So far, Leo Martino has been unlikely in love. Each of his crushes has left him behind. Determined to find a boyfriend in his senior year, Leo comes up with a checklist to overhaul everything, from his clothes, to his hair, to his personality. To his own surprise, his plan works, and Leo finally seems to have attracted the attention of all the crushes who previously ignored him. But in changing himself, is he leaving the most important parts of his life, including his two best friends, behind?

This is a charming story about first loves, searching for yourself, navigating challenging family dynamics, and finding what is really important. Frequently laugh out loud funny, you can't help but root for Leo (even when he seems focused on the wrong things).

Highly recommended.

Thank you at HarperCollins and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Such a sweet story! Leo Martino had been unlucky with his crushes. Time and time again they have rejected him. Is there something wrong with him? According to his best friends Dillon and Varsha no. But then why does this keep happening? Then he realizes he just needs to make a list of how to make himself the perfect boyfriend material. To do this he’ll get feedback from his crushes on why they stopped being interested in him. All except Lincoln Chan, he’s the crush that first broke Leo’s heart and the worst one. But as he changes himself, he’ll find himself being in close proximity to Lincoln again. And does he seem interested? Could this be a second chance? But as Leo changes will he find what he was looking for? Or will he learn it was right in front of him all along? Cute, touching, funny, and endearing! Leo will have you both wanting to hug him and yell at him! Highly recommend if you want the feel goods!!

I requested and received an eARC of Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart by Eric Geron via NetGalley. I haven’t read much YA this year, but when I saw this title and the adorable cover, I had to investigate! Leo Martino loves the idea of love, but it doesn’t seem to love him. He keeps a scrapbook of all his former crushes even though all of them have ghosted him. Although Leo has always remained hopeful, as his senior year begins that hope begins to crumble. Maybe he’s the problem. Determined to find his first boyfriend by the end of high school, Leo composes a checklist of things to improve about himself based on his disappointing experiences with his crushes. With a new personality made from a check list, will he lose sight of the real Leo?

This book did many things well! I think what I appreciated the most about this book is the way that Geron addresses heavy issues without sacrificing any of the lightness of the novel. The relationship between Leo’s parents was handled very well. My parents divorced when I was much younger than Leo, but so many things still felt really familiar to me. The distant relationship between Leo and his father also really resonated with me. It’s no secret that many queer men have to cope with difficult relationships with their fathers and it is especially difficult as a teenager. I think the same can be applied to the relationship between Leo and his brother, that sort of difficulty in understanding one another (but still loving each other.)

I honestly this story was so cute. Teenage me could relate to Leo Martino so hard. There were so many wonderful things about this book and I really appreciated the rich history between Leo and all of his failed crushes. I think where this book really succeeds is in the depiction of the friendship between Leo, Varsha, and Dillon. What a great group of kids. I found the way they showed up for another to be really special. Leo is a great protagonist to share space with, he's easy to sympathize with and root for, even when you're frustrated with him! With this YA novel, Geron is able to tell a story that is both sweet and often humorous with really great messaging about loving yourself the way that you are.

Such a cute read! Just when you give up on love it finds away to come into your life! Perfect for heartstopper fans