friend Francesca could explain to her how she was being too pushy with the artists she wanted to work with, and Chloe listened and grew from the experience rather than feeling attacked. Learning how to accept creative feedback for what it is (a tool to help you get better) is a valuable lesson for readers.

♢ There are few YA books about second love, where the characters have exes and deal with the complicated reality that most relationships end. These kinds of stories, where the characters get their hearts broken and end up <i>being okay</i>, are so important.

♢ I also thought it was a mature writing choice that

Chloe’s ex doesn’t beg to get back together with her in the end and Chloe actually realizes why they were incompatible

.

♢ I loved that the love interest Daniel was a gentleman. Chivalry is hot!! And also kind of the bare minimum!!

♢ As a teen who recently moved to LA from the East Coast, I will be saving Chloe’s list of LA landmarks to visit later! This book was a begrudging love letter to LA, and seeing Chloe grow to appreciate the city made me feel like I was seeing it through fresh eyes again.

Now, here’s a few things that I didn’t enjoy as much:

♢ This book felt shallow to me. It feels like it was short because the foundation for the plot wasn’t as solid as it should be (Chloe opens her Heartifacts exhibit within the first quarter of the book. There’s no real stakes when she is re-configuring it since the opening wasn’t a disaster; she just wants it to be more successful).

♢ I would say that the characters also felt shallow due to the length of the book, but I’ve read other YA books that are the same length with multidimensional characters and a more solid plot. Chloe and Daniel are more developed than the secondary characters, but Chloe was the only character who felt even remotely fully developed.

♢ I would gladly sacrifice the borderline-extraneous descriptions of planner materials for more character development. A few brand names here and there are fine, but paragraphs on paragraphs about the materials is not going to be able to hold most teen readers’ interests.

♢ This is not a criticism of the author, but the dust jacket summarizes the first 75% of the book. Someone should complain to the publisher because that is such a weird choice and will ruin most readers’ enjoyment of the book, especially if they don’t feel attached to the characters and are only reading to see what happens next (I didn’t feel completely detached from them, but I can see how others might).

♢ Finally, the romance (i.e. a large portion of the book) felt supremely hollow. During the first few “dates” Chloe and Daniel went on, I felt that they had an initial spark. After that, however, it felt like the author was banking on readers remembering that to keep rooting for them even after Daniel rejects Chloe <i>multiple times</i>. I understand that he explained that he liked Chloe, he just didn’t want to be a rebound, but it’s a dicey message to send young readers that even if a guy rejected them, they might still have a chance with him.

Plus, Daniel barely gives any indication that he likes Chloe back, aside from telling her he does while rejecting her. To me, it’s not romantic if the guy isn’t openly pining and the girl has just been oblivious to it this whole time! Instead, I was left wondering if Daniel actually liked Chloe even while I knew that I was reading a <i>romance</i> book.

Like, how can a guy say something like <b>this</b>:

“It felt like torture to know you existed in the world and I wasn’t your boyfriend.” - page 250

Only a few chapters after he rejected you for the <b>second time</b>?