Review: Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

on December 2017
Pages: 288
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4.5 Stars

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

I fell in love with Emma Mill’s debut First & Then and this third book, Foolish Hearts tugged at me in so many similar ways.

Claudia goes to a private elite all girl’s school. There, after accidentally listening in to one of the school’s cutest couples break up, she makes an enemy of Iris. Which is a shame because suddenly they’re paired up in English class. What follows is a story about finding out who someone truly is, and not just who they want you to see them as.

I loved Iris especially. I loved her sharp cut throat observations. She is mean, but not heartless. I have some friends who are very much the same way and I adore them. I love how Iris became such a good friend for Claudia and how Claudia learned how to have different friends besides Zoe, her best friend since when she was young.

I love love love the friendships in this book. Claudia and her relationship with her best friend Zoe and how that gets complicated is bittersweet and endearing. Iris and Claudia is something to behold. I loved how the friendships took center stage and not the romance.

The pace of the book is good and I even enjoyed the theater settings. I can only say that I really don’t like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, so it was surprising that I liked this book so much. But really I shouldn’t be that surprised. Mills weaves her magic in all contemporary YA fiction.

Overall, Foolish Hearts has a little bit of everything. Romance, all girl’s school, cute guys, family drama, vulnerability.