This YA lesbian romance, about picking yourself up after a breakup and forming healthy relationships—not just romantic ones, but with your friends, family, and yourself—is sweet as heck and with just the right wintry, holiday feelings. It's got strong Gilmore Girls vibes from multiple angles, like if the Gilmore Girls were Jewish and not so focused on financial class. And also Rory was a lesbian (Paris was always her best best option, let's be honest)

This book made my heart freaking smile the whole way through. I absolutely adored the romance between Shani and May, and the story is brimming with delightful details about D.C., weather, dogs, a badass 96-year-old, and naturally, fish. A lot of lines will stick with me for a long time, and the way this book made me feel will stick with me even longer. I can't wait to recommend it to so many people.

This story is fantastic! Think teen romance in the form of a sapphic, Jewish, RomCom set over the winter holidays. It’s awkward, funny, and just an excellent light popcorn read for a chilly fall or winter weekend. Hand this to the teen romance reader in your world.

4.5 stars.

It took me a the first chapter to get used to the voice of this YA sapphic romance. But I think that’s a me issue.

I loved that the action of this took place over a Christmas Break and an internship rather than the college environment. The main characters are really adorable and full of angst. There’s a corgi! I adored Shani’s coworker Mandira.

The tension between Shani and her mom is so real that I cringed at my own memories.

Overall, the story feels authentic and also very tender. I wanted to hug everyone.

CW: previous SA off page

"She has a sixth sense for knowing the exact moment I most want to be left alone and appearing out of nowhere, like a Victorian ghost-child."

Shani is staying with her late great grandmas best friend while she has her internship with fossils. And I have never read about anyone so excited to work with fish fossils but she's living the dream.

Her mom almost hits a girl with her car on their way there. This girl turns out to be the daughter of the man she is asked to dog walk for. And their snarky banter, cause May is not happy with her situation, is great.

During a heavy snow storm they start to explore their feelings. 

This is ya so it's all pg. This is all told from Shanis pov as well.

There is a lot of talk about organized religion. We celebrate both Jewish and Christian holidays in our house. And Hanukah I have come to understand is a minor holiday but has been commercialized due to it's close proximity to Christmas. Our two mcs have differing view points on this but both seem valid.

Forcing Hanukkah into the Christmas hegemony but on the other hand it made it mainstream so everyone knows it.

This was a sweet young romance but both are having different issues with independence from their parents and guilt from their behavior.

There was so much Winter vibes as this was set in DC and NY. They couldn't escape Christmas though the music and decorations are everywhere.

Thank you harperteen and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

It was a super cute and cozy. (not so) enemies to loves kind of winter holiday romance. Loved the chemistry between the mcs. The
Highly recommend this book
Thank you Netgalley for the arc in exchange of honest review.

Shani is in DC for winter break to do an internship in paleoichthyology. When her mom drops her off, they accidentally hit (barely) another girl, May. Soon, Shani finds herself dog sitting for May's father. After a snowed in day, Shani and May find themselves drawn to each other.

I really wished the characters here were a little older. It felt more low stakes because they were 18 and freshmen in college. There was also no sort of epilogue to give us any updates, which I always like in a romcom. This would maybe be better for a younger audience where these themes would feel more applicable.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely wonderful book, great characters, and nice writing here. Definitely a 4 star for me but hoping to see more from this author.

This book was an adorable lesbian jewish YA romcom! It is the story of Shani, who has just experienced her first queer heartbreak in her first semester of college and she is spending winter break in DC at the Smithsonian as a paleo ichthyology intern. On the way in to DC, Shani's mom hits a girl, May, with her car. Everyone is fine, but May is PISSED. May is grumpy in general because she has to spend the winter break with her dad in DC when she wants to stay with her mom, and getting hit by a car is just icing on the cake. Everyone goes their seperate ways, Shani gets settled at her Great Aunt's house, and all is well.

