Good morning, good afternoon, good evening friends! Today’s reviewing day and I was feeling in the mood for a couple of mini-reviews…OKAY. I admit it. I don’t know how to do small reviews so these are quite average-length bookish reviews…
There are no spoilers in these reviews.
The Anatomical Shape of a Heart, Jenn Bennett
The Anatomical Shape of a Heart (or Night Owl, which is the original title of this book) is about Bex, soon to be in college, hoping to get a scholarship thanks to her amazing drawings of, beware, anatomy. It’s about Jack, wanted felon for graffiti all over the city of San Francisco. It’s about how their lives slowly take new paths as they meet each other on that night bus, the Night Owl.
I can hear you coming, but no: this book is not about people changing to please one another, people trying to be different because of a relationship. The slowly-built relationship between Bex and Jack, from strangers to attraction to more than that, is one of the healthiest relationships I have seen around in YA. It’s honest, it’s positive because they bring out the best in each other, it’s also sex positive which is something that’s too rarely seen, basically they both are relationships goals and I found myself swooning and flailing almost through the entire story because I just loved them this much.
This book was about so much more than their relationship, though: it also was about their future, who they are, what they want to be and how their families and own issues are coming in their way. I really appreciated that, on both sides, parents were present and accounted for, actually punishing their children, talk with them, and overall had a good place in their story. More than just a sweet contemporary, The Anatomical Shape of a Heart also tackles important issues, especially on this family side. Mental health and schizophrenia are heavy themes that the characters have to deal with in this story.
Overall, The Anatomical Shape of a Heart was such a refreshing, fun story that had me smiling from page one. Both of the characters were well-fleshed out and interesting to read about. Their relationship, far from being perfect, was one of the realest I’ve ever encountered. There’s so much more than just fluffiness to this story, though, and I would heavily recommend this.
“What do I want?” His fingers brushed over loose strands of hair near my temple. “I want to call you every five minutes. I want to text you good night every night. I want to make you laugh. And I want you to look at me like you did that first night on the bus.”
My rating : 4 drops !
KEY WORDS
Healthy and realistic romance, mental health, schizophrenia, families, art.
TO READ IF
You like YA contemporary, are lookng for sweet, healthy relationships to root for. Also, don’t mind a little bit of artistic characters.
You Know Me Well, Nina LaCour & David Levithan
This is probably irrelevant, but I started reading this on the train and I clearly remember thinking – damn, I won’t ever be able not to read everything in one go. It was a bit of a torture to have to stop reading it. You Know Me Well isn’t particularly suspenseful…but I found it very catchy, sort of like a song you start listening to and can’t help singing along for three days straight afterward. I guess it’s mostly because this story, unlike most, takes place over the course of a couple of days only. Also, it’s a LOT about friendship, which I love. It’s about Kate and Mark, classmates for a year, yet only talking to each other on one night. These two almost-strangers will quickly become friends and help each other in ways they did not imagine.
I don’t believe in insta-love – let’s be real for a second, this does NOT happen in real life. Talking about love, here, not lust, by the way. Insta-friendship, though, is something a bit different. I’m guessing, at times, you have a person you start talking to, and it just clicks. You know there is something there, the spark of a friendship slowly beginning to burn. This is what happens between Kate and Mark and it was quite fun and very refreshing to read about them becoming closer, supporting each, talking to each other while, a little while ago, they barely knew each other. Strangely, it felt believable and I really enjoyed both of them.
Told in a dual point of view, You Know Me Well shows us two sides of this story, as both of the protagonists travel through these couple of days with their own relationships issues and things to deal with. I really enjoyed both of their point of views and rooted for them, wanted everything to be okay. I thought that there was good character-development in this story, but I didn’t felt as invested in their romantic relationships as I would have liked to. I was so much more invested in their friendships, with each other and with the people around them, changing as the two of them become closer.
Solely a character-driven story, You Know Me Well certainly was interesting to follow, very entertaining and I wanted everything to be okay by the end of the book. I also loved how both of the protagonists were sure, open and honest about their sexualities. Definitely would recommend.
“The thing about possibilities: there are some you want much more than others. Or only one you want much more than everything else.”
My rating : 4 drops!
KEYWORDS
Friendships, LGBT romance, university.
TO READ IF
You enjoy reading about friendships, the making and the struggles of it all ; like LGBT romances with affirmed characters and overall just want a fun, quick contemporary read.
Lydia Tewkesbury says
I looooved You Know Me Well. I know what you mean about wanting to read it all in one go. The dual POV books David Levithan co-writes often have that feel. I sat up all night to read Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. No regrets!
