Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This is a DNF for me. While this book seems to deal with dark subject matters, it didn't feel that way to me. The tone felt too...flat. There wasn't the grit and gravel that I associate with dark stories. Second, the fact that the author had a teen saying "good heavens" MULTIPLE times had me shaking my head and was the straw that made me stop reading. It didn't feel authentic at all. Teens don't talk that way. I couldn't get into the story and nothing was holding me or keeping me interested.

The Tearsmith by Erin Doom was wonderfully paced and its prose kept me hooked from page one. Dialogue was very off in a few scenes but all the places it hit right more than made up for it. I recommend this title for fans of new adult fantasy looking for a wildly underrated new favorite to hit the scene.

I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was cringey from pretty much beginning to end. It felt like the book was trying really hard to have lyrical prose, but it did not achieve what it was trying to achieve at least for me. There were some parts that were pretty decent and they were the emotional responses to the trauma that the children experienced at the orphanage. The romance which is the bulk of this book is very Wattpad cringe. I heard people say that the movie version of this was very short compared to the book and I’m kind of looking forward to watching the movie because I feel like , it will be better than the book because it’s condensed and it doesn’t have all this extra nonsense that was not needed. This book was not a one star because it did have some redeeming parts like I mentioned previously I will never read this book again. It is also not the worst thing I’ve ever read. Take that for what you will.

The Tearsmith follows 2 orphans from the same orphanage who get fostered by the same family. As tales have said, the Tearsmith is the one who comes to collect tears and Nica believes Rigel is the Tearsmith.

Nica, kind and anxious, has dealt with a lot at the orphanage but being fostered is her hopes for a brand new start until the couple decides to adopt Rigel as well. Rigel who is handsome and talented, has never left the orphanage but now has turned on his charm to also leave with Nica. With a new home life and school, Nica tries her hardest to be an easy teenager while Rigel is broody but thrives everywhere. He's still so cold to Nica at home and at school. As they adjust into this new life, Nica and Rigel's past follows closely behind and details start to arise about who Rigel really is.

This book was bad. I am surprised it is being turned into a Netflix series/film or whatever. I'm not sure how this book reads in its native language but in English, it's bad. The pacing is awful, there's no reason for it to be that slow, and there is no fantasy aspect to this book at all. I'm not even a big fantasy person and the lack of it was disappointing. A small spot of fantasy could've possibly saved this book. I wonder if just the talk of "the Tearsmith" but even the discussion of the Tearsmith felt very folksy and not real at all. The Tearsmith did not even have any magical powers really... like there was nothing to be mentioned.

The setting was also a choice... It's set in the south but the usual details that would indicate they're in the south is not found. No southern hospitality, no mentions of southern accents or sayings. It's strange and I'm not sure if the author has ever been to Alabama but she clearly knows nothing about Alabama. The person who translated this book (or at least the ARC) also did a pretty bad job. Some sentences were so run on and just bad structure. It felt like a direct language to language google translation.

I really wish I had something good to say about this book. I hate a bully to lovers romance even if they were young and abused. It did not make the book pleasant to read. It felt like trauma porn a little bit to have to read all the abuse they endured.

There was a lot wrong with this book and it was also just written poorly. I saw the author is writing another book based in Philly and I wonder if she's been... if not, she should probably just stick to what she knows.

1 star is being kind to this book i think.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I loved this book. I saw the movie, and was so happy to see I had the ARC saved. It was passionate, and the author perfectly put the story into words. The story flowed nicely, and I couldn’t wait to read their story.

A haunting tale of forbidden love. There is a blend of mystery, romance, and the supernatural. I loved it!
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion. .

In theory I should love this book. Angst, damaged characters, forbidden love, us-against-the-world storyline? Sign me up! That's my jam!

Unfortunately, this one kinda went off the rails though. First, it was just WAY too long. So much repetition, so much purple prose, so many unnecessary side characters. Second, the drama never ended - Nica and Rigel just seemed to move from one traumatic obstacle (often of their own making) to another, and it began to feel exhausting. Third, for someone who had a super-traumatic childhood caused by really bad people, you'd think that Nica would be a better judge of character - or at least more gun-shy around creepers. But nope, she was super naive and would just put herself in all kinds of obviously bad situations with clearly bad people. Finally, what exactly is Rigel's illness, and why does it make him act like a psychopath?

So, it had promise, but the execution could have been much better.