However, one of Shani's new housemates asks Shani to walk the neighbor's corgi for her while she is gone for the holiday. It's a dog walking gig and Shani is down for the extra cash. When she arrives at the house, though, guess who lives there? MAY. Well, May and May's dad. Shani and May start off on the wrong foot, but get to know each other better across multiple interactions and end up getting close...and falling for each other.

SWOON. I definitely enjoyed this novel even more than I expected to. I was most drawn in by the writing, which was funny and full of jokes and banter. But I was also drawn in by the honesty in the characters. Shani is experiencing several things for the first time in the story -- a big crush, a new city, a cool internship, a queer mentor -- and she's having some trouble navigating her relationships as she figures of her place in this world. She's struggleing with being a good daughter, a good friend, and a good employee while her mental energy is absorbed with experiencing a new relationship while also dealing with her trauma from her past relationship.

I think what I liked most about this story is that everyone felt fully realistic and human. They have human reactions to each other and to problems in the story without those reactions feeling too unncessarily extreme in service of the plot. The characters talked, shared, expressed their frustrations, and extended both grace and second chance to each other. I appreciated that, especially amongst a story that was also making me laugh out loud AND squeel from the romantic tension.

I also really liked the Jewish perspective on the holiday season in this novel. Both Shani and May are Jewish, and Shani in particular has beef with the "Christmas Hegemony" of the season. She enjoys some things about it, and practices her own Jewish traditions around the holiday (Chinese food and going to the movies), but she's always got a little side-eye at everything.

Overall, this was an excellent addition to my seasonal romcom reading. I enjoyed the reading experience, would recommend the book to my friends (in fact, I already have) and will be buying this for my high school library. How to Excavate a Heart is a fun, funny, and romantic holiday read that could even be read outside of the holiday season!

This book made me laugh so much and the snarky banter between Shani and May is EVERYTHING! This is definitely a new holiday favorite for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books/HarperTeen for the e-ARC to read and review. I really loved this book, and I stopped to pre-order my own copy just like two chapters in, which is how I measure how great a story is lately. I thought this was a really fun concept that was also incredibly well executed, so I was so pleased that the super fun blurb led to an even better story and full work that drew me in right from the beginning. I particularly enjoy messy characters who are figuring it all out on page - but sometimes that comes at the expense of the actual writing or plotting being a mess too - THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE RIGHT! It's funny, and it's heartfelt, it's smart, and it's gay, so I really don't know what else you'd want!

*4.75 Stars*

I was trying to summarize this book. But I couldn't. I think you should go in the way I did, without knowing much about the plot.
I really loved this book. I liked the internship parts, I liked the dog-walking parts, I liked the romance, I liked the living situation thing. I also loved the very beginning and the talk of family. It was just so fun and nice at times, while serious and deep during others, and I truly had a great time reading this.
I liked the writing, the setting and the plot. I could see myself alongside the characters. I think I also shed a few tears.
Truly, this was just such a great NA holiday romance that touches some important subjects. I was so enthralled from beginning to end.
I could not recommend this more and I will definitely seek out more books by Jake Maia Arlow.

Shani is funny and very relatable and her social awkwardness is spot on! I was able to follow her story and understand her actions. She made me laugh multiple times. The text flirting and gay panic was well done too. I felt the stress and anxiety she felt, and the second hand embarrassment! Also the chapters have titles and I love that!

As a cheesy romcom I expect instalove and I’m okay with that. However, I wanted more from May, and Shani’s temporary roommates who felt very flat and only a device to introduce the MCs. May’s main struggle was coming to terms with her queerness and I would have loved to read more about that journey.

Triggers: There are references to and talk about sexual assault.

How To Evacuate A Heart by Jake Maia Arlow
5/5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sapphic rom com? Holiday hallmark Christmas movie vibes? Hell yeah!!

Thank you for the ARC copy. This book comes out on November 1st!

