#heartbreak boys

[smalltownfae]

End-of-the-year book ask: 4 and 17?

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

Not really and I am still upset about that. After some years of finding at least a new favourite author per year I was getting used to it so this year was a bit of a disappointment.

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

A few. There are books I really enjoyed, but I was expecting to like them. These are the ones that I doubted would work for me but they did.

The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin

I didn't enjoy the first book in the Earthsea Cycle even though I loved the themes, but I still decided to continue the series since at least the themes and general ideas were good (plus, I like some of Le Guin's essays and her scifi books). The second book in this series is a fan favourite so I expected to like it much more. I did like this one and I found an improvement since the first book, but it was still just alright. Now, the third book was the one I enjoyed the most and the one that surprised me because no one seems to have it as their favourite in the series. So far, it is my favourite. There are still some weird choices in the execution, but I guess I enjoyed this one more because of the dynamic between the two main characters (the other two books focused on a single character) and because the plot with the magic being gone appeals to me in general besides the coming of age story. More details here.

Glitterland by Alexis Hall

I had read Boyfriend Material by this author before and I enjoyed it well enough, but romance (especially contemporary romance) isn't my preference. However, this book made me laugh so much and it also made me sad at times. It isn't perfect, but it worked really well for me and it was unique in comparison to the few contemporary romance books I tried. I also think this was a case of right book at the right time, which helped. I have a review here for more details.

Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green

Like the former, I believe this was the right book at the right time situation. This one besides being contemporary romance it's also YA. I found it pretty funny and it reminded me of a teen movie. Both this and the former book are gay romances btw. Review here.

Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling

I had tried this book twice in past years, but never got far into it. This time I forced myself to continue because it was picked for my friends reading group and after chapter 8 I had a much better time with it. It might have also been a case of right book at the right time since I handled it much better this year than my former attempts. Looking back I would give it 4 instead of 5 stars and I have fallen a bit out of love with the series because of some disappointments, but I still remember how much I was enjoying it for a while. This is the first book in the Nightrunner series. The writing is not the best and the plot and world might look a bit cliché, but I really liked the fact that there were women in positions of power and that there were two bisexual main characters and there was no focus on the romance. The first and second book must be read together because the first one leaves a lot of unfinished business and the characters go on a side quest for a while. The series fails to have a stance on adult/minor relationships though because it seems to forgive in one case and vilify in another one. It is a weird one and it will not be for everyone's taste. I am not even sure why I loved it so much, but I still really really enjoy the first four books and more or less half of the fifth, but that one also brings me a lot of pain with how badly handled a lot of things were. The sixth is just a reminder of how the series failed me. If that was a standalone it would work fine as a fun adventure, but after the buildup to a dark plot that went nowhere I was left very unsatisfied.

Sorry for the late reply and thank you for the ask :)

[bookbaran]

The audiobook for Heartbreak Boys is on sale and that was one I was vaguely interested in, so I listened to the preview. At first I was very happy to hear Joe Jameson narrating. And then I realized that his voice is completely wrong for teenagers.

[inlovewithquotes]

Pretty people get away with being utter shits, and no one seems to care.

-Heartbreak Boys

[magicalyaku]

My June was literally just sleeping and reading. After Dokomi on the first weekend I was soo exhausted. I had to catch up on all the hours of sleep I missed in April and May ... And just when I thought I'll return to the land of the living the printhouse finally reacted to my complaint about the quality of my books, and hell, it's been years since I've been that angry! 8D Stillll dealing with that shit. So yeah, first half: physically exhausted. Second half: mentally exhausted. Great!

I did not expect to find a common theme among the books this month but surprisingly there is one: "Leave the past behind and start something new". I mean, maybe that's almost every book ever buuut ... Here's what I read:

The good ones: So this is Ever After (F.T. Lukens): Much needed fantasy and lots of fun and warmth and cuteness! I hope F.T. Lukens stays in the fantasy lane. I need more of this! I hope you get this message (Farah Naz Rishi): Finally the real end of the world, not just a metaphorical one. And honestly? People are scary! But I loved how it all came together in the end. All the struggling gets rewarded. The Friend Scheme (Cale Dietrich): I feel, this one took the easy way out on several (possible) confrontations but it was still a nice read. A different setting than usual for sure. Heartbreak Boys (Simon James Green): Perfect summer read. More cute fun. (And for once, the German cover is so much better than the original, which is horrendous, sorry 8D) Kiss & Tell (Adib Khorram): Has some important things to say and is still entertaining! The bad thing is that now I kinda want to listen to their music. Someone give me an animated music video pretty please.

