I've seen some pretty mixed reviews for this and I understand why, because it's a pretty messy book. But it worked really well for me. The characters are all flawed and they fuck up, but this was all portrayed in a nuanced way, with a lot of capacity and willingness to grow. They're in a complicated situation, and on top of that they're also teens, and I think it was realistic to see how they handled things.

I have a huge soft spot for books about music and fame, to be honest. Particularly ones that portray fame in a complex, nuanced way and not like something that's either all good or all bad. I don't know why this appeals to me so much but I just find it very intriguing. I think this one had an interesting outside perspective from someone who missed the chance to become famous and reunites with his friend who did.

There's a lot of jealousy and resentment, and it takes the main character a long time to work through that. My one issue would be that it takes him maybe a little too long so that the ending feels a little rushed. But I liked that he was self aware enough to admit his own issues and work on them.

I gave this a three out of five stars, I liked it but didn’t love it. I think it could have been better. I think a lot of people are going to love this book.

**2.75 stars**

I wanted to love this book so badly because it was even one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I mean, a book about a boyband with gay/bi rep?? YEP, sign me up!! Especially for pride month. But it ultimately fell very flat for me. The writing was pretty good and it didn't take long to get into the story; after being in a reading slump the past few weeks, I really appreciated that! I needed something that I could just jump into and fly through, and I paired it with the ALC (my preferred way to read because my attention is held better when I can listen to the audiobook as I read). The audiobook was done super well, and the narrator was phenomenal. He differentiated between the characters with different voices so it was fun to listen to and easy to tell which character was talking when. I loved Ridley, David's best friend, so much, and thought she was such a funny character and I wished she had more scenes!! She redeemed a lot of the book for me. I think the overarching issue with this book was that I went into it with different expectations for what the story was and how much of the plot was going to center around the boy band and grief.

We get the inciting incident––David and Chance's friend and bandmate, Eli, passes away––as soon as the book starts, and then Eli is only brought up maybe a few more times throughout the book? And never in-depth. Since he was so close to the protagonist and the love interest, and his death is why they rekindle a friendship/relationship in the first place, it would've made sense for him to be talked about/woven into the story more. I would've liked to see more discussions about grief and dealing with losing a friend like that so young too; I saw some potential for that within the story, but it was just never broached. Additionally, I was expecting more boyband-related things to happen, like a tour or an inside look at the music scene or something. Chance goes off and has a few photoshoots or David tries to reprise his role in the band around the 60-65% mark, but the vast majority of the book was spent doing regular teenage stuff.

My biggest issue though: I love an unlikable main character, but David's entire personality and his actions were so clouded by jealousy and envy. Not to mention the obvious grudge he was still holding against Chance, even after they started dating!! Like why!! And then he had the audacity to try to get back into the band??? While ignoring his boyfriend's obvious attempts at changing subjects and trying to steer him away from the idea?? C'mon, David!! This attitude throughout the story, with very little character growth, is why I'm rating this so low. If I were Chance, I wouldn't have wanted to be with someone who just kept throwing the band and my fame in my face because they were *that* jealous.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review!

A very sweet and introspective book that puts its lead through several difficult issues without ever feeling preachy like he's being tortured or going too deep into the sad parts, which I greatly appreciate in YA.
David started a band with his two best friends, Chance and Eli, but quit in a huff right before they got scouted and became a huge hit. Two years later, Eli dies in a tragic accident and Chance is back in town trying to rest before going back on tour.
David and Chance slowly drift back together with bumps and clashes from David's envy about being left behind when they got famous, but their connection grows and matures into a love that neither of them expected and a whole new set of problems arise.
There's also the great relationship that David has with his dad and his best friend and how those relationships and their past also affect the way he acts in his new one and his reactions to certain things. It's a great little detail that shows that relationships don't take place in a vacuum.
It's emotional and tender and sweet and everything that a first love should be while also giving space to difficult topics. Not an easy thing to balance, but I like how Sutter gave David room to grow and the space to realize what his issues really were. I might have liked Chance to be a little less perfect, but that's just me trying to add a bit more realism to what doesn't need it.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the great read!

