The book became unreadable partially through it. I got 35% of the way in. I did truly love what I read. I intend to finish the book, once I can get it. The characters really felt like their age, they weren't oddly mature. I really don't have much I can say since I couldn't read most of the story, but I really enjoyed what I did read and I'm going to continue once the book is released.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

There's something so nice about reading a book set in your country and in the 2000's.

I have always loved reading #LoveOzYA books. This year though, I've felt like I've barely read any so I was glad to pick this eGalley up a few months ago especially with all the hype I've read about it on Goodreads and from Aussie bookstagrammers. I was excited to get back to my contemporary roots too since this year I've been delving more and more into fantasy rather than emotional/character focused reads.

Henry Hamlet's Heart follows the main character, Henry as he navigates his final year at school and his growing feelings for his best friend Len who he is starting to see as something more. This book looks specifically at the bond between friends, family and yourself and what it means to grow up, change and evolve. Henry Hamlet's Heart reads emotionally and really packs a punch.

One of the things I enjoyed in this book was Len. I loved how passionate about photography he was and that last scene with the exhibition? My heart leapt out of my skin! It was so cute and wholesome! I also enjoyed the friend group of "The Boiyss" and how supportive they were of each other. It was really endearing to see and I loved seeing their dynamic shine on the page.

The main criticism for me is with Henry. To me he just seemed kind of bland as a character and I wanted more layers, backstory or personality to make me really fall in love with him. I also wished him and Len would've communicated more with each other about what they wanted. I felt like for so much of the novel, it was unclear what Len really wanted and if he wanted to truly be in a relationship with Henry or not.

All in all, a must read for people who love wholesome and emotional books. Especially if you enjoy books set in Australia which discuss the highs and lows of high school.

ACTUAL RATING: 2.7 STARS

Henry Hamlet's Heart by Rhiannon Wilde is the bestfriends-to-lovers of your dreams.

Unfortunately, it wasn't mine. Or atleast, it should be, but this book didn't make me feel anything at all.

At first, the pacing was really slow, so I put my mind to a slow burn mood when reading, then boom, fast paced. Everything's moving too fast. I haven't even gotten myself interested with the characters or the plot at that point, so it was WILD.

The ending also felt really, really lackluster. There was a lot of characters here but they weren't contributing that much to the story. All in all, I think it was a chaotic book. Also for a book republished from 2019 to 2022, we still have HP references huh, interesting. A queer book with HP references at this age . . .

Final rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

What I loved most about this book is how much I saw myself in the characters. I truly wish I'd had a book like this growing up. The struggles with identity, coming out, radically changing how the world views you. All these feelings are ones I had growing up and this book deftly navigates them.

Henry Hamlet is struggling to find his path, he's about to finish high school and does not know what comes next. He's got a close group of friends, a loving family, and a leadership role at school, but something's missing. After a dramatic event at a party, Henry's entire life gets turned upside down when he falls for the last person he ever expected. From then on, he has to manage his growing feelings while also trying to understand them.

I am excited for a young generation to have this book as evidence that nobody is alone and lots of people experience the same struggles.

This was an emotional rollercoaster after I thought I was getting a nice light hearted queer YA romance novel. This was absolutely bonkers. Henry and his friends are seniors in high school and we can feel the emotional realization that they are getting through into adulthood. Henry is awkward and clumsy and his best friend Len is smooth and attractive. But a kiss changes everything. I think that this was well written and beautiful.

First off, I found this book adorable. I loved the catchy jokes, the hilarious characters and the overall feeling of remebering what it was like in high school. Now that does not make me want to go back to re-live it over again (no thanks) but it captures the essence of the unsureness of everything, the newness of life and the overall having to grow up and experience new things.

I love the quips from the boiyess. I found myself laughing, even though they were so childish, they are ones that I could use on a daily basis if I wanted someone to laugh.
The last few chapter of the book, I feel that the author summed up life extremely well. We don't know how well we know one another, until we really get to listen to one another.

