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Secondly, I got accepted on my first netgalley request!
With both of that said, CONFETTI!
So in celebration of those two special events, I'll be reviewing today Ali Novak's latest work :) I can't wait!
*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy! Receiving one did not affect my views on the book.
(Via Goodreads)
"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?
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If I would be completely honest, I requested The Heartbreakers because (1) the cover's reallyyyy pretty, and (2) the plot reminded me soooo much of a favorite locally published series, Gezellig (I reviewed the first book HERE!)
Anyway, I'm really glad that despite their similarities, I enjoyed Ali Novak's work as itself. It might not be very realistic because of certain points but other things made up for it such as the focus on family, friendship, and passion for the things you love. It also has a little bit (okay, a lot) of insta-love but I've never been bothered by that so it's all good to me. Just thought I should point that out.
I personally think that the book's greatest catch are its characters. First is our lead heroine, Stella. Though she isn't as unforgettable as other female leads I've read before, I liked how her character developed over time. I didn't really like her at first but she eventually got over her fears without completely abandoning what she was from the beginning. That's a major plus for me.
On the other hand, Oliver- our hero- isn't exactly my favorite in the bunch of guys. He made really lousy decisions at some point which resulted to some eye-rolling on my part. *drag on white part to view spoiler* I hated him when he ditched Stella and I hated him more because of his lame excuse for doing so. *end of spoiler* Nevertheless, his I'll-win-you-over-by-a-grand-gesture strategy worked a bit and was really swoon-worthy <3 *drag on white part to view spoiler* As an astronomy fan, I sooooo luv the scene where he and Stella were discussing the stars AND I SWEAR I FANGIRLED WHEN HE SUNG ASTROPHIL AND ALL THE STAR REFERENCES OKAY I'M FANGIRLING AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S THAT AWESOMESAUCE! *end of spoiler*
Aside from the main characters, I enjoyed the various interesting voices of the secondary ones. JJ-though not exactly my type- added humor in the story that made me laugh. His relationship with Oliver was also exciting to see unfold especially when they clash. Meanwhile, I thought Xander would be my favorite Heartbreaker because of his laid back attitude and glasses but eventually, I decided that my fave would definitely be the silent-but-caring Alec. You wouldn't exactly notice him that much but when you do, he'll definitely win you over because of his depth and his eye for details that other people easily miss. *HEARTS!* In totality, each member was fascinating in their own ways and I really enjoyed their history together.
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?
Anyway, I'm really glad that despite their similarities, I enjoyed Ali Novak's work as itself. It might not be very realistic because of certain points but other things made up for it such as the focus on family, friendship, and passion for the things you love. It also has a little bit (okay, a lot) of insta-love but I've never been bothered by that so it's all good to me. Just thought I should point that out.
I personally think that the book's greatest catch are its characters. First is our lead heroine, Stella. Though she isn't as unforgettable as other female leads I've read before, I liked how her character developed over time. I didn't really like her at first but she eventually got over her fears without completely abandoning what she was from the beginning. That's a major plus for me.
On the other hand, Oliver- our hero- isn't exactly my favorite in the bunch of guys. He made really lousy decisions at some point which resulted to some eye-rolling on my part. *drag on white part to view spoiler* I hated him when he ditched Stella and I hated him more because of his lame excuse for doing so. *end of spoiler* Nevertheless, his I'll-win-you-over-by-a-grand-gesture strategy worked a bit and was really swoon-worthy <3 *drag on white part to view spoiler* As an astronomy fan, I sooooo luv the scene where he and Stella were discussing the stars AND I SWEAR I FANGIRLED WHEN HE SUNG ASTROPHIL AND ALL THE STAR REFERENCES OKAY I'M FANGIRLING AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S THAT AWESOMESAUCE! *end of spoiler*
Aside from the main characters, I enjoyed the various interesting voices of the secondary ones. JJ-though not exactly my type- added humor in the story that made me laugh. His relationship with Oliver was also exciting to see unfold especially when they clash. Meanwhile, I thought Xander would be my favorite Heartbreaker because of his laid back attitude and glasses but eventually, I decided that my fave would definitely be the silent-but-caring Alec. You wouldn't exactly notice him that much but when you do, he'll definitely win you over because of his depth and his eye for details that other people easily miss. *HEARTS!* In totality, each member was fascinating in their own ways and I really enjoyed their history together.
But apart from the Heartbreakers, I also really appreciated Stella's siblings. I'm not really close to my sisters so I envy the triplet's relationship especially their extreme care for each other. Drew ties with Alec on my fave guy in the book. He's this protective brother to both Cara and Stella but still knows how to have fun once in a while. He also seems to be pretty good at basically anything which was really nice, though it sets the bar way to high for real life guys. I also liked Cara's characterization that despite being portrayed as the cheerful sick girl, Ali Novak still managed to add a bit of realism when Cara actually did admit of feeling scared.
The first installment in the Heartbreaker Chronicles is definitely a good read for people who enjoys cool-but-flawed characters and don't really mind insta-love mixed with a dash of unrealistic scenarios.
"If you don't constantly remind yourself about the good, the bad will seep in and take over." -Stella
"Well, your ideal man is a vampire-werewolf hybrid who's as swift as the coursing river and mysterious as the dark side of the moon." -Oliver
(*This is definitely my favorite Oliver quote and I just had to include it here because this line honestly made me laugh out loud in public haha!)
"You just gotta trust that the good will make up for the scary." -Drew
"But there's no guarantee about anything in life. Sometimes you just have to take a chance." -Cara
"But you have to stop thinking about it. Just enjoy the moment." -Cara
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Four out of five rating for Ali Novak's The Heartbreakers!
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| 4/5 Rating! :) |
Nice post, things explained in details. Thank You.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! And thank YOU for reading :)
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