In the first book in her <i>Unstoppable</i> trilogy, Charlie Jane Anders introduced six kids from Earth to a galaxy of possibilities through the Royal Fleet and the destiny of first-person narrator Tina Mains. In book two, <i>Dreams Bigger than Heartbreak</i>, we meet these teens again, struggling with all the disappointment and struggles that come with growing up. Tina takes a backseat to let her best friend Rachael and girlfriend Elza lead separate narrative threads. Elza has entered the Princess program - training to be one of the few who could connect to the massive AI computer that helps the "Queen" of the Royal Fleet govern. Rachael, meanwhile, ended the last book connecting to an ancient species of aliens that committed atrocities trying to save the universe from a greater threat; now she must try to repair the damage done to her brain however she can.

While I liked <i>Victories Greater Than Death</i>, it was not my favourite Charlie Jane Anders novel, and to begin with I suspected I would feel similarly about <i>Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak</i>. I did find the first third or so of this novel slow going, although I found myself really drawn to these characters as we got to spend more time with them. But by the final fifteen percent, it required actual physical effort for me to tear myself away from my kindle screen so that I could actually get on with my life. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book, even a book I’ve loved, that I’ve found this difficult to get out of. And that slow-going start? Absolutely essential set-up.

When I think about trilogies I tend to think of them in terms of the three-act structure: part one is your set up, giving you the world and its basics; part two, the complication, taking the established elements of the world and giving them a twist; and part three is the resolution. This means that <i>Dreams Bigger than Heartbreak</i> does not offer many resolutions, but it does show us the world of this space fantasy in a more complicated light. We see the cracks in the benevolent façade of the Royal Fleet as it fails to use its resources to effectively help those in need; we see groups reject the idea of helping those less fortunate than themselves in order to live a more selfish existence; we see the unscrupulous take advantage of the situation for their own dubious means. And there is heroism, and heartbreak, as the title promises. I really can't wait for part three.

Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak is a dramatic, heart-wrenching sequel. Charlie Jane Anders has beautifully written her characters - they're given space to be flawed. The space to be fragile and messy and react to the world like the teenagers they are. The way they navigate an alien nation is inherently informed by their identity as the only representatives of Earth, and you see that reflected so often in the book. The characters are often found to be linking specific cultural and temporal moments to their life on earth.

The book has a tremendous depiction of the mental strain of living through the rise of fascism. She manages to render how xenophobic populist leaders use existential threats to their advantage to garner political favour. However, despite this, the characters are still shown to be hopeful - there is a strong focus on the value of rallying within a community to push back against dangerous narratives. It is a glorious and necessary hopepunk narrative in a grim world.


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I’ve been waiting for this one! It’s an excellent sequel that remains true to the characters while they save the universe. Of course it ends on a cliffhanger. So now I’m eagerly waiting for the next book.

Dreams Bigger than Heartbreak is an enjoyable read of self discovery that continues the journey of all the characters we came to love in the first book. While trying to find their place in an alien world, they grapple with their obligation to act to correct injustice. Things build to an epic finale while there is much to be done.

I really enjoyed the space princess quest and watching the relationships grow. Like many middle books in a trilogy, it spends a lot of time on character development and ends in a cliffhanger. Still, I am looking forward to the epic finale. If you haven't yet read the first book, now is the time to jump in. It is a hopeful space adventure with a diverse set of characters.

I was excited to read this book because I really loved the previous book in the series, Victories Greater Than Death. I enjoyed the great creativity and imagination of this science fiction work. Unfortunately, I found the story line hard to follow. Things would happen that didn't make much sense and then in the next sentence there would be a short explanation that that's how things work. I wanted to understand the world/city the story was set in and not feel like everything was random. I also found it confusing that the narrative rotated between following so many main characters. I think that reading Victories Greater Than Death immediately before reading Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak would have been helpful. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

This definitely feel like a middle book as it goes into so much more depth than the first book but keeps the story line going.

