Read this in one day, and absolutely loved every minute of it. The characters are adorable, the story is relatable, and I want to give Henry Hamlet a huge hug. I'd recommend this to everyone! High schoolers everywhere who have been in love with their best friends at one point will love this story.

There's something about the title-- it kept popping up in my head. So easy to read and remember. Henry Hamlet's Heart. I love it!

The characters are all likable: supportive parents, funny and reliable friends, sweet little brother, trying teachers-- well, maybe except for John and the crew of Clarkson. Thank goodness they didn't appear too much in the story. It's light, too. No angst and stuff that makes you feel super crushed!

The conversations in the book are quirky + witty + funny. One of my favorite lines is this one:
There are only so many times one can say, "I'm fine" before it starts to sound like "fuck off."

And then there was this part where Henry describes how in the future, he'll probably be one of the people who'll refer to his house as 'the yellow house where my parents live in'. I didn't save the line and it sounds way better in the book, but the melancholy of eventually going away for college is portrayed so well that I kind of felt this cavity in my chest. A lot of stories often refer to college and moving away as the start of some exciting adventure, but here, it's shown as a lonely-ish step. That it's going to be hard to meet up with the friends you have as easily as when you were classmates. That part hit me hard for some reason.

Another good thing is that this book has retention-- kept me up until late at night because I couldn't make myself stop reading. I'm tempted to give it a full five, but I hesitate because of these two dorks' slight lack of communication. I get why they acted like that though, all the pushing and pulling. So my rating is that it's at least 4.5 stars. It's super, super good!

A Beautiful and poignant coming of age story that hits so close to home. I didn’t realise how much non australian fiction I read until there’s one with references that I can understand so closely.

The vibe:
Henry Hamlet, referred to as Hamlet by his mates, is in year 12 of high school in Brisbane in 2008. He’s struggling with his identity, his future and a surprising crush on his best mate.

Pros:
- The secondary characters in this are so beyond gorgeous I love everyone of them so much (aside from John, he knows what he did). They all had their distinctive roles to play relative to the plot but were so unique and whole in their own way.
- The description of the setting was beautiful, I am not intimately familiar with Brisbane but Wilde’s writing made me able to picture it
- The high school confusion element of the plot was perfect, the battle between feeling like you had to know everything and like you knew nothing at all.

Cons:
- I really struggle to find any flaws in this book, once I started I couldn’t put it down
- Whilst I love the ending, I do selfishly wish for more happy ending scenes at the end, more of the “boiyss” all together

My standout quote:

Couldn’t pick just one 😌

“His eyes never leave the road. Either he doesn't feel anything, or he doesn't care.
(I feel things. Things that could ruin everything.)”

“And then I'm standing on the street and it looks the same as
ever, sleeping-tablet still. Traffic light spots flash across house
fronts.
Green. Red. Green.
Nothing's changed except all of it.”

(The cover is so pretty)
Henry Hamlet's Heart had realistic and meaningful characters that teaches about love and self-discovery. Although, I struggled to get through the first few pages, it gets better from there.

It was engaging and fairly readable, however the arc I received was full of error (missing letters, weird spacing) and whilst this isn't something I would normally comment on, itwas really detrimental to the reading process and frequently took me out of the story. I liked the beginning, however the conflict/fighting got tiring to read.

5 stars (this review contains spoilers)
The characters are relatable, Henry with his flaws and that he’s not perfect and Len with trying to push Henry’s away because he cares too much. I’m normally not a fan of the couple breaking up at 75+ % but it didn’t bother me this time. It was written well and there was a clear reason why Len broke up with Henry. I love how the cover matches with the last part of the book, Lens pictures of Henry. I love this book a lot and definitely recommend it!!

This book caught me off guard at how good it really was! I was expecting it to be okay, but it really shattered my expectations! I found it hard to put down!

This is a cute queer coming-of-age friends-to-lovers book set in 2008 in Brisbane. I enjoyed Henry and Len's budding romance and them navigating going from being best friends to something more. Henry's confusion and insecurities felt very real, and I loved all the 2008 nostalgia. While cute, the book felt fairly predictable, and the first third of it was a little tough for me to get through. It picked up a lot halfway through once Henry's and Len's relationship took off, and it was a really good read from then on. I'd rate it a 3.5 but since Netgalley doesn't allow half stars, I'm giving it 3.

