I think this is more of a 3.5 out of 5.  I will round up to 4 stars.

This was a solid debut and I’d love to read more from Firkins.  The whole time I was reading this book I kept thinking, “This is Cinderella with a nicer stepmom”…or aunt in this case.  It was good enough to hold my interest, but definitely didn’t wow me.

In this story is a very awkward love triangle, where I didn’t like who ended up together.  Personally, I didn't love this one.  I really believed in one of the couples that I felt like they were meant to be.

The writing and the humor in were great. 

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

I did like this read. But i felt like both the pacing and also me feeling connected to these characters were not as strong as I waned it to be. This is a book that I would have enjoyed being in the POV of the other male leads would have helped. I enjoyed the elements of retelling and I liked the various art elements like music, theater and english that enhances this story. I really liked the various romances in this book and found them both to fun. I def liked one more then the the other. I also found the realtionship between the cousins was a fun one. I liked this read and really enjoyed the epilogue and how this story was wrapped up.

I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing this book after just a couple chapters. I tried forcing my way through more chapters in hopes that things would get better but between not meshing with the writing and absolutely hating the main character, I couldn't make myself read any more of the book. I found myself annoyed with the main character from the start and just didn't understand her or the attitude she seemed to have. 

After looking further into other reviews I decided to ultimately dnf it as it didn't seem like the issues I had were going to get better.

This was incredibly sweet and adorable, albeit a bit cliche at times but overall I really enjoyed it. What I found to be the highlights of the book were the writing and the humor. Other than that I didn’t find anything particularly outstanding about this one although I do feel I would have enjoyed it a lot more when I was younger!

This book is filled with deep emotions I felt like it was alot for a YA book. It took me awhile to get into and I wasn't liking it that much. until maybe until the 4th chapter.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book courtesy of Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book, at its core, is about love, lust, and friendship. 

After Edie is finally accepted into her aunt and uncles home, after spending three years in foster care, she is faced with her last semester of high school, reconnecting with family, and love. 

I adored this book. Were some things a little too predictable? Yes. Did I love how it all unfolded anyway? Also yes. This book is filled with love as well as the sorrows of heartbreak and it is all beautifully paced out from start to finish. 

The characters are wonderful! I adore our main character and I love the side characters just as much. I didn't care for Edie's two cousins at first but they grew on me and also grew as people. Claire was....what you would expect from the boy-next-door's girlfriend, but she did have her own issues going on and in the end I can see why she said some things she said. The boys were charming, sweet, funny, smart, everything you want from a good cheesy romance. The only characters I really think lacked was the aunt and uncle. They were so prominent in the first few chapters to simply being an afterthought. Not that I really minded, they were miserable and the aunt was too self centered, but they could have had a little more to do. 

Even though it is pretty clear how the story will end, I still found myself rooting for the other option. So much so I almost stopped reading at the 82% mark to keep the story where it was. I didn't do that. I went through the last chunk of drama and heartbreak that one knows is coming when things are too perfect with just a tad bit too much left to read. The only thing I'm disappointed about is how little of a specific character we see at the end of the book. I could have gone with a few more chapters. 

Overall this was a great read! If you're a fan of love-triangles and swoon worthy romance, this is one to pick up!

I am always a sucker for a good contemporary so that is why I was so excited to read this one. Sadly, this was just not a good read. I kept telling myself I should have stopped reading but I pushed through, that was such a mistake. 

This certainly did not read like a fluffy rom-com as it was full of cheating, betrayal, cheating, cheating, lies, and more cheating. I felt it kept happening because the characters allowed it too. They had money so they just brushed all of it off. That's not how things work in real life and it was so frustrating to read about it.

The characters were self-centered, one sided, flat, and void of any personality. None of them had any redeeming qualities and therefore I did not care for any of them. I did not care what happened to them because they did not care what happened to them.

I would not recommend this to anyone. There are a ton of better contemporary books in the world and life is too short to read bad books.

