Our Chemical Hearts
Krystal Sutherland
Our Chemical Hearts
Krystal Sutherland
An irresistible story of first love, broken hearts, and the golden seams that put them back together again. A new edition of the brilliant debut YA novel by the New York Times bestselling author of House of Hollow, Krystal Sutherland.
A brilliant novel from the New York Times bestselling author of House of Hollow and A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares that is equal parts humour and heartbreak, Krystal Sutherland’s Our Chemical Hearts is a potent reminder of the bittersweet bliss that is first love.;;‘Irresistible, romantic and heartbreaking, Sutherland’s debut will have huge appeal to readers of John Green and Jennifer Niven.’ The Bookseller;;Henry Page has never been in love. The slo-mo, can’t-eat-can’t-sleep kind of love he’s been hoping for just hasn’t been on the cards-at least not yet. Henry’s too busy trying to get into a semi-decent college and become editor of his school newspaper, a dream three years in the making. The rest of his spare time he spends with his best friends, Lola and Murray, playing video games and advising them on their own sordid love lives.;;Then he meets Grace Town, the elusive new girl in school, who wears oversized boys’ clothing, walks with a cane, rarely seems to shower, and is hiding crushing secrets. She’s hardly who Henry expected his dream girl to be, but when the two are chosen to edit the paper together, sparks fly. After all this time, Henry’s about to learn firsthand just how disastrous the road to first love can be-and that sometimes it’s the detours that end up mattering much more.;
Review
Lian Hingee
There’s already quite a bit of buzz about Krystal Sutherland’s debut novel, with comparisons being drawn to John Green and Rainbow Rowell and a movie already in the works. It’s a big vote of confidence in this young Queensland writer, and a good indicator of what’s to come from her.
Our Chemical Hearts is a funny and heartfelt story about first love and, of course, a story about first heartbreak. Henry Page is a smart and self-aware teenager who’s happily managed to make it to the ripe old age of seventeen without losing his heart to anyone. Content to hang out with his friends (Murray, the Australian Steve Irwin parody; and Lola, the gay Chinese/Haitian ‘diversity triple threat’), avoid the scandal that dogged his older sister’s senior year, and secure his position as editor of the yearbook, Henry is totally unprepared for Grace Town.
Greasy-haired, shrouded in men’s clothing, and burdened with a cane to help her walk, Grace is an unlikely romantic interest; but her closely-held secrets, enigmatic behaviour, and quick wit soon has Henry smitten. But is he falling in love with the girl, or the idea of one? Sutherland isn’t writing in a vacuum, and there’s a slightly manic immediacy to Our Chemical Hearts that will be appealing to young readers who live in a fast-paced digital world. It’s peppered throughout with pop-culture references and in-jokes, sly little nods and winks for experienced readers who are familiar with the tropes that crop up again and again in YA fiction.
Our Chemical Hearts acknowledges and pays tribute to the ever-popular genre of Manic-Pixie-Dream-Girls-and-the-men-who-love-them, but turns it gently on its head by developing into a story that proves that love is complicated and people more so. This is an accomplished first novel and an enjoyable read that blends humour with heart.
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