Ultimately, I enjoyed the Tearsmith. I thought the concepts of two orphans falling in love while dealing with living with the same family. However there were certain details I felt were pretty jarring and I wondered if it was due to the changes made for the English translation. Like the detail of the kids not being legal adults until age nineteen? Yeah, that’s definitely not the case in the US, especially not the southern states. Was this story originally taking place around Alabama? Or did they just decide to choose a random state? Towards the end of the story, it started to feel rather long. I thought it went on a little longer than necessary after we jumped a few years to when they were in college. And the epilogue of them years later with a child just felt tacked on. I think just one more rewrite, it would have been more streamlined. But all in all, I did enjoy it.

I really wanted to like this one, but it just didn’t work for me. The story had potential—a dark, emotional look at trauma and healing—but the romance felt more toxic than tender, and the characters never fully clicked. The writing was dramatic in a way that felt more exhausting than moving. I can see why some readers are drawn to the intensity, but personally, I couldn't get into it.

A lush, romantic YA fantasy about heartbreak, healing, and second chances. Gorgeous prose and high emotional stakes.

This was a new author for me and I really loved this one! I thought it was sweet, emotional, and taboo! I enjoyed the characters and their way to love!! Super great romance read!

I wanted this because I loved the Netflix but it's like they aren't the same at all or this was written from the Netflix. It was not as good and I unfortunately DNFed it.

What a great story of Nica and Rigel and all their friends. The Tearsmith is a cute story that was so unique and original to me, that kept me wanting to read more and more to find out how things would go in this story. It took me a little bit to get into the book, but once I did I couldn’t put it down.

This is a very heartfelt and touching story. I would recommend this book.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this advanced reader copy. This is my honest opinion.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a little backlogged with my ARCs but working diligently to get caught up. I had unfortunately watched the movie before reading the book which I always prefer to do the other way around so I don’t already have a picture in my head. I still enjoyed the story and the translation was done very well! It has so many heartbreaking moments but ends on a good note. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys YA romance, fiction, and coming of age stories!

While I did feel that the story was engaging and the characters had depth, especisally as they worked through their ininternawl struggles and trauma, this book wasn't entirely it for me. There were parts that I felt were confusing and the parable and story of "The Tearsmith" felt odd and forced. I actually didnt realize aqnd first that this was a translated book so that is probably why soe of it read strange to me. It is probably very oving and beautiful in the original formatting.

This book wasn't my favorite. I was bored and not connecting with the characters with that I'm going to dnf at page 96. Thank you for allowing me to read this netgalley and publishers. My review will only stay on netgalley.

I picked up The Tearsmith by Erin Doom after seeing the Netflix trailer, hoping to dive into the story before watching the movie—because, let’s be honest, the book is usually better, right? Well, I’m not so sure about this one.

A lot of the issues I had might be due to the translation from Italian to English. Even with that in mind, the book didn’t really have much of a plot to follow. The storytelling style was unique, but I struggled to connect with the characters. I was especially hoping for more bonding between Nica and Anna, but the way it’s written, it felt like Nica could’ve latched onto any mother figure. The emotional depth between them just wasn’t there.

The subplot with the old matron felt like it should’ve been the main focus, but it was barely explored. When it did take center stage, it felt rushed and a bit all over the place.

Also, I’m not sure if the original story was set in the U.S., but a lot of the plot points didn’t quite align with how things would actually go down in Alabama, which made it a bit harder to buy into the setting.

The trailer definitely piqued my interest, but after finishing the book, I’m not in a huge hurry to watch the movie.

This is a difficult, dark romance that will delight those interested in the genre. Although the main characters have struggles, the book is engaging enough to capture reader’s attentions. It will be an especially interesting read for those who have seen the Netflix show.

I've been putting off writing this review for months. I'm sure authors put too much work into writing a book for me to write a whole book off with my words... but yikes. I love a dark romance, but this made me concerned for the female main character. Very repetitive and sooo many unnecessary details that I don't feel like moved the story along. 3 stars if I'm rounding up.

:: sigh ::

“He left roses inside me, he had left petals and a trail of stars where once I had been a cracked, parched desert”

Parts of this are a bit repetitive, but the meat of the story is heart rending and made me feel like a teenager falling in love for the first time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers. I listened to the finished audiobook for this one. I sadly had to dnf around 20%. This book just was not for me. I didn't like the characters or anything that was going on.

A great book for fans of Twilight--very much in the YA dark romance vein, written with all the genre tropes that will appeal to younger readers. I enjoyed it! The translation was easy to read and it seems as if it is true to the original iteration. Hits all the marks!

Thanks to Netgalley and Publishers for giving me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With that said. I’m DNFing this book. I made it to chapter 9 (only 15%). I did not wanna pick it up again. The two main characters are problematic (and I hear it only gets worse) and the writing style just isn’t for me.

Well... The Tearsmith is a book, that's for sure. I struggled with the writing, the characters, and the overall vibe of it. I don't know that I loved any part of it, to be honest. The movie was so much better.

The Tearsmith is a hopeful yet very painful, love story. It turned out to be a complicated story of trauma and love. The two main characters from the same orphanage who have a rough past—Nicola and Rigel—are the focus of the story. They must navigate their difficult relationship while living together. The plot is both intriguing and unsettling, as the protagonists battle with deep-seated wounds and a forbidden attraction.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group & Netgalley for this advanced copy.

Coming in at almost 600 pages, translated into English and now on Netflix... but I'm not sure why, to ANY of that.

Thanks to Ballentine and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

This is a book that centers young, tragic love between two people who are clearly very in need of extensive therapy. At times it felt like the book was on repeat between the two and they kept talking about the Tearsmith, then would forget about him for 150 pages, then randomly bring him up again and I forgot what the point of the Tearsmith was. In the end, most of the relationships felt toxic, especially the main one and this book absolutely did not need to be this long. So much could have been cut. And I don't know that love wins in the end, since she finds out he was screwing someone else before she was with her in the last chapter and she has to decide if she still loves him? It felt like this relationship was more trauma-bonding than anything.