“Go in peace my friends, and love one another while you can.” Sara Requier is struggling. She is trying to manage keeping her feminist bookstore afloat, her seven year relationship with Wanda seems to have taken a turn and not for the good, and her mother still refuses to accept the fact that her daughter is a lesbian. What else could go wrong?
Thank you Netgalley, Jacqueline Dumas and ECW Press Audio for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook. Trigger warnings, this book contains talk of loss, murder, abuse, dysfunction childhood, homophobia, the events of 9/11, and more. This book had a lot going on, but the problem I ran into is that there’s too much. There seem to be a definitive plot and some of the many situations that were happening seemed to be unnecessary to the story as a whole. There was a lot of anger from one of the main characters that just seemed to kind of ruin the mood for the book. It has potential but it just didn’t do much for me unfortunately. I’m rating this ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

So much promise here, but it just tried to do too much. Not of the very interesting plot devices had time to play out. Too many ideas; too few pages.

A middle aged queer story set in an indie feminist bookstore? How could I say no to requesting this book?

And yet, I ended up really disappointed. This was trying to do a lot for such a short novel. Too much. The downs were unrelenting; a failing indie bookstore, the ending of a long term lesbian relationship, the murder of a mistress, and 9/11. There was no breathing room. And some of these events felt incidental and unnecessary. They had no real weight or impact on the rest of the plot.

And it was difficult for me to want to continue picking up this story when I didn’t like any of the characters. Sarah was judgmental and mean spirited, Wanda was transphobic, a liar, and a cheat. I didn’t want to root for their relationship, or for them.

The narrator was an excellent choice to fit the tone of the book. And I’d be willing to listen to her narrate a different story. But this story just kind of left me feeling sad and frustrated.

The Heart Begins Here by Jacqueline Dumas is about the main character, Sara, and her newfound lesbianism as a middle-aged woman. She leaves her husband (albeit, in an oddly swift and peaceful manner — little to no backlash from her ex-husband Dan) and simultaneously begins a relationship with Wanda. Sara also faces issues in the publishing industry as the couple owns a feminist bookstore in a city in Western Canada. The book covers themes such as feminism, homosexuality and homophobia, the struggle of being a small business owner, fidelity, and grief. I enjoyed the way sensitive topics are discussed. The Heart Begins Here sparked thoughts in my mind that I hadn't thought of before.

However, the diction felt a bit forced and overcomplicated in places where it needn't be. The historical context, as the novel takes place around the time of 9/11 in the States, seemed unnecessary. The death of Cindy, Wanda's new lover, didn't provide much to the plot besides a reason for characters to grieve.

In my opinion, the components of this book did not fit seamlessly together.

I'm usually really good about reviewing right after finishing a book but this one I apparently just blocked out. I mean, there were some interesting bits - good points about how the book industry has changed with the growth of online sales and digital books, but this is such an angry book and not one I'd ever suggest to anyone so it was highly forgettable for me.

Thank you to ECW Press Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you like books written in an angry voice, this is the book for you!
Sara and Wanda are a couple. The story focuses mostly on their relationship, or the demise of it. Sara owns a lesbian feminist bookshop and I had hoped that most of the story would have this bookshop as the central background, but it doesn’t. There are a few parts of the story that focus on this setting but they are actually a bit boring and were not my favorite parts.

I listened to the audiobook version and after the first couple of chapters, I thought that I didn’t prefer this narrator as she sounded so angry and it was very off-putting to me. A few more chapters in and I realized it wasn’t the narrator that was angry, it was the way the story was written. Ok. A different perspective is ok, so I continued on.

I noticed a few things that bothered me. Wanda and Sara are a horrible couple. There didn’t appear to be any reason why they were together as a couple and certainly, as the story goes along, there are lots of reasons why they shouldn’t be.

Also, Wanda is a horrible person. She’s a lesbian that hates men, hates other lesbians that are not like herself, hates trans, hates….pretty much everyone. A woman who expects better of others but will do and say things just like the people she hates. A character to dislike, for sure.

Additionally, the story unfolds as Sara remembers back on past experiences or brings in future events to explain a current situation. It felt like even when we were in the present, I kept expecting a past or future ‘pause for explanation’ to occur around every corner.

Finally, the overall backdrop of 9/11 in this story didn’t make any sense to me. It didn’t affect anything directly with the story or the characters and I have no idea why it was mentioned several times within the story.

