Artifacts of an Ex was exactly the fun-loving book that I needed in my life. The characters and romancee were fun and they each had their own, emotional arc to follow. I like that there are a lot of layers to the story, so it didn't feel totally formulaic. All in all, it was a very entertaining book and I totally recommend it.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!! I devoured this book...I must sleep and I'll wrote more tomorrow 🤩 a YA debut success!

...
Ok Huge shout-out to the glorious person at St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books that invited me to read this Jennifer Chen's debut YA romcom via NetGalley 👏👏👏
Thank You!!

Here's some of what I just emailed them back:

...I had a blast living in their world for a few days. I'm not an art viewer/interpreter and I'm terrible at planners (though every year I try, but have always admired and looked up to those that are, that I wish I had the eye for it. This book was like being able to see what that looks and feels like, if that makes any sense at all 🤣

I know the booked finished beautifully, but I definitely wouldn't mind visiting Chloe, Daniel & their besties in LA again soon! ...I love their brains, so fascinating 👏👏👏

Let me begin by saying that I wish this book had just been called Heartifacts, like the art exhibit she curated. I didn’t remember the name anyway.

As for the book, I found it super interesting for its differences from typical YA: namely the art curation and filmmaking elements. I’ve never seen a curator in a YA book and I’ve only read one other with a filmmaker-in-training, though not documentaries. I also really loved the various cultural elements: food, language, traditions, etc.

However, I also had a hard time buying the ease with which she was able to curate this thing…like find the artists and secure a spot and afford to pay for the breakup boxes and such. I dunno. It was just a little too neat and tidy. But fun.