With that in mind, there were a few hiccups that I noticed being an advanced reader.
There were random number in the middle of some chapters and that threw me a bit off but I am guessing that is because its an andvance reader copy. I wish the text speech was a little different from the regular speech. It is a bit hard to tell what is what and I feel that some space and maybe a different font size would be a major improvement to help with this.
The book does take a little time to get into, but once the reader gets to about chapter 5, you do not wish to put it down.
The jumps in between the chapters and in between scenes are a bit confusing. I had to re-read pages in order to understand what was going on because it just seemed like when things were getting interesting, it was just cut off. Now I understand for the relationship scenes (it being a teen book, makes sense to cut out scenes that are too) but just randomly cutting it off stops the whole vibe.

Other than that, the book was great, I belive that with the few changes that the book will be easier to follow and read. Thank you author for creating a great book that took all the best parts of high school and made me re-live it. It was awesome (and I am not being sarcastic)!

Henry Hamlet's Heart is a sweet but emotional coming of age story about falling in love with your best friend. It's a super quick read that instantly sucks you in, and had me laughing one moment and sobbing the next. I loved it!

Beautiful story! Long time friends to lovers is a common story told in the LGBTIA+ genre (and real life!) and this book demonstrates the authentic fall of the characters in their evolution of love. The author let the readers in on to the plot early by sharing both characters' perspectives, and I love that feeling of knowing their secret before the other. It feels so special and sacred. Both characters were very well layered with challenges and overcoming those very common struggles young adults face (parental struggles, image, mental health, friendships, futures, etc). I would love to follow what this author shares next!

have… mixed thoughts about this book.

it starts off pretty well, like you get invested in the friends to lovers of it all, but shit gets overcomplicated and overdramatic really fast. also i got incredibly bored by the end so i ended up skimming the last few chapters, and i’m still not fully satisfied with the grand finale.

i didn’t really get attached to the characters either. i’m aware some people might relate to henry or whoever but personally i found everyone kind of bland if that makes sense? they all felt so flat and… personality-less. i couldn’t really figure out what kind of person len was. (maybe that’s like, because he’s a teenager. that’s possible yes teenagers are very unknowable.)

i was excited too because i love friends to lovers trope, and this one (like i just said) started off really good, full of yearning and stuff, you know, the pining. i liked that at first but boy do those kids fight a lot. i got so overwhelmed and annoyed, really, it was just too much for me.

anyway, i’m usually fine with no-plot-just-vibes books but this one had literally nothing going on and i was more bored than i should’ve been. i don’t think this was for me, but i’m certain other people will like it. definitely a ‘it’s not you it’s me’ thing.

Unlike other friends to lovers stories I have read, Henry Hamlet’s Heart does the fantastic thing of showing us how Henry and Len have been friends their entire life. The evolution to a romance and the hurdles they have to jump while being afraid of ruining their friendship gives the story a nice touch of realism. Rhiannon Wilde did an excellent job of keeping the conflict of the book simple, yet keeping the reader interested and rooting for Henry and Len to finally find their way and fight for the love they feel.

This was a pretty sweet but also kind of bland read. It's typical of the genre and whilst it had cute moments, overall it was a little forgettable and hard to stay invested in the plot. It also went back and forth a little too much for my liking.

Overall this wasn't bad but it just wasn't great.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The fact that I read this whole book in one day is unbelievable, but I think that goes to show how it is practically impossible to put down. I was quite close to screaming when I saw the Acknowledgments page because I didn't want the book to end.

It has friends-to-lovers, queer love and heartbreaks. Plus early 2000's music. It's honestly perfect for a Gen Z, no doubt.

Divided into three parts, we read through the perspective of Henry Hamlet; the writing is simple and the storyline is funny, with great banter and even greater plots. It's a story about the discovery of one's self, through pain and love, laughter and friendships. It is sentimental in the perfect aspects, not enough to make you cry but enough to warm your heart and make you introspective (I know that's what I felt at the end).

