I'm a sucker for a books involving band/musician romance. I love them and cannot get enough. So when I received this ARC from Wednesday Books via NetGalley I was incredibly psyched! In many ways this book lived up to my expectations. It had just the right amount of teenage angst mixed with romance and the trials of dating a popular musician. Bits of the story were predictable, but not in a bad way at all. The MC came across as a little whiney and annoying in some places, but it added more to his characters and made him more relatable. (Honestly, if I were in his position, I'd probably be a little whiney and annoying, too.)

The main place I felt this book fell short was in the relationship itself. I just didn't see the chemistry between the MC and the love interest. They worked well together, but something was missing to make me really root for them to make everything work. It wasn't technically InstaLove since the characters had known each other since middle school, but it had been a couple years since they had even really spoken. They were, as the book pointed out, different people and yet they seemed to overcome all that rather quickly. It felt like they just fell into a relationship. The MC went from being straight to "Oh, shit. I'm in love with my ex-best friend" almost a little too quickly, and I think the chemistry got lost in an effort to throw them into a relationship as fast as possible.

One other thing that bugged me a bit was how the grief of losing a friend was quickly pushed into background. The friend and his death were brought up several times, but every time it seemed like they recovered too quickly or the grief was set aside for later but never dealt with head-on. I felt like the characters didn't get a chance to grieve before being thrust into the romance plot.

Overall, I really enjoyed book! It hooked me right away and I couldn't put it down. If, like me, you are a fan of queer, music centric YA romance, you should give this book a try.

The way Michael Scott from The Office feels about Toby is similar to how I feel about David, the MC of Darkhearts. That "Why are you the way that you are? I hate so much about the things you choose to be" scene specifically.

The first half was okay and even cute. I could see a lot of potential and I thought David was intentionally meant to be unlikeable so there was lots of room for real growth and character development.

However, he spends the next 42% of the book being The Actual Worst and then has an epiphany and magically decides he is now going to not be a shitty person anymore.

Darhearts is definitely YA and a book about teenage boys. I know I'm reading about teenagers but do they have to talk about poop and describe a penis as having the same feel as the inside of a dog ear?

David is horrible selfish, he's jealous and unkind, and he doesn't realize how shitty a person he is until 92% into the book when he's already hurt his bff Ridley and his former band mate Chance.

If this book had ended with David realizing he really shouldn't be with anyone right now, and that Chance deserves better instead of just "I have decided to not be jealous of you anymore, I am now a good person" then maybe I would've liked it better? As it is, I felt David was trying to convince himself he'd changed more than anything.

Darkhearts by James L. Sutter is a moody, sincere, coming of age story that explores the idea of second chances.

The story kicks off with a funeral (as many great stories do) and main character David, coming to terms with the death of a former friend. His friends, Eli and Chance, left years ago to continue with a rock band Darkhearts that David helped start. When Eli dies tragically, Chance and David come back together to mourn their friend and spend time in their hometown. The problem is David never left and Chance never looked back.

I really lived at this story because the characters were so deep for a enemies to lover's romcom type situation. The dynamics of old friendships, new love, not fitting in, the music industry, and questioning your sexuality were all handled wonderfully always an approach that felt so organic and comfortable.

David is an interesting character and I really liked seeing his growth throughout the story. I absolutely loved his friendship with Ridley and how they geeked out together. He's likeable character but you can definitely see his flaws and I'm so glad that he was called out on some of his BS.

Chance won my heart immediately and I was definitely fangirling over this pop star. He seemed so genuine and sweet even when he was being pressured to keep up his rock star persona. I loved being able to see how his family dynamics worked with his fame and how he stole a little bits of private time away to be able to be true to himself.

