I really enjoyed this ya romance - two 17 old guys learning how to be friends again after years apart. Very well done. I loved all the hard topics - addressed with purpose and showing realistic recovery.
The tragic suicide of a founding member of the band Darkhearts, brings Chance home for an extended stay. He reconnects with David - also a founding member who left the band right before they found success.
David struggles with his anger - and resentment, left behind by his friends while they traveled the world and became famous. Chance reaches out - giving David an opportunity to reconnect. Their friendship grows into something more. With all the realities of teenage insights.
This book covers - addiction, recovery, grief, dealing with abonnement; done realistically and with grace.

3.5/5 stars

What I liked:

Darkhearts is a light-hearted, queer YA tale with quick pacing and witty dialogue. I enjoyed Sutter’s fun, to-the-point writing style and appreciated how it perfectly captures the protagonist’s personality. It was an entertaining read but different than the high-stakes, plot-twist-heavy stories I’m used to reading. Despite that, it was a nice change to read something more lighthearted and wholesome.

What I didn’t like:

The ending was a bit predictable and there weren’t any twists that I didn’t see coming, but overall the story itself and David’s journey were written well, albeit a bit simplified.

Overall:

I would recommend Darkhearts by James L. Sutter to anyone looking for a wholesome, queer love story that doesn’t focus on the traumatic experiences that many LGBTQ+ stories include. It was refreshing reading a YA story that has supportive friends and family members.

When David quit his band two years ago, he certainly wasn’t expecting them to hit it big and leave him in the dust. But nevertheless, he’s been stuck in highschool while his two former best friends chased stardom. And then Eli dies in a tragic case of alcohol poisoning and suddenly Chance is back. As the two deal with the loss of their friend they rediscover what once made them great friends, break open old wounds, and make new discoveries about themselves. Not to mention the unexpected kiss that sends the two into a whole new world of hiding a relationship.

I wasn’t expecting to start this book at a funeral. Honestly I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was approached about reading an ARC of this book in the first place. I didn’t particularly love either of the main characters, though I did really enjoy Ridley’s penchant for old movies. David was a little flat emotional wise for me, but I enjoyed his hobbies of wood work and carpentry and the backstory and discoveries surround his mom shared more near the end rounded him out. I also really appreciated the not perfect, but better than most relationship he had with his father. Chance’s personality bugged me, but the reasoning for his front I enjoyed a lot and gave him a lot of depth. The relationship between the two is as it should be for a YA, messy and complicated and real. Neither of them is perfect, what teen is? So while I hated David’s treatment toward Chance, it makes sense. They’re learning how to have relationships and his “sudden epiphany” of how he should treat Chance seems more realistic to me than it might to others. And really, I feel like some adults could learn a lesson or two from this.
If you enjoyed If This Gets Out by Cale Dietrich & Sophie Gonzales you will definitely enjoy this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, & Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed the idea of a boy band! I am also a sucker for tropes like reconnection. I also appreciated the fact that the author took the time to explore the two boys’ trauma over their friend’s death and did not sugarcoat such a tragic event. Really entertaining read!

DNF.

I got about 20% through with this book but could not find it in me to continue or be invested in what was happening so far. All other reviews seemed great but I couldn’t get past how… Bland it felt. The idea of teens going through grief, bringing them back together after being apart, then falling for one another is a perfect storyline & something truly interesting that can hit a lot of people, however, it was just done with no finesse and left no reason for me to be interested in seeing the characters develop. It felt like too much relied on weird pop culture references that were EXTREMELY specific or obscure- just to show that Chance was… Famous? Didn’t make sense honestly. David was someone who had no sense of personality, and every single time he said anything there was NO emotion attached to the tag, which led me to picture him as being one dimensional and not at all someone who could be related to.

I wanted to try the book out, like it, and be able to have another good LGBTQ book to add to my shelf, but this missed the mark in so many ways. Maybe it got better- but if I’m not invested by like… an hour of reading- I can’t justify wasting more time figuring out if the characters have depth or not.

I LOVED this book. The humor was spot on. The teenage angst was PRIME. The plot and progression of the story was perfection. Definitely recommend this book!


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book. Opinions are my own!

"It was just a song. And we were so much more."

Firstly, big thanks to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the e-arc!

Secondly - this book made me feel all the things. David & Chance were precious, and frustrating, and I was rooting for them while also wanting to bonk their heads together. David pushed and pushed and pushed, and sometimes I just wanted to yell at him for not acknowledging how he was actually feeling, or why he was acting the way that he was. But really, how many of us are capable of doing that consistently at 17?

The conversations David had with his dad/Jesus/Denny were so supportive and comforting - even when things with his dad weren't going well, the guidance he had from the adults in his life was really great.

The ending!! It was adorable & I don't know that I would have wanted it to end any other way.

All in all, this was an easy read about finding yourself and falling for someone unexpected that ended on a high note. Pun intended.

I will say, I could have done without the HP references, though.

I LOVED this book! It was cute in the best way possible! Made me fall in love with YA books again! I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future! Great character development and representation.

