Book Review: Fierce Fragile Hearts; Sara Barnard.

I have been looking forward to reading Sara Barnard's latest release for a long time, and I finally did! Barnard's books really do hold a special place in my heart, and this was a sequel for her debut, 'Beautiful Broken Things' which made it even more special!

SOURCE: NetGalley
TYPE: E-Read

TITLE: Fierce Fragile Hearts
AUTHOR: Sara Barnard
SERIES: Beautiful Broken Things (#2)
PUBLISHER: Macmillan Children's Books
PAGES: 354
GENRE: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

RATING: 3.5/5 Stars

Blurb:
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?

What I Liked:

• It was really nice to get a follow-up to Barnard's debut, and she did a great job of reminding those that have read the previous book a while ago of what happened, though this could also be read as a stand-alone. Barnard's writing, as usual, was a joy to read.
• I really liked some of the relationships in this book, particularly between Suzanne and Dilys. I teared up at that friendship a few times, it was very touching. I also loved the addition of Matt, an adorable, charming character and great book boyfriend material!

What I Disliked:

• I think my main issue with this one was the fact that I really disliked some of the old characters compared to the first book. I'm thinking of Caddy in particular, who was spiteful and whiny! I thought that she was a terrible friend! I also felt very irritated by Suzanne's selfish attitude every now and again and that's a little sad as she was the POV character.

Overall Conclusion:

I liked this. It continued 'Beautiful Broken Things' well, using the same Brighton setting I remember loving in the first book, but also adding in more recently relateable experiences for me - moving out and into a place of my own, adult life and responsibilities, and keeping long-distance friendships going while at University etc. Sadly, I didn't like it as much as the first in the series thanks to some frustrating character choices and that's a little sad.