Also, the portrayal of being an unpopular person in high school is so… not-over-the-top. The lead character being a gamer girl and bonding with a new friend over a boy band, without either of those things being belittled, is something I think I’ve literally never seen before. The reason I really liked this book is that I think this book is a super authentic portrayal of the fact that teenagers are people, each with their own passions and obsessions beyond just “hanging out with friends.” Which seems like such a basic point, but trust me, in current contemporary YA, it's really not. “How would the force factor in? How would we negotiate the suit and stuff? It’s a guaranteed wild ride from start to finish.”

“I feel like I would fuck Darth Vader, because he’s got like powers and stuff, you know?” Alex says.

“You don’t think you could change Darth Vader?” I say. “I think I could change the course of his whole life,” Zoe says simply. “No, literally, who chooses not to kill Voldemort?” Alex says. I don’t want to participate, but I can’t stop myself: “Why would you want to marry Voldemort? Why would you not kill Voldemort?” ”Kill Darth Vader, and marry Voldemort,” Zoe finishes. I don’t know if this will be for everyone - humor is a super subjective thing, after all - but I found this book absolutely freaking hilarious in its entirety.

Like, some of the best humor I have ever seen. ➽And of course, this book is freaking hilarious. I would give my life for Iris and Paige and Gideon and Claudia and Zoe and Alex and Noah and Del and even fucking Lena, and I just… don’t know the last time I liked a full cast so much. Iris starts out the book as a really mean character, very closed off from other people and bad at pulling herself out of her shell, and then she develops into one of the most compelling and freaking amazing female characters of recent years. you wanted developed female friendships? you got developed female friendships. ➽There is a romance and it’s freaking adorable, but the main developing arc of this book is a friendship – that between Iris and Claudia.

Here are some things that resonated with me about this book: It was a weirdly emotionally cathartic read for me because it’s a happy book, but it also doesn’t shy away from the fact that these are all teenagers dealing with their own shit.įoolish Hearts follows Claudia, who, after accidentally witnessing the great breakup of Her School’s Popular Sapphic Couple, is forced into a rivalry with the exceptionally closed-off and hurt Iris. like, on a level of my soul I did not know existed I am happy. Okay, first of all, this book made me so deeply fucking happy.

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills