"Paper Hearts" is the perfect follow-up to Ali Novak's "The Heartbreakers"! I can't wait to read more about this boy-band, their hijinks, and the girls who fall for them! 5/5 stars.

First of all, I just read the summary for the book on Goodreads and got very confused just now. That summary is definitely NOT the book I read. Sure, Felicity and Alec are both in it but…who’s Lucy? And I don’t remember them going to Prom…? Anyway, the book that I read had a little more depth than that, I think. There was an interesting family dynamic since Felicity’s sister is gone, but I really disliked their mom. In fact, none of the characters were SUPER likable in my opinion. The romance was fine, but again, nothing that blew me away. With those things being said, I thought the book was good and I enjoyed that we got to see some of Stella and Oliver. I also look forward to reading the books featuring the other two bandmates. This series is what the Backstage Pass series wishes it was.

This was a very sweet book, great addition to this series. Finding out more about the other band members is always a wonderful thing. Ali Novak is doing a great job bringing this series to life.

We meet Felicity, who is a very dedicated person trying to get through her plan for life without any hiccups, but then she discovers the truth about something and all that goes out the window. Her sister has been missing for a while and with the help of Alec, a member of the heartbreakers, and oh so scrumptious of a person she’s on a mission to find her. Also included are her best friends Asha and Boomer.

Alec is a very serious and private person, I guess you can say he’s like the shy one in the group if you had to stereotype him, he’s very serious. But with Felicity it’s like he wants to let himself go. Get out from under the thumb of people around him. The two main characters definitely have some familiar struggles just in different ways, but struggles none the less. The two help each other overcome these struggles in life and with the freedom they both desired, or didn’t even know they desired.

I thought this book was really good, not as much as the first one but still good in its own right. You can definitely read it as a stand-alone but it’s good to see the other characters from the first book blossom throughout the book or more like how they have blossomed since the first book. I really enjoyed the book overall. I was definitely interested in what would happen between Felicity and Alec, and was quite surprised with a few other characters in the book.

I will say that I am now interested in researching more origami especially the hearts, just sounded so cute in the book that I had to look it up and try it myself. Another great thing about this book were all the great locations mentioned throughout, it’s always fun when there is a road trip involved. Check the book out, it’s a good quick fun easy read. Can’t wait for the next one in the series.

Ok, so admittedly, I went into this book without having read its predecessor, The Heartbreakers. So, as you can imagine, I did not know who the Heartbreakers were or what had happened before Felicity showed up. But, since this is more of a companion novel, or so I’ve been told, I don’t think it had anything to do with my enjoyment of the novel. That said, all of my opinions come from reading this book alone.

Now, to the review.

I recently read a book, Songs About a Girl, by Chris Russell, a book with the same basic premise as this one. It’s about a young high school girl who one day meets and befriends the members of a boy band and as you can guess, much drama follows and she falls in love. Sadly, I didn’t like that novel very much. I was bored out of my mind, it dragged, and it was almost 500 pages. Basically, I didn’t have a good time reading it.

This book, thank goodness, was better than that. For starters, I enjoyed it more and was less prone to skimming through the latter half. That said, I wasn’t too much a fan of it either.

My main problem with this novel is that it uses a lot of the common tropes we see in YA contemporaries. And the thing about tropes and cliches and all those terrible things is that I don’t always hate them. When they are handled by an expert writer, someone whose work completely engages you, I will completely overlook them. Sadly, this was not one of those cases.

One of those tropes here, one of my least favorites, was the lack communication. Why is talking so hard? Why can we not live in a world where people can just tell each other what they think and how they feel. Had Felicity and Alec spent some time having a couple of conversations, I do not doubt that a lot of things could have been resolved.

Another issue I had was that the romance didn’t feel real. It was a bit too forced. A bit too cliche. A bit too insta-love. I just wasn’t buying it. Is one road trip all it takes to fall in love? I clearly need to be taking more road trips because authors seem to think that they are the ultimate match makers. And again, these cliches are some that I constantly over look when done well, but I really wasn’t feeling them all that much here.