The found family , second chance romance, and enemies two lovers aspects of this book were done really well and I'm definitely going to look out for more books by James L. Sutter

After the death of an ex best friend/former band mate, two other friends and members of the band are reunited and find comfort in each other as they grieve. David quit his band and lost his friends all in the same day, he also lost his shot at being famous. Two years later and now he’s trapped in an ordinary life, working summers for his dad’s construction business while his former best friends Chance and Eli had become the hottest teen pop group in America... and then suddenly Eli dies. Now David and Chance are thrown back into each other’s lives after years of silence and while dealing with their shared grief over a friend, the hurts of the past, the jealously, the new feelings of romance, are all thrown in the mix as they spend time together and figure out just what they mean to each other now. Unfortunately this one was a miss for me, while the story talks about dealing with grief, it never actually deals with the grief, it never actually talks about the process of grieving and how both friends grieve the loss of their friend, instead it really focuses on the relationship between David and Chance. David is filled with jealously and rage over the fact that his friends left him and became famous, it’s been growing and fester in him, yet at the same time the more time he spends with Chance the more he begins a new feeling he never did before, falling for him. It’s complicated and messy and honestly i just wasn’t feeling the relationship between them. David was dealing with a lot of jealously and Chance was constantly forgiving him, but at the same time I really didn’t see their romance. I was expecting more from this I guess and it just didn’t go where I was expecting it or cover things I wish it had. So while it wasn’t for me, if you are interested in stories about famous x regular relationship, friends to lovers, second chance romance (sort of), then give this a go.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

For a book under 300 pages, it sets out to tackle a lot of weighty topics like grief, identity, resentment, and parental abandonment. For the most part I think this book does a good job of addressing these issues and the messiness that comes with being a teenager and the impacts of fame but I do think that with an extra 20-50 pages some of these issues could have been explored a bit more depth giving a bit more resolution to the conflict and developing out the ending more.

That being said, this was a fantastic debut and I found myself thinking about this book a lot after finishing. Chance and David's story definitely stuck with me, as well as the challenges that they both were facing individually and together. I really love stories about fame/stardom and this book is one of the best YA books that I have read that deals with this topic. It tackles fame from two side, the lived experience and difficulties that come with it (Chance) and the jealously that can arise from being the one who missed out (David). I also really enjoyed that this story was set in Seattle and Sutter did a great job capturing the magic of Seattle in the summer time.

I will definitely recommend this book and I am excited to see what Sutter writes next!

First thing I want to say is this cover is gorgeous!
I’m a sucker for celebrity/common man love stories (If This Gets Out, Kiss &Tell, etc) and the context of this one seemed unique and interesting. David and Chance have a rocky road to travel in this: grieving the loss of the other have of Darkhearts Eli, navigating Chance’s celebrity, and the biggest one…dealing with the envy and hurt of Eli and Chance moving forward with the band after David left. I’m happy with how things played out for David…no spoilers, but the easy route was not taken in regards to the band. The banter and even the arguments between the two felt natural and not forced, which is so easily found in YA romance. I particularly have a soft spot for the text messages exchanged. I’d boy bands and celebrities are your thing, you’ll love Darkhearts

Loved it from beginning to end! Granted, it felt VERY personal because I live in Seattle, but that’s not the point. The writing, the character development, the symmetry, the grief and pain and raw emotion. What a story. So so so grateful for Wednesday Books for reaching out and sending me this ARC. Please please please buy it when it comes out on June 6!

I really enjoyed this book! The evolution of Chance was really powerful and felt organic. I found my perspective changing right along with David. There was enough spice included but it also wasn’t over done. The boy band plot was fun and the tension between Chance’s old life and new fame was well thought out and developed. The only thing that stuck out to me was some of the dialogue between the two main characters - a lot of “dude” included which didn’t feel authentic to the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I so very much appreciate the arc, however this just turned out to not be the book for me. I simply couldn't get into it. But the writing was great and I'm sure the story is wonderful.

This book was a very fun quick read. I liked the plot more towards the end because the beginning was kind of predictable. Some characters didn’t seem fully developed personality wise and some of the relationships seemed rushed. The beginning of the book felt a bit rushed too. I liked the main character’s discovery of how he shares some bad qualities with his mom and getting past that. And I loved the ending of this book! But overall I would recommend this book if you want a cute romance. This book reminds me of this gets out by Sophie Gonzalez. So I think if you liked that book you’ll probably like this. Congrats to James L. Sutter.

I really liked the premise but the resentment portrayed toward Chance Ng over the success he had is over the top and not something our library wants to champion. It didn’t feel like it turned around fast enough.

Age range, this really felt middle/high school (as advertised), which isn’t as much our demographic. It doesn’t break the bounds. Just not a good fit.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

I'm a sucker for a good band-centric book, so I was excited to get this arc. The beginning of the book I really enjoyed. David was funny and I liked his friendship with Ridley. I could understand his frustration with Chance and how everything went down years before. I thought his and Chance's relationship went from tentative, reconciling friends to romance a bit quickly and without much buildup, but I was still eager to see how it progressed.