I honestly had a very hard time reading this book. I'm not sure if it's due to the translation or the author's writing style, but I found it not enjoyable to read. Additionally, I thought the plot wasn't very original. It felt very trope-y.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I enjoyed this and am looking forward to watch it on NEtflix

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Random House Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

No. Just no. I really tried. The writing is so rough and perhaps too artistic for me. It's just horrific. I have no idea why it was labeled romance.

This is really fascinating book. Nica and Regal both grew up in the same orphanage and are adopted by the same family. It’s so interesting to see how trauma and their new living arrangements affect them as they begin to have feelings for one another. There is such trauma in both their pasts. How Niva has dealt with her trauma is also interesting. It’s a haunting book.

From what I read of it, it doesn't seem like a bad book. I just think that I am not in the mood for it at all. Also the formatting of the book is messed up which isn't any one person's fault but it doesn't entice me to keep reading.

I’m not even trying to be nice when I was this: “The Tearsmith” is the combination of a badly translated book - my fellow non-English-speakers will understand - and the mind of a thirteen-year-old who's decided to write her first fanfic.

Like, there are so, so, so many cringe things going on, without mentioning all the inaccuracies, that I really wonder how is it possible for so many of you to consider this piece of garbage the “book of the year”.
Also, I hope you haven't missed the slightly subtle way in which she makes this feel “normal” only because they’re in the State of Alabama - even if it looks more like the Po Valley to me -, where even incest is basically allowed.

Just open a book that has the right to call itself that, for God’s sake.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was just bad. I was hoping at first it was just translation issues, but I am realizing this is more of a not clearly marketing what this is issue. Worst being the strangely Twilight possessive-ness vibes it gave.

This book was a whirlwind and my thoughts about it varied while reading!

My initial impression of the writing was that this book would be more like a thriller, based on the author’s writing style, but gradually it shifted into more of a YA dark romance — which I didn’t realize existed until I read this. I totally would’ve been obsessed with this storyline at 15-17 years old, but some of the melodrama wasn’t my cup of tea as a 20-something-year-old woman.

*Content worth knowing about before picking up this book is mention of child abuse throughout the book, as the two main characters grew up in an orphanage ran by an abusive matron. There is also a theme of abandonment. At times, this story is heavy & may be hard for some to read.*

I found myself incredibly conflicted over how I felt about the story, and the complex relationship that blooms between Nica & Rigel. Forbidden love is a trope that is pretty popular, but the messiness of their situation (potential adoptive siblings) is a lot to take in. I was simultaneously rooting for them and cringing about the circumstances that led them there! I often had to remind myself that the main characters were 17/18 for the majority of the book, because they were facing such grown struggles & their dialogue felt more mature than young adult.

As things got messier and lines got blurred, I had a hard time putting this book down. At the 70% mark things take a turn and get pretty intense, I genuinely didn’t know how the book would end. There was drama right up until the epilogue!

All in all, I was entertained by this book & would rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars! I’m rounding up to a 4 because it certainly consumed my attention while reading it, though it wasn’t fully my style of romance. I can see how it could be adapted for TV, as it read like romantic drama or telenovella!

Other notable tropes:
* Touch her and ☠️
* Forced proximity
* Healing trauma
* Lovable side characters
* Found family

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book to read and honestly review.

I absolutely love this story. The depth of the characters and the dialogue they both share to counter their traumas is beautiful. Five stars. Can’t wait to see the film adaptation.

Note to publisher: I do wish the formatting the ebook was sent in was done so in a way I had control over the font size and type. It was very hard to read because of that but didn’t take away from the story of course. Just took me longer to get through because I had to keep zooming in.

5 stars

The Tearsmith is a contemporary romance. It is a very slow building. There are time jumps and a number of flashbacks, there is bullying and a bit of enemies to lovers, forced proximity tropes in this story. This book is definitely on the darker side with quite a few hard topics and difficult situations. It had me in Tears about 75 percent of the time, both heartbreakingly sad tears and happy full of joy tears. This book will put you through the ringer with the emotional rollercoaster it is going to send you through, and I loved it. Please be mindful and check content warnings before picking this book up. The writing style for this book was perfect, it painted such an elaborate and emotional story, that it affected me at so many levels. I could not put this down. It had such an impact on me, and I was waiting and wanting to get that happy moment when things finally changed. There was a little bit of repetitiveness that happened, but it did not take away from this story.
Trigger warnings: child abuse, death of a loved one, bullying,
I received an ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

A unique read, a love story with some fantasy elements. It was a bit too long for me and I think some things were lost in translation but I'm looking forward to seeing this on Netflix!

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*