Araceli’s parents have decided that she needs to spend her senior year with her great-aunt Ottilie in a small New York town. They thought it would be a safe and quiet place for her to get ready for college, but they didn’t know that people have been going missing for over twenty years and there are mysterious lights in the woods that Araceli is explicitly told to NOT follow. After Araceli begins receiving letters from a GI during the First World War, she wonders whether it is all one big prank or is there really a mystery that needs to be solved.

Heartwood Box is a stand-alone science fiction mystery where the characters are easy to relate to and the story was very easy to fall in to. Aguirre has taken many mysterious storylines and has blended them into a superb novel. When I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about the events and what might happen next. I also really liked that it was not part of a series and I was able to unravel all the mysteries in a short amount of time. I recommend Heartwood Box to all fans of mysteries, even if you don’t normally like science fiction.

“This is where hope goes to die.”

I knew after just one sentence that this book was going to be good. It kicks off with the main character, Araceli, and her perspective is hilariously pessimistic. Her clearly sarcastic observations help lighten the very dark things that seem to happen in this new yet, seemingly old town.

“I like them all more when they accept that without asking a lot of questions. If we click, I’ll tell them about my life, but I hate giving personal details for no other reason than to satisfy the curiosity of strangers. Any info I divulge should come by choice.”

This is coming from a teenager and sometimes I seemed to forget that while I was reading because she’s so grown up. She thinks with years of experience that she can’t possibly have, which makes her wise and smart. Both Araceli’s thoughts and dialogue seemed to suit that of a teenager, but in her case, she lacked the naiveté usually associated with someone young. She was hilarious to read and everything seemed to flow very naturally. Her nature and demeanour seemed really relatable too which is always a great quality in a main character as it helps incorporate yourself as the reader in their story. Brilliant!

This girl swears like a sailor too. Cliché I know, but it worked since she's a teenager and most swear. Ann Aguirre used it to create extremely impressive, conversational tones in the main character. I think this really elevated something that could have been just mediocre to something great with substance! I like how she wasn’t afraid to add swear words because it is a YA novel. I found it more genuine because she swore and it added to the authenticity of the whole piece. They weren’t thrown in there just to be edgy either, they had a purpose and that helped establish the main character. Bravo!

I am a history buff so when I found out that Aguirre incorporated elements that included a cute and nervous soldier who doubles as a love interest from WWI, she had me sold. I kept reading on and on just to find out what would happen. It got quite addictive! And, if I must say, his scenes and nervous flirting were adorable! The way they spoke in the early 1900’s was definitely a swoon-worthy touch.

For the longest time I thought the romance in here was flat. It seemed like the main character wasn’t interested in any entanglement, which made sense as her life was just upheaved and chucked into a new environment. But then the romance seemed to come to her making it feel a little unlikely. First with the Heartwood box, transporting her to Oliver in the amidst of World War I and then again with the prankster schoolmate, Logan, who she meets at her new school. I hated how much she brushed off Logan with disinterest and I didn’t really get it because her fixation on Oliver seemed really unrealistic (which it was) but it didn’t stop her falling head over heels for him. I came to like him too and didn’t care that it wouldn’t make for a happy ending but that did make me dread finishing the book because now I was hooked on a relationship that couldn’t work.

All that being said, I finished the book having not thrown it across the room in anger or left it damp with tears. I think with the concept Ann Aguirre posed for this story set her up for a hard finish and I think all things considered, she did a marvellous job. It kept fans for both love interests (in my opinion) happy and the mix of mystery and science fiction came to a satisfying conclusion where all your questions seemed to be answered.

“I’ll end up as a legendary cat lady with twenty-seven felines who eat me after I die.”

Oops, did I forget that this was also filled with hilarious one liners like this one?

This is definitely a book to get you out of a reading slump, the unfortunate downside to reading. I was worried at first about not liking this, but I think the very addition of the sci-fi-esque elements created an illusion to the mystery behind the town that fit with the plot. It didn’t leave the story with words I couldn’t pronounce or the heaviness of knowledge associated with science that would leave you confused and then feeling stupid. It was a light, fluffy novel that took a multitude of genres that entice a variety of readers and I think it was executed very well!

