When I read the description of this book, I was definitely intrigued. But you know what really sold me? The fact it was set in Seattle near where I live. I'm sucker for books set in the PNW because it's so easy for me to visualize the setting. But mix that in with music and a band? SOLD!

Darkhearts had some real ups and downs. I understood it as a story about 3 young teens (Eli, Chance and David) that formed a band and 1 (David) quit right before they made it big. Eli and Chance went on to tour and become successful, leaving David behind and him feeling resentful towards his former friends. But when Eli dies and Chance returns home to take a break, he reconnects with David and we get to see how they each perceived what went down in the past.

Since this book was told completely from David's POV, we really got into his head. And I have to say, he was not my favorite. He had a lot of growing up to do, but he also cared for and loved his BFF Ridley and his father. He may have not always shown it, but you could feel it. You have to realize these kids are only 17. They ARE still growing up and finding themselves, so to be flawed and perhaps immature is natural and realistic.
Then there was Chance who was dealing with being famous and adjusting to becoming different versions of himself for different people/groups. Being in the limelight isn't always what it is cracked up to be. I would've loved to hear from Chance's POV and what he was thinking as he and David reunited as friends and then discovered they liked each other more than that. They never made it a big deal. It just was. They felt an attraction and went with it. I loved the dates David planned while trying to show Chance that he could just be himself when they were together. It saddened me that they had to hide their feelings from the public, but that's the price you pay when you're a star.

Overall, this was a cute, queer YA story with some angst and good storytelling, but I think what would've really made this story stronger is getting more about Eli (the 3rd band member that passed away) and diving a little deeper on how his death affected David and Chance and their relationship. I feel like his death was just glossed over and we needed more. But if you enjoy some rockstar romance that goes from frenemies to lovers, this book will definitely be one for you to pick up.
And PS, that ending? Just the resolution I like! 3.75 stars

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Ok so this book I wanted to love so much, but I just couldn't. This book has so much potential, but I feel like it was just rushed, and needed more time to be finished.

The good parts about it were how mental health was explored, and how grief, jealousy, and fame was written throughout the book. The ending was cute, but it felt very rushed and staged.

There were a lot of uneccessaruy scenes, or scenes that should have been explored more. For example, at the beginning of the book we were at the funeral for Eli, and we find out his cause of death. I think that should have been explored more since that was really the only time we really got to know who Eli was.

When writing characters, you wanna have the reader really connect with them, but I do not think any of them were all that good. It felt like a constant battle of wanting to love them, but also wanting to just scream how stupid they are,

The romance element felt very staged and fake. Like it felt like someone was setting Chance and David up, but I don't think it was working. They are now complete opposites, and their personalities just are not compatible.

Thank you to NetGalley & Wednesday Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well. I never really connected with David or Chance. And I struggled with believing the whole background story of them. Friends starting a band together in their tweens that went famous and two of them left David behind. One died of alcohol poisoning so the remaining member returned home. Chance and David spent much of their time “reconnecting” but I found them both insufferable most of the time. I didn’t find the humor that funny and the characters weren’t lovable. So I really struggled.

And this isn’t really a romance in anyway. It’s about two teens struggling to find themselves in two very different works. And tbh David was kind of a jerk through the entire novel, which was the point, but his redemption came too late in my eyes. And the HFN was lackluster too. Left me hanging in there air. Overall the writing was fine but I never connected with the story or characters. And I found most of it too unbelievable to suspend my disbelief.

David, Chance, and Eli started a band in middle school - a band that took off big after David quit. When Eli dies of alcohol poisoning just before David's senior year, Chance returns home to regroup. It isn't too long before David and Chance turn into a <i>thing</i> much to the chagrin of Chance's manager. It does, however, mean that David needs to come to terms with Chance's fame and his own missed chance at it.

This was an enjoyable book in a lot of ways. I loved the friendship between Ridley and David, I loved the believably poor decisions the characters made, I loved the character growth, and I very, very much loved the representation of a teen who has every intention of learning a trade instead of going to an academic college. It's very much a book about David finding out who he is (and kind of realizing that labels don't always matter) with romance used as the vehicle. The way the book ended was realistic and open-ended in a way not every author can pull off.

