"I'm sorry," he said, slowly untying the ribbon that held his mask in place. "It's just-I didn't want you to think of me any differently."

Somehow I kept my mouth from falling open. I knew his face, but my mind couldn't accept that he was the person looking down at me.

"My real name is Alec."

I haven’t read the first book in the Heartbreakers Chronicles, but I love a good Hollywood romance story - they’re always such a perfect quick read! And this one was no different. Paper Hearts follows Felicity Lyons as she meets and begins to fall for Alec Williams, a member of the world famous boy punk band The Heartbreakers. Paper Hearts was a fun, and surprisingly engaging read. There was an abundance of family drama, teen friendships, and some really swoony romance.

Things I Liked:
The entire book felt like a fantastic early ‘00 teen rom-com! It was filled with great friends, romance, and drama. The overall vibe of the story was summery and fun. While the story is not realistic at all, I still found it to be really engaging and so easy to read.

The romance in the story was really cute and fluffy. You can’t help but smile at Felicity and Alec and their unlikely romance. I like that we see them getting to know each other, and getting to know each other’s friends. I also really appreciated that they don’t confess their love for each other, after knowing each other for such a short amount of time. Kudos!

I loved the roadtrip aspect of the book because roadtrips are always fun! The adventure feeling really added to the teen rom-com vibe and created this invigorating and adventurous atmosphere that was a lot of fun.

I really appreciated the playlists at the back of the book! The story focused on celebrity and the band less than I thought it would, which I think really worked. It was more about Felicity’s personal journey, not a romantic one in relation to a famous person. The playlists were a nice touch to add a bit more music to the story without taking anything away from Felicity’s story.

Things I Didn’t Like:
I would have liked more development for Alec and his father’s relationship. You could understand the rift that existed and the strain it put on Alec, but I felt I always wanted more from their relationship. It would have helped to develop Alec a bit more outside of the band.

Unfortunately, this book had one of my least favorite tropes: miscommunication as a plot device. Felicity and Alec’s fight was just incredibly frustrating because Felicity refused to stop and listen to Alec at all. I understand she was having some trust issues, but I just wanted to yell at her.

I also think that all of Felicity’s family drama was pushing past believable territory into cheesy soapy drama. There was so much drama and angst compounded with secrets, betrayal, reveal after reveal. It got to be a little much, especially because a good chunk of it happened within like 25 pages. I appreciate that Asha told Felicity it was soap opera levels of drama.

Overall this was a super quick read that I knocked out in one sitting. It was heavy on the drama, but never felt weighed down or slow. The book had a great summer vibe and was a lot of fun.

I received a copy of the book from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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