Still, I must admit that despite the issues I had, I was entertained. It was a quick read and I had a fairly good time reading it. I do think that I would have liked it more if I’d read it back when I was 15 when I was fairly new to YA and its slew of cliches. Sadly, I’m now 20 and have read too many YA novels to count, many of which were better done than this one. I like it, I guess, but I really wish I would have loved it.

YA is one of my favourite genres so I was really looking forward to reading this book. I hadn't read the first book (this is book 2 in a 2 book series) but it didn't seem to matter because I quickly fell into the storyline.

Felicity was an easy character to like, despite her issues at home she had a good head on her shoulders and I soon felt protective of her. The early scenes with Alec were so adorable, I couldn't help but smile at her awkwardness. Felicity's friends were also entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed their part in the story.

During the masquerade ball I definitely got a Romeo & Juliet vibe and thanks to the author's clear writing style I was able to picture the scene effortlessly. The story had a very distinctive "young" feel to it and this made it light and fun to read. The super soaker scene in particular was vividly described and made me wish I was joining in with the fun.

A major discovery changed the direction of the storyline, it added a hint of mystery and raised a lot of questions. What followed were almost all normal occurrences for a teenager (family troubles, boy troubles and big life decisions) except Felicity faced them all with a celebrity at her side!

Part of me was waiting for something a little more dramatic to come along but unfortunately it didn't, there were lots of ups and downs but nothing that I hadn't expected.

This was a lovely read, the stuff of dreams for any boy band fan.

Thoughts
Paper Hearts was a quick, heartwarming read that I really enjoyed, even if I had some issues with the plot. The novel follows Felicity, an over-achieving high school student who is desperate to earn enough money and extracurricular experience to get into Harvard. While working a charity masquerade ball, she unknowingly meets Alec, a guitarist for The Heartbreakers, the most popular boy band in the world.

I actually love premises like this, when a celebrity falls for a non-celebrity, and they have to try and make their relationship work despite the different lifestyles and social circles. Paper Hearts was no different. I was immediately pulled into Felicity and Alec's journey, and I had a hard time putting the book down as they grew closer together. There were some really sweet scenes, and fun ones involving Alec's band mates.

The only issue I had with Paper Hearts was with a couple of the minor characters, specifically Felicity's mom and sister, and the way that part of the plot is resolved. It seemed very out of character and unrealistic to me, and I would have given this book a lower rating if it wasn't for Alec and Felicity.

Read this book if...
You enjoy contemporary YA romances.
You love books with adventure and road trips!
You're like me and you like reading about fictional celebrities falling in love with non-celebrities.
You're in the mood for a relatively clean but romantic book.

Final Musings
Paper Hearts is actually the second book in Ali Novak's Heartbreakers Chronicles series. The first book, The Heartbreakers, follows Alec's friend and band mate Oliver, whom you meet in this novel, too. I haven't read the first book, but I don't think it's necessary to be able to follow and enjoy Paper Hearts. I will probably read The Heartbreakers sometime, and since there are 2 other members of the Heartbreakers, I'm hoping Ali Novak will continue her series with two more books.

Also, the entire time I was reading this book, I had My Paper Heart by The All-American Rejects playing in my head. Flashback to early high school :)

Ali Novak gave me life these last few days! I listened to the heartbreakers right before I started reading Paper hearts! Both of which were so stinking cute.

This installments follows Alec our stoic silent type. I was so excited to hear hi s story especially since we saw glimpse of how his father treated him and the boys in the first book. On that note I have to say I wanted more of Alec, his life, his father, his past and I feel like we did not get that. We got a lot of Felicity’s (our main lady love in this installment) back story because she was the main POV of the book. I really hope we get to see more what happens with Alec and the band after the new direction he took for himself.

