I had two misconceptions coming into reading this book. One was my fault, the other I’m blaming on the book blurb. The first was that I thought that this book was going to be more NA, than YA.

What a DELIGHTFUL holiday romance!!! I absolutely loved that it was just as much a romance as a story about growing and becoming oneself. Shani was a delightful narrator, and I loved all of the side characters. Definitely will be recommending this one to friends and patrons!

Very cute and full of cozy winter feels. I liked reading a story set during the holidays that wasn’t a Christmas story. The characters felt real and fleshed out. I will say it didn’t feel enemies to lovers. It is also more romance and less comedy, so I think it’s marketing was a bit off the mark.

I liked this book, but I wanted to LOVE it. Unfortunately, I felt like, for a book about Jewish characters, the plot couldn't get out from underneath Christmas and that was kind of irritating to me.

two Jewish girls fall in love during winter break?!??🌈💖❄️☃️ sign me up!!!

I loved Shani’s character and it was so cool learning more about her love for fossils and science! I adored seeing Shani and May go from their their most rom-com disaster first meeting EVER to their first few handouts getting to know one another.

there’s some heavy convos at the end of the book so please check trigger warnings.

this book was so sweet while also covering some heavy themes and really great conversations throughout. 5⭐️ and the perfect winter break read!!


thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

"How to Excavate a Heart: A Christmas, Hanukkah and Holiday Book" by Jake Maia Arlow is a heartwarming and inclusive LGBTQIAP+ romance that captures the spirit of the holiday season and the power of connection. Arlow's storytelling prowess shines as they craft a tale of love, self-discovery, and the joy of celebrating different traditions. The book's relatable characters and heartfelt plot create an immersive reading experience that resonates with young adult readers. Arlow skillfully navigates the emotions of young love, identity, and the magic of the holidays, adding depth to the narrative. "How to Excavate a Heart" is a touching reminder that love knows no boundaries and that the holidays are a time for embracing who we are and finding joy in unexpected connections, leaving readers with a warm and uplifted feeling as they follow the characters on their journey of love and holiday magic.

I really enjoyed this one! I thought it dealt with the whirlwind that can be a WLW relationship and how you can sacrifice other relationships/other things in your life when you first start dating someone. Very cute.

This was a super angsty queer YA book. The main character seemed a little young but it made more sense once I finished the book.

This New Adult Christmas rom-com is hilarious.

Almost all of the important characters in this book are not Christian and do not celebrate Christmas, so it shows what they do during this holiday season. Shani has come to DC for an amazing opportunity to intern with the natural history museum. However, on the ride there, they run into a really pretty girl in their car.

This story is honestly all over the place emotionally, and it reminds me a lot of my first year in college. This is a time to figure out who you are as an adult. Your epic love stories might not be so epic, but your next relationship might be. There is a lot of understanding of emotions and how to deal with a budding relationship.

Why you should read this book:
~Sapphic love story
~New relationships
~Enemies to lovers
~Fish fossils
~Geeking out over the weather

Trigger warning:
~Sexual assault

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

[ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review]

This is a very sweet sapphic holiday story. I absolutely loved the Jewish rep in this book and the honesty about how messy the start of college can be (and usually is).

Shani was a great main character and I loved seeing her relationship with May progress over the course of the book. Does she make poor choices at the expense of her newfound relationship. Oh, for sure. College!

This has more serious beats than I think I was expecting going in, and there were things that made my anxiety spike quite high. Overall, I’m glad I read it and would recommend to others for sure.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I try so hard to be a holiday movie girlie, and it never quite hits. What intrigued me most about How to Excavate a Heart was how the book took the season and expanded upon it. Rather than just being a book about a college freshman trying to get into the holiday spirit, How to Excavate a Heart is a cute romcom that focuses on mother-daughter relationships, found family, generational divides, first loves, and self-acceptance.

I found myself smiling and laughing along with Shani, May, Beatrice, and Lauren and if I had been reading this at a younger age I could see it easily being a book I would love and hold dear.