This is a story of a girl who has had a very tough hand dealt to her. Three years after the death of Edies beloved mother she is sent to live with her aunt, uncles and cousins. This are the same family that  she used to spend every summer with until a falling out 7 years prior. We follow Edie as she navigates the intense and demanding social dynamics of her situation while trying to move on past the intense crush on the boy next door. I enjoyed watching the changes in the relationship between Edie and her cousins.

I wanted really bad to like Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things. But I didn't. Unfortunately I found it boring and it ended up a DNF for me.

Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins is such a fantastic read!
If you enjoy books with love triangles, amazing characters and all the feels! Then this is the book for you!!! 
Will definitely be picking up everything this author writes!

Heartstrings and Other Breakable Things, a reimagining of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, introduces Edie Price, who after three years in foster care is taken in by her wealthy aunt in Mansfield, Massachusetts.  Her two cousins Maria and Julia decide to embrace her as a makeover project. Meanwhile literary Edie is trying to secure a scholarship to college and nurse a crush on boy-next-door Sebastian Summers.When a notorious wealthy bad boy takes an interest in her, Edie finds she must put first impressions aside and get to know more about Mansfield high society and her adoptive family. She is determined to follow her late mother's advice, "If you let your heart drive, don't forget to bring your brain." Although seemingly a lightweight romance, this novel is filled with witty dialogue and includes a subtle examination of societal expectations and prejudice.

Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins is a modern day retelling of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and as a fan of Jane Austen I knew I had to read this novel. Sadly, I wasn't a fan of this novel.The main characters were just not likeable, which is sad because you rarely see Mansfield Park adapted.

A super sweet rom-com that fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen will love. This is a fun summer read that doesn't go too deep. This is best read next to a beach!

I Dnf'd this one. I just couldn't engage with the plot and honestly, this is the book that made me feel like maybe I'm outgrowing YA contemporary.

I did not finish this book because I found it hard to connect with the main character and how she acted. Due to the fact that I didn't finish, this book will not be receiving a full review.

This book was one big nope from me. From the very start, we find out that our main character, Edie, kissed her best friend's boyfriend and was caught. Red flag number one. 

The rest of the book was full of emotional cheating, a very cringe-y hate to love that resulted in manipulation and borderline emotional abuse, constant girl hate, and just an overall very unlikeable protagonist.

The entire time I found myself so confused by how our main character was attracting two really nice boys, after everything she's done and put them through. Actually, I guess one of the boys wasn't so nice either cause he had a girlfriend, but that's just icing on the cake apparently.

The whole book just didn't sit well with me, and the ending was resolved so quickly that it didn't make any sense in my mind. 

Unfortunately, I just can not stand for this book, and I do not support the story it tells.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, but it does not influence my opinion of the book nor this review in any way.

Review contains very mild spoilers. Warnings will be given. 

I have really mixed feelings about this book. I read this one in one sitting, more out of spare time than any rush to get to the end, unfortunately. It’s a really great coming-of-age YA book, really. I loved the realizations, the growing pains, and Edie’s personal attitudes and style were lots of fun. I also loved that Edie wasn’t the only one growing during this story. But… I hated that everyone around Edie (who wasn’t either one of the boys present in the love triangle) was a catty, money-obsessed bitch. 

Edie herself was a great character, even if a bit stereotypical. The premise of this book is that Edie was taken in my her rich aunt three years after Edie’s mom died, and after three years in foster care. So Edie was NOT rich and not up to Auntie’s expectations, expected to be a charity trophy for beloved aunt to show off to her neighbors and the Club ladies, or something. Hence the hints of a Cinderella retelling (complete with two cousins, who went back and forth on the irritating scale).

But Edie here… she didn’t fit into the rich scene. She doesn’t like heels, doesn’t wear designer clothes, plays guitar and would rather go thrift shopping than Nordstrom. Yes, yes. “Quirky,” and “Not like other girls” is correct. That said, it read authentically for me. Edie was a Smart Girl and loved lexicography, had a Velcro brain that memorized weird facts and she collected quotes like candy. I LOVE quotes, so this read helpfully expanded my collection, which I loved. 