While predictable, Henry Hamlet’s Heart has all the best parts of young queer love and then some. Henry is very high strung. He’s president of his class and gets top grades. Now in his last year of high school, he’s about to head to college, with no idea of what he wants to do with his life. And now, of course, he has feelings for his best friend, Len. They’ve been friends forever but one kiss on a dare at a party and Henry is falling hard. He doesn’t know what to do with these feelings, especially when Len dates around and seems to be moving from one person to the next when things start to get hard. Henry risks losing Len entirely if he explores this new facet of their relationship, but can he let his feelings go? The answer is, of course, no.

Henry is so awkward and endearing from the start, drinking too much at a party and getting sick. He’s trying to fit in but he’s also got a great group of bros so he’s alright, overall. Not exactly popular but he has people who have his back. He’s adorable and so is his family. I love their dynamic; it feels realistic and fun, true family love. His and Len’s friendship is also great, as is the budding romance. The way the romance grows is slow, yet fast, since it has that basis of friendship to grow off of. It’s that classic ‘oh’ moment, when the main character realizes their feelings are romantic and not just friendly affection, and I’m here for it. Of course, Henry’s feelings of inadequacy come into play. When Len is much more popular than he is, why would Len want Henry at all, much less romantically?

Despite the formulaic nature of this story, I found the characters and background story to be utterly compelling. Henry’s anxieties are all too relatable. He takes things so seriously and overthinks everything because he wants to fit this vision other people have of him and his own vision of himself, which is based on his outer vision. It’s all very convoluted for the fact that it’s the human experience: living up to expectations while also finding your own happiness.

Fans of Becky Albertalli, Rainbow Rowell, Phil Stamper, and Adam Silvera will love this book. It’s a wonderful morsel of sweetness with a great balance of angst, one you won’t want to miss if you like any of the aforementioned authors!

This was seriously so good. Once the story really got going, I found that I couldn’t stop reading and couldn’t stop thinking about it when I did have to put it down.

This book gives all those warm fuzzy fluttery feelings that come along with first love. But more so with that tentative tender time when senses are heightened around that certain someone before a full fledged romance kicks off. You really can FEEL it through Wilde’s words.

The humor that comes through on the page… the sweet sadness and everything in between. I laughed out loud and I certainly shed tears in this beautiful debut. I cannot wait to see what Rhiannon Wilde brings

Thank you to netgalley for the e-ARC!

Okay I will preface this with I do NOT normally enjoy friends to lovers. I am firmly an enemies to lovers girl but I thought this was REALLY sweet. I instantly fell in love with Len which I think was the intention. He was so patient and obviously in love with Henry as Henry worked through his own feelings.

My main complaint is that while this is a slow burn it felt kind of rushed once they got together? Like the entire book was leading up to them getting together and then it was just over? I would’ve enjoyed an epilogue showing us a bit of time later but that’s just me. I would give this 3.5 stars so I’m rounding it to 4 because the writing was good and it was a sweet easy read.

This character-driven LGBT YA coming-of-age was an enjoyable read. Our narrator, Henry, lives in Australia, so the terminology and slang used in the dialog and all of his thoughts reflect this, which was very interesting to this American reader.

Henry Hamlet's Heart is well-written with compelling characters and a relatable theme of self-discovery. There are plenty of high school shenanigans to keep a reader entertained with lighter moments between those of existential crisis. While it wasn't a good fit for me personally, I can see how it would be a perfect fit for others, especially teenage boys on their own journey of self-discovery much like the characters in the book.

While I did enjoy this story quite a bit, I also found myself having a few mixed feelings as it progressed.

Both MC's were pretty adorable, with Henry being funny, quirky, awkward and more than a little oblivious, and Len being a good best friend, but also having some trauma to deal with after the sudden loss of his mother.

As the book began, introducing us to Henry's family, friends, and school, I loved its fun and light-hearted feel, showing us the day-to-day events that he experienced.

But while I loved the writing style and Henry's voice, the many, many, MANY chapters of his daily goings on started to feel a bit much, leaving me sometimes wishing I had a fast forward button to "get to the good stuff," i.e. the actual YA romance.

The book actually reminded me a lot of "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda", which I found to be very heaving on everything but the actual love story.

Getting to The Romance™ does eventually happen, but even slow burn fans may find themselves wanting things to speed along while reading one friend's drama after another, with slow progress toward the guys acting on their feelings.