I wasn't amazed at the book but it's passable for 4 stars

Thank you to netgalley and publishers for letting me read

shut the guck up. how is it posibboe to write anything this good? AHHH ive literally been staring into the wall for an hour now. can’t describe anything but oh lord its amazing

I couldn't read "Victories Greater than Death" fast enough, so I was really excited to get my hands on the sequel. As second books in trilogies often are, it is slower paced and does a lot of work for future place setting in the conclusion. This story takes place within weeks of the end of Victories, where the whole Earthling group is acting on their stated dreams at the end of book one. It does a really fantastic job of depicting the PTSD everyone is dealing with, which is really refreshing. Anders does a really wonderful job balancing idealism against reality, which I deeply appreciate.

I really tried with this book but I just couldn't grasp some of the things happening in this book, maybe because this was a sequel and I haven't read the first installment. I did find promise in the storyline and the prose, both were done pretty well but I just couldn't continue with this story. I wasn't feeling connected to the characters or the world, didn't care enough to find out what was going to happen.
I'd recommend this to sci-fi lovers but this really wasn't for me.

Charlie Jane does it again, no second book in a trilogy letdown here. Fast paced dual POV narrative style makes for lightning quick read. At first I was unsure about the switching of POV from Tina to Racheal / Elza but I quickly found I enjoyed these two characters' adventures and growth. Their internal dialogs are very sincere in their opinions, insecurities / trauma, and selfhood / identity. Many passages made me stop and interrogate my own or others' view of identity / gender which is what great Sci-Fi does; Anders writes these sections with empathy and understanding, making it very relatable to any aged reader. The other human characters are not forgotten about, are given lots to do and are complex individuals; in addition we meet several new memorable characters and see some returning ones.
The world building is expanded, introducing lots of fun new species or locations each uniquely and exquisitely detailing by Charlie Jane. The switching POVs provide new experiences in this world unlike many other YA trilogies where its much the same plot or settings but bigger. The raised stakes feel organic to the story as it plays out. I especially loved how Anders' weaves in current time allegories (access and control of information, protest movements, the insidious nature of politics and whom people turn to in states of fear, what is art at its truest sense).
I'll be honest, I have many love-expressing sections highlighted to say to my partner!
thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy in return for a fair and honest review. #netgalley

I loved this novel - it was even better than the first book in the series, which is saying something, because the first book was pretty fantastic. Usually, the middle book of a trilogy is the weak one, but Charlie Jane Anders broke the Book Two Curse for sure. I cannot wait to read the third volume, but I guess I have to.

The characters are rich, complex, and deeply sympathetic, the alien cultures and places are delightfully strange, and the whole book is suffused with hope and joy and art in a way that is just what my soul needed.

I really liked this one. It's the middle book of a trilogy, so I was a little worried that there wouldn't be a satisfying plot arc, but Rachael & Elza's journeys were both really compelling. The whole Scoobies Do Space Opera thing is still fun, if simplistic, but the YA theme of figuring out what YOU want to do with your life, regardless of others' expectations, works well. I loved the plot twists, btw. I'm absolutely looking forward to the final book in the series.

Age range maybe 12 and up? There's some mild gore, but I don't recall anything needing a content warning.

Rarely in a trilogy is the second volume better than the first. There are fabulous exceptions, of course, and Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak is one of them.
I certainly enjoyed the first volume, I can even say I'm a big Charlie Jane fan, but I had the impression that being a YA novel and having left that age long ago, it just wasn't for me. A novel that underneath taught kids basic important things, and indeed "taught", ended up being a bit didactic for my taste.
The second volume nicely gets rid of this didactic tone and is free to fly, to focus not so much on the plot but on the growth of the three main characters.
Yes, Tina is no longer the sole protagonist but shares the stage with Rachael and Elza, each intent on their own path, forced to make painful choices to become adults while the universe crumbles around them.
Can our heroes save the universe? More importantly, will they be able to save what makes them who they are on this journey? I'll have to wait another year to find out...

I thank Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a frank review.

One if the biggest strengths this book has is that it does not seem like part of a series - it feels like its own stand alone adventure, yes - it's that jam packed!!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Wonderful sequel! The characters are very complex.

A middle book that doesn't feel like a middle book? A huge emotional journey that leaves you looking at how far you've read and going, "There's still 65% of the book left??" but in an excited way? A YA book that deals with trauma while remembering teens are still teens and doesn't just fast-forward them right into adulthood? (Not that there's anything wrong with that in, say, Buffy or Hunger Games, but this is important too.)

Welcome to Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak: a sequel that feels more epic and yet more human than the first book, and that's saying something.