Hearts, Fingers, And Other Things to Cross, Katie Finn

Hearts, Fingers, and Other Things to Cross by Katie Finn just doesn’t compare to the rest of the books in the Broken Hearts and Revenge series. The concept is not as fun and upbeat as the first books, since it is all about two girls trying to get their parents to divorce because they don’t want to be sisters. I also didn’t enjoy the main character’s immature actions and the unrealistic plot. I had such high hopes for this conclusion, but unfortunately, I was let down.

❀ A horrible Plan

I’m not sure how I feel about the concept of this book. I have always been a fan of revenge books, which is why I enjoyed the other two books in this series so much. However, in this final instalment, the two enemies become friends. I think it’s great that they are able to stop their fighting, but they are only joined together to execute a reverse Parent Trap, as one of the characters describes the plan. Hallie and Gemma only get over their differences so that they can break up their parents’ marriage to avoid becoming sisters. This is such an awful thing to do, and I couldn’t believe that they would try and do something so heartless. There are some aspects to the book that I enjoyed, but I just couldn’t get past this horrible plan.

❀ Gemma is not Enjoyable

Gemma, the main character is not as enjoyable in this conclusion as I found her to be in the rest of the series. As I mentioned a bit above, she tries to break up her dad and Hallie’s mom without even considering their happiness. She prioritizes her own drama over her dad’s well-being, and because of this, her character becomes dislikable. Gemma is also so careless and is so wrapped up in her scheme that she neglects tasks that are supposed to ensure that everyone is safe during the storm. Her immaturity was tolerable in the rest of the series, but it became too much in this particular story.

❀ Unrealistic Plot

My biggest issue with this book is probably how unrealistic it is. It’s difficult to describe without spoiling too much, but the whole story is basically a cliche. First of all, there’s the entire plot. The main character is trapped in a house with everyone she has drama with because a hurricane is approaching. This isn’t so hard to believe, but there are so many other things that would never happen. For example, Gemma and Hallie are scheming out in the open, people even catch them in the act, but no one tells their parents. It also just so happens that they have access to hours of documentary footage in which Gemma’s dad insults Hallie’s mom’s writing, and they are able to burn onto a DVD to show them. For what it is, I tried my best to look past it, but there are just way too many cringeworthy moments that I couldn’t believe.

❀ A Disappointment

Hearts, Fingers, and Other Things to Cross by Katie Finn is the final book in the Broken Hearts and Revenge series. I ended up disappointed in the reverse Parent Trap concept and the main character’s childish behaviour. I wanted to enjoy this book so much, but the endless cliches made it difficult. The ending of the book itself is satisfying, but I wish I could say the same about the ending of the series.

About Morgan Matson

Morgan Matson was born in New York City and grew up there and in Greenwich, Connecticut. She attended Occidental College as a theater major, but halfway through, switched her focus to writing and never looked back. She received an MFA in Writing for Children from the New School, and then a second MFA in Screenwriting from USC.

She is the New York Times bestselling author of five books, all published by Simon & Schuster.

She currently lives in Los Angeles with her rescue terrier, Murphy, in a house with blue floors that’s overflowing with books.

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About The Candid Cover

Olivia ❀ YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, novice New Yorker, & professional bibliophile.