I’m very supportive of LBGTQIA stories in mainstream reading. I hate to knock one down with a review but this story would have been a miss for me whether it was a straight couple or a gay couple, no matter.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing this book. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy and all views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Despite its smaller size, The Heart Begins Here by Jacqueline Dumas has a lot going within its pages. When I noticed that the book was about a lesbian-owned bookstore in the 00s, I was hoping for "You've Got Mail" with a darker twist. Instead, Dumas writes with a sense of white second wave feminism and self-entitlement.

The characters Sara and Wanda are particularly problematic, as they both hold problematic views common with the second wave white feminism movement. Examples of this include several instances of misgendering from the characters and even the writing itself. Wanda is blatantly transphobic, reacting violently whenever she is misgendered and also refuses to speak with trans women due to their "male experiences." Wanda also suffers from quite a bit of internalized sexism, and her relationships are often unhealthy as a result. For a feminist who supposedly wants equality and equity for women, I found Sara's feelings for Wanda confusing and frustrating. This is especially true when Sara leaves her husband to be with Wanda, and she is left to experience Wanda's internalized opinions up close. Many people in the LGBTQIA community are fans of stories like Carol, which feature middle age women finally accepting their lesbianism by leaving their loveless relationships with their husbands. I would like to also add that bisexual people do exist, and that choices in Sara's character design could have been made more inclusive. Overall, Sara and Wanda reminded me that sapphic gatekeeping and "gold star lesbian" ideals are still wrought in the LGBT community, even in 2021.

On top of the plot exploring Sara's sexuality and her decision to fully embrace her lesbian identity, The Heart Begins here also has subplots about Sara's failing feminist bookstore, the rise of the internet, the murder of Wanda's new girlfriend, and a Canadian perspective of 9/11. Sara's sexuality was perhaps the easiest arc to follow, as she begins in a straight-presenting relationship and slowly becomes more comfortable embracing her sexual identity as she meets Wanda and ruminates on her past experiences and current feelings. In many ways, this book feels like a coming out story for middle aged people. Sara's failing bookstore emphasizes that the world around her is changing, with the internet becoming more mainstream and less people seeking the comfort of books (especially those from a "feminist" bookstore). I found it hard to feel sympathy towards Sara's failing bookstore. (Frankly, if I went into a feminist bookstore and realized that their feminism included only cis women, I wouldn't visit either.) Even when Sara recognized her bookstore was past the point of return (i.e. when she overpriced her books in order to pay the bills) it added little to Sara's character. In addition, I personally found the murder plot line a bit dry and boring at times, and I was confused by the inclusion of 9/11 in an otherwise unrelated story. There is a line where the characters in the story get upset that Americans, grieving the loss of lives caused by a terrorist attack, call themselves Americans when Canadians are Americans too. While I agree with the sentiment wholeheartedly, to argue semantics when an entire country is grieving major losses of life appears cruel and unempathetic. The irony that Sara had this perspective, when she is presented as a loving and optimistic person, was vexing.

Overall, I unfortunately cannot recommend this book. It's ideas about the LGBT community and feminism are woefully outdated. If I hadn't been given a copy from NetGalley, I would have thought this book came out a couple decades ago, when these ideas were more mainstream. As it stands now, the book feels out of touch with the current (and younger) LGBT communities, especially those in Westernized countries where the stigma surrounding LGBTQIA identities has softened.

This book was just to angry. The story was interesting and the writing flowed smoothly however I found the characters to all be to extreme in both opinion and personality. The highs are few and the lows are relentless. I don’t mind a heavy read but this one just felt like a browbeating.

⭐️⭐️ 2 stars for interesting content told in an angry light. R eating for language, sexual content, and subject matter.

Like other commenters have said, this book is a *lot.* I might have some general spoilers in here so read at your discretion if you're interested but my one word summary is: yikes.

Set in 2001, The Heart Begins Here follows Sara, a Canadian lesbian bookstore owner as she realizes that her seven-year-long relationship with Wanda is ending due to an affair. After a disastrous "honeymoon" in Hawai'i that ends their relationship, they find out that Wanda's lover has been brutally murdered.

The content itself was difficult at times but what made this book one star for me was how poorly the characters handled everything. Sara and Wanda never should have been together. They were both poorly matched and Wanda--in particular--is a violently rude character that rubs me the wrong way in every situation.

I had a lot of issues and found the characters to be incredibly problematic. Regarding the audiobook aspect specifically, I found Michelle C. Smith to be a good narrator.

I recieved this book through netgalley from Inanna publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I love books about book stores but this one left me cold. This is almost a coming out book but for a middle aged woman. When Sara meets Wanda they fall into a passionate affair that leads Sara to leave her husband. After opening a book store at Wanda's urging Sara immerses herself in feminist and lesbian culture. Her book store caters to feminism and many great feminist authors are name dropped throughout the book. Now several years after opening Sara finds her bookstore struggling along with her relationship with Wanda.

