Shani begins her first college winter break reeling from her first heartbreak, being a jerk to her sweet Jewish mother, and intent on burying her feelings in work at an internship in DC. That is, until she crashes (literally) into a girl named May and insecurities get brought to the surface in a way that was endearing but also frustrating.

I thought this book would be new adult, but it screwed a bit young adult for me. There were some very witty lines, yet Shani’s inner dialogue became repetitive after awhile and I wanted to scream at the characters to JUST. COMMUNICATE. I also thought there was a lot of potential for the side characters and their personalities and storylines to be developed a bit more. I was hoping for more of the “found family” trope in Beatrice’s house, or even with Shani’s supervisor, Mandira, but it all was left feeling a little surface level.

Overall, a solid debut novel though and I will take any sapphic holiday rom-com I can get. 3.75 stars.

Do yourself a favor and read this book! Seriously, it is the Jewish rom-com of my dreams.

Getting to know Shani and May felt like giving my young Gay self the worlds biggest hug. Jake Maia Arlow writes with so much compassion, wit, and understanding that is so authentically beautiful.

I genuinely didn’t realize I was even close to finishing the book until the last page because I was so absorbed in the story! It doesn’t hurt that I love a character with niche interests and my goodness does Shani have one of those! (And it’s a fun one, trust me!) 💀🐟💙

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for this copy in exchange for a review.

This was so absolutely adorable. I was cheering for May and Shani the entire time. Their relationship is complicated from the get go, what with Shani bumping into May with her mom’s car. But a random dog walking request brings them together and the snarky sparks fly. Shani has quite a few issues to deal with, a lot stemming from a relationship she just got out of. There are sweet moments, shared experiences, tears, and laughter and the entire time I kept turning the page because I wanted to read more.
And while it’s not a huge cast, the rest of the characters are very much that, real characters. From Shani’s coworkers at her internship (I learned a lot more about ancient fish then I thought I would and I found myself nerding out as much as Shani was), the colorful crew at the house she’s staying at during her internship, and Shani’s mom and best friend. We get a few nuggets about the people in May’s life, but this story is Shani’s after all.
There’s not grand sweeping gestures, there’s awkwardness, there’s fights, misunderstandings, and plenty of sweet moments to balance out the sour. This story felt extremely realistic and really well written.

🕎 lesbian Jewish holiday romance 👩‍❤️‍👩
🤶 an invincible 96-year-old woman
🐾 a precious corgi in snow boots

TW: This novel contains a brief description of a past sexual assault. The author's website includes page numbers for those wondering.
How to Excavate a Heart is Jake Maia Arlow's first young adult novel. Since the author's prior publications are middle-grade novels, I was worried that this book would feel more young adult despite the characters being of the new adult age category. Thankfully, I was not disappointed by this book! The author perfectly blended holiday themes, comedy, and romance.
I loved Shani's POV, and I felt that her challenges were extremely relatable. All of the characters (including the precious corgi, Raphael!) felt so real. This was one of those books that I sat down to read and had read over a hundred pages by the time I looked up.
Put this at the top of your holiday


How to Excavate a Heart was released on November 1st, 2022, but I was fortunate to receive an advanced reader copy- thanks to NetGalley and Harper Teen!

3.5 Stars

How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow puts a Jewish twist on the classic Christmas enemies-to-lovers story. With dog walking, fossils, and a relatable main character navigating her first year of university, this one has so much to love. Fans of Hallmark movies will not want to miss this entertaining holiday read.

After getting dumped by her girlfriend, Shani heads to DC for winter break to do an internship at the Smithsonian. Swiftly upon her arrival, she and her mom almost run over a stranger, and Shani finds herself off to a rough start with the locals. However, when she takes a dog-walking gig, she is shocked to learn that the owner’s daughter is the girl she almost ran over. As the two get to know each other better, they find themselves getting closer, but Shani must first decide if she’s ready for another relationship.

❀ RELATABLE MAIN CHARACTER

Shani is a relatable main character, and I loved her voice. She has just finished her first semester of university, and the author does can excellent job capturing all the feelings of starting this new phase of one’s life. What I especially enjoyed about Shani is the way she makes mistakes as she navigates all the changes in her life. This makes her realistic, and through some of her messier moments, she is able to grow.

❀ COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS

Throughout the book, the author also delves into many complex relationships. We see Shani’s interactions with her mom, who she fights with but still loves, with her ex, who left her with lingering trauma in the aftermath of their breakup, and with May, as their relationship develops and they learn to communicate. These dynamics reveal more of Shani’s personality and bring even more complexity to the story.

❀ DIVERSE HOLIDAY READ

How to Excavate a Heart is a holiday rom-com that I’m sure many will be able to relate to. I enjoyed the mix of the holidays with fossils, and the main character is realistic as she navigates her first year of university and the different relationships in her life. This is a great read for those looking for a diverse holiday read that will leave them with a smile.

How to Excavate a Heart leaves you satisfied yet wanting more. It's funny, bittersweet, and heartwarming. Shani, a queer Jew, is a tormented young woman trying to find herself at that age when being an adult and feeling like an adult are two different things. Jake Maia Arlow tells the story from Shani's first person point of view.

