I am all for LGBTQIA themes within work and this one was done well. I feel the mixture of emotions and the slow-burn of not mixing business with pleasure helped the over all plot. Sometimes things did get a little dry but all in all the book was mellow and a fun little read.

Darkhearts started off by deeply immersing the readers into the story and selling the angst and longing of two boys who were former friends and bandmates. Had the last 25% of the book been different, I think I would have been sold on this story, but unfortunately, the “third act break-up” brought up so much guilt, jealousy and resentment from each character that I truly couldn’t be convinced they should get back together.

Our MC David has a default setting of either pining for or being angry with our other MC Chance and his constant anger and jealousy made him a very dislikeable character IMO. While he received his redemptive arc at the end of the book, his sudden change and understanding felt disingenuous after his constant anger sparks throughout the story. Maybe if he’d gone to see a therapist for a couple months first, I could have believed he would change a bit easier than having one conversation with his dad and one with his best friend telling him he’s acting selfish. (Also, his dad’s character didn’t make sense to me – it felt like he was doing a constant 180 of being supportive or being over-intense.)

I did enjoy the first part of this story and I wish there had been more conversation and discussion between the two main characters as I think this would have helped us better understand and believe why they should still be together at the end of the book.

Thank you to St. Martins’ Press / Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

I will not be giving feedback on a book with not one but two harry potter references but I am, however, thankful for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This was a surprisingly heart wrenching story lol. I wasn't expecting it to make me quite so emotional, but it really did. I think it was just the relationship in general between David and Chance. They felt like soulmates in the truest sense and when they weren't together in this, it felt like they should be. Their feelings for one another felt authentic and raw and I often felt frustrated yet understanding towards both of them. They're complex characters with beautiful stories to tell and I could see this being a favorite for many!

This book was so enjoyable and well written that I really didnt want it to end!

The way the character's are written gives them really strong depth. David for example is very caught up in his own head and faults. He doesnt realize how deeply his past trauma has changed him and the way he does things and thinks about things, because of that he is blinded to his own faults. This is something that so many people can relate to because its so much easier to see from the outside looking in and often you really need that wakeup call from someone else calling you out to assess what they've said and what's been going on.

Chance is another great character. Through his eyes we see a teen whos struggling to balance life as a famous musician that has to carry this persona with him always. A teen who doesnt get to just be himself because everyone he meets wants something from him or wants to use him to gain something. They dont care about who he is, they only care about what he is. So when he and David are reunited and form this relationship its destined for waves of highs and lows as they navigate how to exist together with these feelings and meet one another in their field.

I think the plot is pretty straightforward and honestly could see it being used for a movie or TV show easy. It was just realistic enough for a contemporary with a small touch of 'what-ifs' sprinkled in.

A very fun read!

Darkhearts by James L. Sutter is a music-filled journey of discovery marketed as Red, White & Royal Blue meets Perks of Being a Wallflower. This story is about two teenagers that formed a band when they were younger with David reaching his breaking point & quitting. Fast forward two years later, their band Darkhearts is now the hottest thing with world tours & more until the other member of the group & friend Eli dies unexpectedly. Now all that is left of Darkhearts is the frontman, Chance, who returns to their hometown & tries to reconnect with David. It’s a story of heartbreak, grief, reuniting, soul searching, angst & maybe even some love along the way.

I appreciated the passion that the characters had for their hobbies & interests. It was a fascinating story with the celebrity aspect as well as the second chance reconnecting of the once former best friends.

There was a quote in this book that said, “Leave room for the unexpected” (55% of the book). I thought that was so beautiful & delivered such a perfect message.