I really didn't like Wanda from the very beginning. I found her brash and nasty with a lot of hate in her heart. She didn't want to be around heterosexual people (which I have found not so uncommon among many lesbians but I don't understand) and wasn't real keen on men even those who were trans. As Sara navigates the death of her relationship and the floundering of her bookstore she also has to deal with a mother who is in denial of who Sara is and what her relationship with Wanda is.

There are many pieces to this story that dealt with grief, fear, and how the lgbt community will rally around people who have been shunned by their own families to create a family of their own. I'm not sure what about this book disappointed me other than Wanda but it just left me wanting.

The narrator was good but she couldn't the book sing for me.

There is so much here to find engrossing: a struggling bookshop, tumultuous relationships and coming out, an almost shocking backstory, all told against the backdrop of 9/11 unfolding. Dumas tells this story of great challenges and emotions with dedicated passion. It never gets too heavy, though Sara struggles throughout to find her footing in life. Even with Wanda, she finds the kind of peace and acceptance that I think can only come through actual life experience. Living and moving on.

I enjoyed the narration in audiobook form, though there were noticeable 'edits' towards the end.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this novel that was written in a literary style. It describes the failing bookshop alongside the owner's failing relationship with another woman and the main character's journey to accepting that both are over. The novel is also an interesting snapshot into the life of a budding feminist. The audiobook was enjoyable and it was pleasant listening to the narrator's voice.

This book was such an interesting and in places intense exploration of grief. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting when I started this book but I enjoyed it even with its flaws.
I did find that while this book was absolutely beautiful in many ways it did have a few flaws. Mostly I found some of the language used throughout the book to be mildly offensive. I do recognize that really this is a an issue that is more specific to me which is why it has not effect my rating. I mostly just wanted to point it out so others aren't as caught off guard as I was.
For me what Iiked best about this book is it was very much your typical heart break story we see time and time again with straight couples. The novelty of seeing what is essentially a classic tale of heartache though the lens of a lesbian couple was enlightening. Its so rare to see such a typical story told about anyone other than a heterosexual couple. Not only the novelty but how well executed it was made the whole book worth while.
Overall this is a solid story and one i would love to see more of in the queer canon. As long as you go in aware you will see some slurs this will be the perfect heart break book. I definitely plan on sharing this book with my other queer friends as well as my customers at work.

The Heart Begins Here by Jacqueline Dumas is the story of Sara, her dwindling book sale career, fading love life in the background of the 9/11 twin tower attacks.

The story is set in a Western Canadian City where Sara runs a bookstore - Common Reader Books. -a feminist bookstore.
Wanda and Sara are in a relationship for seven years. Sara, the eternal optimist, believes that they are bonded forever. They share the same childhood sorrows, drunken and unloving fathers.
The death of their fathers is also remarkably similar.

Sara sees the signs of their diminishing relationship – first losing the special ring presented by Wanda and the Wanda’s presence evaporating from her dreams. And their 7th anniversary vacation to Hawaii proves to be a pile of wasted moments.

Sara learns about Wanda’s decision to leave her for Wanda’s new young lover Cindy. But, when they arrive home, Cindy is murdered. And bedraggled, yet optimistic, Sara is caught in a whirl of emotions: her abiding love for Wanda, her anguish at being left by Wanda, and her generous heartache for Wanda’s loss of Cindy.

The bookstore is struggling in the era of huge corporate bookstores and the Internet explosion. On top of that, Sara’s mother does not acknowledge Sara’s lesbianism. It may not sound like it, but this book is packed with humor and incisive social commentary. It takes up the issues of misogyny, homophobia, and loss.

The story also details about the store’s special ceremonies including one to remember the fourteen women murdered at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989; it hosted a Women of the Left Bank night where customers dressed as their favorite writers (Djuna Barnes, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and James Joyce in drag!).

The one minus point: There are several references and descriptions about the author readings that happen at Sara’s store. The too tedious details about these readings turn uninteresting and boring.

I love books about bookstores, but The Heart Begins Here is so much more than that. It has all the charm and book love you'd expect from a book set around a bookstore, but with a raw exploration of a number of heavier themes.
The characters and the story are messy at times, but this is just a mark of how real and unfiltered the book is. I enjoyed the perspective and journey with Sara in this character driven novel.
I thought the narrator did a great job telling the story and could feel both the emotion and a sense of longing in the words.
Many thanks to ECW Press Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I abandoned this title. I kept hoping for redemption from the dreary narrative, unlikeable characters, and shouty, difficult to listen to narration, but I gave up halfway in. Not for me.