* I received a free e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

First, I want to clarify that my rating is more like a 3.5.

This is a cute, quick, nerdy romance. Perfect for readers who want something light and fans of Geekerella.

I enjoyed it. But I did have a couple complaints...

First, I felt that the story itself, while fun, was a little slow at times and a bit anti-climactic. I mean, the climax of the book and the tension between the main characters felt a little forced so I’m not surprised by my feelings. However, I will say that at least it isn’t a stereotypical teen love story argument that Hicks gave us.

And my other complaint is one that I hope may still be remedied with editing before this book comes out. There were several instances throughout the book where it seemed like Hicks got into a groove with a specific word or phrase and used It repeatedly over a small section of the book. In one example, she describes a “cascade of hair” twice within pages of each other exactly that way both times.

Regardless, though, it was fun and flirty and I will likely buy it for my library as I think my teens would still enjoy it plus it will be a good Spring Break read. 😊

I think I first heard about this book last summer, and I immediately put it on my TBR. As a huge fan of comics and geek culture in general, this seemed like a book that was right up my alley. I also LOVE ya contemporary novels that are heavy on two characters falling in love. It's kind of my jam. So I have to say that this one did not disappoint me!


If you know anything about Marvel comics or the relationship between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, then the conflict between Mir and Weldon's families in this story might sound very familiar. Although, I do find it interesting in the world of this book, the big two of comics, Marvel and DC also exist. Just the TomorrowMen franchise and the publisher they are from are also a big deal.

I really liked Weldon and I really felt for him. His parents just seemed like the typical absent YA parents, but I think that is kind of the point here. I honestly didn't like either of his parents. His dad just cared about his business, and his mom seemed really sad, but I also couldn't stand how she keep talking about "fake geeks". I think the intention is that she is joking, but there were a couple time in this book that I felt like she was a real gate-keeper when it came to comics and geek culture. I don't think Weldon ever calls her on this, but there is a point at the end of the book where he comments on the idea of a "fake geek" to a stranger. I just really wished he would have called his mom on her BS.

I was really glad to see Mir's parents so involved in her life. I did think it was odd that she refers to her parents by their first names, but I think that might just be how her parents are. They are a little odd, but definitely interesting characters on their own. A lot of the conflict in the novel are because of her mom settling the court case between the Warricks and the Kendricks. I think Stella was just tired of it and wanted to move on to do her own art. I also liked that she calls Mir out for being so angry with Weldon just because of his last name. It feels like the Warricks have way more animosity about it than the Kendricks do, so it made me really not like any of Weldon's family, except his Uncle. Mostly because his Uncle is over it and wants everyone else to just move on too.

I really liked that this book also discusses the pressures of what to do after high school, and really hammers in the problems with college and both the emotional and financial strain it puts on kids. There is also a little bit of side-plot in this novel about how this affect Mir's friendship. While also dealing with how dating someone can also affect your friendships.

I liked the romance in this one a lot because it didn't feel insta-love to me, but rather a slow burn. Weldon and Mir just start hanging out with each other, and it takes them awhile to figure out if they actually like each other. I really liked that about this one.

I do think that the conflict between the two families is not really resolved at the end of the book, and it did feel a little bit rushed. I do think it's still a cute YA romance book, so I would still recommend it. I think it you like Geekerealla or Chaotic Good, this is a book for you.

*I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

When I realized this book was going to be a kind of modern version of Romeo Juliet with conflict centering on comic book copyrights, I was thrilled. Who doesn’t enjoy a well done enemies to lovers story. This one turned out to be an okay experience though, enjoyable enough but not very remarkable or maybe I just hoped for too much.

The writing was simple enough that I finished it pretty quickly. However, the conversations between the characters didn’t always feel realistic. It’s probably the first time I actually liked the characters’ internal monologues more than the dialogues because it helped me get to know them better. It was also quite unique to see this book set in rural Canada, which I know nothing about. The small town feel, the contrast between the rich and not so rich part of the town, the helplessness of living in a place where there are not many opportunities - all of this is captured quite well. I also liked the idea of so many people, both old and young finding such joy and contentment with comics. However, the main conflict of the book is supposed to be about the TomorrowMen comics and how Mir’s grandfather was not given his due by Weldon’s and I think the whole past issue was not really explored at all. We only get small glimpses from both the families but we never get the full story and I kinda felt cheated because of that.