If anyone is looking for a lovely young adult romance with gorgeously interesting journeys of self discovery along the way, this is a wonderful recommend for you!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Wednesday Books for the free arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Okay first of all can we talk about how pretty this cover is that is what caught my eye to want to read this novel the heart the colors and them together in the heart i love it. This novel was such a great read it had one of my favorite concepts regarding someone being famous etc but when i tell you this book takes you on a rollercoaster this novel touches down on grief and loss and shows how people come together when someone passes away this honestly was one of my first " enemy to lovers " trope because this novel shows how when david left the band he felt some type of way towards chance so as you read you see them talk about the past etc also what i liked about this novel was the relationship was not rushed at all and i like romance novels like that also the main leads were nerdy and not your typical " golden boy " trope that most romances feature. Lots of nerd references in this novel and i wish i had books like this when i was growing up but good thing they are out now so people growing up can read books and feel seen in different ways i love that this book touched down on people finding themselves as well it was really cute to read. Great novel @james_l_sutter people are going to love this one!

When David quit his band, he missed his shot at fame, trapped in an ordinary high school life while his ex–best friend, Chance, became the hottest teen pop star in America.

Then tragedy throws David and Chance back into contact. As old wounds break open, the boys find themselves trading frenemy status for a confusing, secret romance―one that could be David’s ticket back into the band and the spotlight.

As the mixture of business and pleasure becomes a powder keg, David will have to choose: Is this his second chance at glory? Or his second chance at Chance?

This was hard to get through as the concept and idea of the book I’m 100% behind but I ended up HATING both main characters. David is young, he makes bad choices, he whines more than a 12 year old throwing a tantrum. Not for me, it was a struggle to get through but luckily everything felt rushed so it was a fast read. Thank you for the arc, I wish the author slowed down, made some choices (like omitting HP references in a queer book… what?!?).

It really is perfect for readers who loved heartstopper and needed more. Also think fans of If This Gets Out would enjoy it as well as It Goes Like This. A great summer read.

Darkhearts was messy and complicated and sweet and funny- everything you'd expect in a novel dealing with teens. But it also had a heaviness to it at times, as David and Chance come to terms with the death of their best friend and band mate, Eli. After not having any contact for two years, since David walked away from the band, there's a lot for these two to unpack, not just in regards to their friendship, but in their burgeoning romantic relationship as well.

I felt that this was a pretty realistic look into the lives of a young couple navigating a new relationship, especially when one of them is famous. It cannot be easy handling fame and all that entails when you're also trying to have a personal life, particularly as teenagers. I liked that it wasn't easy. There were some hard truths David needed to face and I really liked seeing his growth. He had some moments that were frustrating to read, but they were true to his character, and especially for someone his age.

Overall this was an entertaining and enjoyable read. The ending was really sweet and made the ups and downs all worth it!

GIVE ME QUEER ENEMIES TO LOVERS ALL DAY, EVERYDAY, ANYDAY AND I WILL EAT IT UP! This was superb and I absolutely adored it.

This book was so good. I loved Davey and Chance and the best friends to enemies to lovers was done is such a good way. These characters were complex and the emotions they felt were written in a way that made you feel them. Darkhearts as a band sounds like the type of music I would listen to and kinda wish I could. These characters had so much chemistry and angst that all teenagers had. This is def a book you should check out.

I love that so many queer YA books exist now!

**thank you Wednesday books, St Martin's Press, and Netgalley for providing me a free early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a celebrity romance enthusiast so you know when I first heard about this book it went straight on my TBR. I love books that blend together with my other passions like music, so Darkhearts was a real treat.

The book opens at a funeral. The most awkward funeral ever. The first time David sees his ex best friends and band mates in two years, one of them is dead. I loved how this set up David and Chance’s dynamic. David had a lot of resentment towards how things had ended between them, but couldn’t really express his feelings because of Eli’s death. David had to deal with these repressed emotions as his relationship with Chance started to change into something more romantic.

I also loved David’s relationship with his best friend, they were pure chaos together. There were times when David’s characterisation made him a little unlikeable. He was motivated by some questionable things, but I actually really liked that aspect. He’s a teenager, who should be allowed to be flawed, and I do think he grew as a person throughout the novel.

This book also deals with some difficult topics like grief. There is no one way to experience grief, and I liked how this book explored the idea that sometimes the people you miss the most are a phone call away. This whole story was about rebuilding from loss and taking control of the trajectory of your own life.