Oh boy. This tore my heart out. I felt so bad for these kids. David harbors a lot of resentment toward his former bandmate Chance. As soon as David left Darkhearts, the band he created with his friends Chance and Eli, they hit it big, leaving David to his old life as a high schooler with a normal blue collar job. He got none of what Chance and Eli got - no fame, no recognition. It was nobody’s fault but his own but it still felt terrible and unfair. And his anger about it grew over time.

Eli’s death brings Chance back into his orbit after two years of no communication. David can’t help but compare himself to his “rock god” friend. His insecurities make him feel inferior and he has unfairly held that against Chance. David’s martyr complex comes out to play way too often but eventually he learns to think of others and understand their point of view.

I would like to have seen David make some substantial emotional growth a little sooner than at the 93% mark. Real change is going to take more than an eleventh hour epiphany. It would have been great if the book jumped to a few years later to give David some time to mature and then allow him to reconnect with Chance as a truly changed person. That said, I believed David was sincere in his understanding and acceptance of his and Chance’s different paths in life. I also liked where things with them ended up. David is in a line of work that suits him well, putting his skill and talent to work. Chance, too. I thought the last chapter was really wonderful.

I enjoyed Sutter’s writing a lot. I thought it was an easygoing, very readable style with a great sense of humor. His descriptions made the book come alive. I will definitely be keeping an eye open for more from James Sutter.

🎸🎸🎸🎸
4 guitars out of 5

This book was really great. There were more than a few times throughout the book where I found David extremely annoying, but it honestly fits into his character arc, so it worked. The story was angsty enough to tug at your heartstrings and make you feel for the characters. Chance was definitely my favorite character from the book. He was a beautiful person and was well-written. Great read for my Pride month TBR. Definitely recommend!

Darkhearts is a little strange. It is a classic boy-band-gone-wrong situation, with friends-to enemies- to lovers and that is usually a hit but in some places this felt rushed, maybe a little shallow (but confronting one's own short comings can be difficult so it is easier to ignore them which our main character does) and the romance felt.....underdeveloped. I struggled to root for them but it was an entertaining story (I finished in about a day) so if you need something fun and easy this one might work for you!

What if the band you started in middle school makes it big after you quit? And then one of the original members dies, and the other comes home for the funeral?

David has spent high school watching his former best friends make it big and regretting his choices, but when he starts to see Chance, he discovers all kinds of things he didn't know about himself.

Bi-awakening, first love, teen angst, secret relationship, and rock star paparazzi level fame all collide as these two try to figure out if they can make it. David has a huge level of growth as the story goes on, and there are funny moments tempered with sweetness throughout.

Thank you @netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

My first read from this author, and I'm torn about what to say about the story. I love a good coming of age story and love it even more when the characters are part of the LGBTQIA community. I get completely drawn in when the characters learn how to be true to themselves and own who they are meant to be. This story had those elements that I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the banter the MCs had, and in particular, I loved Ridley. Where I had difficulty, though, was David through most of the book. He really wasn't my favorite, although he DID redeem himself in the end, and you kind of realized why he was that way. 3.5 stars rounded up because...Ridley.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book really didn’t work for me. I could see perhaps why someone else may enjoy it, but I couldn’t really get behind a lot of the decisions made in this book.

I didn’t actively dislike it per se, it was fairly easy and quick to read with lots of humour and good banter, which I appreciated! But the things I really liked about the book (David and his carpentry, David & his dad talking about his mom leaving, the impact of grief on our relationships and the damage of losing a friend young) were in short supply and the things I wasn’t as much of a fan of felt a lot more prominent.

I found David to be profoundly unlikeable, especially towards the end of the book. I couldn’t really understand what Chance would see in him and I couldn’t really find a solid reason why David was into Chance either. I found myself suspending a lot of disbelief as the whole situation just felt not believable. David was so selfish, jealous, and resentful that I had a really hard time believing that he had really changed and could be a good boyfriend by the end of the novel, because I didn’t see evidence of much growth throughout the book.

There were also some questionable and frankly problematic decisions made for the year 2023: Chance referring to his mother as “Mom Führer”, two Harry Potter references (in a queer book no less!!), and some flippant comment about how the police would “at least give them a warning before shooting” because the MC is white and the LI is famous.

