JACK OF HEARTS (AND OTHER PARTS) is a witty, warming, and downright hilarious glimpse into the mind of gay teen boy while also tackling issues of toxic masculinity, stereotypes, and sex positivity. Jack, our protagonists, is an out and proud gay teen who runs a sex advice column on his friend's blog. Jack starts receiving notes from a secret admirer that quickly turn dark.

There is a lot of sex in this book, as well as hard and honest discussions about toxicity and teenage sexuality. This is a book unlike what you've read before, and it's that fearless creativity that makes JACK OF HEARTS such a satisfying read.

DNF

Before we get into this negative review, let me acknowledge how awesome the cover is. Yes! I love it! A cover such as this one would not have been approved 20 years ago – and a book such as this one not published 10 years ago. Incredible.

I also very much appreciated Jack’s transparency. He is bold and straight-forward. He doesn’t hold back on us. He tells us a lot and knows not what ‘‘too much information’’ means. I mean, hearing him discuss how the first time he had sex, the person penetrating him got some of his shit on his member was like WOW.

If that’s too much for you, stay far away from this book because you’re probably not ready for Jack and Jack should be welcomed with open arms. I should have stayed away. Because although I so appreciate reading a book with an LGBTQIA+ character who is not in the closet, Jack’s constant high-pitched voice annoyed me.

Well, alright, I didn’t exactly ‘‘hear’’ him talk, in a literal way, but you just KNOW when a voice is calm, angered or high-pitched after reading a couple of novels in your life and especially if you’re the type who can actually hear people’s voice tones. To me, Jack felt like he was always on edge – and of course he has the right to be, what with all the creepy letters – but I couldn’t stand it.

I also didn’t particularly like the story or the secondary characters. Really, this is a book that anyone could finish in an afternoon – it’s that fast and easy to read if you’re interested – but it’s not a book that you will think about long after finishing it, unless you’re thinking about all the things mentioned that you kind of wished you hadn’t known to begin with. How is knowing some guys get shit on their penises or condoms while fucking other guys going to help me in my life ahahahah??

So I have no idea who to recommend this to, but if all that I just mentioned captured your interest, go for it, yo! (I know, this was a weird review, but this is a hella weird book so it matches ha!)

On the one hand, this book makes some important points about not letting other people define who you can be. No one can tell Jack how to live but Jack. He makes his own choices about his life and his presentation. THe plot discusses consent and the importance of openness in a relationship. The language is unnecessarily crude at points. There's a fine line between honest portrayal of a character and sensationalism and this book tends towards the latter. Still, the messages are important enough to look past some minor failings.

There is a dearth of sex-positive books out there for young people, especially with LGBTQ* representation, so I give this book a resounding "yes, please!" I am endlessly glad that Rosen showed his first ninety-nine pages to friends and that those friends talked them into continuing to write Jack's story, because the world needs more books like this and more characters like Jack and his friends.

"I know lots of kids want to be famous, and yeah, I like attention, but I'd much prefer it for things I do--like dress amazing and say witty things--than who I do."

Jack is infamous around his high school. Rumors fly after every party--the book starts with a trio of girls discussing his alleged "fourgy" in a hot tub over the weekend, for instance. Most of these rumors aren't true, but that hasn't stopped people from believing everything they hear before, and it certainly won't in Jack's case. Fortunately, Jack's best friend started a website after being kicked off the school newspaper, and she comes up with the perfect way to harness Jack's reputation as a sexpert...a write-in advice column for students.

When Jenna first pitches him the idea, Jack is hesitant. He commits to writing one column, but doesn't plan to let her plan go any further than that. Much to his surprise, though, his fellow students respond well to the column, and he finds himself enjoying writing for the website. The only downside to his new "sexlebrity" status is that mysterious pink notes have begun appearing in his locker, and they've quickly gone from intriguing to straight-up creepy.

"It could be worse." He tells his friends after finally admitting to them how disturbing the notes have become. Jenna won't let him dismiss things that easily, though. "That might be true, but that doesn't mean it's not bad. That doesn't mean you don't try to stop it from being bad."

As tension escalated and Jack and his friends went through plan after failed plan to unmask his stalker and get them to leave him home, I found it harder and harder to put this book down. I loved Jack from the first page, and it tore at my heart to see him doubt himself, toning his fashion down and retreating inward as he struggled with what to do and how to keep his friends and family safe. This would have been a solid 5-star read for me if it had been twenty pages longer. My one big gripe with the book is the rushed ending. I was reading an electronic version, and I couldn't believe it when I got to the end...at first I thought maybe my download hadn't completed properly and I was missing the last chapter or something. Everything was just a little too abrupt and anticlimactic, which was a let down after being so riveted through the entire book. That aside, though, incredible. More like this, please!