Book description:

It all starts when Shani runs into May. Like, literally. With her mom’s Subaru.
Attempted vehicular manslaughter was not part of Shani’s plan. She was supposed to be focusing on her monthlong paleoichthyology internship. She was going to spend all her time thinking about dead fish and not at all about how she was unceremoniously dumped days before winter break.
It could be going better.
But when a dog-walking gig puts her back in May’s path, the fossils she’s meant to be diligently studying are pushed to the side—along with the breakup.
Then they’re snowed in together on Christmas Eve. As things start to feel more serious, though, Shani’s hurt over her ex-girlfriend’s rejection comes rushing back. Is she ready to try a committed relationship again, or is she okay with this just being a passing winter fling?

I LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK.
The characters, the plot, the corgi that wears booties named Ralph are you kidding??!! Ugh so wholesome and made me so happy. If you’re looking for a lesbian holiday romance that you’re gonna fall in love with it is this one.

• Jewish Christmas
• Hit A Cute Girl with A Car
• Lesbian Rep

Shani is staying in D.C. to intern with a paleichthyologist (someone who studies extinct fish and their evolution) when on her arrival she literally runs into a cute girl in the road. One night, her roommate asks her to take over her dog walking gig and it turns out that the pup lives with the girl that Shani hit. After getting snowed in at May’s place on Christmas, Shani starts focusing more on May than her internship. That is until her past relationship starts causing doubts.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was cute but also did a good job at handling darker topics. The fact that there was Mandira helping Shani through a new relationship was refreshing. I think it’s a good message about how in new relationships, we tend to obsess and it’s so unhealthy. I can’t wait to read anything else they write!

<i>Thank you to Jake Maia Arlow and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the digital ARC of How To Excavate A Heart through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<i>

#HowToExcavateAHeart #JakeMaiaArlow #HarperCollins #NetGalley #ARC #eARC

Say it with me, “women in STEM!” This adorable Jewish/Christmas love story is both hilarious and heart warming. Shani and May start out as opposites in so many ways, especially after Shani’s mom almost hits May with a car, and forms such a cute connection. Shani being obsessed with Paleoichthyology is so fun to read as it such a unique hobby I have never read before.

Also Raphael the corgi is everything!!

I’m a sucker for stories that has characters falling in love while also dealing with there own problems and traumas. Jake does a fantastic job of making the character relatable with there pasts but also held accountable when it comes to treatment of each other.

How to Excavate a Heart is a wonderfully “real” story with a lot of heart. The struggles of first loves and figuring yourself out, while trying to navigate young adulthood, family, higher education, picking a career… was all contained in this wonderful book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think, having read this book, that I have now officially read all of this year’s #Holigay books, and this was an excellent one to end on. Heart-warming, hilarious, but also touching on real, important issues. I loved all the characters, but a special shout out needs to be made for Raphael, the corgi, and the image of him in the snow in his little hat and snow booties (that cover image is just… chef’s kiss).

I liked that the ending didn’t entirely wrap everything up perfectly, because it felt really true to life and to the characters.

Overall, a very cute read with a very cute dog, a very cute 96 year old lady, and a very cute couple at its center.

This was so sweet and cute! The lesbian Jewish YA romcom set during Christmas that I didn't know I wanted! Very enjoyable and a nice change from the typical holiday (Christmas) based romances. The characters were endearing and the writing was good.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What can you expect from this YA/NA holiday romcom?
- An impactful meet-cute (when you read the book you'll understand why I'm hilarious)
- Jewish lesbians at Christmastime - Merry Jewmas!
- A corgi who wears little booties. In the snow. So his little feetsies don't get cold!!
- Dead fish. Well, like ancient fish fossils. But yeah, dead fish.
- Googling how to pronounce "paleichthyology"
- Hallmark movie vibes
- Getting snowed in on Christmas Eve (wink, wink)
- Women in STEM
- A 96-year-old woman who is only afraid of two things: spiders and fascism
- Lots of messy feelings
- Banter to make you laugh, real and raw feelings to make you cry
- Discussions of past sexual assault, so check your content warnings

And if that list isn't enough to get you to read this book, then I can't help you because you obviously have no soul. 😂

Thank you to NetGalley and to Harper Teen for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.