Overall I would recommend to most high school teens who like more introspective contemporary novels but would hesitate to recommend it to adults who do not work with teens.

If you're gonna sell your book as fitting for fans of Red, White and Royal Blue and Perks of Being A Wallflower, please live up to your promises because this was... odd.

David has been harboring some resentment towards his former friends turned international pop-stars for a while now, after having been left behind while they skyrocketed towards fame and fortune. But then one of them dies, and David can only really turn to Chance, who for years thought he hated. Now, as they grow closer, David has to reevaluate his feelings and whether he was really left behind.

On one hand, I really enjoyed how this book tackled the topic of celebrity and provided some much-needed LGBTQ+ representation in YA Romance. On the other hand, I felt like the blooming relationship between David and Chance came completely out of left field with no build-up. I wanted there to be more substance behind their actions, some background on their friendship from before. I felt like this book needed more context on Eli and how he impacted both David and Chance.

Although the premise and plot were interesting, the characters were poorly developed and the author did a lot of show-no-tell; the sentences were short and not very descriptive, and there was a lot of much-needed context that was missed out on. David and Chance jump from emotion A-to-Z in a matter of seconds with seemingly no thought process or inner monologue.

That being said, while I thought this book was fun, I also thought it could be a lot better.

This started strong but then bogged down for quite awhile. Most all the action is in last few chapters. Loved the ending scene (it's what bumped it up to a 3 Star Read) but it felt rushed. I wanted to know how David and Chance ended up there. I feel like their story is HFN not HEA. Their problems aren't going to magically dissappear. Also Ridley is a horrible best friend. I really disliked her character. She takes advantage of everyone, meddles with people's lives for her own amusement and then is offended that she isn't told everything.

My main complaints - one character referring to his mother as Mom Führer. That just felt icky. And while the characters decide not to label their relationship, they are clearly not straight, so the Harry Potter references seems wrong.

It was a cute concept and a more or less cute story, but David is hard to like for most of the book. A lot of readers are going to struggle with him and the length of time it takes for him to get over himself. In the end, though, he's a teen, and the story stays true to that.

4/5 I am actually crying at 10pm on a Tuesday because of the ending of this book! Sorry, if my review is all over the place, I’m writing through the tears!

Darkhearts is a friends to enemies to strangers to friends to lovers romance that has all the reminiscent feelings of falling in love with your first major love. I feel I cannot say more without spoiling it, but this story definitely sucks you in! I said I would read for an hour and suddenly I was 60% and it was midnight!

The only downside I had was it was very hard to remember David and Chance are high school age. While Chance can be explained as growing up on the road, David acts older than the other characters and sometimes I would forget! There is also a little dip right before the climax thst is hard to get through but the ending brought me back around!

I would definitely recommend for those who love famous person x hometown best friend stories!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

The opening and closing lines of Darkhearts are epic, the sort of words you want to begin and end a story of a high school senior’s journey to navigating the pain of the past and choices for his future alongside his identity. High school senior David is content to sulk about his former best friends, Eli and Chance, who achieved star-leve fame with the band David started just as soon as David quit two years ago. But Eli’s funeral, which opens the book, forces David and Chance to finally talk after years of separation.

David finds himself rekindling their friendship, which also sparks confusing feelings for him. Previously under the impression that he only liked girls, David is shocked to discover a budding romantic attraction to his former best friend and current heartthrob goth rocker. David has to grapple with realizations about his identity, his choice to quit the band, and his habit of leaving when things get tough. Chance and David must both come to terms with who they are, which is hard enough already for a pair of seniors without one being a rockstar and the other a person who must let go of what could have been.

I recommend this book for ages 14+, and would recommend it to readers who loved Heartstopper and Red, White and Royal Blue.

5/5

If you’re looking for a book similar to Red White and Royal Blue complete with enemies to lovers and celebrity romance this book is it. It’s a little cheesy, but a lot of fun.

