Five Reasons You Should Read ‘Our Chemical Hearts’

Lauren Wengrovitz

8 years ago

Today we are thrilled to be kicking off the blog tour for Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland! This debut novel is being pitched as John Green meets Rainbow Rowell – and that is a spot-on description.

Henry Page has never been in love. He fancies himself a hopeless romantic, but the slo-mo, heart palpitating, can’t-eat-can’t-sleep kind of love that he’s been hoping for just hasn’t been in the cards for him—at least not yet. Instead, he’s been happy to focus on his grades, on getting into a semi-decent college and finally becoming editor of his school newspaper. Then Grace Town walks into his first period class on the third Tuesday of senior year and he knows everything’s about to change.

Grace isn’t who Henry pictured as his dream girl—she walks with a cane, wears oversized boys’ clothes, and rarely seems to shower. But when Grace and Henry are both chosen to edit the school paper, he quickly finds himself falling for her. It’s obvious there’s something broken about Grace, but it seems to make her even more beautiful to Henry, and he wants nothing more than to help her put the pieces back together again. And yet, this isn’t your average story of boy meets girl. Krystal Sutherland’s brilliant debut is equal parts wit and heartbreak, a potent reminder of the bittersweet bliss that is first love.

Here are our Top 5 Reasons you should read Our Chemical Hearts:

Harry Potter references galore!

Henry is a Harry Potter fan, so if you enjoy little Easter eggs from other fandoms, you’ll have plenty of HP references to search for as you read.

Relatablility

A lot of the charm in Our Chemical Hearts comes from how relatable the story is. Henry and his friends have a great relationship that includes typical high school experiences: parties, school newspaper deadlines, and holding funerals for a pet goldfish. Henry’s family keeps humor in the story while Grace’s backstory keeps things grounded and real. The story is really about friendships, relationships, and growth – and the challenges of those things are what everyone can relate to on some level.

Quirk

After all, this book is about how first love can be an epic disaster. Expect a perfect amount of quirk – from Grace’s wardrobe choices to Henry’s friends, and everything in between.

Unique Storytelling

Sutherland clearly understands how teenagers are living these days, with technology playing a vital role in communication and relationships. The text is intermixed with text messages, notes made on Smartphone apps, and even an adorable “Why You Should Date Me” Powerpoint!

The Ending…

Now, I don’t want to give too much away, but the ending of Our Chemical Hearts is very reminiscent of John Green and Rainbow Rowell. It’s messy and real, and not a perfect “happy ending.” But that’s what makes it so perfect – Henry and Grace’s love story has so many complicated layers that it wouldn’t make sense for the ending to be presented all wrapped up in a perfect package. And it will probably make you smile, cry, and laugh.

In case you couldn’t tell, we really enjoyed Krystal Sutherland’s debut novel. Make sure you check it out when it hits stores tomorrow – October 4, 2016!

Make sure to follow the rest of the blog tour stops – this week’s stops include:

Monday, 10/3: The Young Folks
Tuesday, 10/4: Tales of the Ravenous Reader
Wednesday, 10/5: Katie’s Book Blog
Thursday, 10/6: IceyBooks
Friday, 10/7: Lost in Lit