Miriam was not an easy character to like initially. I thought she was being difficult, but it took some time for me to understand her perspective and struggles. She was just being a very confused teenager, unsure about what to do after graduation, how she would pay for university and if leaving her small town meant losing all her friendships. I obviously didn’t realize her obsession and anger about the comics, considering she never even met her grandfather, but it was nice to see her slowly realize the futility of it and let it all go.

In the beginning, Weldon seemed like a spoiled teenager just doing bad things for the fun of it, but soon it was clear he wanted to be noticed and not feel so invisible in his own family. However, he too slowly realizes that isn’t the way to go and becomes slightly more responsible and confident about what he wants for his future. I also enjoyed his changing relationship with his mother and the possibility of them being closer again.

There was only a slight conflict between the two of them and I thought it was resolved fairly quickly. There wasn’t much angst and perhaps I was expecting more of it. The development and progression of their friendship was very cute but I truly didn’t feel the chemistry, especially not enough to warrant the decisions towards the end of the book. Everything seemed to resolve fairly quickly and easily too, neatly wrapped up in a bow, which was okay I guess but also made me feel like the stakes were never too high.

I would recommend this book if you are looking for a cute high school contemporary with nerdy characters, some fun moments and not much angst. I would suggest not going into it with too much expectations, specifically for the enemies to lovers trope. It was entertaining while I was reading it and left me feeling pleasant.

Their families hate each other. Mir’s grandfather drew The TomorrowMen, superheroes on their way to big screen success, but Weldon’s grandfather reaped all the profits. When Weldon is sent to stay with his aunt in small town Canada after a series of bad decisions, he and Mir meet in the comic book store where she works, and they feel an instant connection. But as old resentments stir and new ones fester, can Mir and Weldon get past the past, and heal some old wounds? Fun and funny, with a deep appreciation of comic book culture and fandom, as well as building up a cast of well-rounded secondary characters to either love or hate, Comics Will Break Your Heart is a very enjoyable YA read, especially for the comic geeks among us. – Rachel Hyland

4 1/2 stars.

This review appears in Romantic Intentions Quarterly #4.

I felt ehhh about this book. It was entertaining enough that I finished it, but that's about all I can say. I wasn't particulary interested in the characters. The plot was, to me, a bit confusing with what happened between the two families and the ownership of the characters. It never seemed full explained, esp at the end when the aunt is mad about it.

I loved the premise of this book: two teens from warring comic book families who fall in love. But... the premise was really the only enticing part of this book for me, unfortunately. There was absolutely nothing WRONG with it per se, but it was just very meh for me. The small-town vibe was cute, and I loved that it was set in Canada which is pretty rare in YA, but not vibrant or unique enough to draw me in. The romance was sweet, but not really captivating or feels-inducing. The questions of friendship were important, but not explored in-depth. And the big premise, of the warring comic book families? Not explained fully enough for the reader still not to feel a bit "huh?" about the whole situation, and it just never really went anywhere? Minimal plot but not enough of a character study to warrant it. A book that comic readers may enjoy, but that voracious contemporary readers may feel a bit let down by.

This contemporary YA story is a Romeo and Juliet-esque story filled with geekery and comics.

Miriam is the granddaughter of Micah Kendrick, who was the original artist for and co-creator of the TomorrowMen comic book entity. Weldon is the grandson of Joseph Warrick, the other co-creator of the TomorrowMen comics. Legal battles over the rights of the company have led to the Kendricks and Warricks filled with animosity toward each other, much to the chagrin of Mir and Weldon.

The only thing I felt the story lacked was more character development. I would have liked to see a bit more depth within the characters in the story, however, I felt like the atmosphere and plot made up for it.
I recommend this story to anyone who enjoyed Geekerella or Queens of Geek!

Comics Will Break Your Heart was an adorable story with hattips to geeks of all kinds - from the greats of British literature to, obviously, comic book fans! The plot is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, only the two families in question are descendents of patriarchs who together birthed one of the greatest comic book franchises of all time, only to have a bitter falling out.

Mir and Weldon are both likable characters, young people approaching the end of high school with the usual amount of trepidation and flailing about as they try to figure out their place in the world and what they want to do with their lives. They meet by sheer accident, when Weldon's misbehavior prompts his high-powered, fame and fortune focused father to send him away for the summer, to his aunt and uncle's house in the small town he has rarely seen. Despite his undercurrent of resentment and propensity for lying, Weldon is charismatic and charms just about everyone he meets. Mir has a work ethic to rival most adults, desperate to rise above her family's extreme economy of existence. I liked that she didn't seem embarrassed by her admittedly rather eccentric parents, but she knew that their choices were not going to be hers. I could understand her resentment of being forced to the extremes of frugal living - such as buying a second hand Monopoly and painting rocks to replace the missing pieces.

