Leo Martino is a goofy, all-in, lover of scrapbooks and plushies who desperately wants a boyfriend and has yet to find someone who wants him for more than a short period. The solution? A checklist! One that is semi-supported by one friend and completely by the other. The idea is to "fix" the things about himself that his past crushes didn't like. We get a whole rollercoaster of self-growth, self-discovery, silliness, as well as what happens around people you must be small near.

As someone who wishes they could scrapbook with their grandma (that's who taught Leo to scrapbook and set him up with one originally), I certainly teared up more than a few times, and I wish this book had existed while I was in high school!

Leo Martino Steals Back his Love is a pretty lighthearted written story with some Leo Martino Steals Back His Love is a lighthearted story with some heavier themes. It is recommended for readers of Simon James Green and Brian D. Kennedy.

Actual rating 3.5 stars.

I really liked the start of this book, and a smile danced on my face so many times. Leo has been in love a lot, but no one has loved him back. But maybe love is closer than he expects.

What I loved most in this story was the friendship between Leo, Varsha, and Dillon. The rest of the story fell a little flat to me, though. It was pretty obvious who Leo would end up with in the end, and sometimes, I wanted the lightheartedness to be a little darker.

But that is a personal preference, and I believe that fans of the authors mentioned above will love Leo and his crushes and the boy who finally loves him back.

Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

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I found this book to be refreshing. It's the kind of clean LGBTQIAP+ romance appropriate for the younger YA audience. It has no sexual activity beyond kissing, which is fine for the younger audience. This book would even be acceptable for middle-grade readers.

The author does a great job of establishing the character's, even to the point of creating very shallow people. While the scenarios sometimes bordered on the absurd (such as how a high school student could afford a $700 t-shirt), they made necessary points in the plot. The eventual couple turned out being predictable, but it was fun watching the main character (Leo) get there on his own.

I ultimately loved the book's theme: be who you are, that trying to become someone else for the sake of love is doomed to failure.

For those people resisting letting their children (middle grade through young adult) read gay romance, this book is the answer. Bravo to the author.

There are some things I really enjoyed about this book. Dillion was very into Leo from the start which was sweet. I also liked Leo’s growth because he did take action to be himself after a LOT of feedback… but I don’t know, it wrapped up so quickly and so many plots points were just dropped like a Silvio and Eric’s dad. The epilogue tried to wrap them up quickly but it felt unfinished - I thought those were the strongest parts of the book and I was sad they weren’t resolved.

* I received a digital copy of this book for review, all thoughts are my own.*

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