A review by luck13rabbit
Our Black Hearts Beat As One by Brian Asman

dark tense 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? Yes

3.0

Michael Mallory is doing great. He's the lead singer of a moderately successful band, cool apartment, and great girlfriend. Until his girlfriend abruptly breaks up with him. Unemotional, already packed to leave, and without any fanfare at all. Like nothing they had mattered to her at all. He's left heartbroken--no, heartexploded--and bleeding all over his whole life. He can't stop thinking about her and the life they should have had. He starts to blow up everything around him. Until a strange red rover demon thing in a drain tunnel leads him to an increasingly depressing part of town no one seems to know about. An unseen woman offers him whatever he wants in exchange for three stories. But, like all horror stories that grant wishes, it isn't exactly as advertised.

I was so set to give this book five stars. I absolutely loved "Man, Fuck This House." Magic and musicians are some of my favorite things.  There are so many beautiful pieces here, but they don't fit together quite right. 

Like "It Follows", this book doesn't quite take place in our world. It's an interesting concept and I love the imagery and hints we get about the cosmology, but many times, it left me feeling like I was floating just outside of understanding. I kept trying to google things that don't exist. I get that, perhaps, this was to put us in the same position Michael, an unbeliever, is in, but he never seemed very curious about anything or asked the questions I wanted him to.

The stakes seem a little...wishy washy? We don't really see much of Michael prior to the breakup with Kara, then he's distressingly depressed and obsessed, then he's a dick, then... there's just not too much character development. I loved Keegan and Donnie, but we don't get to see much of them, even when it really seems like we should. Gabrogian seems to mostly come out of nowhere and confuses the nature of the world further by being...whatever the fuck he is.

Which brings me to the stories. NGL, I love this framing device, but it was a bit whiplashy for me. I feel like having stories within stories is a great way to flex writing muscles and really lean into some other voices and styles, but none of that really happens. And the stories themselves are just kind of banal. Except for Gabrogian's. I honestly could not tell you what exactly is going on there. 


And, as for the ending... I don't like it. I won't spoil anything here, but I just felt like it was all too perfect. 


It's not a bad book. It's short and fun and has some absolutely killer imagery. Plus Donnie and Keegan. Absolutely pick it up if you feel so compelled, but know it's a bit more of a popcorn story than anything truly scary or deep.

Shoutout to @netgalley for the #ARC!