Book Review: Our Chemical Hearts
Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland 
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on October 4th 2016
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 320
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads
Goodreads Synopsis: John Green meets Rainbow Rowell in this irresistible story of first love, broken hearts, and the golden seams that put them back together again.
Henry Page has never been in love. He fancies himself a hopeless romantic, but the slo-mo, heart palpitating, can’t-eat-can’t-sleep kind of love that he’s been hoping for just hasn’t been in the cards for him—at least not yet. Instead, he’s been happy to focus on his grades, on getting into a semi-decent college and finally becoming editor of his school newspaper. Then Grace Town walks into his first period class on the third Tuesday of senior year and he knows everything’s about to change.
Grace isn’t who Henry pictured as his dream girl—she walks with a cane, wears oversized boys’ clothes, and rarely seems to shower. But when Grace and Henry are both chosen to edit the school paper, he quickly finds himself falling for her. It’s obvious there’s something broken about Grace, but it seems to make her even more beautiful to Henry, and he wants nothing more than to help her put the pieces back together again. And yet, this isn’t your average story of boy meets girl. Krystal Sutherland’s brilliant debut is equal parts wit and heartbreak, a potent reminder of the bittersweet bliss that is first love.
MY REVIEW
Our Chemical Hearts is an engaging story about first loves. Author Krystal Sutherland takes her readers on a journey to explore the highs and the lows of falling in love for the first time. We follow Henry Page, a young man who has never been in love before. While finding the girl of his dreams is definitely on his radar, Henry is content for the time being to focus on his school work and on his work at the school paper. He has devoted himself to the paper for years and is hoping to land the Editor job as he begins his senior year. When he meets Grace Town, the new girl at school, however, his life is turned upside down. He wouldn’t have expected a girl wearing oversized boy’s clothing, with a bad haircut and questionable hygiene to be the girl of his dreams, but there’s just something about Grace and so he begins to pursue her, learning very quickly that there’s way more to Grace than meets the eye and much of it is tragic. Even though he senses the relationship is probably trouble, Henry falls head over heels for Grace anyway and so their roller coaster of a journey begins….
LIKES
I think Sutherland’s biggest strength in this novel is her ability to craft wonderfully complex, flawed characters that immediately grab your attention and your heart and don’t let go.
Henry. I loved Henry Page. He totally reminded me of someone I would have been friends with in high school or maybe even dated. He’s funny and charming in a semi-dorky kind of way, the word “adorkable” comes to mind actually. Henry has also never been in love before, so he has an innocent, almost vulnerable, quality about him that made me feel very protective of him, especially once he started falling so hard for Grace Town that he started to neglect his school work and his editorial duties at the school paper. Even though Henry could see that the relationship probably wouldn’t end well, he was still drawn to Grace like a moth to a flame. I knew he was in trouble as soon as he started snooping, and found Grace’s Facebook page. The Grace he sees on Facebook doesn’t even remotely resemble the Grace he knows. Facebook Grace is smiling, wearing feminine clothes, and looks like every bit the social butterfly. Henry is even more fascinated by Grace at this point and he becomes obsessed with trying to “fix” her.
It was so frustrating to watch him on the path he was on, but at the same time, it made his character feel all the more authentic because we’ve all been there at some point. You can’t help who you fall in love with, even if it’s just your idea of what that person should be, and sometimes broken hearts are a rite of passage when it comes to love and romance.
Grace. I can’t say that I loved Grace Town the way I loved Henry, but I was initially drawn to the same mysterious qualities about her that initially attracted Henry to her. Grace is an incredibly complex character, mainly because of all of the details about herself that she tries to hide from everyone around her. Like Henry, I found her fascinating and wanted to know more about her. The more I learned, however, the more my heart just broke for her. Her eccentricities are not just her trying to be quirky and mysterious, but instead run so much deeper than that. I don’t want to give away any specific details, but I will say that Grace has recently suffered a huge loss and that she feels so responsible for that loss that her life has become little more than her trying to atone for her “sin.” I was so torn about her relationship with Henry because even though he was neglecting his school work, etc, because of her, I could also tell that she desperately needed a friend and Henry is such a good guy that I knew he could have been a great friend to her. Just seeing their hilarious conversations on Facebook was proof of that. Even though Grace was still full of secrets, she still opened up to Henry more than she opened up to anyone else around her.
