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noemi1010's review against another edition
3.0
Tabby is spending the summer at her grandma's house while her parents finish packing us the house to move. She doesn't know anyone, but one day she finds a flyer advertising a book club where she meets four quirky new friends all around her age. After she was bullied in her previous school, she has troubles accepting that she might belong with them, but when her friend-turned-bully starts attacking her new friends, Tabby doesn't know what to do. She ends up lying trying to protect them, but things just keep getting worse and worse. Tabby will have to right her wrongs and hope her new friend will see her for who she really is.
I liked how the story started, but after a few chapters in the mood got slower and I didn't like the ending at all.
I liked how the story started, but after a few chapters in the mood got slower and I didn't like the ending at all.
lilz_reads's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was so sweet. It portrayed beautiful friendships. However, it also portrayed toxic, horrible friendships. It covers so many important topics, such as: bullying, cyberbullying, self-confidence, and more. I could relate to Tabby so much and this is one of the first books, that I had a main or any character that could relate to me in some or many ways. I love this book. It was such an easy, quick read, with short-ish chapters, good fonts and font size and decent grammar.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying
usopppxx's review against another edition
3.0
Wonderful, heart felt story. Definitely a book for young books lovers, with the focus being on friendship, bullying, anxiety and all of the other bits and bobs that come into full swing when you’re a teen, just trying to figure yourself out.
I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes. I just hope Powrie goes into more depth with the characters themselves, however I understand there is a certain lightheartedness that might deter the story from going too dark, not to say that there are no dark themes in this book, i just felt like they were brushed over a bit.
3 starts for me really represents a solid story, however finishing it did leave me wishing there was a bit more ‘umph’ to the plot. Hopefully the story starts to really grow as more books are written!
I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes. I just hope Powrie goes into more depth with the characters themselves, however I understand there is a certain lightheartedness that might deter the story from going too dark, not to say that there are no dark themes in this book, i just felt like they were brushed over a bit.
3 starts for me really represents a solid story, however finishing it did leave me wishing there was a bit more ‘umph’ to the plot. Hopefully the story starts to really grow as more books are written!
latincat_dino's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
caenerys's review against another edition
3.0
I was gifted an advanced reader’s copy of this book through the Swansea Blogger Collective on behalf of Hodder Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review.
The Paper & Hearts Society is a cute, adorable, unequivocally delightful novel that made me miss being a teenager, and it’s not often that I say that! When I was sixteen I stopped reading for a long time, and a book club and the group of friends Tabby has would have been the perfect solution for me. In fact, joining the book blogging community feels a lot like joining a club like the Paper & Hearts Society, and, like Tabby, I am so glad that I have found my people!
I didn’t love Tabby, and I often found her a little annoying, but after talking to a friend I came to realise that the representation of her anxiety was extremely relatable and I can see in the reaction of readers with anxiety that Lucy has done a great job in writing this part of her character.
The friendship this group of friends has is definitely my favourite part of this novel. Everyone’s relationship is super cute, even Cassie and Tabby’s! Ed is the softest person in the whole world and I love him with all my heart, Olivia is so cute she’s like a puppy and I relate a lot. Cassie is definitely the grumpy cat of the group who thinks she’s too cool for everything but secretly loves it and Henry is the perfect, swoon-worthy love interest! They all have something that they’re dealing with privately and makes them feel super realistic and leaves plenty of room for development in upcoming novels in this series.
I don’t think that the writing was the most exquisite prose to ever exist, but it was light and easy to read which only served to further my enjoyment of this novel. Sometimes, I found that the dialogue wasn’t wholly natural, and the way all of the characters communicated was definitely far too healthy to feel entirely realistic. Additionally, it seems that The Paper & Hearts Society being marketed as a YA novel, but feels far too young, and instead reads as a novel for young teens, perhaps aged 13 to 15. Even still, the writing, at least at first, feels a little patronising and I know that it would have put me off reading this book as a young teen. The book feels like it was written by a teenager but instead of using a voice that would be targeted at Lucy’s age group, it seems as though she felt the need to make the voice younger, so doesn’t feel natural in places.
