Review: Heartbreak Boys

It may be later in the day, but I’m excited to share my review of the amazing Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green today! Thank you so much to Harriet Dunlea and Scholastic for sending me an early finished copy in exchange for an honest review.

Faking the best summer ever is a lot harder than it looks…
At the start of summer, Jack and Nate find themselves dumped as their respective exes, Dylan and Tariq, start up a new relationship together. Not only that, their exes start posting pics on social media, showing the whole world how fabulous their new life together is!

Jack and Nate are reeling. Not to be outdone, they decide to create their own ‘highlights reel’ and show their exes that they’re having an even better time.

But between the depressing motorway service station motels, damp campsites, and an ultimate showdown with the exes, something epic really is happening: Jack and Nate are learning to get over their heartache and open themselves up to new possibilities for love.

TW: cheating, homophobia

My Thoughts:

Heartbreak Boys is a heart-warming, burst of joy that you need to add to your shelves as soon as possible. It centres around such a sweet and cute romance that fizzes over with great chemistry.

I was instantly pulled in by the relatable and very authentic voices of Jack and Nate. Their two viewpoints totally contrasted, balancing Jack’s sparkly wit and extroverted confidence with Nate’s snakier and more withdrawn voice. To start with they’re both so heart-vreakingly in love and then it all shatters down in a horrible way. Of course, there is far more to both of them than first meets the eye and that’s one of the key themes of the book. I really liked how it explored the inherent fakeness of social media and the stark contrast between appearance and reality. It’s an extremely relevant for teens nowadays, where social media is a dominant factor and tool to compare yourself to. Through Heartbreak Boys, we are reminded just how contrived it can be and that life is best enjoyed without worrying about creating the most Instagrammable moment.

As with every book by Simon James Green, Heartbreak Boys is absolutely hilarious. I found myself genuinely laughing at some of the banter and brilliant comments made throughout the book. It felt like a classic rom-com, with the fake dating trope and road-trip shenanigans, but at the same time fresh and new. Also, it’s really impactful to have a room-com story that centres around LGBTQ+ characters, as the genre is often dominated by heteronormative standards and ideas. Tropes are never truly tired until everyone has been able to see themselves in them and Green really infuses such a joyful spirit into every line of this amazing story.

Heartbreak Boys is an utterly ebullient book that will leave you believing in romance again and a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart.

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