Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review


This book exceeded my expectations, taking me on a poignant and emotional ride that explored the complexities of love, friendship, and self-discovery in the backdrop of a final year of high school. Initially anticipating a lighthearted queer YA romance, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and authenticity of the narrative. Henry Hamlet, an awkward and introspective protagonist, finds himself propelled towards adulthood alongside his group of friends. Among them, Len stands out as the charismatic and outgoing best friend, constantly urging Henry to embrace the real world and break free from his own thoughts.

The story takes an unexpected turn when, during a "truth or dare" game at a party, Henry is kissed by Len. This revelation leads Henry to discover his own attraction to boys, particularly to Len. The gradual development of their relationship is filled with uncertainty, heartbreak, and unspoken emotions. Though the story is told from Henry's perspective, one can read between the lines to sense the turmoil and conflicted feelings that Len experiences, torn apart by the evolving dynamics between them.

Set in Brisbane, Australia, the book not only captivates with its captivating storyline but also immerses readers in the charm of the Australian dialect sprinkled throughout its pages. The banter between Henry and his friends is both humorous and endearing, allowing for moments of levity amidst the emotional weight of the narrative. The characters are masterfully developed, evoking a sense of familiarity and connection. By the end of the book, it feels as though you have journeyed alongside them, truly knowing their hopes, fears, and dreams.

Occasional poetry and beautiful prose add a layer of artistry to the storytelling, heightening the impact of certain scenes. One description, in particular, lingers in my mind: "The dripping city is quiet around us, still holding its breath in the four-thirty light before it exhales commuters for the day." Such evocative imagery transports readers into the atmospheric setting, enhancing the overall reading experience.

With its profound exploration of love, friendship, and the tumultuous path to self-discovery, this book has firmly imprinted itself in my heart. It surpasses its initial genre expectations, delivering a narrative that resonates on a deeply emotional level. I find myself yearning to revisit its pages, eager to delve once again into the captivating world the author has crafted.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you to Rhiannon Wilde and Charlesbridge Teen for providing me with an ARC last year through Netgalley. I have only started catching up on ARCs I missed, and this doesn’t affect my review in any way.

Henry doesn’t know what he wants. He doesn’t think he’s good enough for anything except making things awkward. Then there’s the charismatic Len, Henry’s childhood bestfriend. The popular guy to Henry’s anxious personality. And yet they always made it work since forever. Nevertheless, things take for a turn when their last semester of Year 12 finally begins.

Henry Hamlet’s Heart is an adorable queer YA rom com that explores a coming-of-age story that takes us through Henry’s life as he navigates the difficulties of growing up, family dynamics, friendships, and falling in love.

This book was both superbly emotional and insightful as it tells us a story of two childhood bestfriends becoming more. I find this trope to be very underrated because I’ve always been attuned by how realistic it grasps falling in love in real life. It’s what most of us hope for, yet rarely attain because it is difficult to know someone so deeply and crave this longing then to realize the feelings are better left unspoken because we’re avoiding ruining what already seems so good. But sometimes, the tide changes, and that’s what makes me so fascinated with the ever-changing aspects of this trope and Wilde’s impeccable writing was able to convey that narrative through Henry and Len’s story.

Overall, the prose was beautiful, and I easily fell in love with the characters as Henry fell in love with Len. This book is very promising, and I’d recommend it to anyone who’d love a good, childhood friends to lovers’ story.
We definitely need more books like this!

This this THIS is exactly what I want from a YA. The characters were so REAL and the author perfectly captured that giddy feeling of young love. Highly recommend.

A lovely queer coming-of-age story. It was a fast read and the characters were very lovable, can recommend!

I did enjoy this story but I had a few problems. The daily ongoings of Henry's life started to become very repetitive and I kinda wanted a fast forward button to get thru them. I was also more invested in the friendships than the actual relationship. And then the second act kind of frustrated me with how the characters were acting. The ending also felt very abrupt.

Representation: Queer MCs, discovering queerness

Set in Australia, we spend time with Henry, who’s in his final year of school and has no idea what he wants once it ends. He just knows he has a skill of making things awkward, but he’s always had his best friend to hide behind. Despite being best friends, there’s still a lot about Len that Henry doesn’t know. They’ve always worked, and have a group of boys that spend a lot of time together. Henry slowly realizes that he’s not straight, and on top of that, he develops a crush on Len. This is a heartfelt coming-of-age story, figuring out messy feelings and relationships.

