This was too cute. I’ll be honest, I would absolutely take a heart pill if I were in high school because that puppy love definitely hurts something serious the first time.
Heartsick is a sweet YA romance with a unique twist: a pill that can erase heartbreak—but not necessarily the reasons behind it. Margot and Isaac’s journey from exes to allies is filled with emotional honesty, corporate intrigue, and growth.
I love a good YA novel where they team up as sleuths. If you like mystery and if you were a fan of Forever on Netflix, you will like this one. I can’t wait to add it to my bookshelf.

Thank you to Penguin Group, Penguin Young Readers Group, NetGalley, and Kristina Forest for the eArc.

I came for the romance and stayed for the mystery! This was one where going into it I thought it would be a cute teen romance, but it was so much more than that. It was half romance and half suspense and I couldn’t put it down!

It followed Margot and Isaac, who recently broke up and are trying to navigate their heartbreak. They cross paths and end up in the middle of a scandal where they team up for an adventure to expose the truth about a very popular “heartbreak cure” pill.

I love Kristina Forest’s writing. She has a way of drawing you into the story without you realizing it. If you like adventure, romance and a little bit of suspense, this one is for you!

I loved this so much!! Kristina Forest can never go wrong with her work.

This story really brought back what first love feels like. The dynamic between Margot and Isaac was everything love feels like at such a young age. Margot is going through the challenges of not disappointing her parents but also trying to show who and what she really is. Isaac is just trying to figure out what comes next while loving the girl he thought he could never have.

It was funny, adventurous, loving, and about friendship and family. I loved everything about it!

I loved the concept of the heartbreak pill and it got me thinking on if that was real. I wouldn’t want to take it though.

"Heartbreak doesn’t have to last forever."

Margot, unfortunately, has pushy parents who not so subtly insist that she takes up an internship at Healing Hearts Inc. Healing Hearts has been providing it's patients with a one-stop pill to cure the romantically heartbroken of their heartbreak. During her shift one day, Margot's recent ex-bf, Isaac, comes in to begin the process. Shocked to see her, Isaac runs away & leaves his hat behind.

When Isaac returns to collect his hat, Margot is set upon by the Healing Hands guards after she accidentally hears some damaging news about the pill. Isaac helps Margot to escape & this moment leads to the ex-couple working together to bring down the Healing Hearts bosses. Will their love be resurrected, or is it too late?

I loved this story. Initially, due to the cover, I thought it was going to be a very cutesy YA read, and while it was very cutesy, it was also very action-packed & full of adventure, which definitely helped to hold my attention throughout.

What I LOVED:

💗 This book made me reflect on my own moments of heartbreak & made me wonder whether I would have taken this heartbreak curing pill. Would you? Back in the day, I would have been first in line, but now, with wisdom, I know that heartbreak has helped me to grow.

💗 The portrayal of parental pressures & expectations. Margotvreally had it tough. Her sister was a wild child & as a result, they put unrealistic expectations on Margot for everything. Their parenting style was beyond toxic & extremely frustrating to read.

💗 isaac. He was such a cutie. He reminded me so much of Justin from the Netflix series 'Forever'. Isaac had no clue what he wanted from his life & education. Meanwhile, Margot knew what she wanted from the jump & as a result, he felt inadequate.

'Heartsick' is my 5th read from Kristina Forest & I am already looking forward to the next one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you loved the Netflix series 'Forever' & if you enjoyed Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds, this will be right up your street.

Omg... I was so excited to be approved for the advance reader copy of Heartsick. This was such an amazing YA book. No spoilers. But, I will say this... if someone had offer my a pill to cure my heart break when I was in high school. I would have taken it. Lol but seriously... I loved Margot. She reminded me alot of myself when I was in high school. Didn't want to rock the boat too much. Wanted to please my parents. Put myself second. And Issac oh how I loved him. He was so talented, thoughtful and kind. The journey that they took to find the truth was amazing. I was definitely rooting for them. And to take a quote directly from the book... Heartbreak doesn't have yo last forever. Thank you Kristina Forest and NetGallery for the most amazing opportunity to read this book early. I will most definitely be purchasing on October 17th.