And I know what you mean about insta-friendship. It’s 100% a thing.
Marie says
OHh yes, I remember reading Nick and Norah’s as well, it was such a cute book – I read it pretty quickly as well 🙂
Thank you so, so much, Lydia! <3 <3
starcrownedbookthrone says
I haven’t read any of these but now i know that i have to! They both seem so amazing and I’m glad that you ended up enjoying them so much! The Anatomical Shape of a Heart just sounds so lovely and You Know Me Well has FRIENDSHIP which I am always for! I’ve added these to my TBR and I can’t wait to read them! <3
Marie says
Ohh thank you my forever crazy <3 <3 I'm so happy you added both of these to your TBR – hope you'll love them both 😀
herinkedsoul says
Your review of the first book has got me interested! i really want to read it now!
Marie says
Ohh this makes me so happy! I hope you’ll read and love it 🙂 Thank you! <3
Amielle De Torres says
I liked You Know Me Well, too! It’s also a very fast and light read book and I loved how the characters really clicked with each other. Thanks for the book review of Bennett’s book. I’ll add it on my to-read list. 🙂
Marie says
Oh yay, so happy you liked You Know Me Well! It was so sweet to see their friendship quickly develop <3
Thank you! I hope you'll enjoy Bennett's book as much as I did 🙂
Donna | Chocolate'n'Waffles says
I think that you and I have issues understanding the concept of “mini” xD I’m glad to see a healthy relationship in YA thanks to The Anatomical Shape of a Heart! It sounds like the book tackles all the things this time of life brings! Oh, yest, insta-friendship! That moment you meet someone and you start talking and you just feel like you’ve known them for a while, you’re comfortable, and you share so much!
Great mini reviews my Sweechie!!!
Marie says
?? YES, I can’t do mini reviews, I just end up talking too much anyway ?
Thank you so, so much my Sweechie! <3 <3 Insta-friendship does happen and it's quite fun when it does ?
amortalreader1 says
Great reviews lovely! I love how with the mini reviews you still get so much information regarding the book and your feelings. Your extremely good at writing concisely as well as all your other posts of course.
I have read You Know Me Well and also gave it a 4 star rating, I really liked it but I really struggled with Lehna’s character. She just kept annoying me, the moment will always stick with me when she said ‘don’t ruin our night because you’ve ruined yours’ – come on now your meant to be besties Lehna.
She made me eye roll a few times.
Think its an amazing book though and love the diversity!
Marie says
Oh thank you so, so much, Hannah, that’s so sweet of you to say <3
Ugh, yes. I wasn't such a fan of her either, I thought that she wasn't really acting as her best friend and didn't try to understand at all :/
Yes, definitely! It was a lot of fun to read 🙂 <3
amortalreader1 says
She definitely wasn’t! She was frustrating which might have been why I didn’t notice the insta-friendship sort of thing because I just wanted her not to be stuck with that one for a friend all the time haha!
Marie says
Hahaha, I get it – I was so happy she wasn’t always in every single page. Otherwise I would have thrown the book out the window in frustration!
amortalreader1 says
ahaha or a furiously typed email to David like ‘CAN YOU GET RID OF HER?!’
Marie says
Hahahhahaa oh YES. Don’t know how the author would react to that though hahaha.
amortalreader1 says
We’d get one back like please never email me again
Beth (Reading Every Night) says
These are both brilliant reviews Marie. 😀 I have pretty much all of Nina LaCour’s books on my to-read list, You Know Me Well is one of them, because I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about them. You have made me want to run out now, pick up a copy of this book, and get started so I guess I need to move her releases up my to-read list. It sounds like a wonderful story, I’m very intrigued by the idea of insta-friendship, and that fact that you wanted to read it in one go is a great incentive for me to start it as well.
I’ll have to add The Anatomical Shape of a Heart to my to-read list as well. I didn’t know it was the other name for Night Owl, I see that book all the time in Waterstones and I’ve picked it up more than one, so tempted to buy it, but for some reason I always put it down again. Definitely going to have to buy it now! 😀
Marie says
Oh thank you so much, Beth! I haven’t read all of Nina LaCour’s books yet – looking forward to reading We Are Okay though! 🙂
I hope you’ll buy Night Owl then – it is such a cute book, it had me smiling from page one and rooting for the characters all the time <3 <3
Beth (Reading Every Night) says
That’s all right! 😀 I’ve heard some great things about We Are Okay so I’m sure you’ll love that one as well.
