This book is a friends to lovers, fake dating college romance and had mental health rep in it.
I did enjoy this book, but it wasn’t a new favourite. I enjoyed the beginning a lot but my enjoyment levels went down. I connected with the fmc Alli but felt no connection to the mmc Jared.
The relationship felt forced and the third act breakup was annoying!
I did enjoy reading a college romance again but didn’t feel any connection with either of the friendship groups (which is what I normally enjoy aboth college romances,)
I appreciated the mental health rep that was included in this book and the different family dynamics.
I think the main reason I did not connect with this book is because I do not have a large family and didn’t relate to alli and her family struggles.
I would recommend this book to people who liked the deal for the fake dating part.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I read Wonderstruck and I absolutely loved it. I'm so happy I got the ARC of Heartstruck. Alli and Jared has known each other for a long time and they had something going on during summer and then they didn't. They never talked about what happened. So when they saw each other after a couple of years it was different. They were not the same people they were back then and they both are struggling in the same and different way.

When Jared suggested fake dating and giving her advice about how to talk to guys, things got interesting. Like every fake dating feeling occurs and rules are broken.

Jared guards his heart and thinks he doesn't deserve something good in his life like love.

Alli has family drama like any other family and makes her feel like shes never enough. She compared to so many other people in her life.

Was their up and downs in Alli and Jared relationship? Yes. But what relationship doesn't. They both worked on what they needed to and relied on other people.

Overall, this was a good read! It was cute and I enjoyed it. I found the main character relatable and I enjoyed the writing

I was hooked from the beginning

I’m excited to read more from this author!!

Thank you to the author., publisher, and netgalley for the arc!

This was a sweet read but nothing unique to the fake dating trope. I really liked Jared and Alli, they had a lot of strong chemistry, however there were a few plot lines that were just never revisited or explained which made it slightly confusing to follow.

Heartstruck by Seraphina Chen is sequel to Wonderstruck but can be enjoyed as a standalone. It started on a high note and I already felt it was much better than the previous book but it slowed down a bit towards the middle. As with the first book, I felt the author didn't sell the conflict well enough, but cute romance nonetheless
I got the ARC from the author via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine

I honestly enjoyed this book way more than I thought. Alli was such a relatable character, with her mix of strength and vulnerability, and Jared had that quiet charm that made him stand out. Their connection felt natural, and tension that kept me hooked. The family side of the story had some real depth, which felt authentic and full of cultural details. I read it quickly because the writing flowed well. The ending and epilogue were nice. Overall, it was a cute romance with a balance of heart, and humor. I’ll keep watching for more from this author. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

A fake dating, childhood friends, best friend's brother, and second chance romance with two amazing and relatable characters. This story follows Alli and Jared, two university students, focusing on their personal struggles. Alli deals with her anxiety and a troubled relationship with some of her family, despite the love that exists there. Meanwhile, Jared faces the unwanted attention that comes with being a football player and a complicated relationship with his biological mother.

I really enjoyed reading this book - it was easy and pleasant. This was a book where the main character's struggles, especially Alli's, were the same as most people in their 20's, which made it believable and easy for the reader to understand their decisions. At the same time, the way the third-act breakup happened made sense, considering their problems, and instead of immediately making up, they took the time to reflect and understand their relationship better.

Having said all that, there were some minor faults, including some plot lines that were not explained properly or were left unsolved.

Overall, I consider this book a 4 star read and would absolutely recommend it to anyone that is looking for a cosy, down to earth romance. I will also keep my eye out for more books from this author.

Alli and Jared have chemistry and I love a good fake-dating story. The book was a quick and fun read with a lot of character depth and character development. Jared as well as Alli have relatable background stories and watching them grow and figuring out life was a delight. Also the spice is spicey 😮‍💨 A very solid 4 star read for me. „Only“ 4 stars because the whole stalker thing was not developed enough, for my taste. I was really positively surprised by this book and would definitely recommend it to any Romance fan.

Thanks to the author and publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Allison and Jared are no strangers to each other but when they both find themselves at the same college they strike up a fake dating deal to help each other out. Inevitably during their fake dating lessons they begin to fall for each other.

This books deals with several topics and the characters are driven together by various issues. If you don’t like books with communication (or lack thereof) issues being the stem of the plot this probably isn’t for you. i tend to not mind communication issues driving plot because humans are complex beings and we have a lot of built in self protectors (denial etc.) that cause communication to be difficult sometimes. I found the characters relatable and lovable. They both go through a lot of growth and character development. The book was the perfect length for me, giving me what I needed out of the characters and plot without feeling like it drug on a ton.

Enjoyment: 4.5
Start: 5
Characters: 4
Setting: 4
Plot: 4
Ending: 3
Style: 4
Rating: 4.04

Heartstruck started out really cute and had a lot of promise, but one thing that confused me was constantly bringing up the information about Jared's stalker and then not really doing anything with it. That seemed to just be left in the wind. Also a bit of the dialogue seemed off or the POV was focused on the wrong character so hopefully that was fixed in the final version. The apology scene between Alli and Jared seems to be very one sided. While Jared was defiantly at some fault, Alli had some issues that seem to be overlooked. Overall, I enjoyed the book and Seraphina Chen does an excellent job with the development of her characters and the story as a whole. Looking forward to getting this book soon!