I give it a 7/10 only because the romance made me a bit angry at times and the predictability of the town and the strange occurrences was a little disappointing in terms of a wow factor. Don’t get me wrong though, this was a great book and I look forward to reading more by Ann Aguirre because her writing and ability to create incredible thought and dialogue to her main character made this book flow well and that’s a good thing. There were hints of Outlander, dashes of Wayward Pines and creepy, eerie feelings that remind me of the movies, Boy and Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history, lovers of romance, geeks who love science fiction, and of course to all you scaredy cats who love all things thriller/horror. This book had it all and I think there’s something for everyone here, so try it out! It might just be the thing to help you out of your slump!

[To be published on July 12th]

I went into a Heartwood box thinking it was a typical mystery/ thriller. I was totally wrong. This story has so much going on but I'm not sure that's a good thing.

The main character is determined to figure out the mystery of the missing people. At the same time she gets letters from a stranger. She has to balance her new life while trying to figure out the mysterious town.

I feel the plot had too many events happening for one story. At times it worked for the story and other times it felt like it bogged the plot down a bit. It was a good story overall and I was able to enjoy it, I just wish it didn't feel like there was too many ideas pushed in. As you get into the story it becomes more scifi than a usual thriller.

I wasn't expecting there to be as much of a scifi intertwined into the story. With all the twists and turns I felt it fit the thriller and mystery genres as well. This is definitely a mixed genre book. If your not a scifi fan you might enjoy for the mystery but I think scifi lovers will enjoy it the most.

I loved everything about this cover and synopsis and I’m pretty much here for everything Ann writes.

I think I liked Araceli? She’s a little rough around the edges, but for the most part I liked being in her head. She’s sarcastic and strong. There are a lot of characters in this story and I’m not sure if that’s good or not. No one really felt fleshed out...if that was on purpose to show how Araceli was an outsider, it was effective.

Plot wise, it okay. There are loads of moving parts and plot threads and it was overwhelming and a little boring at the same time. I was intrigued by the story, but never really captivated.

Overall, it was an interesting idea, but it felt like there was too much of something and not enough of something else.

**Huge thanks to Tor Teen for providing the arc free of charge**

After years of traveling around the world with her parents, Araceli is sent to a small ton in the US in order to finish high school. Her aunt Ottilie is a wonderful person, but the disappearance of her husband 20 years ago left her with some very strange habits. And, to top that up, she's not the strangest person in town.

People have been vanishing from this strange place for the past twenty years. And yet, some people think they can feel the missing ones' presence. Are they all just a bunch of eccentrics? Maybe, but then how does Araceli start receiving letters from the past? Who has started this series of strange evens, here? Is Araceli in danger? Can all this be real?

Heartwood Box is a surprisingly interesting story to read. Moving between sci-fi and YA, the story is fast-paced, alluring, and very well written. Araceli is a very interesting and realistic character, and the mystery is built up slowly but surely, leading to an intelligent, and also heartbreaking and beautiful, peak.

Heartwood Box is a book Teens will definitely love reading. Strongly recommended.

First off, huge thanks to you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for giving me an arc of the book to read

I was really excited to read this book as the mysterious and time traveling aspects were what caught my attention almost immediately when I read the synopsis. But then, I actually read it and I'm sad to say that I was disappointed. This letdown mainly stemmed from how the story was told and how it played out.

Heartwood Box Follows Araceli, A POC characters who move to A small subtly racist tone in New York not too far from New York City. She moves here to live with her great aunt because her parents are both Journalists working in the middle east in the middle of a war. so it makes sense why they had her move. That's about the only thing that makes sense as though dan in a good way, well missing people aren't really good. Then there's the totally off limits lab out in the letter coming for a slider fight n the first war.

Like said before there’ s a good story here, but the way it’s told ruined it for me. To simply put it there’s a lot going on in this book but seemingly not enough time to go into any detail. This makes things to me seem like they've been tacked on or not fully developed. this includes characters, certain scenes that have just been sort of glossed over, and major plot points just there with little explanations. The later of which becomes more prevalent near the end of the book.

I think that is this book or even made int a series then it would be great because then the author would have time to delve into everything instead of just leaving things as they were.

Not 100% certain I understand what I read. Thought it was going to be about one thing and it veered a completely different direction. Confusing read with parts that were intriguing. 3/5 stars.

#HeartwoodBox #NetGalley
Wow! I have read Ann Aguirre before, but this one is a jam of genre's in one book. It wasn't what I expected, but that wasn't a bad thing. The character's are likable and you can't put it down because you have to know what is happening next. The mystery is more creative than I thought it would be I think that was a huge reason why I kept reading. Well done. I like trying new things.

