Hello loves and Happy Friday! Today, I’ll be sharing my review for SYMPTOMS OF A HEART BREAK by Sona Charaipotra. This book made me smile, laugh and cry and oh mannn… I really enjoyed all the wonderful FEELS.
In her solo debut, Sona Charaipotra brings us a compelling #ownvoices protagonist who’s not afraid to chase what she wants. This book goes from romantic comedy highs to tearjerker lows and is the ultimate cure-all for young adult readers needing an infusion of something heartfelt.
Published: July 2, 2019
Publisher: Imprint ((Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group))
Genre(s): Young Adult. Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction
Format: Hardcover 336 Pages
The youngest doctor in America, an Indian-American teen makes her rounds―and falls head over heels―in the contemporary romantic comedy Symptoms of a Heartbreak.
Fresh from med school, sixteen-year-old medical prodigy Saira arrives for her first day at her new job: treating children with cancer. She’s always had to balance family and friendships with her celebrity as the Girl Genius―but she’s never had to prove herself to skeptical adult co-workers while adjusting to real life-and-death stakes. And working in the same hospital as her mother certainly isn’t making things any easier.
But life gets complicated when Saira finds herself falling in love with a patient: a cute teen boy who’s been diagnosed with cancer. And when she risks her brand new career to try to improve his chances, it could cost her everything.
It turns out “heartbreak” is the one thing she still doesn’t know how to treat.
Charming, Funny, and Beautifully Touching Story
Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra is a charming and beautifully touching story. It’s engrossing and bittersweet, and as much as it hurt my heart, I could not stop reading. There are so many things to love about this wonderful book and by the end, I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite reads this year.
I really enjoyed going on this amazing emotional journey. I loved the gorgeous writing, the heartfelt story, the awesome characters, the relatable relationships, and the aching, but utterly wonderful FEELS. There are plenty of lighthearted, exciting, and sweet moments. Some parts are even funny and had me laughing. But, there are also some very real, emotionally painful, and heartbreaking scenes that affected me. My heart tore into pieces and it literally felt like I was there with Saira experiencing what she feels and witnessing every sad moments with her. So, I cried… quite a lot actually and definitely had swollen puffy eyes by the time I finished reading. So, if you’re going to read this book and I think you really should, I suggest you grab a box of tissues and be prepared.
As a prodigy, Saira is such a fascinating teenager and I enjoyed her character development. I really admired her tenacity, enthusiasm, dedication, and compassion. She’s a bit impulsive and maybe even overly passionate about what she does, but I could see that she truly wants to help and do what’s best for her patients. And that’s what I really love about her. Her intentions come from her heart and she fights for what she believes is right. I can’t even imagine how it’ll be like to be 16 years old and already dealing with the mental, physical, and emotional stress of being a doctor. I think Saira handles herself quite reasonably and yes she does make mistakes, but she also learns from them and tries to be a better version of herself.
I adored Link from the very beginning and just wanted to protect him from all the pain and hurt he’s going through. He’s just so sweet, funny, honest, kind and loving that it’s impossible not to fall for him. Link definitely stole a piece of my heart and I rooted for him the entire time. And his relationship with Saira – adorably sweet and swoony. But, more on that later.
Saira and Vish’s friendship is so cute and endearing. Their relationship, while platonic, is still kind of swoony and I enjoyed all their scenes together. I loved that they’re supportive and very loyal to each other. They are so great and fun together… even if it’s just being best friends. While I’m in love with that particular friendship, I don’t feel quite the same about Saira and her other best friend Lizze. To be honest, I’m not really big fan of Lizzie and some of her actions. But, I think her friendship with Saira is realistic and relatable in some ways. I also think that that deep down Lizzie loves Saira and will always be there for her.
Saira’s family is amazing and supportive! I really liked the sweet sisterly bond between Saira and Taara. They’re opposites and want different things in life, but at the end of the day, they want each other to be happy. I also really liked how both her parents are very involved and always there for her. The extended family with all the aunties and uncles and cousins are all pretty great too and I loved how they come together to show their support. And her grandmother, Dadi, she’s so feisty, so loving, so funny, and such a remarkable woman. I loved Dadi and her cooking definitely made me crave Indian food.
I enjoyed the romance and the swoony chemistry between Saira and Link, but, if I’m being completely honest, I feel like this is one of those rare times that the book didn’t really need a love story. I just personally felt emotionally invested with Saira’s bond with her patients and her dedication on going above and beyond to help and save people. So, even without the romance part, I believe that Saira will still do everything for Link, and I would still really enjoy the story. That being said, I did love Saira and Link together, swooned over their cutesy and flirty moments, and hoped that they would both get their happily ever after.
Heartwarming and poignant, Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra is a delightfully entertaining and emotional story about family, friendship, sacrifice, love and following your dreams. It’s terribly heartbreaking, sometimes funny and uplifting, and amazingly real in every way. This is an absolutely lovely book filled with plenty of wonderful emotions and I can’t recommend it enough.
I recevied an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher, Imprint (Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group) via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The author of the YA doc dramedy Symptoms of a Heartbreak, Sona Charaipotra is not a doctor — much to her pediatrician parents’ chagrin. They were really hoping she’d grow up to take over their practice one day. Instead, she became a writer, working as a celebrity reporter at People and (the dearly departed) TeenPeople magazines, and contributing to publications from the New York Times to TeenVogue.
These days, she uses her Masters in screenwriting from NYU and her MFA in creative writing from the New School to poke plot holes in her favorite teen TV shows, like Riverdale — for work, of course. She’s the co-founder of CAKE Literary, a boutique book packaging company with a decidedly diverse bent, and the co-author (with Dhonielle Clayton) of the YA dance dramas Tiny Pretty Thingsand Shiny Broken Pieces, as well as the upcoming psychological thriller The Rumor Game. She’s a proud We Need Diverse Books team member. Find her sharing pictures of her kids and her chai on Instagram @sonesone2, talking writing and books on Twitter @sona_c, or pinning gorgeous lenghas and her favorite Indian food on Pinterest.
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Thanks for stopping by lovelies! I hope you get to meet Saira, Link, Vish, Dadi, and the rest of the wonderful characters.
As always, have a lovely day!!!
Sincerely Karen Jo 