This book surprised the heck outta me. When I first started reading it all I kept thinking was, "Is this really what kids in high school sound like?" and "Are kids in high school really doing all of these things?" At the end of the day, I realized that, no probably, not, but that's beside the point. While the story itself felt a little over the top at times and the whole stalker plot line never really got off the ground or felt fully developed, I still appreciated, so much, just how sex positive and candid this book is. The advice Jack gives to his best friend's blog readers, is incredibly thoughtful and EXACTLY what teens who may be struggling with these feelings need to hear. Honestly, I wish the book had just been a bunch of the e-mails and Jack's responses because they were seriously that good.

Now is this book going to be for everyone? I'm gonna have to go with a no on that. When I say this book is honest, I mean it is Honest, with a capital H. Jack doesn't hide how much he enjoys sex (something he shouldn't have to, BTW) or the sexual activities he is inclined to participate in. While the author doesn't shy away from these topics (and may even provide details that even I didn't know), it's also important to note that Jack approaches sex more responsibly than most adults do, something that I think every reader can appreciate.

Do I recommend this book? I do - even with the weak stalker plot, I think the advice and overall message that Jack is trying to get across is an important one. I think there are a lot of teens who are dealing with the topics discussed in this book and they need to see/know that they aren't the only ones and that their feelings aren't wrong. That, in fact, they're completely normal. For that purpose alone, I think this is a worthwhile read.

A superbly fun read. Had a perfect blend/balance if information, humor, heart and danger. The only disappointing part was the overly fast wrap up and the lack of penalty for the villain. Seriously, they were mildly terrifying and I needed some more closure to give this a perfect score. I would not hesitate to dip my toes back into the world if there was a sequel. We will deff be adding this to our digital collection list.

Plot in a sentence: Jack is so far out of the closet that his sexual exploits are the stuff of legend, but when he starts receiving increasingly threatening love notes in his locker, his life starts to feel less fabulous.

***STARRED REVIEW***

Recommended age: 15 and up (Frank sexual content).

Diversity:
- LGBTQ+: Most of the main cast is gay or bisexual.
- Race: The cast is racially diverse.

Who will love this book:
- People who are looking for more than coming out stories from the LGBT stories.
- Readers who want something a bit racy.

What I liked about this book:
- It refreshing to have a novel about a gay teen that is not about coming out or falling in love.
- Jack’s sex column is the sex ed we all needed in High School.
- Jack’s stalker sent actual chills down my spine and the slut shaming that Jack receives infuriated me. Rosen’s novel evokes so much emotion in me, I couldn’t stop reading.

If you liked this book, read: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee because, though their stories take place centuries apart, Monty and Jack have a lot in common.

Jack is an out and proud and pretty sexually active teenager. He's safe about it, and perfectly happy not committing to anyone. Someone reading this intro might think that this story is about someone coming along, breaking the mold, and becoming Jack's boyfriend. But nope! This story is about Jack becoming a love and sex advice columnist for his friend's online news site (her alternative to the school newspaper, which she was kicked off of, like a badass). Just as Jack starts writing his advice column, he starts receiving pink notes in his locker. At first they seem harmless, but as time goes on they become creepier - demanding, threatening, and unhinged. Jack needs to find out who's doing this to him, and soon, or else he's going to have to sacrifice the happiness he's built in his life for this anonymous creep.

This book took me right back to my days as a teenager when myself and so many of my peers (whether we admitted it or not) were obsessed with who was doing what with who. I also loved reading this from a 2018 perspective, because today's teenagers definitely seem more socially aware thanks to the presence of online news and social media sites like tumblr. That's not to say everyone is, but compared to my teenage days, more are. Jack successfully educates his classmates about different issues surrounding love and sex using his column, and I thought that was awesome. It's clear that whether we admit it or not, teenagers will and do have sex. A book like this serves as an entertaining story, but also a reminder that teenagers need a proper sex education. We never would have had this book when I was younger, and I'm so happy that today's teens do.

I will note that while I could read the story, I couldn't read the texts everyone sent back and forth, likely because of how the digital arc displayed on my phone. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more books by the author!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review!

Jack Rothman is a gay teenager who attends a private school in New York City. He enjoys sex and isn't afraid to talk about it, so his friend Jenna, a budding journalist, asks him to write a sex advice column for her news blog. At first, he does not wish to do it, as his sex life is already a hot topic at school, but then decides to do so. As he begins writing the column, he begins receiving origami "love letters" that are from a stalker who is obsessed with him. As the letters get more and more demanding, and Jack is unable to figure out who is sending him, he begins to lose his sense of self. While much of the discussion about this book will be about the amount of sex Jack has, and the sex advice column (which is spot on and conveyed in a voice relatable to teens,) what I found most compelling and realistic view of how a victim of stalking reacts and feels. Rosen gives plenty of clues to who the stalker is and throws in a few red herrings, but I thought it was scarier for Jack to not know who it was than knowing from the very beginning. I also found the reaction from the principal when Jack and Jenna approach him about the stalker to be true to how stalking and sexual harassment are handled (the principal blames Jack's behavior for why he's being stalked, and it isn't until a teacher advocates for Jack that the principal's attitude changes.) Overall, I feel this is a necessary book for the young adult genre, as the frank talk about sex is refreshing, rather than the current response by adults to not have open discussions with teens about sex.