Overall, The Paper & Hearts Society is just as sweet and delicious as the hot chocolates from Woolf & Wilde, the infamous bookshop that I wish I could visit with Tabby and her friends! Please support this talented debut author and a UK YA book blogger who is such an amazing part of this community, and preorder The Paper & Hearts Society NOW!
The Paper & Hearts Society is a cute, adorable, unequivocally delightful novel that made me miss being a teenager, and it’s not often that I say that! When I was sixteen I stopped reading for a long time, and a book club and the group of friends Tabby has would have been the perfect solution for me. In fact, joining the book blogging community feels a lot like joining a club like the Paper & Hearts Society, and, like Tabby, I am so glad that I have found my people!
I didn’t love Tabby, and I often found her a little annoying, but after talking to a friend I came to realise that the representation of her anxiety was extremely relatable and I can see in the reaction of readers with anxiety that Lucy has done a great job in writing this part of her character.
The friendship this group of friends has is definitely my favourite part of this novel. Everyone’s relationship is super cute, even Cassie and Tabby’s! Ed is the softest person in the whole world and I love him with all my heart, Olivia is so cute she’s like a puppy and I relate a lot. Cassie is definitely the grumpy cat of the group who thinks she’s too cool for everything but secretly loves it and Henry is the perfect, swoon-worthy love interest! They all have something that they’re dealing with privately and makes them feel super realistic and leaves plenty of room for development in upcoming novels in this series.
I don’t think that the writing was the most exquisite prose to ever exist, but it was light and easy to read which only served to further my enjoyment of this novel. Sometimes, I found that the dialogue wasn’t wholly natural, and the way all of the characters communicated was definitely far too healthy to feel entirely realistic. Additionally, it seems that The Paper & Hearts Society being marketed as a YA novel, but feels far too young, and instead reads as a novel for young teens, perhaps aged 13 to 15. Even still, the writing, at least at first, feels a little patronising and I know that it would have put me off reading this book as a young teen. The book feels like it was written by a teenager but instead of using a voice that would be targeted at Lucy’s age group, it seems as though she felt the need to make the voice younger, so doesn’t feel natural in places.
Overall, The Paper & Hearts Society is just as sweet and delicious as the hot chocolates from Woolf & Wilde, the infamous bookshop that I wish I could visit with Tabby and her friends! Please support this talented debut author and a UK YA book blogger who is such an amazing part of this community, and preorder The Paper & Hearts Society NOW!
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
4.0
When Tabby moves to Dorset, she hopes to leave her old life behind. Her nan encourages her to make new friends, but she's perfectly fine by herself. At least she has her books.
Blogger Lucy Powrie's debut novel is adorable. It contains the best sounding book club ever, I want to join! They have themed meetings, don't force people to read books they don't want and are super kind and supportive. Oh yeah, they also go on a fantastic literary road trip.
There are oodles of mentions of books of course, and it's lovely to see a bunch of UKYA getting name checked. If I'm ever doing one of those "read a book mentioned in another book" prompts, I'm totally grabbing The Paper & Hearts Society.
It does have a serious side too. Tabby is being bullied by her former best friend, who has made her feel worthless and undeserving of new friends. Despite moving away, she is still being targeted online, triggering panic attacks. She totally captures the way that trauma from bullying can become an obstacle to forming new relationships, even if you want to. And not all bullying is obvious to outsiders or extreme, it's more insidious.
Blogger Lucy Powrie's debut novel is adorable. It contains the best sounding book club ever, I want to join! They have themed meetings, don't force people to read books they don't want and are super kind and supportive. Oh yeah, they also go on a fantastic literary road trip.
There are oodles of mentions of books of course, and it's lovely to see a bunch of UKYA getting name checked. If I'm ever doing one of those "read a book mentioned in another book" prompts, I'm totally grabbing The Paper & Hearts Society.
