This was a sweet little YA Romance. As a queer jewish woman, it was so much fun to see TWO young sapphic women hanging out and falling in love during the holidays. As a person who also spent a fair bit of time in DC around the same age as May and Shani, it was fun to relive DC - the metro, the museums, the douchebags - through their eyes. The author did a fantastic job capturing the city in a fun way.

I also specifically thought that the author did a good job of letting us into Shani's brain and seeing how she was feeling - her anxiety, her nerves, her hopes. As a middle aged woman, it was fun to remember what that anxious excitement felt - how HUGE everything seemed, while not being overwhelmed by it as I sometimes am with YA fiction, especially YA romance novels.

After her first heartbreak, college freshman Shani swears off relationships. Until she meets May, whom Shani's mother hit with her car. Naturally, May is a bit hostile at first. But as they get to know each other, an attraction develops between May and Shani. Will Shani's past come between them?

This book is romcom-ish, more quirky than funny. I like that it features women in STEM, as well as Jewish characters navigating conflicting feelings about the winter holiday season.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

“How to Excavate a Heart” by Jake Maia Arlow is a super sweet enemies-to-lovers rom-com set around the winter holidays.

Shani Levine has just been dumped when her winter break starts and she is about to begin her month-long internship at the Smithsonian. She’s decided to keep her head down and concentrate on her internship when she quite literally runs into May. She meets May again when she takes a dog-walking gig and May happens to be the dog owner’s daughter. The two have a strong dislike for one another but it isn’t long before their feelings start to change.

I’ll admit, I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. I’m not sure why I didn’t have better expectations but this was really fun to read. It’s close to 400 pages but it didn’t feel that way at all as I flew through this.

This is told in Shani’s point of view and I got to like her by the end. I wasn’t sure I was going to in the beginning but the more the story went on, the more I started to care for her. May is also pretty great but as we don’t get her point of view, I felt like I didn’t know her as well. Luckily, Shani and May are pretty good about talking things out so I was never in the dark about May’s thoughts and feelings.

There are several side characters from Beatrice, the 96-year-old, that Shani is staying with to Taylor, Shani’s best friend. They helped with bringing other parts of Shani’s personality out that wasn’t always shown with her inner dialogue’s. Raphael, the corgi Shani dog walks, was a very pleasant bonus. As a dog lover, I thought his scenes added to the light-heartedness to the story.

I have a couple of reasons for this not being five stars. For one, Shani has just broken up with her girlfriend days before she meets May. Her ex is still very much in mind when she first starts talking to May and I would’ve liked a little bit more time between the two…this is my own thing so it may not bother others. I also wasn’t a fan of how quickly Shani and May’s relationship developed. The book takes place over a month so that plus Shani still thinking about the ex just wasn’t my favorite. But to be fair, I think the ending really made it better just a bit with the honest conversation between Shani and May that happens before Shani and May go back to their schools.

As this is YA, I do want to bring attention to the trigger warning. It’s there for sexual assault so beware of that before reading this.

This was very enjoyable and it was nice to have a holiday romance that doesn’t revolve around Christmas. Shani and May are both Jewish and I liked how that made it just different enough to notice. I highly recommend this to fans of YA and winter holiday rom-coms.

I received an ARC from HarperCollins Children’s Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shani has the ultimate plan for her holiday break, in order to get over a tough break up. Her perfect escape: a paleoichthyology internship in Washington D.C. It'll help her get her mind off her ex-girlfriend and on something more productive. So, she's sworn off romance for the duration of winter break.

However, everything changes when Shani's mom almost runs over a girl in the street. Shani is embrassed, but doesn't think anything of it. Until she ends up running into that girl again after volunteering to walk her dad's dog. When the two are trapped together on Christmas Eve, sparks start to fly. This could be the distraction Shani needs. But is she really ready to jump into another relationship so soon?

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of How to Excavate a Heart to review! I'm always looking for great new holiday romances, and while this one isn't super heavy on the holiday, it's a treat! You'll definitely want to add it to your winter TBRs.

