I wanted to like this book. I love the premise... it just wasn't executed well. I didn't like the first part where Bird was the main character and we saw the world through his perspective. He seemed much younger than the 12 years old that he was suppoed to be. It also didn't encompass how his world had changed.

In Part 2, we get history, but again, it comes from a detached point of view, although it shouldn't have been. This is where we should have really felt how rough The Crisis was and how terrible it was that Bird's mom had to leave.

But yet... I just wanted to get through it. I couldn't connect to this book at all, but I should have.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the E-ARC of Our Missing Hearts in exchange for an unbiased review. I loved this book. It was well-written, thought provoking, and kept me intrigued throughout. It is very relevant in the current political environment. Would definitely buy for my library and would recommend to others.

As a librarian in these times, this story is very relevant to the crushing blows of the impact of a world with out literature. A very poignant look at the life of a child that learns life is about surviving with your own truths and not being destroyed by the senseless attacks that occur due to ignorance, hatred and lack of empathy.

This is a definite deviation from Ng's other works, and will be a surprise for her diehard fans who pick this up. It's nothing like the slower paced, family and character driven novels that we expect. For those going into this understanding that it's a totally different feel than her previous works, it's a wild, near-future dystopian.

After my first Ng novel, I knew she was an author I would be following. I've read everything she has written so far. Our Missing Hearts is a searing commentary set in a "dystopia" that, to be totally honest, doesn't seem very dystopian at all. In this slightly alternative version of America, "PACT" has been enacted: the Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act. PACT allows for the arrest of those who are deemed "anti-American". Immigrants must constantly show their loyalty to America and disloyalty to their home countries, or there could be grave consequences. Books are being removed from libraries for being "unpatriotic" (sound familiar?). It's not right, and Bird's mother has been fighting against it, unbeknownst to Bird. She left when he was 9 years old, but to where he is uncertain. Then he gets a letter with a cryptic drawing, and he is determined to uncover what it means and if it could be connected to his mother. A beautiful story unfolds about family, immigration, racism, and what it means to be an American. Dystopian with a dash of mystery, this book is an important read, if not speculation of what could be just around the bend.

This is not your typical Celeste NG book. I do not enjoy dystopian fiction, but I did read this one. For fans of dystopian books this is probably a good read, just not my cup of tea.

Our Missing Hearts, a 2022 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fiction, didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I must admit, I'm not sure what led me to pick it up for review.

Bird Gardner is a twelve-year-old boy who lives with his father on the tenth floor of a Harvard dorm apartment. The government made laws to preserve "American culture" after years of violence and economic instability. These laws permit book banning and relocating children of dissidents, particularly those of Asian origin.

Bird’s mother, Margaret Miu, a Chinese American poet, left the family when he was nine, her work labeled as subversive. Margaret is now a target under the shadow of the “Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act” (PACT). Bird doesn’t know her whereabouts, but when he receives a cryptic drawing from her, he embarks on a quest to find her.

I adored Celeste Ng’s, Little Fires Everywhere. The characters were vivid and unforgettable, and the plot had me hooked from the very first page to the last. It was a solid five-star read that I’d wholeheartedly recommend. Unfortunately, I can’t extend the same enthusiasm to “Our Missing Hearts.”

I must confess I’m not a huge fan of dystopian, futuristic novels. While I don’t shy away from sad tales, this one just felt a tad overwhelming for my taste. The pacing left me wanting, and I struggled to form any deep connections with the characters.
Author Celeste Ng is either a genius or this novel is just a random collection of streams of consciousness. Nothing much happened, and I gave up about midway through. If you’re into Margaret Atwood or Octavia Butler, you might give this a try. It wasn’t my jam. 2 stars.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure about an adult book with a 12 year old protagonist but it was worth it. I love when you think you know what is happening and then are surprised. I also love the Noah/Ethan dynamic. It is scary to think that this isn’t that much of a stretch of what could happen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the DRC.

An American-Chinese boy looks for his missing mother who wrote a book that was prohibited because it was considered against the status quo. His travel leads him to understand a world beyond his small town.

Fantastic. Heart felt sci fi/dystopia with excellent commentary on the real world. The family dynamic felt real to me.

I absolutely adore Celeste Ng and love all her other books. Our Missing Hearts was harder to get into and did not seem to have the same depth as her previous work. That is just my opinion. I will continue to promote her books and am hoping for more to come soon.

For sure, this is emotionally captivating. (I have a physical copy of this one, so I will be posting my review in my main platform).

This is such a great novel. Ng writes a compelling story about a mother and daughter and their love in a disturbing world that is--at times--painfully similar to our own. This was often a tough read but ultimately a rewarding one. Ng is an impressive and brave writer. Highly recommended!

Thank you for allowing me to read this title early.

Unfortunately, this title was not for me. But I know my patrons will enjoy it and I look forward to suggesting it.

Thank you!

Intense and frightening as the story lands too close to things that are going on in the world and has you wondering how close is the country to PACT. It was hard to read but at the same time compelling, well written and even though I wanted to stop reading I couldn't.

“You don’t have a copy?” Bird asks. “Removed. Three years ago, it says. Someone complained, probably. Us public libraries-a lot of us can’t take the risk. Too easy for some concerned citizen to say you’re promoting unpatriotic behavior. Being overly sympathetic to potential enemies.” Bird and Margaret’s world isn’t exactly our world, but it isn’t not ours, either. The pandemic brought a sharp increase in anti-Asian discrimination; in this post-apocalyptic world, Bird remembers when his mother disappeared. He also remembers when the books were removed. And when those “caring” neighbors wouldn’t bat a lash at reporting any “suspicious” activity; when children began being ripped from their homes and placed with new families. Bird enlists the librarians and their covert, but dangerous systems of communications in his plight to find his mother, poet of “Our Missing Hearts” banned for its revolutionary message. Not unlike something in Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale, this book is a powerful message of what could and is happening already here in America. “Librarians, of all people, understood the value of knowing, even if that information could not yet be used.” I was on the edge of my seat this whole (and quite horrified just knowing what's happening in libraries across the states today. A cautionary tale and not a reality is what I hope this book is one day.

Unfortunately this story feels less fantastical and like an accurate prediction of our future. It’s beautifully written, as all of Celeste Ng’s work is and while it leaves us with a small glimmer of hope. Hopefully we can turn our society in the direction of peaceful coexistence.

I found the world of this book harder to enter than Ng's previous titles. I had to give it an initial DNF but I'm sure I will revisit it eventually.

This was a beautifully written book, about the power of a mother's love and a love letter to librarians.

While I typically am enthralled with this author's work, this story felt impersonal to me. Whereas her other books focus on slice of life stories that dig into relationships between families, romantic partners, and communities, this one feels much less character-driven. Instead, it feels as though the characters exist as a vehicle for the larger conversations that are happening surrounding PACT. While I appreciate what she was trying to do, the way that I struggled to connect to the characters ultimately made the story less impactful.