It feels weird to say a realistic fiction book is atmospheric, but I became so immersed in this world while reading, within the first 2 chapters. Maybe it’s because I loved the characters right off the bat and saw their individual worth. I don’t know. But this book was so good. I know my students will love it!

This ARC was a HIT. It flew under the radar for me on my TBR and I picked it up purely to work through my ARC backlog. I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did.
Darkhearts is about Chance and David reconnecting after their childhood best friend dies. David hasn't seen them for two years- he quit their band, Darkhearts, after a fight. A month later, they were signed to a label and jetset across the country. David missed out on the fame but has been getting closer to Chance since he's come home for Eli's funeral. David has to decide if he wants to confront his feelings about the band, his jealousy, and his growing attraction to Chance.
I think lyrics were implemented really well into the story. Two things I loved that might have flown under most readers' radars: I love a queer YA book that doesn't shy away from sexuality and the idea that teenagers have sex/are lustful, and I loved that David was chubby. I want more chubby boys in YA romances. body diversity for male characters feels so underrepresented but there's so much that it adds to the story, even in a small way. Some of the dialogue was super Riverdale-y but I was having too much fun to care. I do worry that the dialogue will age the book too much when I go back to reread it, but hopefully its more of a time capsule. The ending was impeccable. I also feel like David wasn't in the wrong during the 3rd act breakup. I feel like this happens to me a lot though, and maybe I'm just a bad friend.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC! I received the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced copy of this book. I get that teenage lives can be messy and angsty as all get-out, but this book admittedly felt a bit disjointed to me in a way that felt more about the plot itself than the characters.

This one was really hard for me to rate because I really enjoyed the first half but the 65-95% really fell apart for me 😬 David was the most frustrating and self obsessed pov character I’ve read in a long time and being in his head got so annoying the further I got into the story. Honestly by the end, I was barely even rooting for him to end up with Chance because he was just so annoying lol I did enjoy the way the end came together but by the time it got there, I was just not having a good time 🤷🏻‍♀️ anyway, this is one that I wouldn’t not recommend but it’s just not my favorite!

I did enjoy this story, but I felt like the characters flaws were too much compared to the story. It's not a favourite book, but it is not one of the worst books I've read. I do think I'll reread this one eventually down the road in case it was just the headspace I was in.

I like the premise of the story. It’s cute however, I felt like the flaws in the characters were overwhelming. I didn’t love them.

I know that in areas of a conflict they should change but I felt that David was very underwhelming and I am I wish I could have learned more.

I also thought chase was someone who honestly, should be himself.

It felt like the relationship was more about the band and not so much about forgiveness and love.

a charming enemies to lovers romance, i enjoyed this read

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of Darkhearts by James L. Sutter. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

David and Chance had a unique and conflicted relationship and made for an interesting story. I liked the various arcs of their friendship turned enemy turned to romance. My only complaint is that I might have clicked with the book more if the characters had been aged up. That is a personal preference, so this book gets a solid 3/5 stars from me.

This isn’t going to be for everyone, even taking me a while to get into it properly. It starts at a friends funeral - so not your average YA. Slow-burn on love, loss, fame, and friendship.
Just as I started thinking of DNF’ing, thinking they wouldn’t be good together - I became hooked on the story of David (Holc) and Chance.

𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 by James L. Sutter (2023) ★★★★☆

David created the emo band, Darkhearts, in junior high with his best friends Chance and Eli, but left the band and fell out with his friends right before they got big. Until Eli’s untimely death due to alcohol poisoning. Chance and David see each other at the funeral for the first time in years. There’s a lot of resentment towards his former friend and the life he thinks was stolen from him.

Chance reaches out to David, perhaps out of loneliness, perhaps just to see his former friend who he doesn’t need to pretend around. They slowly reconnect first, but soon David starts to have feeling towards his former best friend. That start seeing each other, and David sees a chance to rejoin the band.
Second chance at fame or second chance at Chance?