This book was most definitely a surprise. The author clearly decided to mess with her readers heads and mix more than one genre here so if it’s YA paranormal mixed with time travel and suspense that intrigues you then pick this up. The author herself has likened it to Stranger Things meets the Lake House and I couldn’t agree more.
The story revolves around Araceli a young mixed race girl staying with her aunt in a town where people keep disappearing . The mystery apparently involves strange lights in the woods but there’s also a creepy vibe in the aunts house so when a friend is ‘taken’ Araceli isn’t going to ignore it . Now here is when the author tricks us as she has also introduced a mysterious box that enables Araceli to communicate with a First World War soldier. See what I mean ? This book is a puzzle for the reader to solve with elements of the Philadelphia experiment alongside our intrepid heroine pitting herself against secretive and dangerous military types. Araceli most definitely leads the charge but the supporting characters just never really felt fleshed out to me. Plus the surprise at the end didn’t really feel right to my mind but I did like that everything got wrapped up neatly.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

This was the first time I have ever read anything by this author. I enjoyed this book but felt like it had too many genres mixed into one. I thought (from the summary) that this story was going to be one thing and once I started reading found that it didn't really live up to what I thought it was going to be. Overall, it was just ok for me.

This story sort of felt like it wanted to be Stranger Things, and I'm not saying that's bad, but it did sort of throw me for a loop.  At the start of the book, you can tell something strange is going on.  Honestly, I probably should have figured it out sooner than I did, but the story was good, if not a little slow in parts.  The end sort of hits you and while I did feel like it was a little fast, everything does get tied up nicely.  

I did really like Araceli.  She was maybe a little too resourceful at times, but I can overlook that.  I did feel like most to the secondary characters, were very secondary.  Even Oliver and Logan who I should have known best still seemed like mysteries at the end of the book.

If you are looking for an interesting read with a kick-ass female lead, you should pick this one up.

Overall Rating: 3.5

Have you ever encountered those stories, pieces of art, new foods, or other things that you weren’t sure about at first, but they slowly began to grow on you? This describes my experience with Heartwood Box. The weird thing is that this didn’t even happen while I was reading the book. It began to happen after I finished and thought about it. The story keeps coming back to me -- it’s the type that lingers. It’s an unusual tale and my instinct while reading it was to rate it 3 stars. When I finished it, I thought 3.5 stars. And now that I’m writing my review days later, I’m tempted to give it 4 stars.

Weird, right? This occasionally happens to me, but it’s pretty rare. Usually my rating holds or I want to downgrade it later (I know, I’m terrible). So as you can see, this one is a difficult one to rate and review. I think it’s because my feelings about each aspect of the book varied to such extremes.

The Good:
I enjoyed the pacing of the story, the creepy vibe, and the mystery itself, which kept me guessing throughout! Each time I had to put the book down, I looked forward to picking it back up. The MC is biracial and her inner commentary on how that affects her life, as well as her observations on how racism affected those around her, were thought-provoking. They were not the focus of the story, but they were well incorporated. As for the feeling of the book, Heartwood Box gave me Stranger Things vibes, in that it took place in a small town where weird things were happening, there were kids trying to solve larger mysteries, and the story dipped into multiple genres. This book was unusual and disconcerting, which was just what I hoped for from a creepy Tor Teen title!

The Not-so-good:
As for the parts I didn’t love… well, the romance did not work for me at all. I understood the reason the author included it in the story, but I didn’t find it believable. There were also parts of the story that felt a little too easy -- obstacles that probably should have been more difficult for the characters to overcome. And the MC’s parents felt like a vague afterthought than real people.

In the end, the story left me plenty of food for thought. It’s enjoyable and it’s different. I can completely understand why some of the other early reviewers felt lukewarm about the book - like quite a few other Tor Teen titles, it’s a tale with a really specific audience, though it would be hard for me to define precisely who that audience might be. I think it’s worth experiencing for yourself -- just know going in that there is a LOT in this story, so even if not everything clicks for you, there’s a good chance that something in it will pique your interest!

Free advanced copy provided by Tor Teen through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

(Review will be posted to Goodreads between 6/25-7/9 and shared in Instagram stories during that time as well. It will also be posted to Amazon on release day.)

Aguirre herself tweeted that Heartwood Box is “Stranger Things meets The Lake House”. There’s really no better way to explain this book.

I previously read Aguirre’s book The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things and I believe that it was the better book that I’ve read by her. My enjoyment of that book was why I was interested in reading this one. While Heartwood Box has an interesting premise, the execution wasn’t what I had hoped for.