Darkhearts by James Sutter is the newest romance that you need in your life. From tragedy comes new life and that's exactly how it seems to happen for David Holcomb our main character. Following the death of their former band mate, David is reunited with Chance Ng. What happens after is just simply just a fun and heart-warming story.

I had such a fun time with this story and I think it has so much for readers of all ages. It's quickly paced and I just have to say that I found myself emotionally spent during some parts of this novel. For one, the ending had me SO UPSET! I was hoping that some of the characters were going to make up for some actions. Whether or not they do you'll have to read and find out.

Honestly, this book is super cute and I enjoyed it. It's perfect for fans of "If This Gets Out," One Direction fan fiction, and "Kiss & Tell." Check it out!!

This was such a great story! I’m new to queer literature and I honestly loved this book. It was so honest and detailed, I felt like I could have gone to school with the characters! David and Chance were thoroughly fleshed out characters with nuance and humor that I adored. Ridley was the perfect BFF that added to the story so much. It was a great and fun read, all the way to the very end!

I went back and forth on liking this and finding David unbearable. Lol. Like he's a teenager or something.

A lot of it came down to David working out his own issues rather than him and Chance figuring out their feelings for each other.

Overall, it was okay. I'm not sure about the ending (not the very end, but rather the boys' decision the chapter before) because it's likely that resent and jealousy will resurface again. But, it's a fictional book, so yay, young love.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an e-galley.

This book was SO GOOD! My heart filled for these boys, I'm attached to these characters! I want more!
Which to me is definitely a sign of a good book! 5 stars! Loved the back story, the turmoil, the angry love between David and Chance.
Plus David's adorable, loving dad, the rock star life woes and layers upon layers of loss, love, family, friendships!
Love, love, love!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! It keeps me entertained and I didn’t want to stop reading! I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Three best mates start a band, two go on to become uberfamous, one dies and the others reconnect and fall in love. Sounds great, right? More like "Teen garage band trio becomes worldwide sensational duo, where the missing member feels slighted by, and jealous of, everyone around him despite being the one who decided to leave."

I had high hopes for this one, but ultimately it fell flat for me. I didn't feel the chemistry between David and Chance, the lightbulb moment from "Chance has everything I want" to "I want to kiss him" felt like a real stretch. I ended up just feeling incredibly frustrated by David's pigheadedness and sad for Chance who seems to genuinely care for him and works hard to handle him with kid gloves. Ew, David. Even in the end when David miraculously decides to just "stop being jealous" I felt like he really didn't see Chance for who he is. This might work for some, but unfortunately it's not for me.

I was drawn to this the second I saw the cover and read what it was about. Let me tell you it did not disappoint. It was a slow burn but not to the point where is was dragging.

"And just like that, I realized what love felt like."

I'm very rarely completely hooked in the first chapter of the story, but I was hooked by the end of the first page! This book was the perfect story to give both character development, romance, and a relaxing read.

Details were given beyond the main storyline and character development, which really helped the story come to life. You easily fall in love with all the side-characters, and it's overall a rich story you can sink into. The plot wasn't intension and tension filled, but read more like a slow-burn.

The love story was amazing. The book perfectly balances both the awkwardness and urges of new love, and the main characters' interactions were very realistic. The language could be sexual and crude at time, which added to the realism but should be considered before reading.

Overall, this book was hands-down a five-star read.

This was such a cute romance book. I was in a mood for romance and it gave me exactly wanted I needed.

gay boyband books forever have my heart <3 really appreciated that this one wasn't just one direction fanfiction with the names changed. Chance and David were their own characters. Really enjoyed this one and definitely unique from other boyband books!

I absolutely adored this book. The dynamic between the characters was fantastic. Their relationship developed so well as a second chance romance. I loved learning about their history and how they had to overcome their own emotional hurdles to be together. Ridley was the best sidekick. She’s the type of friend I’ve always wanted in my life. A huge bonus for me was that there wasn’t a huge focus placed on them coming out as gay aside from very logical conversations from a celebrity standpoint, and the parents were amazing. You could feel their love and support even when they didn’t agree with their choices. Overall, I thought this was a very well done story about finding love even though it scares you. Sometimes it’s easier to run when you’re afraid of getting hurt, but if you push through and stay anyway, it might be the best decision you ever make.

David Holcomb, left behind by the band he helped start, has had to watch Darkhearts blow up over the last two years. He has been holding a grudge ever since. But when tragedy strikes, Chance Kain comes back to their hometown to take a break.

Being back in the same vicinity, David and Chance begin to talk again, learning new things about each other… and themselves. And when Chance learns he needs to go back on tour, David thinks this might be the time to get back into the band. That way he doesn’t have to say goodbye to Chance again. But, old insecurities, jealousy, and secrecy mix into their budding relationship and it might be over before it starts.

I loved this book. I absolutely adored both David and Chance (especially Chance), and the two together were beautiful. This was best friends-to enemies-to lovers with some real, raw emotion and a lot of heart. There were definitely times when David overreacted and it rankled me, but ultimately I would recommend this one for sure!