i am withholding my review and any promotion of this title due to the boycott of SMP. if SMP eventually speaks up and the boycott ends, i will update this with a review.

This was a fun YA romance with a unique twist. Native New Yorker and "Plan-it" expert, Chloe Chang is an Asian American teen girl who finds herself moving to Los Angeles and trying to get over her ex after being recently dumped after getting a box of her things shipped to her via USPS.

Inspired by other found object exhibits, Chloe decides to create "Heartifacts," an art exhibit of other people's break-up boxes to fulfil a school assignment but things get out of hands when it turns into a social media influencer photo op rather than the serious exhibit she wanted.

Chloe also finds herself very attracted to new friend Daniel, but he is determined not to be another rebound guy after helping six other girls realize they wanted to get back with their exes rather than date him. Great on audio narrated by Cindy Kay and perfect for fans of authors like Jenny Han.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Artifacts of an Ex
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Jennifer Chen

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: When Chloe Chang gets dumped via USPS after moving across the county from NYC to LA, her first instinct is to throw her box of memories in the garbage. Instead, she starts buying other teenagers’ break-up boxes to create an art exhibit, Heartifacts. Opening night is going great, until she spots Daniel Kwak illicitly filming his best friend’s reaction to his ex’s box. When she tries to stop him, an intense discussion ends up launching a creative partnership and friendship… and a major crush for Chloe.

There’s just one problem: Daniel is dead set on not being another rebound.

Five times he’s been the guy who makes the girls he’s dating realize they want to get back with their ex. And he refuses for there to be a sixth. She insists she’s over her ex, but when he shows up unexpectedly with his new girlfriend, it turns out Daniel was right. She isn’t ready for a new relationship.

She throws herself into making Heartifacts successful, but flashy influencers threaten her original vision of the exhibit. To create the exhibit she’s always wanted, Chloe needs to go back to basics, learn to work with artists in a more collaborative way, and discover what love can be. Only then will she convince Daniel she’s truly ready for everything they could be to one another.

My Thoughts: A very cute and lighthearted read about relationships, both platonic and romantic, told through art. The premise is interesting. After Chloe gets dumped, via USPS, her first instinct is to just throw away her memory box, but then an idea spurs to buy other people’s break-up memory boxes and make art out of it. Chloe and Daniel form a relationship after he is caught filming his ex’s box reaction. Daniel does not want to be rebound material. He has been there, done that too many times. Even though Chloe has a crush on Daniel, since he does not want to move out the friend’s zone, she throws herself into the art project. When some influencers attempt to rain on her art parade, Chloe digs deep and goes back to the basics. This follows the tropes of friends to lovers.

Keep in mind that this book is targeted for a YA audience. I personally, love both YA and Adult, so the immaturity did not bother me. The story is narrated by Chloe, in her perspective. While I don’t mind single POV books, I think you get a more complete picture when you have a dual narration. There was a bit of repetition with the art exhibits, rejection, and then coming together. The page count would have been fine had we dug deeper into the characters to develop the plot a little more, otherwise, you probably could have cut off 100 or so pages with the repetitiveness. Chloe makes an okay heroine, I think if she would have skipped the first two relationship asks, focused on the exhibit and then entered into a romantic relationship, it would have come across better. Daniel is charming but not the level of swoon. The real MVPs were the supporting characters, they really carried the storyline. Chloe does grow as a character while curating this art exhibit, which was nice to see. Overall, an enjoyable YA read.

This was a lovely sweet read, I think it falls more inline on YA Contemporary with romance being a subplot, putting the plot with developing Chloe’s character and the art scene. I think it would make for an excellent movie. I would recommend for fans of Young Adult Romance. I loved Chen’s last book and was so excited for this one, it just fell a little flat for me. That will not discourage me from reading another Chen book or recommending this book.

I enjoyed this young adult rom-com. The characters were likable and I appreciated the themes of exploring your creativity and learning to follow your own voice. I felt that the relationship between Chloe and her ex-boyfriend which jumpstarts the plot was not well-developed enough at the beginning, so I felt plopped into the story before I really had an investment in the characters. However, there was backstory provided later that helped flesh out the relationships. The characters were a bit superficial throughout, so I don’t think this will be a story that I remember, but it was an enjoyable quick read.

I enjoyed this lighthearted and enjoyable YA romance. It's not my go to but it was a nice change. I enjoyed the underlying these and thought the HEA was delightful. Thank for the opportunity to read and review this book.

After moving to LA from NYC, Chloe gets dumped by mail. This makes her mad enough that she decides to do an exhibit on exes. With the help of her new friends, Chloe creates the exhibit and begins to fall in love with one of them, Daniel. The problem is that Daniel is usually the rebound date and he flat out refuses to date her because he always ends up with a broken heart.
Opinion
This was a sweet, cute book. I was enticed by the progression of her exhibit and of course enthralled by the romance between Chloe and Daniel.
I can definitely see a bunch of my students reading this book. It fits the criteria that my students love. It is about teenagers, has some type of angst, has a love story and has a meet cute. It is a great book.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

i’m submitting the reviews for books by you that I already have, but I will never request another one. In October one of your employees made a horribly racist statement and you have chosen to do nothing about it. People have continuously asked you to say that you don’t stand with what the employee said, and you refuse to. This is not someone who I want to promote ever because you are sending the wrong message. These reviews will not be posted on social media because you don’t deserve the promotion. I hope that all of your authors move to other publishers because you are standing with a genocide. Watch this video for more information https://www.tiktok.com/@vivafalastinleen/video/7288407369313307947?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7211704101519296042

this was really cute. i do feel like after she made the decision to get over her ex it happened pretty fast but i liked it. daniel was always so in his head, it was cute to see him overthink things. i kind of wish we got some of his pov.

