  | Book Details Title: How to Build a Heart |
Book DescriptionReview “Padian shows again and again that a story is always more complicated and more ordinary than it seems.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books “Padian takes a familiar theme—a girl hiding her background from others—and makes it fresh with her protagonist, Izzy Crawford . . . The characters around her are well-defined and support Izzy and the plot well. Throughout the novel, Izzy’s strength, candor, and humanity shine through.” —Booklist “Padian creates a compelling world with relatable characters and deals with serious issues without feeling heavy-handed. An excellent classroom or book discussion starter. Hand this to readers who are ready to tackle these issues with a lighter touch.”—School Library Journal “An absolutely enthralling depiction of family and self-discovery.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Padian creates a world that the reader can easily dive into. Anyone who’s ever been a self-conscious teen will see themselves in Izzy.” —Book Riot Read more About the Author Maria Padian has a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and a master’s degree from the University of Virginia. She is a freelance writer, essayist, and author of young adult novels, including Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress, Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best, and Out of Nowhere. Maria lives with her family in Brunswick, Maine. Visit her online at mariapadian.com and find her on Twitter: @mpadian. Read more Customers Review: When I read the synopsis How to Build A Heart, I knew it was going to mean me crying on the couch at 1 am. I was not wrong. But this book is so much more than a tearjerker. It’s a story of friendship, discovering who you are and being okay with that, and helping those around you even when they might not be your favorite person.Izzy Crawford has moved around A LOT and because of that, doesn’t put down roots or make strong connections. But that’s changing. While she might not have made close friends before, she has in Virginia. The first is Roz.Roz is…a character. She stalks the rich kids that go to her school and acts like a complete warrior. But perhaps she does this because she’s scared inside. Roz does not have the best home life and when things go wrong at home, she heads over to Izzy’s until things calm down.Izzy’s relationship with Roz is complicated to say the least. Izzy goes to a local Catholic school where she doesn’t let anyone know about her life outside of school. None of her friends at school know she lives in a mobile home or that she’s poor or that sometimes her family doesn’t have enough food. They also don’t know about Roz. Izzy wants them to think she is exactly like them and introducing Roz would do the opposite of that.While she tries to play it off as the her school friends and Roz probably not getting along, it’s more than that.Izzy very much lives two lives. The one at school and the one at home. And never the two shall meet. That quickly changes (much to Izzy’s terror) when she happens to become friends with Aubrey, the sister of the most popular boy, Sam, at Roz’s school. Sam is also the boy Roz has stalked/has a crush on. Can you feel the two world’s about to smash together? Get ready.By chance, Izzy meets Sam at a gas station and again when she’s hanging out with Aubrey. And all of that would be fine and good but…he seems to like her (oh no). And she likes him (OH. NO.)With these two new connections in her life (Sam and Aubrey), Izzy begins hanging out more with her friends from her Catholic school and gets invited to Sam and Aubrey’s house and…WHAT IS HER LIFE?!They are rich as hell and their world seems miles away from her home life.And then the BIG THING happens. Her mom applies for a Habitat for Humanity house and is approved. AND the place where the house will be just so happens to be near Aubrey and Sam’s house.Which would be fine if Habitat didn’t want them to go to fundraisers and be in newsletters where everyone can see. Izzy is trying to keep her life outside of school a secret but with all this happening, that’s easier said than done. (I swear I’m filled with anxiety just remembering all this happening!!)Oh boy, I felt for Izzy so much. I very much lived two lives when I was in school, but not for the same reason as Izzy (I was quiet at school and a complete loudmouth at home). I also appreciate her struggle to keep it all separate, especially when she’s hanging out with people who have always gotten exactly what they wanted. It’s tough not to show how in awe she is of all they have.But how can Izzy keep up all the lies? And how can her friendship with Roz continue when she keeps leaving her out of things?Roz’s situation had my heart on the floor. I don’t want to give away what ultimately happens, but Roz has a tough life. And while Izzy and Roz may be similar in some ways, Roz deals with a whole lot of shit that Izzy doesn’t.Now to the romance! Izzy and Sam are so sweet. I love how their relationship develops, but I especially like how they both handle themselves when all of Izzy’s lies/secrets come out into the open. She tries to escape, but comes to the realization that she must face the music, no matter the consequences.There;s also a bit of romance for Roz which I CANNOT spoil but omg, if anyone deserves some love and care, it’s Roz! Yes, she does some bad things in this story (aka the thing I want to spoil the most because omg I gasped when it happened), but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve a safe home and a person who cares about her.I also really enjoyed how Habitat for Humanity was woven into the story. Besides that they family has to help in building their house, I had no idea how it worked. It was really interesting to see the process and while it was one of the reasons why Izzy’s secrets to come out, it also brings together a lot of people. Working together on something big can really tie a group together.How to Build A Heart is filled with complicated emotions and characters. You might think you know whether a character is good or bad, but by the next chapter, you’ll see them in a completely different light. The characters in this story are very much like people in real life: they’re flawed and beautiful and can hurt people, but also be forgiven.As this book punched me in the heart a few times and the characters were SO WELL-DEVELOPED, I am giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you’re looking for a beautiful, complex YA contemporary, please check out this book.(There’s also Jack, Izzy’s brother, who shoves his hand into a bag of Cheetos and then shoves them in his mouth. Jack and me are the same.)Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.
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13 reviews