Darkhearts is absolutely perfect for YA readers, and I sincerely hope it falls into the hands of the young readers who need it most. Having a story like this when I was a kid would have been so special.

if i had a nickel for every book of a boyband where the characters had to stay in the closet. that i loved… i’d still only have two nickels. i’m sorry y’all but this wasn’t it for me.

i genuinely don’t even know where to begin with this one, other than david is absolutely the worst character to be following. he’s selfish, jealous, rude, and literally doesn’t apologize for any of his actions from before the book and during the events of this book until the last 5% percent. and that’s after his dad (who i also do not like, and totally see how his son is the way he is. he is also literally so immature about david’s CHOICE to leave the band.) says its because he acts just like his mom who abandoned him??? i’m sorry… WHAT?

every so often we keep hearing him tell us that he’s changed, he’s better, he’s not jealous. and yet??? but oh, sure we’ll believe that his apology after his conversation with his father has actually well and truly changed him. okay. chance is genuinely so nice of a person to keep putting up with this man’s antics. green is a bad look on you, hun.

i really don’t have the energy to say more about this book but i WILL bring up eli. okay, because this is a story where the opening event is a literal funeral. why isn’t there any sort of grieving from david, supposedly his best friend of YEARS. why does he call him an enemy in the opening scene?? make it make sense! david has no empathy for him, for chance, who is somewhat actually openly grieving his loss. i honestly think this could’ve been scrapped. or at least changed. why wasn’t it just an overdose where eli ended up in rehab, halting their career for a period time. that would have had the same starting impact for the events of this story without adding this weird non-starter of grief being brushed over.

oh and one more thing. how was we STILL including harry potter references. in this day and age. in QUEER books. absolutely not okay. just the cherry on top for a not great book. (and that’s not mentioning the fatphobic comments made constantly about david, internally and externally. or how riddley is so weirdly vulgar and sex-obsessed, it’s her only other personality trait besides loving movies… okay. the somewhat ace-phobic comment made about everyone being “a little bit bi”. the slightly graphic sex scenes and comments — no i am not over the dick comparison comment — for a YA BOOK. just… yeah, absolutely not)

in my opinion, there are better options out there if you want a book with a similar vibe to this.

I loved that this feels like a YA gay romance for teenage boys--its kind of icky (in an endearing teen Boy way) and raw and angsty and it feels real and wonderful to me. As a grown woman, I also enjoyed it. This book has an INCREDIBLE first line. Immediately my interest is *piqued*. Throughout the book there continues to be GREAT dialogue. The boys are whitty and I loved it!! This is loosely about a boyband made up of nerds, friendship drama and developing and changing relationships-- Friends-enemies-more?

Darkhearts is so good. So so good. I loved the banter, the way the boys worked through their stuff, the family's and special events. I was SO frustrated several times throughout the book, bit I will put that down to well written teenage boy drama. It's SUPER angsty, but again-- this is about teenager punk rock kids, so it all checks out.

This story deals with some more serious topics including suicide and coming out, and it is done very well!!! Neither coming out not mental health is the theme of this book, it's just a part of the life we see our characters experience!

I only wish for a little bit more of an epilogue (maybe because I LOVED what we got?) And I did sort of miss dual POV for this one--but that did not hinder my reading experience!!

Overall I really loved this one so much more than expected and would ABSOLUTELY reccomend the physical and/or audio book to anyone!

David left his high school band, Darkhearts, and hasn’t spoken to the other members since. When a sudden tragedy brings David and the lead singer, Chance, back together, they slowly begin to rebuild their friendship, which turns into a romance.

But Chance is now one of the most famous musicians in the world, and his manager insists they keep their relationship a secret. Plus, David now wants to rejoin the band. He and Chance both have choices to make that could determine their very futures.

This was a good book and a fun read. Chance, David, and the surrounding cast of characters are all relatable (the dialogue of David’s best friend can get a little cheesy sometimes), and I was definitely rooting for Chance and David. Plus, this story has some interesting things to say on the industry of fame. If you’re looking for an enjoyable, quick read, I would recommend this.