Every character has a special trait that makes them unique, whether that's a more annoying personality or even just the way they smile.

Now, in the beginning of the book we find out that Henry is captain of the football team (not American football) and throughout the entire book they play one time. One. It's like they were a team one time and that was it. Football was barely mentioned in the rest of the book, if at all. It was just a bit confusing, but I guess some parts were more important. Nevertheless, the story made up for it, introducing us to interesting trips and cute moments.

Another thing that also caught my eye was the way some chapters ended. I'm used to chapters having a sort of more ending-like writing to them. And, in this book, some chapters end in a kind of abrupt way. With conversations or just in times when it doesn't feel like a moment to end that particular part of the story and move on. That sometimes bothered me because I wanted a certain moment to drag on for a little bit longer, or it just felt out of place to finish the chapter like that. After a while, I got used to it so, no harm no foul.

This really is a heart-warming book and, since the characters also go through high school graduation, it has some really great moments to think about ends of chapters and beginnings of new lives, I guess. There are the introspective moments I mentioned above! No doubt a book I would read again.

Signing off,
B.

3.5 Stars

Henry Hamlet’s Heart is an entertaining coming of age novel that explores finding yourself, trauma, first love, and first heartbreak. Overall, I had mixed few while reading this book. The story was very enjoyable, but it left me wanting more in a few spots, namely the ending. It ended a bit too abruptly for me, but I also understand what the author was going for.

The relationship between Len and Henry were adorable and heartbreaking at times. It felt very real, and I enjoyed their playful banter. Their journey from friends to lover was a bit of a slow burn, and I personally wish it went a little bit faster and fleshed out.

This is a very enjoyable, quick YA read, and I would definitely recommend it! It might not have been exactly what I was expecting, but I still think it is worth giving a chance! I look forward to seeing what the Rhiannon Wilde has in store for the future!

Thank you for the eARC Netgalley and Charlesbridge!

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Teen for giving me the opportunity to read an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Either he doesn't feel anything, or he doesn't care. (I feel things. Things that could ruin everything.) - Chapter 10

Henry Hamlets Heart is a cute love story set just before graduation.
As an avid “friends-to-lovers” trope lover I was more than excited to be able to read this book early, because what could be better than queer childhood friends falling in love?
Correct: Nothing.
The book starts sweetly with just the right amount of tension between Henry and Len, his best friend. While Henry is totally unaware of literally everything for the first few chapters I still enjoyed seeing the world from his perspective and getting to know all the characters without focussing on the romance yet. Especially Emilia is such an amazing character I wish would have gotten even more time on the page.
The book picks up relatively fast and knows how to keep the tension up high for the first half.
Not only the story, but the compelling writing style helps this. YA is supposed to be enjoyable and fun to read, and this book definitely is. Having Henry comment and criticize his own actions in parenthesis added another nice layer to the book.
But personally, I felt that the relationship between Len and Henry fell more than a little flat once their first tensions are resolved. Len as a character is more an idea than someone I can actually imagine. It often felt like his actions were guided by the plot not otherwise.
And, sadly, I am not a fan of the “forced” third act break up out of nowhere and without good reason.
Sure, it might be realistic that high school relationships fall apart quickly and without much of a reason, but it shouldn’t feel forced just for the drama.
Still, I enjoyed the book a whole lot and would recommend it to fans of YA contemporary romance and hopeless romantics!

P.S. (can you write a PS in a review), somehow it took me until the final scene to realize that the book is set in 2008. I have no idea how I overread that and it confused me a whole lot when they announced the graduation class of 2008…

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

A cute but completely forgettable coming of age story about a studious student realizing he is in love with his best friend.

I'm honestly a little disappointed in how this one turned out. While I enjoy that the "nerdy friend falls in love with their popular best friend" trope was flipped on its head, and I really enjoyed the natural flow of the dialogue between the teenage characters, there are several major problems with Wilde's book.

