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.

** I received an arc of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review **

It is hard to do a love triangle that is a) believable b) interesting and c) hard to have a "winner"
Personally, I didn't love this one. Maybe it's because I really believed in the couple that I felt like they were meant to be.

I did love the writing and the humor in this was great. Also, SWOON. It was adorable. I'd love to see Jacqueline Firkins write a hard hitting contemporary with no love triangle because I think it would be amazing.

This book is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. It was a fun easy read about a girl who had to move in with her snobby aunt and rich cousins. I like that the girls all had good relationships and stuck together even when it came to the boys they were infatuated with. It’s nice to see a female character need her friends rather than some guy.

It is almost impossible to put into words how much I LOVED “HEARTS, STRINGS, AND OTHER BREAKABLE THINGS!” It is one of the best books I have read in a long time across all genres and it may take first place in my library of YA retellings and YA contemporary! It is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, and it is so well done! It also became my top Jane Austen retelling ever (and I have read ALOT of Jane Austen retelling.)

Jacqueline Firkins did an incredible job of modernizing the entire story of Mansfield Park from start to finish. She had me laughing out loud throughout the entire retelling. First of all, I liked that the names were not changed too much. It was much easier to follow along with the story, if you are familiar with Mansfield Park. She took Franny Price and turned her into Edie Price. I loved seeing Edie break out a little more. She still held her moral ground, but she was a little more open minded. Some may say that ruins the integrity of Edie/Fanny price, but I do not see it that way. I think Firkins stayed true to the overall character of Edie/Fanny and made Edie a little more relatable to the modern reader. I was surprised by the character growth in Edie, but I felt it important for the more timid reader. You can still be yourself, hold to your morals, and still grow and learn in life.

I enjoyed what a book worm Edie was in the book, especially when it came to classics. She even had a few classic movies thrown in for fun! For the books and authours I have not read, I have made them an even bigger priority. Some of these authours and books mentioned are: The Chronicles of Narnia, Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, George Eliot, The Great Gatsby, Villette, Jane Eyre, Bleak House, W.B. Yeats, Adam Bede, The Twelfth Night, Alexandre Dumas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mary Shelley, and of course Jane Austen herself! I loved they pretended to play Narnia! I became instant friends with the characters in that moment! For those who find the original character of Franny Price dull and boring, I think you will be surprised and fall in love with Edie Price!

The story was adapted by featuring an upscale neighbourhood and school. I liked the use of social media in this story. It was used, but not overdone. I was glad the characters did not just sit on their phones the entire story. That would be boring.

THIS NEXT PART OF THE REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ MANSFIELD PARK AND/OR HEARTS, STRINGS, AND OTHER BREAKABLE THINGS!!!!!!!!!!!

Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things was a nice change from other books I have been reading. This story is the first time I have ever wanted Edie/Fanny Price to end up with Henry instead of Sebastian/Edmund! I found myself rooting for Henry by the end of the story. I applauded Edie’s boldness in asking Henry to prom! I found Edie relatable in the fact I usually had more guy friends compared to girlfriends. I was SHOCKED at how much of a role the locket played in the story.

I really hope you will consider picking up a copy of Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins. It is a true gem among all the other incredible Jane Austen retellings. I hope this will show another side of Fanny Price and how truly amazing Mansfield Park is as a novel to readers who often criticize it. I cannot wait for more books by Firkins! I just want to read this book all over again! Easiest 5 star rating I have given out in a long time!

Thank you so much to Net Galley, HMH Books for Young Readers, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group for this review copy. I asked for a copy of this e-book for review purposes. In no way does this alter my review or thoughts on the book. The review is 100% my own! I loved it so much I did PURCHASE MY OWN COPY when it was released! That should give you even more insight into how much I loved this story!

I I really wanted to like this book. I'm a big fan of modern adaptions Austen books. Mansfield Park is one of her books that is rarely adapted to a modern setting. I didn't care for the characters. Some YA books are for teen audience and others are can be for adults and teens.

2.5 stars

The problem with reimagining classic novels is that those novels are beloved. Add in an author like Jane Austen, and the bar is hard to reach. And based on other Jane Austen adaptations, Mansfield Park seems to be the one people struggle with the most.

Heart, Strings, and Other Breakable Things doesn’t hit the mark. While I didn’t hate it, and made my way through the entire thing, it wasn’t what I’d consider satisfying.

I struggled with Firkins’ characters. No one is particularly likeable, including the heroine. They all come across as self-absorbed and crass. And while I’m sure real teenagers talk about sex, I sincerely hope they don’t spend every waking moment consumed by it.

What makes this book readable is Firkins’ writing, which is precise and sets a mood. If only the characters were worth rooting for. I suggest this as a library read instead of a purchase.

I won't rate this book because I DNFed it at around 130 pages BUT I do have thoughts on what I read. So before I tear into this book, I want to say that if you loved this book, good for you. You might not want to read this review because I HATED it. I don't often have such strong emotions towards a book but this one just ruffled my feathers.

Now onto my thoughts.