This is my second Kristina Forest book and I really enjoyed it! I really connected with Margot and I just loved Isaac so much! I don't always love the miscommunication trope, but this one was done well! I found myself rooted for both the MCs, not only to find their way to back to one another, but also to grow in their own journeys (which they did! And I was so proud of them!). I was surprised by the mystery element, but in a good way! I did find some elements to feel a little more adult than YA, but overall, this was a enjoyable read!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

After reading and loving the Greene sisters books, I was so excited for the chance to read an advance copy of this author’s new book. While I really liked the premise (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is my favorite movie) I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the writing style felt middle grade with some YA content.

If you are in the mood for a sweet, quick YA romance, then Heartsick is a great option!

I read this book in one day because the mystery of it all was really intriguing. I also really liked Margot and Isaac's characters and their romance with each other, even if they broke up over a miscommunication. The way Isaac was immediately ready to defend Margot and support her was so endearing. I was rooting for Isaac to realize he could pursue his passion of art and comics and was so happy with where he ended up. It was also great to see Margot stand up to her parents and finally share her passion for journalism with them.

I will say, the one thing I didn't enjoy was that I kind of had to suspend disbelief to actually enjoy the story because there's just no way many of the plot points would've swung in real life, i.e. two teens hitting grown police officers and getting away, actually making it all the way to California. I feel like the story was a little rushed as the characters came to conclusions and made decisions, but overall I still really enjoyed the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed Heartsick! I don’t read much YA but this book offered a lot more than just your typical YA love story. It includes mystery and suspense that really keeps you locked in to the story, and it was very well written. As always, Kristina Forest has another great story on her hands.

This book was really unexpected for me.
I signed in thinking it would be a cute little YA romance, I did not expect a YA suspense romance with the mystery thrown in!

This book is for everybody who was screaming off the rooftops that’s something didn’t seem quite right about the whole Covid situation and vaccines, only to be called horrible things and receive no apologies after the CDC admitted they made up the science that supported the masking, vaccines and the shutdown.

I wasn’t big into conspiracy theories before and brushed them all off, but this book is a fiction example of how power and money corrupts medical companies, publishing, police and government and we all lived it.

You’re going to feel rage when the people around the main couple blow them off, you’re going to feel horror when knows that should protect them lead them to run away .

Like I said! Unexpected!!!!

The romance, while a central plot that is threaded throughout the entirety of the book, definitely came second to me. The question of ‘do the ends justify the means’ if the goal is to “help people “… how many is it ok to sacrifice for the supposed greater good!

This was a wild ride for sure!!!

3.75 ⭐️

A big thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for the Advanced Reader Copy! I had such a good time reading this book! The pacing was spot on, making it perfect for readers aged 12 to 17.

The story follows Margot and Daniel, who have history as exes but are thrown together on a mission to uncover some questionable activities at Margot’s workplace. I liked how it explored their emotions and how they navigated their past while working together. It felt so relatable! I’m really looking forward to seeing the final edit!

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Heartsick by Kristina Forest. I really loved this! I have always enjoyed reading Kristina Forest's stories and Heartsick did not disappoint.

Two highschool sweethearts, Margot and Issac met into their highschool's woodshop class. However, it wasn't until a year later that the two broke up. They never truly got over their love for each other. With an internship at Healing Hearts Inc., a profitable company which developed a way to erase a person's heartbreak by a single pill, Margot gets a first hand account of what a true lovesick or heartbroken person looks like. Later discovering secrets and lies kept from CEO and COO of the company. Margot and Issac work together to unfold the truth about the pill.

The mystery aspect of the story definitely continued to pull me in! It was like something new just kept happening and I couldn't wait to read what's next. The pill aspect was very unique and seemed purposeful to the story at large. I enjoyed seeing Margot and Issac come together after having broken up and going on journey after journey.

Huge thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I’ve been super excited to read this. The premise of it was unlike anything I’ve heard of for a contemporary romance! And the story did not disappoint.

From the start we are on a fast paced ride of second chance love to some pretty cutthroat journalism, especially from a high schooler. I LOVED the idea of a pill in our modern day world that could cure heartbreak. Something like that doesn’t seem too far fetched for science today. I also enjoyed the talks of if that was a thing is that something that should society take part in or not. Feeling all our emotions, even heartbreak, is what makes us human.