I enjoyed Edie’s character, but I couldn’t help but feel that she was spunky and passionate, yes, but she also let herself be tugged around quite a lot. (Skip to next paragraph to avoid mild spoilers.) If she wasn’t comfortable with the popular crowd that her cousins inhabited, why didn’t she try to make different friends? I understand it’s not quite as easy as I’m making it seems (believe me, I can’t believe the introvert is saying this), but I think there were other options available to her than eating with her cousin’s friends or the fire escape. In summary, she felt real, if stereotypical, but didn’t make very smart decisions or look very far outside of her immediate thoughts. 

That aside, I’m going to move onto the Boys. This book is a love triangle, after all, featuring a class Bad Boy vs. Good Boy. Actually, a word about that first. I DID NOT LIKE THAT. Sebastian was the “Good Boy” because he was the childhood friend/crush that lived next door, and Henry was the “Bad Boy” because he was a year older, charismatic, and loved hitting on girls. Ummm. The Good/Bad Boy label didn’t sit well with me at all, in those cases, because it felt very prejudiced. Anyway.

I loved Sebastian (the sweet neighbor) and Edie’s connection. They were actual, real friends, I could feel it. They laughed, had fun together, and were actually friends first, which was very genuine and I really enjoyed. That said… Sebastian had a girlfriend. Right. So therein lies the problem.  This issue was handled very delicately and it felt sincere. Edie was very careful around him, because she knew that she had feelings for him and that he was taken, and didn’t want to step on any toes. But there is an argument to be made for some emotional cheating on Sebastian’s part. It wasn’t obvious, but it was there. Even though he and Edie were great together, and I loved that, I wasn’t sold on him as a character because he stayed with someone he didn’t like and wasn’t honest to about personal issues, while having clear, obvious feelings for Edie. That said… I was uncomfortable. 

And making his girlfriend a bitch just felt lazy. To a point, it was justified. But really? It felt like lazy writing. (If you want to avoid spoilers, I would advise you skip to the paragraph with the * next to it.)     

I also really loved Henry, the charismatic “Bad Boy.” He and Edie were really funny together, because she didn’t take him too seriously and he took her really seriously. His chapters were also really fun. I compared him to Nikolai from the Shadow and Bone series – a really fun, great character (SPOILERS AHEAD. If you want to avoid spoilers, I would advise you skip to the paragraph with the * next to it) that I wish got treated better. But it was also clear from the authors writing of the two boys who was going to win out. If Sebastian was written in technicolor and fleshed out, then Henry was written in black-and-white and there to be funny and interesting. He may have fallen in love with her, but I’m not convinced she got anything real from him. But it’s an interesting things, because Henry was definitely the more interesting character. 

* Overall… it was a confusing read. The boys were kinda difficult to get a handle on, and there was little-to-no background information given. We know almost nothing about Edie’s life before she moved (other than her issues with Shonda) and it just felt very focused in the present. I liked how the Love Triangle was portrayed,  kinda, but it was also really quite odd and I felt more like rolling my eyes.

The story felt like it was trying really hard and while there were things that I liked, it was hard for me to get past the manipulation and the fact that everyone except Edie, Sebastian and Henry was a catty bitch and just didn’t know how to handle relationships or friends. Not to mention, they were all money-obsessed. Just overall it was underwhelming, and a bit annoying, to be frank. I’m still struggling with my thoughts on the ending and overall… ugh. It was entertaining, but not great.

I can’t tell you all how much I loved this book! Edie is definitely one of my favorite characters and everything almost reminded me of certain characters from Elite minus the murder mystery 😂 I think that this book is such an adorable read and I also love how it takes place in Massachusetts. I’m not usually a fan of love triangles, but this was not excruciating like others are.

This book was written well, and was intriguing. However, I found it was not for me, and I did not enjoy the storyline or the characters.

This book was not for me. I'm not a fan of tropes involving cheating and I don't think it was handled well in this book.