This book wasn't my favorite. I was bored and not connecting with the characters with that I'm going to dnf at page 96. Thank you for allowing me to read this netgalley and publishers. My review will only stay on netgalley.

I picked up The Tearsmith by Erin Doom after seeing the Netflix trailer, hoping to dive into the story before watching the movie—because, let’s be honest, the book is usually better, right? Well, I’m not so sure about this one.

A lot of the issues I had might be due to the translation from Italian to English. Even with that in mind, the book didn’t really have much of a plot to follow. The storytelling style was unique, but I struggled to connect with the characters. I was especially hoping for more bonding between Nica and Anna, but the way it’s written, it felt like Nica could’ve latched onto any mother figure. The emotional depth between them just wasn’t there.

The subplot with the old matron felt like it should’ve been the main focus, but it was barely explored. When it did take center stage, it felt rushed and a bit all over the place.

Also, I’m not sure if the original story was set in the U.S., but a lot of the plot points didn’t quite align with how things would actually go down in Alabama, which made it a bit harder to buy into the setting.

The trailer definitely piqued my interest, but after finishing the book, I’m not in a huge hurry to watch the movie.

This is a difficult, dark romance that will delight those interested in the genre. Although the main characters have struggles, the book is engaging enough to capture reader’s attentions. It will be an especially interesting read for those who have seen the Netflix show.

I've been putting off writing this review for months. I'm sure authors put too much work into writing a book for me to write a whole book off with my words... but yikes. I love a dark romance, but this made me concerned for the female main character. Very repetitive and sooo many unnecessary details that I don't feel like moved the story along. 3 stars if I'm rounding up.

:: sigh ::

“He left roses inside me, he had left petals and a trail of stars where once I had been a cracked, parched desert”

Parts of this are a bit repetitive, but the meat of the story is heart rending and made me feel like a teenager falling in love for the first time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers. I listened to the finished audiobook for this one. I sadly had to dnf around 20%. This book just was not for me. I didn't like the characters or anything that was going on.

A great book for fans of Twilight--very much in the YA dark romance vein, written with all the genre tropes that will appeal to younger readers. I enjoyed it! The translation was easy to read and it seems as if it is true to the original iteration. Hits all the marks!

Thanks to Netgalley and Publishers for giving me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With that said. I’m DNFing this book. I made it to chapter 9 (only 15%). I did not wanna pick it up again. The two main characters are problematic (and I hear it only gets worse) and the writing style just isn’t for me.

Well... The Tearsmith is a book, that's for sure. I struggled with the writing, the characters, and the overall vibe of it. I don't know that I loved any part of it, to be honest. The movie was so much better.

The Tearsmith is a hopeful yet very painful, love story. It turned out to be a complicated story of trauma and love. The two main characters from the same orphanage who have a rough past—Nicola and Rigel—are the focus of the story. They must navigate their difficult relationship while living together. The plot is both intriguing and unsettling, as the protagonists battle with deep-seated wounds and a forbidden attraction.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group & Netgalley for this advanced copy.

Coming in at almost 600 pages, translated into English and now on Netflix... but I'm not sure why, to ANY of that.

Thanks to Ballentine and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

This is a book that centers young, tragic love between two people who are clearly very in need of extensive therapy. At times it felt like the book was on repeat between the two and they kept talking about the Tearsmith, then would forget about him for 150 pages, then randomly bring him up again and I forgot what the point of the Tearsmith was. In the end, most of the relationships felt toxic, especially the main one and this book absolutely did not need to be this long. So much could have been cut. And I don't know that love wins in the end, since she finds out he was screwing someone else before she was with her in the last chapter and she has to decide if she still loves him? It felt like this relationship was more trauma-bonding than anything.

Thank you Erin Doom, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nica and Rigel grew up in an orphanage run by an abusive headmaster. Nica copes with her fantasies especially the one about The Tearsmith, the man who makes tears. When Nica is seventeen she moves in with a potential adoptive family and is excited to leave the orphanage and everyone in it behind. That is until Rigel ends up moving in with the family too. Nica and Rigel have to figure out how to cope with the past, live together in such close quarters, and handle their blossoming feelings for each other.

I was intimidated by the length of this book, but wow what a story. I was captivated from the beginning and needed to know how their story was going to end. This book made me happy, sad, angry, joyful, all the feelings. Overall, I really enjoyed it and want to watch the movie on Netflix - even though I know it won't be as good.

Wow, this book. Raw, eviscerating, beautiful.

The writing is stunning, and there are so many almost lyrical lines that had me saving book quotes along the way. I've been finished with this one for several days now, and I'm still grasping, struggling to describe just what it is, what it meant.

A beautiful, frustrating, toxic romance that is somehow just what they need.

Nica has always hoped for a family. Orphaned at 5, the Grave, as the orphanage is called, is all she's known since then. She strives to be kind, gentle, to care for those smaller than her who are all too often forgotten. When at 17 Anna and Norman bring her home, she'll do anything to be perfect for them. To be good and give them no reason to send her back. Except they also bring home Rigel, the frightening enigma who's been a looming, dark presence all her life.