There were many instances when the conversational scenes were sloppy and lacked depth and connection. I’ll be honest, if this had just been a regular contemporary I would have DNFed it. But the mystery and the weirdness had me hooked enough that I had to find out what was going on.

But even saying that, all of the different oddities left the story feeling diffuse. Is it a contemporary book? Is it a sci-fi book? Is it a time travel book? Is it a mystery book? Sometimes having your book consist of so many different aspects can make it wonderful and wildly entertaining. But it just didn’t work here. It left me feeling disjointed by the lack of flow for 75% of the book.

But the last 25% was where the book got good. Lots of action, explanations and heart. All of the oddness finally came together to fit and make sense. It was what I had been expecting and made me wish the whole book had been that enjoyable. It was the saving grace of the book really, and made it worth the read after all.

I was so excited about this title and I hate to say it, but I pushed myself to 75% and then gave up. There was so much here that I wanted to like, but nothing good was going on. I’m not sure if there was just too much trying to go on, a misguided execution, or a combination of the two.
The characters in this novel were so hard to enjoy. Araceli was believable in that she was quite self-centered and had the teenage attitude, but, coming from a foreign background, had a completely unbelievable understanding of American culture and language. She used words that most teens would not have even heard and no one batted an eye. Everyone seemed to like her even though she continually talked down to them and was never really a good friend back.
Aguirre tried to tackle racial issues, time travel, domestic abuse, missing persons, and general teenage social life all in one novel and it just didn’t work. Everything was too over the top (did anyone have a name that didn’t scream “I represent this ethnicity!”) or shrouded so deep in mystery that there was a lot of eye rolling on my part.
The creepy factor of the novel is one that I was looking forward to the most and it really wasn’t there. There was a sense of a mystery, but it got lost in the jumble of other issues, making this reader loose interest in the outcome. I wanted a lot more from what I read in the description and what I expect from this author. This doesn’t seem anywhere near refined and ready to publish. I sorely wish that I could have liked this more and it would have been the heart pounding suspense I was promised, but for now, I cannot recommend this in any good way.

This book was not exactly what I thought it was going to be, That said, I still immensely enjoyed it, talk about a late night thriller! This book has a little something for everyone: a ghost story, mystery, historical fiction and even some romance. It is a little slow in the beginning but once the book picks up it is unputdownable! I would warn people that it does have some violent content, so if that isn't your thing then I suggest picking up something else, but I loved the way everything worked into the story line.

3.5 stars

Thank you to MacMillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

Heartwood Box is a mystery story that builds slowly in the beginning and packs a punch at the end with an ending that is somewhat bizarre but it works. I thought it was creative and different. My reaction was more like, what?……🤔

While reading this book, I was wondering if this was a ghost story but some things didn’t add up especially when there are people going missing in this strange town. I mean if it was just haunted, why would people go missing? Also, this is the second book I’ve read this month with references to World War I! That’s pretty cool since most people are engrained in World War II history, so I like having the spotlight be on WWI.

I enjoyed the diversity represented with the characters. Araceli is a strong young lady who grew up abroad in Central and South America, so she’s seen a lot of things, especially with parents who are investigative reporters. But this town is something different and she has a challenging time figuring things out.

I thought the ending was a nice twist and a bit strange. But I still enjoyed it because the story is well written. It flowed nicely from a slow mystery, which took me a few days to get into and then it took a turn with full on action and time-travel in the last part of the book. Yes, it did that.

Overall, I like this book! It’s not usually the type of genre I read but it was a nice change of pace.

I stopped the book at chapter 20. Not only has nothing really happened at this point, Araceli is an unlikeable character.

The author beats around the bush in the most obvious way. Something is going on with that town. Something or someone is kidnapping people. Araceli aunt isn't telling her everything. We get this but we are reminded about this for 20 chapters, almost every page. At this point, I was hoping that something explodes or someone attacks Araceli because the book rides on the fact that there is this big thing she needs to discover and all she does is whine how the town is weird.

I couldn't keep going because the book is 57 chapters and everything in me believes that nothing will happen until at least the 35th chapter.

DNF

I've never read this author before, but when the book description mentioned a small town with secrets, and suspense with a sci-fi edge, I knew it was time to become acquainted with her work.

This book grabbed me right away.  Araceli feels a presence in the attic, and actually sees the string attached to a light bulb turn on by itself - I was all in.  Mysterious lights in the forest, loads of people missing, a box that transports letters to a recipient decades earlier - it just got better.  A lot goes on in this novel, and that's something I enjoyed about it.  It's also an usual blend of contemporary, romance, suspense, and sci-fi, something that should attract readers of several genres.