Overall, I think if you’re really into the pop star / boy band genre and don’t mind a difficult main character, this might work for you, but ultimately I was disappointed by it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Darkhearts follows teen David in the wake of his best friend Eli's death, as he and his other friend, Chance, reconnect after several years of distance.

This was a sweet, sometimes sad, and overall enjoyable read. The romance at its center has its ups and downs -- on the one hand, a cute dynamic between the two characters, and on the other hand an interpersonal conflict that is kind of difficult to get around -- and I loved watching them interact. I wasn't entirely thrilled with the resolution to their conflict, mostly because I think that the culpability of the characters and who did and didn't genuinely apologize was a little imbalanced.

Overall, this was a lovely read, definitely a good pick for anyone looking for a solid YA queer romance.

This was an enjoyable read. There are many layers to the story, and it captured and held my attention well. David and Chance are intriguing characters, and their story manages to be both fun and complex. A steady flow of emotion, poignancy, tension, drama, turmoil, sweetness, humor and heart serve as the enticing backdrop for a tale that warms your heart and makes you smile while also having you experience some pretty big feels.

Darkhearts by James L. Sutter is a captivating read that delves into the complexities of relationships, fame, and self-discovery. The story follows David, a former band member who missed his shot at stardom, and his reconnection with Chance, his ex-best friend and now a famous teen pop star, after the tragic death of their mutual friend and bandmate, Eli.

One aspect that stood out to me was the exploration of the character's emotions and their journey of rediscovery. Sutter portrays their conflicting feelings realistically, allowing readers to empathize with their struggles. However, I found the speed and intensity of their rekindled friendship turned romance somewhat unrealistic. It would have been more believable if it had developed more gradually.

If you enjoyed If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich, you'd likely appreciate Darkhearts. Both books explore similar themes of young adult celebrities navigating authentic relationships in light of the burdens of fame.

Overall, Darkhearts is a good read that blends heartbreak, romance, and the complexities of fame. Despite minor reservations about the relationship dynamics, I found the book enjoyable and satisfying. James L. Sutter has crafted a story that will resonate with fans of contemporary YA fiction.

Based on the synopsis, I'd expected Darkhearts to be a much heavier and more serious book than it was, but I was surprised to find that it was a far lighter and funnier book in reality. I really enjoyed 80% of this book, it was sweet and funny and I loved reading Chance and David find their way back to each other. I did have a few frustrations though, I really wanted the conflict promised in the synopsis to be the central conflict instead of only coming into the picture 75% of the way through the book, and the way that Eli and Chance and David's shared grief over Eli's death fizzled out after the beginning of the book until it became plot relevant again felt a bit weird. I very much enjoyed the last chapter of the book, though it made me wish we got to see the fallout from the actions there. Overall, it's a sweet and funny book about two boys making their way back to each other after time apart through shared tragedy, and David's journey to recognize when he's self-sabotaging. I'd recommend it to fans of If This Gets Out; Red, White, and Royal Blue; and Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars if I could.

I enjoyed this story. It's a queer coming-of-age story and it's both heartbreaking and sweet. David, Chance, and Ridley are wonderfully full characters. It has great pacing and tackles a lot of different topics. Death Putt sounds fantastic -- I wish I could go!

While I understand why the story is only told from David's PoV, he did get annoying at times. He clearly has things to work on but his constantly assuming what Chance's life is like without asking got old. He couldn't get out of his own way. And maybe I'm a little too old for these characters but I think I would've found it tiring at 17, too.

Though that ending? *chef's kiss*

I was surprised that this book made me tear up. It's more emotional than I was expecting, with the main character regretting what could have been while also struggling with dealing with tough emotions, especially after being left behind by the people he loves.

The plot is intriguing, following the boy who could have been famous and how he's getting on with his life now. David holds a lot of jealousy and resentment toward his former bandmates, especially front man Chance. I understood why he felt that way, but he held onto it for so long that he started to get whiny and frustrating.

I ended up liking Chance a lot, he was kind and patient with David and put up with a lot of negativity. I appreciated that he came across realistic and not as a cliché popstar and I liked seeing him be happy.

The ending was a bit rushed and I would have liked it to take a bit more time to wrap everything up, but I enjoyed the book quite a bit.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy.