How to Excavate a Heart reads like a typical rom-com. An accidental meet up leads to something more. The setting is around Christmas, but both of our protagonists are Jewish. They have quite a few conversations about the overall holiday season and I thought they were great. They added a different perspective to the typical holiday romance we see, and we need more of that!

The evolving romance between Shani and May is also adorable. Yes, they make teenage mistakes, but that's to be expected. Also, some of the subject matter gets a bit heavier than I was expecting. Be warned if you jump into this one, there are some discussions about sexual assualt. It adds an emotional depth but doesn't take away from that mostly lighthearted feel. I would equate it to the way Heartstopper deals with eating disorders/depression/anxiety.

All in all, if you're looking for an emotionally deep holiday story not centered around Christmas, I recommend checking this one out!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance Kindle copy of this 11/1/22 release. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this sapphic enemies-to-lovers rom com. Over Christmas, Jewish college freshman Shani, with a freshly broken heart, is in DC for an internship. She meets May, the girl her mom almost ran over her first day in DC, when she agrees to help a roommate with her dog-walking job. The two obviously fall for each other, both with baggage. It was adorable and funny and will be perfect for readers in grades 9+.

out of the two sapphic hallmark movie esque books i've read recently this one is def my favorite.
It was super easy to read, and it makes those basically 3 weeks go by super fast in the book. The relationship themselves also didn't seem forced. I do wish that the mc tried to spend more time with her roommates, but she did sorta do that towards the end so it's okay.
overall super fun little holiday book

This is a cute, if standard, young adult holiday romance novel. The sapphic and Jewish take on the traditional genre was refreshing and the characters were nice. It was enjoyable and fun and great to get the reader in the mood for the holidays.

I am always in search of a great queer wintertime hallmark style book and this book is all of that and more!
I loved the romcom writing and the overall plot was really cute!

This is a delightful book. Shani is heading down to Washington, DC for a winter-break internship, eager to forget her first semester and her recent break-up and to focus on work. On the drive down, her mom accidentally runs into a woman crossing the street, May. Although not hurt, May is not excited to have been hit by a car. Shani assumes that she'll never see May again. Then, she encounters May where she least expect it -- at the house of the dog Shani has agreed to walk over the winter break. Over a series of meetings, Shani and May discover they have a spark. The two start dating, but Shani does not know what it means, or how to feel, especially given how her most recent relationship ended. Will she be able to overcome her past for a future with May, or are they destined to have only a holiday romance?

This is a quite enjoyable story -- a highly original spin on a typical holiday romance. The characters are well-drawn, and the story is both perceptive about this stage of life, family, friendship, and romance. It is also often quite funny, including the chapter headings.

Highly recommended!

I absolutely adored this book! If I could give it more than five stars I would! This book was fun and adorable. I couldn't put it down. I loved every character experience the dog! I mean a holiday romance thats queer, Jewish, and has a dog?! There is literally nothing to hate! Just go buy this book as soon as you can and you will not regret it!

Cute but not my favorite. Things felt rushed but I do understand how different time feels when you're eighteen and crushing hard so I guess I can't fault it too much for that. I just wish that I had gotten to know both our leads a bit better!

How to Excavate a Heart tells the story of Shani and May. The two girls met in an unlikely way and have a enough adventures in a few weeks to fill a few years.

This book was fine? It all felt very rushed (in the same way a Hallmark movie does). I know the entire plot happens in a month's time but it just seemed like their relationship went from zero to 100 way too quickly. It seemed like the author just wanted to jam things in whether they made sense to the story or not. I didn't feel like I got to know either of the main girls very well.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for this ARC.

It's been a long time since I really, really loved an YA book. I usually give them a good rating anyway, since I'm not the primary audience, but How to Excavate a Heart definitively showed I'm not fatigued when the story does feel fresh and fun. This reminded me of rom-coms of the early 2000s. It's corny but endearing in that exact same way and I loved it for giving me that sense of nostalgia but having lesbians main characters. Lesbian, Jewish main characters who are flawed and childish, but in a super understandable way where you see your younger self in them. More books like this, please! And more Jake Maia Arlow YA!