I will also say that although this book takes place over the holiday season, it's more than a holiday romance book. It's also about finding yourself, happiness, and balance and those are all valuable lessons that young adults can learn any time of year.

Overall, I would recommend How to Excavate a Heart to anyone who really doesn't think romance is their cup of tea, but who wants a lighthearted story about finding yourself after heartbreak.

Shani just finished her freshman year of college and scored a month-long paleoichthyology internship in DC over winter break. She would be happy about all of this but her girlfriend just dumped her and she almost killed someone with her mom’s car. So maybe things are fantastic at the moment.

Shani and May don’t exactly get off on the right foot but I loved watching them grow closer together (with a little help of some forced proximity). Shani is learning to be her own person and heal from a broken heart and May is right there with her the whole time.

There are so many things to love about this book. First off, there are lots of great characters. To name a few of my favorites: there’s Beatrice, the 96 year old whose house Shani is living in and Raphael the corgi.

This book had me laughing a lot. Plus I learned way more than I ever thought I would about fish fossils. And I loved all of the discussions about Hanukkah.

If you’re looking for a sweet YA jewish sapphic wintry romance, this is your book. Thank you to netgalley and Harper Teen for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

College age protaganist f/f story was good and I also loved the holiday romance portion, with Jewish protganist.

During the winter break internship of her dreams, Shani stays with her great aunt, who has also taken in other local college students. One of her new roommates asks her to fill in for her dog walking gig, and that’s when she meets May - who Shani’s mom may have hit with a car while dropping her off. But just a bump! It won’t be as easy as forgive and forget here.

May and Shani were adorable, especially during their rocky beginning. I loved that they walked so long that they had to carry the corgi because it got too tired 😂

I loved Shani’s enthusiasm for fish and fossils - I kind of wish we spent more time in the lab with her, but understand why we didn’t.

Most of all, I loved the open and welcoming space that Shani’s great Aunt Beatrice created for the girls boarding with her. Opening her home was one thing, but she was generous and kind, and the fact that she was well into her 90’s and clearly loving life was great. She was my favourite part!

The chapter names were fun, but it also tackled coming out, and a past sexual assault. Lots of things to love in this one.

This sweet, queer, Jewish rom-com gave me so much, including a sweet little corgi! The book was well paced, and made me feel content, and I found myself enjoying it.

I liked May and Shani, and I won't deny though I wasn't sure how it would play out, I loved their meet cute since never in my life have I read a meet cute that was like this one. Shani definitely got on my nerves throughout the book, but it added to her character growth and made her a little more relatable to me. I can definitely let my anxiety get the best of me, just like she does more often than not. Plus, the crappy relationship with her mother reminds me of most of my relationship when I was a teen/early adult with my mom.

I went in to this one hoping for more information on fossils, and a little more "Christmas" feel, but the book was basically just set in December, and the internship definitely took a back burner to everything else the story had to offer, which is a shame because just that little bit more of the internship portion would have tickled my fancy.

There are definitely some trigger warnings, and they should be taken in to account before reading as they could be harmful to some, but all in all, definitely one I would recommend as I over all really enjoyed the book. I have more good things to say than bad, so that's a win for me.

3.75 stars

I really enjoyed the queer angst in this one. While there is some of the teen angst surrounding relationships, this one just seemed to come from an especially genuine place. This story handled miscommunication, long distance relationship possibilities, and the struggles with flirtation so very well. And bonus points for the science element, which I found equally intriguing.

I received this book for free from Netgalley for an honest review.
I really loved this honest and heartfelt representation of a wholesome LGBTQ relationship. I highly recommend.

There are some books you read with a smile plastered on your face. How to Excavate a Heart is one such book. it was just a super adorable holigay romance!

Was a very enjoyable read. Did feel a bit too long. I'm not a romcom guy, so maybe for most it felt like it didn't drag, but for me it did at some points. Overall, loved it though.