I really enjoyed the narrator for this work! I felt completely immersed in the story at all times, and really enjoyed the acting.

The book itself was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I really liked the tension between the band Darkhearts and the main character, as well as the grief elements at the beginning. However, I detected many grammar mistakes which sucked my interest away from the book. I also wasn't a huge fan of the ending, and would've liked to see the grief aspects expanded upon a bit more, as well as some more character depth as the ending rolled around. Overall, 3.5 stars.

I can't even imagine quitting your high school band then watching the remaining members move on to superstardom. That's what happens to David though, and he can't help but be bitter two years later. Then Eli dies and Chance comes back to town. David slowly opens himself back to Chance, who had been his best friend for so long. As their friendship unexpectedly grows into something more, David starts taking a look at the choices that he's made and reevaluating his future. I was totally absorbed in their story and read the whole book in one day. Recommended for grades 8 & up.

The setup for Darkhearts is that best friends David, Eli, and Chance, started a band together (the titular Darkhearts) as young teenagers. They built a little local following, playing whatever under-18 venues they could with David's dad driving them all over the place. Eventually, though, David started to feel like a third wheel in his own band -- Chance, the frontman, is always hogging the spotlight and the girls, and Eli, the producer, and all-around musical genius, is always making all the decisions and telling David what to do. After David quits, Eli and Chance keep playing shows and (to paraphrase the book) in an Alanis Morisette more-unfortunate-than-ironic turn of events, get signed to a label almost immediately after.

Two years later, Darkhearts is one of the world's hottest young bands, and David is working a summer construction job before his senior year of high school. There's something of a cold war between David and Darkhearts (blood boiling for David, non-existent for the remaining members of the band) that would probably stretch out into eternity if it weren't for something terrible happening -- Eli dies.

In the aftermath of the funeral, David and Chance find themselves drawn together as the two people who knew Eli best. Sure, Chance is a self-absorbed asshole in a tight shirt, but every time David is ready to go back to never speaking again there's some thread of meaning or nostalgia that pulls him and Chance back together. And the more time they spend in each other's orbit, the more it becomes clear that the way David notices every little thing about Chance might have less to do with hating him and more to do with... something else. Something David hasn't ever felt, or even considered, about another guy before. But even if Chance feels the same way, could they ever make it work with all the history behind them and all the hurdles in front of them?

The start of this book was rough for me, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I was surprised at how much sweetness and earnestness there was -- that really kept me invested, even when I was feeling frustrated with David making the same mistakes over and over again (which is a tricky line to walk! How do you keep your reader on the side of a character who has to make all the mistakes before they can learn their lesson?).

I was really impressed with the way this book navigates first-time sexual experiences. The author manages to capture both the horniness of being a teenager and super into another person, alongside the overwhelm and scariness of doing something for the first time and just generally trusting another person.

Really well-rounded cast with characters that felt like fully realized people. We spend most of our time with David and Chance, but the broader ensemble is great!

Not about the book itself but a note on how its being positioned in marketing -- I find it strange seeing this comped to RWRB and Perks. I can see an argument for Red, White and Royal Blue (even if I can also make a counterargument) but The Perks of Being a Wallflower feels like such a strange comparison. If I were trying to describe this book to someone, I would probably say it it's a queer m/m romance with the themes of Mary HK Choi's Permanent Record and the fun-but-complicated vibe of Maureen Goo's Somewhere Only We Know, maybe with a splash of David Levithan?

Marketing aside, a sweet book that I liked more than I expected!

Darkhearts by James L. Sutter tells a story of love, loss, fame and friendship. David, Eli and Chance started the band, Darkhearts, but when David left them, the band rose to fame and fortune. David and Chance are thrown back together at Eli’s funeral. They reconnect as friends and start dating each other discreetly. There is some spice. David’s world is filled with his father, his job of carpentry, his hobby of woodworking, his best friend Ridley, and school. Chance’s world is filled with his singing, his manager, producers, working out, being “on” all the time, and his fame. David thinks he wants what Chance has. Is the grass greener on the other side? From friends to band mates to frenemies to friends to dating, where will we find David and Chance next? Read Darkhearts by James L. Sutter to find out on June 6, 2023. Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.