Felicity was a good character, I did not love her as much as Stella but she still had great moments. This story followed her on her, two friends, and Alec on their hunt for her sister. Some how took a more serious tone than the first. Because of this we did not see the heartbreakers together as often. However when we did it was so fun! Fels friends also brought more laughter to the group when everyone was all together.

I really liked reading these two books. I laughed out loud so many times! Reading these is like watching a teen romcom and I LOVE IT! Paper Hearts was an awesome next installment. It did lack in a few spots for me but all together it was a 3.75 stars. If I had just a little more Alec I would have bumped it to four. I recommend this series to anyone who loves YA and laughing!!!

Rating: 5 stars

Felicity and Alec are prefect for each other! I loved how they met. It was very "A Cinderella Story" without the annoying "oh I had no clue who you were the whole damn time".

Alec and Felicity both have their own amount of family drama that makes me heart ache for them. But together they are able to stay strong.

I loved the adventure aspect of this book. Felicity had so many unknowns in her well thought out life plan. I just loved how this story had not just a romantic storyline, but also a family one. It really added more to the story.

Now if the next book could be about JJ that'd be great ;)

-Taylor

In an Oyster Shell – A sweet romance that has a nice complexity to it.

The Pearls – The book read to me like a modern day fairytale. You have a regular girl who is struggling to make a future for herself. Then you have a successful guy of a boy band. They come together and it’s almost magical. It was a sweet concept and was well-executed.

The characters were distinctive. The supporting characters had a big hand in helping the story along. I loved Felicity’s best friends they added a nice depth to the story. Felicity was a great heroine. She was flawed and therefore very easy to empathize with. Alec was a stoic character a nice compliment to Felicity.

The romance was slow burning but very satisfying. The two characters compliment each other really nicely. I liked that the romance unfolded slowly. It made for slower pacing in the story at first but worked out in the end. It was a perfect romance for a YA. Very appropriate.

The Sand – The pacing was slow at first but well worth pushing through to the end.

I’ve read The Heartbreakers a long time ago – almost 2 years ago! -, but I was very excited to revisit the band, and this book didn’t disappoint 🙂 .

It didn’t take me any time at all to get into the world of the band, and I just love how the guys all fit together. This is definitly my favorite teen band in books, and the guys just truly feel like family and friends. It’s a great written dynamic.

I liked the two main characters, but I did have some issues with Felicity, especially because she so easily doubted everything and everyone and overreacted. But she went through a lot of character growth, so that was a plus. Alec was a sweetheart, and I loved his relationship with all his friends, especially Stella. I also loved Felicity’s BFFs, Boomer and Asha, and I loved their mini story.

I wasn’t 100% sold on the romance though, and I wish the action of the book has taken more time, because I needed to feel that connection between Felicity and Alec, and it wasn’t totally there. Maybe my problem was perhaps the pacing, but I still found their relationship cute, I just felt it needed a little more development.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one, and I especially liked the time with the band and the road trip element. I wish the book had focused a little more on the band at times, I felt like I needed to see more of them, and more of Alec and Fel together.

I do recommend this series, and I hope the books about the remaining boys will come out faster than this one did, because I’m so curious for their stories. I love the band and their friendship, so I want more.

When writing a romance novel, the most important thing is to get everything else right. Because basically readers don’t come for the ending. They know it’s a HEA. It’s a given. So the journey, the on-the-way, the path taken to reach it? That’s important. It has to feel right, because otherwise the romance won’t hold up.

At times, Paper Hearts doesn’t feel right. There are too many questions for which I wanted answers. The twist in the plot had too many holes, and it didn’t quite hit the shock value it was aiming for. But most unfortunately, I didn’t feel like I ever really knew Alec. I read the first book in this loosely connected series (about a boy band called The Heartbreakers), and even in that review I noted he seemed enigmatic, and one would think that, given this is HIS book, we would feel more connected. I didn’t. He’s as much a mystery by the end as he was in the beginning.

