Overall I did enjoy the book even if it didn’t become a new favorite. If you’re a fan of queer YA and a story about teens reconnecting and the pressures of figuring out your sexuality in the spotlight sounds interesting then I say to give this one a try.

I was less excited by the narrator but try to push through to try to finish the story. However I had to give up on trying to finish this as I did not like the chemistry between the two main characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this audio ARC.

My ears did not love the narrator. That makes me sad bc the story is good.

This book has a lot of potential but sadly didn't deliver for me. The characters were not only unlikeable, they made no sense together you actually want them to be just friends, or even better, acquaintances who rarely talk. One was meaner for absolutely no reason, and the other lacked depth. I know they're young and when you're young you act unreasonably, but there's a limit. I was not a fan of the story nor of the characters both alone and together.

Love the cover. The author deals with subjects of friendship, sexuality, insecurity, grief with authenticity and realism. There some heavy moments but also some lighthearted humor. Was attracted to the comparison of Red, White & Royal Blue or HeartStopper, but I found this book to be a little more heavy than these two. Ended well if somewhat abruptly. Received both the audio and print version from NetGalley and liked the audio best.

This book was literally one of the cutest I’ve read in AWHILE. I was very fortunate to get the audio version of this and I loved the narrator! I was immediately hooked from the beginning to end. This was a love story that I found myself engulfed in. Had me giggling and twirling my hair!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Darkhearts by @james_l_sutter is a book I easily became fully immersed in. There’s something about relationships in boybands that seem to just hook me. The shared history between the characters and how it broke them and made them all at the same time. The enemies to lovers trope sealed the deal for me.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #darkhearts #jamessutter #smpinfluencers

I love books about musician, showing that fame isn’t always being rich and living your best life.
It takes a toll, especially when you’re still very young.
I also love a good second chance romance/ ex friends to lovers.
This had both, and yet I think I wasn’t the main audience for it. This is a book for teenage boys I think, I cringed a lot and found the MC not too likeable honestly.
The ending was very rushed too.
I still think that for the main audience this will be a book well liked!

This was a very unique story, I enjoyed seeing the characters reconnect revisiting the past while also making new connections and memories. I was a little off put by the way the death of a friend was handled but I do understand that this is a young adult book and was trying handle it in an appropriate way for that audience. I wish a different reason could have been used as a reason to reconnect because as someone who lost a close friend at a young age this didn’t sit right with me.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I read the book in advance but am a little delayed in my writing of this review. My apologies.

As a lover of YA romance, this book had all the elements I enjoy. Friends-to-enemies-to lovers, Slow burn, flawed characters, coming of age— it’s all there. However, I did not enjoy the character development (or lack thereof) of the MC, David. He’s a teenager so of course he’s immature, but I wanted to jump through the pages of book and shake him so many times. His lack of self awareness was frustrating throughout the entire book. We never really see him grow which felt like a missed opportunity. The former friend/love interest is likeable enough, but I felt like his connection to David wasn’t believable. It wasn’t enough for me to feel invested in their love story. The book kept me engaged enough that I kept reading, but the pacing of the third act felt off and made hard to push through to the end.

David watched his friends, Eli and Chance, take the band he left and make it famous. Now, after the unexpected death of Eli, Chance is back in town, and has finally made contact after two years apart. With their shared grief, the pair find each other again in the quiet space between, and find that under the old tension, a spark lies between them.

I loved this book!! I haven’t thought too much about the implications when a band member quits and that band goes on to become famous afterwards. Seeing David in his ordinary world as he prepares for his future in carpentry instead of music was bittersweet, but before Chance came back into his life, he saw the potential and excitement in his path.

I thought they were so sweet together, especially because they had the shared history and continued humour together, but I really thought it was real in the subtle shifts that David noticed when Chance needed to turn on his famous persona for fans, even ones that David thought were just his friends.

I love a story where someone is famous, and Chance, as young as he is, knows that he has a team who relies on his continual success to pay their bills. That’s a huge amount of stress to be under, and I thought that it was presented really well.

The bond between David and his father was also so special, and I appreciated their dedication to each other as a family unit.

I’d definitely recommend this book, and the narrator was fantastic as well!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩, 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨-𝙩𝙤-𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚.

I don’t think this book will be for everyone, but I had a great time reading it. It reminded me so much of other YA books I’ve read in regard to the celebrity aspect.

I switched back and forth between the ebook and the audio. I loved that this book had queer representation and followed a boy band. While this is a YA romance, there were a few difficult topics to read about.

Former boy band member David has split up from Darkhearts, but once his former member, Eli, dies from alcohol poisoning, he reconnects with the other member, Chance. I loved the relationship between both characters and I think the author did a great job at representing sexuality and identity.

It did take me a while to get engaged, but once I did, I couldn’t put this book down. I wasn’t expecting it to begin on a sad note with a funeral, but oh man, the love story was incredible. There were a few repetitive moments, but I just couldn’t stop rooting for the two.

The swoony romance was written so well. I loved David and Chance equally and both characters were relatable. I also loved the fame and music subplots throughout the story.

I thought the audiobook was incredible. The ending was also so wholesome and I just loved every moment of this love story. While I do think some references were unnecessary, I still had such a great time reading this. It would definitely be a great read for young teens/adults!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, and Body Shaming

A funny, enemies-to-lovers story perfect for romance readers of all ages. Who doesn't love two enemies falling head over heels for each other against a backdrop of musical talent? No one that's who, which is why you're going to love this story.
The narrator does a wonderful job of breathing life into the characters and drawing the listener into the story entirely.