Overall, the first and (most of) the second parts of the story worked well for me, leaving me hopeful and happy about Harry and Len working toward their lurve connection>

However, OMMFG, beginning with the last few pages of part two, I became insanely frustrated as the author pulled out the over-used YA plot points of [ "I'm not worthy" and "The Commitment Freakout" (hide spoiler)], leaving the guys avoiding one another and not speaking for nearly the ENTIRE last third of the book.

Then once the guys finally did clear the air and reveal their true feelings, *BOOM*, the story was immediately over, leaving me feeling as though a door had been slammed in my face. It was just... over.

I would've thoroughly enjoyed at least some sort of epilogue, preferably from a few years down the road, describing where life had taken them and their relationship. Even if it were only two or three pages long, I believe that would've helped sell me on their relationship falling into more of an HEA.

So yeah, there was a lot that I liked about the story, but definitely a few things that I would've preferred having happened differently, and I'd rate it at around 3.5 stars.

Got an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"How do you un-know someone if you only know most of you because of them? How do you even try?"

'This smart and charming queer YA rom-com about falling for your best friend will win the hearts of fans of Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli.'

Yeah. I'm a fan of Adam Silvera. And yeah, it won my heart. It is already in the description. It is smart. It is charming. It is a rom-com. AND it has my favourite trope falling for your best friend! What could I ask for more? My heart and mind are satisfied. I instantly added it to my favourite shelf with no hesitation, no second thoughts.

I love Hamlet with my whole heart. My list of 'Fave characters I love with my whole heart' is getting crowded, and I don't care. Hamlet deserves a place there. And Gran and Marigold's relationship? I love it. I love their love even though they aren't the main characters and are always in the picture.

Hamlet is someone that seeks assurance, while Len is distant because he doesn't know how to work with things that need communication. It hurts how Hamlet tries to seek verification, but Len kept saying he's dramatic, don't overanalyze, don't overthink, and more. I can't help but hate that part of Len, but when Len did try to communicate, I'm finally giving him the benefit of the doubt as a red flag. There will be more scenes where he gets distant, and it's hurting Hamlet, but I'm going to tell all of you to go through it because it represents some people who are going through something within themselves. How being distant helps a little or blinds our judgement. Was those part stressful? Yes, but it's worth it.

This made me realize how much I'm a Len. I can't describe it, but this book shows me how I'm so much like him internally. Who loves too much but fear creeps up. The thought of all being ruined or I'm the one who does it, but, either way, leads to it.

TW: HP Reference, Grief and Mentions of death of a parent (search it up for more specifics or correct TW as mine is what I thought is TW while I read it)

Love the cover! The art is adorable and captures the vibes of the book’s contents so thoroughly.

This is a fun and frothy high school romance about a shy and nerdy guy named Hamlet who finds himself falling for none other than his best friend Len. His best friend who has known almost his entire life.

I loved the writing style of this, succinct and yet still evocative. It was quirky and witty at times, mostly attributed to Hamlet’s little mental commentary in so many awkward situations.

Oh where do I start? Henry was in his last year of high school and trying to figure out his future, his friendships and his best friend Len that he had developed feelings for. The story itself was fine, but the execution of it wasn’t. The story would be choppy at times and confusing. My copy had missing letters in the words. Maybe that was just my copy. I’m hoping it was just my copy. I liked Henry enough and his path to figuring it all out. I loved his family and his grandma. I had a hard time liking Len and thought Henry deserved a better love interest. I wished more was done with his core friendships, it was hard caring about them. I wished so hard that it would get better but it didn’t. Overall, hmmm I’m sorry it wasn’t a great story.

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

*thank you netgalley for the arc*

This book was so cute!

The atmosphere was literally amazing, and made you feel like you were there, living in 2oo8.
Henry was loveable, and such a perfect main character. Unfortunately, I did find some of the other characters to be rather one dimensional, and felt like they weren't developed properly.
overall I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

I give Henry Hamlet's heart an 8/10

I struggled with the first almost third of the book, it felt like absolutly nothing was happening so I was about to put it down but it did pick up from there, and while Len didn't really interest me the situation between Henry and Len did, overall a solid read but not something I would read again

It was sweet and a pretty fast read, the characters were all likable and the story engaging. There's nothing that really sets it apart from other books in this genre but it was still a good read. Would recommend!