Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books


Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Heartbreaking, Swoony & Funny: Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra

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I received this book for free from Imprint in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Heartbreaking, Swoony & Funny: Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona CharaipotraSymptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra
Published by Imprint on July 2nd, 2019
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, YA
Source: Imprint
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four-stars

The youngest doctor in America, an Indian-American teen makes her rounds―and falls head over heels―in the contemporary romantic comedy Symptoms of a Heartbreak.

Fresh from med school, sixteen-year-old medical prodigy Saira arrives for her first day at her new job: treating children with cancer. She’s always had to balance family and friendships with her celebrity as the Girl Genius―but she’s never had to prove herself to skeptical adult co-workers while adjusting to real life-and-death stakes. And working in the same hospital as her mother certainly isn’t making things any easier.

But life gets complicated when Saira finds herself falling in love with a patient: a cute teen boy who’s been diagnosed with cancer. And when she risks her brand new career to try to improve his chances, it could cost her everything.

It turns out “heartbreak” is the one thing she still doesn’t know how to treat.

Remember how back in 2012 the only book anyone ever talked about was The Fault in Our Stars? I wish Symptoms of a Heartbreak was around back then because it is infinitely better and hits a lot of the same emotional notes that TFIOS hit for many people. While this book is pitched as a medical romcom, I’d actually describe it as less of a romcom and more of a family comedy with a smidgen of romance and a lot of growth and development. 

Saira is Girl Genius and the youngest doctor ever. But all that genius cannot prepare for her first year as an intern at the place where it all started – when she diagnosed her best friend with cancer at the age of 6. It also cannot prepare her on how she should balance her very adult responsibilities with the fact she is still a teen who has never had any real teen experiences.

Saira truly reads like the perfect balance between teen and adult. A YOUNG ADULT if you will. She is prone to irritability, occasionally forgetting to think about people other than herself; but, she is also capable of being mature and making important decisions. Her voice just hit all the right notes for me. Her relationship with her fam was the best and all the food descriptions made me immensely hungry. 

Given that this book is a comedy, it could have been pretty easy for it to brush off all the big bad things that happen in the world, but it didn’t. The health care system in the US is severely broken and Charaipotra didn’t dance around that. Saira had patients who dealt with shitty insurance companies. Not all of Saira’s patients are always okay given that they have cancer… and sometimes people die. 

Charaipotra truly hit the mark with this book and I loved that we could both be immersed within Saira’s family and also within her work place without feeling like one or the other was neglected. I also loved how much character development there was. I love Saira coming to terms with the times she has dropped the ball on her friendships and familial relationships. 

I have yet to say a word about the romance and part of that is because it really isn’t the focus of this book but also part of it is because it’s so soft and I wanted to save the softest thing for last. Link and Saira hit it off as soon as they meet but Link assumes that Saira is also a patient and she doesn’t bother to correct him. Even with this miscommunication, their romance is so sweet and so full of understanding. 

If you enjoy experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, this book will truly be your thing. You will laugh, cry and swoon. If you were at one point, obsessed with Scrubs, this book will also be your thing (I started rewatching after finishing this book, LOL.) If you are a fan of realistic teens and good character development, this book will be your thing. If you love Punjabi grandmas (+ crazy Punjabi fams) and lots of good Punjabi food-porn, this book will BE YOUR THING. There is something for everyone here and Symptoms of a Heartbreak is absolutely worth the read.

four-stars

4 Hot Espressos

A Delightful Summer Read for Your TBR: The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

Posted by on 05/31/2018 • 3 Comments

I Believe in a Thing Called Love was one of my very few five star reads of last year so I was eagerly anticipating the release of The Way You Make Me Feel. While The Way You Make Me Feel was not a five star read for me, it was still absolutely delightful.

Clara Shin is the class clown. Her life revolves arounds making snarky remarks and pranking her enemies. When her prom prank results in the school almost being burned down, both her and her arch nemesis are suspended. Clara’s dad is able to negotiate a deal that may just be worse. She has to spend the entire summer working on her dad’s food truck with her arch nemesis Rose and use her earnings to pay the school…

Lackluster Poolside Read: Airports, Exes and Other Things I’m Over by Shani Petroff

Posted by on 05/17/2018 • 0 Comments

I love a good travel story. I specifically love a good travel story involving airports and things going horribly wrong. Partially because I travel relatively often and because I have a couple of bad travel stories in my own pocket. I don’t think this is really a trend in YA though and it NEEDS TO BE. Jessica Brody’s The Chaos of Standing Still was basically everything I wanted in such a story and I was hoping Airports, Exes and Other Things I am Over would deliver on a similar scale. It didn’t.

The book feels like it’s missing something honestly. It starts with Sari walking in on her boyfriend and his ex kissing. She runs away, doesn’t talk to him and spends an entire week and a half brooding over…

Complex and Feel-Good: Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

Posted by on 01/24/2018 • 9 Comments

Let’s Talk About Love surprised me. I went in expecting good vibes and it still blew my expectations out of the water. It is NOT a perfect book, I am nitpicky and its hard for books to be perfect for me, but Let’s Talk About Love is damn well a fantastic read that is worth your time.

Do you love a feel-good romance that will sweep you off your feet? Do you love reading about friendships that have true-to-life complexity? Do you love some angst (the good kind)? Let’s Talk About Love is an ode to not just romantic love but all kinds of love, it explores the complexities of all kinds of relationships and it’s just a GOOD BOOK.

So why am I a nit picky bastard? Well because…

Cute But Not Much Else: Cast No Shadow by Nick Tapalansky & Anissa Espinosa

Posted by on 11/29/2017 • 1 Comment

Cast No Shadow was a surprise graphic novel I received but it looked really cute and I couldn’t help but read it right away. Of course, this was some time ago and I am only now getting around to writing the review for the book so forgive me.

Greg has no shadow and is kind of an outcast. One day, he discovers a haunted mansion and ends up falling in love with the resident ghost. Obviously, things get a little complicated and there is some good angst going on there too.

The graphic novel is as cute as it sounds but doesn’t necessarily leave a lasting impression. Not every book I read, or anyone reads, needs to be revolutionary but I think the premise is so unique that I would…

A Graphic Novel That You Most Definitely Need: Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

Posted by on 11/03/2017 • 2 Comments

I’ve been waiting for Pashmina since I first heard it existed so when my friend got a copy, I dove into hers while I was visiting and also ended up coming home to a precious copy of my own (#SHOUTOUT.) I’ve already read it twice and there is a very huge possibility I’ll have read it a third time before the end of the year (and even the end of the month, tbh.) SO. I THINK it’s safe to say that I love Pashmina.

It’s already being marketed as such but I also just think Pashmina is perfect for fans of American Born Chinese. The books share so many wonderful qualities and parallels but Pashmina is still its own story and so so SO heartfelt at that. I mean, it even has Gene Luen Yang’s stamp…

The Princess Bride Meets The Emperor’s New Groove: The Emperor’s Ostrich by Julie Berry

Posted by on 07/27/2017 • 0 Comments

I feel like aesthetics for middle grade novels are fairly uncommon but The Emperor’s Ostrich is so laugh-out loud hilarious and really just lends itself to aesthetics. It’s got adventure, an unexpected romance (b/w a cow and an ostrich) & magic.

As the title of this post suggests, I believe that this book can best be described as The Princess Bride meets The Emperor’s New Groove. What happens when a spoilt man-child is on the verge of getting control of an entire empire? Why of course, he must be taught a lesson! Magic, mayhem and adventure ensue and a young dairy maid might be the answer to all. Basically, this book will make you LOL and draw you in for a ride. READ IT or give it to people who read middle grade. Seriously.

Book Aesthetic: Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourne

Posted by on 07/05/2017 • 3 Comments

If you’re expecting this book to change your life, you’re probably going to be disappointed but it IS a perfectly, enjoyable summer book and not everything we read needs to revolutionize our lives. I, for one, have been too tired and too overheated lately to read books that will change my life so Wesley James Ruined My Life was the perfect read for me.

Is Quinn Hardwick stubborn as fuck and will you want to shake some sense into her? For SURE but the book also has so many feel-good vibes and part of the fun is when she does realize she is in the wrong. Quinn is stubborn and holds grudges for all the wrong reasons but we can all be stubborn sometimes and I for one am still angry…