The cast of side characters was endearing too, even if I felt that their stories were left unfinished. I loved Mir's friends Evan and Raleigh, and I hope maybe the author plans to write more about them at some point. Evan especially! He was just so sweet and kind and clearly cared so much about Mir. I really liked that even though he wanted to care about her in a more-than-friends way, when she said made it clear she wasn't interested he completely dropped it, but remained a great friend. A lot of guys could take a lesson! :P

The Romeo/Juliet plot was a little weak, mostly because of its predictability. The adults of the two families have had some hard feelings in the past, but their reasons for estrangement sound weak, especially the way Weldon's aunt presents her case.

4/5 stars. I loved the descriptions of fandoms and comics, and Comic Con. It definitely appeals to the inner (and not so inner) nerd!


A full review will be coming shortly on GoodReads, and will be posted at the link below on February 11, 2019.

This is a sweet romance about two teens, Miriam and Weldon, whose families are on the opposite sides of a feud (and lawsuit) over the rights to a comic book franchise. The premise is inventive but the actual story feels very familiar. The family history with comics informs both of the main characters in different ways, but it doesn't define them. This story really shines when exploring Mir's uneasiness with her desire to leave her small town for university and Weldon's growing understanding of his parents as adult humans with problems. Miriam's uncertainty and the reactions of her friends and family really stood out to me. The setting is a small, remote town where the expectation isn't that everyone will leave for school/adulthood, which is different from a lot of suburban-set YA I've read.

I would recommend this book alongside Geekerella and Now a Major Motion Picture, and I hope these fandom inspired romances will draw in readers who might be new to the genre!

let’s talk about the book you are here to talk about! Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks. I received this book as an ebook ARC from the publisher a few weeks ago and chose it to read out of my list of ARCs and I am super glad I did.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Mir lives in a small town in Canada and works at a small comic book store that also sells toys and games. Her grandfather was a famous comic book co-creator who worked on the TomorrowMen series, however, her family is not famous like you think they would be. Instead, there was a rather large lawsuit over the rights for the comics and Mir has no idea exactly what her family got, other than knowing it paid for their home. Mir’s mother makes these amazing paintings of the TomorrowMen characters but she does not sell them for more than what the supplies cost. This and the fact that her family lives so frugal kind of drives Mir insane. One day a boy comes into the comic shop. One Mir has never seen before. This is kind of unusual for the town but the boy buys one of her mother’s paintings and then exits the store. However, before he gets into his car other boys from town come and start beating him up. Mir is stunned and unsure of what to do. She runs out of the store and helps the boy the best she can and this is where she learns that the boy is Weldon Warrick. He is from the Warrick family, the other half of the comics that her grandfather created. From here Weldon and Mir seem to have several accidental and on purpose meet ups and we the reader get to see both Mir and Weldon’s lives and how the comics have affected them both. Weldon’s family has all the comic money and is currently creating a massive movie about the comics.

The story of Mir and Weldon and the comics is interesting and unique. I really have not read another story about comics that also kind of has Romeo and Juliet undertones. Overall, I thought this book was a fun and interesting read and I gave it four and a half stars on Goodreads! It comes out on February 12th!

3.5, rounded up to 4.

This was a cute and quick read. The plot was fairly predictable, very Canadian, and nothing ground-breaking. The strength was in the main character interactions and just a generally warm feeling around everything. The side characters felt expendable and there were a few that just disappeared mid-story without another mention - which made me wonder about their purpose to begin with.

In summary; cute story, cute characters, feels-good ending, and a quick read.

That was one of the most adorable and geeky stories I have ever read, and I loved it with all my heart! I honestly love stories that have cons in them (like Geekerella and Queens of Geek), and this one did not disappoint. I loved the Romeo and Juliet feel of the family animosity between the Warricks and the Kendricks, and how Weldon and Miriam defied that feud.

I loved the characters a lot. Weldon and Miriam were both really lovable and also flawed, and I loved that about them both. Mir's family was kind of the best, and Weldon's parents were...not always the greatest, but they were both trying in their own ways. I wish we could have gotten more of Uncle and Alex and maybe his past with Mir's mom and why the two of them like and respect one another. Evan was the greatest and I love how he, Mir, and Stella are going to make comics together.

