the heartifacts exhibit!! what a cute name and cute read! i really enjoyed this lighthearted and fun romance. the diversity and representation is always something i will appreciate about any book

Chole turns the hurt from her breakup into an art gallery and it gains a lot of traction - until she meets Daniel and she ends up crushing hard on him! Even though she swore off men and Daniel has sworn off dating since he’s always been the rebound.

I liked the concept of this book, but felt like it fell short where it really mattered. Chole ends up starting something with Daniel and hurting him in the way he didn’t want to from the beginning - I felt that it was very selfish of her after everything, and knowing Daniel’s stance on dating someone else. I also felt like Chole growth was a bit slow and sped up like it was on 2x speed in the end.

Special thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Artifacts of a Ex is a YA contemporary romance featuring Chloe, an aspiring art curator, who turns her most recent breakup into the inspiration for an art exhibit. I thought the premise was interesting, but wished the relationship between Chloe and Daniel felt more compelling. A quick, fun read. Thanks to St Martin’s, Wednesday Press and Net Galley for an advance copy.

This was a really cute and sweet YA romance. I usually don't love this genre because it reads a bit too juvenile for me but I enjoyed this one. I would recommend it to someone looking for a heart warming YA read.

Young adult novel , cute and sweet and good for this age group but as an adult reader I found it too simplistic

The premise of this book--the MCs inciting incident right out of the gate--is the equivalent of Carrie Bradshaw getting dumped on a Post-it. But of course...make it YA!
Chloe gets a delivery via USPS and discovers her boyfriend is breaking up with her. Rather than spend months wallowing, she decides to turn her pain into something beautiful. Enlisting artifacts of exes from her followers, she assembles an exhibit of heartbreak. And in walks Daniel--the future love interest!
I liked the dynamic between these two, but there were moments where I felt the book went slightly longer than it should. Regardless, it was still a great YA read, and I really enjoyed it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮.

📍 Read if you like:
• Lighthearted Romances
• Friendships
• Art Exhibits
• Young Adult Stories

I struggled so much with deciding how I felt about this book after finishing it. I don’t tend to read many YA romances anymore, I feel like I always struggle to connect with the characters and the romance usually feels so cliche.

I liked the idea about a fake relationship and the art exhibit, it was an interesting addition to the story. I also enjoyed this author’s writing. However, there was too much of a focus on her ex. It got so repetitive and it annoyed me so much.

The romance itself in this book didn’t feel too strong, there wasn’t much tension between these characters.

Overall, this wasn’t a favorite read for me. I enjoyed certain aspects to it and can see the intended audience for this story. I wish I would’ve enjoyed it a bit more, but I wouldn’t be opposed to reading more from this author.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Moderate Dementia

i am withholding my review and any promotion of this title due to the boycott of SMP. if SMP eventually speaks up and the boycott ends, i will update this with a review.

This was a fun YA romance with a unique twist. Native New Yorker and "Plan-it" expert, Chloe Chang is an Asian American teen girl who finds herself moving to Los Angeles and trying to get over her ex after being recently dumped after getting a box of her things shipped to her via USPS.

Inspired by other found object exhibits, Chloe decides to create "Heartifacts," an art exhibit of other people's break-up boxes to fulfil a school assignment but things get out of hands when it turns into a social media influencer photo op rather than the serious exhibit she wanted.

Chloe also finds herself very attracted to new friend Daniel, but he is determined not to be another rebound guy after helping six other girls realize they wanted to get back with their exes rather than date him. Great on audio narrated by Cindy Kay and perfect for fans of authors like Jenny Han.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Artifacts of an Ex
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Jennifer Chen

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: When Chloe Chang gets dumped via USPS after moving across the county from NYC to LA, her first instinct is to throw her box of memories in the garbage. Instead, she starts buying other teenagers’ break-up boxes to create an art exhibit, Heartifacts. Opening night is going great, until she spots Daniel Kwak illicitly filming his best friend’s reaction to his ex’s box. When she tries to stop him, an intense discussion ends up launching a creative partnership and friendship… and a major crush for Chloe.

There’s just one problem: Daniel is dead set on not being another rebound.

Five times he’s been the guy who makes the girls he’s dating realize they want to get back with their ex. And he refuses for there to be a sixth. She insists she’s over her ex, but when he shows up unexpectedly with his new girlfriend, it turns out Daniel was right. She isn’t ready for a new relationship.

She throws herself into making Heartifacts successful, but flashy influencers threaten her original vision of the exhibit. To create the exhibit she’s always wanted, Chloe needs to go back to basics, learn to work with artists in a more collaborative way, and discover what love can be. Only then will she convince Daniel she’s truly ready for everything they could be to one another.

My Thoughts: A very cute and lighthearted read about relationships, both platonic and romantic, told through art. The premise is interesting. After Chloe gets dumped, via USPS, her first instinct is to just throw away her memory box, but then an idea spurs to buy other people’s break-up memory boxes and make art out of it. Chloe and Daniel form a relationship after he is caught filming his ex’s box reaction. Daniel does not want to be rebound material. He has been there, done that too many times. Even though Chloe has a crush on Daniel, since he does not want to move out the friend’s zone, she throws herself into the art project. When some influencers attempt to rain on her art parade, Chloe digs deep and goes back to the basics. This follows the tropes of friends to lovers.

