Oh my gosh! I don't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it-in the best of ways!!!

June is a girl in a world where people can choose to get rid of their hearts; it makes them focus, which makes them smarter. But it also causes to world to lose their love for each other, and for everything they love (art, music, gardening, hobbies, etc). June watches as her family and friends slowly decide to get rid of their hearts and become zombie like people who care about nothing. June wants to keep her heart, but keeps getting in trouble for her art and not being perfect. One day June finds a stolen heart in an alley, and she hides it to see if maybe she could give it back to one of the people she loves to make them more "human" again. Along her journey, she meets a boy who lost his heart, but starts to feel again. They go on a search to see if they can find the scientist who discovered the way to remove the heart to see if she can reverse it.

I absolutely loved this graphic novel; it's one of the best ones I've read this year. The pacing was perfect; fast paced, never bored, didn't want to put it down. The artwork was very creative; you could see the characters as they started to lose they hearts; they turned black and white, whereas June was the only one in color. I absolutely recommend this graphic novel to anyone who would like to ponder "what would happen if we stopped feeling"? I think the age range would be great for teens and older. 5/5 stars


Thank you to netgalley for providing a copy of "The Faint of Heart" in exchange for an honest review.

On the whole, this book was middle-of-the-road.

The art and symbolism of color are really pretty and well done. Also, I don't know if this was on purpose or just how the pages were printed, but the slightly raised quality of black ink was pretty cool. They were probably my favorite parts of this book.

The story is about as straightforward as you can get: A scientist (who is never named? Just called The Scientist, which I understand is a choice to say that it doesn't matter who she is, her only identity is Science, but later on they show that she is more than that, and so giving her and her assistant no name make this just a strange choice to me.) finds a way to remove hearts so that people no longer feel emotions, good or bad. This goes about as you'd expect, plot-wise.

After sitting with this book for a bit, I realized a part of what rubbed me the wrong way: It's a line of conveniences. It feels like a 304 page version of the story, "You don't know who gave you your heart?" (In fact, looking this up, because I only knew the Garfield version of that, I have almost no doubt that Wilson may have drawn inspiration from that 'So sad' story.)

I'm fine with pseudo-science and heavy (HEAVY) metaphor usage, but I came away feeling hungry for more meat to the story. And honestly, for Wilson's first published gn, this is a great achievement and should be celebrated, but I hope the next book is a little less surface-level.

The Faint of Heart was such a wonderfully written and illustrated book that pulls on a reader’s heart. The books takes you on a journey with a young girl, June, who is stuck living in a world where people are getting their hearts taken out to stop feeling many negative emotions. However, June then finds not only a heart, but a friend who starts feeling again even without their heart. She then ends up going on a life changing journey as she tries to protect those she loves.

This graphic novel have very smooth transitions between the text bubbles and images. There is no difficulty telling what box/images comes next while reading. This book would be a very quick read for those in middle school through high school. I believe this would be an excellent addition to all school libraries.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

The Faint of Heart by Kerilynn Wilson is an engaging and thought provoking graphic novel about human emotions and relationships that presents the scenario, "What would the world be like if you were the only one with a heart?"

This is a work that plays with cause and effect, good intentions, and a touch of science fiction. There were unsettling scenes, sad scenes, moving scenes, many feels. The art was lovely, and the story progressed smoothly. Well done and recommend.

Really Enjoyed this!! Very unique tale and I love the art style! I liked how color was used in contrast to mostly black and white. Somewhat earie and dystopia dark but hopeful.

Book Summary:

June is the last person in the world with a heart. This means that out of all her peers, her family, and her community, she's the only one who can feel. What would you do in her shoes? Would you follow their lead and remove your own heart? Or would you keep forging forward?

Just when June was about to give up all hope, she found another heart. It's all alone, locked up tight in a jar. But it is the hope she needed.

My Review:

The Faint of Heart is deeply atmospheric, beautiful, and serenely haunting. That is the best description I've been able to come up with. June's journey resonates, taking a feeling we've all experienced and pulling it to a logical extreme.

The artwork is stunning, the story compelling, and the tone profoundly personal and emotional. I have to admit, the comparisons made during marketing (Severance, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Nimona) were pretty spot on.

I'm finding that words fail to truly explain how The Faint of Heart made me feel. So instead, I will strongly suggest that you pick it up at your local library and try it yourself. It is worth the experience.

Highlights:
Speculative Fiction
Cautionary Tale
Brilliant Artwork

This was a beautifully illustrated and inventive story about a society in which numbing yourself to life has become the norm. I liked the sci fi elements and the main character’s strength and resolve.

92%

A very original plot with great accompanying graphics.

It felt relevant: when things get really bad, sometimes it's easy to wish that we could just remove our emotions, but then we would lose everything we love and value, too - we'd lose our ability to be awestruck by nature, to have bonds with loved ones, even to have hopes and dreams. Without being able to appreciate the little things in life, what would be the point of even living at all?

I loved the use of color, too. It was mostly black and white, except for the hearts and things/people conveying emotion. The starkness of the monochrome was beautifully contrasted by the warm glowing colors.

June is the only person left in her city who still has her heart. Science discovered that with the removal of a person's heart removes all negative emotions. June wants to keep her heart because she's found no one cares about anything at all, including her sister and parents. When she finds a lost heart in a jar, and a classmate who seems to be feeling things again despite missing his heart, June begins a quest to get answers and maybe save her family.
It was such a gripping graphic. I loved the use of color with black & white. I felt for June the entire time because she was treated as if something was wrong with her for feeling her emotions. This was such a touching novel and it really makes an impression about feelings and how they effect those around us.