The perfect lesbian romcom exists! You will fall for these girls as they fall for each other and into the snow. Arlow writes with humor, compassion, tenderness, and a great love of corgis.
Lesbian Jewish Christmas, I can't tell you how happy this makes my heart.

A cute and refreshing story that takes on the importance of one's self, and how it's important to not lose yourself, whoever you are, no matter what or who for.
Mentions of an abusive ex-partner and sexual assault so beware of that.

Is it nearly holiday season? I am a Christmas hoe because I love giving people gifts not for the religion so. I’m ready 😂
This glorious book was an ARC I received and I NEEDED it in my life because of the marketing—sapphic Jewish hallmark Christmas rom-com. Yes there is reference to “Jewmas” so, take that as you will. I WANT TO MAKE SURE TO ADVERTISE THE TW because spoiler but it doesn’t officially get addressed until 80% in, but TW for SA.

Our main characters—May & Shani are young girls (18ish) and meet on Christmas break. Both girls are brilliant and just learning about relationships. It’s very cute and very Hallmark 🥺
🐟❄️🚗
𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎, 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚂𝚘, 𝚞𝚑. 𝙸 𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗: 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚎𝚛.

𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

“𝘐𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘥𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳.”

I really enjoyed this book. I honestly couldn't put it down. I am a sucker for an outlandish plot so it was super enjoyable to see it done well. The whole "my-mom-ran-you-over-with-her-car" start ending up with them falling in love is just the perfect amount of crazy for me. While the romance aspect is what brought me to the book. the actual characters made me stay. I found myself heavily invested in their side journeys such as May's father and Shani's internship. I also thought that the difficult conversations this book tackles were tasteful and refreshing to see handled in a serious manner. I definitely recommend this book if you like a fun easy read but with some decent depth and complexity.

This book was funny and sincere. It really felt real and was very sneaky. The overall plot points sneak up at you. The romance plot is very much the same but this one had a few hidden moments that surprised me. Arlow is a great additional to the new voices in young adult fiction and her humor is amazing beyond Arlow's competitors.

I really enjoyed this book. Shani and May are both super interesting characters with personalities we don't often see in YA or NA books. Shani loves paleoichthyology, the study of ancient fish/fossil fish and May loves weather science. Also, both characters are Jewish, which is explored a bit under the backdrop of the Christmas season. I found the characters very lovable, and I was rooting for them in both their triumphs and their setbacks. Super cute read.
How to Excavate a Heart is a wonderfully cute queer winter read. Shani is a college freshman, freshly heartbroken from her first ever relationship. She vows to herself that her time in DC over winter break for an internship will be spent alone--that is, until she meets May. May is staying with her Dad in DC, and is not happy with it. She would much rather be with her Mom and as such, she is very grumpy. Also, Shani and May's first interaction does not put them on the right path as Shani's mother almost hits May wit her car and May is, understandably, upset.
Shani and May meet and although they seem an unlikely pair, the two quickly move from enemies to grudging acceptance to friends to lovers.

How to Excavate a Heart is a book that hit so many good and familiar notes for me. Shani has just finished her first semester at college where she also got her first girlfriend, who broke up with her just before the start of winter break. Luckily Shani got accepted to an internship that the Smithsonian museum of natural history where she’ll work under her idol on coelacanth fossils, giving her distance from home and something to put her focus towards that isn’t her broken heart. Except as her mom is dropping her off, they bump into May with their car - a most inauspicious start to what will become a winter romance!

This was such a delightful story full of messy feelings, working through issues with parents and trying to be a better person and child, and a sweet lesbian romance (and yes, they both identity as lesbian on page!). I also really adored Shani’s friendship with Taylor and the various ways they were there for each other, and the mentor/mentee dynamic that develops with Mandira while working in the lab and finding an older queer person to talk to about those feelings and experiences. And May and Shani! They’re both such nerds for their interests (weather for May, coelacanth for Shani) and I loved the different ways they shared those feelings with each other, and the way the other was enthralled by their passion.

This truly is such a delightful story so full of love and heart and I’m so glad I was able to read it. If you want a story that is overall soft (oh and features a truly adorable corgi!) with feeling and absolute nerds, I definitely recommend picking this book up!

[cannonball review will be posted Oct 30, 2022]