I've seen some pretty mixed reviews for this and I understand why, because it's a pretty messy book. But it worked really well for me. The characters are all flawed and they fuck up, but this was all portrayed in a nuanced way, with a lot of capacity and willingness to grow. They're in a complicated situation, and on top of that they're also teens, and I think it was realistic to see how they handled things.

I have a huge soft spot for books about music and fame, to be honest. Particularly ones that portray fame in a complex, nuanced way and not like something that's either all good or all bad. I don't know why this appeals to me so much but I just find it very intriguing. I think this one had an interesting outside perspective from someone who missed the chance to become famous and reunites with his friend who did.

There's a lot of jealousy and resentment, and it takes the main character a long time to work through that. My one issue would be that it takes him maybe a little too long so that the ending feels a little rushed. But I liked that he was self aware enough to admit his own issues and work on them.

I gave this a three out of five stars, I liked it but didn’t love it. I think it could have been better. I think a lot of people are going to love this book.

**2.75 stars**

I wanted to love this book so badly because it was even one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I mean, a book about a boyband with gay/bi rep?? YEP, sign me up!! Especially for pride month. But it ultimately fell very flat for me. The writing was pretty good and it didn't take long to get into the story; after being in a reading slump the past few weeks, I really appreciated that! I needed something that I could just jump into and fly through, and I paired it with the ALC (my preferred way to read because my attention is held better when I can listen to the audiobook as I read). The audiobook was done super well, and the narrator was phenomenal. He differentiated between the characters with different voices so it was fun to listen to and easy to tell which character was talking when. I loved Ridley, David's best friend, so much, and thought she was such a funny character and I wished she had more scenes!! She redeemed a lot of the book for me. I think the overarching issue with this book was that I went into it with different expectations for what the story was and how much of the plot was going to center around the boy band and grief.

We get the inciting incident––David and Chance's friend and bandmate, Eli, passes away––as soon as the book starts, and then Eli is only brought up maybe a few more times throughout the book? And never in-depth. Since he was so close to the protagonist and the love interest, and his death is why they rekindle a friendship/relationship in the first place, it would've made sense for him to be talked about/woven into the story more. I would've liked to see more discussions about grief and dealing with losing a friend like that so young too; I saw some potential for that within the story, but it was just never broached. Additionally, I was expecting more boyband-related things to happen, like a tour or an inside look at the music scene or something. Chance goes off and has a few photoshoots or David tries to reprise his role in the band around the 60-65% mark, but the vast majority of the book was spent doing regular teenage stuff.

My biggest issue though: I love an unlikable main character, but David's entire personality and his actions were so clouded by jealousy and envy. Not to mention the obvious grudge he was still holding against Chance, even after they started dating!! Like why!! And then he had the audacity to try to get back into the band??? While ignoring his boyfriend's obvious attempts at changing subjects and trying to steer him away from the idea?? C'mon, David!! This attitude throughout the story, with very little character growth, is why I'm rating this so low. If I were Chance, I wouldn't have wanted to be with someone who just kept throwing the band and my fame in my face because they were *that* jealous.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review!

A very sweet and introspective book that puts its lead through several difficult issues without ever feeling preachy like he's being tortured or going too deep into the sad parts, which I greatly appreciate in YA.
David started a band with his two best friends, Chance and Eli, but quit in a huff right before they got scouted and became a huge hit. Two years later, Eli dies in a tragic accident and Chance is back in town trying to rest before going back on tour.
David and Chance slowly drift back together with bumps and clashes from David's envy about being left behind when they got famous, but their connection grows and matures into a love that neither of them expected and a whole new set of problems arise.
There's also the great relationship that David has with his dad and his best friend and how those relationships and their past also affect the way he acts in his new one and his reactions to certain things. It's a great little detail that shows that relationships don't take place in a vacuum.
It's emotional and tender and sweet and everything that a first love should be while also giving space to difficult topics. Not an easy thing to balance, but I like how Sutter gave David room to grow and the space to realize what his issues really were. I might have liked Chance to be a little less perfect, but that's just me trying to add a bit more realism to what doesn't need it.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the great read!