Every single person in this book is a Grade A piece of shit. Edie wanted to kiss her best friend's boyfriend because she wanted to be wanted. So she let him kiss her and then is sad when her best friend is mad at her. Like WTF?! Why on earth would you kiss your best friend's guy? This is the character we follow in the book, the one we should be rooting for but I just wanted to rip her hair out and smack her in the face for being such a selfish bitch.

Not only does she kiss her best friend's guy but she's also after a guy who has a girlfriend. She even almost kisses him once knowing he has a girlfriend. Bitch. I don't even care if he's not happy with the girlfriend, he's taken! Respect boundaries you selfish chick!

Now onto the guy who has a girlfriend. He flirts with Edie even though he has a girlfriend! What a freaking asshole! I mean at this point the two deserve each other in the land of horrible cheaters.

Then there's the cousin to the main girl, she cheats on her boyfriend whom she claims to love all because the other guy is such a great kisser. Also, the guy she kisses knows she's got a boyfriend and doesn't give a rat's ass!

I'm a character-driven reader, I have to like the characters to want to read the story but I honestly hated each one we ran across. I hope none of them find happiness and then they can be shipped off to cheater hell where everyone is single so they will suffer forever.

I know that morally grey characters are totally in right now but I don't like that trend. Sorry. I like a character I can root for not one that just pisses me off. Cheating is one of my hard limits when it comes to reading and so, of course, this book wouldn't sit well with me.

The writing is great and I loved that this book wasn't clean. There was mention of sex just like real teenagers would talk about and that was something I really loved. I also enjoyed that we got to see the 'rich' people. I love those kinds of books where we take the 'poor' character and throw them into a world that they never even dreamed of.

So if you like those kinds of things and don't mind cheating characters, then you might still like this one. As for me... I'm selling it to HPB. If I had a fireplace I would've burned in my fit of rage but I can be a bit dramatic.

Will go live on my blog: 1/30/2020

I love a good YA romance. I was immediately enveloped in Edie's story, while she tryied to understand and navigate her feelings between two boys. The differences in her relationship with both Henry and Sebastian were very interesting. I did not see all the twists and turns coming in this charming novel. This is a quick, feel good read. Highly recommend!

There are very few Austenesque books inspired by Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things did an excellent job of converting the story to contemporary times and into a young adult novel. With adjustments in the plot and characters, modern readers will identify with Edie the Fanny Price character and her unsettled life, though I was taken aback by some of the author's choices about her. She should be the moral compass of the novel, and some of her modern choices were not in keeping with her philospohies.

Remember how, a couple weeks ago, I said I’d post this review after the blog tour was over because it wasn’t going to get a suitable rating on the tour? The time has come! I was actually super disappointed that I didn’t like this book, because I really wanted to. But I’ll explain it all, I promise.

In Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things, Edie Price is new to Mansfield, Massachusetts after spending her entire life in Ithaca, New York. Mansfield is… different, especially for a girl like Edie. Edie, who was in foster care before moving in with her mother’s sister and family. Edie, who’s last interaction with her best friend in Ithaca was a complete disaster. Edie, who swears off crushes and boys and love and everything with the intent of just pushing through to graduation when she can get the heck out of Mansfield. But Mansfield, and her wealthy family there, have other plans for her. Plans that include boys! And shopping! And trying to be someone she isn’t! The only person Edie really feels comfortable with is Sebastian, a friend from her childhood when she used to visit her cousins in Mansfield. But Sebastian has a girlfriend, so he’s officially off-limits. Isn’t he? And then there’s bad-boy, womanizing Henry, who is the brother of Sebastian’s girlfriend.

Let’s just say that Edie’s time in Mansfield doesn’t go as planned.

Couple leaning on brick wall

3 Things I Loved
Edie’s voice. The writing in this book was really relatable and stellar, truly. I’ll get more into why Edie’s thoughts themselves are problematic, but the writing itself was really easy to get into.
Sebastian. Sebastian is a sweetheart, even though he’s misguided in much of the book. I so looked forward to the scenes with him in them though.
Julia. Edie’s younger cousin Julia was also a sweetheart, also misguided, and also a totally innocent 16-year-old girl who is looking for acceptance. I wanted more of her, and less judgment from Edie, honestly.
Dislikes/Problematic Content
OOF. Let’s start with that. I’m probably not even going to have time to really get into everything here, so let’s tackle the two intertwined issues I had with the book.

First, cheating is normalized. And while I understand that a lot of situations are nuanced, and I want to believe in forgiveness and all that, there are some things in the normalization in this book that are really gross. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Let’s start with Edie’s cousin Maria. Maria is “practically engaged” to this college guy who is kind of a doof. They’ve been together for years, they have all these plans, and it seems mismatched, but fine. But then Maria goes and makes out with Henry. And she admits that she likes Henry and that her boyfriend is boring, so Edie tells her she has to choose. And she basically says no, and her boyfriend forgives her because she’s hot, and that’s that.

WHAT.