Henry’s Circle of Friends. As compelling as the two main characters were, I also adored Henry’s friends Lola and Murray. Not only were they wonderful friends to Henry, but they also provided a lot of levity to balance the seriousness of what was going on with Grace. Murray is from Australia and has found that doing endless Crocodile Dundee impressions surprisingly serves him quite well when he wants to woo the ladies. Lola works on the newspaper with Henry and their relationship is especially entertaining. Lola was the first girl Henry ever kissed and not too long after that moment, she came out and announced she was a lesbian. Ever since, they have had the long-running joke that Henry’s such a bad kisser that he turned Lola gay. I just loved the banter and the overall dynamic of this circle of friends, especially how they had Henry’s back when it came to Grace. They could tell the relationship was probably a bad idea but ultimately knew all they could do was be there for Henry no matter what happened. These friendships were probably what I enjoyed most about the book.
Henry’s Parents: Kind of a sidebar here, but if Henry is ”adorkable,” he definitely gets it from his parents. They were so cute and so corny. I loved it every time they turned up in the story, especially when they would go out of their way to embarrass Henry in front of Grace.
DISLIKES
I won’t really call them dislikes, but there were a couple of things about the story that knocked my overall rating down a little lower than it might otherwise have been.
Grace and Henry’s afternoon ritual. Once they start hanging out, every afternoon Henry walks Grace home, Grace then hands Henry the keys to her car and he drives them both back to his house. Then Grace leaves her car at Henry’s house and walks off in the opposite direction of where she lives, with no explanation as to where she’s going. It’s another mysterious to Grace, of course, and while it does end up being relevant to Grace’s backstory, I got a little bored reading about it day after day.
Grace’s living arrangements. It’s probably just me that felt this way, but I thought the mention of Grace’s awkward living arrangements near the end of Our Chemical Hearts made her story feel a little less believable. Up until that point, everything that had happened felt so completely authentic – an experience any of us could have. But then this implausible living arrangement was mentioned and we were unexpectedly given a tour of Grace’s home environment and that part just felt over the top to me. It didn’t ruin the story or anything but it just felt like an unnecessary dramatic element.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you’re looking for a solid contemporary read about first loves, broken hearts, friendship, and the idea that you can’t choose who you fall in love with or how long that love may last, then definitely give Our Chemical Hearts a try. Even with the couple of issues I had with it, I still very much enjoyed the read overall.
RATING: 3.5 STARS
About Krystal Sutherland
In her own words:
“Hello. It’s me.
I am Krystal Sutherland, writer of books. Or, more specifically, I am the writer of one book, Our Chemical Hearts, which was published in October 2016 by Penguin in the US and ANZ, Hot Key in the UK, and various other publishers in more than 20 countries around the globe.
I was born and raised in Townsville, in the far north of Australia. Since moving to Sydney in 2011, I’ve also lived in Amsterdam, which was awesome but cold, and Hong Kong, (though I speak neither Dutch nor Cantonese).
Growing up, I never dreamed of being a writer. I wanted to be a) a florist, then b) a volcanologist, then c) an actress. It wasn’t until shortly after my 18th birthday that I sat down to write my first (terrible) novel.
Our Chemical Hearts, thankfully, is slightly better than that hot mess. Nonetheless, I’m notoriously bad at explaining what it’s about, except to say that it involves the terribly tragic and awful experience of falling in love for the first time.
I have no pets and no children, but in Amsterdam I owned a Dutch bicycle called Kim Kardashian. It was somewhat difficult to get along with; I was fond of it regardless.”
Source: krystalsutherland.com
Top Ten Unique Books I’ve Read
Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Of The Most Unique Books I’ve Read (with some possible variations: top ten unique sounding books on my TBR, top ten most unique books I’ve read in X genre, etc.) I do love a unique read, one that when you try to describe it to someone you’re almost at a loss for words because it’s so unlike anything else you’ve ever read. Unique narrators always tend to stick with me, so many of my selections this week made the list because they have unique voices telling the story.