The pacing is really strange Something is set up, like a weekend trip, but then it's over five pages later. Something will happen... and then two pages later it'll be two weeks later. It's very strange and a leaves me a little disjointed. It feels like Wilde had plot points she wanted to cover but instead of letting the scenes flow naturally, she just moved onto the next even without preamble. I also couldn't tell the friends apart from one another, even at the end of the novel. The friends all blended together, and I kept on forgetting who is who.

The main problem is that I ended up not caring about the main couple at all. The set up is so strong, and I fully believe Henry's progress to realizing he's in love. Henry himself is a strong character, but the same can't be said for Len. I either wish his motivations were more clear instead of being laid out completely by another character, or have Len's point of view within the novel. I wasn't sure how the book was going to end for Len and Henry, nor did I really want them to end up together. That's such a strange conclusion to me, which lowered my rating.

So overall? Henry Hamlet's Heart is a cute coming of age story with great teenage dialogue, but you will probably forget the plot and the characters as soon as you put the book down. 2.5 stars.

"Do you ever feel like you're not who you're supposed to be? Like, people have this idea of you, but it's so different from the truth you can't correct them?"
If you are into Becky Albertalli's books and Heartstopper, it is highly likely you will enjoy reading Henry Hamlet's heart, a beautifully written story by Rhiannon Wilde that explores the themes of acceptance, family fears and social roles.
The plot revolves around Henry, an Aussie teen-ager who is in his last semester of high school and embarks on a journey of self discovery after having his first kiss.
What lifts this novel above others of its type is how the author combines the psychological background of most of the characters with accurate descriptions of reaching adulthood. Moreover, both the platonic and romantic relationships are so realistic. As a consequence, the reader can empathize with the story way too easily.
Another point that is worth mentioning is how the climax is reached by the author throughout the story: even though some avid readers may guess the book's key themes at a glance, the author makes sure to reintroduce them explicitly.
Were I to change some elements of the novel, I would change the way in which the first part was written since it seems the plot does not develop that much. Moreover, I would include an epilogue due to the fact that some readers might have finished the book with the need of reading more of this story.
To sum up, I would strongly recommend this book. It's totally convincing for youngsters and adults, enabling them to become one with the narrative.
TW: internalised homophobia, a scene of violence.

This book has been a blast to read. I would recommend this to literally everyone. The writing, the character-building. I couldn’t let go of this book until I finished it. Absolutely beautiful. The angst. I was feeling every emotion Henry was feeling, the whole time. I cried a little too. I almost never pick ip a book with the Friends-To-Lovers trope, but I am so glad I picked this up.
So, this book is about Henry, who slowly falls in love with his best friend Len, who was dared to kiss Henry at a party. After that kiss, Henry’s all confused and a teenage mess. Very relatable. This book follows their last year of high school, their friend group , and their growing romance.
You just have to read it, really. Great book.

This was just simply amazing. Perfectly relatable from its rich characters to the simple yet complex coming-of-age story being told. Changing tones from wildly funny to heartbreaking it kept its pace perfectly as it seamlessly navigated us through Henry's friends, family, and life. I'm not ashamed to say that for the last act of the book my eyes did not remain dry, alternating from sorrow to happiness as the book reached it's finale.

There were some formatting issues in the Kindle version I received but honestly, they all fell away as I became more and more invested in this beautiful novel. I definitely will be purchasing a physical edition of this as soon as it is available, as well as goading everyone I know into reading it.

I really loved this book, it was a love story that I wouldn’t have expected that gave me the same vibes as some mlm bestsellers. The relationship between the main characters grows with their personality and it made me laugh as much as I cried. I really enjoyed the writing aswell, it was easy to read and grammatically correct.
Thank you

It was a cute YA queer rom com set in Australia. It was a bit dated and the main character was not my favorite. I did like the portrayal of a close knit group of guy friends