Suprisingly Good: Where we left off (Roan Parrish): Borrowed this from the library for the train ride. Judging by the cover of the first volume I did not expect anything. But I liked it the moment Will explained how he glared at babies just to annoy their mothers. 8D I think this is the first book I read up to now that is solely focussed on the characters’ interactions and growth. As in nothing else happens at all. It’s interesting how it works.

Hmmm: Paper & Blood (Kevin Hearne): I enjoyed the first volume but getting through vol2 was a little bit harder. In vol1 there was a cameo of a character of the author's earlier series and I thought that was cool. But in this one that guy came as an additional cast member and while he was likable it still kind of annoyed me, because it made me feel like I missed out on so much stuff as I have not read his series ... I hope vol3 will finally be about Al's curses. That will be more fun again probably. If you change your mind (Robby Weber): Uhm, the drama of privileged white kids? It was sort of entertaining but the characters did annoy me on multiple occassions. Like when the ex wanted his date. He knew the scriptwriting was important for the protagonist and that there was only a little time left but he still insisted the date had to be now. Why not just wait a week?! ML as well though. Tell him off, boy! Show some spine! D: Also worst names ever. Harry and Haley? I couldn’t help wondering how similar these names would be in Japanese. “8D

On another note, I gifted “The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo” to my mother for her birthday and she seems to like it, while my sister found my copy of “Heartbreak Boys” lying around, read the blurb and totally dismissed it. Rude! Also “Aru Shah” is finally being published in German which is great because everyone everywhere should read it, but wtf is with that cover? Is it the lighting or is that girl’s hand white ....?!

[plasmi]

Queer Books I need to read

Heartbreak Boys (by Simon James Green) Loveless (by Alice Oseman) Imogen, Obviously (by Becky Albertelli)

[infintyonhigh]

So Much (for) Stardust is the eighth studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy, released on March 24, 2023 on Fueled by Ramen and DCD2.

[lauraisakilljoy]

heartbreak high has so many great ships already but next season I’d like to see malakai x more than two seconds of happiness

[blakbonnet]

it's his lil excited nose scrunch from the lighthouse fuckery 🥹

[roscoe-me-and-this-fuckin-kid]

being a fall out boy fan is sooo exhausting because i'll listen to a fall out boy song and i'll say "wow! what a great song! this is definitely one of my top 5 favourite fall out boy songs!" and then i'll listen to another one and i'll say "wow! what a great song! this is definitely one of my top 5 favourite fall out boy songs!" and then i'll do that for every single song of theirs

[smalltownfae]

119?

119. your favourite summer read

I always feel like reading something short, fun and lighthearted in summer. This year it seems like I am giving a chance to contemporary romance books, which fit that mood.

My favourite read this summer for a book that fits that mood and I might reread is Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green, which happens during summer vacation. It is YA, but it's very funny and I like the dynamic between the main characters.

Now, for a typical reread that fits that bill I have to go with Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. It might not happen in summer, but it's one of my favourite books and it's short and funny and it has romance.

Oh, the Odyssey by Homer is also a good one since it has adventures at sea and it can be pretty funny.

Thank you for the ask :)

[bookbaran]

The one thing that I really think could have been handled better in Heartbreak Boys is Nate's sister. She immediately takes a liking to Jack and starts insisting that Nate should marry Jack, but we don't know why she likes Jack so much. A couple scenes of Jack bonding with the little sister would have been a nice improvement. Also, she's got that weird little kid energy without being annoying, so a few more scenes with her wouldn't have hurt.

[poggyscavern]

the whole set together!✨ i'll be making tiny prints of these to give out at the nyc show this tuesday!

[javelinbk]

Brian Epstein watches The Beatles performing at the Washington Coliseum, 11th February 1964

[wra-1-th]

so let me get this straight.

fob releases love from the other side and a week later panic splits (read: brendon gave up). and fob releases heartbreak feels so good the next day.

mate that’s actually hilarious

[noname-404s-blog]

[notthecity]

if you don’t love me at my mania then you don’t deserve me at my so much (for) stardust