It does have a serious side too. Tabby is being bullied by her former best friend, who has made her feel worthless and undeserving of new friends. Despite moving away, she is still being targeted online, triggering panic attacks. She totally captures the way that trauma from bullying can become an obstacle to forming new relationships, even if you want to. And not all bullying is obvious to outsiders or extreme, it's more insidious.
melinda1962's review against another edition
3.0
Very strong debut novel. I like the premise of the book but it read like a middle grade rather than YA. I would of enjoyed it more had they been 12-14 years not. Not the 15-17 they were. The main character, Tabby was the weakest I thought. The other characters were very animated. I understand Tabby has trust issues but there wasn’t any one thing that made her likeable. I will read the next book in the series to see if and how the characters grow. Lucy Powrie is a good writer and I hope I’ll like the next one more.
alongreader's review against another edition
4.0
Tabby is hoping that her new town will mean an end to her old problems. Hoping for some new friends, she joins a book club and is soon happily embroiled in their plans and schemes. The past she'd hoped to leave behind is not finished with her, though, and it threatens everything she's built for herself in this new life.
What a fantastic read. All the characters suffer with various forms of anxiety and none of them are made fun of or made to feel lesser; they're treated with care and respect by the other characters. Even during the inevitable fallout they mostly listen to each other. It's refreshing to see. This will be a great book for tweens to read, as it tackles some heavy topics, most notably social media bullying. I think this will do really well.
I received a proof copy of this book, which did not affect my review in any way.
What a fantastic read. All the characters suffer with various forms of anxiety and none of them are made fun of or made to feel lesser; they're treated with care and respect by the other characters. Even during the inevitable fallout they mostly listen to each other. It's refreshing to see. This will be a great book for tweens to read, as it tackles some heavy topics, most notably social media bullying. I think this will do really well.
I received a proof copy of this book, which did not affect my review in any way.
katiebookqueen's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed @ The Queen of Teen Fiction
THE PLOT
Before I start, I just want to say that I did actually devour this story through NetGalley in the run up to its release, but I’ve only just been able to sit down and write my review because of how hectic life got. I could really do with my own book club that goes on exciting adventures at the moment! But please know that I flew through this story very quickly because I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
We join Tabby as she starts a new chapter in her life, moving to a different town to be with her grandma. Whilst she’s trying to start afresh, the girl who bullied her at her old school continues to find ways to torment her. Being the book lover that she is, one of the first things Tabby does in town is head to the library. It's there that she comes across the advert for a book club. Hoping to get her grandma off her case about finding something to do over the summer, Tabby decides to give it a try.
THE CHARACTERS
Tabby is the perfect lead for a YA story. She's exactly the type of character that teen readers will be able to relate to, and she's experiencing things that countless people her age will have to deal with or may be faced with in the future. In a time when we can never really shut ourselves off from the online world, it's so important for authors to explore how bullies can target victims through social media. It also helps to show them that there is always a way forward, even when it feels hopeless.
Though she's having a hard time, Tabby gets to meet such wonderful characters through the book club that eventually becomes The Paper & Hearts Society. What I love most about these characters is how different they are, and yet they still manage to form a perfect team. Their readings tastes are also different, but it doesn’t matter in the slightest because they still love sharing stories and bonding through their love of words.
REASONS TO LOVE
- BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS! I could quite literally scream for hours on end about how much I love the concept of this story being based around a book club. It gives us so much fantastic and relatable content. But the absolute best part is that thanks to the characters all being major bookworms, and the fact that Lucy Powrie is of course a book blogging Queen, we get SO MANY MENTIONS OF BOOKS!!! The YA recommendations that are effortlessly slipped in here are truly iconic. I’m going to be hunting a few of them down in my local library, that’s for sure.
- PERFECTLY YA. I’ve said this before many times, but it’s so important that a YA book is actually YA. As someone who is now closer to 30 than I am 20 (hahahahahahahaha *cries*), I believe anyone should be able to read whatever books they want, no matter the target age range. But it’s so important that YA still remains aimed at the actual target audience. This is a book that teenagers will definitely be able to find parts of themselves in. Whilst I’m still able to enjoy it, I’m so grateful that this book wasn’t written with me in mind.