The (emo) band and fame gave a fresh/unique perspective for an otherwise typical bi-awakening, teen angst, frenemies, queer romance. (Shoutouts to Sub-Radio! 😉) A couple references to HP were a bit unnecessary.

Joint read/listened 🎧 with the audiobook, which enhanced my reading experience. The narrator did a great job so I fully appreciated the single POV writing style and emphasis. Honestly, I don’t think I would have liked this story as much without the audiobook.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a chance to early review this story in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a sucker for a band romance, but I did really think this one went above and beyond. Its comps of Alice Oseman and Red, White, and Royal Blue gave me high hopes for this novel, and I've got to say it was spot on.

Picture this - you're in a band in high school with two other guys. You quit to make a realistic life plan and the two other members of the band go on to become the biggest thing in music. This is where the story starts. And with this setup, there's an unbelievable amount of shared characters but also tensions between our two making characters.

One thing I loved about this book was that one character's fame was seldom the main problem holding the two characters apart. While I do love that trope, it was refreshing to have a famous character with a more wide range of emotional issues to work through. It was equally interesting to consider what it would be like to be the one left behind and the complicated feelings that would come with having to let go of that to pursue what (or who) you want in the current moment.

Darkhearts has everything to love about a band romance and more. It has characters with both a shared history and unbelievably different life experiences, which makes the question of whether there's any future for them to build all that much harder.

**Thank you to St. Martins and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

I tried getting into this book 3 different times and got hung up on the dialogue. I'm sure it's a great story, but I'll have to come back to it another time.

I was expecting more angst, but felt like I was trying to pull the story out of the conversations. It felt very much like asking my own kid about their day, "Fine. I don't wanna talk about." Maybe this changes with character development, but I can't focus to get there.

DNF @ 10%

Love the friends to enemies vibe. This missed opportunity for one in the friend group when the rest went on to make it big without him. Now one is gone and the other is back in town, reconnecting.
The selflessness of Chance in everything that he does. Though they have to keep their relationship secret now that they have realized they have feelings for eachother. Man it would be hard to not get hurt by being a secret.
But after a lot of growth after realizing they were holding themselves back they were able to make it work.
But seriously I was getting all pissy but that last page gave me all the warm fuzzies. How dare you make me feel all the feelings. Just kidding it was perfect

Thank you stmartinspress for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This book ended just as it felt like the plot was getting started. This isn’t a spoiler, but I feel the need to clarify that the description of this book feels like it most accurately reflects the very ending of this book… so the majority of the actual plot is a not-so-slowburn romance between the main characters, David and Chance.

And look, it’s not a bad not-so-slowburn! Chance does a lot of heavy-lifting to make you root for the relationship because David, our narrator, is unbelievably insecure and jealous and manages to turn every situation into one where his envy can rear its ugly head. The book is, in many ways, a story about a flawed teen coming to terms with said flaws while also pursuing romance. But the plot description puts such an emphasis on David’s attempt to rejoin the band that I was shocked that it only really becomes a plot point near the very end of the novel, when most of the novel is instead focused on Chance and David trying to navigate their newfound friendship and attraction.

Also, Ridley—David’s best friend—was kind of… awful. I appreciated having a character really openly discuss her sexuality, but I resented that so much of her “humor” involved her overtly sexualizing people like Chance. I understand that he’s a celebrity and so she has that sort or mental disconnect from him, but the fact that she continues to make sexualizing jokes about him well after getting to know him and trying to befriend him without any pushback from David kind of upset me. I liked her much more in theory than in practice, unfortunately, but she still had some great moments—I just wish that some aspects were toned down a little (because, seriously, I don’t know if every Ridley interaction needed her to be at 200% Horniness at all times—75% would have sufficed).

Overall, a decent book, just slightly underwhelming. It put me in a major reading slump, but I’m hoping it’s more of an it’s-not-you-it’s-me thing and that other readers will love this one.