When David quit Darkhearts, his high school band turned international superstars, he missed his chance at fame. Now, he’s stuck living out an ordinary high school life. Tragedy throws David and his ex best friend and band mate, Chance, back together and David might just have a second shot at stardom & a secret romance with his once frenemy?!

One of my vacation reads from last month, Darkhearts is an intriguing, impactful, yet fun read! I agree, it’s an interesting mix - let’s get into it.

The book starts off at a funeral, takes on themes of loss, remorse, & uncertainty, and is full of characters finding their way. There’s a lot to unpack there already, but you also need to consider the rockstar/fame component, as well as the exploration of sexual identity. Luckily, it all works and still delivers humorous & tender moments between friends and family with the more serious undertones throughout.

This isn’t the first book with stardom I’ve read in the last few years and I never really realized my fascination with being famous until now. It’s so intriguing!

I don't normally lean towards rockstar romances, but i enjoyed this one. Our MC was selfcentered, but he's also a teenager so it fit his character. I did think the friend dying was just a plot device to get the two characters together, but ultimately held no other value.
Overall, this was a fun read and I am excited to see more from this author.

When David quit his band, he didn't expect them to suddenly become famous without him. After the death of his formal bandmate, Eli, David finds himself involved again with his old bandmate, Chance.
As feeling start to grow, David finds himself the opportunity for a second chance at fame with Chance. But Chance is all too familiar with people who are there to just use you.

This book made me feel like I was going back to my high school era, with band tee shirts and emo hairstyles that should never come back. After all, if Darkhearts was a real band, I would have had their band tee shirt and poster on my walls. you would think I would love this story because of that, but to be honest, something was missing.

The story, first of all, is somewhat sad because their childhood friend Eli died of alcohol posioning. We have David who is dealing with loosing a friend who he was once closed with. Also dealing with feelings for Chance. I feel like the first couple of chapters of this book was a bit rough, I'm not sure if it's because the characters had akwardness between eachother or if it was just the writing.

When Chance and Daivd start to fall in love, that is when I felt like the writing and story got better, We had David struggling with understanding his sexuality while dealing with his new found fame, Then there is Chance, who has delt with people using him consantly.

I listen to this book as audiobook, and I would recommend to also listen to it as audiobook, as the narrator did a great job and I enjoyed every minute listening to the story.

A great twist on the boyband romance trope.

Former bandmates David and Chance are forced together while they mourn the loss of fellow bandmate, Eli. David quit the band right before Chance and Eli made it big, and he’s been holding a grudge ever since. But now that Chance is back in town, the two former friends find themselves turning to each other again.

As their friendship grows, David and Chance begin to open up about their feelings, and the real reason David quit the band. With their feelings out in the open, a romance blooms.

The narration was fantastic.

Recommended if you like:
-YA romance
-M/M romance
-rockstar romance
-coming into your identity


Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my review copy. Darkhearts is out now!

4.5⭐️ Former band member David has faced ordinary teenage life while his bandmates, Eli and Chance, have become the hottest thing in America. Following the sudden death of Eli, Chance and David are reunited, and as they begin to grown close once again, a kiss between frenemies suddenly has the chance to become more…if they will let it.

This is a feel good, though sometimes heavy, queer YA romance that delves into those turbulent teenage years when self identity and who we are, is at the forefront. David’s struggle to come to terms with his new bisexual identity are compounded by the hopes and aspirations that go along with his potential new fame, and while most young adults don’t have to deal with the effects of fame, they do struggle with societal expectations and who they are at their core, versus who they imagined themselves to be.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and found it to be very accessible, especially for young teens/early adults. Each of the characters are multi-dimensional and relatable, particularly David. I swooned over his and Chance’s budding romance and felt deep sorrow each time he faced turbulence, whether from Chance or his family. And the music subplot was a really fun and unique addition.

I listened to this one on audio and have to commend Ramon de Ocampo for his excellent narration. He brought the characters to life in a very natural way, while keeping each and every one of them distinct. I devoured the audiobook and enjoyed every minute of it.

Read if you like:
•queer love stories
•rockstar romance
•coming of age
•journeys of self discovery

Thank you {partners} Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copies.

Darkhearts is the story of David and Chance, former bandmates who are thrown back into each other's orbit after the band frontman, Eli dies. After a kiss between the two, David uses that opportunity to rejoin the band, hoping to propel himself into superstardom, but things don't always go as planned.

I had hoped to like this book. Unfortunately, this book was definitely not for me. Not all characters need to be sweet-as-sugar and so likable that it gives you a stomachache. In fact, unlikable characters are really interesting. But as unlikable as David ends up being, the author didn't seem to use that to grow his character until it was almost too late. Don't even get me started on how fatphobic this book is. That's an immediate no from me. Also, Ripley, who could have easily been my favorite character, existed purely to be the straight rep but in the worst possible way. She is so grossly sex-obsessed it's almost unrealistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. I didn't really enjoy the narrator's voice, but that's just a personal preference. Moreover this book was just not for me.

Enemies (one-sided?) to friends, #darkhearts by @james_l_sutter is a #pridefriendly 🌈#lovestory . Read by #ramondeocampo . A #rockstar dealing with his best friend/bandmate's #suicide, while also dealing with #fame at 18! Home for the funeral, finds former friend/bandmate full of #jealousy #read to find out more! #NetGalley #MacmillanAudio #myeyespreferaudiobooks🎧 #accessiblebooks