It’s a coming of age story about first love and self discovery. The protagonist, David is unsure of where he fits, which most high schoolers are sure to relate to. He’s jealous of what he thinks he wants and must learn to come to terms with the fact that he may not be blameless in the direction of his life. He discovers who he is as he, not just his sexuality, but also his interests and aspirations for life.

That being said, there’s plenty of dramatic moments and cute scenes between the characters that could only exist in the pages of a YA romance novel. Full of all the best tropes, that makes it such an enjoyable read. Yet the emotions in the scenes that call for some suspension of disbelief feel real and reasonable and causes the reader to truly care about the characters on the page.

David is jealous of his former bandmate, Chance after Chance makes it big as part of a band David left and now must face that sentiment head on. His feelings towards Chance certainly evolve and he’s forced to make decisions about clinging to the beliefs he had or trying to see past his own pain and jealousy.

Sometimes jealousy in romance novels can overshadow the relationship as a whole when it’s as central to the story as it is in this novel. Yet in this, it seems real and difficult to grapple with as you come to understand both sides of the story.

I’d strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast paced engaging YA romance and just an overall fun story.

Delightfully sweet and warm, 2 ex-friends find feelings for one another over music and their shared grief, learning they're bi. A beautiful coming-of-age story, so wonderfully written, and an amazing audiobook!

David, Elijah, and Chance started a band in their early teens, but David quit to focus on high school. When he learns Eli has died, he and Chance reconnect after not speaking for several years.

Darkhearts is angsty and will make you feel all the feels!

David and Chance were a couple worth rooting for. While I did want to hold David down and yell at him for being stupid, way more than I would have liked, seeing his growth was worth it.
The ex-friend to lovers storyline and the mix of grief for both Eli and for David’s ego made for a good read that I was able to finish in an afternoon.
Personally, I would have loved more in depth relationship development between the two boys, but overall I think it was well done!

DNF @ 30%

When 17 year old David Holcomb's former bandmate, Eli, dies, it forces him to reconnect with his other bandmate, Chance, who stirs up feeling of jealousy but also something else inside him,

I was bored. I found David incredibly immature and unlikable. All the other character seemed rather one dimensional as well.
The writing in this is very matter of fact and the plot pretty lackluster. The premise immediately caught my eye, but the execution just didn't hold my attention. And nothing about the situation David and Chance find themselves in made me want them to end up together.

3.75 rounded up to 4 stars. This was a really fun YA romance about two ex-band mates/friends who reunite again after a tragic and sudden death of a mutual friend. I really liked the themes that were explored here about family, fame, regrets, second chances, mourning and also moving on! I thoroughly enjoyed Dave's character arc and thought his POV was pretty fun to follow! (I selfishly wish it had Chance's POV too though.) The book starts off right at the funeral, and we're immediately thrust into the awkward reunion which is pretty great, but also kind of poignant too with how they reminisce about Eli and the past.

The dynamic between Dave and Chance was really cute and ofc surprisingly easy between the two, and the gym chapter was SO good that it wanted me to read more books with it. 👀 Honestly, I think James did a great job with the tension between Dave/Chance throughout the book, and while things definitely heated up after the bi-awakening pretty quickly, it still worked with how cute and awkward they would be kind of re-acquainting with each other again. I loved the scenes of them doing woodworking + also playing music together too! The side characters also added some great flavor with humor from Ridley, and Dave's dad adding some conflict/reminders and While he did get a bit <i>too</i> focused on his criticism about the band (believable for a dad though), I really appreciated his talks later (and wish we got a little more with that too).

