A review by courtofsmutandstuff
Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith

  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

This book is very much in the "young person confronts racism but also falls in love" YA contemporary vein. I very much enjoyed how much her parents LOVED Lord of the Rings, and that the majority of the book's focus was on Louise being on the school newspaper. The book is also relatively short and is tight, which keeps it easy and fast to read. There are also multiple times where Louise (or another character) faces either a microaggression or just flat out racism and the chapter ends, which makes sense (Louise experiences this so frequently it is just another thing that doesn't need to be focused on). The book also discusses Louise's relationships, slut shaming (one of the stories she covers), and also shows Louise and Joey making out (and I assume more) but it's also pretty closed door/broad strokes, which I think is a comfortable way of covering sex in a YA book. 
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