The Artifacts of an Ex by Jennifer Chen

Published: November 14, 2023
Wednesday Books
Genre: Teen & Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 277
KKECReads Rating: 3/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Another influencer storyline. I’m over the whole social media influencer fad. This was a cute story, though. And the way the artifacts of an ex came to life was clever.

I did not like Chloe at all. Maybe it’s the age difference, but she irritated me, and I did not enjoy her. I did find the storyline engaging, and the way art galleries were used was well done.

I’m not educated on what makes something art, so I did like that element. It was a special kind of power, turning hurt and history into something that matters.

There were decent characters; it was just Chloe that put me off. I did like Jennifer’s writing style and would read her work.

"Artifacts of An Ex" is a delightful and heartwarming read, exuding a charming and cozy atmosphere that captivates from start to finish. The book introduces a diverse cast of characters, each contributing a unique flavor to the narrative. What sets this story apart is not only the main characters but also the well-developed side characters who manage to shine and add depth to the overall plot. The tales woven within these pages are not only engaging but also possess a certain cuteness that adds to the overall charm of the book. Whether you're drawn to the main plot or the intriguing side stories, "Artifacts of An Ex" is a delightful journey through the lives of its characters, making it a highly enjoyable and recommended read for those seeking a heartwarming escape.

this was so cute! i’m a big fan of leni kauffman and anytime i see one of her covers, i have to read the book!

i haven’t read a young adult book in a while and this was a fun one to get into! it was cute, light-hearted, and a quick read! even though it was a romance book, the romance plot didn’t seem like the most important part, to me. i found myself really caring about the friendships that were going on in the story. daniel & vincent and chloe & francesca’s friendships played an important part in this book (to me). i’m a sucker for strong best friends and i think jennifer did that really well!

heartifacts is a super cool concept and i would absolutely go to an exhibit like that if it existed!!

this would also make a good movie!!

One word, HEARIFACTS!

I thought this was so clever and fun. It was super cute and so well written, I really enjoyed Jennfier Chen's writing style.

YA is usually hit or miss with me but this one had a lot of interesting and artistic styles that I wasn't feeling like it was a bore.

Chloe is dumped via a package and she decides she is going to make it a work of art, which I NEVER in a million years would have done or thought of.

Not for everyone of course but def a great read!

On one hand, the Heartifacts exhibit that the FMC Chloe made was a great idea. It was cute and this had the makings for a cute YA romance. But it unfortunately did not hit the mark for me. I thought the banter between Chloe and Daniel was more stilted than anything. I wanted more chemistry for those two but I didn’t see it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC. Artifacts of an Ex is out now.

Such a really cool concept!!! I can totally envision it in my head. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark. Someone who really likes YA Romance might find this of interest, but overall I wouldn't recommend.

What do you do when your family moves across the country and your boyfriend breaks up with you via mailed shoebox? If you are Chloe, with the help of some old and new friends, you turn the contents of the box into art. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview of this cute YA romcom.

I absolutely adored this debut! Chloe and Daniel are meant for each other and it was easy to root for them to end up together. I loved learning so much about art shows and the curating process. It was so educational! I could envision the Heartifacts show. As an Angeleno, I especially enjoyed the L.A. setting and various references. The secondary characters were memorable as well. The dialogue felt realistic and natural. Overall, a cute entertaining read that warmed my heart.

Artifacts of An Ex was a cute YA rom-com. I enjoyed Chloe and Daniel and their interactions with each other and the supporting characters. Within the story was such a unique and interesting art exhibit idea - that is what initially interested me in the book! Overall, a solid read!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press Wednesday Books for the ARC!

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really liked how this story came together. I appreciated the group of friends, and how the adults in the story did not treat the teenagers like children.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review. I think this one is more of a 2.5 star read for me. It did take me quite a while to read through even though it was actually such a fast paced and quick read, just because I'd put it down frequently and not pick it back up. The strongest parts of this book for me were the storylines about family, and those were really more of background. The art talks were initially super interesting but the more the artist characters talked, the more pretentious they came across - more for show than for passion. The romances were also very slow and forced even though the whole book is about honoring the ways we commemorate relationships. I did think it was a fun and creative concept that readers who are particularly into the crossover of social media and art would enjoy!

The blurb for this book really drew me in and the book did not disappoint! This was a very sweet, light-hearted read. Just what I needed. It was very fluffy, and very feel good. I chuckled a bit at the way Chloe was dumped. If you’ve seen “Overnight delivery” you’d understand. Chloe using her breakup in the form of an art exhibit was *chefs kiss*! Of course this is where things take a turn for her that she doesn’t see coming because she meets Daniel. These were two characters that you really couldn’t help but like. This gave me Netflix YA romcom feels which I have to say is my favorite!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I love anything Jennifer Chan writes. She has a way of making her characters and their struggles so relatable. Chloe is suffering from being dumped, and she does what we wish we would have done, which is be productive! She creates an art exhibit called Heartifacts, Along the way, she starts working with Daniel, and she, of course, has a crush on him, Since he's unwilling to be a rebound, Chloe has to settle for friendship, and also needs to learn how to help others while she examines her own beliefs about love. This is a really sweet book with lots of moments of humor. It felt original and fun. I recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.