Books are more than a words

Feb 1, 2016

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett


The Anatomical Shape of a Heart
by Jenn Bennett
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: bought.
Summary:
Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she’s spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Da Vinci’s footsteps, she’s ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.
Jack is charming, wildly attractive, and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in her family’s closet tear them apart?

****

This was such a refreshing read!
I wanted to read this book since I read the summary and realize this was a story about two artists: one that draws cadavers and the other that paints beautiful graffitis.  
I love books about artist so much! I just couldn’t miss this one! 

I think there’s something you should know about this book: it was a Romance, as in, the plot moves more than anything around the relationship between Bex and Jack. I had bad luck with “romance only” plots in the past, so I was a little scared when I started to see that Bex and Jack were together in almost all of the chapters of this book.
This, however, wasn’t a problem because Bex and Jack are simply fantastic!
Bex is a strong and tough character! She’s feminine, funny and smart.
Jack, on the other hand, is charismatic and witty. They were perfect for each other, so I didn’t mind that this book felt like a “crush at first sight”.

Even though I felt that this book was too focused in the romance, there were some amazing family dynamics and opportunities for the characters to grow up. There were incredible secondary characters, too. Some that I adored, some I hated a little.

Now, the thing I found more refreshing about The Anatomical Shape of a Heart is how open was the author about sex topics. You see, Bex is not your typical shy girl, I adored that the author made her sexy and open minded. And Jack, the Buddhist, wanted to make sure you realize he’s not a monk.

“So, you’re telling me these are leftover garbage condoms?”
“They haven’t been used, Bex. You know I hate waste.”
“Maybe you should hand them out on Halloween instead of candy.”

The only reason I’m not giving this book 5 stars is because there was a moment, a single moment, when the thing I hate the most about romances became true: they are separate for a reason and the world crumbles and the color dies and the stars fall from the sky.
Thankfully the author ended this soon, and I was happy with them again.
The Anatomical Shape of a Heart is a fun and fresh read for fans of diverse books and swoon-worthy romances. 

13 comments:

  1. I also really loved this one! So glad you enjoyed it too :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm not into YA contemporary but this one sounds like something I might actually like! I like romance-only YA books, as long as there are no love triangles or messy things like that. :D I love seeing the growth of a relationship between two characters, as well as their own personal growth. This one sounds excellent! I'm so happy you liked it so much, Lis. :D

    Fabulous review!

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure you'll love this one if you give it a chance!

      Delete
  3. Great review! I've been wanting to read this one. It does sound very swoon worthy. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was! I hope you give it a chance!

      Delete
  4. Hmmm I am on the fence with this one. I like that the couple is pretty much together from the get go, but I am not thrilled to hear about the big separation. Normally that drives me nuts because one or both of the characters is keeping something and just won't talk! Big misunderstandings bother me, but you said it was a good read and you haven't been into romances lately either so maybe I will give it a go. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean! But the author did a great job fixing this.

      Delete
  5. So I'm sort both very intrigued and a bit put off about this book, because I'm not very keen on books where the romance is the main plot driving thing... but I might end up giving it a try because of your review, Lis!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yay! so glad you enjoyed this. I really love Bex and Jack.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I loved this book so much, and I liked that we actually got to know a bit about the parents... which doesn't happen often.

    ReplyDelete

Hey! Thanks for stopping by! Please leave a link to your blog so I can go say hello :)