Where Is Your Bookmark: My Bookish Mewsings on Hearts Unbroken & Other Friday Fun

I just got home from a book club meeting. It is pouring rain outside, and driving in the dark when you can't see the lines on the road clearly makes for a tense drive home. But I made it safely, and I am ready to settle in for an evening with my family--but first, a visit with my favorite bookish people (you, of course!). 

Along with this mini review, I am linking to both Book Beginnings, a meme in which readers share the first sentence of a book they are reading, hosted by Gillion of Rose City Reader and First Line Friday hosted by Carrie of Reading is My Super Power, as well as Friday 56 hosted by Anne of My Head is Full of Books, in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading.  

Half past nine a.m. in the residual haze of my junior prom, I ducked into a powder room off the kitchen at the swanky lake house where the after-party took place. [opening of Hearts Unbroken]

               ★                    

I pulled the letter out. It was short and to the point.

"There is no place like home"

Go back to where you came from.

I dropped it to the countertop and backed away, reach for the phone to text Mama. [excerpt from page 101 Hearts Unbroken]

Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Berkley, 2018
Fiction/Romance/Young Adult; 304 pgs
Source: Own TBR

New York Times best-selling author Cynthia Leitich Smith turns to realistic fiction with the thoughtful story of a Native teen navigating the complicated, confusing waters of high school -- and first love.

When Louise Wolfe's first real boyfriend mocks and disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over e-mail. It's her senior year, anyway, and she'd rather spend her time with her family and friends and working on the school newspaper. The editors pair her up with Joey Kairouz, the ambitious new photojournalist, and in no time the paper's staff find themselves with a major story to cover: the school musical director's inclusive approach to casting The Wizard of Oz has been provoking backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town. From the newly formed Parents Against Revisionist Theater to anonymous threats, long-held prejudices are being laid bare and hostilities are spreading against teachers, parents, and students -- especially the cast members at the center of the controversy, including Lou's little brother, who's playing the Tin Man. As tensions mount at school, so does a romance between Lou and Joey -- but as she's learned, "dating while Native" can be difficult. In trying to protect her own heart, will Lou break Joey's? [From the Publisher]

My thoughts: Hearts Unbroken was the February selection for the Diverse Romance Book Club I am in. I haven't read much in the way of contemporary YA fiction, so this was a tad outside my norm. I enjoyed this romantic coming of age tale about Louise Wolfe during her senior year of high school. She is smart and not afraid to stand up those she cares about, even if only sometimes herself. Along with the everyday challenges teens face, Cynthia Leitich Smith tackles the serious issues of racism and discrimination, including zeroing in on microaggressions and more overt acts of bigotry.  

I enjoyed the high school newspaper setting and the way the student reporters show up for one another and their dedication to reporting the truth despite internal and external pressures. Joey, Louise's love interest, was a sweetheart and although I wish his character could have been fleshed out a little more, I thought he and Louise were well matched--much more so than Louise and Cam, her ex. Shelby, Louise's best friend, is another great character.

I adored Louise's family and how supportive they are of each other. Louise and her family are Native Muscogee (Creek), relatively new to Kansas, having moved there from Texas during the middle of Louise's junior year. Kansas appears to be a conscious choice for the setting given the musical at the heart of the controversary (set in Kansas); adding to that Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum's racist editorials about Native Americans. The uproar by groups like the Parents Against Revisionist Theater regarding casting non-white students in roles is very much a real world problem, sadly. In Hearts Unbroken, we see the escalation of the pressure and discrimination against the students and their families as well as the faculty. 

The author packs a lot into the novel, and I came away wishing there had been more development of the side characters as well as more attention given to certain aspects of the story for a deeper look into some of the themes presented. Even so, I think the author captures the essence of her teenage protagonist very well. For the seriousness of the topics covered in this romantic YA novel, the strength in community, family, and friends is at its heart. I enjoyed Hearts Unbroken overall.

 

Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If you have read it, what did you think? 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.

Share your romance (HEA/HFN) recommendations.

Just in time for Valentine's Day! These types of questions always get me into trouble because I don't know where to stop once I start making a list of books to recommend. At least this time there's a specified genre. That makes it slightly easier to narrow down. Kind of. Okay, not really. I noticed I have no historical romance listed here. I must remedy that (please share your recommendations with me!). But here are some of the romances I have enjoyed and would highly recommend. 

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews 

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton

Wolf Gone Wild (Stay a Spell #1) by Juliette Cross 

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

Pride and Prejudice, and Other Flavors (Rajes #1) by Sonali Dev

Bitten (Women of the Otherworld Series #1) by Kelley Armstrong 

Exes and O's by Amy Lea

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

Persuasion by Jane Austen 

Kiss and Spell by Celestine Martin (all the books in the Elemental Love series are amazing)

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (this is such a sweet graphic novel series)

Once in a Lifetime by Jill Shalvis

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Share your romance novel recommendations with me! 

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Have you ever read a Nicholas Sparks romance novel? If so, what is your opinion on his endings? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

I read one novel by Nicholas Sparks many years ago, and it was The Notebook. I vaguely remember liking the ending at the time, finding it bittersweet, which I have heard is a trademark of his novels. He is not an author I gravitate towards nor necessarily want to read more of for a variety of reasons, but none of which are related to his endings. (And don't let Sparks hear you call his books romance novels; he's very adamant he writes love stories, not romance.)

Have you read a Nicholas Sparks novel? What are your thoughts on his endings?

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

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