Shani is supposed to be in D.C. for a month long internship but she has an immediate run in with May, the girl she finds herself attracted to. They dislike each other at first but come around. It's a slow burn type of love story. After all, Shani has just had her heart broken and when the reader finds out why, it's truly heartbreaking.

The book is filled with humor and great a great supporting cast that don't steal the show but act as a nice found family. The pacing was great. I don't usually read books with characters in their late teens/early 20's but I enjoyed this one. I only wish we could have known more about May since all of the story was told by Shani. I'd definitely recommend this book to young adults.

Personally, not my cup of tea. I love a good holidays romance, but found both main characters to be insufferable and selfish- but who wasn't at 18/19, I guess.

Ahh this really gave me a warm feeling inside my heart and made me smile so wide while reading about their interactions! I am so happy I was able to read this and enjoy it!

This was a super cute holiday rom com. Disaster lesbians are always fun to watch and I loved that it featured Jewish characters instead of the ubiquitous Christmas tropes.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a Jewish, sapphic, winter romcom and it is exceptional. It fit a number of boxes I didn't even know I needed checked. Everyone who reads sapphic romances should read this.

This was cute but ultimately I was pretty bored reading it and probably would have stopped if it weren't so short. I'll read pretty much anything with Jewish lesbians, but I'm starting to think I may be romanced out, because this felt so formulaic. If you're not as fatigued of the genre, you'll probably enjoy this.

Shani Levine is a college freshman, out on campus, but hiding her sexuality from her mom–who would totally accept her, but Shani’s too embarrassed. She recently split with her first-ever girlfriend, Sadie, and she’s got brutal feelings about the experience. The more she thinks about it, the more Shani recognizes that their time together was toxic. Instead of dealing with her humiliation, however, Shani takes a break-time internship in DC, far from her NYC home. Working at the Smithsonian gives Shani time to get her head on correctly, with hours of fossil cleaning and mounting in her future. Unfortunately, Shani’s minds seems to fill quickly with the red-haired girl her mom nearly ran over in the blizzard that hit the day they arrived in town.

Despite Shani’s determination to have a girl-free, stress-free time, she keeps bumping into May over and over, as they live in the same neighborhood. May clearly has family troubles, and she and Shani strike up an unlikely friendship that seems like it could become more, if only May liked girls.

The effort Shani puts in to deluding herself is incredible. She fools no one–none of her close contacts anyhow–but they humor her and give her the space she needs to have the hard conversations she endeavors to avoid. Still, May doesn’t know these things about Shani and they plow into friendship with few reservations, once they connect on an intellectual level. I liked how impassioned both Shani and May are, and I liked that Shani tried to check herself for getting well beyond her desired limits for friendship (and more), because she’s pretty sure that Sadie may have broken something in her. Not exactly her heart, but maybe her gumption, if that’s possible. Shani’s fears cause her to make poor decisions, ones that hurt May and Shani alike, but for different reasons. Sadie was terrible to Shani and she doesn’t want to lose herself in another relationship, but that’s what she seems to continue doing, nonetheless.

There are a lot of things pulling Shani and May apart–and it will only be honesty that binds them together. I appreciated how vulnerable May was, and how strong a character she seemed. Shani’s journey has her determining her own worth and helping to get back on track in her relationships. I liked the personal growth Shani had make, and admired her control in situations that seem to only be more fraught with anxiety, for which Shani very much struggles. The setting is winter break, so Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years are all part of the story, in ways that both strengthen and weaken the book.

This is a new adult, enemies-to-lovers read, but it didn’t seem as formulaic as all that. For me, this wasn’t exactly a romance. Nor did it seem to fit as a holiday romance. MAYBE it’s a holiday fling, but readers should expect some wrong turns that derail things long before the story ends in a Happy for Now scenario. There’s a ton of emotion happening in the story and Shani is overwhelmed by it, but not a ton of romance. It’s clear these young women have a thing for each other, but it takes work for Shani to build the healthy relationship she’d like to experience. And she messes it up a lot in the couple of weeks she and May spend in proximity.

I liked the story and I liked the resolution. It’s not an easy ending, and I valued the work that went into getting the characters where they needed to be emotionally. Shani didn’t take shortcuts, because they all backfired. As awkward and unlovable as she seemed, Shani won me over with her vicious humor and unrelenting self-derision. This is a girl who can’t take her own worth, and so she’s constantly undervaluing herself. It was interesting to experience and the prose is tight, twisting, and thoughtful.

Highly recommend for readers who enjoy YA/New Adult stories.

If I could give this book infinite stars I would. I LOVED IT. I’m not a Hallmark or Christmas person but this was SO GOOD. Please publish more queer Christmas books immediately please. The characters, the writing, the “oh my god no!!” moments… loved it

Sapphic Jewish Christmas romcom! Genuinely, this was just the most precious surprise of a book and I'm so pleased I had the opportunity to read it.