A caveat – I understand that this is a Mansfield Park retelling, and I’ve never read Mansfield Park. So perhaps this bullshit was in that book too. But what the eff. Maria is EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD. It’s not like she’s trapped. I have no idea why this is written as so normal?? I really hated it.

So now let’s get back to Edie for a second.

Edie has this big crush on Sebastian that basically everyone knows about. And Sebastian has the “it” girl as his girlfriend. Cool cool cool. But Edie like… keeps trying to get with Sebastian anyway, keeps trying to get him to admit that he has feelings for her, all the while also thinking that she’s not as good as Sebastian’s girlfriend, so she doesn’t deserve him anyway?? I’m CONFUSED. It seems so unnecessary. Is this what Mansfield Park is like? If so, I hate it already.

So, the second issue I had with the book is how Edie’s headspace is discussed – her inner dialogue, I should say. When Edie left Ithaca, one of the last things that happened was that her best friend Shonda’s boyfriend kissed her while Shonda was using a McDonald’s bathroom. Shonda didn’t speak to her again, and Edie moves to Mansfield without any closure. There’s a LOT to unpack here, but I’m going to break down the problems as best I can.

Shonda is blaming Edie when she should be blaming her own scuzzy boyfriend.
Edie internalizes that blame and even emails Shonda APOLOGIZING for something she didn’t fucking do.
I know this happens. I’ve seen it happen. It’s easier to blame the innocent third party than it is to blame the person who is supposed to love you for stepping outside the relationship. BUT LISTEN. This is a YOUNG ADULT book. Is this a lesson we want in a 2019 YOUNG ADULT BOOK???

No. It’s not.

I’m going to say this once, and then I’m going to move on. If your best friend’s boyfriend makes a move on you, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT. That’s it. That’s the whole lesson here. It doesn’t matter if you thought it might be coming. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing or how you’re smelling or what you’re doing. IF A BOY MAKES A MOVE ON YOU, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT.

Now, you can encourage it, if you’re into it too, that’s a separate issue. Edie, based on the words on the page, WASN’T INTO IT. And yet, the book says it was still her fault and she still lost her friend over it. I HATE THIS SOOOOOOO MUCH.

I said these issues are intertwined, because they are. Because Edie internalizes what Shonda is saying to and about her, she approaches Sebastian in a certain way, automatically feeling like the girl who wrecks relationships, even if she doesn’t explicitly say that. And that’s just… fucked up. BUT. How she ends up acting with Sebastian IS on her to an extent, although HE ACTS TOO. So it’s still not entirely her fault.

Okay, I’m done now, I promise.

Rating
A reminder of the rating scale:

Red = DNF, I hated everything
Orange = Ugh, no thank you
Yellow = I mean, I’ve read worse, but there were problems
Green = This was good!
Blue = Oh my gosh, I loved this book!
Purple = This is the unicorn of books and I will be rereading it until the binding falls apart and EVERYONE should be reading it!
Ha, and here we are, the moment of truth, and the reason I couldn’t post this during the blog promotional tour. This book had problems, enough that the excellent writing and voice couldn’t make it better for me. I haven’t given a rating this low in a while, but here we go! I’m giving Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things an ORANGE rating. If you’ve made it to this point in the 1100+ word review of this book, you should already know why I feel that way!

Thank you to the publisher, Fantastic Flying Book Club blog tours, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Was I too honest this time? Maybe. But that’s what I’m here for, truly.

Happy reading (and happy new year)!

I wanted to love this book so badly. It sounded like the exact kind of cute contemporary that would have me shouting from the rooftops for everyone to pick this up. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

My main issue with this book were the characters. There was not a single female character worth rooting for. They were all so catty and mean and had zero concept of what a relationship/commitment was. The moment someone would look at their man they'd turn into a cast member of Mean Girls but god forbid they knew how to be faithful in their own relationship or not drag some poor soul along. Think Anna & the French Kiss but kick that up a few notches. Contemporaries are generally very character driven, so when it's hard to like anyone, it's pretty difficult to enjoy the novel as a whole.

The only things I really enjoyed was the writing and the lexicon entries. I thought both of those things were super creative and the creativity that shone through with some of the jokes/disses kept me reading. Yes, I couldn't stand the female characters, but I won't deny some of the crappy things they said were creative. I sure as hell wouldn't be able to be that clever when I'm upset about something.

Overall, this book was just of all over the place for me. I wanted to love it, I really did. But I just couldn't get past how much I disliked every single female character is a character-driven book.

This book fell below my expectations. I went into it thinking I'd fall in love with it immediately, only to groan after reading the first page.

To begin with, the writing style felt extremely immature. It seemed to me that everything was being forced and that the author was trying way too hard to appeal to readers. I was cringing just from reading the first chapter, and yikes, that's never a good sign.

Something else that stuck out to me was the way our main character thought it was no big deal that she made out with her best friend's boyfriend. Maybe if you lost half your brain, you'd think that, but no normal person thinks cheating--of any kind or intensity--is okay!

All in all, I couldn't even make it past the halfway mark with how things were going. I gave this book multiple chances and each time, it disappointed. I wouldn't even recommend this to my worst enemy.