Keep in mind that this book is targeted for a YA audience. I personally, love both YA and Adult, so the immaturity did not bother me. The story is narrated by Chloe, in her perspective. While I don’t mind single POV books, I think you get a more complete picture when you have a dual narration. There was a bit of repetition with the art exhibits, rejection, and then coming together. The page count would have been fine had we dug deeper into the characters to develop the plot a little more, otherwise, you probably could have cut off 100 or so pages with the repetitiveness. Chloe makes an okay heroine, I think if she would have skipped the first two relationship asks, focused on the exhibit and then entered into a romantic relationship, it would have come across better. Daniel is charming but not the level of swoon. The real MVPs were the supporting characters, they really carried the storyline. Chloe does grow as a character while curating this art exhibit, which was nice to see. Overall, an enjoyable YA read.

This was a lovely sweet read, I think it falls more inline on YA Contemporary with romance being a subplot, putting the plot with developing Chloe’s character and the art scene. I think it would make for an excellent movie. I would recommend for fans of Young Adult Romance. I loved Chen’s last book and was so excited for this one, it just fell a little flat for me. That will not discourage me from reading another Chen book or recommending this book.

I enjoyed this young adult rom-com. The characters were likable and I appreciated the themes of exploring your creativity and learning to follow your own voice. I felt that the relationship between Chloe and her ex-boyfriend which jumpstarts the plot was not well-developed enough at the beginning, so I felt plopped into the story before I really had an investment in the characters. However, there was backstory provided later that helped flesh out the relationships. The characters were a bit superficial throughout, so I don’t think this will be a story that I remember, but it was an enjoyable quick read.

I enjoyed this lighthearted and enjoyable YA romance. It's not my go to but it was a nice change. I enjoyed the underlying these and thought the HEA was delightful. Thank for the opportunity to read and review this book.

After moving to LA from NYC, Chloe gets dumped by mail. This makes her mad enough that she decides to do an exhibit on exes. With the help of her new friends, Chloe creates the exhibit and begins to fall in love with one of them, Daniel. The problem is that Daniel is usually the rebound date and he flat out refuses to date her because he always ends up with a broken heart.
Opinion
This was a sweet, cute book. I was enticed by the progression of her exhibit and of course enthralled by the romance between Chloe and Daniel.
I can definitely see a bunch of my students reading this book. It fits the criteria that my students love. It is about teenagers, has some type of angst, has a love story and has a meet cute. It is a great book.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

i’m submitting the reviews for books by you that I already have, but I will never request another one. In October one of your employees made a horribly racist statement and you have chosen to do nothing about it. People have continuously asked you to say that you don’t stand with what the employee said, and you refuse to. This is not someone who I want to promote ever because you are sending the wrong message. These reviews will not be posted on social media because you don’t deserve the promotion. I hope that all of your authors move to other publishers because you are standing with a genocide. Watch this video for more information https://www.tiktok.com/@vivafalastinleen/video/7288407369313307947?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7211704101519296042

this was really cute. i do feel like after she made the decision to get over her ex it happened pretty fast but i liked it. daniel was always so in his head, it was cute to see him overthink things. i kind of wish we got some of his pov.

The Artifacts of an Ex by Jennifer Chen

Published: November 14, 2023
Wednesday Books
Genre: Teen & Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 277
KKECReads Rating: 3/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Another influencer storyline. I’m over the whole social media influencer fad. This was a cute story, though. And the way the artifacts of an ex came to life was clever.

I did not like Chloe at all. Maybe it’s the age difference, but she irritated me, and I did not enjoy her. I did find the storyline engaging, and the way art galleries were used was well done.

I’m not educated on what makes something art, so I did like that element. It was a special kind of power, turning hurt and history into something that matters.

There were decent characters; it was just Chloe that put me off. I did like Jennifer’s writing style and would read her work.

"Artifacts of An Ex" is a delightful and heartwarming read, exuding a charming and cozy atmosphere that captivates from start to finish. The book introduces a diverse cast of characters, each contributing a unique flavor to the narrative. What sets this story apart is not only the main characters but also the well-developed side characters who manage to shine and add depth to the overall plot. The tales woven within these pages are not only engaging but also possess a certain cuteness that adds to the overall charm of the book. Whether you're drawn to the main plot or the intriguing side stories, "Artifacts of An Ex" is a delightful journey through the lives of its characters, making it a highly enjoyable and recommended read for those seeking a heartwarming escape.

this was so cute! i’m a big fan of leni kauffman and anytime i see one of her covers, i have to read the book!

i haven’t read a young adult book in a while and this was a fun one to get into! it was cute, light-hearted, and a quick read! even though it was a romance book, the romance plot didn’t seem like the most important part, to me. i found myself really caring about the friendships that were going on in the story. daniel & vincent and chloe & francesca’s friendships played an important part in this book (to me). i’m a sucker for strong best friends and i think jennifer did that really well!

heartifacts is a super cool concept and i would absolutely go to an exhibit like that if it existed!!

this would also make a good movie!!

One word, HEARIFACTS!

I thought this was so clever and fun. It was super cute and so well written, I really enjoyed Jennfier Chen's writing style.

YA is usually hit or miss with me but this one had a lot of interesting and artistic styles that I wasn't feeling like it was a bore.

Chloe is dumped via a package and she decides she is going to make it a work of art, which I NEVER in a million years would have done or thought of.

Not for everyone of course but def a great read!

On one hand, the Heartifacts exhibit that the FMC Chloe made was a great idea. It was cute and this had the makings for a cute YA romance. But it unfortunately did not hit the mark for me. I thought the banter between Chloe and Daniel was more stilted than anything. I wanted more chemistry for those two but I didn’t see it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC. Artifacts of an Ex is out now.

Such a really cool concept!!! I can totally envision it in my head. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark. Someone who really likes YA Romance might find this of interest, but overall I wouldn't recommend.