3.5 stars, rounded up

If you were a fan of Casey McQuiston's Red White and Royal Blue or Sophie Gonzales and Dale Dietrich's If This Gets Out, then you will love Darkhearts!

David, Chance and Eli created the band Darkhearts in middle school, but David missed out on the opportunity to hit it big when Chance and Eli went on to tour without him. But then Eli dies, and David and Chance are reunited. David has spent the past two years harboring jealousy and resentment, but the two boys getting the chance to spend time together again reminds them of how close they once were. Then one night an unexpected kiss happens, and the boys start to explore a new part of their relationship.

I absolutely loved the synopsis of this book. I really like the fictitious pop star trope, and who doesn't love a good frenemies to lovers trope? The ups and downs of the relationship felt real and organic, never forced. Each of the characters had depth, and there were some serious storylines within the book, such as the cause of Eli's death. The story got cheesy at times, but it worked well and was not a detriment.

And the last sentence of the book legit made me smile.

Before anything else, I would like to take this moment to give my heartfelt gratitude to the publisher for granting me access to this wonderful queer book.

Lately, life has caught up with me, and I found myself in a predicament as I got swamped with a lot of ARCs that I either could not finish or unable to start reading. Which is why I am apologizing to both the author and the publisher for being unable to read and review this ARC. However, I will try my best to purchase a finished copy and review it when the time comes.

At the core of Darkhearts is a cast of complex and morally grey characters that resonate with readers. The protagonist is flawed and multifaceted, navigating a world where choices aren't always clear-cut. The supporting characters are equally intriguing, each with their own motivations and secrets. Sutter skillfully weaves their stories together, creating a tapestry of interconnected lives and relationships.

I didn’t connect really well with the main character. I found him a little unlikeable. That could be just me. I felt as though this was a bit similar to “If This Gets Ouy” by Sophie Gonzales but there are always subject/theme patterns in the YA community.

Maybe just not for me!

2.5

this was.. okay. there were plenty of things I both liked and disliked that make my feelings for it sort of conflicting. this wasn’t a horrible book by any means but it just wasn’t good either.

David is a very unlikeable character which I often enjoy reading about, if they get some sort of character development, which wasn’t the case in this. Also I feel like the death of Eli was primarily used as a plot point to get Chance and David back together. This could’ve worked well but it felt unnecessary with the fact that it was barely talked about after a while. David barely had a sympathy for Chance who was actually sort of grieving with the situation.

Despite some qualms with the book, it wasn’t horrible and I did like the romance. It was messy and fun in many ways. I also really enjoyed the fact that both main characters are unlabeled since we don’t see that much.

Overall, this is a quick queer read with messy characters. I don’t know if I’d personally recommend it but I’d suggest checking it out for yourself if you’re interested in the premise!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

David quits the band he started with his two best friends, Eli and Chance. They go on to become pop superstars, but then Eli dies. When Chance and David are reunited, emotions are running high and they are not sure they can leave the past behind.

This was a sweet story of rekindling friendship, coming-of-age, and reckoning with your choices. It was an interesting look at moving on from regret and blaming others for the consequences of your choices. The fame and music elements were interesting, as well. You could see how draining Chance found it to be commodified and objectified, even though from the outside it looked like he had everything. If I wished for one thing, it was Chance’s POV for part of the book. I liked David, but it could have been more emotionally complex with another POV. I really enjoyed the romance and the ending, and while it didn't knock my socks off, it was very sweet.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

Let me tell you, I got so frustrated and annoyed with the protagonist of this book for doing stupid things, but 98% of the reason for that is because I used to do the same stupid things (running away when things get hard, trying to make people chase me) and I was just really getting mad at my past self. So this was book was almost a cathartic experience in that sense.

I loved the relationship in this one. Friends to lovers is not my favorite, and probably never will be, but when it's executed right, I can see the appeal, and this one did it for me. I also loved the random tidbits of carpentry knowledge thrown in, as well as showing the downsides of fame. Overall, a nicely well-balanced read.