I also very much loved our main characters Margot and Isaac! I was very happy to see it was dual POV I think it adds a lot more depth and understanding to the story. I had so much fun with this book and I’m excited for this author to hopefully write more YA. My only complaint is that the writing style was not my favorite. I found some of the descriptive details to be a little clunky and not flow that well but overall such a fun and heartfelt story.

I really like exes to lovers trope, and this nailed that, especially them defending each other and going on an adventure. I really wish this had gone more in depth though on the pills, the science behind them working, and what caused it to go so wrong.

📖Heartsick -Release Date 10/2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A sweet and fast-paced contemporary teen romance from USA Today
bestselling author Kristina Forest

While this YA second chance romance novel told in dual POVs was a bit different for me. I enjoyed it. It was also different from all of the other Kristina Forest books that I have read.

It’s about a teenaged girl who interns at a company that created this innovative pill that can erase a person’s heartbreak overnight. While working there Margo and her ex Isaac over hears some disturbing information about the pill and goes on a mission to find people who have taken the pill. In search to get answers to the information they overheard all while dealing with their own heartbreak. Margo goes on this journey with Isaac who’s struggling with their breakup as well. There was so much that unfolded that kept me wanting to stay the course with the characters to see what happens in the end.

I would recommend this book if you are looking for a quick read with a little YA crime solving that you don’t typically read in a romance type of book.

Would you take a pill created to get over a heartbreak?

Thanks to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the advanced ebook. #bookreelsofinstagram #bookrecommendations #netgalley #netgalleyreads #netfalleyarc

This could have been so fun, but something abt this book was holding it back. The biggest issue that I noticed was the writing style, which seems weird, but it made reading this book feel really off. It read almost like a picture book; there was something about the sentence structure and vocabulary that was used, but that’s the best way I can describe it. This writing style also made any modern language stand out, so it felt almost icky to read whenever certain words were used, even if they were normal words. Another thing I will say that kind of messed this book up was that the first half very obviously was trying to explore a philosophical argument, whether or not it would be right to take a pill to get rid of your heartbreak. Halfway through, the author seems to forget about these themes and focuses almost exclusively on the plot and character development. It was honestly disappointing. Themes and messaging are so important, and they’re the whole reason stories exist.

At least the romance was good. I liked how it was built up, and it was one of the few things about this book I actually liked. I also liked the character development and the pacing. It’s not perfect, but it makes sense with the story, and it felt mostly natural. I know I spent an entire paragraph hating, but this genuinely wasn’t that bad. It just wasn’t good either. It’s just saddening because this book had so much potential, the concept is such a unique idea, and I would have loved to have its themes explored more.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
Heartsick by Kristina Forest

First off thank you for the opportunity to preview this book!

Kristina Forest has done it again. Heartsick is tender, raw, and deeply relatable. It beautifully captures what it feels like to be heartbroken—and what it takes to slowly piece yourself back together. The emotional depth in this book is so real, and the way Forest writes about love (both romantic and self-love) feels honest and unflinching.

I really appreciated how this wasn’t just a romance—it’s about healing, identity, and finding your way when everything feels like it’s fallen apart. The characters are layered, the writing is lyrical but never overdone, and every chapter left me feeling something.

If you’ve ever had to sit with grief, figure out who you are post-heartbreak, or just wanted a story that sees the soft and aching parts of you, this is that book. Highly recommend for fans of emotionally resonant contemporary fiction.

Thank you so much Net Galley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group for this arc in return for my honest review.

And honestly I loved it!

Kristina Forest knows how to write a romance. She, as usual, made me fall in love quite quickly with both main characters. This second chance romance was not easy but it was worth every word of the read.
The added mystery made the entire plot fly by as I read this in a day. Heartsick is truly another book to keep close to your heart.

Maybe we will get more stories from this group in the future :)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7740848604

From the first line, this book drew me in. I am not a person who can sit down and read a book start to finish in one day, but I am happy to say this book inclined me to do that. As someone who is working through my heartbreak from earlier this year, I see myself in a lot these people who just wanted the pain to end earlier this year. This book reminded me that there’s nothing wrong with taking time apart to eventually get back to together. I enjoyed getting to know Isaac and Margot!

I love Heartsick! The idea behind a heartbreak pill to help people move on is so interesting. I felt connected to the FMC and her desire but loving. This story was a great, sweet time!