Rating: 4.5/5 I immensely enjoyed this. Right off, this is hard to talk about without spoiling anything, so beware. I will stay away from any details. It was very much a slice-of-life feeling, there weren’t any major events that pushed the story along. Both Henry and Len are very likable people, and their personalities are fun! These lifelong friends are stumbling their way through charged feelings, but they care enough about each other to work it out and figure out what’s next. The friend dynamics through the whole story were just fantastic, you can tell these people truly love and care for each other. They felt like their own people, and not just barely fleshed out supporting characters. The majority of the story is fairly slow paced, and it’s absolutely a slow burn romance. I wish the pace didn’t feel so quick at the end, I would’ve loved a little more of them together at the end. I’m also getting a little tired of the same not-fun tropes in a lot of romance, like “I’m not worthy of this person” or “we can’t do this, commitment is scary!” Like I get it, people are like this in real life, but the way it’s handled is often not enjoyable. Overall, I would definitely recommend this if you enjoy fluffy slow burn romances.

Henry Hamlet's Heart was a cute and heartwarming YA contemporary serving some of the very best tropes like enemies to lovers and found family (with his big group of friends). I loved seeing the beautiful family dynamics and I wish we just generally had more time with all these side characters - Henry's family members, his friends, just all of them! I loved seeing the love story slowly reveal itself and bloom, it absolutely captured my heart!

The book did touch on some heavier issues and while I absolutely loved that, I also wish we got to dig a bit deeper, that those themes got more page time.

I will definitely be recommending this beautiful book to anyone looking for a sweet YA romance filled with friendships, family, and self-discovery.

DNF.

Tried many times to start the book and the keep on reading, and Idk if it was because of the formatting or because the characters seemed to have the same voice but I couldn't for the sake of enjoyment keep on reading without checking my phone five times per paragraph or get into the story, its characters and relationships with one another.

I really wanted to love this book and I don’t believe that it is fair for me to review it because it is not the books fault I did not like it.
I feel like I had just read to many books similar to this and felt bored. It didn’t have anything to add for me that set it apart from the rest. But again, I also think that this is just because I’ve recently been into stories with this description and may have just hit my target point of burnout with them.

What a lovely gay coming-of-age story! All the characters were likable and the story was captivating, with typical high-school scenarios and lighter moments in between. I loved the writing style and it has a great theme of self-discovery!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, Charlesbridge Teen, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book has all the elements I love to see in queer YA contemporaries: the gay confusion, the awkward pining, the unexpected heartbreak, and the moments that make it all worth it. Wilde has such a talent of creating a narrative that completely sucks you in. Once I started Henry’s story, I couldn’t put it down. From his funny and weird group of friends who all deserve their own book because boy oh boy do they get in trouble sometimes, to the slow unravelling of Henry’s feelings for his best friend, this narrative kept me on the edge of my seat. The humour is also so seamlessly interweaved that at any moment, you can find yourself close to tears only to be cracking up a few sentences later. Definitely would recommend this one to anyone looking for a queer YA contemporary.

Fun, LGBTQ+ YA contemporary novel that teens will find heartwarming and entertaining! Set in Australia, which sets it apart from other similar titles. Fans of Becky Albertalli's novels will likely enjoy this one as well.

Friends to lovers! Friends to lovers! Friends to lovers! What a sweet, smart, and charming debut. I will be thinking about these two sweethearts for a long time to come!

Like a more angst Heartstopper, this novel tells the story of a friendship turned crush turned to love. The confused emotions and pining are so strong, and presented with such honesty, I couldn’t put it down. It captures both the deep friendships of our teenage years and the complicated feelings of first love. We only get Henry’s perspective, which makes it all the more complicated as he realized he loves his best friend. There is also the threat of homophobia at Henry’s all-boy school ruining everything as well. It is definitely a YA angst fest, but a well crafted one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

This was a fun read, I enjoyed the familiar and friend dynamic. It was really emotional and surprising! I loved the story and the characters. Definitely would recommend it!

I received an eARC copy via NetGalley. I had a bit of trouble getting into this book initially. I started and stopped ready probably 3 times. On my 4th attempt I decided I was going to give it a go and read through the first half of the book to see if it would grow on me. It did!! I think the first quart to half of the book had a lot going on and dealing with the friendship thing and ALL the friends just kind of lost me in the beginning, but once things between Henry and Len started getting a little more involved the story really took off for me there. I love how they both tried to work through the idea of being more than friends and seeing their initial struggles and challenges with Growing up, family, friends, their sexuality, and love really made the 2nd half of the book to me. Definitely recommend this one.

I really enjoyed the humor and the family and friend dynamic. However, the conflict that happens later in the book consists of overused tropes and is *magically* resolved. There were also some heavier topics mentioned that I would have liked to see explored.

Sometimes this book is laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes serious, and other times perfectly romantic. A sweet charmer of a tale. A pleasing page-turner about high school boys who fall in love. Quick dialogue in a speedy tale. Not at all boring. Gay all the way, which is enlightening and endearing. A fun read that adults and teens alike can read and enjoy, perhaps even together to discuss. A keeper here. Readable all the way.

This was a cute and quick read. I think I read it in about a day and enjoyed it thoroughly. For fans of Patrick Ness and David Levithan.