Spetember Book of The Month Our Chemical Hearts

I was kindly provided with a copy of this book via Netgalley. This book is described as a crossover between John Green and Rainbow Rowell and I have to agree.

Henry Page has never been in love. He fancies himself a hopeless romantic, but the slo-mo, heart palpitating, can't-eat-can't-sleep kind of love that he's been hoping for just hasn't been in the cards for him—at least not yet. Instead, he's been happy to focus on his grades, on getting into a semi-decent college and finally becoming editor of his school newspaper. Then Grace Town walks into his first period class on the third Tuesday of senior year and he knows everything's about to change.

Grace isn't who Henry pictured as his dream girl—she walks with a cane, wears oversized boys' clothes, and rarely seems to shower. But when Grace and Henry are both chosen to edit the school paper, he quickly finds himself falling for her. It's obvious there's something broken about Grace, but it seems to make her even more beautiful to Henry, and he wants nothing more than to help her put the pieces back together again. And yet, this isn't your average story of boy meets girl. Krystal Sutherland's brilliant debut is equal parts wit and heartbreak, a potent reminder of the bittersweet bliss that is first love.

This is a novel that I would describe as a bittersweet romance, filled with teen angst, the dialogue immediately draws you in. Narrated by the protagonist Henry Page, a teenage writer himself, the words come across as almost poetic. With plenty of literary references, Harry Potter fans will definitely love this.

Henry isn't your typical teenager, yes he thinks about girls but he doesn't want just any girl, he wants the one that will really make him feel something, he wants the sort of love that his parents portray and what I loved from the beginning is that he isn't the gorgeous male leads that we're used to, he's just a normal teenager.

Grace is not what someone would describe as pretty either but she doesn't fade into the crowd either. Dressed in boys clothes, messy hair and walking with a limp, she is a mystery but Henry is left fascinated and so an unlikely friendship forms and this is where the flutterings of love start to appear too.

With friendship, love (well at least the idea of it) and plenty of emotion, this book makes me both happy and sad at the same time, I'd describe it as heartbreakingly beautiful. There is under age drinking, sex as well as focus on loss and suicide, a lot of subjects covered but they are all done in a sensitive manner.

"Don't mourn a failed love; there's no such thing. All love is equal in the brain."

There are lots of questions that all teenagers ask, it really depicts how many feels as they are going through this awkward stage in life but with the added elements of grief, this is a novel that really gets you thinking.

The dynamics between the characters are fantastic. I love the banter between Henry and his best friends Layla and Murray, it put in the humour that was needed to stop the tale from becoming too dark, their conversations had me laughing a lot.

Now I don't want to go into too much detail as I feel like you need to go into this book almost blind to really feel the full affects of it. The way Krystal Sutherland has written this story has made it seem so realistic but she has managed to create something that is deep yet light hearted at the same time, writing that down sounds strange but that is exactly what she's done.

"I somehow knew in that moment that Grace Town was a jagged piece of glass that I'd cut myself on again and again if I let myself get involved with her." 

Our Chemical Hearts is a story that is painful yet hilarious, you'll be smiling whilst crying. With characters that are flawed and a storyline that so many can relate to in some way or another, this is a book that will stay with you long after you've finished reading it!