Unfortunately, that's where things went a bit off the rails for me. It's very clear throughout the book that David still holds a lot of resentment toward Chance, and he thrives off having someone like Chance (ie someone rich, famous, desirable, etc) want him. He himself says multiple times that when Chance does something good or praise worthy like leaving a large tip, it reflects back on him because they're together. The further I got into the book, the more I felt like David was less interested in Chance himself and more interested in how having someone like Chance want him made him feel. The majority of the book is David being resentful and jealous and pushy, and it made it very hard to root for or like their relationship. Now, I get that a big part of David's character development throughout the book was letting that go. The problem is he doesn't have that sudden realization until the last couple of chapters and by that point it was too late to make me really care about their relationship.

I also wished it had delved a little deeper into the impact of Eli's death on Chance. David hadn't been friends with Eli since he left the band so I can understand it not affecting him nearly as much, but Chance and Eli were best friends who had lived in each others pockets for years. Other than a few scenes toward the beginning where Chance is upset, it feels like Eli's death got completely pushed to the side in favor of the romance between David and Chance.

All in all, this wasn't a bad book by any means. It had parts I enjoyed, but I just wasn't invested in Chance and David's relationship.

This story hooked me from the first chapter. I was so enthralled in the book I almost read it in one sitting (it was only two because I had to go to bed). I immediately wanted to know more about the main characters and the side characters and was captivated. Overall this book was great! I want to give it a 5/5 but it ends up landing around a 4.5/5 for me. There was a moment when it felt a little slow in the middle, but overall the story was engaging, intriguing, and I had that need to know what was next. For me this book was a nice balance of touching on serious topics, growth, and humor. I felt it interweaved the serious with everyday experiences that led to a nice balance. I loved getting to know the characters and watching them grow.

Overall, I highly recommend if you like books like YA novels that are heartfelt, captivating, and entertaining.


I was given an e-book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

I truly loved this one. I was not totally sure what to expect, and I always love a boy band centered novel, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one and enjoyed it a whole lot. It felt engaging from the first page and the friends, to enemies, to lovers trope was truly beautifully done.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review DARKHEARTS by James L. Sutter as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). I fell in love with this book first because of its cover and then because of the beautiful queer coming of age story. To say this book is brilliant just isn’t enough.

David Holcomb lives a standard teenage Seattle suburb life after leaving his childhood band, Darkhearts - a band that gained fame for his two friends, Chance and Eli. He clings to jealousy, regret, and anger about Darkhearts until his former bandmate, Eli dies, and he’s thrust back into the world of Chance Ng, the famous lead singer.

Chance, a teenage heartthrob and chameleon among all, tries to reconcile with David after Eli’s funeral. David’s pride and insecurity fuel almost get in the way of an unspoken attraction to Chance until an unexpected kiss happens between them. With Chance in the limelight and David desperately wanting to share that with him, the two boys navigate the challenges of young love, honoring their true selves, and feeling accepted for who they are.

Layered throughout the book is the beautiful friendship between Ridley and David. Ridley, a best friend every reader would want in real life, adds humor, quips, and a plethora of movie references serving to evoke nostalgia about teen years long gone. Her intelligence, blunt approach, and classic teenage obsession with the famous people in our lives, creates the right amount of human connection and reality in the story. Sutter’s inclusion late in the book with Ridley’s party serves as an astute nod to the nineties high school party movies capturing the time period and angst readers can feel between the pages.

A novel weaving together humor, teenage uncertainty, and the need to prove oneself, Darkhearts is a thoughtful, well-written, and poignant story. Fans of Red White & Royal Blue and Book Lovers will be placing this between the stacks as a perfect heartfelt comfort read that reminds readers to believe in second-chances and young love again.

Rating: 5/5

Release Date: June 6, 2023

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#arcreader #arcreview #bibliophile

Dave and Chance haven’t spoken in years, after Dave quit their band (with their friend Eli) right before they were launched into superstardom. But after Eli’s untimely death, the two reconnect, forcing them face a lot of unresolved feelings and the new ones that come with meeting someone in a different stage of their life.

on the surface, this is a love story between the two boys, and it’s very satisfactory in that sense. but there’s also deeper layers, mostly dealing with identity and expectations, that help elevate this beyond a normal rom com (which is already excels at).