Everything is seen through Felicity’s point of view. She’s an open book. Her feelings, however, are closed up tight, and for much of the story, she remains focused on good grades, and getting into Harvard, even though anyone with their eyes half open can tell her passion lies elsewhere. Her decisions about her future were made when she was 13, when her older sister left and never returned. Felicity took on the burden of the well-behaved daughter, the reliable one, and we all know that meeting Alec is going to shake the foundations of her well-intentioned plans.

Felicity’s mother is a cardboard cut-out of a character. She serves only to be critical and meddlesome. Felicity has let her mother get away with some bad decisions, but at least we know why. We understand the loss of sister Rose has affected their mother badly, and it’s a clear reflection of Felicity’s generous heart. I wanted her to more appreciative of Felicity and oh, how about, not lie to her for years! (sorry, heading into spoiler territory there!)

I did like the way Felicity developed over the course of the novel. But really, aren’t the books meant to be about the boys in the band? Yes, by the end of the novel, Alec is also more confident, more independent, but we have little understanding of how he gets to that point, because of course, when the big misunderstanding happens, we follow Felicity and never see how Alec deals with the breakup. It’s frustrating. There was also way too much reliance on Felicity overhearing half-understood conversations, which didn’t help provide any insight into Alec.

A little research shows that these books started on as online stories, and now are being published in print. It’s great to see authors who have gained fans via an online forum getting to see their work in traditional media, and I will be interested to see the following titles that will show us the other two band members, Xander and JJ find their happy-ever-after. You might ask, why read these books if I’m just going to be critical? Well, I do love a romance. I always have. But I want more than eyes lighting up at the sight of him/her, and I don’t deserve you. And Paper Hearts just didn’t hit those highs.

Thanks to publisher, Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the advanced copy. If you read the first book, you will want to catch up with all the band members here. There is one long extended sequence in which the Heartbreakers all appear. It’s a lovely bit of bonding. The road trip has some funny moments, and Felicity’s best friends, Asha and Boomer are their own special sub-plot.

Published on July 4.

I haven’t read the first book in the Heartbreakers Chronicles, but I love a good Hollywood romance story - they’re always such a perfect quick read! And this one was no different. Paper Hearts follows Felicity Lyons as she meets and begins to fall for Alec Williams, a member of the world famous boy punk band The Heartbreakers. Paper Hearts was a fun, and surprisingly engaging read. There was an abundance of family drama, teen friendships, and some really swoony romance.

Things I Liked :
The entire book felt like a fantastic early ‘00 teen rom-com! It was filled with great friends, romance, and drama. The overall vibe of the story was summery and fun. While the story is not realistic at all, I still found it to be really engaging and so easy to read.

The romance in the story was really cute and fluffy. You can’t help but smile at Felicity and Alec and their unlikely romance. I like that we see them getting to know each other, and getting to know each other’s friends. I also really appreciated that they don’t confess their love for each other, after knowing each other for such a short amount of time. Kudos!

I loved the roadtrip aspect of the book because roadtrips are always fun! The adventure feeling really added to the teen rom-com vibe and created this invigorating and adventurous atmosphere that was a lot of fun.

I really appreciated the playlists at the back of the book! The story focused on celebrity and the band less than I thought it would, which I think really worked. It was more about Felicity’s personal journey, not a romantic one in relation to a famous person. The playlists were a nice touch to add a bit more music to the story without taking anything away from Felicity’s story.

Things I Didn’t Like :
I would have liked more development for Alec and his father’s relationship. You could understand the rift that existed and the strain it put on Alec, but I felt I always wanted more from their relationship. It would have helped to develop Alec a bit more outside of the band.

Unfortunately, this book had one of my least favorite tropes: miscommunication as a plot device. Felicity and Alec’s fight was just incredibly frustrating because Felicity refused to stop and listen to Alec at all. I understand she was having some trust issues, but I just wanted to yell at her.

I also think that all of Felicity’s family drama was pushing past believable territory into cheesy soapy drama. There was so much drama and angst compounded with secrets, betrayal, reveal after reveal. It got to be a little much, especially because a good chunk of it happened within like 25 pages. I appreciate that Asha told Felicity it was soap opera levels of drama.

Overall this was a super quick read that I knocked out in one sitting. It was heavy on the drama, but never felt weighed down or slow. The book had a great summer vibe and was a lot of fun.

sn't it fun to think of what would happen if you actually got to meet a famous musician like Harry Styles or Shawn Mendes (or John Travolta or Michael Jackson in their prime for someone my age!)? Are heartthrobs actually like regular people, or are they impossibly full of themselves?

That's the premise for Paper Hearts, by Ali Novak. This is a fun, sweet romance that was hard to put down. I enjoyed the characters, situations, and the romance. What was even better was that I didn't even realize (until halfway through reading it) that this is part two of a series! I think it's a sign of good writing when you can jump in with any book in a series and not be confused. There were hints about other characters that make me want to go to the first book and read more.

What I Liked:
Characters:
Felicity is a hard-working teen. She makes good grades, works part-time to save up for college, and even does volunteering to look good on her college applications. Since her dad left, and her sister ran away, her mom has had to struggle, so Felicity is very aware of how much things cost and is careful about money. She definitely has her feet on the ground.

I really liked Felicity and appreciated that she was so hyper-aware about money. This was so realistic! I am always amazed by how teens in books don't seem concerned with how much things cost. Many teens (as I was myself at that age) are very concerned with affording clothes, gas money, and spending money. They can't ask their parents for these things.

This was a great contrast with Alec (the teen heartthrob) who never concerned himself with money matters. While he could take out a card and buy whatever he wanted, he was still a very normal person. I also liked that Alec was very reserved. He was so used to people wanting to know him because of his fame that he didn't let his guard down easily.

Felicity also had a wonderful friend named Asha. Asha was great because she was the superfan that Alec would try to avoid. It was fun to see Asha freak out over things like seeing the inside of Alec's bathroom, and wanting to jump on social media to tell everyone about her good luck.

Situations:
I love books with road trip in them! It was the perfect opportunity for Alec and Felicity to get to know each other better. Plus she gets to meet his band mates, as well! It was also fun to see Alec's playlists for Felicity at the end of the book! There was also a different playlist that the author used as inspiration for the book. I went ahead and (re) created Alec's playlist for Felicity on Spotify:




Romance:
I enjoyed the romance in the book (although it fits a pretty standard formula). After the initial surprise of figuring out that Alec is a famous heartthrob, Felicity does get to know him and see him in less than picture perfect moments. I liked that while Alec is used to girls falling all over him, Felicity must do some soul-searching about whether or not she can be with someone famous. I also liked that his band mates were also pretty normal guys when it came to love (I loved that Oliver is clueless as to what to get his girlfriend for their anniversary!).

What I Was Mixed About:
Formulaic:
As much as I liked this book, I kept seeing many of the cliches that the Twitter account Brooding YA Hero parodies.

They include:

Masquerade ball ✔
Rich Dude, Poor Girl ✔
Bookish Girl ✔
Missing Parent ✔
Misunderstanding that could easily be cleared up ✔
Evil Dad ✔

It's saying a lot that I still found the book charming even with these silly tropes.

Loved this second story in The Heartbreakers Chronicles. If you haven't read the first, this is still an enjoyable romantic fun YA read, but having read the first you have a good idea about who The Heartbreakers are and the dynamic between the boys. This particular story is focused on Alec, who meets Felicity at a masquerade charity event. Felicity doesn't know who he is until after sparks are flying and they have formed a connection. Felicity is dealing with missing her sister who disappeared 4 years prior and she is trying to get through life with her two besties. Alec is an unexpected addition to her world and when she discovers a huge secret mom is keeping a road trip is in order. This has all the great aspects of a YA read, romance, fun, good friends, new relationships and a rockstar! Love Novak's writing and can't wait to read more!

This was a quick and fun read. Its nice that even though this is part of a series you can read it as a stand alone. Really enjoyed reading the book. Its nice that its based on the band but so far each guy has had his own story. Hoping more books will come as I would love to know more about JJ and Xanders characters.

4.5 Swoon Worth Stars!!!

This book is just so darn cute and had me smiling the entire time. I started Friday evening and was instantly smitten with the story. I would have finished this in one sitting over the weekend, but adulting and doing errands had to come first.

I thought all the characters were pretty great and likable. They each had their own charm and quirks and that made reading much more fun and entertaining. The friendships were just awesome and I loved that Alec and Felicity both had great friends who supported them throughout all the drama and craziness. Also, can I just say that The Heartbreakers boys were all so cute and their bond so endearing!!

Felicity frustrated me a bit, but I loved her simple and down to earth personality. She's also smart, creative and very passionate. Alec... where do I even begin. HE IS JUST SO ADORABLE. There's this mystery and sweetness about him that just lures you in and make you swoon. I certainly did and I wanted to know more about him.

I love romance stories with all the FEELS and I can honestly say that Paper Hearts definitely did not disappoint. There's enough swooning to keep you turning the pages and have you daydreaming about first crushes and first loves. While Felicity and Alec’s relationship was the main focus (and they’re so cute together), I appreciated that you get a glimpse at the romance between the other characters too.

Some aspect of the plot was obviously not very realistic, but the absurdity and cliches made it that much more amusing. Definitely the perfect escape that had teenage me doing a happy dance as I lived out my fangirl fantasies through Felicity. The mystery though was kind of a letdown for me. The revelation wasn't all that shocking, the confession not really that intriguing and the confrontation not very emotional. This is probably very subjective, but I love love love drama. If there's going to be some soap opera kind of drama, then you better make it damn crazy.

I've never read a book by Ali Novak, but after Paper Hearts, I can definitely see myself being a big fan. I'll be checking out The Heartbreakers really soon because I already miss my boys and can't wait to read about Oliver and Stella.

With swoon worthy guys, great friendships, fun antics, drama, and a cute love story, Paper Hearts is such a fun delightful read. Take it with you on a road trip, to the park, at the beach or in bed before you sleep -- if you have a weakness for a lighthearted YA contemporary romance, then this book is perfect for you.

Paper Hearts, the second book in the Heartbreaker chronicles, is a quick, cute and fun summer read. It's a fun contemporary, with road trips, music and a solid friendship group.

Despite that, sometimes the cliches got too much. Not too mention that when the truth behind the big mystery was a bit of a disappointment. But, overall, it was a good read, I enjoyed it and will continue on with the Heartbreaker chronicles!

Masquerade ball....check.
Time with a guy you know is amazing but you don't know what he looks like...check.
Finding out he is in the hottest band out there right now....check.

Cinderella romance come to life....NOPE!


This is a cute book with ups and downs, trust and mistrust, roadtrips, annoying parents, and fun. Liked it a lot. Sometimes you just need sweet romance stories, and this was one!

Felicity has come to a realization about someone in her family. A secret that has been hidden from her for quite some time. So naturally, she decides to take a road trip with her new friend. I wanted to really love this book. But it fell a little flat.

The first book in this series, The Heartbreakers I absolutely loved. It’s one of my favorites from last year. That being said, when I saw this. I wanted it and jumped right in. But I was a little disappointed. It didn’t have the magic that the first book had. I didn’t really connect with Felicity and the romance with Alec wasn’t believable to me.

Overall, I give this Two Boundless Stars. It was ok but could have been better.

It super exciting book ever!!! It's adorable and lovely and sweet and I'm enjoying so much!!