Book Review: Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills // The cutest contemporary I’ve ever read! (And I’ve read a lot of contemporaries)

Four stars! ☺️

Genre(s): Young adult, contemporary, romance, LGBTQ+

Published: December 5, 2017

Book in a few words: Heartwarming, hilarious, relatable, lovable characters, ALL THE FEELS (i know this is more than a few words whoops but i can’t describe how amazing this book is in just a few words)

Representation: Sapphic romance, disability

A contemporary novel about a girl whose high school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream leads her to new friends—and maybe even new love.

The day of the last party of the summer, Claudia overhears a conversation she wasn’t supposed to. Now on the wrong side of one of the meanest girls in school, Claudia doesn’t know what to expect when the two are paired up to write a paper—let alone when they’re both forced to try out for the school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

But mandatory participation has its upsides—namely, an unexpected friendship, a boy band obsession, and a guy with the best dimpled smile Claudia’s ever seen. As Claudia’s world starts to expand, she finds that maybe there are some things worth sticking her neck out for.

Goodreads

WOW. Foolish Hearts was absolutely incredible!! 💞

(I actually rated this 4.5 stars, but decided to round down.)

This is the first book I’ve read since finishing The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and it was just what I needed after the emotional and heartbreaking journey that TSOA was. It was such an addictive read, and I didn’t want to stop reading.

Foolish Hearts made my heart so happy! I couldn’t stop smiling after finishing it. This book had all the feels, and I loved it so much. This book was like a warm, cozy hug, there when you need it most. It made my heart soar and sing, and brought me endless joy. It made me want to shower my loved ones with support and affection. AHHH. I just want to hug this beautiful, charming, and wholesome book. 💖

I have so much love for all of the characters, like Gideon, Claudia, Iris, Alex, and Zoe. The character development in this book was amazing, as well as the relationships between all of the characters. Their interactions and banters made me smile and laugh a lot (although one interaction in particular may have made me an emotional wreck 💔). Overall, the friendships and romance were so well-developed and realistic, and I rooted for all of them.

Ok, I know I just said I loved all of the characters, but Gideon in particular has my entire heart. He’s such a caring, supportive, goofy, and pure person, and HE’S HONESTLY THE BEST. 💕 We need more soft and genuine characters like him in YA!! I loved Gideon and Noah’s friendship and bromance; Emma Mills penned such a beautiful platonic relationship between them. Gideon cared so much about his best friend, even making himself seem like a jerk at times in order to protect Noah.

“Did you ever want a brother too?”
“I already have one, remember?” Gideon says, nodding toward Noah.

Claudia was also an extremely relatable character. It really hit close to home when she constantly put herself down and couldn’t see how amazing of a person she was, and how loved she was by her friends and family. She gave so much support and kindness to others, and yet, she couldn’t do the same to herself. That felt all too real to me.

Furthermore, this book was just plain hilarious. I literally laughed out loud so many times. It really shows in Emma Mills’ writing that she gets our humor and wit. Gideon and Claudia were two of my favorite characters because of how funny they were. Their interactions and conversations honestly brought me so much laughter and joy!

“Are you ready to put the ‘fun’ in Fall Fun Fest?” he says as I slap his palm.
“I can at least put the ‘trip’ in ‘Triple F.’” A pause. “By being clumsy, I mean. Not by, like, sharing drugs with the group.” Three sets of eyes are on me, and I can’t stop myself from talking. “I don’t have any drugs. In case you were worried. Or, in case you were … expecting me to have drugs.…”
Gideon grins.”

Oh, Claudia. (I love her so much HAHA.)

Speaking of Gideon and Claudia, the romance in this book was absolutely adorable!! Their relationship was the definition of cute, honestly. 😍 I loved how Claudia and Gideon’s relationship developed and how they slowly started to have feelings for each other (ALTHOUGH THEY NEVER TOLD EACH OTHER FOR THE LONGEST TIME, ugh). The slowburn was real, I tell you.

Although Foolish Hearts is a lighthearted read, it also had a lot of important and inspirational messages. It tells you that stepping out of your comfort zone and learning to embrace life with all its difficulties can be the best thing ever. It shows you why it’s worth it to live your life to the fullest, with the people that you love. Life can be amazing and full of joy and love, if you just take that first step. 💞

The only reason I didn’t rate Foolish Hearts five stars was that there were way too many (irrelevant) side characters, and after a while I gave up trying to remember and distinguish between them all. All the names started blending together in my head, like there was Amber, Madison, Lena, Alicia, Sudha, Tara, Ainsley…I’m sure there are more, but I’ve already forgotten them and what they did. Whoops. Although having so many side characters was a little confusing, it didn’t affect my love of the book too much, hence the slightly lowered 4.5 star rating.

Me at certain times in the book due to the amount of side characters :’)

Foolish Hearts was my first Emma Mills contemporary novel, and it definitely won’t be my last. I’m extremely excited to read her other books, like This Adventure Ends! She also has a book releasing in January 2019, Famous in a Small Town, which, from the summary, sounds AMAZING. 😍

If you’re looking for a lighthearted contemporary romance with lovable characters, theater nerds, gamers, boybands, meaningful friendships, and great family dynamics, then please read this book. Honestly, if you just want to feel pure happiness, read Foolish Hearts!! 💞

Have you read Foolish Hearts? Did you love it as much as I did? Tell me your favorite character and everything you loved about the book!! I’d love to scream about it with you. 😉

What other contemporaries have you read that brought you joy? Do you love reading lighthearted contemporaries? What do you think of Emma Mills’ other contemporary novels?

Also, I’m quite pleased with the amount of B99 gifs I was able to incorporate in this post, hehe. Let me know if you love Brooklyn 99 as much as I do!! 💙

 

Let’s be friends!

Background image for blog graphic from Unsplash