A love story despite all the odds, with two young souls who are trapped and defined by their past. Trigger warnings for child abuse, which is heartbreaking and not shied away from. How it effects them both and forms their foundation is brilliantly done, making for staggeringly real characters.

While I teared up more times than I could count, I never fully cried. I think I was too stunned to fully process, though the heart-wrenching, gut turning visceral pain was all too real.

One of those books that you want to recommend to everyone, while also warning them away from it at the same time. It's going to hurt. It's going to be beautiful. It's going to stay with you.

I honestly don’t know how to feel. The chemistry was there, sort of? But the story itself was very lackluster for me. I wanted to love it. I was looking forward to checking this out before I watch the movie, but I’m not sure if I’ll watch the movie now or not.

This was an up and down love and why am I still reading. I think there was a really good story and angsty dark forbidden romance but I really feel like it was about 200 pages too long. I really loved the first 1./3 of the book. I was so enthralled with the will they won't they of the first half of the story. It had such a good build up with the information gap of their back ground at the orphanage. I was on the edge of my seat reading the scenes and felt like I was reading Twilight ( yes I loved Twilight). That whole antsy broody dark bad boy that has hidden secrets. I loved all their interactions and the build up of their love story was great.
I really enjoyed all of that but then it just dragged and dragged. Rigel's characters never changes. He reminds emotional stunted, a jealous lover that uses his fists instead of learning and trusting Nica. Nica makes very little progressive her emotional growth with continuing to trust and always see the good in people even when it is very clear things aren't as she sees them. The whole fight with Lionel is just over the top stupid and then the hospital scene felt sooo drawn out. I was almost ready to have Rigel die and just move on already.
Then we get the first epilogue, where we really see that things haven't changed. The whole weird trial with the matron. It all just felt weird and rushed. Then we get the second epilogue when they are adults and parents and even that felt like they hadn't moved on.
Over all I think the premises was good. I loved the lyrical and poetic writing. I found myself reading passages over and over because they read like fairy tales. I love angsty teen forbidden love stories and this had great potential I just wish it had been edited down and closed sooner.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
!!!𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐇!!!

𝓞𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓸𝓷: I would've given this book 5 stars if it hadn't been for one thing which I'll go into detail about in spoilers. Other than that this was a great book in my opinion everything made sense, the secrets, the plot twist, and the reason he was chosen It was truly mind-blowing not only that but all the relationship and character developments that happened in 559 pages and let me just say SOOOO much happened. I will say there is a lot of trauma that happened with each character and to take the TW's into account but other than that I would highly recommend reading it.

𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮: I didnt like the sleeping with Adeline storyline with a burning passion because for one, yes she liked Rigel but she also KNEW that he liked Nica who was supposed to be her friend but im pretty sure a friend would've given her friend a chance. Not only this but she didn't even tell her later on when they got homed together or when she knew they got together AFTER THREE YEARS, THREE YEARS PEOPLE. And she didn't even plan to see Nica but saw her because she was going to his house for HIS birthday. So would she have even gone to see Nica if she hadn't been there at the house.... Probably not which is why she was a terrible friend and I think they only stayed friends because of their trauma bond and because Nica was way too nice. Let's move on to RIgels perspective now it was mentioned in his POV early on that they had done it MULTIPLE times and he kept saying how all he could think about was Nica's face, So let me get this straight he thought about her 24/7 but didn't have the balls to tell her or at least not screw another girl while he apparently was consumed by his love for her. Oh and not only that but HE ALSO didn't tell Nica after they had been dating for THREE YEARS whom he had trusted and opened up to after the hospital meaning he HAD THREE YEARS TO TELL HER AND DIDN'T. Oh, and what was his excuse you may ask it was "I don't know how to love" 🙊 so you're telling me you don't love Nica and are contradicting everything you've ever said or what MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. I know he did love her because he proved it was heartbreaking to hear after everything they went through. And then Nica thinks oh it's not even important I don't know why I'm angry It doesn't change anything like hello it should change EVERYTHING and then they don't even fight about it and she doesn't confront Adeline or anything even if it was her engagement party because Nica was a good friend unlike Adeline. and also if he stabbed himself in his hand with scissors I imagine he wasn't able to play piano and needed PT for a while but wasn't mentioned of relearning to play piano so i'm kind of confused. If anything they should've just left it out and I felt bad for Peter at the end.

I was really excited about the premise of this book but sadly it just did not do it for me. I can't pinpoint exactly what made me feel like this. This one just wasn't for me.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this novel ahead of release in exchange for a review. I have mixed feeling about this one. I think I would have liked it more when I was younger, but the male MC is a sort of angry that doesn't seem attractive to me, it just felt. Ick. I'm sure others that can look past that will love this, but for me, it was a miss :(

Okay, I get the hype!

Reading this then watching the movie allowed me to understand things a lot more! I honestly really enjoyed this story along with the characters. Rigel and Nica are complex yet understandable characters. I enjoyed getting to read and learn more about them!!