Overall, there isn't too much of an overarching plot, or even too deep a conflict. The family history gets between them, but they resolve it quickly both the first and second times it happens, and most of the story is pretty low key and happy, which was lots of fun. It was a really good story and I loved the influence of the comics and the modern superhero trend playing a big part. I loved the details we got about the TomorrowMen and the whole story of the family feud between them.

I definitely recommend this book to the fans of superheroes and comics, to the geeks, and to anyone wanting to read an adorable little love story between two teenagers who refuse to let their families get between them <3

A Romeo and Juliet type tale about a girl whose grandfather drew very famous superheroes (think Justice League) who meets and falls for the grandson of the creator of the superheroes. The book took awhile to find its groove and spend some more time on ancillary plots and characters, but still was a satisfying read. Recommended for fans of Ashley Poston.

This was a very sweet comic book romance. The story follows two teens who grandfathers each helped create a massive comic book franchise, but later one bought the other out, which created resentment. The two start to strike up an attraction to each other but have to deal with the past and feuding families. It was a very sweet and quiet story. There were a lot of very Canadian references that I didn't get, but it was a light and fun read. It played with familiar tropes but I liked the characters. It was a little slow at times, but overall I enjoyed reading it, and would recommend to fans of other YA that involves comics and fandoms.

A cute, contemporary Romeo and Juliet esque YA love story. Perfect for comic book fans. Miriam and Weldon fall in love with each other despite past disputes between their families. Both are grandchildren of comic book creators who ended up at odds with each other regarding their collaboration together. Miriam and Weldon see past the ire between the two families to fall in love while working through issues of their own.

This was a very sweet, geeky romance with a little Romeo and Juliet thrown in, but with a happy ending. Miriam is the granddaughter of Micah Kendrick, the original artist for and co-creator of the TomorrowMen comic book. Weldon Warrick is the grandson of Joseph Warrick, the other co-creator of the TomorrowMen comic book. Joseph unfairly (although legally) took control of the TomorrowMen rights, essentially cheating Micah out of any real profits from their joint creation causing a rift between the Warrick and Kendrick families. Miriam and Weldon meet, there are sparks, but also all this complicated family history. Can they make it work?

Comics Will Break Your Heart is a tender love story and an ode to comic books and all the various kinds of people that love them.

Mir(iam) Kendrick has some important decisions to think about, largely around the, “What are you going to do with your future?” variety. Her family is well off enough but not the type where it’ll make going to college any easier for her, and she doesn’t even know what she wants to focus on. Her best friend is growing distant from her the closer she gets to her boyfriend, who is unusually hostile to Mir, and her other best friend has a crush on her that she doesn’t reciprocate.

Weldon Warrick has been shipped off to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle to keep him out of trouble and underfoot of his father whose about to bring the comic book series Tomorrowmen to cinematic glory after a messy legal battle that’s kept it on hold for years. Weldon is struggling to find himself after his parents separation and his fathers obsession with his work. Shipped out to a small town, lacking the kind of life he’s used to in L. A., Weldon finds himself stumbling into Mir and then deliberately searching her out as he finds himself drawn to her and she to him.

Things aren’t easy for these two. The messy legal battle that held the movie made up? Was from Mir’s grandpa, the original artist for Tomorrowmen, who felt he was cut out of profits he deserved.

Mir struggles with jealousy, anger and a whole host of insecurities and what ifs that hold her back. Thankfully for Mir she has two really great, present parents. I loved Henry and Stella, they were a dynamic couple and I loved how important they were to Mir and she to them. Weldon wants the family that Mir has and Mir wants the life Weldon has access to. The romance is slow and sweet and by the end, very hopeful and filled with potential.

I loved this story and can’t wait for it to be published and other readers to love it too.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

COMICS WILL BREAK YOUR HEART capitalizes on the current Marvel movie crazy by showcasing the star-crossed relationship of Miriam Kendrick and Weldon Warrick, the children on either side of a copy-right legal dispute over the TomorrowMen comic series. (Just in case you missed the obvious parallels, a discussion of Romeo and Juliet is shoehorned into the story for good measure.) Although I really enjoy nerd!lit as a general rule, I felt as though COMICS WILL BREAK YOUR HEART lacked a punch. Everything felt a little too cookie-cutter, a little too easily resolved. If you enjoy the "after school special" formula for YA romance, you'll enjoy it, but don't expect anything revolutionary. Other contemporary YA Lit works exploring fandom do so with much more nuance. Regardless, fans of GEEKERELLA, CHAOTIC GOOD, and SHIP IT will enjoy.