Shani is absolutely not running away from her feelings when she goes to DC over the winter holidays to take a paleoichthyology internship days after her break up. She's also definitely not looking to get into any new relationships when she and her mom accidentally run into May with their car during a snowstorm. But when Shani gets roped into walking May's perfect angel of a corgi, Raphael, and then they're snowed in together on Christmas Eve, feelings starting to arise. May might just be everything Shani wants - if she can ever work through the traumas of her last relationship.

My biology major heart was just delighted by all of the coelacanth references and general nerdiness of being surrounded by so many of the most amazing (and historically complicated) museums in the United States. Raphael was the scene-stealer of the book, of course. The humor rang through in this story even while dealing with difficult topics. Truly, it was just a delightful read for the holidays!

What a treat it was to read this story -- a sweet book that I will definitely recommend to students!

I'm not ready to leave spooky season behind entirely, but I couldn't resist this adorable lesbian romance set over the winter holidays! How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow features two Jewish lesbian science nerds, an adorable corgi, and more Christmas music than you might expect!

Trigger warning for a past sexual assault (the survivor's experience is validated)

Shani just got her dream paleoichthyology internship and she's determined to spend her winter break focusing on fossils and long-dead fish, not the girl who broke up with her right before break. But a dog walking gig leads her to the door of a very cute girl her mom almost ran over in a snow storm. Shani really likes May, but she's still hurt by her last breakup and not sure if she's ready for a relationship or even a winter fling.

I absolutely adored the characters in this book! Shani and May are so cute and so nerdy. Shani's winter housemates are also so much fun! I inhaled this book very quickly and I'm so glad it exists. There are some really great conversations in this book about relationships and past trauma but there are also some very sweet and funny moments as well. If you're looking for a holiday romance that isn't all about Christmas, I'd highly recommend How to Excavate a Heart! I can definitely see myself rereading this one!

Actual rating if we're being particular about it is: 4.75 stars (as close to perfection as it gets without actually being perfect!)

This was such a fun story and I fell completely transfixed with it almost immediately. It had absolutely all of my favourite elements of a rom-com in and the characters were both such absolute messes (but they were trying their best).

I really enjoyed this winter story focusing on more than just Christmas as it's usually used as a plot devise in most cases. This book featured a cast of jewish voices who all celebrated that little bit differently and it was utterly delightful.

The only issue I had with this book (and yes it's very minor!) was occasionally the humor came across as forced rather than particularly funny and a couple sentences felt more clumsy than anything and put off the flow of the story.

I still really enjoyed this regardless and felt the element that touched on sexual assault between females (which is not ever talked about, really) was so beautifully done and represented a different and equally important side of trauma.

This story is really something special, it is lighthearted and funny and irrevocably tender. And feels, overall, hopeful as characters work through their own journeys to make their mark on the world. Shani was a joy to follow and I wish her and May all the happiness in the world.

⭐️ Book Review ⭐️

I’ve been so excited about the Holigay books coming out this year! I was so stoked to be approved to read the ARC of How to Excavate a Heart!

I wasn’t expecting it to be a YA novel, but once I go past my initial shock, it was such a sweet, heartfelt lesbian romance during the holidays.

Shani is a college freshman who is interning during winter break. She’s fresh off of a breakup and nursing a broken heart. On her way to her internship, her mom literally hits another girl with her car! Then, Shani ends up walking the girl’s dog. Of course they start off as enemies but they end up falling in love! 💜 such a tender and sweet romance! Absolutely loved it! Also, there’s a super cute dog who wears booties. 4⭐️

I will be posting my review on Instagram on Sunday 11/13. Thank you for allowing me to review this book!

I really enjoyed this book! Although I got frustrated with the main character and it dragged a tiny bit towards the end, I am a sucker for a good holiday romance romp. This bad boy DELIVERED!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jake Maia Arlow, and HarperTeen for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

The sapphic holiday novels are WINNING this year!! I'm feeling so holly jolly between Kiss Her Once for Me and now How to Excavate a Heart, and all I can say is I need MORE!! I'm not one for Hallmark movies at ALL, but put all the tropes in a winter holiday novel with a romance between two women, and apparently sign me up because I'm here for it lol. How to Excavate a Heart was such a delight and a treat to read! I loved reading a book set at Christmas with Jewish main characters because it is such great representation that provided a different perspective on the holiday season. I found Shani and May to each be so relatable in their own ways, and Arlow does a great job of creating really interesting characters. I do wish that readers were able to see more of the side characters (especially her coworker and Beatrice) and even more of May because really, Shani is the only character we get to see a full picture of, which is a shame because the others are so interesting! My biggest complaint is that I wish the book was either set over a longer course of time or was itself a bit longer because Shani and May's relationship felt a bit rushed in many ways that made it hard for me to get fully into. I loved several of the scenes, like them being snowed in on Christmas Eve, but wanted more of it to really see their relationship develop. It definitely reads like a YA in parts, which as a 24-year-old, I wasn't always fully relating to, but I still had a lot of fun reading it! As an older Gen Z, Arlow knows exactly what my humor and texting style is like lol. I can't wait to read more from this author, and I recommend for a fun holiday read!