Slightly dark but very hopeful story about a world where people physically remove their hearts to rid themselves of emotions in order to excel in life, such as their careers or school. I would say that this story keeps things abstract but super simple to grasp and the target audience can start with kids who are pretty young, but still enjoyable for adults. The artwork and colors were just beautifully done and so heart-warming.

Great use of accent of colors to tell this story filled with love, and metaphors. People have decided to take their hearts, a procedure to help them deal with negative emotions. The procedure also gets rid of the good emotions. Still, one refuses to go through this and finds a way to change the world. Mystery, friendship, love for family, love, love for art, and creativity.
Amazing design of the panels with perspective, silence and point of view.

I loved the captivating graphic realm of The Faint of Heart by Kerilynn Wilson, a world where people choose to remove their hearts to escape worry and anxiety. Meet June, a courageous and compassionate character who defies the norm and keeps her heart intact. With magnetic illustrations that perfectly capture the story's mix of sadness and hope, Wilson reminds us that embracing our imperfections makes us stronger. This heartfelt tale is a reminder of the beauty in vulnerability and the power of staying true to ourselves. I was so inspired and uplifted by June's (and in the end, everyone's) journey of self-discovery.

An absolutely gorgeous story, almost a parable (sans religious connotations). The art took my breath away. I would absolutely recommend this book for anyone who believes that love (not just romantic love!), caring, and compassion are essential parts of humanity, and understands that even though pain is a part of love it is inexorably linked to the beauty of human existence. Didn't mean to get so philosophical, but after reading this stunning volume, it's a bit tough not to.

Simple and allegorical, but elevated by the truly lovely illustrations. Great use of color. I do worry it's a little straightforward, but I couldn't put it down so there's definitely something to it.

A story full of heart... or should I say "hearts"? I loved the brilliant use of post it art that the main character uses throughout the story. The selective use of color makes this story pop off the page and kept me flipping the pages to find out what happens next. I was blown away with the beauty of the art, and captivated with the sweet story. Our world needs more stories of hope like this.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just delightful. Loved the sketchy style of the artwork, and the use of colors to convey emotions. The characters were cute and easy to distinguish. This is a debut, but it's clear the author already has a handle on how to use each element (i.e. prose and visual art) to prop the other up to each's advantage.

Can't wait to see what else she has to offer!

🥳Happy Pub Day June 13 2023 to this little beauty!🎉

Thank you to the author Kerilynn Wilson, publishers Harp Collins Children'sBooks, and as always NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of THE FAINT OF HEART.

"The Scientist discovered that all sadness, anxiety, and anger would disappear when the heart was removed and placed in a numbing solution.

It didn't numb only the bad feelings, though. It numbed the good ones too.

But that didn't matter.

As soon as the Hospital offered heart removal, they had lines out the door." p34-35

Maya hasn't yet given up her heart, but her sister, June, has given up hers, and Maya misses her. Misses her whole family, desperately. They're empty automatons, shells of the loving and lovely people they once were. Then Maya meets Max, a special boy whose given up his heart--but can feel the agony of its sensation returning. He needs to find his heart, to rescue it, to reunite with it before it's too late for them both. Together, Maya and Max track down the Scientist who started everything, because who else could help with the quickly unraveling mystery on their hands? Who else could answer their questions, like, what do these side effects mean, and, are we really meant to live without our hearts?

I adored this story that can be interpreted so many ways past the literal meaning. It's a technofuturist tale about "heart", at the surface. It's also about creativity and conformity. It's about identity, individual and community, and violence. It's about art, inspiration, and influence. This story is in part spectacular because shifting the angle just slightly on the reading lens renders the story a new meaning.

The illustrations are gorgeous and definitely fill in the story between the beautiful, spare diologue and monologue. Image and darkness alike swirl on the page and create setting, character detail, even conflict, throughout the pages.

I recommend this book for readers who don't mind interpreting some of the story for themselves.

Rating: 🫀🫀🫀🫀🫀 / 5 removed hearts
Recommend? For small and big readers, YES!
Finished: June 12 2023
Format: Advance Digital, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🗯 Graphic novels and comic books
⚗️ Science fiction
🩻 Medical stories
💓 Stories with heart
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Family drama
👩🏽‍🤝‍👨🏾 Stories about friendship

A big thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollin's for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So much for wearing your heart on your sleeve... It might be brutally ripped out of your chest.

The Faint of Heart by Kerilynn Wilson is a YA graphic novel that is set during a time where scientists have discovered a way of riding the body of stress, anxiety, and anger, by riding the body of its heart. But it got rid of all the good feelings too. Everyone did it, except June who wished for the world to be understood. Yet it's heart to be known when the world is numb. Then one day June finds a heart in a jar, and a boy with too big of a secret to keep to himself.

I loved loved loved loved this book! I will forever be recommending it.. Even though it tears my heart apart, page by page.

I don't really know why this didn't work better for me, it just... didn't. It's a really cool concept (a world where people have their hearts removed so they can avoid the distraction and pain of human emotions), but everything felt pretty flat and boring despite the potential. The art was interesting and I liked the minimal uses of color to notate specific things like flashbacks and certain emotionally charged moments, and I'd definitely give this author another chance in the future. This is the sort of book that will probably work better for a lot of readers, so if you're into the idea, I would definitely give it a chance!

This was such a beautiful graphic novel. The art was perfect for the topic, I loved the way the artist used color and grayscale.

The story was emotional and sad and lovely. The main character, June, is kind, strong, and generous and because of that she ends up saving the day.

I also found it believable that people would willingly remove their hearts if they could. Life can be so painful, I can see how it would be tempting to get rid of that pain.

The only criticism I have is that I wish it was longer. The ending felt a bit rushed. Aside from that I loved it and would read it again in a heartbeat (pun intended).