Dave has spent the last two years resenting Chance and Eli for leaving him behind, but never actually stopped and thought about how his own actions played into his suffering. his whole identity has been about what he missed out on instead of everything he’s achieved since then.

Dave is also a plus size MC, and i really enjoyed how it was handled. his body image and inner monologue felt very authentic!!

The two boys have a really interesting dynamic with more complex layers than the average enemies-to-lovers. it’s really interest how one changes himself to feel superior to the other, only to find out that’s not really how connecting with someone works.

and then there’s all the genuine, intimate moments they share. my favorite moments are the quiet ones between them while they peal away the defensive layers put up the last few years.

highly recommended. check it out June 6th!

Who would have ever thought that the story of a teen romance could begin at a funeral. James L. Sutter delivers a story with interesting characters in a setting that many of us have probably fantasized about. Darkhearts is a quick and entertaining read; perfect for readers who enjoy teen angst and romance. David, the main character, has a very realistic development throughout the story about learning to take responsibility for one’s own actions.

Real life references are always interesting in stories, but in Darkhearts it felt as if there was one in every other page, making setting feel way to specific to a 2019-2021 time period. I feel like this could potentially age the book way too fast.

Without a doubt I’ll be recommending this book, and would be interested in a future sequel that explores the characters in a more mature setting.

Darkhearts was a quick but good read. While there were A LOT of similarities to If This Gets Out, what sets this one apart is the characters. Both Chance and Holc were realistic teenagers. Did Holc drive me mad 80% of the book, yes. But he was well written, flaws and all. The book does begin after the death of the two characters’ friend, Eli, but it did not really delve into their grief, which i didn’t love, but also meant the book had a lighter mood than I would have expected. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an emotional, but sweet YA romance.

5/5 stars! I am obsessed with this book. The cover, the story, and the slow-burn romance are all *chef's kiss* perfection! Normally I'm not too fond of when authors claim their story is equitable to huge names in their genre, so when I saw this was for fans of Red, White, & Royal Blue, and Perks of Being a Wallflower, I was hesitant. Having read it, I can affirm that this book is phenomenal and deserves its place along with these other queer fiction stories. The story starts off at a funeral. which pulled me in instantly and it never slowed down from there. It was sweet and smart and witty.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Darkhearts took me by surprise. I only started reading romance this year and had yet to venture into YA, aside from the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman. There was language and many references used that made it clear this was written for a modern, younger audience. As someone who is chronically online, I didn't have any trouble with it, but I can see how that may push some older readers away. Especially because it is mostly concentrated toward the beginning.

However, I hope that doesn't detract anyone from reading this delightful story of childhood best friends-turned enemies-turned boyfriends. David Holcomb is a protagonist I can see many teen boys relating with. He is flawed, but those flaws don't go unaddressed, which provides him with substantial character growth. His sudden interest in the same sex is relatable and realistic. Chance clearly feels the same way. Once Cupid shot his arrow, they moved quickly, which I appreciated.

I liked how Sutter used the band to highlight David's insecurities, show how different David and Chance were, and add stakes to the budding romance. While they're having fun, Chance constantly has to leave town for some gig, and the looming knowledge that Chance will eventually have to leave for tour adds some fun tension. I felt that Chance was a romantic interest that many will enjoy. He's charismatic and a giver to a fault. On paper he seems like perfect boyfriend material. In real life, too, but he's battling his own insecurities that few can understand due to his unique position in the spotlight.

The two things that I didn't vibe with as much...
1. I thought Ridley, David's best friend, was a bit...much, at times. She had her moments of being a supportive friend (and as a trivia fan, I appreciated her weird animal facts), but there were moments where I just wanted to sit her in time out for a couple minutes.
2. *Slight Spoiler*
While I was rooting for David and Chance to get back together, it wrapped up quickly. A couple days pass for the boys, but we as readers only really get one chapter for David to process everything.

Overall, I really enjoyed Darkhearts. I'll also add that I re-read the last page a couple times. Had my eyes getting a little misty in the best way possible. I could feel the weight lifting off everyone's shoulders.

4.5/5