Traveling with her journalist parents for most of her life, Araceli has experienced things most teens can't imagine, so it's understandable that she dives into these mysteries head first.  While I admire her bravery and determination, she also comes across as selfish and headstrong, since she doesn't always consider the consequences of her actions - especially when they involve the lives of other people.  Then again, these are the actions of a teenager.

I don't generally read YA contemporary, but with sci-fi, suspense, and time travel tossed into the mix, I plowed through this book in a couple of days.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Araceli Flores Harper (father from Mexico, mother from Kentucky), is turning 18 in a few weeks when the story starts. She has just moved in for her senior year with a great aunt in upstate New York since her parents are off on another dangerous investigative journalism mission. In the town, she notices an abnormally high number of “missing” posters and comes to learn that there is much strange not only about the town, but about her Tia Ottilie’s house. And in fact, Tia’s husband is one of the missing.

Tia Ottilie tells Araceli to help herself to whatever she wants in her living area upstairs, but Araceli is only drawn to a heartwood box. Inside, she finds a letter from someone named Oliver with a faded postmark from 1917. To complete a writing assignment for school, Araceli decides to write a letter to this Oliver, and puts it in the box for safekeeping. When she goes to retrieve it however, it is gone, and in its place she finds a letter from Oliver as if in response to hers. They begin “corresponding,” even though Araceli is convinced - at first - someone is playing a joke on her. But soon enough, Araceli and Oliver are in InstaLove, albeit over time and space, and moreover they begin to communicate in other ways.

Meanwhile, there are nefarious goings-on at the nearby secretive Fairhaven Lab, and it’s all related. Araceli and some of her new friends who want to get to the bottom of the missing persons problem decide to investigate. It becomes clear the Fairhaven goons will kill to keep their secrets.

Araceli’s danger is mirrored with Oliver’s situation, as he is now in France in one of the deadliest battles of World War I. Can she save herself? Or Oliver? How can she choose?

Evaluation: There are all sorts of holes and inconsistencies in this sci/fi-historical fiction-young adult novel mash-up - some downright laughable - and yet it’s strangely readable in spite of that. I didn’t hate it, but I wish she had gotten more advice from sci/fi and/or science experts.

Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre is a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a puzzle. It’s this odd mix of suspense, paranormal, sci-fi and mystery that was really fun to read. Araceli Harper is sent to live with her great aunt Ottille in a ramshackle old Victorian home for her senior year of High School. But this little town in Long Island, NY is riddled with secrets from the moment Araceli arrives. Beginning in 1999, people have gone missing and no one knows why, one of those her own uncle. As missing person flyers litter posts in every corner of town, the house that Araceli is now residing has its own intrigue. Odd creaking noises, and a box with letters that will forever change Aracelli.

You get a little “Stranger Things” vibe throughout which is always a plus in my book but I was hoping it would be a little scarier. Aracelli and her friends have a very Scooby Doo clique and begin investigating the missing people and when one of their own goes missing, time is not on their side to figure out what is happening and how to stop it because if she’s not careful, she might wind up missing too.

I liked the book and the mystery behind the small town but I had a big issue with the place. There was a glaringly obvious mistake to me as a New Yorker. The town the author describes in the book is in Long Island. But the details she gives about the distance Aracelli is away from things like NYC make it sound like she’s upstate. Upstate and Long Island are two different places and you can’t even get to upstate NY on LIRR. Even the acknowledgements say the place she is referencing is upstate but it isn’t. Those details, to someone else who doesn’t know, might fly, but for me, it actually bothered me. It’s something that some basic research would have cleared up. I sort of had to shove it aside to be able to get into the book and ignore those moments they were talking about going places.

I liked the premise of the missing people and the box that sends letters and her connection to this other person. I couldn’t figure out how the two plot devices would work out or how they connected until the very end and it all comes full circle and worked surprisingly well. Aracelli is a cool character and takes everything in stride and goes with the flow. Doesn’t over question every little thing or deny everything. It’s just like “oh, the box wrote back and I’ve proven that this is not a prank so logically, yeah, some dude is writing to me from the past. Cool beans. Let’s go with it.” I appreciated it because sometimes you get a character and throughout the entire book doesn’t believe what’s happening around them and Aracelli is just into solving all these weird occurrences around her.

All in all, the book was good and me having loved Ann Aguirre Razorland series, I would definitely pick up anything this lady writes.