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Synopsis (From Goodreads):
Felicity has her entire future planned. Ever since her older sister ran away, she's had the full weight of her mother's expectations on her shoulders. So she works hard to get straight As and save for college.
Except sometimes the best things in life are unplanned-like when Felicity meets a handsome, masked stranger while she is volunteering at a charity masquerade ball. She never thought he'd flirt with her. And she certainly never thought he'd turn out to be a member of the world-famous Heartbreakers band, Alec.
Then Felicity uncovers a shocking family secret. Suddenly, she, Alec, and her two best friends are off on a road trip to find Felicity's missing sister. And she's about to discover that unexpected turns have a peculiar way of landing her right where she needs to be...
Review:
Isn't it fun to think of what would happen if you actually got to meet a famous musician like Harry Styles or Shawn Mendes (or John Travolta or Michael Jackson in their prime for someone my age!)? Are heartthrobs actually like regular people, or are they impossibly full of themselves?
That's the premise for Paper Hearts, by Ali Novak. This is a fun, sweet romance that was hard to put down. I enjoyed the characters, situations, and the romance. What was even better was that I didn't even realize (until halfway through reading it) that this is part two of a series! I think it's a sign of good writing when you can jump in with any book in a series and not be confused. There were hints about other characters that make me want to go to the first book and read more.
What I Liked:
Characters:Felicity is a hard-working teen. She makes good grades, works part-time to save up for college, and even does volunteering to look good on her college applications. Since her dad left, and her sister ran away, her mom has had to struggle, so Felicity is very aware of how much things cost and is careful about money. She definitely has her feet on the ground.
I really liked Felicity and appreciated that she was so hyper-aware about money. This was so realistic! I am always amazed by how teens in books don't seem concerned with how much things cost. Many teens (as I was myself at that age) are very concerned with affording clothes, gas money, and spending money. They can't ask their parents for these things.
This was a great contrast with Alec (the teen heartthrob) who never concerned himself with money matters. While he could take out a card and buy whatever he wanted, he was still a very normal person. I also liked that Alec was very reserved. He was so used to people wanting to know him because of his fame that he didn't let his guard down easily.
Felicity also had a wonderful friend named Asha. Asha was great because she was the superfan that Alec would try to avoid. It was fun to see Asha freak out over things like seeing the inside of Alec's bathroom, and wanting to jump on social media to tell everyone about her good luck.
Situations:
I love books with road trip in them! It was the perfect opportunity for Alec and Felicity to get to know each other better. Plus she gets to meet his band mates, as well! It was also fun to see Alec's playlists for Felicity at the end of the book! There was also a different playlist that the author used as inspiration for the book. I went ahead and (re) created Alec's playlist for Felicity on Spotify:
Romance:
I enjoyed the romance in the book (although it fits a pretty standard formula). After the initial surprise of figuring out that Alec is a famous heartthrob, Felicity does get to know him and see him in less than picture perfect moments. I liked that while Alec is used to girls falling all over him, Felicity must do some soul-searching about whether or not she can be with someone famous. I also liked that his band mates were also pretty normal guys when it came to love (I loved that Oliver is clueless as to what to get his girlfriend for their anniversary!).
What I Was Mixed About:
Formulaic:As much as I liked this book, I kept seeing many of the cliches that the Twitter account Brooding YA Hero parodies.
They include:
Masquerade ball ✔
Rich Dude, Poor Girl ✔
Bookish Girl ✔
Missing Parent ✔
Misunderstanding that could easily be cleared up ✔
Evil Dad ✔
It's saying a lot that I still found the book charming even with these silly tropes.
Rating:
Release Date: July 4th, 2017
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Source: NetGalley
Format: ARC E-Book
Recommendation:
Like a catchy pop song, Paper Hearts is a fun read. It may not be deep, but it would be a perfect book to dive into by the pool this summer.
So glad to hear that you enjoyed this one! I have an ARC of this one too but haven't gotten to pick it up yet. I hoping to read it next! I read book one and really loved it so I hope you get to check that one out too. Great review!
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