Oh that’s great to hear, I definitely need to go out and buy it in that case. 🙂 <3
Marie says
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts about it. Hope you’ll love it 🙂
Beth (Reading Every Night) says
Thanks Marie, I hope so too! 🙂
Dani @ Perspective of a Writer says
Both of these sound too cute! You made a real case for both… I like friendship first romances. I also love the idea of a healthy relationship and I love mental health issues in books. It is so prevalent and the more readers know the more accepting they will become. (My nephew is autistic and so we deal with this weekly!) I ❤️ your mini reviews!
Marie says
Oh thank you, Dani! <3 I hope you'll want to read both of these books, I feel like you could really enjoy them – especially The Anatomical Shape of a Heart <3 Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3
Vijayalakshmi Harish says
The Anatomical Shape of a Heart certainly sounds interesting!
Marie says
It was such a lovely book 🙂 I hope you’ll want to read it <3
Thank you so much for your comment <3 <3
Anisha @ Sprinkled Pages says
I have read The Anatomical Shape which I did enjoy but I don’t remember much of as I did read it a while ago (other than the face that I did really enjoy the concept of it and the characters were cool!) and I have been meaning to read You Know Me Well for a while now but I keep putting it off! So glad to hear you enjoyed these Marie and thanks for the lovely reviews as per usual!
Marie says
Oh thank you so much, Anisha! <3 I'm glad you enjoyed The Anatomical Shape, it was a cute book for sure <3 Hope you'll read and love You Know Me Well 🙂 <3
ravenblake99 says
Nice reviews! I haven’t read these books but I really wanted to read Anatomical shape of a heart.
Marie says
Thank you so much, Raven! Oh, I hope you’ll still want to read it someday, it is such a lovely book 🙂
black&boldit. says
Great review! Thank you, I’ve been looking for some good light-hearted contemporaries for a while now and these books sound great 🙂
Marie says
OH yes, if you’re looking for sweet contemporaries, these ones are for you! Hope you’ll enjoy them, and thank you so much <3 <3
May @ Forever and Everly says
I want to read TASOAH even more now! XD I really love contemporaries where the characters just discover themselves — it’s so refreshing to read! And GOSH THEIR RELATIONSHIP SOUNDS SO CUTE AND I NEEEEEED. <3 And I've seen You Know Me Well around! I'm not exactly sure if I REALLY want to read it — but let's be real, I put all the "maybe" books on my TBR anyway. XD Lovely reviews! <3
Marie says
IT is WAY too cute, May, I’m sure you’d love it. I shipped them SO HARD. <3
Haha, there are so many books I have on my "maybe someday" TBR….I guess if we ever get the time to read them all, we'll be lucky 😛
Thank you! <3 <3
Me On Focus says
I’m interested on reading both of them 🙂
Marie says
OH yay, this makes me so happy! Hope you’ll love them both, and thank you <3 <3
Michelle ? says
Both of these sound amazing! I definitely need these – great reviews like always Marie 🙂
Marie says
Oh thank you so much, Michelle! Hope you’ll read and love them <3
Summer @ Xingsings says
I’ve read both books and couldn’t agree more with what you said. The Anatomical Shape of a Heart was just uber cute and I loved how healthy the relationship was as well. (Yes to more sex positive themed YA novels!) And I really liked how fast paced You Know Me Well was; as you already know, I’ve been on the hunt for more books that feature boy-girl friendships and I liked that this was another one. Plus, it gave me Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist feels since the story happens in such a short amount of time, but, like you said, still remained believable. 🙂 Anyhow, lovely mini reviews, Marie! (Writing mini reviews is such a good idea by the way. I’ve been thinking of writing up some myself since I’m so behind. But, then again, I have such a hard time writing shorter reviews so I don’t know yet, haha.)
Marie says
I’m so glad you loved this book so much, Summer – if I remember correctly, it’s because of your review that I added it to my TBR, so THANK YOU <3 It was such a great surprise. <3
Thank you! It is hard sometimes to write short reviews, I agree, but I am just so late on my reviews, and I find out that sometimes, I don't have as much to say with some books than I do with others. Hope you'll try and do mini reviews, who knows, maybe you'll be able to write condensed reviews ahah – even if we all long your long reviews 😀
Summer @ Xingsings says
You’re welcome, Marie!
And great advice. Maybe I will. XD
theorangutanlibrarian says
The Anatomical Shape of a Heart sounds *exactly* my kind of book- it sounds like it’s got the balance of fluff and serious issues down to a T and yes please to artistic characters!! And You Know Me Well sounds great!!
Marie says
YES – I’m so glad to hear it! I hope you’ll read The Anatomical Shape of a Heart soon – it’s so, so worth it <3 <3 Thank you so much! <3
theorangutanlibrarian says
Ah absolutely!! <3 You're welcome!! <3