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becca 's review for:
How to Excavate a Heart
by Jake Maia Arlow
Shani has had a rough time lately. Not only did she get humiliated by her ex-girlfriend after they’d had sex by breaking up with her, but she keeps kicking herself for being off to her mother without cause and, the cherry on top, is especially mad at herself for not speaking to her best friend the entire time she was dating her ex. She wants looking forward to what’s to come—her internship before college in particular. But then, on route to living with an old friend of the family for the month, her mother almost runs down a girl that Shani can’t quite get out of her head ever since. And when she offers to take over one of her temporary roommates jobs—dog walking the local celebrity weatherman’s corgi—Shani is dumbfounded to find that the girl her mother almost committed vehicular manslaughter on is the daughter of said weatherman.
Things are as frosty as the cold sweep of weather in the city between Shani and May for a short stint, and then, like ice cracking, they’re dog-walking together, texting and becoming almost . . . friends? But Shani can’t help but feel feelings blossoming for May. She doesn’t even know if May likes girls, and on top of that, she swore off dating to focus on studying fossils and fish—not spending all her time obsessing over a new romance and flashbacks of her ex-gifted trauma. Only, things soon start heating up. And snowed in together on Christmas Eve projects their relationship into solid ground. But with unresolved memories of her ex haunting her the closer she gets to May, Shani feels her heart freezing over again. She wants so many things—this thing blooming with May, a better relationship with her mother, to be open about being gay. It all comes crashing down with one question hanging in the air: what does Shani have to do to have it all?
Overall, How To Excavate A Heart was a rare gem of a book that comforts, swoons, and above all, empathetically oozes with the joy, heartbreak and complexness of falling in love, healing and growing up. I adored Shani, May, Taylor, Beatrice and so many characters that turned into favourites. I’ve never read a book by Jake before, but they have this beautiful way of making you fall in love with the characters and feel exactly what they’re feeling. This was a stunning read that was perfect for kicking off the festive season. The easiest five stars!
Things are as frosty as the cold sweep of weather in the city between Shani and May for a short stint, and then, like ice cracking, they’re dog-walking together, texting and becoming almost . . . friends? But Shani can’t help but feel feelings blossoming for May. She doesn’t even know if May likes girls, and on top of that, she swore off dating to focus on studying fossils and fish—not spending all her time obsessing over a new romance and flashbacks of her ex-gifted trauma. Only, things soon start heating up. And snowed in together on Christmas Eve projects their relationship into solid ground. But with unresolved memories of her ex haunting her the closer she gets to May, Shani feels her heart freezing over again. She wants so many things—this thing blooming with May, a better relationship with her mother, to be open about being gay. It all comes crashing down with one question hanging in the air: what does Shani have to do to have it all?
Overall, How To Excavate A Heart was a rare gem of a book that comforts, swoons, and above all, empathetically oozes with the joy, heartbreak and complexness of falling in love, healing and growing up. I adored Shani, May, Taylor, Beatrice and so many characters that turned into favourites. I’ve never read a book by Jake before, but they have this beautiful way of making you fall in love with the characters and feel exactly what they’re feeling. This was a stunning read that was perfect for kicking off the festive season. The easiest five stars!