Alli and Jared. Ex cheerleader and football star. Best friend’s older brother. One hook up that changed the trajectory of their friendship forever since they basically grew up together. Fake dating leads to something more. I loved that the book talked a lot about mental health and how both of them personally is going through it and both of them are there for one another. I love that it talked about family dynamics and not ever feeling like you’re good enough. This books is so relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley and BookBuzz.net for the chance to read this ARC. I really wanted to love Heartstruck—on paper, it had so many elements I normally go for: fake dating, college sports, mental health rep, and a returning-to-hometown setup that usually tugs at my heart. But sadly, this one just didn’t click with me.

I made it about 35% through before deciding to put it down. The premise had potential, and I did appreciate how thoughtfully anxiety were woven into the main character’s arc. That part felt honest and handled with care. But overall, the writing style wasn’t for me—it felt a little too young and disjointed, and the pacing never quite found its rhythm. I kept waiting to connect with the characters, but that connection just never came.

Alli and Jared had moments that almost pulled me in, but I struggled with the tone shifts and some of the dialogue. It’s one of those reads where I really wanted to root for it, especially because I could see what the story was trying to do emotionally—but it just didn’t land.

That said, I know this book will resonate with readers who love quieter, emotionally introspective YA-leaning college romances with mental health themes.

This is my first book by this author, and at the time I didn't realise that there was a prior book.

Some really good things about this book: it was a cute start with some great banter, the characters were very likeable, and the setting (in places) seemed well established. Love the campus vibe. However, there were many parts of the book where the writing felt immature, fragmented, and parts of the storyline that were building the plot, suddenly disappeared from thought.

I honestly love the fake dating trope and the feelings that develop from there, but maybe it didn't really work for me because of the previous friendship / what felt like a second chance romance? I dunno. The cover art is so cute and I wanted to love them.

This can be read as a standalone despite being the second book in the series.

Rating is 2.5 stars. I think 3 stars is a bit too much for me considering I definitely started skimming. Unfortunately rounded down to 2 stars on this platform (which seems a bit harsh, but it's not a 3 star).

This was a cute read! It definitely held my attention and I loved all of the mental health reps throughout. I love a good fake dating story and Jared and Alli’s history only made it better. I enjoyed the lead up to how they started their fake dating situation and the way it played out.

Personally, there were a couple things that kept this from being a four or five star for me! I had a couple scenes in mind, with this being a sports romance, that didn’t play out and felt like a couple of the plot lines just kinda disappeared. But, there was enough going on that those were more inconvenient to my own tastes than anything.

I would recommend this book and want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this!

This book was such a good read. I finished it in at least two days. As someone who also suffers with anxiety attacks I felt strongly connected to the main character .thank you so much for letting me have an arc copy and I look forward to release day.

Heartstruck by Seraphina Chen felt like a sweet, cozy college romance with just enough emotional depth to keep me hooked. The pacing was mostly easygoing, which worked for the tone, but there were moments where it slowed a little too much for my liking. I liked how the story took its time to explore Alli and Jared’s personalities, though every now and then I wished for a bit more movement. Some of the college details didn’t always feel realistic, like certain timelines and events not quite lining up, but it wasn’t enough to pull me completely out of the story.

The writing itself was warm and earnest, and I appreciated how Alli’s anxiety was handled with care. There were a few places where the style felt a bit too young for me despite not being far off in age (I'm 30), but the emotional honesty made up for it. I loved Alli and Jared together their slow burn chemistry felt natural, and I enjoyed watching their relationship shift from friendship to something deeper. Jared’s mix of guardedness and quiet kindness stood out, and Alli’s journey toward finding her place in college was relatable.

This reminded me a little of Wonderstruck in the way it balances sweetness with personal growth. I think it’s perfect for readers who like character driven college romances with a soft, hopeful mood. I’d give it 3.5 out of 5 stars for the charm, the genuine relationship, and the heartfelt themes, with my only real wish being tighter pacing and a bit more polish in some of the writing.

I liked this book. I think the main characters story was believable and I loved the complexity of them. I do feel like the characters felt like they were younger than what they actually were but I thought this was a light hearted, low stakes read. This would be a lovely pallet cleanser feel good story. Thank you seraphina and netgalley for this ARC copy!

Alli and Jared are college sophomores who have known each other since middle school. He’s recently transferred to her university and they’ve reconnected because Jared’s sister is Alli’s best friend. They decide to fake that they’re dating to solve some issues they’re both having.

I wanted to love this book, the plot summary sounded so fun. But I came so close to DNFing it repeatedly. The writing did jive for me, but that’s always a personal taste thing. There were multiple issues with timing (J is a football player, but doesn’t have a game over Thanksgiving? I went to a basketball crazy college, but know football always plays over Thanksgiving break.) The MMC AND FMC are 19 or 20, but the author writes them like their teens have been over for years. For me, this is was full of fumbles and bad passes.

However, many thanks to Net Galley, the publisher, and the author for sending me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

While this book has a whole bunch of tropes that I typically love, unfortunately this just wasn't the book for me. Jared is a football player and Alli is his sister's best friend, they have some past history between them but decide to fake date for mutually beneficial reasons. I did like both MC's and think the mental health rep was very good! I did find some plot holes and unresolved issues that ultimately took me out of the story and stopped my enjoyment of this book. While I do think some people will enjoy this book, the writing style just wasn't for me.

I really liked this story and didn’t realize this was the second book in the story. I will definitely be reading about Serena and Tyler’s journey next. I really liked Allis growth in this story. The way she finally stood up to her family made me happy for her. I really liked Jared as a character but at times felt disappointed in all of the back and forth it seemed a bit disjointed. Overall I would read it again. I give this book a 4 out of 4 stars. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy.