Author: Sara
Barnard
My Rating: 5*
Publication
Date: February 7th 2019
Genre(s): Young adult
Pages: 354
Format
Read: E-book
Goodreads: 'This time around, I'm going to be so much better. I'm going to prove to them that it was worth waiting on me.'
Two years
after a downward spiral took her as low as you can possibly go, Suzanne is
starting again. Again. She's back in Brighton, the only place she felt she belonged,
back with her best friends Caddy and Rosie. But they're about to leave for
university. When your friends have been your light in the darkness, what
happens when you're the one left behind?
*This book is the second in a series (book 1 is Beautiful Broken
Things) but can be read as a standalone. Don’t read on if you don’t want
spoilers!
** Trigger warnings: Abuse, PTSD, Depression, mentions of
suicide
I cannot put into words how much I loved this book! Fierce
Fragile Hearts is Sara Barnard’s latest novel set 2 years after the first novel
in the series, Beautiful Broken Things. It is a story about the struggles of
growing up, friendships, relationships and everything in between. This time the
novel is written from the perspective of Suzanne, who, after 2 years of hard
work and recovery from her downward spiral, has decided to move back to Brighton to
be with her two best friends Caddy and Rosie. But they are about to leave for
university and Suzanne doesn’t know if she will be able to cope alone without
them.
The most important part of this story is the love and
friendship between these three girls and the development of their characters
from book 1, especially Caddy and Suze’s friendship. Caddy was shy and always
stuck to the rules until Suze came along and changed her life. The 2 years
apart certainly tested the friendships of the three girls but the moment they
were brought back together it was as if nothing had changed. I like how this
book was told from Suze’s perspective as the reader is able to see inside
her head and understand more of what she goes through on a daily basis living
with anxiety and depression. Kel (Caddy’s boyfriend) and Suze’s friendship was
refreshing to see and even though I loved how Caddy had asked him to look out
for her I could tell he was doing it for himself too. Her friendship with her
elderly neighbour Dilys also pulled on my heart strings continuously
throughout! I loved how close they became in a time that Suze really needed someone
to keep her grounded, and of course her little dog Henry.
The lack of romantic relationships and instead the focus on
the friendships was what really made the first book and although there were
some relationships in this book it showed the struggles of long distance relationships
and coming to terms with who you are beautifully. Suze’s relationship with Matt
was extremely complicated and even though I wanted to scream at Suze
sometimes to let herself be loved I think the way Sara Barnard portrayed what
it’s like to be struggling with feelings and letting her focus on herself
instead of getting into a relationship was a really good addition.
After reading the first book I knew what I was getting myself
into but still ended up ugly crying by the end. Suze’s character was written
imperfectly perfect and I hope we get a third installment. Fierce Fragile Hearts
is an accurate title for a character who is fierce, fragile, but also has the
biggest heart and love for all of her friends. I hope you read this book and fall in love with all of the characters and laugh and cry like I did.
Comment and follow for updates!
Twitter: @gemmasbookshelf
Okay, you've convinced me, I'm writing it down!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear!
Delete