Top Ten Unique Books I’ve Read
1. THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morganstern
The Night Circus makes my list because I truly can’t recall reading anything like it before. Not to be corny or cliche, but it’s truly magical. The whole story just envelopes you in its atmosphere of smoke and mirrors and mystery and illusion. Just thinking about it makes me want to read it again. (Goodreads Synopsis…)
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2. THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden
The Bear and the Nightingale makes my list of unique reads because of its focus on Russian folklore. Like The Night Circus, I can’t ever recall reading anything quite like this book. So far it’s my favorite 2017 release. (Goodreads Synopsis…)
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3. WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST by Gregory Macguire
I have to confess that I didn’t particularly enjoy this book. I guess nothing can compare to the Broadway musical, but the book was just a letdown for me overall. So why am I including it on this list? Because disappointment or not, it’s still one of the more unique books that I’ve read in that it turns the original Wizard of Oz story on its head and instead focuses on the story from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. I haven’t seen many retellings that focus on such an unexpected character and especially the villain of the original tale. (Goodreads Synopsis…)
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4. THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief is such an incredible read, probably one of my favorites. What gives it a slot on this list is its unique point of view. It’s not often that I read a book where Death is the narrator. (Goodreads Synopsis…)
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5. THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Greg Haddon
The Curious Incdient of the Dog in the Night-Time is another beautifully written book that makes my list because of its unique narrator. In this case, the narrator has Asperger’s Syndrome. As the Goodreads synopsis states, however, “Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, for fifteen-year-old Christopher everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning. He lives on patterns, rules, and a diagram kept in his pocket.” Seeing the world through Christopher’s eye and following him as he tries to solve a mystery definitely makes for a supremely unique read. (Goodreads Synopsis…)
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6. CINDER by Marissa Meyer
I gush about this book all the time because it’s just so fabulous and it makes my list this week by virtue of being the most unique fairytale retelling I’ve come across, to date. I mean, seriously…Cinderella as a Cyborg?! Enough said!
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7. THE MAGIC STRINGS OF FRANKIE PRESTO by Mitch Albom
I had mixed feelings about this book when I first started reading it, but it makes the Top Ten list this week because it’s another story that has a unique point of view. The story is about Frankie Presto, the greatest guitar player who ever lived, and we learn about Frankie’s life and his musical gift from the narrator, who in this case happens to be Music personified. It took me a while to buy into that, but once I was on board with it, it was a lovely read. (Goodreads Synopsis…)
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8. THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
Although The Hunger Games has inspired its fair share of dystopian stories, the world building (both with the districts and with the terrain in the arena), the contests where teens fight to the death, the costumes, and so much more make The Hunger Games stand out for me as the most unique of the dystopian reads. (Goodreads Synopsis…)
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9. STALKING JACK THE RIPPER by Kerri Maniscalco
I’m actually reading this right now and am fascinated by how unique the premise of the story is, which is why it made my list this week. The story is set in 19th Century London and the protagonist is a young woman, who is way ahead of her time. She has a keen interest in forensic science and spends much of her time sneaking off to apprentice with her uncle, where she helps perform autopsies. When Jack the Ripper goes on his murderous rampage, she takes it upon herself to try to track him down and bring him to justice. (Goodreads Synopsis…)
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10. READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline
Ready Player One makes my list because of its unique setting. It’s 2044 and basically everyone is doing most of their living inside of a video game.
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Question: What are some of your most unique reads? Do we have any in common?
Book Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 
Published by Balzer + Bray on February 28th 2017
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 464
Source: Purchased
Amazon
Goodreads
Goodreads Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
MY REVIEW
The Hate U Give tells the story of Starr Carter, a teenager who is basically caught between two completely different worlds, the economically depressed community she has grown up in and the affluent, mostly white high school that she attends. In Starr’s mind, these two worlds are incompatible and so she has compartmentalized each and crafted two separate identities for herself so that she can exist in each world. Although she switches back and forth between these identities with relative ease, she still spends the majority of her time pretending in an effort to fit in. The end result is that she can’t really be herself and, at the point we meet her, has begun to question if she even knows who the real Starr is anymore. What brings Starr’s struggle to figure out who she is to a head is when she witnesses her childhood friend Khalil being killed by a police officer during what appeared to be a routine traffic stop. Protests erupt and soon the shooting garners media attention. Everyone wants to know what happened that night and some are starting to fill in the blanks themselves, maligning Khalil’s character and referring to him as little more than a drug dealing thug. Once the media begins reporting on the shooting, Starr’s two worlds collide because now even her rich, privileged schoolmates are talking about it.
Starr, as the sole witness, is the only one with the power to speak up and secure justice for Khalil, who was unarmed and did absolutely nothing to warrant being shot. Will she remain silent and continue to hide who she really is because it’s easier that way or will she be brave enough to find her voice, step up into the spotlight, and try to get justice for Khalil?
LIKES
The Hate U Give is, by far, one of the most powerful books I’ve read in recent years. It’s powerful not just because it’s inspired by and shines a light on the the importance of the Black Lives Matter Movement and because it exposes the systemic racism that continues to pervade our society, but also because it does so much more than that. It’s a beautifully crafted coming of age story as well, and it’s also a book about the importance of family and community. Angie Thomas beautifully weaves all of these elements together into a compelling story that hooked me from page one and that I can’t stop thinking about now that I have finished reading it. I don’t even think I really have the words to do justice to how wonderful a read this is. All I can say is that it’s one of the few books I’ve read in my life that I wish I could hand out copies of to everyone I come across and encourage them to read it and then share it with someone else.
I tend to measure how good a book is by how many emotions it makes me feel while I’m reading and The Hate U Give is off the charts in that respect. It made me sad and brought me to tears several times, it made me frustrated and angry, and it even managed to make me smile and laugh a few times along the way as well. I also felt the love between Starr and her family, as well as the love that held her community together. When I say it’s a powerful read, that’s what I’m talking about. This book is just so real and honest and raw that you feel EVERYTHING the characters are going through.
I fell in love with Starr right away. She’s immensely likeable right from the start – funny, smart, sassy, and also a wonderful daughter and sister — and it broke my heart to watch her feel like she always had to hide half of herself in order to fit in. It also broke my heart to learn that she has already witnessed so much violence and death in her sixteen years. I mean, seriously. She is 16 years old – her biggest concerns in life at that point should be where she’s going to college, who she is going to date, what color dress she is going to wear to the prom. Having to decide whether or not to speak out to defend her friend who was shot by a policeman should not be a part of her reality. The fact that it is the reality for some young people makes Starr’s journey all the more poignant.
Speaking of Starr’s journey, I loved watching her change and grow throughout the novel. She has some hard decisions to make. I don’t want to give away any specific details here but I’m just going to say that watching her decide what she’s going to do and then finding her own voice and true self was one of the most beautiful parts of the story for me.
It wasn’t only Starr that I fell in love with though. I loved her family too and I loved how important their role in the book was too. Her parents are so supportive of her every step of the way and vow to stand by her no matter what choice she decides to make. Their love, support, and the lessons they have taught Starr and her siblings are what ultimately help Starr make her choice: “Brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared, Starr. It means you go on even though you’re scared. And you’re doing that.”
In many ways I connected with the parents even more than I connected with Starr, I guess because I’m a parent too. I cried when I read the passage about how there are two important lessons that Starr’s parents taught her and her siblings: 1) the birds and the bees, and 2) how to behave if you are stopped by a police officer so that no harm comes to you. As a parent, it just ripped my heart out to think there are fellow parents out there who have to teach their kids that second lesson. As a mom, I have always taught my son that the police are who you go to when you need help. No parent should live with the fear that their children are in danger if they come into contact with the police.
I also connected with the parents because even when they were at odds with each other about how to best raise their family, I understood exactly why they each felt the way they did. Starr’s mom desperately wants to get her babies out of this community and into a safer one. She’s a momma bear protecting her cubs all the way and I was right there with her. That said, however, I was also right there with Starr’s dad, Mav. What he said make perfect sense too. He doesn’t want to abandon his community. His view is how is anything ever going to change for the better if everyone just leaves and he has made it a crusade to save the community one child at a time. If he hears of a teen who has gone down the wrong path and ended up in a gang but then wants out, Mav makes it his mission in life to get them out of that life and back on the right path. I thought Angie Thomas did an amazing job of bringing these real parental fears to life and making it so easy for any parent to relate to and to sympathize with. Every parent can understand that fierce need to keep their babies safe, whether it’s by moving them somewhere else or by trying to change the community itself so that all kids are safe.
DISLIKES
I have absolutely no complaints about The Hate U Give. My only dislike is reading the character of Hailey and knowing that there really are people out there in the world like her, who are either racist or just completely oblivious about how hurtful and stupid some of the things they say are. I cheered when she finally got the smackdown she deserved, although she clearly still learned nothing from it. I really hope that everyone will read this book and learn from it and that we’ll end up with a few less Haileys in the world going forward.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’ve barely scratched the surface on why I think this book is so incredible. All I can say at this point is GO READ THIS BOOK! It’s eye opening and sobering, honest and raw, riveting and sometimes painful, but it’s also filled with love and hope, and I promise you that it’s one of the most important books you’ll ever read. Its message will stick with you long after you’ve finished the last page.
RATING: 5 STARS
About Angie Thomas
Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi as indicated by her accent. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right-On Magazine with a picture included. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in Hip Hop. She can also still rap if needed. She is an inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Meyers Grant 2015, awarded by We Need Diverse Books. Her debut novel, The Hate U Give, was acquired by Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins in a 13-house auction and will be published in spring 2017. Film rights have been optioned by Fox 2000 with George Tillman attached to direct and Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg set to star.