- THE BEST BOOKISH ROADTRIP. This has to be one of my favourite roadtrips I’ve read in a story, simply because it’s any book lover’s dream. The gang visit so many places of note when it comes to literature. I may be extra jealous of the visit to Shakespeare’s house because I did actually have to opportunity to visit it when I was in high school but couldn’t afford the fee at the time. DAMN YOU, BILLY.
- Also throwing this out there: MAIN CHARACTER WITH GLASSES!!! As someone who has been in glasses since the age of three and will be for the rest of my life, I always seek out characters with glasses, especially ladies. There are always more male leads with glasses than there are female…
THE FINAL WORD
Genuinely, I could write out a list of 100 things I loved about this book, but we’d be here all day. The only tiny issue I had was that I rooted for the side pairing more than the main pairing, but I know that the sequel follows them a little more, so I am ridiculously excited. These characters are all super adorable and I cannot wait to see what they get up to next. Bring on the next bookish adventure!
THE PLOT
Before I start, I just want to say that I did actually devour this story through NetGalley in the run up to its release, but I’ve only just been able to sit down and write my review because of how hectic life got. I could really do with my own book club that goes on exciting adventures at the moment! But please know that I flew through this story very quickly because I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
We join Tabby as she starts a new chapter in her life, moving to a different town to be with her grandma. Whilst she’s trying to start afresh, the girl who bullied her at her old school continues to find ways to torment her. Being the book lover that she is, one of the first things Tabby does in town is head to the library. It's there that she comes across the advert for a book club. Hoping to get her grandma off her case about finding something to do over the summer, Tabby decides to give it a try.
THE CHARACTERS
Tabby is the perfect lead for a YA story. She's exactly the type of character that teen readers will be able to relate to, and she's experiencing things that countless people her age will have to deal with or may be faced with in the future. In a time when we can never really shut ourselves off from the online world, it's so important for authors to explore how bullies can target victims through social media. It also helps to show them that there is always a way forward, even when it feels hopeless.
Though she's having a hard time, Tabby gets to meet such wonderful characters through the book club that eventually becomes The Paper & Hearts Society. What I love most about these characters is how different they are, and yet they still manage to form a perfect team. Their readings tastes are also different, but it doesn’t matter in the slightest because they still love sharing stories and bonding through their love of words.
REASONS TO LOVE
- BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS! I could quite literally scream for hours on end about how much I love the concept of this story being based around a book club. It gives us so much fantastic and relatable content. But the absolute best part is that thanks to the characters all being major bookworms, and the fact that Lucy Powrie is of course a book blogging Queen, we get SO MANY MENTIONS OF BOOKS!!! The YA recommendations that are effortlessly slipped in here are truly iconic. I’m going to be hunting a few of them down in my local library, that’s for sure.
- PERFECTLY YA. I’ve said this before many times, but it’s so important that a YA book is actually YA. As someone who is now closer to 30 than I am 20 (hahahahahahahaha *cries*), I believe anyone should be able to read whatever books they want, no matter the target age range. But it’s so important that YA still remains aimed at the actual target audience. This is a book that teenagers will definitely be able to find parts of themselves in. Whilst I’m still able to enjoy it, I’m so grateful that this book wasn’t written with me in mind.
- THE BEST BOOKISH ROADTRIP. This has to be one of my favourite roadtrips I’ve read in a story, simply because it’s any book lover’s dream. The gang visit so many places of note when it comes to literature. I may be extra jealous of the visit to Shakespeare’s house because I did actually have to opportunity to visit it when I was in high school but couldn’t afford the fee at the time. DAMN YOU, BILLY.
- Also throwing this out there: MAIN CHARACTER WITH GLASSES!!! As someone who has been in glasses since the age of three and will be for the rest of my life, I always seek out characters with glasses, especially ladies. There are always more male leads with glasses than there are female…
THE FINAL WORD
Genuinely, I could write out a list of 100 things I loved about this book, but we’d be here all day. The only tiny issue I had was that I rooted for the side pairing more than the main pairing, but I know that the sequel follows them a little more, so I am ridiculously excited. These characters are all super adorable and I cannot wait to see what they get up to next. Bring on the next bookish adventure!