Title: Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of LoveAuthor: Heather Demetrios
Also by this author: I'll Meet You There
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Genres: Romance, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: December 18, 2018
Rating:
This is a book about the dark side of love: the way it kicks your ass, tears out your heart, and then forces you to eat it, bite by bloody bite. If you’ve felt this way, you’re not alone…
In this powerful collection, YA authors answer real letters from teens all over the world about the dark side of love: dating violence, break-ups, cheating, betrayals, and loneliness. This book contains a no-holds-barred, raw outpouring of the wisdom these authors have culled from mining their own hearts for the fiction they write. Their responses are autobiographical, unflinching, and filled with love and hope for the anonymous teen letter writers.
Featuring Adi Alsaid, Becky Albertalli, Libba Bray, Heather Demetrios, Amy Ewing, Zach Fehst, Gayle Forman, Corey Ann Haydu, Varian Johnson, A.S. King, Nina LaCour, Kim Liggett, Kekla Magoon, Sarah McCarry, Sandhya Menon, Cristina Moracho, Jasmine Warga, and Ibi Zoboi.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
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Review: Dear Heartbreak by Heather Demetrios
Dear Heartbreak by Heather Demetrios is a unique concept for a YA book. The format is an interesting compilation of letters from teens that have important questions about terms of the heart. Many of the responses written by the YA authors are surprising and provide teens with a sense that they are not alone in their feelings.
❀ Fantastic Responses
Anthologies, or in this case, letters, are extremely hard to rate and review because each one is different and distinct. Dear Heartbreak is arranged as a collection of letters written by teens in the hope that theirs will be chosen by an author to respond to. There are so many fantastic responses in the book. Some are very dark and hard to read. A common question that comes up is why it is so hard to find someone to love.
❀ Respectful Letters
The answers back to the teens are from the authors’ personal experiences. Some of my favourite responses to read were from Becky Albertalli, Sandyha Menon, and Kim Leggitt. All of the letters back were respectful and held lots of advice from their own lives growing up.
❀ Worth a Read
Dear Heartbreak by Heather Demetrios is definitely a different style of book that is well worth the read for some of these personal stories from our favourite YA authors. The letters that were chosen to be answered are well written and full of questions that many teens have about heartbreak. It is the perfect book for anyone looking for some advice about love and life.
About Heather Demetrios
When Heather Demetrios isn’t traipsing around the world or spending time in imaginary places, she lives with her husband in New York City. Heather has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a recipient of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for her debut novel, Something Real. Her critically acclaimed novels include I’ll Meet You There, Bad Romance, and the Dark Caravan trilogy (Exquisite Captive, Blood Passage, Freedom’s Slave). She is the editor of the forthcoming anthology of epistolary essays, Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors on the Dark Side of Love, which features letters from real teens.
About Lori
Avid reader. Contributor to The Candid Cover. Educator.
Lovely review! This one has been sitting on my shelves for a hot sec and I was a little nervous to pick it up since anthologies aren’t always my fave, but you inspired me to get to it sooner! 🙂
I hope that you like it as much as I did! 🙂
Oh wow this sounds like such a unique and interesting read for sure 🙂 I’m curious about it all, even if anthologies like these aren’t usually my kind of read… I’ll have to try it out 🙂
Lovely review! 🙂
I think what sets this book apart from a typical anthology is the letter format. I hope that you love it! 🙂
I just ordered this for the teen department in my library. I’m glad to hear that this book is as interesting as I hoped it would be!
I think that it is a great purchase for a library! 🙂
Great review! I haven’t heard of this book but it really sounds like an interesting read! I’m glad you loved it!
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Thanks, Raven! 🙂
I’m torn about this one. I hope that if my teenage daughter has trouble in her romance or life in general, she’d talk with me or an adult who knows her and her values.
I agree with you on that. I think that the idea behind the book is to help teens who are feeling like they have no one to turn to.
This really does sound like an interesting read. What an experience to be able to write to a favorite author and get such meaningful responses back.
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I can imagine that those whose letters were chosen are feeling pretty amazing to get such wonderful replies. 🙂
What a generous and bold endeavor. This sounds fascinating! Thanks for your lovely review.
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It really is quite a different type of read! 🙂
I was sent this and, fortunately, I’m to the age where I don’t think this book is really for me but happy to have a chance to feature it and probably give it away to someone who can really use it!!
Jen Ryland Reviews
That sounds like a really nice thing to do! I hope that the recipient enjoys the book. 🙂