
If you know me at all, you probably know about my weakness for rock star love interests. I couldn’t pass this one up, and you shouldn’t either if you are looking for a light, fluffy read that will leave you happy. It’s not great literature, but who wants Hemmingway? The Heartbreakers is publishing on August 1, 2015. *publication was moved to 8/4/15*
Goodreads Summary
“When I met Oliver Perry, I had no clue he was the lead singer for The Heartbreakers. And he had no idea that I was the only girl in the world who hated his music.”
Stella will do anything for her sick sister, Cara—even stand in line for an autographed Heartbreakers CD…for four hours. She’s totally winning best birthday gift this year. At least she met a cute boy with soft brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes while getting her caffeine fix. Too bad she’ll never see him again.
Except, Stella’s life has suddenly turned into a cheesy love song. Because Starbucks Boy is Oliver Perry – lead singer for the Heartbreakers. And even after she calls his music crap, Oliver still gives Stella his phone number. And whispers quotes from her favorite Disney movie in her ear. OMG, what is her life?
But how can Stella even think about being with Oliver — dating and laughing and pulling pranks with the band — when her sister could be dying of cancer?
Ali Novak wrote her debut novel My Life with the Walter Boys when she was just 15 years old, and has since penned her next book, The Heartbreakers. First a hit on the online community Wattpad, her second novel has over 38 million reads and is loved by readers around the world.
My Thoughts
Heartbreakers is a cute YA romance about a girl, about a boy band, and about finding your future. Since I adore books with rocker boy love interests, I was really excited to get a chance to read this one. I liked the theme of the bonds between family and the fear of losing that bond that this book explored. It was sweet and gentle and played on every girl’s fantasy of being “The One.” The characters were likeable, if rather generic. Initially, I found Stella rather off putting. She throws a strange tantrum close to the beginning of the book which was explained as a character trait and I thought it was awkward and it didn’t bode well for the book, but it was even stranger when that temper didn’t manifest again anywhere in the book. She does redeem herself, and I liked how she was introspective and had enough self respect to handle situations that have made other protagonists cave. The members of The Heartbreakers had three distinct members and one who faded into the background, so I wasn’t sure what purpose he served and I thought he needed to be more distinctly developed or eliminated. While the plot moved along at a nice pace and worked well to develop the romantic relationship, I couldn’t help but feel like several scenes were ones I had read before. In the genre of rock romance, story lines do tend to have similar elements, though, so it didn’t really bother me. Overall, this was a pretty fluffy read, but it will satisfy readers who just want to know that after the drama, they will finish with a smile on their face. This is a clean read with only a few instances of mature language and scenes of light sensuality. It is appropriate for grades 7+. Adult readers of YA won’t find it as engaging as the intended audience.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.