The main thing I didn't like was the third act conflict as much not because it happened, but because of the lack of communication on Chance's part. It was believable and still <i>overall</i> worked, but that was the only part where I felt Chance could've done more -- <spoiler>especially as Dave was already on the down after the rejection from the studio, lack of back-up from Chance (AND without telling his opinions BEFORE the audition?) hurt even more. Because yes, while Chance was right about Dave's thinking/emotions, and I'm sure he was hurting because of Eli, I wish he talked more on his feelings because this could've been avoided or at least touched upon before AND he had the wrong assumption about Dave too.</spoiler> It was definitely a vital lesson for Dave, obviously and necessary, but the fact that Chance <spoiler> didn't really apologize either later in the resolution AND that Dave was the only one who did so</spoiler> just made it not as good for me. The epilogue definitely was a GREAT ending though, and it at least touched upon my problems with Chance in that part. It just emphasized why I wish we got a little bit of his POV too because I wanted to hear his motivations/more from him too (especially after the party scene) and would've liked more about Eli too.

Overall, a really fun read and I would definitely pick up another book by James!

This was described as being perfect for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue, and Alice Oseman, so I was excited to dig in. I found it to very RW&RB if it was written by a man. It was bro-y. For example, instead of the lakehouse scene or the Victoria & Albert Museum, they work out, and in another scene, David teaches Chance to drive. When they get upset [pretty often] they wrestle.

My biggest issue was David- he wasn't likeable, and he blows up his own life with bad decisions constantly succumbing to jealousy. I didn't see why Chance would want him, so I couldn't ship the relationship. It felt like I was being told, not shown. There was too much cringe, like when Chance goes to Ridley's party and she insists on introducing him to every. Single. Person. WHY GIRL?!?! WHY?!?!

Other than that, this book gave us childhood friends to lovers / enemies to lovers /boyband romance. I'd recommend it for people who enjoyed If This Gets Out which I LOVED [3 copies!!]
I give this one 3/5 stars.
It's out 6/6/23!

This was very cringe, but in a trashy good way. I definitely enjoyed this as a fun beach read. I probably wouldn't recommend it to a friend though.

Red, White, and Royal Blue was my favorite novel of 2022. The tagline is 100% correct to compare the two. If you like RWRB, READ THIS!!!!!

i enjoyed this book so much! i am currently trying to get myself out of a reading slump and it felt so good to read a book i thoroughly enjoyed :) i requested this arc many months ago that by now when picking it up i had basically forgotten anything it was about so i went into it blind and was surprised and happy to see that it was not one but TWO of my fav tropes! childhood best friends (who have a falling out) to lovers, AND a famous musician/boyband romance! i loved all the characters and as a bisexual myself it was nice getting to read david's journey to discovering himself. the romance was cute and fun and i loved the ending so much! another cool thing was how it was set in seattle as i have been there many times, i love when books take place somewhere i know/been because it makes the story feel so much more real! overall i would highly suggest this book for anyone looking for a queer band romance because it perfectly hit the spot <3

Stop comparing everything to Red, White & Royal Blue and making Harry Potter references challenge.

Darkhearts sounded like a book that would be perfect for me. Coming-of-age. Forbidden love. Bandmates secretly dating. Friends-to-lovers. *chef's kiss* That's some top tier stuff. But Darkhearts also suffers from not being sure exactly what it's supposed to be. A drama? A romcom? We start out at a friend's funeral who died from alcohol poisoning. I wish this had been explored more. Said friend, who was also in Darkhearts (the band), and was, once upon a time, best friends with David and Chance. Chance, the sole surviving band member, (because David quite 2 years ago), returns home to try and reconnect with David. Their reunion blossoms into some resemblance of a relationship. But Chance has to return to the life on the road (As a one man band? A solo artist?) and David is, once again, being left behind. Feelings are hurt all around. Though, there is some resolution by the end. And everyone lives happily ever after. Just kidding! We actually have no idea because just as the book gets exciting, it ends. Maybe we could have seen some of the *after* and cut out some of the boring mundane stuff. Not that I don't love fluff. Idk. Side note: let's play a game where we count how many cringe popculture icons and phrases are mentioned. I'll wait.

I know it seems like I disliked Darkhearts but I actually did enjoy it. I listened via audiobook. Ramon de Ocampo is a narrator I typically enjoy.

If you are looking for some great companion novels: If This Gets Out, Catch My Breath, A Summer Soundtrack for Falling in Love, Boy Banned, A Little Bit Country, and Beyond the Sea all had some similar vibes.


***Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy.***